I stumbled across Rai about a year ago now whilst browsing flickr.com. Now there are many quality photographers on this site, and Rai is no exception… but the thing that really made him stand out from crowd was his photographic dedication to his partner Ulia… or who he lovingly refers to as his “Muse“… an almost obsession, but a healthy one - which from her photography seems to go both ways :)

And as if the photos of the dashingly handsome couple in love weren’t enough to make us all jealous, they have even made videos!

(from their youtube page)

I’ve felt love like this before… and have spent many in between years convincing myself that relationships are ok despite knowing something is missing, but in the past year I’ve really learnt something: don’t settle. Don’t settle for less than the best when it comes to something this important. Potentially, it’s for the rest of your life! Do you want to wake up at 40 next to someone who feels like a stranger? Or do you want it to be the person you trust the most, admire the most, and who helps you be a better person? If you can love as much as Rai and Ulia, save it for someone who’ll give back to you what you can give them :)

As Stellarjandri says:

“Rai and Ulia will make you believe in romance again…”

… that they do :)

A tip I thought I’d share… setting up AVG Antivirus to work with Windows Live Messenger. Unfortunately an install of AVG doesn’t do this by default, nor does there seem to be any advice on how to do it.

It’s this simple:

“C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe” /SE

is the line you need to enter in the Tools > Options > File Transfer box.

Originally uploaded by Maciej Dakowicz.

Amazing shot… perfect timing… showing the persistence of the human spirit :)

So many incredible photos by this photographer. Please please check out her work.

I am more motivated than ever. This year, will be a great year. To quote a friend:

seize the day but don’t live like there is no tomorrow. go out and enjoy the fun. drink your favorite drink. feel a little buzz in your head but not to be drunk. dance. sing. or even scream just to release what’s inside. cry. its alright to cry. rest your body and your brain. force yourself not to worry cos it wont do you any good. its like a rocking chair that will give you something to do but take you to nowhere. exercise. have sex. give and take the pleasure. stimulate your brain cells. seek a deep conversation. speak. read and listen. get yourself any kind of knowledge. who knows it may save you one day. watch a movie. search for all entertainment available. spend some alone time. contact with your inner self. you owe it to yourself. have a dream and try to live it. set a goal and make it happen. be confident. don’t push yourself too hard. anything thats too much is never good. keep balance. be in control of life. be care free not care less. create and consume. love.

I have printed this out and placed it on my wall :)