Projects.. projects...

How could I not want to go here(photo)  and walk... I am like a minute away from this beautiful landscape. But I feel so tired. I do not feel like doing anything but lying down, drinking hot tea and eat many many chocolates. Yup moon days :) No Yoga.... Lot's of feeling down. If I were doing very heavy sports everyday or twice a day like I used to do then I would not emotionally be a wreck at least. 

One of my projects is finishing. Re-knitting of a cardigan. I was gonna knit a pullover. But my mom suggested a re-knitting project which I liked. Photos will be coming soon.. 

I am not studying and I am beginning to feel the panic. I read only two pages in 10 days. My neurons do not want to jump, and make me smart and oh so smart...  I am really panicking. About the studies, about finding a house, about my body, about my exercises.  I am not in peace with my hormones.. 

Mood stimulation needed...

Me, my sister and mother. Photo Credit: My father

We will get through things eventually... Some stressful times, some stressful events.. But hey come on, look at us, we look like we can get through a lot of things :))

My sister and I went to a really really funny movie. It's Turkish and called "Eyvah Eyvah", at some point we laughed so hard we bumped our heads to each other. How is that possible?! :)) 

Originally we left the house to see "Alice in Wonderland" but contrary to what was said on the web page, the movie was dubbed and not 3D. So we decided against seeing it!

I did my practice at 10 pm. Lovely :) I probably will not be able to sleep for a long time. I hope sometime that timing of waking up and going to bed will be resolved. 

Yoga Mat

Me performing urdhva dhanurasana :)

My one and only, new Yoga Mat arrived this afternoon, and I just completed my practice. A loooong and a tiring one. I am quite shaky :) But during the practice I felt so strong and flexible. I even did my least favorite asana parivrtta trikonasana and could get into lotus position when I was doing the shoulder stand, which I could never succeed. 


I liked my mat. It will take some time to adjust I guess. Although it feels like I can slip I do not. I need to build the trust :) I am changing, I can feel it so as my asanas and yoga practice. I hope the change continues. I really like it. 

Urla- Our Vineyards

Me picking grapes in our vineyards...

Would you like to come and help us this August ? :)

We might have a project. Hosting a grape harvest and wine making. Let's see if we can arrange it...

Fishing

This photo was taken in December, before the New Year’s Eve. These two guys looked really beautiful, in the peaceful gulf. I asked them if I could take a picture of them. They smiled and said " Of course" The Father then said, "Get a better focus of my son, he is really handsome". They were funny :)

And here, after an hour or so, they were visible from the café I was studying at. It's far away from the first point I saw them.

I do not like fishing much, except spear fishing. But they stayed there for hours as I studied. Would not mind being in their place for some time… 

I miss mein Freund. Counting down from 10days :). I am not a great fan of cooking but when I cook with him  it becomes such a pleasure. Aaaah I miss mein Freund. 

What did you do for grace today?

Photo by Yaprak Arda: Windmills of Bodrum

I woke up, visited Yoga for a while, then decided to pay a visit to the public library in Urla. I used to go to the one in the old building when I was a child and read probably all the children books they had. The new one has no character, it was screaming for you to get out. Nonetheless, I subscribed, got a book and sat for 15 minutes to work. Then left... I miss old libraries, big wooden tables, high ceilings, old style stoves. I really love the library in Bodrum. I miss Bodrum...

Photo: Urla Iskele by panoramio

Anyways, I do not think studying in Urla Library is an option. So I went to the seaside of Urla. Well my mother and sister were already there - I did not know before deciding-. When I called them I asked them to wait. I hopped on a Dolmus and off I went to the beautiful Iskele. The sea was so calm and was like azure. And the moon was already risen. We sat in one of the coziest cafes in Urla, Denizalti Cafe. It's a new one. They have internet and an amazing view. I think I will try to go there everyday and write my paper and foreword. I count this as a step for grace in working and in my world.

And I refused a whole big second bowl of pop corn, I guess that goes for moderation...

What did you do for moderation and grace today?

Love, Ozge

Life Coaching for you and for me

That's two of my presents together. My bookmark and my lovely book. I love both of them. Already reading my "I am a Strange Loop" by Hofstadter. He is a very interesting person. I really like the way he writes and thinks.

The Lesson 1 of the life coaching for academics (this is also for me)

Studying

If you planned to study for hours and cannot sit in front of your computer or book, just say that you will spend half an hour on your work. Half an hour is better than nothing, and you almost always will spend more time than that.

Moreover, if you plan to sit for 2 hours or so, you always end up with dawdling on something else in the beginning for  a while. In order to avoid that, program your mind to work/ study and exactly know from where to start in the beginning, before you sit... That's a lifesaver. You can immediately start working.

Applications and jobs

Do not think about the bureaucracy in advance... When the time comes, it will be SO easy. Hence, in the beginning, just think about what you want. Try to imagine yourself after you get in... wherever you like.

When you try to decide what you want to do in life also, try to imagine yourself doing that. If you cannot imagine that, it's even good for a structure to think about what you do after you finished your day with your job, what time you get up, whether you have kids in the house. You might be amazed how these things can make you decide what you want to have as a job in your life..

It feels good to remember these. I hope it works for you guys too...

To be continued...

Moderation and grace

Sorry for being away for couple of days. A lot happened in these days... the important thing is, finally I am in Izmir, relaxing..

First of all, I want to thank all my friends who spoiled me by pouring gifts for Xmas, early new year and early birthday. Especially to Kaan, who knows me so well and was my personal Santa Claus for this year. He got me this ring and the watch (and so many other things). He always gets the right thing. I also feel shy because he got me all the things that I said I liked in this blog. I might upload the photos of other gifts from friends in time. Let's see where the life is taking us...

My mother has a method of changing behaviors that she does not like. She puts a ring on her finger and says: "OK, whenever I think too much over the past I will look at this ring and stop" or for some other things... It actually works! So this ring will remind me of two things. Moderation and grace... The perfectly sized  onyx will remind me of moderation and the pearl which stands in such a beautiful way next to it will remind me of grace. I intend to exercise, eat, drink, study in moderation. And the grace should show up itself in my writings, personality, in my yoga practice and in my world.

I had a medium length Yoga practice and felt really good. How appropriate for this post :)

Have a lovely week everybody..

Still more presents to buy?

I love the photos uploaded by loveology. Yes, above is one of them.

My dear friend was asking about this online cosmetic store.

It is called Strawberry. Amazing deals can be found.

They are cheaper than duty frees.

Aren't these real inspirations. Again by loveology. When we see those we want to create stuff.

Today I was a freak after the afternoon :)

Oh well sometimes we all are.

Too much reflection is not good.

That's my mathematical, philosophical, logical obssessive part.

Deep down inside I believe there is a truth and perfection, and I want to reach that perfection in a personal, social, and physical level. Well at least, I am consistent with my research project but I am human (I am not a house :)) Maybe there is no absolute truth, I do not think there is one in the cognitive level. Only in logic and mathematics. My future three year research project is about the perfection of our language and approaching an absolute truth. Oh well, Yoga helps to cope with myself...

Picking up Olives

That's my father's hands, picking up olives.

These olives are picked for oil making.

Black olives for breakfast are also picked up from the ground.

Green ones are picked from the the tree

Each two weeks, approximately, we pick the olives.

Then new olives fall.

We have 20 trees in our farm.

Hmm it takes 2-3 hours to finish picking with only my father and me.

It's the most fun when you are crowded.

But my sister was in Barcelona for the last pickings and my mother's neck was hurting.

So it was only my father and me.

Last week was the last picking.
Olive season is over and I am in Istanbul drinking my coffee and watching the Bosphorus.
We will have delicious olive oil.
We give the oils to the factory and factory give you 1/6 percent oil free.
You can pick the oil you like, it does not have to be from your own olives.
We like the oil with a low PH. 3 or sth like that. Taste, smell and get it..Yummyy

About Me

I can change my mind about social life ten times a day... Learning too much in too little time tells me not to have strong opinions about things, but that really pisses some people off. And, me, hating conflicts, after being a wild conflicting person for 28 years, is trying to have ideas, opinions about things just not to make people really mad or disappointed in me. Well not true, my PhD thesis is about finding objective truths... So deep down inside I kinda know that there are some absolute truths. Are there? See... On a good day, I spend couple of hours thinking about these things in this way...I don't know maybe I do not... Can I just stop? Please?

Apart from torturing my self as in the above paragraph, I do ashtanga yoga everyday, and love libraries and having the excuse to study when there is a social event that I do not want to join. Was that just too much information?

I want to be good at crafts, especially knitting but I just spend too much time on the internet when I do not study. Well, when I study too. Sigh... I should really stop that. So anyway, I really want to be good at crafts. You can find some of my creations in this blog. Just click the craft label in the labels.. See how organized I am? That's another thing I want to be really good at, organizing. I am obsessed with and never find myself adequately good at it.

Having studied, trained, worked and traveled all my life I have lot's of advices, cannot keep them in and they are just pouring out. If you need any coaching just email me at ozge dot ekin at gmail dot com and let me be the guide, I am really good at it, and I just love guiding. Seriously..

Oz