Experiences, Fears, I think..

I'm going to a public speaking class in New York City. Last week before fake hurricane came, I gave my first speech, the topic was me - myself, cause they think that's the topic everybody know most and will be more relax! 

First of all, I'm a very comfortable person who can speak easily and express feelings and ideas (I think so). However, years ago I was a terrible speaker, my first-first speech in front of 50 students was a disaster. My mouth was being dry, my voice was shaking, my stomach was feeling sick, awww, that was so embarrassing, my face was burning, and I'm sure it was red even it is impossible. Now, I still feel nervous, excited, and feel breathless. That's what I like maybe, it's adrenaline! :) I love this hormone. It gives me energy. I can speak fluently, and effectively. Do you think it happened just with a medicine or therapy or miracle? No. Practicing.. working on my fear.. to win my fear and to be more stronger. I think that's what I did. And I'm still doing it. :) 

Last week, I've talked about my life, 3 miracles in my life:

1. My birth :)

2. My second life 

3. Realizing my second life was a miracle, and have to do something more & better than working in a 9-5 job, and leaving my lovely city to find the purpose of my life, and to find the opportunity to make the world a better place was my third miracle. Shortly, taking control of my life was my third miracle.

After telling these, I saw everyone was listening carefully -cause that's a bit too honest, intimate- I fucked it up (what else can I say rather than fucked up, screwed up in a nice way??). I didn't make any preparation after this first part, and I had a very bad ending, forgot so many things that I thought to talk about. And my body language & sound got all weird.

Okay here is my short list how to make your public speaking terrible & awful :)

• Don't be prepared for the speech.
• Just focus on your excitement, nervousness, and get more of them.
• Don't take deep breaths and don't exhale slowly.
• Trust yourself too much, be overconfident, or have no confident.
• Don't have note cards during your speech, just spontaneously talk.
• Don't make eye contact w/ audience.
• Just read your papers, put your head down.
• Dress something you don't feel comfortable.
• Don't know who your audience is/are.
• Keep your voice very boring to make people sleep.
• Make it a forever speech, too long.
• If something happen that distracts your audience, pretend it never happened.

I realized I can keep this list forever. There is so many things to make your speech awful. I wish you luck at your speeches, but as you can see it's not about luck :)

Lovely Irene, Welcome to New York!

Omg! 

Hurricane Irene is coming to New York. I've never been somewhere before where people get ready so well: I think if the end of the world comes, they will still be alive.

• They shopped everything for forever. Water, eggs, meat, chocolate, etc.. There was nothing left in malls.
• All of the movies are rented.
• They say the water can reach till second floors, so there will be boat emergency team.
• MTA, all subways, bus services are shut down! The first time ever in the history!
• In Atlantic City all casinos are closed, that means a lot!
• There were surfers in the ocean because they love waves, but now it's noon, 27th I don't think they are still there.
• Everything seems so unreal, but also real cause of the Hollywood movies!! 
• They shut down all of this Manhattan Island, like we're in quarantine, like we will be zombies!!

Weheee!! It's coming!! :)

Friends, and others, good luck, be safe and have fun! That can be a story you can tell your grandsons.

RESPECT?!

An example of Ron English's propaganda art

I have an issue with myself: I do not know how to respect people who smokes and feeds their children w/fast food. 

Cigarette:

• Officially dangerous for health.
• On the cigarette boxes, there are disgusting facts & pictures.
• Smells gross! Ugh!
• After smoking, smells worse! Talking w/these people even you like them, yucks! Can't imagine kissing..
• Are they brain-disabled? NO! They are cool people generally! (Oops, I just remembered one of best friend smokes, s**t! And my lovely brother, and father, and.. lol)
• It's their choice. 
• And, they are publicly hacked: no smoke inside, sometimes, in special ugly rooms..
• But, question: how can I just feel normal for them?? I feel I do discriminate them :) haha. That's no good!

Fast Food:

• I just watched Supersize Me. Great documentary.
• In Turkey I was eating Mc Donald's, Burger King, etc 4-5 times in a year. It was always delicious, but I didn't want to get used to eat them.
• In New York, well, because they are really fast, in 1-2 minutes you get your food and I'm in a rush all time, I eat once in a month I think :(
• After eating, I feel like I'm dead: wanna sleep forever.

So, how can I respect:

• A mom who tells her 3-4 years old children "if you do that, I'll buy you french fries, Mcdonald's". Is this *** becoming a reward?
• I remember when I was in Tallin, at zoo, I was just looking at kids, taking photos of them, they were the cutest!! And when we were eating something, I couldn't stop staring at their parents who feed them with fast food. I remember my friend was "stop it" to me. How can I act in a normal way?? Do I react too much?
• Beautiful, smart, adult people who smoke?
• For kids, okay I can see the main reason why they smoke: it's cool! I think I respect them, they are too young, and maybe their parents didn't teach them how it will damage their health and relationship, and don't have to do these things to be cool.

Let's stop thinking we'll not be like Fat America! It's closer then you're thinking. Europeans - Asians! Don't destroy your healthy delicious eating habits. We pay a lot here to eat your cuisine. Every 12 years old children deserve to be healthy. Don't make them eat these lovely fat food, if you can. Fast food is cheap! Cooking takes a lot of time & money! It's your decision..

Well, I think I was improved, years ago, I had no tolerance, I was the most boring annoying person who tells people what they already know, and try to make them stop =) Now, maybe I'm still boring-annoying, but I don't talk about smoking, do I?

P.S From now on, I'll not eat anything from McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc.. Trust me it's not easy, specially after watching Supersize Me, they were looking so delicious, and I'm hungry now. But I love myself so much, and my future babies, that I don't want to effect them. Okay, let's say 2 times in a year! :) This year I've already ate too much. In 2012, I'll eat 2 times! Yay!

Being in Heaven

I think I was in heaven yesterday, my heaven: one of the greatest mentor I've ever had invited me to a networking event with entrepreneurs and investors. 

One of the sponsor company ER Accelerator, is a non-profit organization helps entrepreneurs succeed. I do love what they do! 

Yesterday was hilarious. Great. Lovely. 

I was like a monster: excited, hungry to get some inspiration & listen new startup's stories.

Imagine a party that everyone has a new idea, to help people according to their needs, they create a service or product. Well, in general everybody have some ideas, they always talk, but yesterday, I met these people who activate their plans and ideas, they started-up their own companies, they took actions!

Yummy. Delicious! :)

Was a great pleasure to connect with these entrepreneurs, investors. Hopefully I'll have time to follow up with them. I think that's another part I like about New York as Istanbul: there are tons & tons of creative, smart, interesting people to keep in touch.

Yay!

Sunday Entertainment: Laundry

I hate doing laundry in New York.

What a waste of time and energy. Washers and dryers are not common in individual apartments. You walk a block if you're lucky, you carry the dirty clothes, in the rain or hot day and generally on Sundays. You arrange alot of coins somehow, and work your washer.. go home ..45 mins later come back to put them on to drier. Go home. Or you can wait in the laundry, too.. and then fold your clean laundry, go walk home carrying them.. In total 3 times, you have to go to that lovely place!

Or you can drop off your laundry and let strangers fold your underwear. Sometimes you don't have to go there, they just come your home and pick and deliver your laundry.

I hate it.. I remember for once I had it in my home and I was too lazy to wash.. if I knew it would be like that I'd use it more with thanks.. maybe my next place there will be no water, so I should be thankfully that water is far only a block away..yay!

The Cleanest City, Near Dirtiest River: Boston

Yes, Boston.. What a lovely city.. 

To be honest, I heard it is one of the most racist city in States but the thing I saw they are so happy, friendly, helpful, etc.. 

Isn't that ironic that we hear something but experience the other. For example, I heard a lot of cold things about British people, they are cold, not friendly, not helpful; and when I went to London, or met some British people in NY, I really appreciated how they are: serious, not over - friendly acts, in a great balance of warm, & kindness.. 

Let's talk about beautiful Boston..

Typical view of Boston, bikers and ducks

• In New York, people generally don't use trashes, they just throw their trash to street. Normally I warn people who do that in Turkey, but in NY so many of these kind of ignorant annoying people, so I don't warn, and also it's scary, because people are crazy in the city! I don't want any trouble with them.. 
• Boston is extremely clean, that's something really makes you happy, relax, and calm..
• Streets are  wide & huge but most important I really like the architecture: its like a European city. Although I like to take photos with living creatures, I took so many of the house photos, because they are pretty.
• I visited so many cities before, I never took city tour. In my opinion the best way to know a city is bicycling or walking, especially the not touristy areas: getting lost, talking with locals, etc. However, Boston have world famous city tour with their ducks; vehicles half boat and half truck. They were ship shaped. That reminded me Riga Engineering Competition I participated years ago which we got different tasks to work on. One of them was designing and building a vehicle which goes on the road and also water.  Those were the times..
• Shortly, Boston Duck Tours are great, although I didn't understand our guide very well, to see Boston on the land also on the dirtiest river was absolutely worthwhile.
• In Boston I met with a beautiful - smart girl who didn't date much before because of her parents and now she is 27 can't describe her feelings cause never had them, doubting maybe she likes girls which her parents can never learn.. 
• I met a cute couple and joined their barbecue. The husband loves to cook and make his own drinks and cocktails. I've drunk the best fresh cucumber drink in their lovely house, yummy..
• I met with a plastic surgery esthetician woman, we talked about botox and it's dirty secret facts..
• A ha!  Did you know with just around $200 you can have a DNA test of your father and mother side to learn your ancestors? If it was in the past nobody can be sure what really happened, right? However, our DNA sequences tell some facts about your roots. The question: Would you really want to know that actually you're not Italian, French, Turkish, etc? I'm wondering Hitlers test result, and what his reaction would have been. And also these kind of people who are obsessed with their race.
• And. My favorite TV show Ally Mcbeal was also filmed in Boston.. Ha!

Think, think, think..

Flags, everywhere..

It's like Velib system in Paris, but this is better! Lovely..

Port, with great live street music. It was magical..

They were singing & giving me poses..

You better bring your passport, cause in Boston you can't drink alcohol with your international ID.

They asked this architect to build something in this square and he said "what am I gonna do, they are so beautiful structures." And he ended with this design reflect the others! Isn't it hilarious?

Sailing in the Charles River: dirties river

Okay, that's a Starbucks picture, but interesting part is: did you know in this small city Boston, there is more than 100 Dunkin Donuts?

Trinity Church,  John Hancock Tower, Duck, Copley Square and Boston

Well, these plants are at so many places

Another view of Boston

In Harvard University: I think this door looks pretty magical, and there is no photoshop.

Barbecue, and spinach-strawberry salad :)

And good-bye Boston with a great salsa dance party with almost professional dancers!

Classical Boston Houses?

Charles River and Kayaking