Journal

Micky Says... Rent A Car

2010-02-23T06:48:38Z

I travel a lot and need to rent a car on a regular basis.  Every city requires its own special car.
When we want to get out for the weekend or when I fly to Los Angeles or anywhere else for work, I need a car.
It’s always exiting to find out what kind of car I will be driving this time.  Every city has it’s own character and therefore needs a different car. On this Micky Says I discuss choosing retal cars and have a great offer for my US viewers who will be renting a car in the future.

Micky says… do I disturb you?

2010-02-18T21:12:29Z

It took me some time to figure out why it was quiet on the other side of the telephone line when I started my greetings with: Hi how are you? Do I disturb you?
Ehh no… not at all.

Yesterday my patient fiance pointed out to me that in America we say: Hi, how are you? Am I disturbing you?
There is a big difference.
Turns out till now I have been saying hello to people and asking them if they think I’m mad. !!??

Gosh, the pressure of being European and trying to get it right.

There are so many of these small sentences that we Europeans translate directly in to English and with that take away the meaning of what we try to say but translate it I to a completely, yes quite disturbing, content.

My friend Peter Laanen works with the Dutch embassy for exactly this purpose. Trying to save the huge failures that European company speakers make when starting business with the US.
Here are some funny examples from others people, just to show you that it’s not just me.

“I always get my sin” sin (zin) means, my way.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and also from my wife’s bottom”(My wife thanks you as well)

I promise to keep on studying. But it’s cute to screw up sometimes.

Micky says... San Francisco

2010-02-11T18:00:50Z

You are beautiful, built on a hill top, surrounded by the sea and a bay. Bridges try to reach out to you and you connect lovingly to all your sides.

You are surrounded by the most beautiful nature, preserved to keep you shining like a diamond.

You glisten in the sunlight. Hi-rise windows reflecting on each another like they are talking about the new kid in town. You are filled with art and beautiful statues. History surrounds you and you made it on your own.

Smart people live in your city, they create things beyond our beliefs and dreams.

You are cold in the summer yet keep me warm during winter. Always fresh from the wind that sweeps you from the sea.

You are shy and try to hide in a blanket of fog.

But when the fog disappears you show us the true beauty of a city.

Up and down the road we go. On a cable car or walking nice and slow.

Your jazz and lounge music originated here and brought laughter everywhere.

Songs are dedicated to you.

I did not leave my heart in San Francisco. I came to collect it.

I will miss you beautiful city by the bay.

Micky says... TV

2010-02-09T02:17:02Z

Millions of people in America watch television. To be exact, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co., an average American watches more than four hours of television a day. Currently 285 million televisions are being used in US households, according to the data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

Television is a great source for information and entertainment and a way of life.

I love my TV but I do wonder what happens to me while watching.

I switch it on and after one hour I notice that my body hardly moved. It’s like you are sucked in to a trance state. My mind is occupied with the images and emotions displayed.

I breathe differently. Zoomed out of the real world into my fictional 2 dimensional box.

I love to relax with some Chelsea Lately in the evening. I love a good movie and the news. But the following statement made me think.

‘Television inhibits your ability to think, but it does not lead to freedom of mind, relaxation or renewal. It leads to a more exhausted mind. You may have time out from prior obsessive thought patterns, but that's as far as television goes. The mind is never empty, the mind is filled. What's worse, it is filled with someone else's obsessive thoughts and images.’

http://adam.shand.net/iki/library/zen_tv_experiement/

Maybe I should go out for a walk.

Micky Says... Dutch Negativity

2010-02-03T19:37:22Z

See more videos at mickysays.mevio.com

Micky Says... The Power Of Nature

2010-02-01T16:58:34Z

Pascaud Makes You Radiant

Micky says... abbreviations

2010-01-28T06:22:06Z

After 5 months of living in the USA I have to say I’m very confused about all the abbreviations used here.

NQR

FUBAR

F.me

BFF

GAL

The N or F or C word!

It took me a while to figure out LOL. I think it’s overrated. I'll decide for myself if something’s that funny.

Now, in written language it can be confusing, but what about TV and beeps?

Without those dammed bleeps I'd be able to figure out what the hell people are talking about on Television. Now it’s just a wild guess.

Why can’t people just say what they want to say? The beep doesn’t take away the fact that we know that he or she is using a bad word. It actually makes us more aware of it. The beep resonates in your mind.

I remember when I was watching the OJ Simpson trial years ago, I thought the N-word stood for the N in Nicole. Make sense doesn’t it?

CMIIW

Correct me if I’m wrong

Micky says... look into my eyes

2010-01-24T16:41:47Z

Is it just me, or do people shy away from each another these days? Is
it me, or don't we communicate anymore?

I Just came back from Los Angeles and felt like I was alone the
entire time. Not when I was with friends, but when out on the street
or at the airport, it occurred to me that people are avoiding eye
contact. I thought it might be a Los Angeles cultural thing, because
people are in their car all day and only communicate by phone.

But when I got back to San Francisco, I noticed exactly the same
behavior.

Why is it that we prefer to shy away from other human beings? Are we
that disenchanted? Are we afraid of strangers? Do we not care anymore?

I totally understand that ipods and cellphones provide plenty of
distraction. I understand that you don’t always want to be there for
other people, but we are missing out something very special.

There is nothing more beautiful than that short little moment when
two strangers make eye contact in the street. Either there's a smile,
because you recognize something in each another for example: both loving the
sunshine on your face, or you share the same smile about a little
kid’s remark about the wonders of life. It can be anything and it
should make you feel like we're all part of our world.

To me there is nothing better then walking to the gym in the morning
and actually making an effort to connect with strangers.

The best thing is giving them all a big smile when it is raining.
That’s when they get really confused about that 6’1" blond that just
passed by and locked eyes for a second.

It only takes a second…

Micky Says... Enjoy Your Movie

2010-01-18T21:05:18Z

Sometimes things can be just irritating. Going to the movies and not being able to enjoy it. Do you relate to this? Then watch what Micky has to say about it.

To see more videos, go to mickysays.mevio.com

Micky says...Smoking Mom

2010-01-13T21:47:44Z

America and smoking don’t go hand in hand these days.

What used to represent for the 'true' American life style: The Marlboro man on his horse smoking his cigarette, changed into non smoking flights, non smoking restaurants, even outside on a terrace, and smoking police in parks and beaches.

Oh no, please don’t smoke outdoors! You still might effect us with your second hand smoke!

Taken in consideration, I think most of these rules aren't so bad and are good examples for our kids.

But what do you do when you can’t stop smoking? When you just became a mom and desperately want to be a good example to your kid?

You go outside to smoke… but first, put on a sweater with hood against the smell of smoke in your hair, then put on the plastic gloves you brought so your baby can’t smell the tar on your fingers and as the final attribute; a piece of gum. Do you think this is taking it a bit too far?

Not this mom, she was dead serious.

If this is how you're gonna look at a party, don’t you think it might be better to just quit?