Mind Tangents

Where Has The Time Gone?

by 9grace

At the time that I am writing these words, right now, it is 10:54:11 am on Monday 5th of December, 2016. There are exactly 26 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes and 49 seconds until the new year of 2017 (Perth,Western Australia time zone). That is less than 1/13.76138147566719th of the year left!

…..and with that, here are some more fun facts and statistics about 2016.

  • As of right NOW, there are approximately 7,468,392,182 people in the world (and it increases 2<4 every second).
  • In the last 35 years, extreme poverty has decreased by more than 70%.
  • The dates of 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, and 10/10 have all fallen on a Monday, as will 12/12.
  • The last US, British, and Australian troops will withdraw from Afghanistan on December 31st, 2016.
  • The 2016 calendar is exactly the same as the 1994 calendar, right down to days and dates (including festivals).
  • There are approximately 3,515,474,044 internet users as of RIGHT NOW (and it increases by 8<11 every second).

So, there are some interesting statistic facts for you all to ponder over!

Yours faithfully,

Grace.

Aloha

by 9grace

Okay so as my first post after a long time away from the blog, I thought I’d write something that is relatively significant or meaningful to me.

A while ago my parent watched a movie called “The Fundamentals of Caring”. I had a fair bit of homework to do so I didn’t watch it with them, but I could hear some of it from my bedroom.

At the start, there was a female narrator, and she was addressing helping others (I think). She had a few good quotes, but the one that stuck in my head was a quote for a method for helping others, linking to the abbreviation ‘Aloha’:

Ask,

Listen,

Observe,

Help,

Ask again.

I think it’s really beautiful way to remember it since “Aloha” also means “Hello”. I think It’s also quite a lovely thing to have in your mind, not only for when you are helping people do something, but for everything.

For example, you wouldn’t just go up to someone who looks upset,  give them your thoughts and assume you’ve helped. You’d go up, ask them what’s wrong, listen to what they have to say, and then do what you can to make them feel better. You wouldn’t leave, however, until you had asked again if they were okay, or if they needed anything else.

I think it’s also great for helping yourself. If you’re struggling with something or having a hard time juggling things, you’d ask yourself what you are doing to cause the problem, consider what you are doing and your options, and depending on your situation, you might ask someone else for help.

Although, sometimes it’s hard to help ourselves. We don’t know what to think or how to express yourself, or how to ask for help. There was another quote later in the movie: “My needs are equal to the needs of the person that I am helping, and I cannot help that person any more than I can help myself”. That quote is very important when you are helping yourself or others. If things are bad, you need to get yourself back on track before you can reach out to others, and that’s something I am finding more and more as time goes on.

Umm so yeah, those two quotes have been circling my mind a bit recently, which is why I wrote a blog post about the two. I hope they make a bit of sense!

Yours faithfully,

Grace.

 

Let’s Take a Break

by 9grace

Okay, I know that I have been kind of overloading the dashboard with Zest Fest stuff…so I’ll give it a break this week!

The only problem is, now I have to think of something new to write about.

Actually, while I’m on the topic, taking a break sounds really good. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been getting home, grabbing a snack, and then working non-stop for hours. Talk about a full plate! With my normal homework, as well as the work I’ve had to finish before I go away, and all my Zest Fest tasks, I’ve been busy busy busy!

However, all that is about to change soon! In a few days, I’ll be headed down to Perth (to do some exams mind you), where I can (hopefully) have at least one day to sit and think. Then when I get back, the long-awaited Zest Festival! After that, it’s smooth sailing from here on out!

Typing it all out, it sounds a lot closer than it feels. I guess, with all the stuff I have on between now and then, my brain is a bit overloaded, and it can’t comprehend a length of time as well as it might other times!

That brings me to another point, though. I’ve always found that with life; and that’s with everything in life, nothing is ever as straightforward as it may seem. Nothing. Whether it’s school work, community work, a book or poem, even other people! No matter how deep you dig, there will always be something more than what you think.

For example, not everyone realises just how much some people have on, what they are doing, and what other complications might come into play. I think this is also the case with most other things. If someone is having a bad day, or if they don’t feel up to something, it’s probably for a much greater reason than they are willing to share.

I don’t really know where I was heading with this post, but I know what I want to say now. If you don’t know the full story, even if you think you do, it’s best not to make assumptions. I know Jack did a similar post to this not long ago, and I was thinking about that whilst writing this. My point is, the best option you have is to never assume, always be open to anything and everything.

Wow, umm, now that I’ve gotten over my roller coaster of a post… I think I’ll leave it here. I don’t really know where I was headed with this post, and I’m a bit confused with how it ended, but anyway!

So, that was my crazy mind tangent for the while!

Yours faithfully,

Grace

Travel?

by 9grace

When my family and I travelled around Australia, I collected postcards. I have some really great ones: one of Lake Eyre; quite a few from Tasmania; and lots of other gorgeous ones.

Anyway, I keep all of my postcards in a photo album. On the front it has a little quote:

“Now boarding Melbourne, Los Angeles to New York City, San Francisco, London via Paris & Barcelona, Rome via Cairo, up to Moscow & across to Brussels, Amsterdam, last stop Tokyo.”

And that, to me, sounds like and amazing journey!

I don’t really know what I want to do when I finish school. However, I do know that one day I’d like to go travelling.

Where? That I am not sure of, but I think it will start with somewhere that takes my fancy at the time, and then I’ll go on a journey from there! Maybe I’ll only get as far as to see that country, perhaps I will end up travelling the whole world. It really depends on where my heart, and my pocket, can take me.

Really, I’d love to have a job that I can hold on the road, as well as a small something that I can make a profit off of whenever I decide to stop for a while. I’d also like to go with a friend, someone special! That way, not only will we be able to help each other out, but you would always have awesome company. You would also be able to take each other on amazing adventures!

By what means I am going to travel, that is another question: A plane, car, boat or by foot; that is yet to be decided. I think, though, that when I do travel, I won’t be staying in hotels. If I do that, how am I supposed to explore the world’s natural beauty? Instead, I’ll have a tent, or a camper trailer if I get lucky, and I’ll go off track. I’ll go to beaches and to forests, as well as deserts and mountains!! Yet, I’ll find time to visit the bustling cities, with their beautiful colours and raging festivals.

It’ll be great. The more I think about it the more excited I become! I’ve already started saving, and planning! I really cannot wait to see the world.

Yours faithfully,

Grace

Fear

by 9grace

Fear is a weird concept…

The dictionary definition states that fear a is feeling or condition of being afraid; a painful feeling of impending danger or troubles. In some ways, I guess that’s correct, but not completely. Well, not if you ask me.

One can fear many different things: a small insect or a large animal, heights or tiny rooms. You could fear speaking in front of a class, or going on that one ride at carnival. You could fear a sight or a sound, or a feeling…You could fear a person, or, one particular person at that.  You could fear anything…You could fear nothing.

On top of that, fear can be experienced in so many different ways.

It can be subtle, creeping in ever so slowly. The way you get butterflies in your stomach. That feeling of when you are climbing the stairs to the roller-coaster, or preparing to speak in front of the crowd. The way your hands can’t stay still, and you keep stumbling over sentences

Or, you could experience fear in a very extreme way. A way in which your heart beats a million times a minute, and your body fills with adrenalin in preparation for a “fight or flight” reaction. Fear really is a very weird concept.

Wow! All of a sudden, I have just been hit with a wave of inspiration!! Okay, so here is a very quickly constructed poem – ish thing…

You know that feeling…

When you bump into someone unexpectedly but it’s not the shock of the collision that has you frozen, its them.

And it doesn’t matter who it is, it could be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

But something about their sudden appearance has stumped you.

And you get that…feeling.

That feeling of fear mixed with…something else…excitement, embarrassment, confusion?

Though maybe it’s not them that has you rooted to the spot, but that, that… feeling.

The feeling that makes your cheeks warm, flushed with pink, or is it crimson? …even just for a second.

You know, the one that makes your breath come in sharp, jagged gasps or small, silent breaths.

The one that makes you suddenly jittery, the way your hands can’t stay still and your fingers start to tingle.

Something, someone, tells you to talk, to say something.

Meanwhile, the person who stumped you in the first place is looking at you in utter confusion.

You try to form a sentence but you can’t

Because your mouth is trying to dance to the shapes of the letters and words but keeps forgetting the moves.

You force a small laugh, I mean, pull yourself together!

Somehow, the sound of them laughing along with you makes your cheeks grow even warmer.

And chills start to make their way down your spine.

And all this happens within a split second!

Some might call this fear, or embarrassment, but I’d call it awe.

 

Okay, so I know this “poem” (if that’s what you’ll call it) is a little bit cheesy, but I did do it very quickly.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on ‘fear’. Hope you enjoyed my little mind tangent! J

Yours faithfully

Grace

Writer’s Block

by 9grace

Have you ever come up with a really brilliant idea! Like an amazing story topic or character.

Have you ever sat down to write it out and thought…”what was I doing again?”

Have you ever sat down to write something, started, and then completely forgotten where you were heading with your idea?

Have you ever gone to write something and just though, “…Ummm……?”

Well, I have. I have experienced all of those things and all of them more than once. In fact, so many people have experienced at least one of the above, that the experience itself has even been given a name – Writer’s Block.

I have writer’s block right now, well sort of… Not really, but I did. In the last 20 – 30 minutes, I have started three blog posts. One I deleted because I had no idea what I was even talking about anymore. The second was about future aspirations or something, I don’t really remember you see because for the last fifteen minutes, I have been sitting in front of another blank word document, trying to think of something else to write about.

I literally typed up blog post ideas in the Google search bar because I couldn’t think of anything. Actually, I did find one site – 101 Blog Post Ideas –  it has some pretty good ideas – just none I felt like writing about.

Anyway, I’m sure that, if you have ever experienced writers block, you will know how utterly, totally, completely infuriating it can be! It kind of makes you want to either forget about the task all together, or pull your hair out with exasperation.

I know it can be especially annoying when you are short on time; or you are only a few words under the required word count; or you haven’t had time to work on your homework until now because of all the crazy stuff going on in your life and hey, what do you know, homework is due tomorrow! Oops, totally not me…

Actually, I know a few things about writer’s block. I know it can sneak up and strike at the most unpredictable times. I also know that it’s favourite time to strike is when one is under a lot of pressure. This includes situations like writing essays, taking tests, writing letters, etc. Again, definitely not me!

One thing I don’t know is how to get rid of writer’s block. If anyone has the answer I would love to hear it, as I feel I/we/everyone could greatly benefit from the information!

Hopefully writer’s block will give me a bit of a break, and I will be able to write a more interesting post next week!

Yours faithfully,

Grace

 

 

 

Crazy Mind Tangents

by 9grace

You know those nights where you toss and turn and you just…can’t…get…to sleep! Then you start to go over all the things that have happened to you recently. Like how you totally could have won that card game if you weren’t so soft on the other players, or how you have that test first thing tomorrow morning, or “oh no! I forgot to do that art essay that I was supposed to do 2 days ago!!”

Yeah, I do that, and the next thing you know it’s…Oh My Gosh its 11:59 already!

So then, you try to tell yourself to go to sleep.

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But that doesn’t work, because you just end up spiralling into another tangent about something completely crazy!

I also do that. The other night my mind went off onto one of its mind tangents, I came up with the most insane notions.

Like, what if the whole world was the same temperature all the time. I mean, 25 degrees everywhere, all day, every day, forever!

For one, every continent would have the same climate. So, that would also mean that every continent has same flora and fauna, because the climate wouldn’t be right for anything else to survive! I mean, I think, if the plants and animals didn’t go through some rapid adaption, then we would literally lose at least 50% of them all because they wouldn’t have the right conditions to survive! There would be no polar ice-caps, no snow, no ice, no deserts, no tropical rainforests, everything would just be the same! Same animals, same plants! North America, same, Australia, same, Europe, exactly the same!

And then, what if you wanted to travel somewhere? The only reason you would really travel would be for work or lifestyle, or to see some famous building or visit a relative. Never for an adventure or an amazing nature journey! Never to see that wondrous animal in its natural habitat because you can see it in your own country. Can you imagine? “Oh hey I wonder what they have in that country, oh that’s right! Exactly the same as we have!”

Also, what would happen to the wind and sea breezes. They affect the temperature, right! But, winds are only caused by the change in air temperature, and the constant movement of warm and cold air. So, if there was no temperature change, then there wouldn’t be any wind, so there would be no temperature change!!

I went on like this for… I don’t know how long, but it was very late by the time I actually fell asleep.

So, that was my crazy mind tangent! This was actually really hard to write because I wasn’t sure which things to include, because you know when you’re thinking about something and your mindisjustgoingsofast that you trip over your own thoughts and you’re not really sure where to begin! I do that too.

Hopefully I am not the only one that does this…let me know in the comments!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed!

Yours faithfully,

Grace