When In Madrid

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My family have these annually summer gatherings in various destinations. This time our stop was Madrid. My brother, Mum, Dad and I were present. My sister stayed home working.
I'm not too happy for Spain but surprisingly Madrid turned out to be very much enjoyed. I'm extremely interested in food and after traveling a lot to Italy I was expecting the same kind of food habits in Spain; old fashion, traditional, meat, fish, cheese and gluten everywhere. But this was not the case, apparently the "Madridians",  are extremely up to date. Even way more than Norway and 100 % more forward-leaning than Italy. Wherever I turned my head I saw signs with vegan, vegetarian, raw, gluten and milk free food options. Wtf? Ice cream I could eat everywhere. All my life when traveling with my family I’ve been struggling to find things I could eat besides vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits. It has always been both a problem and disappointment. But apparently not anymore, now there is even more healthy options than that unhealthy shitty food. The world is moving forwards in a backwardish nutritious way. Back to our roots, eating vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits etc. Killing animals will become rarer and rarer I believe as more people become conscious, it will definitely become a huge trend; veganism, vegetarianism and organic foods. I can’t say it enough; the future is PROMISING. 

So, where did I go to eat in Madrid? Sadly I visited for just 2 days but the places listed below where my absolute favourites and I ended up eating at the same places both of the days. They were all highly sophisticated places with top quality food, haven’t tasted such homemade delicious dishes ever since visiting San Francisco and LA. I actually felt I was taken right back there.
 

So, the hotel we stayed at, Only You (sounds kinda tacky but it was the complete opposite), was the coolest and most forward-leaning hotel I've ever been at, it had such a quality, style and personality and most service minded people. It has a huge bonus; a breathtaking rooftop restaurant with a view over Madrid. 

You can read more about the hotel here:
Only You Hotel Atocha

Dinner At The Restaurant On The First Floor
Home made quality food, you can’t find such food in Norway unless you eat raw foods.
They didn’t have too many vegan options but if you ask they will happily adjust and make delicious dishes for you, not add in that crappy soy or wheat kind of stuff.
I asked for a vegan nachos and they made this magical nachos with guacamole on top and black bean sauce with mushrooms and aubergine, and the crisps were really good tasting too, chili flavour. All was hot. Top notch, everyone loved it. 

My mother ordered this wonderful and extremely tasty salad, I have no idea which leaves it was but there was also flowers in there. Omg, so good. The atmosphere was calm and the service excellent. 

Only You Roof Top Dinner
Didn’t have too much here but tasted once more a really good salad my mother ordered and my father ordered som squid croquettes and another grilled vegetable salad. And once more. Top quality home made food, mind-blowing. Atmosphere GREAT. View over Madrid, temperature great and service excellent.

Only You Roof Top Breakfast
Wtf they had everything and really well prepared and good looking, they had almond milk, soy, and oats milk and they had porridge with oat milk and rice pudding. They had chopped all kinds of fruits and it all looked soooo classy everything home made of course. Definitely you should STAY at Only You Hotel. No better hotel. And you wont find better food breakfasts for sure.

Randomly we came across this Gluten Free and Vegan Friendly place  while checking out the other Only You Boutique Hotel in Madrid in Chueca area. One word, YUM. Heaven for me!

Celicioso - Gluten Free and vegan friendly Bakery, Café & Restaurant  
Absolutely everything was gluten free and they had loots of vegan and sugar free options too, muffins, cakes etc vegan burgers, Acaii bowls, Smoothies. Quality homemade is the word.
It is actually also a part of the Only You Hotels, no surprise really.
I ate two muffins, one chocolate and one muffins. Wish I could eat there every day. Getting sugar free, vegan and gluten free baked stuff is raaaaare. They also had a few different raw cakes. My mother ate a banana chocolate raw cake which was indeed a real treat.
(You can also find Celicioso in Ibiza and Marbella as well and they even had Paris Hilton Visiting them ha ha, its at their Instagram profile, way too funny)

Food Market in Chueca Area
Only locals!
There was an ice cream stand downstairs serving raw vegan and natural ice creams. I ate a mojito tasting ice cream one day and the next day pineapple coconut milk. Both were amazing.
I also ate amazing fruits, sushi and potatoes here. 

These are the places you MUST check out if you go and do do do stay at one of the Only You Hotels!

This Very Moment Is Your Life

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Some people are always looking forwards to what will happen, they're living with hopes for the future and in denial of the present moment. But what they seem to forget is that life is the journey of today, this very moment. You do not know wether you'll be alive tomorrow or even later tonight. Why so eagerly wait for what will come, when the only thing you're certain of is this very moment?
Pick up your phone and write your mum, or whomever comes to mind that you care about, a text right now and say how much you love her/him. The chance to get the message through is right now, you do not know about tomorrow or next year if you or the person will be alive. People who end up in constant regret only have themselves to thank. Don't be of that kind.
This moment is really all you've got.

Why You Should Apply Some Stoicism To Your Life

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In other words; We can't be in control over what happens but we can be in control over how we approach things. We can take control over our own minds; our thoughts, emotions and actions and be the captain steering the boat in different waters and weather. You'll have to distance yourself from your thoughts and emotions and embrace life as it happens with calmness. This is how you'll achieve peace of mind. A strong sense of self awareness is needed for this to be possible.

The name stoicism comes from the stoa Poikile the decorated public colonnade where the philosophers gathered for discussion. 

The Stoics thought that (practical) ethics was the most important component of their philosophy: it was about how to live one’s life in the best possible way.


To be honest, it's just a few years since I heard of this philosophy(even though I've been living this mindset my whole life) and boy every time I think of psychology and how to deal with our own minds and the world around us I think why the fuck didn't I learn anything about this in school. So frustrating, and still is not taught.
Well, I've been and am a firm believer in and follower of this mindset since as long as I can remember with an exception of a few years in my teens but since the age of 19 I have been extremely conscious about how I treat my mind and body, myself and others. To say it as cliché as always, I am my house which I can not escape so I better be gentle. Really, I have to treat it well or else I'll suffer like crazy and life is too short to do that.

Stoicism has just a few central teachings. It sets out to remind us of how unpredictable the world can be. How brief our moment of life is. How to be steadfast, calm, strong, and in control of yourself not matter what happens. And finally, that the source of our dissatisfaction lies in our impulsive dependency on our reflexive senses rather than logic.

So, the stoics try to deal with the world as it is, while pursuing self improvement trough four cardinal virtues:


Wisdom:
Practical wisdom is the ability to navigate complex situations in a logical informed and calme manner.

Courage:
Face daily challenges with clarity and integrity.

Justice
Treating others with fairness even when they have done wrong.

Temper:
The expertise of self restraint and moderation in all aspects of life.

If this doesn't sound like a great philosophy to live life by I'm not sure which planet you're on. Then it is definitely YOU who need to implement this pattern to your daily habits. Too many people these days suffer more from their mind than what reality tells them. Life is all about perspective and if you do not realise it, good luck. Perhaps you'll figure out on your death bed but then its too late. If you are one of those who take life seriously, are easily tempered and blame others for your misfortune and misery its time to start rewire your mind. Life is way better being happy and content every minute every day, always. Embrace what happens with gratitude, meaning, purpose and love, and you'll end up with a peaceful mind.

It’s a tool that we can use to become better in our craft, better friends and better people.

Logotheraphy is also worth taking notice of, its based on stoic principles and is a concept framed by Viktor Frankel who survived a concentration camp.  Logotherapy is a term derived from the words “logos,” a Greek word that translates as “meaning,” and therapy, which is defined as treatment of a condition, illness, or neurosis. It teaches that you can find meaning in every situation you're in, even the most miserable ones. The theory is founded on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose.

Read the famous lettes from Seneca here
The most famous one: Shortness of Life you can find here.
Check out the video below for a brief introduction made by TED.

Tim Ferriss is such a fan and brag about it whenever he gets the chance, which is great. He spreads the word. He also have made a list of great Stoicism resources. Check it out here.

How to apply it by Tim Ferriss

Week in Review - 16th of July

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The weather is good and it's summer. We all have time to breath and reboot. In one weird way I actually enjoy that all of Norway is doing it at the same time. Its like a big long country pause where no one expects anything for you for a month.
In other countries you don't see the same, people don't log of for a whole mont, the world goes on as usual.
Well, in tech and science things are happening at all times and this is whats been going on lately this week. My pick!

SPACE

NASA Just Announced They Can't Afford to Get Humans to Mars Off World
NASA's next steps will depend on its funding, but now more than ever, the future of Mars colonization rests in the hands of commercial space companies. What I think is that going to space should be a team work of the whole world. It doesn't make sense that China is doing that and Russia is doing that. We should have a fund where everyone spit in money used to accomplish a common goal. It costs way too much money to do it properly on our own.. Or is it better with competition?

ROBOTS & MACHINES

The Worlds First Fully Robot Kitchen: Yes please!
This is not a video that was published this week but it popped up again in my newsfeed and I figured out its too good not to be shared. You see, I really really dislike cooking, it's one of the worst things I can spend my time doing. I LOVE food but making it is not down my ally at all, I've always wished for the future getting a personal chef and apparently it doesn't seem so far away. Raw Cakes, Fresh juices and nutritious salads will bli served all day every day. YUM. My dream. Or just find me a man who can cook the food that I enjoy.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AI system puts words in Obamas mouth....
Future of Fake news is promising.........uh-uh.. 
Researchers have developed a new tool, powered by artificial intelligence, that can create realistic-looking videos of speech from any audio clip..
Some people believe what they read and what they see. So.. How will things turn out now when one can actually manipulate video to this point? How the FUCK will things turn out now? This is fake news taken to a whole new leve. Watching someone with authority that you trust saying something lots of people automatically believe it.
Read more here, and watch the video below.

BIOTECH

Scientists Used CRISPR to Put a GIF Inside a Living Organism’s DNA
Emily Mullin |  MIT Technology Review
“They delivered the GIF into the living bacteria in the form of five frames: images of a galloping horse and rider, taken by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge…The researchers were then able to retrieve the data by sequencing the bacterial DNA. They reconstructed the movie with 90 percent accuracy by reading the pixel nucleotide code.”

"The promise of using DNA as storage means you could conceivably save every photo you’ve ever taken, your entire iTunes library, and all 839 episodes of Doctor Who in a tiny molecule invisible to the naked eye—with plenty of room to spare."

Pretty cool and important. In the coming years more and more data has to be stored and if we don't figure out another way to store it than we do now we'll end up in storage crisis and have no power or space to fit it all. So yup. lets start doing biotech asap.

FUTURE SOCIETY

This would just be so awesome. Will perhaps take a lot of time though.. But let start digging!

EARTH & ENERGY

Yes please. Right now, thanks.

Why The World Needs Gary Vaynerchuck

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When I first came across Gary Vaynerchuck a couple of years ago I felt he was kind of noisy. Who'd listen to a guy swearing angrily when delivering a message? Although I understood how extremely important his words was, he didn't appeal to me at all. Lately he seems to be everywhere. His internet fame is skyrocketing and now, I guess I like him better. His voice is ultra important and the way he does it is actually pretty smart. Cause when you listen to him, it feels like your dad is giving you a lecture and I can therefore see why lots of people get that little extra push to go do the things they love and are hesitant with in the first place. He is an excellent coach, who encourages the best he can and is one of the best out there, next to Tony Robbins who has the same energy, more gentle way of speaking though but its the same energetic lecturing way of being, no evil, not a know it all kind of guy, he does it out of pure love. He wants us people to have a better life, and I guess he also does it with a bigger vision that if people do what they want and live from their heart the world will be a better place. It will be more love and harmony and the world will be driven forward because the sheep culture will keep decreasing, More people will start leading themselves and not be working at some factoryish job with their voice meaning nothing to the society.
I can't say enough how important it is for the world and our society that people start thinking for themselves and that people like Gary keep popping up and that we all start trusting and listening to our inner voices of curiosity and passion and get rid of fear. Do what we love. When more and more people will do this we will jump a giant leap forwards in the development of our society.
What we know looking back throughout history is that we most likely will die being somewhere in between 80-100 years old. Why the fuck shall we live for so long and hesitating and shovel down our inner guide?
Wouldn't you enjoy to stay happy and content for all those years? Live a fulfilling life? No?
I believe the factory culture and pushing people down to stay obedient and quiet just to keep peace within our society is still ruining our lives. We're ignorant and are not taught in school how be the best version of ourself, be a resource to ourselves and our environment in the best possible way. This must change. It doesn't have to be this way, you are worth something, your life is worth a ton. Your time is so valuable.
If you'd like to be of service to others, the world and yourself, keep sending videos about Gary to your friends. Go do a Gary!! We all gotta spread the word to create a movement.

Here is his YouTube channel

He is also on the panel of Apples new tv-series planet of the apps.
 

Why I Am Vegan

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Lots of people become vegan because they feel sorry for the animals. Me? Because I cherish my body too much and want to stay well and live as long as I possibly can (next to caring for the planet and animals of course)
I didn't even consider going vegan, it just happened. Due to allergies and stomach problems I was forced to change my eating habits 8 years ago. Animal milk, gluten and sugar had to leave my diet. To begin with it was such a struggle, cause I was used to eat yoghurt, lots of cheese and bread. Yes that typical Norwegian way of eating. But after a few weeks I started to get to know my body, I got this connection I never experienced, it started to tell me what it needed and what I should stay away from. Before I had just eaten everything and thought that feeling bloated and sick was how it was supposed to be. Like just 10 years ago the ignorance when it came to food was super high, its even lots of ignorance today but then.. gluten allergy? Milk allergi? Wtf is that? My dad, which is a doctor, didn't even believe that I could be intolerant to gluten and milk, that was too alien info for him. But what started to happen was that my body start telling me that all animal products wasn't good for me, I started to eat plant based and felt sick just if I ate some pieces of dead animals. I felt heavy, tired, foggy and my digestion became worse every time. So why should I continue eating it when health was not optimal? And the less I started eating it the better I felt both mentally and physically. I had energy, strength and clearity like never before, how come I hadn't done this yeaaars ago? I actually to be honest had abstinence for three weeks when I quit animal products, which I thought was crazy. How can something be healthy when I crave it like a drug? It did not at all feel good, and had me thinking even more about how this must be just a big joke forced upon us by society and big brands wanting to earn money. Yes, people argue that we always have been eating that, but as hunters we were never were able to catch a prey every day and eat in such huge amounts that we do today, perhaps we got met every once in a while but several times a day, no. And we had no choice but to eat it because there were not much else but now, we can access all of the worlds options of food just 500 meters a way to the closest grocery store. We can get all the vitamins and minerals we need from countless food items. Plants, fruits, nuts in abundance. Why should we then stick to meat who doesn't feed us with all the essentials of vitamins and minerals we need? Doesn't make sense. We live in a time of luxury, with a preventive pharmacy next door. Lets just start in that end of the circle right? Not actually eat meat and then having to go to the "real" business pharmacy to get drugs??

The environmental benefits of being vegan means a lot to me as well. Not only is it bad for our health but also for our planet. How come we do it? Such a fucked up species just thinking about ourselves in the moment. 

The movie "What the health" give us an accurate picture on whats going on, you should definitely watch it and perhaps consider being of service to yourself and the world?

Why not leave a legacy, make an impact and stay well? What the Health is the best documentary on this topic so far and leading scientists within this field are featured. Watch trailer below.

But first of all you should watch this, more than worth 15 min of your time.

Let me know what you think?

I Just Made A Youtube Channel!

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To me it appears that If you don't have a Youtube and you don't have a podcast these days it's like you are non existent. Yes I know it's weird because most people don't have any of that but especially if you love communicating a certain message like I do you actually have to be there in all those channels in order to get your message out there.

Have a look and please tell me what you think ?! I'd love to hear from you :D

Click here to get there :)) And please subscribe and share :D

Tiny Smart Homes

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Yes please.
To me this is kind of living is luxury. More people entering this planet requires simple sustainable living. Make it cool and I guess lots of people will follow? Hopefully... Tempted?

Well, I'd really like one of these camping pods. Being flexible is the best, definitely.

Mini Stek is currently busy building a special round house. Price: from € 60,000. 

 Indigo. consists of several modules which are all bio-based material made and best off all you can make the house  bigger if you need more space. Price: from € 52,000 

Winding House  you can design the house and the size depends on your needs. Price: from € 50,000.

The  Sustainer Modular Home  is self-sufficient and consists of several modules that can easily be combined so that you can create right on your dream home. The size of the property also depends on your needs. Price: from € 80,000. 

The Tiny TIM (Timber Independent Mobile) is self-sufficient and has a hybrid energy roof with solar panels, windmills, green water-purification wall for recycled drinking water and a smart device. Price: from € 50,000.

The  Heijmans ONE  is a temporary and movable Property for young starters. The house can be built up in as little as 1 day, and is intended to be placed in vacant areas. Price tag: Rent from 700 euros per month.Oh and this o…

The  Heijmans ONE  is a temporary and movable Property for young starters. The house can be built up in as little as 1 day, and is intended to be placed in vacant areas. Price tag: Rent from 700 euros per month.

Oh and this one is good. A foldable mobile home.

Week in Review - 25th of June

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Alright so what's been going on the past week?

Before the wrap up - here is food for thought. For years I've been longing for freedom work wise but eventually business life will follow. The 8 hour sign in and out day is waaaay outdated. What do you think?

 

SPACE

SpaceX Just Transformed Space Flight, Launching Two Rockets in 48 Hours. Seriously, a pivotal moment.
 

This week NASA found 10 earth-sized planets and there are rumours on that they are soon to be revealing some alien news. Can't fucking wait.

 

HEALTH & MEDICINE

#biotech #CRISPR

We're all scared of the antibiotics resistance but a solution is near with the CRISPR technology.
Several companies have used CRISPR to engineer phages to attack and kill antibiotic resistant bacteria. Human trail starts within 18 months!

 

HARD SCIENCE

10 Science Mysteries Waiting to Be Solved 
Enjoy science? Like to contribute to history? Try wrapping your head around these ones.
 

ROBOTICS

Omg Too fascinating, came across this dinosaurs robot this week. Its 8 months old, imagine how much better it has become since this. wow, now I wanna go to that park.

 

EARTH & ENERGY

Repaint and BOOM your house is a power station with this awesome solar paint.

 

FUTURE SOCIETY

China's central bank has developed its own cryptocurrency, which is now being tested. Cryptocurrencies have the potential to not only benefit China, but the rest of the world, due to their basis in blockchain.

Google is Closer Than Ever to a Quantum Computer Breakthrough oooohh yeah. Game changer about to happen.
Google is on schedule to achieve quantum supremacy by the end of 2017. 

TRANSPORTATION

And flying cars are now a thing. Give it a year and it'll soon be on its way for trial. 

SINGULARITY HUBS WRAP UP OF THE WEEK

Think Twice

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Got kids? Or perhaps you're sometimes around them? Well, if there is alcohol involved, think twice. Kids are way more sensitive to human behavior than grown ups. Be responsible or else you might ruin someones life by creating traumas the person wont be able to cope with.

Why We Eat Meat

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Do you ever reflect on why you do the things you do?

Whenever I see or think about meat, I see dead animals and I think to my self, I shall certainly not be a grave yard and I certainly shall not contribute to suffering of neither animals nor our planet which is what the entire meat industry does, every second. Almost 1 million animals are slaughtered every minute. Wtf?

I'd rather be of service to earth, I already am a huge burden, so when I actually have the possibility to choose for the better, I will do so.

This video is worth your time.

Could A Higher Meaning Be Our Cure?

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I respect Jason Silva(modern philosopher) a lot and have watched most of his shots of awe videos. If you haven't already time has come to do so. He talks about many interesting and relevant topics in a poetic visual way. In this video he talks about the power of our brain, that if one let the negative patterns win it can kill you.

800,000 commit suicide every year. Which is 800,000 too many. More people die like this than in natural disasters and war combined. What is going on?
What I am thinking is that purpose must be missing. But how to find your inner higher meaning? It's way too difficult for many people. We don't even learn about tools on how to find it, except in religion of course but for most people, that's not an option.
It's for sure difficult but you have to create it, you can trick yourself into anything, even that you are not valuable enough and should commit suicide, when you are just like the person of value next to you who doesn't take it, then why do you then have do?

How can we solve this?

Purpose. Higher Meaning.