🇺🇾 2-1 🇵🇹
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
- #Uruguay has suarez, cavani, and godin
- #Portugal has ronaldo, cuaresma, and pepe
- the attack-defense match-ups will be interesting; expect a no holds barred contest
🇫🇷 2 - 0 🇦🇷
i am an argentina fan. although pele and platini were familiar names when i was growing up, it was the famous “maradona against the world” dribble and finish (and not the infamous “hand of god”) in the game against england in the 1986 world cup that truly made me want to play the beautiful game. in italia ‘90, i fell in love with jürgen klinsmann and the ruthless efficiency with which germany’s die mannschaft executed its gameplan. needless to say, germany has occupied a special place in my heart since then as well. i have consistently followed both teams despite the lack of television coverage and the snail-like pace of livestream in the philippines; at least, the written, online news provides a dependable though unsatisfying alternative. needless to say, i was in raptures when argentina played germany in the previous world cup in brazil; and i am deeply saddened by germany’s early departure and extremely worried by argentina’s performance in russia.
argentina’s three matches in the group stage have highlighted three critical areas which provide a template for france (and as a hopeful fan, other future opponents) on how to beat argentina:
1. their lack of pace and positioning in defense
- otamendi, fazio/rojo, with mascherano at defensive midfield simply cannot hope to contain the fast french frontline of mbappe, griezmann, dembele on the counter (the defensive vulnerabilites have been highlighted in ALL their games)
- the argentine attackers almost always do not press and recover slowly in transition, when argentina loses the ball, you see messi, di maria, aguero just walking
- salvio/mercado and tagliafico are bright sparks but they will need to do a LOT of running to satisfy their defensive and attacking roles
2. the absence of creativity in midfield
- since iceland, i have wondered why banega did not start, his tenacity and creativity are needed in the midfield (notice how their game picked up whenever he was introduced as a sub, luckily, he started against nigeria) to unburden messi from initiating and coordinating every attack
- pavon and dybala can also contribute to speed and creativity on the wing, on this note, even aguero can be played on the wing if they need big, burly higuain for the added aerial threat and as a back-to-goal center-forward
3. and finally, #Messipendencia
- in matches were messi was marked well (vs croatia) and/or double-/triple-teamed by a team that parked the bus (vs iceland), argentina looked helpless and hopeless; futbol is still a team game (a key match-up to look forward to is kante man-marking messi)
- to take advantage of these defensive overloads, a conservative possession approach (similar to spain’s) versus an all-out attacking approach (like germany’s) must be employed
- and if the press is to be believed, messi should re-evaluate his role: is he a captain or is he a playing-coach?
on paper, #france has the capacity to beat #argentina; #LesBleus are simply the better team when compared to #LaAlbiceleste. but deep in my futbol fan heart, i know i’m wishing for a little bit of #MessiMagic, fervently praying for a #MessiMiracle.
#NoSecondChances
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#rflxn: what fearful challenge demands facing?
“If the challenge we face doesn’t scare us, then it’s probably not that important.”
#SimonSinek
#QuoteForTheDay
#Mindfulness #Meditation
#Presencing (at The Aerie)
“
Col. Harry Burwell: I’ll help you bury him.
[referring to Martin’s recently killed son]
Benjamin Martin: I’ll bury him.
Col. Harry Burwell: My wife Alexandria is with child, my first. I fight for that child… Benjamin nothing will replace your sons, but if you come with us you can justify their sacrifice.
Benjamin Martin: Why?… Why do men feel they can justify death? Is it arrogance or…
[voice trails off]
Benjamin Martin: I have long feared, that my sins would return to visit me… and the cost is more then i can bear.
Col. Harry Burwell: Benjamin, we have a chance. Green and Dan Morgen are down from Virginia. If we win this next battle victory in the war is within our grasp.
Benjamin Martin: Go then, seek your victory. I’m a small issue to it.
Col. Harry Burwell: You’re wrong Benjamin, you matter to your men, and to others as well. Your victories and… and your losses, are shared by more then you know. Stay with us. Stay the course!
Benjamin Martin: I have run my course
”
#ThePatriot (2000) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
“
Bill: What’s wrong with you?
Annie: I have an unquenchable bloodlust for darkness?
”
#Terminal (2018) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
🇬🇧 1 - 1 🇧🇪 | 🇵🇦 0 - 2 🇹🇳
- #England #Belgium a mini-final in itself, both sides will want a win to sustain momentum but will also have an eye on the next round (minimize injuries and cards); expecting a careful, calculating, conservative draw with bench players
- #Panama #Tunisia playing for pride; fun, free-flowing futbol
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇸🇳 1 - 2 🇨🇴 | 🇯🇵 2 - 0 🇵🇱
- #Japan needs at least a draw to progress or a win to top the group, i don’t see #Poland offering too much opposition
- #Senegal needs at least a draw, #Colombia needs to win; expect attacking futbol
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇲🇽 2 - 0 🇸🇪 | 🇰🇷 0 - 2 🇩🇪
#DieMannschaft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #DeutscherFussballBund
- #Mexico will win and top the group; even a draw will see them progress
- #Germany #Sweden statistically tied, need to win; former will play with their usual tactics, latter will play a conservative attacking game
- #Korea needs to win with at least a goal difference of two
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇳🇬 0 - 2 🇦🇷 | 🇮🇸 0 - 1 🇭🇷
- #Nigeria #Argentina #Iceland all they can do is play to win, the password to progression: “W2”, a win with a goal difference of 2
- #Croatia intends to rest key men but will still have enough depth to win and top the group
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇩🇰 0 - 2 🇫🇷 | 🇦🇺 2 - 1 🇵🇪
- #Denmark needs at least a draw to ensure progression
- #France to win and top the group; with their attacking talent, a convincing win is necessary to create confidence
- #Australia needs to attack and win for a chance to progress
- #Peru will seek to exploit the spaces at the back in the hope of spoiling Australia’s chances
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
“
I’ve seen the same colour blue fifty different ways through fifty different sets of eyes.
”
~ A
#EveryDay (2018) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
🇪🇸 3 - 0 🇲🇦 | 🇮🇷 0 - 1 🇵🇹
#Spain #Morroco #Iran #Portugal
- spain to top the group; spain’s possession futbol and variety of attacking options can unlock the tight morocco defense;
- everything to play for between iran and portugal; iran needs the win more which might make them reckless and vulnerable to the portugese counter (logic), iran has the skills and teamwork to frustrate cr7 and perhaps steal the win (emotion)
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇺🇾 0-1 🇷🇺
#Uruguay #Russia
- both qualified, winner tops the group
- russia ahead on goal difference
🇸🇦 1 - 3 🇪🇬
#SaudiArabia #Egypt
- nothing to play for but pride
- expect entertaining, free-flowing, attacking futbol
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
🇬🇧 2-0 🇵🇦
⭐ #ThreeLions
🎶
Three lions on a shirt
Jules Rimet still gleaming
Thirty years of hurt
Never stopped me dreaming
🎶
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#England #Panama
“
There was a farmer who had a lot of fields, and he kept all of the birds and creatures away from his crops with traps and fences. He was very successful… but he was very lonely.
So, one day, he stood in the middle of his fields to welcome the animals. He stayed there from dawn to dusk, with his arms outstretched, calling to them. But, not a single animal came. Not a single creature appeared. They were terrified, you see, of the farmer’s new Scarecrow.
Just let down your arms, and we’ll all come to you..
”
~ June Ellis
#TheDoctor (1991) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
🇩🇪 2-0 🇸🇪
#DieMannschaft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #DeutscherFussballBund
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Germany #Sweden
🇰🇷 0-1 🇲🇽
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#KoreaRepublic #Mexico
🇧🇪 2-0 🇹🇳
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Belgium #Tunisia
🇷🇸 1-1 🇨🇭
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Serbia #Switzerland
🇳🇬 0-1 🇮🇸
calling it 💔 i am so sorry #Argentina
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Nigeria #Iceland
🇧🇷 2-0 🇨🇷
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Brazil #CostaRica
🇦🇷 2-1 🇭🇷
Vamos, #LaAlbiceleste! ⭐⭐ Ustedes pueden!
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Argentina #Croatia
and, please… play pavon, dybala, banega 🙏
🇫🇷 3-0 🇵🇪
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#France #Peru
🇩🇰 1-0 🇦🇺
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Denmark #Australia
🇺🇾 2-0 🇸🇦
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Uruguay #SaudiArabia
🇵🇹 3-0 🇲🇦
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Portugal #Morocco
“
Because there are times when getting up to mischief isn’t mischievous and other times when it is and you shouldn’t do it.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
🇷🇺 2-1 🇪🇬
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Russia #Egypt
🇵🇱 2-1 🇸🇳
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Poland #Senegal
🇨🇴 2-1 🇯🇵
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Colombia #Japan
🇹🇳 0-3 🇬🇧
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#ThreeLions 🦁🦁🦁
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Tunisia #England
🇧🇪 4-0 🇵🇦
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Belgium #Panama
“
Well, to start with, there are various types of happiness. Let’s call them families of happiness. Let’s say there are five families. First, two families of exciting happiness and two families of calm happiness.
Exciting happiness is joy, celebration, travelling, being in bed with a woman you desire. The second family of exciting happiness is doing a job you like, wanting to attain a goal. This could be in your work, but also in sport or gardening or even thinking about a complicated calculation if that’s what you like.
And then there are the two families of calm happiness. The first is simply feeling contented and wanting that to last. That’s when you make comparisons and discover that you’re happy as you are by comparison with others or with your own past. Or when you don’t compare yourself with anything at all!’
‘That doesn’t work for me,’ replied Édouard, ‘I’m always comparing myself to others. And the second family of calm happiness?’
‘Just that. It’s a certain way of seeing things. Cultivating your serenity and keeping hold of it whatever happens, even in the face of your own death.’
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
🇸🇪 2-1 🇰🇷
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Sweden #SouthKorea
🇧🇷 4-0 🇨🇭
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#Seleção
#FIFA 🏆 #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Brazil #Switzerland
🇩🇪 3-0 🇲🇽
#FearlessForecast ⚽ #BilogAngBola
#DieMannschaft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #DeutscherFussballBund
#FIFA #WorldCup #Russia2018
#Germany #Mexico
“
Hector had been longing to ask a question, and now he took the plunge. ‘The first time we met, you said to me: it’s a mistake to think that happiness is the goal. I’m not sure I understand.’
‘I was referring to the goals which you in your civilisation are so good at setting yourselves, and which incidentally allow you to achieve many interesting things. But happiness is a different thing altogether. If you try to achieve it, you have every chance of failing. And besides, how would you ever know that you’d achieved it? Of course one can’t blame people, especially unhappy people, for wanting to be happier and setting themselves goals in order to try to escape from their unhappiness.’
‘Do you mean that the same lessons don’t apply to everybody?’
The old monk looked at Hector and said, ‘Do you tell all your patients the same thing?’
Hector thought for a moment and said that he didn’t, that it depended on their character, on whether they were young or old, on whether they’d experienced true unhappiness or not.
‘There you are, you see,’ the old monk said. ‘It’s the same thing.’
***
That could be another lesson: Be very attentive towards others.
Hector wondered whether this wasn’t another lesson: Take time to observe the beauty of the world.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
dear #LaAlbiceleste 🇦🇷… this isn’t a break-up letter, though you did break our hearts 💔
1. not every attack has to go through messi. neither should he initiate every attack. he’s double-/triple-teamed when he has possession. and you know that thing you do, where messi drives into box, passes to an argentine player (usually aguero) who immediately passes it back for him (messi) to shoot… it’s not working! argentina is predictable with messi; they are aimless without.
2. there’s a reason rojo isn’t a regular starter for manchester united even as a full back. now you know why.
3. why have two defensive midfielders (macherano, biglia) versus a team like iceland? and despite that, still have messi playing deep. why not put an authentic, creative central midfielder instead (banega, perhaps?) and have messi as aguero’s strike partner (like barcelona’s suarez-messia pairing?) or better yet, play 4-3-3 with aguerro and higuain as strike partners and messi playing in the hole, di maria or dybala on the wing, banega to create, macherano at holding midfield.
☑ banega eventually came in for biglia. and i hope you saw the difference.
4. di maria and that other winger (who i will not even google) were largely ineffective. i’m sure other people can take corners. try using dybala on the right wing. he might surprise you; that’s where messi started before guardiola shifted him to the center of the attack. speaking of attack, i don’t think aguero plays well with his back to goal.
5. salvio, you’re a wingback. if you keep on driftng to the center, it becomes harder for messi to operate.
☑ good adjustment in the second half.
6. the best way to unpack a tight defense is to be mobile, use the flanks for crosses, and to continuously make those diagonal runs. yes, i’m looking at you, aguero, di maria, and the right winger whom i’d like dybala to replace. i’m sure heatmaps will show how much you stayed rooted to your areas. if you try to penetrate from the wings, all it does is compress the defense more.
#FIFA #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia2018
#Argentina #Iceland
“
‘Hector said to the professor, ‘Among my patients are people with no money or health problems, who have close-knit families, interesting and useful jobs, but who are quite unhappy: they are fearful about the future, dissatisfied with themselves, they see only the bad side of their situation. There was one determinant of happiness missing from your list just now: people’s way of looking at things. In short, people whose glass is always half full are clearly happier than those whose glass is always half empty.’
‘Aha!’ said the professor. ‘That’s a typical psychiatrist’s observation. But you’re right, it’s an important point.’ And he explained to Hector that there was a big debate among professors of Happiness Studies. There were those who thought that you were happy above all because your life was full of positive things or events, like in Hector’s list. Other professors disagreed: they thought that happiness depended above all on your way of looking at things, on that idea of the glass being half full or half empty.
‘Colleagues of mine who defend the second idea tend to think that happiness levels are a bit like blood pressure or weight: they may vary from time to time according to circumstances, but generally they return to the same basic level, which is different in each individual. They study people who have experienced great success or great misfortune and observe that after a few months their moods return more or less to what they were before.’
‘And what do you think?’ Hector asked.
‘A little of both. We depend on circumstance, but some people have more of a gift for happiness than others.’
***
Lesson no. 20: Happiness is a certain way of seeing things.
Lesson no. 21: Rivalry poisons happiness.
Lesson no. 22: Women care more than men about making others happy.
Lesson no. 23: Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy?
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
The back-pass law is the best rule change ever – it has changed the game.
~ Peter Schmeichel
***
The law change was simple. Previously, goalkeepers were allowed to use their hands if the ball was deliberately kicked to them by a teammate. Now (1992), they were not.
The back-pass law served its initial purpose, and teams were no longer able to time waste so blatantly. There were significant knock-on effects. Teams had a greater incentive to press in advanced positions, forcing defenders into mistakes, and managers were less inclined to play stiflingly aggressive defensive lines, because covering the space in behind now involved playing out of trouble. As a result the game became stretched, which created more room in midfield. Arguably the biggest change was in the speed of matches – players had previously become accustomed to breaks in play while goalkeepers held onto the ball. Suddenly the action had become non-stop.
”
#MichaelCox
#TheMixer The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines
#BookWorm #SerialReader
#AChapterADay during the #FIFA #WorldCup #FWC18 #Russia
#PremierLeague
“
One day, a talented lass or fellow,
a special one with face of yellow,
will make the Piece of Resistance found
from it’s hiding refuge underground,
and with a noble army at the helm,
this Master Builder will thwart the Kragle and save the realm,
and be the greatest, most interesting, most important person of all times.
All this is true because it rhymes.
”
~ Vitruvius
#TheLegoMovie (2014) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
“
‘Now,’ said the professor, ‘I’m going to ask you to think of three situations in any order: you’re going to imagine yourself in a situation that makes you very happy, in a situation that makes you very sad, and lastly in one where you’ve felt very scared. It’s easier to choose from memories.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
That’s right,’ said the professor, ‘you’ve discovered the three main methods of measuring happiness.’ And he explained to Hector that the first method of measuring happiness was to ask people how many times they had felt in a good mood, cheerful, happy during the day or week. The second was to ask them if they were happy in the different areas of their lives. The third was to film people’s facial expressions and then measure them in complicated ways. (You could even record a dozen different types of smile, including the smile you have when you’re genuinely happy and the smile you give just to show that you’re not annoyed when actually you are.)
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
In the end, I must trust in myself. I have seen men who have beaten from themselves the ability to recognize truth and goodness, and I do not think I am one of them. I can still see the tears in a young child’s eyes and feel pain at his suffering. If I ever lose this, then I will know that I’ve passed beyond hope of redemption.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
In the end, I must trust in myself. I have seen men who have beaten from themselves the ability to recognize truth and goodness, and I do not think I am one of them. I can still see the tears in a young child’s eyes and feel pain at his suffering. If I ever lose this, then I will know that I’ve passed beyond hope of redemption.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
I’m not the hero everyone thinks I am. What proof do we have? The words of men long dead, only now deemed divinatory? Even if we accept the prophecies, only tenuous interpretation links them to me. But, then again, they could all just be coincidences.
The philosophers assure me that this is the time, that the signs have been met. But I still wonder if they have the wrong man. So many people depend on me. They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms. What would they think if they knew that their champion—the Hero of Ages, their savior—doubted himself?
Perhaps they wouldn’t be shocked at all. In a way, this is what worries me most. Maybe, in their hearts, they wonder—just like I do. When they see me, do they see a liar.
Nevertheless, I continue my trek, going where the scribbled auguries proclaim that I will meet my destiny. In the end, I worry that my arrogance shall destroy us all.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
It would be best not to trust his narrative too closely. Men rarely see their own actions as unjustified
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
‘Well,’ said the professor, ‘I think you must be fairly happy, huh? Because a colleague of mine has established that by adding together these three differences — between what we have and what we’d like to have, what we have now and the best of what we’ve had in the past, and what we have and what other people have — you get an average difference which is closely related to happiness. The smaller the difference the happier we are.’
‘But how do you measure happiness?’
‘Ah, ah! Good question,’ said the professor.
***
Hector felt uneasy, but he tried to find a comforting thought, and finally he came up with one: ‘Happiness is not attaching too much importance to what other people think.’ That might make a good lesson no. 18 to replace the one he’d crossed out.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
Strength is a big part of fighting, but it’s not the only part. If you always hit your hardest, you’ll tire faster and you’ll give your opponent information about your limitations. A smart man hits his hardest at the end of a battle, when his opponent is weakest. And, in an extended battle—like a war—the smart soldier is the one who survives the longest. He’ll be the man who paces himself.
”
~ Ham
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
⚽️
🏆
#WorldCup
#Russia2018
#DieMannschaft 🇩🇪
#LaAlbiceleste 🇦🇷
#ThreeLions 🇬🇧
#FutbolFearlessForecast 😅 hahaha! (at The Aerie)
⚽️
🏆
#WorldCup
#Russia2018
#DieMannschaft 🇩🇪
#LaAlbiceleste 🇦🇷
#ThreeLions 🇬🇧
#FutbolFearlessForecast 😅 hahaha! (at The Aerie)
⚽️
🏆
#WorldCup
#Russia2018
#DieMannschaft 🇩🇪
#LaAlbiceleste 🇦🇷
#ThreeLions 🇬🇧
#FutbolFearlessForecast 😅 hahaha! (at The Aerie)
“
Sometimes we just have to wait long enough. Then we find out why exactly it was that we kept believing.
”
~ Sazed
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Hector asked Agnès if she was happy.
‘I knew you’d ask me that and so I thought about it last night. I think I’m happy. I have a job I love, a husband I love, and children who are happy. In fact, all I want is for things to stay as they are. The only shadow on my happiness is when I tell myself sometimes that as it’s all going well, it can’t last, that one day things won’t be so good.’
‘You say: “I think I’m happy.” What allows you to say that? Is it comparing yourself to others?’
‘Not entirely. You can’t really know how other people experience happiness or misfortune. In fact, I’m comparing myself to myself! I think of other times in my life, and it feels like I’ve never been so happy.’
Hector found the idea of comparing yourself to yourself interesting. Comparisons can spoil your happiness (lesson no. 1), but they can also help you to tell yourself that you’re happy.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
Sazed: You just need to have hope, Mistress. Perhaps you’ve earned a little bit of good fortune. There were a group of people before the Ascension known as the Astalsi. They claimed that each person was born with a certain finite amount of ill luck. And so, when an unfortunate event happened, they thought themselves blessed—thereafter, their lives could only get better.
Vin: Sounds a bit simpleminded to me.
Sazed: I do not believe so. Why, the Astalsi were rather advanced—they mixed religion with science quite profoundly. They thought that different colors were indications of different kinds of fortune, and were quite detailed in their descriptions of light and color. They had a scale of colors, and used it to describe the sky of the deepest blue and various plants in their shades of green. Regardless, I find their philosophies regarding luck and fortune enlightened. To them, a poor life was only a sign of fortune to come. It might be a good fit for you, Mistress; you could benefit from the knowledge that your luck cannot always be bad.
Vin: I don’t know. I mean, if your bad luck were limited, wouldn’t your good luck be limited too? Every time something good happened, I’d be worried about using it all up.
Sazed: I suppose that depends on your viewpoint, Mistress.
Vin: How can you be so optimistic? You and Kelsier both.
Sazed: I don’t know, Mistress. Perhaps our lives have been easier than yours. Or, perhaps we are simply more foolish.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Sazed: The Valla lasted longer into the Lord Ruler’s dominion than any other religion.
Kelsier: That’s why I ask. I…need to understand what kept them going for so long, Saze. What made them keep fighting?
Sazed: They were the most determined, I think.
Kelsier: But they didn’t have any leaders. The Lord Ruler had slaughtered the entire Vallan religious council as part of his first conquest.
Sazed: Oh, they had leaders, Master Kelsier. Dead ones, true, but leaders nonetheless.
Kelsier: Some men would say that their devotion didn’t make sense. The loss of the Vallan leaders should have broken the people, not made them more determined to keep going.
Sazed: Men are more resilient than that, I think. Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Other men worry whether or not they will be remembered. I have no such fears; even disregarding the prophecies, I have brought such chaos, conflict, and hope to this world that there is little chance that I will be forgotten.
I worry about what they will say of me. Historians can make what they wish of the past. In a thousand years’ time, will I be remembered as the man who protected mankind from a powerful evil? Or, will I be remembered as a tyrant who arrogantly tried to make himself a legend
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Take a look at a castle. Any castle. Now break down the key elements that make it a castle. They haven’t changed in a thousand years.
1: Location. A site on high ground that commands the territory as far as the eye can see.
2: Protection. Big walls, walls strong enough to withstand a frontal attack.
3: A garrison. Men who are trained and willing to kill.
4: A flag. You tell your men you are soldiers and that’s your flag. You tell them nobody takes our flag. And you raise that flag so it flies high where everyone can see it.
Now you’ve got yourself a castle. The only difference between this castle and all the rest is that they were built to keep people out. This castle is built to keep people in.
”
makes me want to watch “taps” and “the shawshank redemption” now… 😂 hahaha!
#TheLastCastle (2001) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
“
The funny thing was that there weren’t many people on this magnificent beach. There were mostly poor people with rather a lot of children, or black people who were generally quite young. Hector understood that in this country rich people were either too busy to go to the beach because they worked a lot or they preferred the nice clean water in their swimming pools or Jacuzzis, or they weren’t too keen on mixing with poor people, but this of course was true in all countries.
So, the poor people had this huge beach all to themselves, free of charge, and they had fun playing volleyball, drinking beer, picking up girls, and they seemed quite happy, because here on the beach they could forget about the people who were richer than them, who had nice cars, nice houses and expensive lawyers.
Hector put on his sunglasses and wrote:
Lesson no. 19: The sun and the sea make everybody happy.
And he told himself that if one day he became really poor, he would seek refuge in a sunny city by the sea and in a poor country so that he would feel less poor. (Remember lesson no. 1: Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.)
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
Vin: What is it, Elend Venture? Why are you so intent on avoiding your duty?
Elend: Duty? This isn’t duty. This ball…this is fluff and distraction. A waste of time.
Vin: And women? Are they a waste too?
Elend: Women? Women are like…thunderstorms. They’re beautiful to look at, and sometimes they’re nice to listen to—but most of the time they’re just plain inconvenient.
Vin: You say these things just to provoke me!
Elend: I’m charming that way. Ah, don’t let them trick you into taking yourself too seriously. It’s not worth the effort.
”
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Strength is a big part of fighting, but it’s not the only part. If you always hit your hardest, you’ll tire faster and you’ll give your opponent information about your limitations. A smart man hits his hardest at the end of a battle, when his opponent is weakest. And, in an extended battle—like a war—the smart soldier is the one who survives the longest. He’ll be the man who paces himself.
”
~ Ham
#BrandonSanderson
#Mistborn Book 1 #TheFinalEmpire
#BookWorm
“
Lesson no. 18: Happiness could be the freedom to love more than one woman at the same time.
The problem, of course, was that women wouldn’t agree.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
Stephen Falken: Now, children, come on over here. I’m going to tell you a bedtime story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. Once upon a time, there lived a magnificent race of animals that dominated the world through age after age. They ran, they swam, and they fought and they flew, until suddenly, quite recently, they disappeared. Nature just gave up and started again. We weren’t even apes then. We were just these smart little rodents hiding in the rocks. And when we go, nature will start again. With the bees, probably. Nature knows when to give up, David.
David: I’m not giving up. If Joshua tricks them into launching an attack, it’ll be your fault.
Stephen Falken: My fault? The whole point was to practice nuclear war without destroying ourselves; to get the computer to learn from mistakes we could not afford to make. Except, that I never could get Joshua to learn the most important lesson.
David: What’s that?
Stephen Falken: Futility. That there’s a time when you should just give up.
Jennifer: What kind of a lesson is that?
Stephen Falken: Did you ever play tic-tac-toe?
Jennifer: Yeah, of course.
Stephen Falken: But you don’t anymore.
Jennifer: No.
Stephen Falken: Why?
Jennifer: Because it’s a boring game. It’s always a tie.
Stephen Falken: Exactly. There’s no way to win. The game itself is pointless! But back in the war room, they believe you can win a nuclear war. That there can be "acceptable losses.”
“
i❤FerrisBueller 😂 #ReadyPlayerOne hangover 😎
#Wargames (1983) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
“
You listen to me. Don’t let what other people think of you define who you are… you won’t like where that takes you. You understand? And keep your head up. ‘Cause you might must be as good looking as me in this type of situation. Seriously, this face is set up well. Beauty is a burden.
”
~ Jake Pentecost
🤖 looking forward to the third installment… pacific rim invasion, perhaps?
#PacificRimUprising (2018) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
“
Here, there are plenty of reasons to be unhappy, even for people like us who are relatively fortunate. So when there’s anoccasion to be happy we want to make the most of it! We don’t care about the next day, we never know what it might bring!
”
~ Nestor
***
“
Question: Is happiness simply a chemical reaction in the brain?
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
#rflxn: are you asking the right questions?
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
#Voltaire
#QuoteForTheDay
#Mindfulness #Meditation
#Presencing (at Bali Village Hotel Resort & Spa)
#rflxn: what lessons have you learned from yours?
“Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.”
#OscarWilde (at Bali Village Hotel Resort & Spa)
“
Knowing and feeling are two different things, and feeling is what counts.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
This didn’t seem like such a bad thing, because, as his mother would say (and perhaps yours too), it is always better to speak to the Good Lord directly than to one of his saints.
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
GAME OVER 🎮 if you enjoyed the 80s (as a geek), this book is highly recommended! 😎 now, let’s see if the movie can live up to it
“
As terrifying and painful
as reality can be,
it’s also the only place
where you can find true happiness.
Because reality is real.
”
~ Anorak
#ErnestCline
#ReadyPlayerOne
#BookWorm
“
Hector had a question he wanted to ask about children. Why did the children he’d seen in the city smile all the time, even though they lived in the street and had nothing, no shoes, and often no parents to look after them? The grown-ups didn’t smile, which was understandable given the lives they had. But why did the little children seem happy?
Everybody thought the question was very interesting. They came up with lots of answers. ‘Because they don’t yet fully realise their situation, they can’t make comparisons.’ This reminded Hector of lesson no. 1. ‘Because children who are sad die more quickly, so we don’t see them. Only happy children survive.’ ‘Because they were pleased to see Hector.’ Everybody burst out laughing, and Marie-Louise told Hector that this proved it was true! And then one of the cousins (she was rather too pretty, so Hector had been careful not to look at her too much) said, ‘Because they know that people will be kinder to a child who smiles.’
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
Three hidden keys open three secret gates
Wherein the errant will be tested for worthy traits
And those with the skill to survive these straits
Will reach The End where the prize awaits
…
“So without further ado,” Anorak announces, “let the hunt for Halliday’s Easter egg begin!” Then he vanishes in a flash of light, leaving the viewer to gaze through the open doorway at the glittering mounds of treasure that lay beyond.
Then the screen fades to black.
”
#ErnestCline
#ReadyPlayerOne
#BookWorm
“
Hector asked Jean-Michel if he was happy. This made Jean-Michel laugh. (Hector reflected later that this question tended to make men laugh but sometimes made women cry.)
‘I never ask myself that question, but I think I am. I do a job that I love, and that I know I do well, and, on top of that, I feel really useful over here. And as you’ve seen, I get on with the people here. We’re a real team.’ Jean-Michel drank some beer and then said, ‘Every day here has meaning.’
Hector found this very interesting because he also had a useful profession in his country, though sometimes, when all he saw were people who were unhappy for no apparent reason with no real disorders and whom he found it difficult to help, he wondered whether his life had any meaning, and that didn’t make him very happy.
‘Also,’ Jean-Michel said, ‘I feel loved for who I am.’
”
#FrancoisLelord
#HectorAndTheSearchForHappiness
#BookWorm #SerialReader #AChapterADay
“
You’ve built en empire from the ground up. People will insist that your buildings make you immortal. Now, as you slip away, do you feel immortal? We offer humanity’s greatest minds more time to fulfill their potential. Designed to offer you the very best of the human experience.
”
~ Dr. Albright
#Selfless (2015) #MovieBuff #BingeWatching
