fun

Social-Ink-Night Charity Event at the Moxy Frankfurt East

Social-Ink-Night Charity Event at the Moxy Frankfurt East 1080 1080 Galia Brener
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My personal diary #atthemoxy:

The weekend had finally arrived and so did the big day! I have been looking forward to this Saturday for weeks already. Both excited and a bit nervous, I closed my eyes and imagined how it will look and what it will feel like. What is the big surprise? Last Saturday, after many years, the time came that I finally renewed my old eye tattoo – and all for a charity and good cause at the stylish Moxy Frankfurt East.

Let the adventure begin!

I packed my weekender the night before, curious about this playful hotel that everyone is taking about. I have driven past it a few weeks ago, admiring the golden facade of the bold and edgy building design. As I prepared hours before, it took me a while to decide which was the perfect outfit to wear on such a fabulous occasion. I knew that Moxy has a lot of pink elements in their hotel, therefore I decided on a chic pink cocktail dress with black over-knee boots. I topped off the look with my black feather fascinator, which I acquired on a wild Berlin trip and signature eye gloves.

When I woke up on Saturday, I felt like a naughty excited child on Christmas morning! I really love sleeping in nice hotels, even more so when it’s in my own city. Why not take a little break and make a mini holiday in the city you live in? What a novel concept! Therefore I decided to check in earlier and enjoy my day in bed at the Moxy Frankfurt East before the excitement and event started. After all my months of hard work, this was relaxation at its best.

I ordered a taxi and I couldn’t believe what arrived to pick me up. It was like being in a movie, because I have never seen a taxi like this before! A Porsche Panamera taxi was standing in front of my door. Now this is what I call driving in style. If the day has started out like this, then I knew right away that it would be one hell of an amazing weekend! I felt like a rock star being driven to my castle – simply awesome.

This was my first time inside the Moxy Frankfurt East, so I didn’t know what to expect. As I walked in, I was in awe of the space. I love this industrial, raw style with very high ceilings. It reminded me of the lofts studios I so adore in my hometown Toronto. The layout is great because the check-in is integrated into the bar area, giving it a very social, free-spirited and youthful feeling. The ground floor is really big, with many sitting and cozy lounging areas, along with a creative hub working space and dining area.

I could feel the buzz and excitement all around me. The staff was very friendly and checked me into my room within minutes. No waiting and no stress. I was welcomed with a delectable custom made cocktail and a crispy delicious diavola pizza – what more can I want on a Saturday afternoon? The Moxy Frankfurt East matches my requirements not only due to their superb service and efficiency, but also the dynamic and bold style. I know that this hotel will have a huge success because the rooms are perfectly priced with a good size. This gives everyone the chance to sleep in a designer boutique-feel hotel and afford it as well – the perfect concept!

I took the elevator to the 7th floor and had to laugh out loud when I saw the crazy surprise. The entire door of my room was covered with a “Crime Scene – Do Not Cross!” tape, like that of a real crime scene. What a wildly creative approach. Of course that made me want to open the door even faster! Stepping inside was like entering an unpredictable Fairytale. The wall was covered with a huge photo of a sensual woman covered in pink paint. The bed was decorated with feathers, a pink sequence party hat and the craziest of all – pink furry handcuffs with the keys beside them! There were bold slogans written all over the walls and many eclectic records around a pink record player. I have never seen anything like this before! What I adore is attention to details – and this Moxy hotel is definitely an expert in that.

The evening was approaching and my excitement was escalating! I got ready in my amazing room and was pleasantly surprised by the good quality hair products and the large shower. My hair needs a lot of care and thankfully the conditioner and dryer were top standard. I put on my sexy pink dress, left my crime scene room and joined the big party downstairs.

The DJ was in full swing with his mesmerizing sound and people were enjoying their creative cocktails by the sleek bar. Christian Henzler, captain of the Moxy Frankfurt East greeted me warmly and the Inktastic tattoo team was ready to go with their setup in the lobby. The people were lining up to get their artwork done live at the party. What I love about this event is that it’s all for charity. All of the proceedings go to the Kinder PalliativTeam Südhessen – therefore this was such an important event for me to attend and the perfect place and time to get my tattoo renewed. My photographer arrived in perfect time because it was my turn. I won’t lie, I was super nervous. The tattoo artist Zon reassured me that everything will be good and he was right. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would and the end results were absolutely stunning! I was so impressed with the precision and definition of his fine work – nothing compared to the dull thing I had on my shoulder when I arrived in the afternoon. I haven’t felt this happy in ages! What a fantastic feeling that everything worked out perfectly, even beyond my expectations.

If you’re curious, see my live tattoo video on my YouTube channel here:

I don’t know if it was the adrenaline after the tattoo, the delicious tequila drinks mixed with the dynamic Moxy atmosphere, but this was one of the best Saturdays I had in 2017! The cocktails were made to perfection with many unique and fresh ingredients. I had my dancing boots on and couldn’t stop dancing the entire evening. We took many photos and the queue for the tattoos was getting longer and longer. It seems like everyone in the city was there to get a wicked new tattoo that night – incredible!

I’m so thrilled that we raised a good amount for the Kinder PalliativTeam Südhessen. This is a very important cause. Feel free to donate as well:

www.kinderpalliativteam-suedhessen.de

All around the bar area were sweets and delicious candies that one could pack in a bag and take to go. So of course I was hanging around the candy area most of the night. I think that no matter how old we become, that part will never leave our heart and soul. It was getting very late but nobody wanted to leave. The event was going strong and everyone was having the time of their lives. I simply adore Frankfurt – my small cosmopolitan city with a big attitude – and once again I saw how the Frankfurters love to party. The bar area at the Moxy Frankfurt East is an ideal place to have after-works drinks, even if one is not sleeping at the hotel. It’s located on the Hanauer Landstraße, which is the creative and artistic part of the city, perfect for having some after work fun.

As I came back into my room and looked around, I saw how perfectly everything matched. This is what I call style, class, state-of-the-art design with confidence – exactly how I like it. I jumped into the comfortable bed and felt like sleeping on a cloud. I smiled at how perfect this weekend was. I can definitely say that this is one Saturday that I shall never forget. I will always have my magical eye tattoo on my back reminding me of how much fun we had.

Thank you dear Moxy Frankfurt East and Inktastic for having me there. I enjoyed every moment with you and will be back for more!

www.marriott.de/hotels/travel/fraoh-moxy-frankfurt-east

3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel Kronberg

3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel Kronberg 1536 2048 Galia Brener

Last week was a very delicious one indeed! Being a foodie since I could chew as a child, I have always looked forward to any and all meals of the day. I used to run around the kitchen, annoying my Mama with thousand questions about what we will eat, what is she cooking, how is she cooking and when will the food be finally ready. Unlike many other children who simply wanted to eat quickly and go outside to play, I rather stayed at home to eat slowly, taking my time to taste and savor my food.

Needless to say, when my invitation arrived for the 3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel, I was ecstatic! Not only is this one of the most beautiful hotels in this region, it is full of heritage, history, elegance and style. Keeping this in mind, I immediately started sorting out my dresses and preparing the ones that are not too tight around the waist – looking for the perfect one that I can eat in all night, in large quantities and nobody would notice! The magic dress that allows me to eat and eat and eat and not explode at the seam. Otherwise known as: a dream come true.

As we arrived at the Schlosshotel in Kronberg, there was a beautiful red carpet laid out for the guests and the excitement could be felt from miles away. Franz Zimmermann, the hotel director, greeted everyone personally at the entrance and gave us a warm welcome. Upon entering the lobby, we were given two cold flutes of champagne to enjoy. Across the lobby is a romantic Romeo and Juliet style balcony, where a band was playing and entertaining the curious guests. After most of the gusts had arrived, Mr. Zimmermann gave a speech and presented all of the Michelin starred chefs. I was incredibly impressed by the names that I heard. This evening we had a privilege to enjoy the creation of Philipp Stein, Marcello Fabbri, Alexander Hohlwein, Hans Horberth, Satoshi Fuji, Jörg Lawerenz, Cedric Schwitzer, Ronny Siewert, Christian Weber and Gerhard Wieser.

After the wonderful presentation of the chefs, it was finally time to eat! I could see how excited and hungry everyone was, and almost immediately the guests were gone and spread out into the various areas of the hotel. The cool thing about this event is that it takes place in all of the lovely areas and rooms of the Schlosshotel, including the large kitchen itself. I’m a huge fan of their kitchen, because it’s one of the nicest ones I’ve seen in a hotel so far. It boasts high traditional European ceilings and state of the art equipment. Of course being the little carnivore that I am, I directly made my way to the juicy steak and spent a while there, appreciating the perfectly prepared meat.

While in the kitchen, I met Gerhard Wieser, a two started Michelin chef, and had an interesting chat with him. Mr. Wieser told me that he is inspired by nature. He comes from Südtirol and grew up with the Italian, farming and Mediterranean culture. His mother was a cook and he learned the magic of perfect food from her. We had a lot to talk about, considering that we both love food so much! Gerhard Wieser is also a best selling author, having sold over 1.5 million books called, “So kocht Südtirol”. For tonight, Mr. Wieser prepared delicious tortellini with chicken, Parmesan and black truffle. Having an amazing Michelin chef, a famous author and lots of steak in front of me, I was compelled to ask him a curious question: what his opinion about the vegan lifestyle is. Mr. Wieser said that being vegan is like a fashion trend: it comes and it will go.

After eating all the steak and seafood that I can fill into half of my dress, it was time to fill the other half with the tasty delights in the other rooms. On my way out of the kitchen, I discovered the hidden Laurent-Perrier champagne bar perfectly balanced with fresh oysters. I was very happy to stay in this area for a while longer, enjoying the amazing Maldon oysters, delicious champagne, meeting new foodies and sharing our funny food stories.

Next stop for me was the red salon, which is my favorite room in the Schlosshotel. It’s warm, sensual, cozy and very romantic! There was a band playing all my favorite songs, which made the delectable goose liver cube in combination with rhubarb, salted caramel and Prinz von Hessen wine taste even better. What a spectacular explosion for the taste buds! I was very impressed by the depth of the various flavors intertwining into each other. I was curious to see more. Next were the restaurant, green and blue salon, which displayed more incredible temptations, including sushi, sashimi, fish, amazing dried meats, Norwegian scallops, pork belly, seafood, red shrimp, more steaks, desserts, pastries, pralines, fresh breads, delicious and rare wines, cheeses, chocolates and everything else that the heart, soul and body desire!

Slowly the second half of my dress was starting to become a bit tight. With a huge and satisfied smile on my face, I bid farewell to everyone, congratulated Mr. Zimmermann on a very successful event, looked back at the steak longingly, wishing I had more place in my stomach. It was time to leave the beautiful Schlosshotel Kronberg and make my way back to my favorite little cosmopolitan city with a big attitude. It was a wonderful evening full of Michelin stars, culture, wine, delicacies, exotic flavours, handsome chefs, music, champagne, surprises and delicious fun. I will definitely be back for more!

 

 

Ciao 2016, please leave us already! Welcome to the new beautiful 2017!

Ciao 2016, please leave us already! Welcome to the new beautiful 2017! 1280 1687 Galia Brener

You’ve had your Christmas fun, and now for the few days before the New Year starts, it’s time to get down to business. What is such an urgent task that cannot wait until next year, you ask? The task is the one and only “Me-Inventory”. It sounds quite simple, but actually it can get deep and dirty, with truths exposed and shocking things revealed. But since we are tough guys and gals, and I’m sure that you can handle it, I will share my secret with you. At the end of each year, I make a thorough inventory of my life for that year – from top to bottom, not overlooking any gruesome details. At the end, I see what I have achieved, learned, and what I can do much better next year. This helps me grow as a woman, as a person, and also helps to increase success. However, you must be completely honest with yourself, or else this won’t work for you. So my lovelies, let’s start!

1. Achievements: Let’s start with the nice stuff! This was a damn long year, for some a horrible one, and for others a positive one. But for many, 2016 was a year for the fighting spirit – the Samurai among us. Think back to all of the great things you achieved this year. This includes a new career, having a loving relationship, building your first house, having a child, getting married, overcoming addictions, or whatever wonderful thing you achieved this year, take some time to honor it. Anyone who achieved anything important in 2016 deserves to celebrate, because this bitch of a year was a difficult astrological one, and hence you deserve double recognition for it. You must praise yourself for your success, and feel proud of what you did. I made it a ritual to buy myself a present at the end of the year to celebrate my achievements. Spoiling yourself once in a while is very important, because it helps to remind you of accomplishments and appreciate your own worth.

2. Screw-ups: let’s be honest, we are no angels. I can think back and list a few mistakes I made this year, and so can you. This is where it gets hard because we don’t usually like to admit our mistakes, especially to ourselves! But since you’re brave, and a new year is starting, push yourself to do it. Think back. Have you hurt someone? Played, cheated, stole, backstabbed, told lies, broke hearts and promises, acted disrespectfully or cruelly? Maybe it is yourself that you hurt with something like a bad habit, or allowing others to treat you badly? Maybe you let something slip away that you regret? Send your ego to hell for a moment, and really open yourself up and remember the mistakes you made. Try to acknowledge the wrongs that you did, and see if there is a chance to set things right again. If you are brave enough, you can even contact the person and ask them for forgiveness – it is your Karma after all. If you have already set things right again, then it is time to forgive yourself, forgive the other person, forgive the situation, and move on.

3. Lessons: 2016 was the year with the most life lessons for me so far. Some of them hit me hard and were not so easy to learn, while the others I embraced quite quickly and open-heartedly. Look back and figure out what were your most important lessons of this year. Life threw you these bones, hoping that you will learn and improve on your mistakes. If these lessons are not learned, they will only enter your life again and again, and torture you until you will finally get it. To be honest, I did not learn a lesson in 2012, and the very same thing happened to me at the very same time in 2013! It was so creepy! You have to realize what life is trying to show you, and make improvements on these things, so that you can grow and move on. Think back, what could you have done better? Take these lessons and use them for your good in 2017, and do things better this time around! And please, do not be angry at your fate – this happened for you to become a better and stronger person.

4. Cleaner: Don’t worry, no killing mafia skills necessary. Look back at the year, and make an inventory of the people in your life. Be honest to yourself: Is there anyone who has to be cleaned out of your life? Do you have so-called “friends” that are dishonest, ruin your relationships, don’t care about you, or even worse, jealous of you? What about a partner that does not respect, appreciate, and truly love you, or maybe doesn’t want to make a commitment to you? They don’t deserve you, and be assured that Lady Karma will take care of them. Let it go, and get rid of them! Sometimes people come into your life for a reason, and once their mission is fulfilled, it is better to send them along their way before they cause more damage in your life. Try to get rid of all toxic people that do you no good before this year ends. Surround yourself only with goodness – and with people that will respect, love, appreciate, honor, and truly love and care for you – and you for them. 

The last days before the year ends are some of the most crucial ones. This special time provides us with a moment to become quieter and look deep within ourselves. It’s a chance to reminisce about the funny, lovely and good things that happened, and allows us to learn from our mistakes. It’s an opportunity to make things right again. It’s a chance to say goodbye to the old, and make space for the wonderful new and exciting things to come. If you feel brave enough, try to do the Me-Inventory. It helps me each year, and offers great reassurance. Besides, the best thing about completing the Me-Inventory is the fact that you have another chance right around the corner: New Year, new start!

I wish you a great 2017 dear friends! A good year full of health, love, prosperity, joy and fun! May all your dreams and wishes comes true in 2017. This is your year!

Many hugs,

Your Gali

Nothing Wrong With Being Silly

Nothing Wrong With Being Silly 1650 875 Galia Brener

I remember when I was a teenager in Toronto, my girlfriends and I had our first fake IDs made to get into clubs and parties. We couldn’t wait until our 18th birthday, and tried everything to look older. Make-up, higher heels, and sophisticated clothing. Now we are double that age, and try to do everything to look younger. Funny thing that we use the same tricks to try and turn back the aging-clock: Make-up, higher heels, and sophisticated clothing. Why did we not realize how amazing it was to be young and enjoy our childhood? Why did we always want to be older?

Society expects us to be responsible. Grow up fast, get an education, find a partner, have children, take care of them, get old, retire and die. So when do we actually have the chance to live out our dreams, and have fun? As a child you are not aware of the freedom that you have. You simply grow and become an adult. Well my dear adults, now that you are finally “there”, it’s time to reverse the process, start believing in Fairytales again, and awaken your inner child. Yes, s/he is still in there, but most likely has been sleeping for the last decades. Let’s wake it up, and see what new adventures the world has to offer us! 

A common problem is that people are scared to be judged by society. What will people say if they see me like this? This reminds me of a date that I had a few years ago. I met a guy at an event in Frankfurt. Let’s call him “Mr. Cool”. On our first date, we went for a nice summer walk. Along the way, I saw a fun playground. I don’t know what has gotten into me, but I ran towards it, and decided to climb the monkey bars, run on the overhead ladder, go on the swings… you get the point. I ran around acting like a crazy kid. I glanced at Mr. Cool, and I cannot even describe the look he gave me. A mix of “Jesus-what-the-hell-are-you-doing-get-off-that-swing-immediately!” and “I-don’t-know-this-crazy-girl-she-is-such-a-weirdo” look. To be honest, at that moment I didn’t even care what the ice block Mr. Cool was thinking about me, because I was having so much fun. He came to me, and I thought that he will finally join me on the swing, but instead he said, “Galia, stop it! This is embarrassing! I am a famous actor (He is indeed a well-known German actor), what will people think of me when they see me making a fool of myself on this playground?” Right at that point, I realized that it will never work out between us. Money and fame aside, if the guy cannot be easy-going and appreciate the simple joys in life, then he is not for me. Fun is not just eating at expensive restaurants, but also doing silly things like jumping on a swing together. I politely walked with him back to where we met, said goodbye, smiled, and left as quickly as possible. Why do some people take themselves so seriously? Do we really have to stick to these rigid “Adult behavior rules”, or can we sometimes let our inner child out to play? Mr. Cool called the next day to invite me to dinner, but I told him that my heart was not in it. I could not pretend to be someone that I’m not. I was looking for the one that would climb the monkey bars with me, laughing and being crazy together like children.

That is not to say that we have to ignore our responsibilities, quite the contrary! We have to enjoy ourselves and have fun while achieving our goals and tasks. When you do something with a happy heart, your task becomes a pleasure, and the result will be better. For example, if you are cleaning your car, draw funny figures on the dirty window, and send a picture of it to your loved one. If you have to clean your flat, put on some loud music and run around the house doing funny dances, while cleaning. Do what you can to make the task more fun. I know that daily stress due to work and personal issues can bring a huge amount of pressure upon us, but we must try to do our best to make this process easier for us. Being hard on yourself will not make the problems go away. You must give your “Adult-self” a chance to rest and rethink how you can ease the pressure with a good strategy. Try doing something fun, different, childish and funny in order to bring your mind to positive thoughts. Maybe then, new problem-solving ideas will come to you! The easiest way to begin is by smiling more often.

The older I get, the more I realize how special the time was when I was a child. Free of worries, free of fear, free to live and enjoy! It’s time to bring back the innocence, joy and pure form of fun. Purity. The world is missing this. We need to go back to the basics before we had the car, the mortgage, and the debts. We have to try to capture that feeling of pure joy that we once felt as children. There is much evil and hatred out there. Just turn on the news. Every day another catastrophe. Let’s try to be children of light, instead of darkness. You can enjoy by doing the simplest of things. Remember how excited we used to be when walking with our parents in the forest, looking for mushrooms? Or making homemade cookies with our grandmother, and eating them with our friends? Try to capture this feeling again. 

Maybe these few ideas can help: look at photos of your childhood, play board games, take walks around fun places, go to an amusement park, throw out the “cool” attitude/personality, and be who you are, live more in the present, sing funny songs, draw, paint (even if you cant do it well!) be curious, ask questions, daydream, try doing the things you loved to do as a kid, play video games, and most important of all, never say “I’m too old”. The child within you is waiting to come out and play. So go ahead, be silly. No one is watching! And if they do, who cares?

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Journal Frankfurt Summer Fest 2016 on the MS Catwalk

Journal Frankfurt Summer Fest 2016 on the MS Catwalk 1600 875 Galia Brener

This year the traditional and beloved Journal Frankfurt Summer Fest was taking place “on” a very special location. I haven’t been there since summer 2012 and was definitely thrilled to be back there again!

My good friend Jens Prewo picked me up from home, smiling as I came down in my extravagant long red dress. My motto has always been the same, “Better overdressed than underdressed.” The sun was shining and I was in very good spirits. I was happy to see colleagues that I have I haven’t seen in a while and meet new people from our city.

As we arrived at the Nizza restaurant, we saw the MS Catwalk boat docked directly at the main riverside, floating gracefully in her grandeur. Looking at the boat from ashore, a few memories rushed into my mind. Memories that are very special to me, and ones that I will never forget. Many guests have already arrived and the upper deck was filled with excited people and loud music. The party was in full swing.

Jens and I made our way onto the boat, our happiness rising with every step towards the top. The upper deck was filled with delights. A handsome young man offered us a sparkling wine, and the Journal crew was wearing sailor hats, which created the perfect mood for a perfect party! I was not the only one that made an effort with my outfit. Many people were dressed beautifully – men in sharp suits and ladies in elegant dressed.

As the boat started to sail, the energy was multiplying like electricity on the deck. The talk and laughter of the guests became louder and the music was beating harder. I looked up at our beautiful skyline and knew that I was home. This thought made me very happy.

I saw many people I knew and also met some new ones, such as the Journal business partners, some local celebrities, politicians, and the list goes on and on. It seemed like everyone had a shiny glass in their hand and a big smile on their face – definitely the sign of a very successful event!

After a while, we walked down to a deck below us and were welcomed by a delicious smell. Of course we followed the tantalizing aroma were greeted by a lovely chef, eager and happy to tell us about his delectable creations. I tried all the different dishes and was very impressed. From exotic fish, to various meats, fresh vegetables, artistic looking desserts and more! It was a fest for the taste buds and a very lovely experience for a gourmet like myself. Jens and I shared our table with new people that we just met, and were happy to talk about Italy, wines, pasta, cheese and… someone’s rice balls.

When the dinner was over, we made a little tour around the beautiful MS Catwalk, which is designed by Porsche. The lowest deck has an LED bar, with a big dance floor and a DJ area set up across. This is a perfect place to dance and have fun, even if it gets a bit chilly outside.

Back at the upper deck, the music was making the boat vibrate, and the feeling of floating smoothly on the main was unforgettable. Many photos were taken, which I am sure will be seen in the Journal Frankfurt magazine very soon. After the hours melted away, the boat was docked again. Nobody wanted to leave because the evening was so fabulous!

Eventually I left the sophisticated MS Catwalk, smiling to myself about how much has changed in my life since I was last on it. I walked towards the Nizza steps, and looked back at the water and the happy people dancing on the upper deck. Instantly I knew that everything is ok. Everything is happening as it should. Life has a way of working out for the best and fate always does her work – what’s meant to be will always happen. I walked up the stairs with an easy and light heart.

Thank you Journal Frankfurt for this wonderful evening!

http://www.journal-frankfurt.de/journal_kolumne/Yes-No-Maybe-85.html

www.facebook.com/galiabrener

 

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Your Inner Child

Your Inner Child 800 1200 Galia Brener

I remember when I was a teenager in Toronto, my girlfriends and I had our first fake IDs made to get into clubs and parties. We couldn’t wait until our 18th birthday, and tried everything to look older. Make-up, higher heels, and sophisticated clothing. Now we are double that age, and try to do everything to look younger. Funny thing that we use the same tricks to try and turn back the aging-clock: Make-up, higher heels, and sophisticated clothing. Why did we not realize how amazing it was to be young and enjoy our childhood? Why did we always want to be older?

Society expects us to be responsible. Grow up fast, get an education, find a partner, have children, take care of them, get old, retire and die. So when do we actually have the chance to live out our dreams, and have fun? As a child you are not aware of the freedom that you have. You simply grow and become an adult. Well my dear adults, now that you are finally “there”, it’s time to reverse the process, start believing in Fairytales again, and awaken your inner child. Yes, s/he is still in there, but most likely has been sleeping for the last decades. Let’s wake it up, and see what new adventures the world has to offer us!

A common problem is that people are scared to be judged by society. What will people say if they see me like this? This reminds me of a date that I had a few years ago. I met a guy at an event in Frankfurt. Let’s call him “Mr. Cool”. On our first date, we went for a nice summer walk. Along the way, I saw a fun playground. I don’t know what has gotten into me, but I ran towards it, and decided to climb the monkey bars, run on the overhead ladder, go on the swings… you get the point. I ran around acting like a crazy kid. I glanced at Mr. Cool, and I cannot even describe the look he gave me. A mix of “Jesus-what-the-hell-are-you-doing-get-off-that-swing-immediately!” and “I-don’t-know-this-crazy-girl-she-is-such-a-weirdo” look. To be honest, at that moment I didn’t even care what the ice block Mr. Cool was thinking about me, because I was having so much fun. He came to me, and I thought that he will finally join me on the swing, but instead he said, “Galia, stop it! This is embarrassing! I am a famous actor (He is indeed a well-known German actor), what will people think of me when they see me making a fool of myself on this playground?” Right at that point, I realized that it will never work out between us. Money and fame aside, if the guy cannot be easy-going and appreciate the simple joys in life, then he is not for me. Fun is not just eating at expensive restaurants, but also doing silly things like jumping on a swing together. I politely walked with him back to where we met, said goodbye, smiled, and left as quickly as possible. Why do some people take themselves so seriously? Do we really have to stick to these rigid “Adult behavior rules”, or can we sometimes let our inner child out to play? Mr. Cool called the next day to invite me to dinner, but I told him that my heart was not in it. I could not pretend to be someone that I’m not. I was looking for the one that would climb the monkey bars with me, laughing and being crazy together like children.

That is not to say that we have to ignore our responsibilities, quite the contrary! We have to enjoy ourselves and have fun while achieving our goals and tasks. When you do something with a happy heart, your task becomes a pleasure, and the result will be better. For example, if you are cleaning your car, draw funny figures on the dirty window, and send a picture of it to your loved one. If you have to clean your flat, put on some loud music and run around the house doing funny dances, while cleaning. Do what you can to make the task more fun. I know that daily stress due to work and personal issues can bring a huge amount of pressure upon us, but we must try to do our best to make this process easier for us. Being hard on yourself will not make the problems go away. You must give your “Adult-self” a chance to rest and rethink how you can ease the pressure with a good strategy. Try doing something fun, different, childish and funny in order to bring your mind to positive thoughts. Maybe then, new problem-solving ideas will come to you! The easiest way to begin is by smiling more often.

The older I get, the more I realize how special the time was when I was a child. Free of worries, free of fear, free to live and enjoy! It’s time to bring back the innocence, joy and pure form of fun. Purity. The world is missing this. We need to go back to the basics before we had the car, the mortgage, and the debts. We have to try to capture that feeling of pure joy that we once felt as children. There is much evil and hatred out there. Just turn on the news. Every day another catastrophe. Let’s try to be children of light, instead of darkness. You can enjoy by doing the simplest of things. Remember how excited we used to be when walking with our parents in the forest, looking for mushrooms? Or making homemade cookies with our grandmother, and eating them with our friends? Try to capture this feeling again.

Maybe these few ideas can help: look at photos of your childhood, play board games, take walks around fun places, go to an amusement park, throw out the “cool” attitude/personality, and be who you are, live more in the present, sing funny songs, draw, paint (even if you cant do it well!) be curious, ask questions, daydream, try doing the things you loved to do as a kid, play video games, and most important of all, never say “I’m too old”. The child within you is waiting to come out and play. So go ahead, be silly. No one is watching! And if they do, who cares?

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6 Steps for Classy Flirting

6 Steps for Classy Flirting 1080 530 Galia Brener

I like to observe people all around me. Last week I was on the train and saw a pretty young lady sitting not too far away from me. As the train reached the Frankfurt main station, a handsome man walked in and sat down across from her. I knew right away that I will get a nice article from this scenario.

Flirting varies from person to person. Some are simply born with the talent to flirt and charm, some feel awkward doing it, some think it’s cheap, while others are flirt-o-holics and cannot live without it. So what’s the secret to flirting and how is it done in a classy way with the best results?

Back to my train-spying-romance-story. I looked closely at the woman, and noticed that her eyes brightened when she saw him. She straightened her posture and tried to make herself more alluring to him. He didn’t notice a thing. She glanced at him and looked away. The ride was quite long, so she did that many times, but the guy still had no clue. After a few more attempts, she gave up her subtleness and just gawked shamelessly at him. She arched her back, placed a half smile on her lips, and looked fiercely into his eyes without blinking! She looked wild and hungry, like in a cannibal-cloud-nine-bath-salts kind of way. I was watching them, entertained out of my mind – who needs a movie when you have freak shows all over the city? She tried to bat her eyelashes at him – but instead of being sexy, it looked like she was trying to blink her own eyelid away, opening her eyes wider each time. The guy was squirming very uncomfortably in his seat by now. Eventually her “flirting” technique scared the hell out of him, so he got up and walked quickly away. So ladies and gentlemen, now that we know the wrong way to flirt, let’s see how we can do it the right way.

1. The Eye Contact: This is the most important aspect of the flirt-system! What usually works for me is first a quick glance in his direction. If he sends you a glance back, lock eyes for a moment and look away. Continue doing that for a few times, each time locking eyes for longer periods of time. I wouldn’t recommend looking over too often. Besides, you will feel and see if he’s interested or not.

2. The Smile: After the eye contact, comes your time to shine – beam him/her with a warm and welcoming smile, but please don’t overdo it. We don’t want to come across as psychopaths – a.k.a. – Train Girl. A genuine smile is the sexiest thing and guy or girl can wear, because it shows happiness. Happy people are very attractive. As with the first step, look and smile a few times. If s/he smiles back, you’re in! If not, don’t waste your time because they are most likely not interested.

3. The Approach: This one is more for the guys. I’m a bit of an old fashioned girl and don’t approach men first. I feel that if I have sent out the right signals, topped it off with a warm lovely smile, and if he’s interested, he will approach me. Here comes the best part gentlemen – all you have to do is walk over, smile and say hello. Offer her a drink and introduce yourself. No pick up lines, no playing too cool, no wise guy remarks. Just be sincere, charming, warm and friendly. It’s really as easy as that. If this doesn’t work, then move on – nothing lost.

4. Body Language: Do not cross your arms when talking to him/her. Do not lean away from the person – instead – lean in towards them in the conversation. What works well is to imitate the other person’s body language, because that means you are in sync. Don’t hold out on the smiles or act too serious. Be open and relaxed. Make sure you have a good posture and don’t slouch.

5. Be Charming: Ask him or her questions, and show that you are interested in what they have to say – but don’t fake it. Be genuine, and only show interest if it’s there. When talking, a gentle touch on the arm, or a playful push and laugh is always a nice way to create subtle closeness. Don’t brag about how great your career is, or how cool your friends think you are. No one likes show-offs. Respect the other person and show your good manners. Making an honest compliment works really well. Everyone likes to hear something nice about themselves, but don’t get too personal or sexual right away.

6. Most Important – Lower Your Expectations: If you meet someone that you really like, do not start dreaming right away that this could be the one and put pressure on yourself. Men and women smell desperation and neediness – and this is not the impression you want to leave. So if it goes well, exchange numbers and take it from there. I highly recommended going slow at the beginning.

Flirting is a nice way to increase your self-esteem and confirm to yourself that you are attractive to others. It’s a way of saying to yourself, “I still have the touch.” Flirting is great for getting to know someone who has caught your eye and improving your communication skills. It’s also a great energy booster, and puts you in a positive mood. However, if someone is clearly not responding to your flirting, accept that they are not that into you and walk away. Don’t continue, thinking that they are simply playing hard to get. You will see and feel when it’s not working out. Not everyone is meant to be for everyone – that would be too boring. Your turn will come. Do not let anyone bring you down, and have faith that you deserve true love, and know that you will have it. Know your worth, and always respect yourself – if you do, so will others! Go out there and enjoy a nice evening of flirting.

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