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Monday, February 27, 2017

The Google Secret - And What I Learned From It



Two collegues recommended me this book and one of them was constantly quoting from it so I just couldn't help but had to read it.


Image result for google laszlo bock


And I haven't regretted doing so.
I did not only find really helpful tips for business but also for my personal daily life.
I was especially thrilled by the fact that the author of the book is a Hungarian immigrant to the USA.

The book is not about dry facts but about stories and anecdotes from within Google, as well as from other companies the author worked for or had contact with.

So here is a quick summary about the main facts:
1. Everyone wants their work to have purpose. As a teacher and also later in another field I learned that people wanted to know why it was important to learn or do that given thing. So do not be satisfied with the fact that you know the purpose, explain it to others. It may save you from lots of quarrels with your partner at home as well. :)
2. Trust your people. For some people it is easier, for others it takes more time to trust people. But you can be sure that if someone has the feeling you do not trust them, they will give up and be more and more negligent. In my opinion this again is very important in your private life: If you think your partner or child will not do this or that, after a while they will not even try.
3. Hire only people who are better than you. Many people are afraid of doing so. But how could you trust someone('s work) if you know they are not better at it than you.
4. Don't confuse development with managing performance. 
5. Focus on the two tails. There is no denial about the act that there are average, very good and very bad employees at every workplace. Focus on the strengths and weaknesses. For the good, learn everything you can from them. For the bad, help them learn, refocus or if all else fails, exit them.
6. Be generous. The book says that most of the services offered to googlers for free, do not mean a lot of  cost for the company. With good organization you can help even with only petty expenses. And what is even more important not everything has to cost money, .
7. Pay unfairly. Most of the value on your teams comes from the top employes, so pay them accordingly. However, with this rule, you should be very careful within the family.
8. Nudge. Commands normally meet resistance. Rather nudge on things you consider as important.
9. Manage the rising expectations.  Once you "give" someone something more than once, they will most feel that they deserve it and expect you to give it or even more continually. Make sure that it will not always be like that until the end of times. It might be a good trick with your teenage children as well. :)
10. Enjoy! And then go back to No. 1 and start again. “Building a great culture and environment requires constant learning and renewal.”


How about you?  Have you read it? Did you profit from it?

XX,

Pippi


Friday, February 24, 2017

Fried apples


Woud you like a quick and delicious apple recipe for the weekend?

Here is one of my favs for you.

Ingredients:

4 big apples
 2 eggs
flour
coconut oil
vanilla sugar


Image result for baked apples slices


Wash and core the apples. You can peel it as well but it is not essential. Cut them into 0,5 mm slices. Stir the eggs. Put the apple sclices into the stirred eggs and then into the flour.  Heat the coconut oil. Fry the apples in it on both sides for about 3-4 minutes. Take the slices on a paper towel.
Sprinkle the vanilla sugar on the slices.
Eat them fresh.

Enjoy!

XX,

Pippi






Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Instapippi Lately ...





















If you like these images, please, follow my feed on Instagram

Thanks for stopping by.

XX,

Pippi


Monday, February 20, 2017

Pregnancy Update





First of all, I would like to say thank you for all your support and kind comments on my 
pregnancy announcement. They mean the word to me. 


So, yes. 
We are expecting a baby  and my due date is in March. 

For today I brought a quick Q& A for you about the last few  months:


How about  (morning) sickness?
 I only felt really sick twice.
What I had problems with in the first two months was diarrhoea. However, with this I can still consider myself lucky as it always came in the late afternoon, after work. 

How much weight have you gained until now?
I have gained about 10kg - which my doctor says is too much and according to the sonograph the baby's head is extremely big, so my doctor ordered me to keep a 160 g carbohydrate diet (even though I have no problems with my blood sugar).
I hope everything will be fine.

How about your skin/hair/nails?
My skin and hair are fantastic. my nails are terrible.
Well, they say you can't have it all. :)

Do you use anything to prevent stretch marks?
I use several products and I am planning to write a separate post about it soon. 

What are your pregnancy cravings?
Haribo gummy bears :)

Are you afraid of giving birth?
A bit but I am hopeful that everything is going well.

Do you do any sports?
I attend special yoga classes for pregnant women. 


If you have further questions, I am happy to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by.

XX,

Pippi 



Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Tested ... Neutrogena Hydra Boost, Essence blush, Alverde Volume


For today I brought you a post about products I have purchased and tested recently.




Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleansing Wipes: It is a FANTASTIC product. Until now I have only used body and hand lotions by Neutrogena. I was satisfied with them every time. I was not afraid to be dissatisfied this time, either, but I did not expect the product to be so perfect. It gives what it promises: It removes make-up to 100 % and gives hydro boost for your skin. If your skin is not very dry, you can even go to bed using only this product. I would really recommend you having it on your bedside table for nights you don't feel like going to the bathroom and following your usual evening beauty routine. Using this product will leave your skin totally dehydrated.


 Essence bubble blush:

Lovely colours, easy use. You only need your hands to use it, so it is perfect when you are in a hurry in the morning.  And the result lasts quite long.

 Terra Naturi Extreme Volume:
I like that Terra Naturi products are not expensive and are totally green. In my opinion this is especially important in case of products you use around your skin. However, this mascara is not the best I have ever used. A big + is that it  does not make my eyelashes sticky or heavy but the result is not  what I call extreme volme.


How about you? Have you ever used any of these products? What new products have you tested recently? What can you recommend? What was a diasppointment?

Thanks for stopping by.

Your comments are highly appreciated.

XX,

Pippi




Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Valentine

Image result for valentine's day






I wish you all a happy Valentine's Day!

Here is my favourite love song list of all time, 25+1 but I could  name  a houndred more. :)


+1., Photograph - Ed Sheeran

25.,Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli

24., Fix You - Coldplay

23.,  With Or Without You - U2

22.,  Can't Help Falling in Love with You - UB40

21.,  Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden

20., Woman In Love - Barbra Streisand

19., Worn Me Down - Rachel Yamagata

18., Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap

17., The West Coast - Jason Schwartzman

16., Love you Till The End - The Pogues

15., Hey, There Delilah - Plain White T's

14., Insomnia - Electric President

13., Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis

12., Collide - Howie Day

11., Goodbye To You - Michelle Branch 

10., What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake

9.,  Heatbeats - Jose Gonzalez 

8., Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt

7., Right Here Waiting - Bryan Adams

6., I'll be - Edwin McCain

5., Closer - Joshua Radin 

4., Fall At Your Feet - James Blunt

3., Signs - Bloc Party 

2., Let Her Go - Passangers

1., The Book Of Love - Peter Gabriel


How about you? Do you have a fav love song? What is it?

XX,

Pippi


Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Mood Board for The Baby Room



I have been thinking a lot about what the baby's room should look like. I loved many many ideas, so it was quite difficult to choose one.

As I used the room as a dressing up room and did not want to buy new wardrobes, the main colour of the furniture was not to be thaught about. It was already set: sonoma oak.

 I just had to decide about the additional colours. As the baby is a boy, it would have been quite logical to choose blue but somehow I did not like the idea. There are so many 'witches' around me who said: 'The doctor said it's a boy. No, way. I am sure it's a girl.' A
nd even though I know that sonographs can tell the gender almost 100% for sure, I still felt afraid to choose  a colour that says BOY. For this reason I chose light grey and white as the complementory colours. 

Here you can see the mood board I put together as an inspiration:


Baby Shower


There are still a few touches to be done in the room but I will show you pictures of it as soon as finished for good.

Thanks for stopping by.

XX.

Pippi


Friday, February 3, 2017

Mushroom and Tomato Pasta


Ingredients:

350 g mushrooms ( I used champions but other sorts might also be delicious)

6 big tomatoes

400 g pasta of your choice

white pepper

 garlic

basil

lovage

Trappist cheese

coconut oil 


Displaying IMG_20170112_121630_113.jpg


How to make it?

Cook pasta following orders on wrapping in salty water. Cut the tomatoes 
 in small pieces. Slice the mushrooms and  saute in a hot pan with a spoonful of cocnut oil for about 5 minutes. Add the cut tomatoes and the salt, pepper and garlic.

Reduce heat to low and cook it for another 10 minutes. Add the basil and lovage and remove from heat.

Add the sauce to the cooked  pasta and a little more  oil.  Ground the Trappist cheese on it.


Serve. 

For more recipes go here and here,

Enjoy!

XX,

Pippi