Primo corso KBS- Moyogi e Kengai

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Kitora no do

Si è concluso ieri il primo corso di due giorni della Kitora’s Bonsai School.

È stato un weekend molto intenso, sono molto soddisfatto, devo ringraziare in primis Monica per avermi sostenuto in questi giorni e nell’organizzazione, Melanie per aver reso possibile un corso in due lingue, italiano e tedesco e il sostegno nella programmazione del corso, Franco per aver portato alla scuola un bel gruppo di ragazzi giovani e pieni d’entusiasmo. Un grazie di cuore a tutti gli studenti, nuovi e vecchi, che si sono impegnati nell’inizio di un percorso didattico molto impegnativo.

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Lettura dei materiali

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ProgettazioneIMG_1169IMG_1170IMG_1176Sala workshop

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IMG_5070IMG_5071 Commento dei lavori fatti dagli studentiIMG_5072IMG_5073 Consegna degli attestati di partecipazione al primo corso
IMG_5075IMG_5076IMG_5077IMG_5079IMG_5080IMG_5081IMG_5082IMG_5083IMG_5084IMG_5085IMG_5086IMG_5087IMG_5088IMG_5089IMG_5090IMG_5091 tassetto shohinIMG_5092IMG_5093IMG_5094IMG_5096IMG_5098IMG_5101IMG_5103IMG_5104IMG_5105IMG_5106IMG_5107IMG_5108IMG_5110IMG_5113
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complimenti a tutti gli studenti

ci rivediamo a Novembre per il secondo corso 😉

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casual friday: change from wordpress.com to worpress.org

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I was using wordpress.com for the last 3 years (hurray!!) but still didn’t find it quite satisfying. Not only because the followers are not increasing but also because the impossibility of custom change the design and other little features which are just not possible on wordpress.com. So I decided to switch to a self-hosted version and ‘till now I am more than happy with it.

Since I work in the IT industry I didn’t have to struggle as much as do with bonsai J and can quite imagine that other no IT geeks can have some difficulties so I couldn’t help but wonder: does other bloggers have the same dilemma? WordPress.org or wordpress.com? Keep it easy or increase to a higher level?

So let’s see the pro and cons of both worpdress systems.

The self-hosted version is much more expandable, custom made, flexible, better. So why is wordpress.com still so popular? In my eyes because is really easy to handle and for the most users this is reason enough to keep on going on a free platform. Of course there some upgrade you can make on wordpress.com but you need to pay for them.  And what is so special on the self-hosted wordpress.org version? My costs Fr. 17.- for the domain, Fr. 8.90 in month for the hosting (unlimited domain), I also purchased a template for Fr. 49.- to try it out. Basically my expensive for the year are pretty low considering that I am not aiming to earn money with this blog, but yet not free as wordpress.com can be.
On the other hand wordpress.com gives some features that I don’t have (or still didn’t find) in the self-hosted version. For example the reblogg option as well as the “like it” button for other wordpress.com users, only 2 features which I am pretty sure I can handle with a workaround (if you know, please leave a comment). Another advantage on wordpress.org is the liberty of add all kind of plugins than can help your blogging go along and increase in popularity and deserver a higher rate within Google. Although I am having again some problems with Google+ on one of my wordpress.com site; again nothing I can’t figure out.

The question is:  which to choose for your purpose?

There is no specific answer to this question, because both have they pro and cons. Are you willing to learn something new? Then you can choose wordpress.org. Are you totally newbie in blogging and only wanted to try it out? Then wordpress.com is good for you.  I found a really nice article about the diversity of both and this image takes it to the point.

worpress pro and cons

As far as I’m concerned,  I can handle both and love them both the same way, although I prefer the wordpress.org for the challenge of creating something new as well as wordpress.com for the simplicity of it. I do have a wordpress.com page on which I do write as well as my new self-hosted wordpress.org page which I really love.

I have transferred my blog to melaniesdreams.ch so please be sure to subscribe for the latest news and I hope that the “old” followers will become my “new” followers.

 

…love, Melanie!

– See more at: http://melaniesdreams.ch/wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-org/#sthash.JUxduCEf.dpuf

Friendship

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Friendship

…love, Melanie!

Caterpillar Cafe

Ezdien and Suhaib

Friendship is what makes life magical, it’s sharing what is special and valuable with someone who is happy to see you happy. It’s a unique bond, brought about through regular, meaningful interaction. For kids this might mean playing together, sharing toys, meeting frequently enough to create lasting memories. As we grow and become more sophisticated and in tune with the outer world, we start relating friendship to loyalty and commitment and these traits will pour over into adulthood. These bonds often happen haphazardly in school, playgrounds, neighborhoods, or within families. But what if you just moved to a new country, don’t have any neighbors or have no family close by? Or what if the neighbors or family that you do have, don’t share the same language or simply play significantly differently or spend all their free time studying? Kids go to school for 4-5 hours per day, 5 days per…

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casual friday: Little Hunterman

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The Little Hunterman

I discovered this little guy thank to Facebook and fell in love. Not only because Little Hunterman is a Parson Russel Terrier like our Kim, but also because the similarity to my own dog. He has such a refreshing art of telling stories. He has a rubber duck as buddy, loves to snooze on his pillows, he behaves exaclty like a dog does and his just hilarious.

 Xmas tree

Hope you find him as funny and entertaining as I do.

…love, Melanie!

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Why Caterpillar?

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Caterpillar Cafe

caterpillar-meat_w520

Some of you may be wondering why a Cafe would be called Caterpillar? What does a bug have to do with that sumptuous, delicious hot drink? Actually Caterpillar came to me long before Cafe did, in fact Cafe was an incidental last minute addition! A Caterpillar is a bug that comes from an egg and after growing sufficiently, wraps itself into a cocoon and eventually turns into a butterfly. I love the idea of the various stages it undergoes in order to become something beautiful and admirable. This is how I see childhood, and this is what I would want for my kids, a healthy upbringing, complete with all that makes life whole (love, play, community, friendship, sharing, laughter, strong morals and a proper education along with healthy nutrition, sleep and physical activity), so that they can then go out into the world and make it a better, more beautiful…

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Archived goals and new issues

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Just do it!

Just do it!

Well well! Another year went by and so much has happened. New families were made, some families fell apart; some new friends have earned the title of “friend”, some not; some bonsai were styled for good and some need time to mature.

I did have 4 goasl for 2013 and I achieved at least 3 of them, well it would be all four if I included doing more bonsai in my goals instead of restyling my garden which was a complete failure.

Starting in January with the first session at the Università del bonsai, then finding Nicola online and immediately booking  a workshop for the end of March. In May my first article was published on Bonsai Empire and in June I visited the Swiss bonsai show in Lugano. Summer passed up to the first week of September which was the highlight of my year:  Bonsai Summer Festival in Fai della Paganella. Only one week, but boy did we ever have fun! Not only did I learn a lot about complementary tags all around bonsai art, like presentation, accent plants, bonsai pots, and much more, but also, and most importantly I made a whole new group of friends that like me appreciate bonsai as they are and not for their monetary value or winning potential. I am so grateful to Paolo who managed to introduce me to this new world of bonsai without prizes, seems weird but in my opinion it’s more peaceful and in tune with the whole idea of bonsai itself.
After this wonderful event the wheel started to turn. Articles were published, trees were styled, new enthusiasts were known, well… I had to work more on PR rather than concentrating on my goals, but I did find the time to achieve some other goals.

Another goal reached is to lose weight, and although I gained some kilos this holiday season I am still very motivated to do more for my figure. And last but absolutely not least: learning Japanese. This is one of the main goals for next year as well. I am going to Japan in May 2014 and it’s very important to be able to understand the basics of conversation, or, if at all possible, to understand what Fujikawa San will say.

postit

Talking about new goals, since not all goals have been achieved in 2013, I will not be setting my goals too high for this coming year, although they are indeed demanding: 1) Learn more Japanese;2) Lose more weight and 3) Write more on my blogs and for other bonsai magazines. The highlight in 2014 would be the trip to Japan. I am so excited about it, as are all my bonsai friends who are already asking me to bring home this and that!! I am hoping for the best and I am absolutely positive that no matter what Fujikawa San and Björn will teach me, it will be an amazing experience.
For the rest, I will follow my new styled tree and care for some new species, visit the Roku Shun-Ten, participate at the Swiss New Talent, and maybe visit more shows in Europe as I did in 2013. Of course, there will be more workshops with Nicola and I hope to be able to visit Paolo in Turin.

Hope to be able to achieve all of my goals and more importantly learn more about bonsai and related arts!

…love, Melanie!

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