I Break The News | News, Creativity, Life and Travel

Hello everybody and welcome back!

I have just returned from my first international trip after the worldwide situation that affected us all. For me it was a necessary trip since I need to keep my UK documents in order. Let me start off by saying this trip did not go smoothly but during times like this you kind of expect it. Especially at the airport. I was nervous before the journey but generally just glad that I was able to travel again at all.

When you read about a form you have to fill in before your trip, make sure to expect it not to be a paper and pen situation at the airport or a screen at the terminal you can use.* Expect an enhanced digital process with at least 5 steps, a scan and several other pieces of information you must submit via your own device. My 3 printed documents nobody cared about. *most likely depending on your airline

When I arrived it was already super dark outside. I wanted to see how London is doing during these difficult times. In which way has this city been affected. First Brexit, then the pandemic. Generally during my stay there, there were less people out and about than I remember. A lot of stores closed down and companies folded. Yet many of the main grocery chains are still intact. I bought a snack there!

I am normally a person with a positive mindset but I have to say it was emotionally challenging. This is a city I was living in for 4 years. I went to visit a few of my favorite places and I have met some interesting people along the way. We talked about how the pandemic has affected us personally and what we can do despite the limited options we currently have.

It takes some kind of resilience and sometimes you need a break and some positive experiences to keep going, simple things like an honest conversation over a meal with good people. They told me they miss that too. Not only is the uncertainty regarding the future hard to deal with, they said the loss of connection and human interaction in real life is even harder. I agree.

There are a few things that are non-negotiable when I go on a trip like this. A chocolate milkshake at McDonalds is one of them. So is the Döner Kebab during my stop in Berlin. I go on the top floor of a London double-decker bus instead of the tube (subway/underground). It is like a city tour. Normally I also enjoy going to the museum but this trip was too short for that.

When I left Germany for the UK, it was after the spike of numbers. The day I left was actually the lowest point. When I just checked for the numbers now, I saw that there was a new spike. So I don't know how long this will still go on. When they interviewed an epidemiologist, he said he is expecting this to be the last big wave before the pandemic is coming to an end. Let us hope he is right with this prognosis.

PS. Even though it is possible to travel internationally again, I would say, only do it NOW if you absolutely have to. You can tell there are processes in place but their execution is still somewhat unclear and chaotic. So if you have a choice, I think Spring and Summer would be a much better time to travel again. Maybe for a nice vacation. Thank you for stopping by here today!

all photos © IBreakTheNews.com

Hello dear readers! Today I want to share some of my thoughts with you. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, when there was a new tech invention, without any hesitation we started using it and included it in our daily lives. It is new, it is an innovation, it must be good right? Without questioning we integrated it because everyone and their dog was doing it too. We get older more/countless new things are coming our way. Now I don't know about you but I think for myself. I hope you do too! :) I stopped succumbing to peer pressure when I was around 13 or 14 years old. The concept that you have to wear what everyone is wearing, you have to listen to the music everyone else is listening to. To share most commonly accepted opinions. To not stick out - because it is easier. And at that age range it was. With cell phones taking over it started with calls and messages (SMS we call them in Germany), later it continued with e-mail and data. As I previously wrote on my blog I avoid watching/listening to the news because my life is just better without it. (Try doing that in Germany where you get them EVERY HOUR on EVERY radio station) If it is relevant to me, the information will reach me. I do not need the doom, panic and uncertainty enhancing news coverage that is mostly clickbait to gather more views and trying to put all the negativity of the world into my brain and the weight of the world on my shoulders. I am just unavailable for that. I try to fill my brain with helpful information, I like to read books or listen to the audiobook version of interesting topics that can help me evolve, learn, get better and make the most of my life. During the US election and the beginning stages of the pandemic, I would still get news and e-mail alerts. Bringing the chaos into my home 24/7. Who needs that? I took a hard look at it and asked myself: How does this 'innovation' improve my life, well being and mental health. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying live under a rock. To catch up once in a while with a reputable news source is enough. I disconnect digitally as much as I can. In fact, I recently bought a sealed Blackberry Classic with a REAL KEYBOARD before they stop selling them forever. I have always been a big fan of the Blackberry physical keyboard. This phone is so beautiful - I love it. :) I am not one for the gentle tap on a fragile touch screen where the buttons are so small and close to each other you get 5 typos in 1 text. I like pushing actual buttons. I have installed WhatsApp and can get messages through it and even international calls/video calls. No Instagram. No Twitter. My main personal e-mail is connected to it so I get only things I am interested in and have signed up for. The point of this article is to say, should we blindly include any new app or technology into our lives just because it is new and everyone is using it? Why not take the time to ask yourself is this thing actually making MY LIFE BETTER? Or is it really just a meaningless distraction that keeps you away from working on and achieving your real life goals while the app is clouding your mind, collecting your personal data and making other people rich while doing so? Finally, I want to say, we have an amazing brain that is capable of so much if we only use it. That is it for today. Thank you for stopping by.🙋

Hello there and welcome back here. Today I have something special for you. As you may or may not know, I am a creative person which also includes being a singer and songwriter. Returning to my truest self is also returning to music. I have not recorded anything in 5 years but because I had some time this year, I took on this project. I produced a remix of the final AUDITION in the movie La La Land. One of the best movies EVER MADE! :D Even though, I have been creative in different ways over the years, music had to take a back seat. You experience a few setbacks and disappointments and are supposed to grow up/get over/forget/deny your dreams?! A dream of self expression and creating something new. It is a sensitive yet very meaningful topic to me. In my younger years I knew it was my calling. You try to figure out how to combine your calling with your occupation. The question from the outside world is, why and what is it good for if it does not secure your income? They can't relate. But ALL CREATIVE PEOPLE know EXACTLY what I am talking about. You must do it. It is your assignment, it is your duty. If you are an artist, singer, rapper, songwriter, director, poet, filmmaker, dancer, etc. the gift is in telling your stories and expressing your talents when and wherever you get the chance to do so for the pure joy of it and to move and hopefully inspire other people. Being able to do so, is reason enough to be thankful for any creative abilities. That said, NYC had the best Karaoke places. Not London (with their private, little Karaoke rooms). Not Toronto, even though there was 1 good one I found. NYC had the big open, bar or lounge like places where you could just perform. This scene in La La Land moves me every time! I recorded this remix during the lockdown to make sure the universe knows I actually do understand my assignment. After all. Danke.

🎄 I wish you all a Merry Christmas, 🎄

a Happy New Year and better times to come for all of us. I hope you are doing well. You are not alone in this.

Frohe Weihnachten! Sincerely, Ivonne

PS. If you use headphones it is like I am singing straight into your ears! That is pretty cool. :)

Hello everyone and welcome back to your favorite Blog about life, creativity, news and books! And to another instalment of the IBTN Audiobook Club. Originally, I wanted to buy 'Will' in paperback format to read it, but because it is so new, it was just released in the beginning of November 2021, delivery would have been in a few weeks here in Germany. This is why I decided to go with the audiobook instead, which was available to get and listen to right away.

After a few chapters in, I am actually glad it turned out that way, because I think you would miss out if you would only read the book instead of getting to hear the life story of Will Smith as told by Will Smith! That is pretty cool. Not some narrator - no. Will is telling his own story personally! From his upbringing in Philadelphia, to his first steps in the music industry and some show business tales about the TV and movie biz in Hollywood in the early 90's. This (audio)book will take you there!

Will Smith in the successful 90's sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

You get to hear sound effects, music and some scenes from the Fresh Prince that will draw you right into the story. It will take you back. A 'live action book' if you will. What I find very interesting, is that even though there are always several sides to a story and the way things unfolded, this is the authors point of view and he is open and gets really candid throughout the book. He is sharing his personal experiences, crucial life lessons and even career advice. He is also honest about things he did not know in his younger years and had to learn later in life.

Will Smith as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in 'King Richard'

You will hear about situations that brought out astounding human behaviour in his circle of friends/acquaintances because of changing circumstances and tales from the Hollywood and business world which at their core, probably occur in a similar shape or form now, like they did back then. 💡 A great Christmas gift too!

Far away from the ever smiling celebrity we see on the red carpet, you get to find the authentic and vulnerable side of Will Smith. You realize, that he is after all a human being like all of us. Not having all the answers, but some good pointers. Uniquely talented, but still human! Great job on this book in collaboration with Mark Manson. Now he can add bestselling author to his resume as well. We recommend! Thank you for stopping by today.🙂

Hey everyone,

Can you believe it, it's almost Christmas again! I wanted to take the time to write about something, I sometimes still think about. When you are born into an area, where there are no opportunities, you will develop very early on, the eagerness to go somewhere else to build something and a greater life for yourself. (You also might enjoy rap music a lot! :) I am sure that many people feel like this and realize it at some point. I personally, had a strong case of that ever since I was a teenager. Thinking back now, I was almost never able to find anyone with my kind of ambition and a different vision for the future. I could never find anyone in my region who was willing to go into the unknown and wanted what I wanted in the big scheme of things. I understand, it is also not easy for non-creative people to relate to a creative person who wants to make things, has their own opinion, is not a follower of the masses and blindly does what every one else is doing without questioning if it makes sense for their own life. It is a generational thing too. Creative people come to their own conclusions. But these non-creative people are the vast majority and they will always find more people who are like them. As humans we all have the need to connect.

My friend Heejin and I shortly after we arrived in Toronto

So when no one was able to relate to my ambition, I branched out on my own, which is not super rare either because many people are doing that in their 20's. I moved to NYC to pursue my creative goals, learn about life and develop professional skills. Later on, I moved to London where I lived and worked for several years. The good thing about that, was that it was relatively close to home. Home still is small town Germany to me. This is not a post to complain because to me, being able to work in another (back then European) country is already a great opportunity in itself. But the search for like-minded people with a similar vision continued. London is great because it is close to home. It is possible to go home for the holidays and keep the strong family connection going, which is very important to me. When that time came to an end back then for personal reasons, I had learned a lot more about the importance of the mindset of the people in your closest circle and why it matters so much but was not that much closer to my actual goal.

So I moved to Canada because there was another great opportunity to work there and build something. Or so I thought. Which brings us closer to the point and learning lesson this article is about. When I moved to Toronto, Canada it was incredibly hard, to establish any (meaningful) human connections. And there are several ways you can go about it, join groups, go out, be friendly to others, discover the area more but they all led nowhere. I am not sure if technology and social media are to blame for this development and why some are barely able to hold a conversation in person these days or if I was just more interested and caring than a lot of the people around me back then. Any connections you were trying to build never made it beneath the surface level and remained like probably 99% of all social media connections, shallow and paper-thin. The opposite of meaningful and real. So I was there, having a great job and all, working full time. But that was about it. In New York and London it had not been like that. Several great friendships were established. In NYC I found some fellow creatives! 😊 And there is a friendship that still lasts until this day.

View during my flight. (by the way WOW Air no longer exists)

But in Canada, it was an impossibility. Besides my friend from South Korea, whom I met because we stayed at the same airbnb, no one ever gave a f*ck. Not even half a f*ck or a quarter f*ck. And I am not even that sensitive I believe, because I have seen a lot and in the past, I had moved and lived in other countries by myself before that but it was just not the same. I asked myself, where is the humanity in all of this? Yes, there was surface level professional kindness and people will tell you directions if you get lost but NOTHING more than that. No realness, no openness, no depth. So back to the point of this post: I believe that if we are in a situation like that aka we must leave our town to create a better future not only for us but also for the potential family we might put into this world, even the strongest of us have to find (let me borrow this trending word) ALLIES to make it work. People who can relate, are in a similar situation or just give somewhat of a f*ck about you and the fact that you exist, far from home. Even as a quite independent person I am telling you, this is the most crucial part of re-locating. Finding the right job only comes in second.

Summary of the lesson I hope I can share here with you today is this: There are only a few people in life who truly care about you. Appreciate them. Be there for them as well, either in person or with frequent phone calls. So why put yourself in a place on the other side of the world where absolutely no one cares about the fact that you even exist or not, despite your greatest efforts. Money this, job that - it is not worth it. Humanity, empathy, inclusion and kindness matter. Human connection matters. Give out what you hope to get in return. Be a great example of this yourself. If you just give it out and not get it in return even if you make a handstand or double flip backwards, check your priorities and realize that you are in the wrong place. My dad had a serious health issue which brought me back to Germany. Back then, I thought 'but I wanted to build.' But not for very long because when I was back home I thought I may just have learnt the most valuable lesson. Small town this, small town that.. oh whatever. 🙄

Ok, so on Sunday was Election Day in Germany! I know it is supposed to be a secret but my second vote went to the Animal Protection Party. I am glad it exists - so why not support it. This was a historical event!

Angela Merkel is leaving her role as the chancellor of Germany after more than 15 years. We think it is a big accomplishment to be in power that long and to assert oneself in the male dominated field of politics. It probably required a lot of personal sacrifice. Super powerful while remaining humble.

From East Germany (like me) and a Physicist (unlike me) Frau Merkel has earned respect over the years not only within Germany but also internationally. She fought for national interests and was a reliable partner to allies worldwide.

Overall, her governing style might be debatable but we must acknowledge, that she has led Germany through challenging ups and downs for more than a decade, without quitting, while being a stable, professional and knowledgable person.

Here is an illustration by Statista Research, which points out just how long Merkel's reign has lasted in comparison to leaders of other countries. It is pretty remarkable. It is a historical achievement.

Perspective: In my personal opinion, it is not just about keeping a ship on course within the way/route things have always been, but it is also imperative to adjust course, laws and systems to current times and developments.

May it be in education, the workplace or personal freedom. I think this is something the next administration has to put on their agenda ASAP. Many people with an entrepreneurial spirit are blocked by 467284945 laws, rules and regulations holding them back - and that must end if we want people to prosper.

Especially the young generation is eager to discover their skills and make a difference in the world. They should be encouraged and supported to get their start, build self-confidence, find their way and be enabled to follow through.

We say: Deutschland needs more supportive programs for the youth, catch up with digitalisation and waaaay less bureaucracy overall.

We do have these suggestions, if our input should ever be required but we don't want to be overly critical. This is because - we would not want to take on this role. So in that way, if we would not want to do it and offer ourselves up to criticism, we are just observers.

If we would have more insight maybe, but if we don't get into the ring ourselves, we can't be too hard on someone who has been in there for more than 15 years. Thank you Frau Merkel, we will probably see you around once in a while still. Alles Gute und Auf Wiedersehen. Danke! Goodbye and Thank You.