Expiration Date "The Legolands"

Once, I ran into a story that explained how 3 different persons experienced a (same) sunset:

"The first person was obsessed with a business related topic and did not pay any attention to it. The second person thought about how pretty the sunset was, and then noticed how there had not been one as nice as that one in particular in a long time. The third person was a painter, who instantly began making a sketch of the landscape after contemplating the sunset".

The difference between these 3 individuals is that "the first one did not receive anything from the sunset and consequently had absolutely nothing to send back. The second person allowed him/herself to receive the sunset but did not really transmit anything back and just gave an automatic answer". The third person, on the other hand, was the only one who “closed the circle”: The painter internalized the sunset and then created a unique response out of it; this response “sent the painter’s conscious to the world to give something back to it”.

The section of the book that contains this story was talking about how in the “popular culture”, (all over ads, movies, songs, and so on) it is repeatedly mentioned to ‘live the moment’; ‘to live fully’ mainly by inducing people to constantly search for “sensory overloads that last forever”. 

Eastern philosophy looks at it in a quite different way, it is all about “closing the circle” and “approaching experiences at the level of meaning and emotion”. So that, rather than sending superficial signals and receiving very little or nothing, one participates in this and every other moment of one’s life in a total and fully manner.

I had no chance of saying Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you, my dear readers. It is kind of late, but it is still the perfect timing for the Chinese New Year. So, ‘your writer’ wishes all of you a happy year in which you are able to “close the circle” in many of the moments and experiences that are to come up! 

The peculiar year of the ‘Snake’ has ended with a special “Farewell” (scroll down to the end of the post for video), as Follow mE has left Venlo already and is now on the other side of the world: SURPRISE

We have already crossed the finish line with the last semester of lectures at Fontys. 

Now everything is ready to start with the internship graduation project and, at the same time, we find ourselves on the final stretch with the blogging; as I will finish my task as ‘your writer’ in a matter of two months!

From now on I will make it my goal to write once every week these next couple of months.

To compensate my disappearance though, this post will be more of a flashback and brief recap of the past months events that came up. Events that led to THE BUSIEST, MOST TORTURING SEMESTER in MY HISTORY of studying in this university:

Event # 1: Mr. Matata Breaks Captain

Right after the last blog post a big project was to be handed in, for what actually became my favorite course at Fontys: Marketing Communications.

The idea is that a class is divided into groups; each group plays the role of an “advertising agency” and creates a communication and marketing concept along with a communication campaign for a product. By the end of the semester an advertising pitch is simulated, where the "agencies" compete against each other for the set budget. The teachers present in the pitch decide which group is the ‘winner’ and which group is the ‘loser’.

Although in the end we were the 'loser' team (..in my mind and in the minds of other members we were the winners though!), our group managed to do a great job: 

The cookie "Mr. Matata Breaks" was born backed up with a great, creative and realistic concept; the presentation was kind of disastrous, but actually pretty good for making it 3 hours before the pitch! And I enjoyed my roles as “Captain” of the group and “Art Director”.

Some of the outcomes: A family of funky cup 'actors' and a funny video! 

                    

Event # 2: "Do not be afraid of formulas!" 

Quoted from our dear Statistics teacher, “do not be afraid of formulas”.

I have to say I had never been afraid of formulas, usually we just do not get along so well, but when you study Statistics two weeks non-stop and suddenly your dreams’ main topic switch from sheep jumping fences in a meadow along with Care Bears and Smurfs, to “Degrees of Freedom”, the “Z-Table”, “Lower Tailed Hypothesis” and strange signs σ, α, μ for three consecutive nights... it starts getting kind of creepy!    

Yes. The second event was studying for Statistics. I desisted with the whole thing until before the exam to avoid any “Pi” (Darren Aronofsky) kinds of scenes during my sleep. 

Results in the end did not go so well, but the course was ‘successfully survived’ after all! 

 

Event # 3: Survival excel sheet 

6 exams in total plus a report, a portfolio to hand in and wanting to avoid very expensive retakes (having to fly for summer to The Netherlands again to repeat exams) forced ‘your writer’ to, for the first time, study 1 month before the exams. 

I DIDN’T KNOW THAT WAS EVEN POSSIBLE! I am not kidding.

But a crazy 'survival plan' in an excel sheet made it achievable: There was no studying just 3 hours prior to the tests this time. 

Event # 4: Holidays, The "Rubber Dückies" Metamorphosis 

All of the previous 'events' took place last December, and the “Survival Excel Sheet” actually forgot to include the Holidays! 

This of course did not stop anyone from celebrating Christmas and New Year with my 'extended family' (my dearest friends) - “Rubber Duckies" style (FB conversation name used with them). 

It was an accident magnet kind of Christmas, that lead to many knife cut fingers  (plus also a fork pierced finger in my case… don’t even ask how this can happen!).

                        

Received a very unusual artifact as a gift. Hmmm... Ohhh, Naughty Santa Claus (stayed much too long in Amsterdam apparently)!!!!

...we usually cook and play games more than partying; mostly drink tea instead of alcohol (very "British"), and talk about the weirdest topics you could point your fingers at. A very special group of friends. Definitely not what you would usually expect from students. 

But the New Year was swapped around a bit: Tea cups, games and the turkey stayed home and we “Rubber Dücked” the city of Düsseldorf for the entire night.  

Event # 5: Redacting anti-hangover

Luckily, the Rubber Dücked metamorphosis did not cause pains or headaches, but the going out from 7:00pm to 9:00am and sleeping the entire day afterwards made ‘your writer’ adopt the other side of the pond's Time Zone sooner that necessary for a few days.  

This change in Time Zone lead to finally writing and finishing the report (..more of a 'book', as I got carried away and wrote 30 pages more than supposed to) for school and to a few more vampire/nocturnal creature kinds of days/nights. 

  

Event # 6: The moment of no snooze 

Four exams and one report to hand in in five days, plus the upcoming 2 in the next one forced ‘your writer’ to improve conceptual mapping skills…

                    

  

B2B Marketing/Statistics/Service Marketing/Individual Report Writing/E-marketing/Sales/CRM/Portfolio = Check!

..by the end of the two weeks the mission was accomplished; brainwash turned to prove effective!    

Event # 7: ARRIVEDERCI VENLO 

The finish line was reached: Room was emptied, bags were packed and it was the time to say farewell. "The Legolands" expiration date came to life!

...and to honor the special goodbye moment my friends and I created a 'something' for each other, the blog and you, the dear reader...

...and so, having to return home was never so sad.    

<3

'till the next post!
Peace
Your writer,
Maria

P.S: Book mentioned in begining The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra.