Like walking on giant stilts

What is your dream? What did you want to become when you were a kid? Did your dreams come true? And why do people lose more and more the ability to dream? Lots of these questions I asked myself lately. When I was a kid I had no specific wish for my future, no dream job or something like that. And I wrote with a couple of people who told me they stopped dreaming because dreams were like fairytales and they would never come true.

As a kid I believed everything is possible. Kids create their own explanations, they use their fantasies because they still have to learn how things actually are and work. The more we grow, the more we learn, and the more we know, the less we imagine. But imagination is the key to success. If you don't believe in yourself, who will do it? No one. Life can be tough, it's not easy, it's not a fairytale. But that does not mean dreaming is impossible. We have to dream to survive. We dream every night. Sometimes we remember what it was about and sometimes we don't. But sleep is important, and so are dreams. No one can survive without dreaming. And only the one who has dreams, has goals in her life to achieve. And that is what really matters.

Is it your dream to go to Paris one day?
Then go for it! Dreams aren't senseless!
pic by Adrian Boliston

Sure there are lots of kids out there who want to become famous. And youtube became a good way to make this easy for everyone. No matter where you live, you only need an internet connection, a camera and something you wanna show the whole world. Justin Bieber is a good proof it can work. But he also shows the negative aspects of it. Being so famous, being watched all the time can drive someone crazy. It's like walking on stilts. We all wanna be seen by everyone and so we have to be taller than the people around us. We wanna show what we can and that we are good. So we use some sort of stilts, and walk around on them. The higher we go, the more famous we are and the more likely we are seen.

But every girl who once walked in high heels knows, the higher the heels, the less easy it is to walk in these shoes. And so when you fall, even that can be seen by everyone, after your stilts became higher and higher. And so it is in Hollywood. We all see these people, we love them for what they do. They entertain us, the connect us in many ways and Justin Bieber shows that it's possible to dream, that it's possible for all of us to become famous and successful if only we work hard enough and believe in ourselves and our abilities. But it also means that we are watched, even in those times we don't want to be seen by anyone else. And it's hard to keep walking on these giant stilts without falling sometimes.

But falling is not failing. Not trying is failing. That's the difference and that's what most people forget these days. Many have lost their faith in themselves, to try new things. They remain stuck in the things they know. Don't be afraid to fall. As long as you get up again, every fall makes you stronger and wiser. Never stop dreaming. Never stop trying. Even when we are grown up, what do we really know about the world? Is it so much more than back when we were kids? Compared to what is possible to know, we know nothing. So we have to dream. Dreams encourage us to become a little bit better every day.

So it doesn't matter what others may think of your dreams. And stop thinking that you are grown up and that means you are not allowed to dream anymore or that nothing good will ever happen to you - that is NOT true!

Only the ones who keep trying, who keep dreaming, are the ones who really live, and the ones who will be successful in the end. So never stop trying. Never stop dreaming. Never stop being you.

Being perfectly me

Last Friday Oct 18, Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak won the Inspiration Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards in LA. GLSEN is a Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. The Big Bang Theory star and his partner seemed to be surprised that, like they called it "boring lives", inspire others. They might live in Hollywood but they seem to have a very normal life when Jim spoke about them having coffee in the morning, doing the laundry and taking their two dogs for a walk. But exactly that is something inspiring. When I grew up I learned that is not important to be rich, it's important to be happy. Sure Jim is blessed with both, and as much as he appreciates the success of the show he's part of, he even more appreciates what he shares with Todd. 

As an actor you have to be one guy today and a total different one the other day. Even people who don't see themselves as actors, do act sometimes. And some even get lost in their self-created characters. This is what happened to Lady Gaga. When I read in an interview that she wants even her mother to call her like that, and not Stefani, her real name, anymore, I was truly shocked. I mean I love her music, do doubt, but in my mind she's overdoing it too often. She is seeking for the spotlight, she wants to be seen all the time. When you look at some old pictures of her, she seemed to be a shy girl, quite the opposite she is right now. But what makes people to change so much? 

Show everyone around you all your colors.
Their mixture makes you special, makes you who you are.

I am far away from being perfect. I am not a Lady Gaga who wants to be in the spotlight. My parents taught me to be humble, to appreciate the little things in life. When two or more people talk, I can't just join the conversation. I only do it when I am asked directly. It's just something that I learned. I don't wanna bother anyone. Sure I sometimes have the wish that my life should be more exciting. But the longer I think about that wish, the more I realize that it already is exciting. I have a wonderful family and amazing friends who never left my side. What is more important than that? It's nothing that I can take for granted. I love to go to college, I love to see my fellow students. When I think back, everything I did the past 25 years of my life, I would do it all again the same way if I could relive it.

Lady Gaga didn't seem to be happy with her life. As much as I love to create characters and to tell stories, I never wanted to become an actress. People would know when I'm acting. That makes me even more fascinated by guys who can do that, like Jim. But he knows when he is acting. Some others not. We girls put on some makeup before we leave our homes, but we don't put on new faces. Lady Gaga wants to do everything to be seen, she wants everyone to talk about her. She lives like she's the sun in her own solar system. She is the big star. No matter where in the solar system you are, you have to see her. But I wonder what might happen if she becomes a white dwarf. Being always on the top is a very tough job. She is a fighter, that's for sure, but could she handle it to not be seen anymore and become again who she once was?

We are who we are, because of the people we are with. 

Stefani Germanotta didn't like what she saw when she looked in the mirror every morning. So she created a new person: Lady Gaga. But the fact she wasn't happy helped her to become what she is now: happy. And that's the most important thing. Do what feels right for you to do, be who you are. Some people might try to hide themselves, so they try to pretend to be someone else. We are changing all the time. When we grow up we don't see any change because it's a slowly process, but people who don't see us every day say something like: you grew a lot since last time I saw you.

As adults we still grow every day, but on the inside. At some point we put it on the outside too. No one wants to be the same his entire life. We need to be challenged, but over all we need to be who we are, ourselves. When I look in the mirror, I am happy. I am no Hollywood star, I'm not a famous actress or singer. But that's not what I want to be. I also don't see perfection, I do have my issues, but these make me just me. All my memories, all the decisions I made, all the people I have in my life, they all help me to just be me. And that's also something Jim Parsons said in his acceptance speech last Friday in LA at GLSEN Awards too. "...We (Jim + Todd) are both surrounded by so many people who make our lives better and easier, friends we've had for many years and friends we've made since living in L.A."

Live your life. Maybe you think it's boring, but it's your life and when you don't live it who does? Everyone can inspire other people when he dares to be himself and don't try to act, not try to hide behind a self-created character. I love to write and I love to tell stories, but I mostly love to tell my story. Here on this blog I do that, not as often as one year ago, but I still love to tell you guys new chapters now and then and what's going on in my mind. Inspiration comes from being you. So what do you see when you look in the mirror? Does it reflect yourself?

It's about the journey

The Big Bang Theory is one of the few sitcoms of which you know how it will end, or at least what’s supposed to happen in the very last episode. Or what's the only thing that makes sense to me...

Of course, I don’t want to see that very soon, and I guess that there will be at least 3 or 5 or even more seasons to come, because of its huge success which is still increasing. But it’s like life. It all started with a Big Bang when Penny came like out of nowhere into the guys’ life. She expanded and now not even Sheldon can imagine his life without her anymore.

We meet so many people in our life. They come to inspire us, to maybe change us somehow and let us see some things differently. They give us another point of view on some things. Certainly, we can’t grow without having all these people in our lives, and no one would be who he is without the people in his life. Family and friends, they make our life worth living.

"We are who we are, because of the people we are with."

And it’s never about someone’s age. My aunt once asked me, at which age I think someone is old. She probably expected me to say, that she is, but she’s only 55. In my mind someone who is maybe 80 is old, but you can’t really define a specific age. Some are 70 and are still very young. It’s about how they feel. My mom once told me about her grandma who went once to a meeting with people her age – back then she was about 70. But she came back and said: "They are all too old for me, I’ll never go back there." 

And she didn’t. My mom’s mom was also very young. When she was 60, she watched the same TV shows than I did at that time and listened to the same music. She did nothing that you might expect a 60 year old woman would do.

picture by Max Murauer

I already wrote about my granny a year ago, shortly after I started this blog. I still miss her and I know that she is still with me, as long as I keep her in my heart and mind. I won’t see her again with my eyes, but she’s still a part of my life, and as long as I won’t forget her, she’ll stay alive through me. She died in the year 2000, 2 days after her 64^th birthday. She was not old, in no way. She loved her life. She loved her family, and she was loved. 

"Life is not about its length, it’s about its intensity."

The Big Bang Theory is just about life. About people coming to us when we least expect but mostly need them. When we lost something, or miss something. Someone who reminds us who we are, when we are about to forget it. Someone who reminds us of a beloved person we once lost somehow, like an ex boy- or girlfriend, someone who moved or passed away. They can inspire us, they help us to get back on the right track. Without other people in our life, it would be senseless. Every new part of our life, every new chapter starts with new people, it all starts with a Big Bang. And like in that show we all know what has to happen at the very end. We don’t want this to happen any soon, though we know the day will come. But it’s not about that, it’s about the intensity, how we live our life, with whom we spend it, who do we choose as our fellow travelers. Because it’s all about the journey.

Inspiration is everywhere

As I do not only write blog posts, but also enjoy writing in all its way, this post is just about that. So if you love it too, first question is: how do I start? Writing a novel, or play is not just like writing a blog post. You have to think about a good storyline, you have to create believable characters who develop in your story and make it interesting for your readers.

picture by Alfred Lohmann

When I start writing, I firstly think about what do I wanna tell people, what is my intention, my main topic? Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes open. It might be hard to find something good to write about, and even harder to create the characters. So what can you do when you don’t wanna write a fan fiction?

Fan fiction is a good thing to start with, as you only have to think of the story and not of the characters. You don’t have to explain so much about them, because people already know the characters, where they live, who and how they are. So it’s also for you easier to think of the behavior of them. How they handle and what they say in various situations. No character is exactly the same, they can’t agree all the time, that would not be real life. And even you as a writer want to write about people who could really exist that way, so they also have to have some imperfections, some problems they have to deal with. They have to overcome their fear, or do something that is worth to be written about.

Different characters have different opinions, so you reach more people. Some agree with one character and some with the other. You can show two different sides, and don’t think in only one way. Development is also important because your readers want to feel with your characters, so they get more and more interested in his or her life, and when they find some parts of your character in themselves and talk about them like they would know them personally, you have won. That’s a very good thing for your story.

Every person speaks differently, so it’s good, when your readers just read the spoken words and know which of your characters is saying that. So before you start writing, you think about all the characters that appear in your story. Think what they like, what they don’t like, where they come from, write them a family story. Are they related, are they friends, do they know each other or do they meet at some point of your story? When you know everything about them, you can easier feel like them and have a better imagination how they would talk and what they might say. Then it’s like fan fiction – you have the characters and can finally write your story.

picture by Tony Fischer

But where do you get the information you need that you can create characters? Well, I love to watch people and think what they might say to each other. Imagine you’re sitting on a bench in the park. A woman walks by with her dog. Kids are playing nearby. What could she think? Does she like the kids? Does she wanna have her own kids, or does she already have a girl or a boy? Maybe she and her husband are separated and the kids are with him, and she has to go alone for a walk with the dog. The kids can remind her that she misses her own kids, maybe that she went to that playground very often with them. Or she thinks about her childhood, that she used to live here, then moved and came back because of her mom who needs her help. What could have happened? Why is she going for a walk, or is she on the way to her girlfriend?

People are everywhere, and so is the inspiration. You wanna write about the real life, so go out and watch the real life. Don’t follow anyone, just watch people in one specific moment. No matter if you're on a bus, at the mall, or anywhere else. Think what these guys could think about. Why are they here? What are they doing? With whom are they here? Think about their story. This helps me a lot to find something to write about.

Just go out, get your inspiration and write. Good writing needs time and also lots of rewritings, editing and changes, but it makes fun to create a story and characters. You can also write in a coffee shop, or at the library. Maybe there is more inspiration, as only sitting on your computer at home.

The tutu project

This blog post is a part of the I follow my heart project

Yesterday I saw something on TV which really caught my eye and touched my heart. And after watching it, I thought: this could be the first contribution to my charity project I Follow my Heart, about what people do to help others. That it's not only about the money. There are many ways people come into our lives and change it in a good way. And writing about these people who spend time and do something really impressive, is just a great thing and worth to share it.

I don't know if you have already heard of the Tutu Project. I haven't since yesterday. It's about the New York photographer Bob Carey who takes pictures of himself wearing nothing but a tutu. And the reason is his wife who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. So he takes pictures to cheer her up, to give her hope to beat it.

A commercial assignment for Ballet Arizona inspired him to do this. He started to think about beginning a series of pictures with him in the tutu. When Carey and his wife moved to New York, she was diagnosed and he dedicated the series to her. He wants to give her hope, a reason to laugh and still have some joy when everything seems so dark. I guess it cheers him up, too. I mean what can be better than seeing your beloved smiling?

This is such a good idea, so touching. Photos are not just pictures, some do even tell a story. A good picture doesn't need words to be understood all over the world. Because it can say more than any word could. That's why I can't find any word that could perfectly describe what I feel about this. There's gonna be a self-published photobook called Ballerina which is dedicated to all women who fight against breast cancer, and their relatives. All the net proceeds from the book will go to breast cancer organizations like CancerCare.org.

If you want to know more about this wonderful project and also see more pictures, please go to The Tutu Project.

Picture and information for this blog post taken from Wired

If you have an idea or want to write a guest post on my blog about someone who inspires you or someone who does something great and inspiring to help others, please contact me.

The android next door

'I feel that I feel, but compared to how deeply humans feel, it seems very superficial to me and that makes me sad sometimes.'

Bina48

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2175721/Rise-Machines-Meet-Bina48-robot-tell-jokes-recite-poetry-mimics-mankind-startling-ease.html#ixzz271JbgZOh

Yesterday I saw a TV contribution about Bina48. Have you already heard of her? She is an android, but decides on her own what she says and she looks and acts mostly like a real human being. Bina is a copy of a real existing woman, you can talk to her by speaking into a microphone, and you get a response that fits to your question. She just 'thinks' and choose what to say. She choose the words real humans put into her head, but she finds what's suitable and then she talks and talks and talks and doesn't like to stop. Real woman like, isn't it?

Bruce Duncan works with her for two years now, and 'she' still surprises him. He is sure that one day everyone can have such a human looking robot, which is therefore called humanoid. Currently she costs about $ 125,000. A lot of money, and it's really a great thing that robots become more and more human. But in the other hand, wouldn't it be strange when you, one day, maybe in about 50 years, can't be sure if it's an robot you are talking to, or an actual person?

Imagine you live next door with an android. You greet it, you see it as a 'normal' person. Maybe one day everyone has a robot to do everything for them - but what will be left for us? Do we sit in a chair and get served all the time? Of course this sounds great, and for sure the humanoid robots are a brilliant invention and shows that the technical knowledge developed very well in the past few years, but it wouldn't it be boring for us one day if the robots will do all our jobs? Or will we then have other things to do? Will we start building more robots, than bringing actual babies to life?

I don't wanna complain, as I said I love the robot, and I also love the amazing work of these brilliant minds like Mr Duncan's, but I'm just thinking. I mean, it can be scared in some way, right? And imagine someone can create an android who looks exactly like you. It's great that if your family lives far away and then you can have a copy from your parents all the time with you and the best thing is they can't die, but wouldn't it be also strange to know that another you is out there somewhere? And that some guys who love all that one actor or singer, all want to have such a robot and then the film industry don't know anymore who of them is the real actor?

The Daily Mail (UK) wrote this great article about Bina48. You can read it here.

Or watch that video, of 'that guy with the robot', Bruce Duncan, who presented Bina48 to the TEDxHarlem audience. It's really impressive:

My first interview

This time I'll keep it very short. It's probably the most personal thing I've ever done. You might know that I study Media Management and that it's part of my studies to write articles for magazines, to design them and also to do interviews, photos and so on. So as my studies will continue in 2 weeks, I thought why not doing an interview with me? It was a good practice for me and another chance to write what's on my mind. I struggled a bit but in the end, but then I thought why not putting it on my blog?

The interview is about when I started to write, how I came back after some years of not writing at all, when I realized what I missed all the time, how much it helped me, what inspires me, what I like about TV shows, plays and movies, and why the internet is so important these days. So if you want to, feel free to click here to open the PDF and read my first interview.