Please live. You are beautiful. You take my carbon dioxide and give me oxygen. Your deep green leaves give life to this room and make me happy. I need your life because all life matters. You are important.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Thursday, 23 April 2015
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Write without pressure.
It's been six months since I last posted here! Wow-o-wow. I hope you've all been well. If not, feel better soon.
The reason I stopped blogging is that it started to seem like a chore. And I was in a tricky place. I was seeing a councilor and with his help came to realise that if I didn't want to do something and I didn't have to do it, why do it? So I stopped.
I also decided to go easy on myself writing-wise. Writing is something I really want to do. But the more pressure I put on myself, the less I write. Since the last time I posted, my writing has been going well. I attempted NaNoWriMo, and managed 30k (so I say I came second :P), but got stressed and remembered my promise to myself to write without pressure. And since November, I've kept going with the project. I might have the first draft finished by the end of January.
What else have I done? I've enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Writing that will start at the end of February next year. I'm very excited, overly so. As in, already enrolled in all my classes and chosen tutorials excited.
And there's the West Coast Swing routine I'm doing for a competition in March. Yeah, I've kind of taken up Ballroom dancing too.
And I have two jobs! Ack! It's stressful, but there are things like rent and food that are necessary to life.
And! And! I've started researching an idea for the project I'd like to start once the first draft of the current WiP is finished. I won't let myself start writing it, but research is fine, and the more the idea brews in my head before writing it the better. So for now, I'm entertaining myself with pretty Steampunk pictures and cool facts about Sydney in the decade after Federation (naughty, I'm breaking my rule of not talking about future projects, but WHATEVER, I'm excited).
So, it feels good to be back and blogging because it's FUN. :D
The reason I stopped blogging is that it started to seem like a chore. And I was in a tricky place. I was seeing a councilor and with his help came to realise that if I didn't want to do something and I didn't have to do it, why do it? So I stopped.
I also decided to go easy on myself writing-wise. Writing is something I really want to do. But the more pressure I put on myself, the less I write. Since the last time I posted, my writing has been going well. I attempted NaNoWriMo, and managed 30k (so I say I came second :P), but got stressed and remembered my promise to myself to write without pressure. And since November, I've kept going with the project. I might have the first draft finished by the end of January.
What else have I done? I've enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Writing that will start at the end of February next year. I'm very excited, overly so. As in, already enrolled in all my classes and chosen tutorials excited.
And there's the West Coast Swing routine I'm doing for a competition in March. Yeah, I've kind of taken up Ballroom dancing too.
And I have two jobs! Ack! It's stressful, but there are things like rent and food that are necessary to life.
And! And! I've started researching an idea for the project I'd like to start once the first draft of the current WiP is finished. I won't let myself start writing it, but research is fine, and the more the idea brews in my head before writing it the better. So for now, I'm entertaining myself with pretty Steampunk pictures and cool facts about Sydney in the decade after Federation (naughty, I'm breaking my rule of not talking about future projects, but WHATEVER, I'm excited).
So, it feels good to be back and blogging because it's FUN. :D
Friday, 10 June 2011
Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi
Unbearable Lightness by Portia de RossiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I finished this book a week ago. I finished it in two days.
I haven't connected with a book this emotionally since Going Bovine by Libba Bray.
This was different of course, being non-fiction. A book about Portia de Rossi's struggle with Anorexia Nervosa and coming out.
I'm not anorexic, nor am I gay. But the way de Rossi wrote about her compulsivity with food and the fear of losing control which then leads to a loss of control in a hellish loop, touched on some deep issues for me.
I couldn't break away from the beautiful, honest prose. I cried when my Mum and sister came over and I had to stop reading. Not because I had to stop reading. Because I was dealing with my own anxiety issues through de Rossi's journey.
The whole last chapter I cried for her and myself.
Then the epilogue. It brought hope, and I felt relief. If she can come back from that obsession, I can certainly deal with my own problems. There is brightness in the future.
Now, one thing I asked myself before reading was: Can this celebrity write? Was there a ghostwriter?
Yes and no, respectively. There were passages where de Rossi's love of words was clear: in high school, she loved reading out Shakespeare and Poetry and giving emotion to the words.
And no one else was mentioned in the fine print. De Rossi is amazing and I hope she writes more.
Lastly, I loved the sense of Australianness I felt throughout the book. De Rossi hasn't lost her roots.
View all my reviews
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
So many things.
Isn't that always the way? Over the past few days I've been cataloging things I wanted to write about here. And now there are three things I want to talk about, two of them related, the other thing not, but it's put me in a good mood so I'm gonna sing about it.
I got a job yesterday. Weee! I had a swim teaching trial and they were 'very impressed' with me. And I remembered what I love about teaching kids how to swim. Being active, working with kids, the thrill of seeing students get the hang of new techniques. And knowing I'm good at it helps boost the enjoyment a little too, not to mention my ego.
And I've been on a role with my WiP lately, the one that I'll be basing the blog diary entries on when we get to June and NYWM. It's still on the first draft, and it's so enjoyable, yet scary. It's liberating knowing I can go and do whatever I like with my characters and story and I can just edit it all into something nice later. But knowing that's coming also intimidates me, I think "What am I doing, oh god this is awful!"
All I can do is keep going because I know there's something in there. Even if it takes fifty drafts (I really hope it doesn't) to get to the good stuff, I will find it.
Which sort of brings me to my last point. NYWM. Yay! I now have more reason than ever to stick to my initial goals. Despite all the insecurities I may be feeling, I just have to get those entries out there. For audiences to read. I don't have to tell you (knowing most of my readers are writers too) all the thoughts circling my brain telling me I'm stupid for doing this and that it will be really bad and that no one will want to read it.
Enough of the negativity, I'll do it anyway, because now, now, I have been linked to on the NYWM blog. Along with a whole bunch of other participants. So, I have something other than myself to commit to.
And on that note, I'm going to go check out some of the other participants' blogs. Spread the love, go check them out too. :)
ETA: Also, the button on the right side of my page is another link to the NYWM site, but the picture has gone funky for some reason.
I got a job yesterday. Weee! I had a swim teaching trial and they were 'very impressed' with me. And I remembered what I love about teaching kids how to swim. Being active, working with kids, the thrill of seeing students get the hang of new techniques. And knowing I'm good at it helps boost the enjoyment a little too, not to mention my ego.
And I've been on a role with my WiP lately, the one that I'll be basing the blog diary entries on when we get to June and NYWM. It's still on the first draft, and it's so enjoyable, yet scary. It's liberating knowing I can go and do whatever I like with my characters and story and I can just edit it all into something nice later. But knowing that's coming also intimidates me, I think "What am I doing, oh god this is awful!"
All I can do is keep going because I know there's something in there. Even if it takes fifty drafts (I really hope it doesn't) to get to the good stuff, I will find it.
Which sort of brings me to my last point. NYWM. Yay! I now have more reason than ever to stick to my initial goals. Despite all the insecurities I may be feeling, I just have to get those entries out there. For audiences to read. I don't have to tell you (knowing most of my readers are writers too) all the thoughts circling my brain telling me I'm stupid for doing this and that it will be really bad and that no one will want to read it.
Enough of the negativity, I'll do it anyway, because now, now, I have been linked to on the NYWM blog. Along with a whole bunch of other participants. So, I have something other than myself to commit to.
And on that note, I'm going to go check out some of the other participants' blogs. Spread the love, go check them out too. :)
ETA: Also, the button on the right side of my page is another link to the NYWM site, but the picture has gone funky for some reason.
Monday, 2 May 2011
Staying away.
Just for a week, I've decided to stay away from Facebook and Twitter. Twitter is worse because it's just so easy to read through everyone's little things, and then click the links that are posted, reply and remember other people I wanted to follow, and go read all their latest updates.
Yeah, it's a time suck. As much as it's a great networking tool, it's also a great sucker of time.
So, the reason I need less distractions at the moment, is I'm looking for a job. It's been a nice few months being free and not tied down, but honestly, I miss the structure that a job gives. The money helps too, I won't lie.
I need to seriously focus. Focus leads to success.
Also, I need to focus on my writing. As much as all the encouragement from all the fabulous people on Twitter give by being in the same boat and posting little snippets of advice to wannabe authors, I think I waste more time perusing all this than opening up the Word document and actually writing*.
I will keep on with the Blog posts though, and this will be the only time each day I will post on Twitter, so readers can link through. I find Blogging is also less of a time vacuum. More structure, perhaps?
So, I will be around on Blogger :D but the other social networking sites will be put on the back burner.
WiP2 (there are three at the moment, gah!) is at 13334 words. By Monday next week, I want to be at 20k. Hold me to it!
*Meandering sentence much?
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Inspired
Just doing one of my rounds of blog-reading*. And I came across this post by Karen Healey. She says so many things on her blog that I agree with (actually, I agree with all of it). The post addresses sex and teens in YA fiction. One element that stood out to me in particular was addressed by this comment in the comments section:
I read a post lately on a blog that claimed to be Feminist in which it was stated that it's okay to call a girl a slut so long as you apply the same standard to men. I nearly swallowed my tongue.***
And with this too, I agree. The tongue swallowing, that is.
I am a Feminist. And one thing that gets me with the media and the pressure that is put on women to look a certain way is response to feminists when they call it out. Rather than lessening the pressure, more pressure is put on men**. So of course, we are all equal now! The women AND the men have to conform to what it 'normal'.
It would be nice if we could all relax and be who we are, and let others be who they are, instead of who we and they 'should' be. Whether that be in body type or sexuality or self expression.
*Unfortunately growing less and less frequent.
**Funny thing, when you look at the moisturisers and 'men's products' that are appearing, the ingredients are all the same as the 'women's'. And most of the ingredients are not all that good for the body or environment.
***Commenter was Redzolah.
I read a post lately on a blog that claimed to be Feminist in which it was stated that it's okay to call a girl a slut so long as you apply the same standard to men. I nearly swallowed my tongue.***
And with this too, I agree. The tongue swallowing, that is.
I am a Feminist. And one thing that gets me with the media and the pressure that is put on women to look a certain way is response to feminists when they call it out. Rather than lessening the pressure, more pressure is put on men**. So of course, we are all equal now! The women AND the men have to conform to what it 'normal'.
It would be nice if we could all relax and be who we are, and let others be who they are, instead of who we and they 'should' be. Whether that be in body type or sexuality or self expression.
*Unfortunately growing less and less frequent.
**Funny thing, when you look at the moisturisers and 'men's products' that are appearing, the ingredients are all the same as the 'women's'. And most of the ingredients are not all that good for the body or environment.
***Commenter was Redzolah.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
I can't believe -
I haven't written anything since Christmas. I also haven't read any of my favourite blogs since then (sorry).
So much has happened since then, in the world and in my own life. Therefore, there are a lot of things I could write about right now, like:
1) My overactive imagination that's been keeping me awake since NYE, despite the educated, rational person inside me debunking all my irrational qualms. The latest events in Japan and New Zealand (yeah, there was an earthquake there too, I didn't forget) haven't helped. Not to mention the massive moon that came around two nights ago, which is actually kinda cool.
2) I'm half way through Los Peregrinos, and have put it on hold for the next item on this list. And I'm 9000 words into a new project which I'm a little excited about.
3) I've spent the last five weeks traveling around the USA, visiting family and friends, and checking out cities I've never seen before. I decided this trip was reason enough to put on hold the WiP, and the relaxed attitude towards writing has caused me to start the new WiP (currently being called Apprentice Witch). So it's been an amazing experience, and has caused me to muse on different options for my future in terms of writing career and personally as well.
4) Now that I'm heading home, and arriving two days into the future (love time zones), I'm going to have to get a job, and possibly go house hunting. I've been staying with a friend in Sydney, and it's supposed to be temporary.
So, now that I've finished this post, I might just wander by and check out what's new with some of my favourite bloggers.
So much has happened since then, in the world and in my own life. Therefore, there are a lot of things I could write about right now, like:
1) My overactive imagination that's been keeping me awake since NYE, despite the educated, rational person inside me debunking all my irrational qualms. The latest events in Japan and New Zealand (yeah, there was an earthquake there too, I didn't forget) haven't helped. Not to mention the massive moon that came around two nights ago, which is actually kinda cool.
2) I'm half way through Los Peregrinos, and have put it on hold for the next item on this list. And I'm 9000 words into a new project which I'm a little excited about.
3) I've spent the last five weeks traveling around the USA, visiting family and friends, and checking out cities I've never seen before. I decided this trip was reason enough to put on hold the WiP, and the relaxed attitude towards writing has caused me to start the new WiP (currently being called Apprentice Witch). So it's been an amazing experience, and has caused me to muse on different options for my future in terms of writing career and personally as well.
4) Now that I'm heading home, and arriving two days into the future (love time zones), I'm going to have to get a job, and possibly go house hunting. I've been staying with a friend in Sydney, and it's supposed to be temporary.
So, now that I've finished this post, I might just wander by and check out what's new with some of my favourite bloggers.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
A third.
Hi guys,
It's been half a month since I last posted, and things are busy. And only getting busier.
But, I had my last exam on Wednesday, and got some results for essays and my major project.
I can't write essays. This doesn't surprise me, but I also know it's because I lack passion for them that I can't write them.
I can write fiction though. I got a Distintion for my Major Project. You remember the one I mentioned ages ago, that's a kind of prequel to my WiP? Maybe not. But I got a Distinction! It makes me feel good.
My daily word goal - it's increased from 300 words a day to 1000, because every time I sat down to write, that's about what came out. Of course, some days I write less, but it's not too much of an effort to make up the lack again.
And because of this, I'm a third of the way through the first draft! I'm very excited about where the plot is taking me, and when I stopped today, I left it at a place where the reader gets the first hint of a major revelation.
I can't wait to sit down to my writing tomorrow.
Another thing about being busy, is that as well as not updating here, I haven't been around to any of my favourite blogs. I miss you guys! But, I've got the whole month of January off, so there'll be lots of writing, posting here, and reading of other blogs.
I'll be back soon with a Christmas post. Until then, take care guys.
It's been half a month since I last posted, and things are busy. And only getting busier.
But, I had my last exam on Wednesday, and got some results for essays and my major project.
I can't write essays. This doesn't surprise me, but I also know it's because I lack passion for them that I can't write them.
I can write fiction though. I got a Distintion for my Major Project. You remember the one I mentioned ages ago, that's a kind of prequel to my WiP? Maybe not. But I got a Distinction! It makes me feel good.
My daily word goal - it's increased from 300 words a day to 1000, because every time I sat down to write, that's about what came out. Of course, some days I write less, but it's not too much of an effort to make up the lack again.
And because of this, I'm a third of the way through the first draft! I'm very excited about where the plot is taking me, and when I stopped today, I left it at a place where the reader gets the first hint of a major revelation.
I can't wait to sit down to my writing tomorrow.
Another thing about being busy, is that as well as not updating here, I haven't been around to any of my favourite blogs. I miss you guys! But, I've got the whole month of January off, so there'll be lots of writing, posting here, and reading of other blogs.
I'll be back soon with a Christmas post. Until then, take care guys.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Done!
Hey there!
I submitted my last essay today. And had my Spanish oral exam too. I am done with my Bachelor degree (except for the Spanish written, but that'll be cool with the help of a study group :)!
Does this mean I can read as much of whatever I want now? Does this mean I can do as much salsa dancing as I can? Does this mean I can finally concentrate on my WiP???
No.
If this was a vlog, this is the part where I hunch forward and pout at the camera. Because guess what?
I'm moving. And I don't even know when. Due to some things (which I won't go into right now), my house is being put on the market this week. My housemate and her boyfriend have started getting the house cleaned and packed away. Now that I'm done with assignments, it's my turn to do as much as is left. The house could be turned over as soon as next week, or as late as the end of December.
No dancing (hopefully some though). No reading (except during breaks at work, or on the bus).
I will try and do at least 300 words a day though. There are no other (English) words taking up my brain so I think I can manage that. 300 always leads to more anyway. It's just a small amount so that I don't feel guilty about not writing more.
It's a great idea I got from Anne Lamott's writing book Bird by Bird. If you're ever feeling down about your writing or life (what writer doesn't feel this occasionally?), read it for some inspiration.
:D
I submitted my last essay today. And had my Spanish oral exam too. I am done with my Bachelor degree (except for the Spanish written, but that'll be cool with the help of a study group :)!
Does this mean I can read as much of whatever I want now? Does this mean I can do as much salsa dancing as I can? Does this mean I can finally concentrate on my WiP???
No.
If this was a vlog, this is the part where I hunch forward and pout at the camera. Because guess what?
I'm moving. And I don't even know when. Due to some things (which I won't go into right now), my house is being put on the market this week. My housemate and her boyfriend have started getting the house cleaned and packed away. Now that I'm done with assignments, it's my turn to do as much as is left. The house could be turned over as soon as next week, or as late as the end of December.
No dancing (hopefully some though). No reading (except during breaks at work, or on the bus).
I will try and do at least 300 words a day though. There are no other (English) words taking up my brain so I think I can manage that. 300 always leads to more anyway. It's just a small amount so that I don't feel guilty about not writing more.
It's a great idea I got from Anne Lamott's writing book Bird by Bird. If you're ever feeling down about your writing or life (what writer doesn't feel this occasionally?), read it for some inspiration.
:D
Friday, 12 November 2010
Mooncow
Hey guys. I had a massive brain fart today.
Whenever I looked at the clock, I was seeing an hour earlier. Or I figured that my calculations in catching the early bus would give me the extra time I needed to get some chores done before work. I dunno.
I got called ten minutes after my shift was supposed to start and in that second I realised my mistake. And I completely flipped out. When I got to work my boss was saying:
"Calm down, it's okay. She was worried about you."
I had a private lesson first up. I like to think that I'm a professional swim instructor. I always get to work early, try to involve the parents, and treat my students, the parents and my co-workers with respect.
Clearly the mother of my first student today thinks so too, at least partly.
"I just hope she's okay," she said to my boss when I didn't turn up.
It's flattering to think that something must have happened for me not to be there. It's also touching when the parents show concern. I get a similar feeling when they express trust and/or gratitude.
Nothing happened to me. I just turned into a space cadet for the day.
This has made me realise something today. I am getting pretty stressed. I think I need to take a break from the Internet for a while and focus on my studies. It may take a week or more. I will be back though, because having increased my followers over the past few weeks *waves* has made me confident in my posting, and it's a great motivation to post.
So, keep well. Hasta luego.
Whenever I looked at the clock, I was seeing an hour earlier. Or I figured that my calculations in catching the early bus would give me the extra time I needed to get some chores done before work. I dunno.
I got called ten minutes after my shift was supposed to start and in that second I realised my mistake. And I completely flipped out. When I got to work my boss was saying:
"Calm down, it's okay. She was worried about you."
I had a private lesson first up. I like to think that I'm a professional swim instructor. I always get to work early, try to involve the parents, and treat my students, the parents and my co-workers with respect.
Clearly the mother of my first student today thinks so too, at least partly.
"I just hope she's okay," she said to my boss when I didn't turn up.
It's flattering to think that something must have happened for me not to be there. It's also touching when the parents show concern. I get a similar feeling when they express trust and/or gratitude.
Nothing happened to me. I just turned into a space cadet for the day.
This has made me realise something today. I am getting pretty stressed. I think I need to take a break from the Internet for a while and focus on my studies. It may take a week or more. I will be back though, because having increased my followers over the past few weeks *waves* has made me confident in my posting, and it's a great motivation to post.
So, keep well. Hasta luego.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Tonsillitis
That is the verdict from yesterday. I've been given a script for antibiotics to take every six hours, and bought myself some painkillers.
Today, swallowing is still painful, but getting better as the day goes on. I may even be able to go to work tomorrow.
The doctor reminded me that tonsillitis is bacterial and so not contagious. This means that it is just a coincidence that my sister had it when I last visited her. It must be stress. She's just finished her last year of high school, and I'm about to finish my last year of uni. You know how it is.
Today, swallowing is still painful, but getting better as the day goes on. I may even be able to go to work tomorrow.
The doctor reminded me that tonsillitis is bacterial and so not contagious. This means that it is just a coincidence that my sister had it when I last visited her. It must be stress. She's just finished her last year of high school, and I'm about to finish my last year of uni. You know how it is.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Being Sick
Readers, I am sick. It started yesterday with a sore ear and throat. I went to bed, planning to give myself a sleep in to give my body a chance to repair.
A storm woke me up at 5:15 this morning and I never really fell asleep again. I sort of drifted in and out of a painful drowse. I have had trouble swallowing anything since. Even my own saliva.
I've got a doctor's appointment in about an hour, so hopefully they can give me something to perk me up a bit. At least some appropriate painkillers because the ibuprofen (being all I have in the house) hasn't done anything.
My glands are tender, and there are two possibilities that I am thinking of. Both of which my sister had when I visited her two weeks ago. Tonsillitis, or glandular fever. I doubt it's the second, but even the first is kinda strange to me. I've never had tonsillitis. Bronchitis, strep-throat, sinus infections, even an ear infection when I was ten or eleven. But never tonsillitis.
It also sucks because I've been healthier this year than I have in any other year I can remember. Why'd I have to break the streak now?
I'll be back with the doctors orders in a couple of hours.
A storm woke me up at 5:15 this morning and I never really fell asleep again. I sort of drifted in and out of a painful drowse. I have had trouble swallowing anything since. Even my own saliva.
I've got a doctor's appointment in about an hour, so hopefully they can give me something to perk me up a bit. At least some appropriate painkillers because the ibuprofen (being all I have in the house) hasn't done anything.
My glands are tender, and there are two possibilities that I am thinking of. Both of which my sister had when I visited her two weeks ago. Tonsillitis, or glandular fever. I doubt it's the second, but even the first is kinda strange to me. I've never had tonsillitis. Bronchitis, strep-throat, sinus infections, even an ear infection when I was ten or eleven. But never tonsillitis.
It also sucks because I've been healthier this year than I have in any other year I can remember. Why'd I have to break the streak now?
I'll be back with the doctors orders in a couple of hours.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Holy Cow
It is raining, raining, raining here. Swimming Saturday may as well be about swimming in the rain, there is that much water falling from the sky. But no, I will stick with actual swimming.
I said in my Theme Days post that I would post what I have learned each week at my swim teaching job. This week is kind of hard because I haven't learnt anything new. As I write this, I'm realising that there are many important things I learn and relearn each time I teach a class, yet there are rarely any epiphanies. So I will write about something that was brought to my attention this week.
I teach children from two to pre-teen. And one thing that I have learnt is patience, and how to deal with frustration. There will always be those days where I am tired, or the kids are tired (for most people, swim-teaching is part-time alongside study). If I am having a particularly hard day, the one thing I never (one should never) do is tell the kids they are being a pain. Or tell them that their friends or siblings are being a handful. You just don't. There are swim-school coordinators and staff on pool-deck who you can ask to come and watch those classes that are particularly boisterous. And a lot of the times parents are fairly understanding when you decide to sit their child out for bad behaviour. But discipline is not about criticising children, it is about enforcing safety in an equatic environment.
I hope this all makes sense. Kids should be treated with respect. I've come to be very surprised about how well people will respond to a smile and positive encouragement.
I said in my Theme Days post that I would post what I have learned each week at my swim teaching job. This week is kind of hard because I haven't learnt anything new. As I write this, I'm realising that there are many important things I learn and relearn each time I teach a class, yet there are rarely any epiphanies. So I will write about something that was brought to my attention this week.
I teach children from two to pre-teen. And one thing that I have learnt is patience, and how to deal with frustration. There will always be those days where I am tired, or the kids are tired (for most people, swim-teaching is part-time alongside study). If I am having a particularly hard day, the one thing I never (one should never) do is tell the kids they are being a pain. Or tell them that their friends or siblings are being a handful. You just don't. There are swim-school coordinators and staff on pool-deck who you can ask to come and watch those classes that are particularly boisterous. And a lot of the times parents are fairly understanding when you decide to sit their child out for bad behaviour. But discipline is not about criticising children, it is about enforcing safety in an equatic environment.
I hope this all makes sense. Kids should be treated with respect. I've come to be very surprised about how well people will respond to a smile and positive encouragement.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Theme days
So, it's the first day of not-NaBloWriMo. And I want to keep blogging! If the month of blogging did nothing else, it made me realise that blogging is fun. I've always liked reading other people's blogs, but never thought I would have anything worthwhile to say. But thanks to you guys who followed and commented in October.
I have come up with an idea that will keep me blogging regularly. It's something a lot of bloggers already do, but I'm going to borrow ideas as well as start my own. And it will give me (and you lovely readers) some structure to stick to so I can write about the many things I'm passionate about, yet not worry I'm leaving anything out. It will also be a pirate rule (more of a guideline) just so I don't stress. The main idea is to get rid of rambling posts (like this one).
At the moment I don't have one for every day, but here's a list of my ideas thus far:
Wordless Wednesdays: Post pictures :D I got this idea from The Giraffability of Digressions and I'm Not Hannah
The Body Positive Thursdays: A bit wordy, but I wanted a day where I could write about the importance of positive body image.
Fiction Fridays: This was inspired by the idea in my last post, but I realised that with work and current WiPs, I wouldn't have the energy to post to another blog regularly. Hence, a once a week treat for you guys.
Swimming Saturdays: Where I can talk about what I learnt about swimming and the teaching of swimming that week.
Salsa Sundays: This one I won't start for a few weeks, as I've taken a hiatus from salsa dancing until uni finishes this year :( but keep a lookout.
And that's what I have so far. This is going to be fun.
I have come up with an idea that will keep me blogging regularly. It's something a lot of bloggers already do, but I'm going to borrow ideas as well as start my own. And it will give me (and you lovely readers) some structure to stick to so I can write about the many things I'm passionate about, yet not worry I'm leaving anything out. It will also be a pirate rule (more of a guideline) just so I don't stress. The main idea is to get rid of rambling posts (like this one).
At the moment I don't have one for every day, but here's a list of my ideas thus far:
Wordless Wednesdays: Post pictures :D I got this idea from The Giraffability of Digressions and I'm Not Hannah
The Body Positive Thursdays: A bit wordy, but I wanted a day where I could write about the importance of positive body image.
Fiction Fridays: This was inspired by the idea in my last post, but I realised that with work and current WiPs, I wouldn't have the energy to post to another blog regularly. Hence, a once a week treat for you guys.
Swimming Saturdays: Where I can talk about what I learnt about swimming and the teaching of swimming that week.
Salsa Sundays: This one I won't start for a few weeks, as I've taken a hiatus from salsa dancing until uni finishes this year :( but keep a lookout.
And that's what I have so far. This is going to be fun.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
This is Halloween!
And it's also the last day of NaBloWriMo. How did those of you participating fare? I know I've been pretty lax, but at least I posted a couple of posts a week. I'm going to give myself a pat on the back for that.
Now, don't worry, just because I've got to the end of this challenging meme, doesn't mean I'm going to slack off for a few months. The opposite in fact. If NaBloWriMo has shown me one thing, it's that a post doesn't have to be deep and meaningful every single time. Sometimes people appreciate the fluff too :)
I went to a Halloween party last night - you might recall my previous posts with parts of my costume. I won't be posting pictures today - uni work, cleaning, friends etc getting in the way - but if I can get my act together I will post pictures in a couple of days.
A thought: I might start another blog where I can post little bits of fiction and poetry, that is separate to this one. This won't come to fruition for another month or so, after my assessments and exams are over for the year. What do you think?
Happy Halloween!
Now, don't worry, just because I've got to the end of this challenging meme, doesn't mean I'm going to slack off for a few months. The opposite in fact. If NaBloWriMo has shown me one thing, it's that a post doesn't have to be deep and meaningful every single time. Sometimes people appreciate the fluff too :)
I went to a Halloween party last night - you might recall my previous posts with parts of my costume. I won't be posting pictures today - uni work, cleaning, friends etc getting in the way - but if I can get my act together I will post pictures in a couple of days.
A thought: I might start another blog where I can post little bits of fiction and poetry, that is separate to this one. This won't come to fruition for another month or so, after my assessments and exams are over for the year. What do you think?
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, 28 October 2010
No Tener Pelos en la Lengua
I've been a bad NaBloWriMo blogger again *ducks head sheepishly*. Moving on.
For two years now I've been studying Spanish as an elective to my degree. We've only just reached the point where we have covered all the conjugations and sentence structures. A few days ago we learnt a few sayings and this one made us all laugh, but I think it has great relevance to writing, and it will be a little mantra of mine from now on.
No tener pelos en la lengua is translated by the text book as meaning 'to be outspoken, to be frank'. Literally it means 'to not have hairs in one's language'*. Hairy language, eh?
While we were chuckling about this, I thought it was a good way to think about one's prose or poetry, and in choosing the best words, paring back the language. This is something that John Steinbeck first taught me when I discovered Of Mice and Men in year 11. He's still one of my favourite authors. Then this year I took a poetry class and learnt it again. Then last week, Sarah at The Unwrapping reminded me of it again (go read her blog, it's beautiful). Aqui es una escritora si no tiene pelos en la lengua. (Sorry if the grammar is incorrect).
And of course, I submitted the first draft of my CP for assessment (I got 100%). One of the things my supervisor told me to do when editing is to 'tighten the language'. Get rid of all the hairs. So that is my mission over the next two days. Take my draft and turn it into something concise and sin pelos.
On another matter, I was reading another Sarah's blog. Her latest post is on something I posted about in the first week of NaBloWriMo, body image. The post touched me, and I was so glad to see someone else speaking about the many intricacies of coming to love one's own body.
Once again, this is a website, and organisation, that is doing wonders for so many people in regards to self-love:
Once again, this is a website, and organisation, that is doing wonders for so many people in regards to self-love:
Friday, 22 October 2010
9 Days
'Till Halloween! (I might count down every day until I can wear my costume, or I might not)
This is what I got up to today, among other things:
This is what I got up to today, among other things:
Before
and:
After
The pictures aren't great, sorry about that. But ripped stockings? This is the only time of year I'd be caught in ripped stockings. Normally I throw out a pair with the first visible rip. So when my costume called for ripped stockings, I went out and grabbed the cheapest pair I could find. It was great fun jabbing a sharp pencil through and making the holes.
I started another part of my costume too, but you'll just have to wait until that bit is finished :)
Tomorrow I'm off to Sydney for the weekend, so you'll have to wait 'till Monday for my next post (sorry about not sticking to NaBloWriMo, these things happen, hey?).
Thursday, 21 October 2010
10 Days
'Till Halloween! And until NaBloWriMo is over. But Halloween!
I bought the second piece for my costume yesterday. I didn't even mean to, but I saw this mask:
I bought the second piece for my costume yesterday. I didn't even mean to, but I saw this mask:
And it is perfect for the image I have in my head. The whole outfit came into my head because I wanted to create something around this top, which I love and have only worn once:
From Bardot
I'm not going to tell you exactly what I have planned, but as I get each piece (and progressively destroy each piece for effect), I'll post pictures here. And at the end you'll get to see the whole shebang.
Here is the first piece I got:
From Tree of Life
How glamorously creepy, hey? I just realised, posting the picture now, that it's not actually a spider cause it only has six legs. It'll still have the right effect though.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Improvement
Just a quick one today because my day has run away from me today. I only just caught it by the hem of it's skirt (like the personification there? Huh? Huh?).
So just wanted to share with you guys something that makes me happy every time it happens. If you're a teacher or a parent, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I got to work today, rushing and panicking and shoveling down a Milo bar because I hadn't eaten anything all day besides two pieces of Vegemite toast, tea and four biscuits. I got down to pool deck, set up what hadn't already been set up by my fellow high-levels instructor and stood at my area of pool deck. Half the kids were there, most of them eager to get going. I sent them off for a warm up while the rest of the class dawdled in, hesitating with the ritual of 'It's too coooold!'.
During the warm up was where I noticed that thing that always makes me do a little cheer, and dance a tiny jig. A student that I have taught since I started swim-teaching two years ago, went straight into the warm up and his freestyle just clicked. He turned his head to the side at the right time, his arms extended as far as they could go - and he didn't stop during a lap!
He's got a ways to go, but this personal achievement is like my/his own little reward. My classes in general went well today. The whole class (of the improving student) clicked with breaststroke arms by the end of the lesson, and my second class managed to make it through more than half an hour of butterfly drills. They are exhausting!
Seeing students progress is one of the best things about my job. Most of the time the progress is so steady that all I can do is keep going and listen to feedback. It's the best thing when the students suddenly seem to 'get it' from one week to the next.
So just wanted to share with you guys something that makes me happy every time it happens. If you're a teacher or a parent, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I got to work today, rushing and panicking and shoveling down a Milo bar because I hadn't eaten anything all day besides two pieces of Vegemite toast, tea and four biscuits. I got down to pool deck, set up what hadn't already been set up by my fellow high-levels instructor and stood at my area of pool deck. Half the kids were there, most of them eager to get going. I sent them off for a warm up while the rest of the class dawdled in, hesitating with the ritual of 'It's too coooold!'.
During the warm up was where I noticed that thing that always makes me do a little cheer, and dance a tiny jig. A student that I have taught since I started swim-teaching two years ago, went straight into the warm up and his freestyle just clicked. He turned his head to the side at the right time, his arms extended as far as they could go - and he didn't stop during a lap!
He's got a ways to go, but this personal achievement is like my/his own little reward. My classes in general went well today. The whole class (of the improving student) clicked with breaststroke arms by the end of the lesson, and my second class managed to make it through more than half an hour of butterfly drills. They are exhausting!
Seeing students progress is one of the best things about my job. Most of the time the progress is so steady that all I can do is keep going and listen to feedback. It's the best thing when the students suddenly seem to 'get it' from one week to the next.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Water!
Yup, today is Blog Action Day 2010. And I was going to talk about it being a precious commodity - which it is, and no one should take it for granted. But it's hard to think like that since Canberra has been inundated by rain this past week and today was the worst! It's brought out the slugs - and I HATE SLUGS! Just thinking about them makes my skin crawl, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to sleep tonight for fear that they could be sliming across my window pane. I hate them more than spiders or cockroaches. Seriously, the freak me out.
ANYWAY, because of this, I'm going to talk about being safe around the water. Whenever I find out someone I know can't swim, I never know what to say. It's such an important life skill. Even if you can't swim marathons, it's so important to know how to keep yourself alive if you're ever in an aquatic snafu.
At work, it was Water Safety Week this week, so it coincides with the Water topic quite well. The children learnt how to do safety jumps, and keep themselves afloat, as well as endurance swimming. For the little ones, we teach them to turn to the nearest edge should they fall in.
I'm not sure what the statistics are, but the Austswim organisation once advertised for volunteers to teach swimming in third world countries. We talk about the safety of drinking water, and the availability of water in general. These are important. But what about those children who never learned to swim. Every year all around the world, there are kids who are permanently, seriously or fatally injured because they never learned how to swim.
It is such an important part of a child's physical education, and more parents should make it part of their child's life. What would be even greater is if more Governments - local, state, national and international - could subsidise parents for giving their children the opportunity to save their own lives. The two weeks that ACT schools have for swimming lessons per year is not enough. If you only devoted half an hour a day for ten days a year to something, how well do you think you'd know it?
And lastly, the earlier a child learns how to move in water, the more capable they are at reaching the edge of a pool on their own if they fall in, and the less likely they are to panic when all they have to do is swim a few metres and they'll be in their own depth. Having said this, it is also never too late to learn either.
Lastly (really this time), swimming is fun! So it's a life skill that is also an enjoyable vocation :)
ANYWAY, because of this, I'm going to talk about being safe around the water. Whenever I find out someone I know can't swim, I never know what to say. It's such an important life skill. Even if you can't swim marathons, it's so important to know how to keep yourself alive if you're ever in an aquatic snafu.
At work, it was Water Safety Week this week, so it coincides with the Water topic quite well. The children learnt how to do safety jumps, and keep themselves afloat, as well as endurance swimming. For the little ones, we teach them to turn to the nearest edge should they fall in.
I'm not sure what the statistics are, but the Austswim organisation once advertised for volunteers to teach swimming in third world countries. We talk about the safety of drinking water, and the availability of water in general. These are important. But what about those children who never learned to swim. Every year all around the world, there are kids who are permanently, seriously or fatally injured because they never learned how to swim.
It is such an important part of a child's physical education, and more parents should make it part of their child's life. What would be even greater is if more Governments - local, state, national and international - could subsidise parents for giving their children the opportunity to save their own lives. The two weeks that ACT schools have for swimming lessons per year is not enough. If you only devoted half an hour a day for ten days a year to something, how well do you think you'd know it?
And lastly, the earlier a child learns how to move in water, the more capable they are at reaching the edge of a pool on their own if they fall in, and the less likely they are to panic when all they have to do is swim a few metres and they'll be in their own depth. Having said this, it is also never too late to learn either.
Lastly (really this time), swimming is fun! So it's a life skill that is also an enjoyable vocation :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)