Lazy Americans

I walked a lot on Black Friday instead of shopping, my next post will be these photos :)

Europeans have a lot of holidays and long.. And I heard Americans don't. Also I heard Americans are lazy.. I still hear a lot.. But here some observations from my view:

Americans also have so many holidays (edit: they still have to work after holidays. It's not long as Canadians or Europeans)

1. 4th of July: They celebrate the independence of America. Serious. National. They go to beach or leave the city and celebrate with friends and family. Read my 4th of July story here :)


2. Labor day: Everywhere is surrounded with American flags, and it's kinda serious celebration, but it's in summer as 4th of July, so people go beaches and celebrate at the shore with friends and family..


3. Halloween: I still don't know why they celebrate the Halloween, and I'm not sure anyone really knows.. The point is being someone else in one day. Girls generally dress and act like a bad girl, boys.. superhero or monster or killer or etc.. (I remember I screamed few couple times, when I saw the guy with the SAW or knife next to me.. They had fun I'm sure) Everybody take it so serious! They plan their the night and dress weeks, months ago..


4. Thanksgiving: Cute. Family members or friends get together, host cooks turkey, and then they eat and thank and drink and play and at the end fall asleep on the couch or chair..


5. Christmas: It's coming!! The next day of Halloween, they started selling Christmas decoration, so how do you say? Commercial? Whatever it is, they make people feel the soul and BUY :) buy, buy, buy... I remember once, a friend told me he buys at least 20 gift per his grandchildren.. 20?? Seriously? If everybody buy 20, it will make like 80 gifts at least. Is that really necessary and make the kids feel better?? Whatever, it's not my problem, I don't receive gifts :( (edit: I received a Christmas gift~ :))

Christmas is coming.. I was always visiting Europe in Christmas, but living in a city where people celebrate it is different! I feel it's coming.. Last year a friend invited me to their home, so they had the cute tree and gifts and etc.. Was like a movie.. This year it will be more real..

November and New York.. probably the most romantic combination, ha? 

And.. The other issue: Americans are lazy.. The truth: New Yorkers are NOT lazy. They work really long hours.. 10-15 hours in a day. I'm not talking about the millionaire New Yorkers, but the others.. They are not lazy. Most of them go to gym, they workout so crazy and yes, they work hard.

However, Americans ≠ New Yorkers. That's why I've put making a road trip to know the culture in my to-do-list.

la la la.. I think I'm not an addict!!

"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."

-Pablo Picasso

Yes, yes! I'm not using my phone anymore :)

Last weekend, my credit finished and then I didn't buy. Now, I still don't want to buy. And you know what?

• I'm very much more focused on what I'm doing now.
• The first thing I do in the morning is not checking my messages and emails.
• Wow! It's amazing. I finish the task I'm working on, not with purpose! I always start and focus, and finish.. that's our nature, right? But this smart phones.. distract me and my concentration.. So generally it took my x2 times to finish with distractions.
• Now, I just start, and finish. If I'm doing what I like to do, I don't even realize the time pass so fast.
• If I'm not working on something serious, I check my emails in every hour.
• I don't have to answer any text messages, because I don't receive them :)
• Calls? I normally don't answer them, if it's important they can leave a voicemail. I've never been a person who chat on phone. I talk very short: "so, what's the point?" 
• No need to talk about radiation.. :)

Yes, we are in a time of technology addiction. It's %100 normal. Especially new generation kids: they live with their ipads or smart phones. Yep, maybe they get smarter or something like that, however I think there are some dangers in this I-love-technology-addiction-world: time loss, emotion loss, unhappiness of getting no real relationships but cyber.. addiction of using social media, smart phones.. if you don't control how you use it, as all of other addictions it will control you. 

Accept that fact: it will be like that and will increase. We will use them whether they are good or not (it helps you! It save time and energy. It makes life easier). We should use them: to live and follow up, it's a need. I've just sent a facebook message to my bank with their app, could I do that by calling Turkiye so fast? No.

On the other hand. Be careful to be not lost in this huge area. Don't let technology control you. And your one of precious: your time. Time, time, time..

Let's see how long I'm going to live without phone. I don't think long.. I can't listen Pandora :( And, communication is a need, like real time communication. Well.. I think I just need some time to relax.. and also, I prove that I'm not addict :)

P.S It took only 8 days. It's absolutely not easy to find address especially for someone idiot like me about directions, also for a Mediterranean who's always late to appointments like me needs a phone! :(

I'm begging you, please love me! :)

Mondays.. One of my favorite day. Beginning of a new week. I like new starts.

I picked this song for this week. Also, if I have a little time, I'll play this song and take a video clip :) haha

I don't write this into my to-do list, but I had this idea to discover Brooklyn. Every cool person live there! And I have no idea about there!! I was enough courage to come New York from Turkey but not going out from Manhattan to anywhere else.. except Miami and Atlantic City..

Yep, I hope a very busy week waits for everyone with so many challenges! :)

Also, I think you can share your challenges in the comment box. I know from all around the world, people read my blog (not a lot, but world wide), why don't you write that not everything is easy and you're working hard to get it.. That would be nice to hear that :)

a little tummy?

Ok. That was too much..

Not just because I was feeling unenergetic and less strong..

First, when I said I'll start gym this week to my roommates, they were like "oh yeaa, when you came here you had a very good body shape, etc.."   O_o

Second, when I was talking with a friend on facebook chat, he said "did you stop doing sports? I saw you have a little tummy"   O_o

Really?

And, here I am, started my gym life again, in summer it sucks to be indoor, so.. now freezing winter is coming and I'm started making love with sport center again!

Again?

My last 6 years was with gym, 3 days ago, when I started again, I realized one of the biggest thing I missed from Istanbul is my gym life: working out, playing basketball, ping-pong, MY FRIENDS! I never paid cause they always knew me.. :) and I realized I'm missing it..

I miss my motorcycle, always..
I miss my gym life, and friends..

My last 2 days was so painful with the muscle pain, I couldn't laugh, couldn't move so well.. hehe. That's great to feel that way.. So, this whole winter, and next years, forever I'll do that.. again and again..

HERE is a great photo express my feelings about working out :))

OH WOW.

Here is a great great great story for you to read.. and for me to read again. We should never give up keep going. Improving. Failure? -Good, you tried, and now fix? No? -Then do it again. It's not for money, it's for ourselves. (My reader: can you feel that still there is something missing in my puzzle? And I'm coming to this topic again and again. Same dilemma. How can I find it? Reading success stories, people who works so hard, FOR WHAT? It can't be for money. It can't be for "Ok, I'll create something unique to help people, let's think what?" How these stories had written? How does it start? I think I want a group of people who has time to discuss entrepreneurship, success, failure, life, beauty, etc..) I'm not happy in these days..

I NEED A MENTOR!!!!! To direct my energy.. To create, to build, to do..! Just now in this period of my life..