Own it: The Power of Taking Responsibility

Growth and personal freedom begin when we stop blaming and start owning. Responsibility isn’t a burden — it’s your superpower. Own your choices, own your power. When you, like us, regularly visit social media sites, you will no doubt have seen posts that begin with: “Hi, just after people’s thoughts…” or “Am I overthinking this?” “Someone [fill in name] hurt my feelings — but I am right, aren’t I?” “It’s not about me, but…” [fill in] Although most writers…

Continue reading...

Do Images of the Past Influence Our Perception of the Present?

How reliable are our memories? My father used to film and photograph the three of us growing up: my brother, sister, and me. An 8mm film camera and slides. I remember sitting in the living room after a family holiday, the curtains closed, the whirring sound of the projector aimed at the wall. Those were the times! But were they? How does what we experience in our childhood, throughout adolescence and adulthood colour our view…

Continue reading...

Discover Deventer, the quirky Dutch riverside city in the heart of the Netherlands

Travel Diary: Deventer the pretty, picturesque place famous for its “Deventer Koek” and Christmassy Dickens Festival Country: the Netherlands Province: Overijssel Most of you have no doubt heard of Amsterdam, the Dutch capital city with its canals, its infamous Red-Light District, its Anne Frank Museum, and much, much more. But what about Deventer, the quirky city in Overijssel? Situated on the banks of the IJssel, Deventer looks as picture-perfect as you can imagine, especially with…

Continue reading...

Was the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack avoidable?

Article | Bite-Size History: A day of infamy. Analysing the evidence of Japan’s declaration on war on the US Where were you when the Twin Towers were attacked? Where were you when American President J.F. Kennedy was assassinated? Do you know where you were when Princess Diana tragically died? For certain generations, that pivotal seismic event was the Japanese bombing of the US Naval Station at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. And in its…

Continue reading...

When Will We Have Time to Write

Article | Writers’ Life: When you have to juggle day jobs and chores with finding time to write and promote your writing – a day in the life of a writers couple Content and images for social media posts researched – check Engaged with social media followers – check The next social media posts scheduled – check Answered writing-related emails – check Watched the latest YouTube video on how to market our book(s) and what tools…

Continue reading...

Do You Dare to Stand Out?

Or are you obsessed with being part of the herd? ‘Don’t wear bright colours,’ my aunt said to her husband. I was in my teens and wondered about that statement. Later I found out the reason and was stunned. Let me explain. My father’s brother, like his parents and siblings, was of Dutch nationality but born in Indonesia — then the Dutch Indies. History buffs will know the Dutch share a not-so-nice colonial past with…

Continue reading...

Did the Battle of Dunkerk stop the Axis winning WWII?

Article | Bite-Size History: Examining the theories and counter-theories from May-June 1940 The “Conventional” Wisdom about the Battle of Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo The successful, relentless advance by German Army Group A under the direction of Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt, under operation Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), left over 400,000 Allied troops trapped at Dunkirk, their backs to the sea, forced to abandon all their equipment. With victory over “perfidious Albion” in his grasp, the Führer inexplicably…