Today I was thinking about several things. First and foremost the idea of a friend. What's in it? Who can you say is a true friend? Is it those that you've known longest, or the ones that you can say anything to and they would love you no matter what. Is it those friends that you do a lot of things with and talk about nothing important or the ones that you do nothing but hang out with and talk endlessly about everything and anything. Is it the hundreds of facebook friends that you have and haven't seen in years, or the one friend that doesn't have facebook at all and relies on a simple phone call?
Call me crazy, but I feel most at home with the many friends that I have met in more recent times and know that most of the people in my life right now are definitely meant to be there for the long haul. In this past year I have met friends that I am closer with than people I have known since I was five.
The real question is how long is too long? Do friendships have an expiry date? At what point does it become redundant and the things you do become irrelevant or essentially un-fun? Why is it that we can have friends that we hang with all the time, and we have less and less in common with?
My only vice is never knowing how to say no. Never knowing how to approach people and say exactly what the problem is and then decide whether it's worth trying to figure out.
The only solution is just to be friends with those that you can and care less about the ones that make you miserable. Even though it hurts sometimes to break a bond because familiarity is more comfortable; it is sometimes necessary to leave the ones your think you care about most. Because sometimes the ones you cared about most are the ones that hurt you the most without even realizing it.
Conclusively, i've resolved to spend time with those that make me happiest and not worry about society's ideas about how we should act towards people. Call me selfish, but the lines for what constitute a good friend in this day and age are blurry and looking out for your own needs is one of the most important things in life as long as you aren't hurting anyone else.
That's all from me for now,
Signed, a little bit clearer and more content.
:) peace.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Blue lines that Define
So im thinking that one blog post a month is pretty good considering i havent posted for a year prior. Anyhow, a story comes with this blog post. I just came back from a semester abroad, as those of you who know me will know. I am so poor, having no job to come back to and am currently just getting by. This is the reason i still haven't paid for a parking permit for campus. They are only about 40 bucks. But its 40 bucks i don't have to spend all in one go. So instead, i drop my mum at work and then i go straight to uni at 8.15 in the morning even if i dont have class til 12, just so i can park outside where there will be empty spaces up until about 9am. It is the exact same distance to walk from there onto campus as it is from the furthest car park. But, it is free to park because the campus doesnt own the street.
So there is more of course. I was walking through the closest car park to get into uni- and mind you this car park was nearly empty. However it was blue car spaces. And anyone who goes to my uni will tell you for a fact that to own a blue car space you must pay significantly more than what the guy next to you in the yellow space is paying for. Now looking down at my feet as i walked and watching the blue lines pass me by, i thought to myself why? Its a small thing that not many people would think about, but in truth it is just another way we define people by status. Just because someone can afford to pay more than me for a parking spot, does that mean that they should be able to park in a better spot than me, if i came earlier than he did. I know what you're thinking- yes we do have these systems to cover costs of how much things that are deemed to be more luxourious will actually cost. For example the renting of a hotel room. Obviously a penthouse with fully stocked bar, several bedrooms, spa and all the other perks in a 5 star hotel is going to cost more than a twin economy room in a 2 star hotel. But the point im trying to make is that the reason for that is because the costs associated with each of those rooms are different dependant on what is included in the package. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the price inflation covers the cost of everything included.
My argument is that these parking spaces, they dont cost more money to maintain than the yellow spaces. They are repainted once every ten years or so and are made of the same type of tar/ materials that the yellow spots are made out of. So why is there a definition in where a person can park just because they can't afford to support the beaurocracy. This attitude is what starts the concept 'if they can't afford to pay they can't have it'. By seeing people in the blue spots pull up next to me in my yellow spots which are slightly farther away. I automatically make assumptions about the person's background or even who they are as a person. People who have less money and are deemed to be lower down in a social hierachy generally have a lower opinion of those who have more money or available resources than they do. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that everyone should not be allowed to further themselves and everyone should be earning the same amount of money. I'm merely saying that there is enough status definition within society alone without us trying to encourage greater class divisions with the little things.
Another thing i associated with this is concert tickets. For many concerts or festivals, there is different prices for different ticket releases. It makes me wonder why, when the costs of the concert would already be covered in the original pricing. What if a greater fan of an artist did not get paid in time to make the first release and then did not have enough money to pay the cost of the second. Is society saying that they are less worthy to see them than the person who owns a box at the concert arena and doesn't bother showing up to the concert?
This is not a rant to discredit those who can afford the luxury of buying things at their most expensive; but merely an afterthought about the institutions who claim to give a fair chance to all, actually controlling what the populace is withing their ability to do.
Think about it,
Peace.
Shan.
So there is more of course. I was walking through the closest car park to get into uni- and mind you this car park was nearly empty. However it was blue car spaces. And anyone who goes to my uni will tell you for a fact that to own a blue car space you must pay significantly more than what the guy next to you in the yellow space is paying for. Now looking down at my feet as i walked and watching the blue lines pass me by, i thought to myself why? Its a small thing that not many people would think about, but in truth it is just another way we define people by status. Just because someone can afford to pay more than me for a parking spot, does that mean that they should be able to park in a better spot than me, if i came earlier than he did. I know what you're thinking- yes we do have these systems to cover costs of how much things that are deemed to be more luxourious will actually cost. For example the renting of a hotel room. Obviously a penthouse with fully stocked bar, several bedrooms, spa and all the other perks in a 5 star hotel is going to cost more than a twin economy room in a 2 star hotel. But the point im trying to make is that the reason for that is because the costs associated with each of those rooms are different dependant on what is included in the package. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the price inflation covers the cost of everything included.
My argument is that these parking spaces, they dont cost more money to maintain than the yellow spaces. They are repainted once every ten years or so and are made of the same type of tar/ materials that the yellow spots are made out of. So why is there a definition in where a person can park just because they can't afford to support the beaurocracy. This attitude is what starts the concept 'if they can't afford to pay they can't have it'. By seeing people in the blue spots pull up next to me in my yellow spots which are slightly farther away. I automatically make assumptions about the person's background or even who they are as a person. People who have less money and are deemed to be lower down in a social hierachy generally have a lower opinion of those who have more money or available resources than they do. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that everyone should not be allowed to further themselves and everyone should be earning the same amount of money. I'm merely saying that there is enough status definition within society alone without us trying to encourage greater class divisions with the little things.
Another thing i associated with this is concert tickets. For many concerts or festivals, there is different prices for different ticket releases. It makes me wonder why, when the costs of the concert would already be covered in the original pricing. What if a greater fan of an artist did not get paid in time to make the first release and then did not have enough money to pay the cost of the second. Is society saying that they are less worthy to see them than the person who owns a box at the concert arena and doesn't bother showing up to the concert?
This is not a rant to discredit those who can afford the luxury of buying things at their most expensive; but merely an afterthought about the institutions who claim to give a fair chance to all, actually controlling what the populace is withing their ability to do.
Think about it,
Peace.
Shan.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Joy of England. Pt1 House 22
So after my almost 6 month sabbatical from blogging, i decided it might be time to re-engage. To tell you the truth, blogging has not been a priority these past months and i have rather enjoyed living life rather than just writing about it. Having been exposed to less news and current affairs, television programs, radio and even music and movies than i ever have been before; i have found that relationships i have begun with people have flourished more intensely and i have definitely gained more experience in life.
Before coming to the UK i was entirely excited at the prospect of living at uni, on campus and meeting so many new people. I have to say, this experience has been nothing short of amazing. It has been exactly all that i had hoped for and more. My mum was fearful that i would meet someone and fall in love and never want to return. The truth is, she was right, i did fall in love many times over, with all of the people i have encountered on my exchange, and will never forget any of them as long as i live. It is amazing, how as humans we have the capacity to make friends and grow to love them in the shortest period of time.
I wanted to dedicate this post first and foremost to these people. I am quite sure you have all had much more of an impact on my life than i have had on yours. Firstly, to my flatmates. We really were a mixed bunch, all having way different interests and all doing way different things with our lives. But that in itself was the beauty of it. I loved that i was a novelty in the beginning and was teased for being aussie, it was a part of all of your charm. I loved that i discovered how much aussie slang i actually do use by my speech eliciting a blank look every five minutes... until you began to figure out what i actually meant on your own. I loved that i felt like i was in the company of family and didnt have to care what i wore around the house. I loved that i could talk to all of them about different things and not every worry about being judged. I love that some of them came out with me whenever i asked. I love that some of them struggled for english words and i smiled when they used the wrong one. I loved the quick wit that came with a side of lame jokes. But most of all i love them, the weird, the crazy, the annoying, the quiet, the bold and the comforting.
I enjoyed karaoke, having random gossip sessions in the kitchen, yelling at each other down hallways, going out for drinks and of course an epic LOTR marathon. I didnt enjoy seeing them leave one by one, the knowledge that everytime i spent time with them i grew to love them a little more- only because i had less and less time with them or the fact that i only got to spend one amazing semester with these guys. I am so grateful to have known them all, and for them to have been able to stand me for that long.
22 Roberts way definitely became a home away from home and when others said that roberts way was a hole, i only ever remember thinking how much i loved it. Yes i did have some troubles there, but the house itself was the best place to house all the craziness that was us and then some. If i had any regrets, it would be that i didnt spend as much time with them as i could, that i didnt knock on their doors enough for random chats or didnt stick around long enough when i passed them on my way out.
These people made my experience richer and had a large impact on the person i have turned out to be on the other side of this experience.
so once again peeps, i've said exactly whats on my mind and nothing short of it. with this post i am officially resuming my blog. Many more are coming and i have at least 5 posts in this series to come...
Peace, Out.
Shan. :)
Before coming to the UK i was entirely excited at the prospect of living at uni, on campus and meeting so many new people. I have to say, this experience has been nothing short of amazing. It has been exactly all that i had hoped for and more. My mum was fearful that i would meet someone and fall in love and never want to return. The truth is, she was right, i did fall in love many times over, with all of the people i have encountered on my exchange, and will never forget any of them as long as i live. It is amazing, how as humans we have the capacity to make friends and grow to love them in the shortest period of time.
I wanted to dedicate this post first and foremost to these people. I am quite sure you have all had much more of an impact on my life than i have had on yours. Firstly, to my flatmates. We really were a mixed bunch, all having way different interests and all doing way different things with our lives. But that in itself was the beauty of it. I loved that i was a novelty in the beginning and was teased for being aussie, it was a part of all of your charm. I loved that i discovered how much aussie slang i actually do use by my speech eliciting a blank look every five minutes... until you began to figure out what i actually meant on your own. I loved that i felt like i was in the company of family and didnt have to care what i wore around the house. I loved that i could talk to all of them about different things and not every worry about being judged. I love that some of them came out with me whenever i asked. I love that some of them struggled for english words and i smiled when they used the wrong one. I loved the quick wit that came with a side of lame jokes. But most of all i love them, the weird, the crazy, the annoying, the quiet, the bold and the comforting.
I enjoyed karaoke, having random gossip sessions in the kitchen, yelling at each other down hallways, going out for drinks and of course an epic LOTR marathon. I didnt enjoy seeing them leave one by one, the knowledge that everytime i spent time with them i grew to love them a little more- only because i had less and less time with them or the fact that i only got to spend one amazing semester with these guys. I am so grateful to have known them all, and for them to have been able to stand me for that long.
22 Roberts way definitely became a home away from home and when others said that roberts way was a hole, i only ever remember thinking how much i loved it. Yes i did have some troubles there, but the house itself was the best place to house all the craziness that was us and then some. If i had any regrets, it would be that i didnt spend as much time with them as i could, that i didnt knock on their doors enough for random chats or didnt stick around long enough when i passed them on my way out.
These people made my experience richer and had a large impact on the person i have turned out to be on the other side of this experience.
so once again peeps, i've said exactly whats on my mind and nothing short of it. with this post i am officially resuming my blog. Many more are coming and i have at least 5 posts in this series to come...
Peace, Out.
Shan. :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Anticipations, Anxieties and the like.
It never seems to be a recurring thing that I blog. Once again, i will blame being busy on the the blogging or rather lack thereof.
It is drawing closer to the time that I will be embarking on my great adventure. Living overseas, in another country, i.e. one that is not my own. Yes it will only be for about 7 months, and yes it is an exchange program, so i will have support available, from both my host universtity and my home university if ever a disagreeable situation should occur. I will also have my best friend along with me, and im sure that will be the greatest support of all.
However, even though there will be all of this support available to me, it also means, quite a long time of fending for myself, accepting full responsibility for my actions, my economic status and my own general welfare. For all intensive purposes I am alone for the very first time.
Having travelled independently from the age of 16, i am already used to being on my own for a period of time. However i have always had something to return to, after no longer than 3 weeks at a time. An impenetrable safety net. A haven which protected me from the dangers of the world, when things started to get too tough.
I am so ready for this adventure to begin. Never being one to stay in the same place. Travelling has been a long standing yearning of mine since i was younger. And now i finally get to tackle much of the world i want to see.
Along with the excitement of travelling and the hope that it will be everything that i have hoped for and more, there are many things i am anxious about. I want to be that person that flies by the seat of her pants, that takes things as they come, that lives from minute to minute and doesnt care when she runs out of money, has no place to live or cant afford to buy the little things.
I want to be all these things, but i can't and probably won't. I'm just me, flaws or not. Spontaneous sometimes, organised at others. But i guess i won't really know how i will react to things until i tackle them all head on.
All i can say is bring it on!
:P
It is drawing closer to the time that I will be embarking on my great adventure. Living overseas, in another country, i.e. one that is not my own. Yes it will only be for about 7 months, and yes it is an exchange program, so i will have support available, from both my host universtity and my home university if ever a disagreeable situation should occur. I will also have my best friend along with me, and im sure that will be the greatest support of all.
However, even though there will be all of this support available to me, it also means, quite a long time of fending for myself, accepting full responsibility for my actions, my economic status and my own general welfare. For all intensive purposes I am alone for the very first time.
Having travelled independently from the age of 16, i am already used to being on my own for a period of time. However i have always had something to return to, after no longer than 3 weeks at a time. An impenetrable safety net. A haven which protected me from the dangers of the world, when things started to get too tough.
I am so ready for this adventure to begin. Never being one to stay in the same place. Travelling has been a long standing yearning of mine since i was younger. And now i finally get to tackle much of the world i want to see.
Along with the excitement of travelling and the hope that it will be everything that i have hoped for and more, there are many things i am anxious about. I want to be that person that flies by the seat of her pants, that takes things as they come, that lives from minute to minute and doesnt care when she runs out of money, has no place to live or cant afford to buy the little things.
I want to be all these things, but i can't and probably won't. I'm just me, flaws or not. Spontaneous sometimes, organised at others. But i guess i won't really know how i will react to things until i tackle them all head on.
All i can say is bring it on!
:P
Monday, October 11, 2010
Lost in a book
So i know i say this alot, but it really is true, I haven't posted in a loooooong time. And that will be the last time I will spell a word incorrectly on purpose, even if it is for the purposes of hyperbolising my point. I really haven't had much time or inspiration to write about anything. My life has been relatively dry of excitement in any field, and lately my inspiration for anything of a non- serious nature has been null and void. They say time if of the essence, and if that were the case, well i have none.
I may be rambling, but it does have a point. I have talked before about appreciating the simpler things in life and how they have the ability to transform your outlook on the world. One of these things is definitely a book.
First and foremost I must say that I love books. They are one of the major components of my life. When in doubt, read is definitely my motto. I like catching trains to faraway places so i can read for the entire journey. I love to curl up with a book on a rainy day, listening to the rain fall on my window. I love to listen to music softly as i read a book out in the sunlight.
For me, books are amazing. They have the ability to take you to a world you've never been before. They can make you believe things you never thought could be real. They can make you the hero of the story who always gets the girl. They have the ability to make you the misunderstood and psychologically damaged villain who has a heart- rending reason for his demeanour.
Books can make you cry at the beauty one person can have and at the same time has the ability to make you laugh out loud at the satirisation of the mundane in our everyday lives. We can hold in our embrace that beaten and abused child, who just begs for someone's hand to hold. Or we can be the girl that falls in love with her best friend and just can't make him see how much she cares. We could be the captain of a great voyage, or the queen of england who leads a great war. We can be the most fragile of characters and the strongest man of them all.
Books build a reality that is sometimes much better than your own and to me provide a relief to the thoughts i sometimes don't want to have. Everyone has issues and although better to confront them head on, human nature sometimes tells us to lay low. Books make a mockery of the trivialities of life and are a comfort to situations we may not see the end of.
Though many are predictable, it is in its predictability that we find relatability to the characters and we can truly feel how they do. What a book can bring to ones life is a far greater gift than the latest DVD or computer game. It is the greatest solid proof of the brilliance of humanity and is a testament to the imaginative capabilites of both the writer and the reader.
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers"
Charles W. Eliot
I can never seem to wait to get back to a good book. Can you?
I may be rambling, but it does have a point. I have talked before about appreciating the simpler things in life and how they have the ability to transform your outlook on the world. One of these things is definitely a book.
First and foremost I must say that I love books. They are one of the major components of my life. When in doubt, read is definitely my motto. I like catching trains to faraway places so i can read for the entire journey. I love to curl up with a book on a rainy day, listening to the rain fall on my window. I love to listen to music softly as i read a book out in the sunlight.
For me, books are amazing. They have the ability to take you to a world you've never been before. They can make you believe things you never thought could be real. They can make you the hero of the story who always gets the girl. They have the ability to make you the misunderstood and psychologically damaged villain who has a heart- rending reason for his demeanour.
Books can make you cry at the beauty one person can have and at the same time has the ability to make you laugh out loud at the satirisation of the mundane in our everyday lives. We can hold in our embrace that beaten and abused child, who just begs for someone's hand to hold. Or we can be the girl that falls in love with her best friend and just can't make him see how much she cares. We could be the captain of a great voyage, or the queen of england who leads a great war. We can be the most fragile of characters and the strongest man of them all.
Books build a reality that is sometimes much better than your own and to me provide a relief to the thoughts i sometimes don't want to have. Everyone has issues and although better to confront them head on, human nature sometimes tells us to lay low. Books make a mockery of the trivialities of life and are a comfort to situations we may not see the end of.
Though many are predictable, it is in its predictability that we find relatability to the characters and we can truly feel how they do. What a book can bring to ones life is a far greater gift than the latest DVD or computer game. It is the greatest solid proof of the brilliance of humanity and is a testament to the imaginative capabilites of both the writer and the reader.
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers"
Charles W. Eliot
I can never seem to wait to get back to a good book. Can you?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
You and me baby ain't nothing but animals...
Ok, so i haven't blogged in a month. And what a painful month it has been. An emotional, physical and mentally taxing rollercoaster filled with enough highs and lows to give a soap opera fodder for a year.
And as i have said in many previous posts- i have been thinking about this for some time. I think my main problem is finding a time when i can just be free to sit down and write. I don't usually prioritise very well and amongst my many jobs, full time studying and social commitments, my passions lay forgotten.
This idea, whilst comical at times is also one of extreme thought and so i hope you will all think along with me.
First of all i was talking to a few friends about the amount of animals we have in our house- and since my cat just gave birth to a litter of kittens this morning, i thought now was as good a time as any to be writing about said topic.
In fact the litter of kittens brings my animal count up to 7 in my household- severly tipping the animal to human ratio and rendering the humans of the household vulverable to feeding the animals at all hours, animals causing sleep deprivation because they show "too much affection" and general turning of the axes of power to the animal kingdom.
My dog, an unsuspecting, snow white miniature maltese terrier, weighing under 3 kilos (about what a normal foot weighs) truly believes she is a human. She refuses to eat anything but prime cuts of meat- and the most expensive brand of dog food- otherwise hunger strikes ensue. She loves to eat whatever we are eating precisely when we are eating it. I even went so far as to putting some ice cream in her bowl seeing as she always pestered me for some. But no, stupid decision. Of course she was waiting for me to feed it to her straight from the stick from which i had eaten.
My rabbit also has a case of misplaced identity. I am almost 200 percent sure she believes she is a dog. She sniffs the behind of all of the other animals. She growls- yes you did read correctly. She has an affinity to my dog- who finds her thoroughly annoying. She also pants sometimes. Its amazing what nurture versus nature can do.
My cat- now whes a completely different story. Shes a cat and she knows it. But she also thinks she knows that she is the queen of the roost. She sleeps on a different persons bed every night- because she chooses. This is much to the dismay of the person who gets her company for the night as she likes to sleep in the most awkward positions, thus causing sever pain for the person when waking up in the morning.
But one thing i also thought about was the things that all my animals do that make them exactly the animal they are. My cat, after having her litter instantly knew to take care of her babies and let them feed. My dog instantly knows that eating grass when she is sick will stabilise her stomach acids. My rabbit instantly knows that eating through a food block on both sides will eventually lead to it breaking into smaller more manageable pieces. The point is- instinct eventually takes over.
Why is it so that humans are so much more complex? Why must we rule over our instincts and emotions to decide what is best dependent on the cultural context in which we grow up and society's stupidly imposed rules of social etiquette?
Animals are so straightforward- they have instincts, feelings, thoughts- and theres no inhibitions. They just act on them. This idea is completely foreign in the human context. We always have to think things through before doing them. By this time, we may have even missed out on them.
Animals eat when they want and what they want- not caring about social norms. Animals go where they want and act the way they want- not caring that people around them may laugh or judge them. Animals even mate so simply, humans have to like a person, be friends with them, not tell them or tell them, be awkward or begin something, break up or stay together and start all over again.
Animals have the easy life- or the domesticated ones do i should say- as there is mass amounts of animal cruelty going on out there which is disgraceful. The domesticated ones, or the lucky ones get to eat, sleep, mate (sometimes) and poop. This is the extent of their happy lives. And yet they stay, they dont have issues like humans do, they see things quite clearly, without all the shades of grey we need to sift through.
In short, i wish that we were as simple as animals, and did and said what we meant and wanted, rather than letting foolish fears cloud our judgements.
peace. out. :D
And as i have said in many previous posts- i have been thinking about this for some time. I think my main problem is finding a time when i can just be free to sit down and write. I don't usually prioritise very well and amongst my many jobs, full time studying and social commitments, my passions lay forgotten.
This idea, whilst comical at times is also one of extreme thought and so i hope you will all think along with me.
First of all i was talking to a few friends about the amount of animals we have in our house- and since my cat just gave birth to a litter of kittens this morning, i thought now was as good a time as any to be writing about said topic.
In fact the litter of kittens brings my animal count up to 7 in my household- severly tipping the animal to human ratio and rendering the humans of the household vulverable to feeding the animals at all hours, animals causing sleep deprivation because they show "too much affection" and general turning of the axes of power to the animal kingdom.
My dog, an unsuspecting, snow white miniature maltese terrier, weighing under 3 kilos (about what a normal foot weighs) truly believes she is a human. She refuses to eat anything but prime cuts of meat- and the most expensive brand of dog food- otherwise hunger strikes ensue. She loves to eat whatever we are eating precisely when we are eating it. I even went so far as to putting some ice cream in her bowl seeing as she always pestered me for some. But no, stupid decision. Of course she was waiting for me to feed it to her straight from the stick from which i had eaten.
My rabbit also has a case of misplaced identity. I am almost 200 percent sure she believes she is a dog. She sniffs the behind of all of the other animals. She growls- yes you did read correctly. She has an affinity to my dog- who finds her thoroughly annoying. She also pants sometimes. Its amazing what nurture versus nature can do.
My cat- now whes a completely different story. Shes a cat and she knows it. But she also thinks she knows that she is the queen of the roost. She sleeps on a different persons bed every night- because she chooses. This is much to the dismay of the person who gets her company for the night as she likes to sleep in the most awkward positions, thus causing sever pain for the person when waking up in the morning.
But one thing i also thought about was the things that all my animals do that make them exactly the animal they are. My cat, after having her litter instantly knew to take care of her babies and let them feed. My dog instantly knows that eating grass when she is sick will stabilise her stomach acids. My rabbit instantly knows that eating through a food block on both sides will eventually lead to it breaking into smaller more manageable pieces. The point is- instinct eventually takes over.
Why is it so that humans are so much more complex? Why must we rule over our instincts and emotions to decide what is best dependent on the cultural context in which we grow up and society's stupidly imposed rules of social etiquette?
Animals are so straightforward- they have instincts, feelings, thoughts- and theres no inhibitions. They just act on them. This idea is completely foreign in the human context. We always have to think things through before doing them. By this time, we may have even missed out on them.
Animals eat when they want and what they want- not caring about social norms. Animals go where they want and act the way they want- not caring that people around them may laugh or judge them. Animals even mate so simply, humans have to like a person, be friends with them, not tell them or tell them, be awkward or begin something, break up or stay together and start all over again.
Animals have the easy life- or the domesticated ones do i should say- as there is mass amounts of animal cruelty going on out there which is disgraceful. The domesticated ones, or the lucky ones get to eat, sleep, mate (sometimes) and poop. This is the extent of their happy lives. And yet they stay, they dont have issues like humans do, they see things quite clearly, without all the shades of grey we need to sift through.
In short, i wish that we were as simple as animals, and did and said what we meant and wanted, rather than letting foolish fears cloud our judgements.
peace. out. :D
Saturday, July 3, 2010
For Love or Money...
It has been a little while since i posted something, but i was thinking recently about the simpler things in life that don't cost much. One of those things was how much i enjoy coffee. It is one of the cheaper things that a person can buy, it's essentially just a drink. To me, its about a sense of normalcy. Its about the fact that no matter what goes on around me, or what i experience in my personal life, on the outside, the act of buying a coffee and even sitting down at a cafe is essentially normal.
I mean anyone can do it, you can get a coffee for $2.50. So no matter how rich or poor you are, anyone can sit down at a cafe, grab a coffee or tea- whatever floats your boat- and read a newspaper... and you know what, no one would ever know the difference. To me that is freedom.
Last weekend i went out with two of my best friends, with 15 dollars to my name, half a tank of petrol- courtesy of mum, and nowhere in particular to go. I got in the car, drove the 45 minutes to pick up my friends, and then drove another 20 minutes to go pay 6 dollars for ice cream. We laughed the entire time, and sat in the car for an hour just talking. It didn't cost anything to be in their company, and i knew that i wouldn't have minded whether we had gone out for a reason or not.
So when we had sat there long enough, keys back in the ignition and we were on our way. We went to a popular hot spot for teens to have sex- just so we could high beam them, for our own entertainment of course. There were hardly any cars because we were too early, but i still managed to get my friend locked out of the car and make him feel a little prostituitish- which was very funny on my end.
My point is- this night, was possibly a summation of some of the best free things in life. Talking, friendship and fun times. Its these things that come to those who can appreciate that money doesn't mean everything. After all, most things in life we do for money. Its these rare things that we do for love.
So where does my whole argument about coffee some into this you may ask? Coffee, although it costs money, is for me an act of love. I do it because i love drinking coffee. I love the way it makes me feel. The normalcy i feel, the act of sharing it with friends. Its a way to bring people together. Its a way to bring back a sense of community. To me, that is one of the best free things of all.
Things we do for money, although may make one, for a moment, blissfully happy; do not have the power to unlock true happiness. I make a considerable amount of money for my age, at one point i was working three jobs. I would blow my whole pay from one job in one night, because i could. But it didn't make me as happy as things that come at a lesser cost, or for free.
If it were a debate between love and money- i would think we would do things more because we loved to, not because we got money for them. I mean, i spend lots, but that's because money doesn't mean as much to me as it does to some. I think that its a commodity rather than a necessity.
What I'm trying to say really is that it's the simpler things in life that are really worth living for, don't you think?...
I mean anyone can do it, you can get a coffee for $2.50. So no matter how rich or poor you are, anyone can sit down at a cafe, grab a coffee or tea- whatever floats your boat- and read a newspaper... and you know what, no one would ever know the difference. To me that is freedom.
Last weekend i went out with two of my best friends, with 15 dollars to my name, half a tank of petrol- courtesy of mum, and nowhere in particular to go. I got in the car, drove the 45 minutes to pick up my friends, and then drove another 20 minutes to go pay 6 dollars for ice cream. We laughed the entire time, and sat in the car for an hour just talking. It didn't cost anything to be in their company, and i knew that i wouldn't have minded whether we had gone out for a reason or not.
So when we had sat there long enough, keys back in the ignition and we were on our way. We went to a popular hot spot for teens to have sex- just so we could high beam them, for our own entertainment of course. There were hardly any cars because we were too early, but i still managed to get my friend locked out of the car and make him feel a little prostituitish- which was very funny on my end.
My point is- this night, was possibly a summation of some of the best free things in life. Talking, friendship and fun times. Its these things that come to those who can appreciate that money doesn't mean everything. After all, most things in life we do for money. Its these rare things that we do for love.
So where does my whole argument about coffee some into this you may ask? Coffee, although it costs money, is for me an act of love. I do it because i love drinking coffee. I love the way it makes me feel. The normalcy i feel, the act of sharing it with friends. Its a way to bring people together. Its a way to bring back a sense of community. To me, that is one of the best free things of all.
Things we do for money, although may make one, for a moment, blissfully happy; do not have the power to unlock true happiness. I make a considerable amount of money for my age, at one point i was working three jobs. I would blow my whole pay from one job in one night, because i could. But it didn't make me as happy as things that come at a lesser cost, or for free.
If it were a debate between love and money- i would think we would do things more because we loved to, not because we got money for them. I mean, i spend lots, but that's because money doesn't mean as much to me as it does to some. I think that its a commodity rather than a necessity.
What I'm trying to say really is that it's the simpler things in life that are really worth living for, don't you think?...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
To the point!
What is the point?
So today i was thinking, as you do. The things we do in life, the routine, the constant moving from one place to another, from one thing to another, from one person to another?
What is the point?
I am currently in the process of exams, and i still have three to go. I do know that these will be hard and i probably should have studied for them way more than i have done, and yet i still can't think why i wanted to do them in the first place?
I mean, all things considered, and this thought is not meant to be depressing, but why exactly do humans do the things we do? Essentially from the moment we are born, we are dying. Every minute that passes, we are getting closer. We may die young, we may die old, when it will happen, we will never know.
So my point is why exactly do we do the things we do? Why do we save money for instance? I mean sure we can save for short term goals, like going on a holiday, a car, an electronic appliance. But why would one save money for the future? In this day and age, by the time we earn enough money to buy a house we would be in our 40s, if we saved from the day we started to earn money. And what 14 year old kid wants to that? If we got a loan for a house by the time we were married, lets say at the age of 25; it would be another 20 to 35 years before the loan on a house was paid off, making you around the 60 mark when you are finally done. With only about 20 to 30 more years left in your life expectancy, your home free. Aren't you?
Why exactly do we bother to do exams, get degrees, get jobs, have careers. The majority of the population works 5 days a week, and for what? To pay the bills, for the house we live in, the car we drive, the kids we raise. But all of this work, is to pay for the enjoyment we have on our two weekend days off. Why do we live in a world, where it costs that much to live that we need to work 75% of the time in order to survive?
Why is it that we form emotional attachments to people, objects or places? All that they are is a form of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form. Hence we will only have that thing for a short time anyways. We will also only be for a short time too, for we too are a form of energy, waiting to change into our next form.
Why do we wonder about these things and why can't we find explanations?
I guess we will never know?
Something to think about.
Shan. :)
So today i was thinking, as you do. The things we do in life, the routine, the constant moving from one place to another, from one thing to another, from one person to another?
What is the point?
I am currently in the process of exams, and i still have three to go. I do know that these will be hard and i probably should have studied for them way more than i have done, and yet i still can't think why i wanted to do them in the first place?
I mean, all things considered, and this thought is not meant to be depressing, but why exactly do humans do the things we do? Essentially from the moment we are born, we are dying. Every minute that passes, we are getting closer. We may die young, we may die old, when it will happen, we will never know.
So my point is why exactly do we do the things we do? Why do we save money for instance? I mean sure we can save for short term goals, like going on a holiday, a car, an electronic appliance. But why would one save money for the future? In this day and age, by the time we earn enough money to buy a house we would be in our 40s, if we saved from the day we started to earn money. And what 14 year old kid wants to that? If we got a loan for a house by the time we were married, lets say at the age of 25; it would be another 20 to 35 years before the loan on a house was paid off, making you around the 60 mark when you are finally done. With only about 20 to 30 more years left in your life expectancy, your home free. Aren't you?
Why exactly do we bother to do exams, get degrees, get jobs, have careers. The majority of the population works 5 days a week, and for what? To pay the bills, for the house we live in, the car we drive, the kids we raise. But all of this work, is to pay for the enjoyment we have on our two weekend days off. Why do we live in a world, where it costs that much to live that we need to work 75% of the time in order to survive?
Why is it that we form emotional attachments to people, objects or places? All that they are is a form of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form. Hence we will only have that thing for a short time anyways. We will also only be for a short time too, for we too are a form of energy, waiting to change into our next form.
Why do we wonder about these things and why can't we find explanations?
I guess we will never know?
Something to think about.
Shan. :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
in my place and time...
Hi all, so once again it has been ages since i have blogged.
I really need to do more of this on the regular. First of all i thought i would make this a general, how boring is the life of shan post. So lately exam pressure has been doing my head in.
The threat of possibly not going on exchange because the stupid psych people wont get back to me and it keeps getting later and later.
I had an awesome day with an old friend today, filled with lots of eating, cus thats what wogs do best.
I also keep on praying that time will pass quicker than it does, but for what reason, i don't know what the heck i am waiting for...
I want to scream and run around in circles until i fall over dizzily because i can't explain or comprehend this mixture of feelings i feel all of the time.
I can never decide whether i want to be here or there.
I never know where to look for what i am looking for because i think that i won't find when i look anyways.
I keep expecting there to be a golden pot at the end of the rainbow, and all i find is crap.
One day i will probably look back on all of this and laugh, although i am dreading the day it comes.
I am constantly surrounded by people, and still i feel like i don't belong, perhaps i never will.
regretfully, this has not been a happy blog, but a realisation of true things. sadly life never is, is it?
i wanted to post this picture, because to me this place is perfect, it would be the tree i would lie under all day, it would be the field i would love to run through, it would be the sky i would love to absorb...
shan
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Luck or something like it...
OK, so i had an awesome day today, and it made me think a little bit, as it always does... Lately my luck has been pretty shitty, many deaths of people i knew, and friends/ family of people i knew, forgetting important things, things going wrong at work, my phone stuffing up, then receiving friends phone, which i lost when i fell asleep on the train, then having my laptop short circuit and non operational, going back to centrelink 5 times- different branches, in two months to try and sort out my payments, only to discover that they had neglected to inform me of things every time i went back, waking up to realise that the rain has prevented me from washing my clothes when i already down to my scraps, with nothing to wear, and having two assessment tasks which i did on the day it was due in a manic state, due to not having said laptop to perform such tasks!
And then, today was an exceptional turn around, no idea how it happened. I received a high distinction on one assignment and a credit on another test i swore i was going to fail, my friends b'day present, which i have been waiting on for a while has arrived, my new sim card arrived, i finally got my money from centrelink, which has been paid into my centrelink account, my exchange application is nearly done, i got a nice compliment from a stranger on the train, a good Samaritan ran after me when getting off the bus to hand me back my chocolate box when i accidentally forgot it on there, reuniting with an old friend, even though it wasn't his stop and i had an excellent group study today which consequently has led me to be well informed for my exam on Friday.
All of these events seriously made me think, i have had a serious run of bad luck for the past few months, and in one day it has all caught up to me. How is this even possible? After all where exactly does luck come from?
For those of you who believe our lives are predetermined, how does luck become a factor? And if you do believe that someone or something determines how our life is played out, why do we still wish each other good luck before an exam.
Is this the same with people who believe in fate? If the concept of fate is that if it happens it was mean to happen, not necessarily that it was predetermined; does it mean that luck has a role in what we are going to experience? Is it in our fates to be lucky or is it lucky to have a good fate?
For those of us who believe luck decides how everything plays out, and we can affect that luck, how do we know to affect it for the better? Or is it that luck is predetermined and we wont know how lucky/ unlucky we have been until we face the situation or look back on it?
All of these questions have been spiralling around all evening, but the most interesting thought i had for a while was about the concept of luck being a flow of energy like anything else. This means that it can neither be created nor destroyed, but relies on the transfer of said energy to be used. This meaning that we can essentially "borrow" luck and it may change form or transfer from person to person when needed.
I like to think that this theory is true, i mean, how could it otherwise be explained that we have luck one minute and none the next?
If it were an energy transfer, if i did borrow luck today, it also makes me wonder who in the world today had a really bad day or a collection of really bad days that was offered up in order for me to have such good luck.
I know this may be senseless rambling, but honestly, its luck that I'm awake writing this blog at all, or is it?...
Thanks for listening. Peace. :)
And then, today was an exceptional turn around, no idea how it happened. I received a high distinction on one assignment and a credit on another test i swore i was going to fail, my friends b'day present, which i have been waiting on for a while has arrived, my new sim card arrived, i finally got my money from centrelink, which has been paid into my centrelink account, my exchange application is nearly done, i got a nice compliment from a stranger on the train, a good Samaritan ran after me when getting off the bus to hand me back my chocolate box when i accidentally forgot it on there, reuniting with an old friend, even though it wasn't his stop and i had an excellent group study today which consequently has led me to be well informed for my exam on Friday.
All of these events seriously made me think, i have had a serious run of bad luck for the past few months, and in one day it has all caught up to me. How is this even possible? After all where exactly does luck come from?
For those of you who believe our lives are predetermined, how does luck become a factor? And if you do believe that someone or something determines how our life is played out, why do we still wish each other good luck before an exam.
Is this the same with people who believe in fate? If the concept of fate is that if it happens it was mean to happen, not necessarily that it was predetermined; does it mean that luck has a role in what we are going to experience? Is it in our fates to be lucky or is it lucky to have a good fate?
For those of us who believe luck decides how everything plays out, and we can affect that luck, how do we know to affect it for the better? Or is it that luck is predetermined and we wont know how lucky/ unlucky we have been until we face the situation or look back on it?
All of these questions have been spiralling around all evening, but the most interesting thought i had for a while was about the concept of luck being a flow of energy like anything else. This means that it can neither be created nor destroyed, but relies on the transfer of said energy to be used. This meaning that we can essentially "borrow" luck and it may change form or transfer from person to person when needed.
I like to think that this theory is true, i mean, how could it otherwise be explained that we have luck one minute and none the next?
If it were an energy transfer, if i did borrow luck today, it also makes me wonder who in the world today had a really bad day or a collection of really bad days that was offered up in order for me to have such good luck.
I know this may be senseless rambling, but honestly, its luck that I'm awake writing this blog at all, or is it?...
Thanks for listening. Peace. :)
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