"Very few people..."

"Very few people see with their eyes and think with their mind."

-Albert Einstein.

You know, I'm not even going to discuss this one. I'm just going to leave it here. Think for yourself.

"Need some silence from the loud"

"Need some silence from the loud,
Them noisy crowds."

-Imogen Heap

I just got back from a walk down to the salt marsh. It's a beautiful evening.
I walked along the boardwalk, then around the lake. I found a beautiful spot on a small peninsula of dirt and stuff that was jutting out into the lake. (See map above)
So I sat there...
I listened.
I could hear the pukekos across the lake from me pulling up roots to eat. I could hear their footsteps and their wings flapping. I could hear the birds singing in the trees, the swish of water as some ducks took off and the quacking of a couple who drifted lazily past me. The sky was so unbelievably blue, and the few clouds so unbelievably white. The trees were so many shades of green and the cold air cleansed all smells.
Then I actually listened.
I could hear cars on the road behind the trees. I could hear a baby crying, a phone ringing, and some idiotic kids screaming as their mother told them they could not buy an ice cream on the way home. I could hear the dogs (not a native NZ species) barking. I could hear an aeroplane going by. If I looked north instead of east, I could see a house. If I looked west, I could see houses on the hill, and if I stood, I could see houses to the east and the south over the trees and I could see the noisy road with cars swishing by. There was a Snickers bar wrapper embedded in the dirt about a metre south of my right foot.
All of those noises, I am so used to that I didn't notice them for several minutes.
I wish I could walk through the salt marsh and have it be completely isolated of human noise. I like the paths to walk on, but I wish it could at least be silent from what I am so trained to ignore.
I felt almost angry when I noticed these things. Now I feel a little sad, but calmer and less braindead than I did before I went out walking. Maybe I will visit that spot again; take a camera and a notebook next time.

"WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones."

"I know not with what weapons WWIII will be fought, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones."

- Albert Einstein

Have you ever thought how amazing technology is? We have so many things now. Today when I entered my Chemistry room (where I originally drafted this), a bright red fluffy feather was sitting on my desk. We are now able to produce a modified replica of a rare biological occurrence. We can get to the other side of the planet in a day (excluding stop-offs). 6000 years ago, that would have been only enough to walk 72km (assuming the human walking pace is 3km/h, ish). I mean, you are able to read this. Hell, most people reading this wouldn't even know me if it weren't for technology (♥ mah interwebz buds).

And I guess I don't even need to go into that much detail about the quote, but I will anyway. We all know about how technology has bought us guns, bombs, nuclear weapons. Sure, there is the Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, but treaties are mere paper. You can bet that if any one country/group fired their nukes, the rest would follow suit. (See End Of The World animation for a humourous take on this.)
Thus, nuclear winter, therefore, humanz go bewm (quite literally). Not only humans, but pretty much all life on Earth. Even if we survived, we'd be set back to the stone age.
Technology is still developing though. And it's pretty sure that WWIII will be big...
"War in our blood, some things never change." - Avenged Sevenfold

My conclusion can best be expressed by a quote from Arnold J Rimmer (Season 1, Ep 2): "Old Albo and I happen to agree on this one..."
WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones.

"It takes one to know one"

"It takes one to know one"

- Common saying
For the first time, I am actually disagreeing with the quote...
If you are one, then you will be able to see the similarities in another person who is also one. But, you will also be able to see the differences in what you are, and what the other person is.
For example: I am pretty sure that anyone reading my blog will not be a goth. But you know what a goth is, right? You do? Takes one to know one, therefore you are a goth.
Another cliché that people repeat without thinking about it.

I wrote the above in Geography. Another thought below:
Gays are environmentally friendly. Logically thinking... The world has an overpopulation problem. Gay couples cannot reproduce, so they may adopt an orphan. Not reproducing prevents adding to the overpopulation problem and adopting is almost like recycling a child.
Just a random thought... :3

"He who makes a beast out of himself..."

"He who makes a beast out of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man."

-Samuel Johnson

So, I would like to start by saying "Ohai Blog-la, long teim no see :3 :3", and then continue on a more serious note.
Firstly; leave whatever spiteful anonymous comment you like, I don't care, this is my little corner of the internet and I am who I am and Mr Farthing said they would never change the teacher because of this anyway. What a beast, finally speaking my mind...

Now, on with the quote:
Humans have far more standards than animals. Silly moral codes like not wearing a hat indoors. We are no longer creatures of instinct, and those who are, like the rapists and the murderers, are behind bars. Makes things safer, right? And they should stay there (: But logically...
Once upon a time, there was a monkey called Priscilla. Priscilla lived a happy life, swinging around in the ruins of an ancient South American civilisation. Life was good for the monkeys of her tribe. Food was plentiful, and as the alpha female, she could have nearly whatever she wanted. Sure, it may have sucked for Verionica when Priscilla took her lovely juicey fruit that she'd just found for her baby Jim, but that's the way things worked. The squabbling was for survival, and none of the monkeys were hurt in the long term. Then one day, it was mating season; all of the monkeys loved this time of year. Priscilla was walking along the top of the ruins, staring at the other monkeys below. Priscilla was about to jump down, when suddenly another monkey pounced on her from behind. This male was a stranger! He didn't belong to her tribe, he smelt wrong! He couldn't just take the alpha female like that! D: Priscilla screeched and struggled, but all of the other monkeys ignored her. 6 months later, Priscilla gave birth to a baby Bob, who she loved and cared for, despite the unwanted seed from the unwanted male. They all grew up and lived happily ever after.

Now, let's translate this to a human society:

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Priscilla. Priscilla lived a happy life, working in a clothing shop with her college roommate. Life was good for her and her roommate. They could buy nearly any luxury items they needed, and attend parties every weekend. Sure, it may have sucked for her roommate when Priscilla took her lovely juicey fruit that she'd just bought for her dietary needs, but that's the way things worked. The squabbling was like it was between all roommates, and neither of them were hurt in the long term. Then one day, Priscilla was at a party; she loved parties. Priscilla was standing near the edge of the party, staring at the other partygoers. Priscilla was about to walk over and join them, when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind. This male was a stranger! He smelt like alcohol! He couldn't just do that to her like that! D: Priscilla screeched and struggled, but he was too strong and nobody heard her above the music. 6 months later, after her abortion, Priscilla testified against her attacker in court, and he was given a $200,000 fine and sent to prison for 18 months.

Aren't humans strange? If someone acts on their basic instincts, they are declared a danger to others. Monkeys? Fact of life. "He who makes a beast out of himself..." Most "wrongdoers" are generally classed as insane: "There has to be something wrong with them to act that way"; "Who in their right mind would do that?"; "That poor girl!". Don't you think it must be easier, somewhat, to actually be clinically insane? Everyone is so tied to their morals, everyone is so hurt by what others think and what others do and what they should do, that it's almost painful to belong to this species. But those who are clinically insane are comparable to beasts... Thus, the quote holds true: "He who makes a beast out of himself, gets rid of the pain of being a man". While, this may have been originally talking about gambling in Las Vegas, I think it applies in my context too.

So... This is a really long rambling blog. I'm not justifying the acts of these beastly individuals, by any means, but there are undeniable similarities between those people and between animals. There is another quote from Scream, by Avenged Sevenfold; "It's the way we're built, don't point the blame on me". But... Yeah... All I am really trying to say is that the theme quote holds true...
Another point: Celine once said that humans aren't allowed to be close like animals anymore. You ever seen two pets, (perhaps mice :3), curled up together, fast asleep? If anyone did that in our society, there'd have to be a romantic relationship going on between them. They couldn't be just friends, ohhh no... >.> Celine has a double bed and we'll bloody well snug if it's cold and I sleep over, damnit! :P

And on that note, goodnight. Sorry for the half ramble, can't really get my head together. But now, we're at least back on my irregular blogging schedule, instead of abstaining for... For... For no good reason.
Goodnight ^u^

"I may not be worthy in your eyes..."

"I may not be perfect,
But I've always been true.
I may not be worthy in your eyes.
Climb up from the bottom
For the last time."

-Avenged Sevenfold

My name is Bec and I like fruit and yogurt and metal that doesn't scream, and I love my mouse and I like black and I like to write and I'm sorry for having an opinion. My name is Bec and I have friends on the internet who I love just as dearly as my few friends not on the internet. I type really quickly and my head buzzes too much and sometimes I wish I could stop thinking. My name is Bec and this blog is going undercover and fish tastes bad but I guess that might just be my opinion again 'cause I ate fish just before I got really sick when I was three, so I might just be crazy and have psychological problems with it. My name is Bec and this is over for now.

Terminated.

"For the sake of peace and quiet..."

"Never, 'for the sake of peace and quiet,' deny your own experience or convictions."

-Dag Hammarskjold
So, it all got resolved :)
Celine and I got pulled out of second period today to talk to Mr Farthing, and he said that we are not going to get a new teacher *cheer!* but that he will talk to Mr Simpson about his teaching methods. I think this is a reasonable solution, so I am happy :)
Mr Farthing is funny though... Just so oblivious... "Now, Celine I thi- Celine! I always loved that name! If I had had a fifth daughter, I would have named her Celine. I was getting a bit creative when we got to the fourth, she is actually called Irena, but I just love Celine as a name!" He says 'actually' a lot. And gushes. Lol... "Oh! A finer arts degree in glass, well that is unusual! Actually, I have always loved... Blah blah blah Ololwut?" "An architect! You know, my two regrets in life are actually, one, not learning to fly (Oh thank God he didn't!) and actually, two, not taking Graphics when I was at school. Graphics wasn't even offered to me but I have always loved interior design! Not just art, I just love designing rooms! If I could live my life again, I would have been an interior designer... Blah blah blah Ololwut?"
Mr Farthing means well, but he's a bit oblivious and gets a bit off-track. Hehe. By the way, Mr Farthing is the Deputy Principal for our year. Just to clear things up.
Anyway, revision time now, I have practice exams in three weeks. Have a lovely evening, everyone! :3

"In war, truth is the first casualty."

"In war, truth is the first casualty."

-Aeschylus

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter in response to my classmates’ petition regarding Mr Simpson’s continuation as our 11SCALC teacher. I strongly object to this petition and believe that many of the points they make are mere rebuttals for arguments supporting Mr Simpson or simply down to their own perception of various events. I do not think that this petition has been executed in the manner in which it should have been done and they have failed to take into account the impact a change of teacher could have on our learning.

My first issue with this petition is the manner in which it is executed. Although the founding group first consulted Mr Farthing about the planning of such a document, they did not handle the actual signing of it as professionally as they should have. Even though the document was handed around at an appropriate time, and prepared legitimately beforehand, I feel that they should have asked more people for opinions rather than springing it onto us, mostly unannounced during our Physics lesson in Period 3 on the 13th of May. In presenting it in this manner, they did not give people the proper time to form opinions on the issue. Another thing I object to is the peer pressure involved in signing it. Despite the document being handed innocently around the class at first, they persistently took it around to people who had not signed, and the overall atmosphere of the thing made it feel as if signing was not optional. I am fairly sure that many people signed just because they felt pressured to by the rest of the class. I am not overly certain as to whether or not Celine and I will become outcasts from the group after taking an opposite side on the argument.

However, the main problem I have with this is the points that they have prepared against Mr Simpson, which are (basically) as follows:
· They are accustomed to getting Merit or Excellence and are now getting lower marks.
· There is little structure to the lessons and reasons behind their learning.
· Limited notes.
· They feel as if anything they passed was using last year’s knowledge.
· “Personal comments belittle [them]”.
· The test results and mistakes are not “walked through” afterward.
· Need to be taught the basics.
· Spend weeks covering material they already know.
· He does not consult them on their progress.

Firstly, these points are contradictory. They claim that he spends weeks on things they already know, but does not teach them the basics.
Secondly, these “personal comments” are not things to be taken seriously. Mr Simpson does not seem to be the malicious kind of person who would deliberately make “belittling” comments. This point is more to do with these people’s perception of the events. For example; he once said, “You cannot say in your evaluation that it did not work ‘because Piers is a dick’.” However, it was obvious that he did not mean this as a personal insult to Piers or anyone else, and he followed up with the statement “Not Piers, of course, but someone once wrote something along those lines and failed.”

But their main point of argument seems to be that the lessons do not have as much structure as they would like. Apparently, we are not told what we are going to learn each lesson; but we had a yearly plan given to us at the start of Term One and the main points for each lesson are usually written up on the whiteboard for us to see and take down. The point about our lessons having little structure is true: Mr Simpson is so passionate about his subject that he sometimes goes off on a tangent and starts talking about some other area of Physics. However, when it comes to really important or basic things, he will tell us to copy it down – He will write the basic formulas up on the board, and he will tell us enough for us to create our own set of notes. He gives us enough worksheets and activities for us to become certain on how things work, and the fact that he is “unapproachable” is merely down to people’s perception, help is there if the task is not understood. If the unit requires a specific set of notes, they will be provided, and any other notes we need, we could easily make ourselves from our worksheets or his lecture.

I feel that the problem my classmates have with Mr Simpson is that he does not teach in the way that they are accustomed to; instead he teaches in a way that requires intelligence and initiative, almost in the style of a university lecturer. One of the main reasons that we have made it into the Otumoetai College Advanced Learners Program is because we are supposedly independent and adaptive learners; a point which has become clear over the past three years. If these people are unable to adapt now when they still have the structure and support of high school around them, how will they possibly adapt to the university environment when they are on their own, and quite possibly from home? In Mr Simpson’s classes, you are required to pay attention and to work: If you are too distracted by your friends to be learning to the best of your ability, you will receive several warnings and then be moved away from the distraction. The founders of the petition mostly seem to be from the group of friends that is often warned about not paying attention in class.

Lastly, the main problem I have is not even with some of the points on the petition being contradictive or invalid; it is about the change we, as a class will go through. After this petition, things will never be the same again. It is quite possible that objectors to the petition will be outcast, which is a risk I am willing to take for standing up for what I believe is right. If we change teachers now, at this late point in the year, right before our first set of practice assessments, our learning will be greatly impacted. Another thing: Replacing Mr Simpson is a huge gamble. Mr Simpson has obviously been selected for this job for a reason, and what is to say that any other teacher available to replace him is capable of doing a better job? If this petition goes through, all that may happen is a very spoilt, self-righteous class who still isn’t learning! Mrs Lee teaches us Biology and Chemistry in much the same manner, and although we may have to take less initiative in class, her treatment of us is much the same. If we are replacing Mr Simpson because he is not perfect, why don’t we replace every other teacher we dislike as well? We should be grateful to have the opportunities offered by the AL program and not always be looking for more. There is also Mr Simpson himself to think about. A change like this could have a huge negative impact on his career.

In summary, I disagree with this petition because I feel the arguments being made against Mr Simpson are unjustified and the petition was not executed in the professional manner in which it should have been done. I feel that this difference in the style in which we are being taught will do us good in the long run and it is up to the individual to overcome any difficulties they may be having. We cannot always have perfect teachers, and it is almost selfish to replace a teacher, especially because of the negative impact it could have on their career. Mr Simpson is a good man with a passion for Physics and its teachings. Let us allow it to remain that way.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Hurford.



It's war... *sigh* ._.

"I like the word 'indolence...'"

"I like the word 'indolence.' It makes my laziness seem classy".

-Bern Williams
That's pretty much summing up at the moment. I have a static image to do, but I am telling myself that I can't make a mess because of the open home on Sunday (Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.-Quentin Crisp)I have a whole chapter of chemistry to do, several exercises for maths and two reading logs. But meh.
On another note, I have been thinking about language... It's a crazy thing really... We press buttons that make scribbles that represent noises that represent ideas. I love writing with pen and paper, because it is magical how my wiggling hand makes my own personalised scribbles that represent my own personalised noises that represent ideas. It's kind of awesome when you think about it. When looking for the title quote, I found a few other ones that I quite liked too:
English is a funny language; that explains why we park our car on the driveway and drive our car on the parkway. ~Author Unknown
It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water. ~Franklin P. Jones
At no time is freedom of speech more precious than when a man hits his thumb with a hammer. ~Marshall Lumsden
Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery. ~Mark Amidon
Our language is funny - a fat chance and slim chance are the same thing. ~J. Gustav White
The word "good" has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man. ~G.K. Chesterton
Anyway, enough language quotes. I don't feel like going into anything deep today. I iz hazza indolence. Here is the link for the page I got the quotes from.
On another note, I recently lost my pencil after which this blog is named. And the headphones broke. I need to draw up a new banner.

"When you say nothing at all..."

"The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all"

~When You Say Nothing at All- Overstreet and Schlitz

I have little to say today. I haven't blogged in awhile. No dazzling new ideas for you.
I am typing this one-handed. Choco is sitting in the other. I think she might be dying. She is so cold and skinny. She is very very ill. She is 2 years and 5 months old. That is a long time for a mouse to live. She is in pain. I can't help her. I don't want her to be in pain any more, but I don't want her to leave me. I wish she could get better and live forever and ever and be happily ever after. But it isn't going to happen. Why is the fact that there are no happily ever afters so hard to accept? It is foolish even to hope.
I am going to go and see if Choc will eat or drink anything. I don't know when I'll blog again.

"A piece of a dream-world..."

"Love is an attempt to change a piece
of a dream-world into reality."

-Henry David Thoreau
Some people have a gossamer web of logic to put over the big black box of life. Others have just enough white paint to make the smallest, most beautiful picture on an unseen part of the box. The rest? They're not artists and cannot weave. Those people sit and wish, wish for the box to be white. Until they fall for another, one who teaches them to paint or to weave. And in return, the wisher teaches them to dream.

"In the sky..."

"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true."

-Bhudda
MEDCs... LEDCs... More Economically Developed Countries... Less Economically developed countries... More or less than what? There is no average anymore. We don't even count those countries like China, who are on the verge of becoming MEDCs as AEDCs. Average Economically Developed Country is not even a term in human knowledge. We still call the AEDCs LEDCs because we refuse to admit that other places may be as good as us. Humans have to turn everything into a case of Us and Them. Why can't there be a middle? Why can't it just be Everyone, with a few common thoughts not shared by all?
---------------------------------------
If you look inside yourself too much, you don't see what's happening with others and can't protect yourself. If you look outside yourself too much, you forget yourself and can't keep control of your actions. Some people don't even look. I have seen all of those. Balance is best. But balance is like standing barefoot on a needle. Sometimes I'm so down-to-Earth, I can't even see the sky.

"A brief candle..."

A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last.

-Charlie Daniels
-------------
Every death creates an empty inside us where they used to be. After two, they clump together to make one big empty. When a new one comes, the shock of the new empty, on it's own hurts for awhile. But after time it moves into the big empty. It's still there, dully, it never goes away, but the hurt becomes less sharp and our minds can slip free for awhile. Inside the empty, there are these little dark wisps of doubt. The stray thoughts that speculate on who is to blame. They are gaseous, but when you get enough, the pressure causes them to condense into a horrible, corrosive tar in the bottom of the empty. It eats away at you, makes the empty bigger.
-------------
Ziggy; wherever you go, may the higher powers smile on you. And if there is nothing, may the darkness be a blessed relief from the pain.
X ycph lcz... Qcjphj bsm gphj. Bygbln.

"Why should I tell the truth?"

"Reality is bad enough. Why should I tell the truth?"

-Patrick Sky
I haven't blogged in awhile, I know. But I have not had many thoughts worth blogging that I am willing to share, or those I have have not been enough to sustain a decent amount. But now I feel is the time where I have to do something, or I will never be able to start again. So here is tonight's thought, coming in the form of a cleaned-up MSN conversation with a close friend of mine:
Bec says:
*clings to last battered, torn, and blackened shred of hope*
A Friend says:
lol
Bec says:
I spose thats all we can ever do really...
A Friend says:
yer truth
Bec says:
And we can pretend to deny truths, because that moment when you forget the pretence is a pretence hurts just so much less than the pretending itself.
A Friend says:
ok im lost
Bec says:
If the truth of our life is harsh, we can pretend to not know the truth. And pretending we don't know the truth hurts, but the moment when we actually believe our pretending is real makes the extra hurt of pretending worth it.
-------------
And I suppose that even if we don't lie to ourselves, the lying to others with a totally happy face and not a care in the world helps lessen the weight of our truths upon our shoulders. And if you want me to elaborate in this, turn to the title. If I wanted to share any truths, I would have done so long ago.

"Feelings are not supposed to be logical"

“Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions.”

-David Borenstein
You know, I think it's time to get my views straight on some things. I have been working on that with a few of my blogs, like the whole ugly vs beautiful/evil vs good one. So I thought today I'd do one on emotion.
Emotion. Big word, although it contains so few letters. We all know what feelings are, so I will skip that part. This blog is more about dealing with emotions. We all do it differently. Me? I can control them, pretty much. And I can control them by finding the root. There is not one emotion in me that I cannot find the root of. And knowing that, doesn't it make me seem so much less emotional than everyone else? I'm not really. I just know where they come from so I have better control of how I portray them. So, in a way, I guess that makes my feelings logical. If I cannot find the root, then I should not be feeling it. So then... It's hard to say... I refuse to feel it? I don't know. But I know that if I cannot find the root, I stop feeling it, because there is no reason to.
"Dangerous is the man who has rationalised his emotions." Maybe so. Take Conor, for example. From Bloodtide. He has rationalised his emotions. He uses his love of Signy to deceive her in the great betrayal. "All his life he had been able to hold his feelings deep inside himself, like tiny fish frozen in the icy tightness of his heart... and now it served him beautifully and horribly in his deception of Signy. So deeply and tightly had he frozen his feelings, he had no idea what they were." Doesn't that make Conor a dangerous man? It means he has no compassion, no idea how to protect what he loves. "He didn't know it, but Conor was breaking his own heart first of all." Conor has rationalised his emotions almost to the point of insanity. I rationalise my emotions too. Does that make me dangerous? I don't know. I haven't really hidden them as deeply as his, I can still feel.
But do you ever wonder whether it is better be able to feel sadness than nothing at all? Without sadness, you cannot know happiness. Without trust, you cannot know betrayal. But what would it be like to have no emotion at all? It would probably feel like sadness, to a person who has had emotions before. But if you grew up with no emotions, if you were born emotionless, and died emotionless, how would it feel? Imagine, a life without sadness, or anger, or feelings of betrayal. Wouldn't it be nice? Imagine, a life without happiness, or love, or feelings of trust. Wouldn't it be horrible? Maybe that's what rationalising emotions is... Having none that are real, because by rationalising them too much, you control them completely. Which makes you a dangerous person. But... I can do that... I can rationalise my emotions. I can't make ones I have reason for go away, but I can make those I don't leave me alone and I can prevent showing those which are real. I... Am I dangerous? Theory says I am... I guess that if I did do bad things because of emotion rationalisation, that would provoke uncontrollable bad emotions. So I do not think I am dangerous... Who knows?

"The mind is like a parachute"

"The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open."

-Frank Zappa
So. D'you like today's quote? Isn't it true? Lots of people say that I am the only one who understands them. That's not really true though. I may not understand them better than anyone else- My mind is just open to any possibility. Just because I don't work like that, it doesn't mean others don't. Just because my family isn't like that, doesn't mean others' can't be. And I find that principle serves me well. I have many friends and hardly ever get into fights, in fact, I cannot remember the last time I had a falling-out with someone... Wait... I think it was that Chloe girl in Year 8. She spent all her time being difficult, asking me for help, so I did, then she totally attacked me for it. So, that was no fault of mine, I had hung on through thin ice for quite some months.
Open-mindedness is good. Not just the ability to accept others, but the ability to put your own wants and emotions aside to solve the problem. If I have to make a decision that will hurt at least one person, no matter what, I will choose what is best for the most amount of people in the long run. Because, it doesn't really matter what I want- As soon as I make a decision that hurts someone, I get hurt anyway. So why not choose what is best for most people? And it's a mere bonus if my decision is good for me. So many people can't see that ._.
It is good to be open minded at all! Even if all you have the ability to do is recognise how your bad mood will affect others then pretend to be happy for their sake :):)
"The mind is like a parachute- It doesn't work unless it is open" That quote can be dissected more literally too. If your parachute isn't open, you will fall to your death. If your mind isn't open, you cannot take anything new on board. Isn't that kind of a death in itself?
So, moral of this blog: Open-mindedness is good. Put emotions in the back corner when making decisions that affect others. Put yourself in different perspectives. A closed mind is a death in itself, much like a closed parachute. If you think I am talking crap, or trying to force my opinion upon you, what does that say about your mind?
My mind is like a parachute- It is working because it is open.

"When we know beauty, we know ugliness."

When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,
There arises the recognition of ugliness.
When they all know the good as good,
There arises the recognition of evil.

-Lao-tzu
Well. I know what this post was originally going to be about, before I started googling for that quote that I saw in a book once. It was originally going to be about my teeth. Yes. Very exciting.
Well. I am going to be getting braces around February/March time. I know my teeth don't look too bad, I hardly notice them myself anymore. But they are terribly crooked. The braces are more to improve the functionality than the aestheticism. So yeah, I thought I'd blog about that, but I can now see that it's kind of pathetic in the wake of the quote I was looking for to head it up.
So. Back to the quote. "When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,
There arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good,
There arises the recognition of evil." Opposites are purely a human invention, aren't they? John Marsden touches on this in his Tomorrow series, which are fantastic by the way, you should read them. "Nature knows no opposites." He says. And isn't it true? To use his example, if a dragonfly is eating a mosquito, he is simply surviving, filling his belly so he can live a bit longer. He is unaware of the mosquito's suffering as he fights for his life and is devoured painfully bit by bit. We would call the dragonfly evil because he is doing that to the mosquito. But are people who kill accidentally evil? The dragonfly is doing the same thing. He is just eating. Are we evil because we kill plants and animals to survive? "When they all know good as good, There arises the recognition of evil"
What about beauty? "When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, There arises the recognition of ugliness." Isn't this also true? If we all looked the same, we would not recognise either in people, I don't think. But because we recognise these stick-thin models as beautiful, we recognise those healthy-sized, vibrant women as ugly. Because our recognition of beauty is becoming increasingly narrower, how long will it be until we consider the whole human race as ugly? Cast aside this image, look at it honestly- Are they really ugly, or do they just differ from the media-recognised image of beauty?

"A good essay should be dripping with quotations"

-Mr Shefford (My 2009 English teacher)
So, here is my plan for this blog. I want each title to be a quote. Each post to revolve around the idea of the quote. That way I can stay on subject and not go off on one... Like Mr Shefford says: "If you don't quote, you won't achieve! To get excellence you have to know your text, know your quotes. A good essay should be dripping with quotations." And a good blog should not ramble and stick to the topic of the quote.
I quite like blogging, which surprises me, much like it surprised Jared. Heheh. If you guys get blogs, I'll read them for you :D:D It's quite nice tapping away here, being able to follow a train of thought without having to accomplish anything. My quote idea is more for direction and to keep me from following my train of thought off the edge of the cliff and into insane boredom. And on that note, here is where I sign off. "A good essay should be dripping with quotations." And a good blog should not ramble and stick to the topic of the quote.

"Argument is the worst sort of conversation."

"Argument is the worst sort of conversation."

-Jonathan Swift
This has been bothering me. I am sure you are all aware of the war in Bat Country. I have seen the argument presented, from live commentary over microphone, to long sections of MSN conversations, to opinions trying to win me over. And you know what? At the risk of incurring your wrath, I am creating a new side altogether. Don't take this as me wanting to be exiled- that is the last thing I want. But here is my honest opinion: On the Aprille part: They are all taking the internet too seriously. However, Aprille is not taking it seriously enough. She forgets that there are real people on the other end of that IM window, and they all forget that she does that. So, it escalates. Argument is the worst sort of conversation. On the Justin part: A misunderstanding over a joke in bad taste has escalated. People refuse to put their emotions aside to look honestly at what is happening. Feel free to tell me if I have misunderstood- But please, tell me as if it is you who is standing in the middle, confused and being tugged from both sides.
And, if I can be honest some more- The threats being given here are way out of line. I think you should give your opinions, choose logically and then let that be the end of it.
There. That's enough from me. Now please don't exile me for this. I want no part in the argument. My suggestions above are my interpretation of what has happened and what I think would be best. I take no side in this and will continue to converse with all parties, unless they give me reason not to do so. Please let this end soon. It saddens me. Argument is the worst sort of conversation.

"I get by with a little help from my friends."

-John Lennon
I do. Although I seldom need to lean on anyone. They get by with help from me. But it seems lately, it is more the latter than the first. So I thought, here is an experiment, let's wait for them to call me. It's always the other way around. And, it kind of worked. Celine called me. But I was in Wellington that week, isn't that typical? Ha. But, she did text me, at least she had conviction :) But Nicki... I called her earlier in the holidays, she said she was busy, so I told her to call me back whenever. She still hasn't, I called her shortly after New Year. Now Dad says today he wants me to call a friend. I want to see Nicki, but am torn between breaking my resolution or keeping to it and weakening the friendship. *sigh* Never mind. I will call Nicki later. She's probably in Auckland anyway, heh. I'll wait for a bit longer to make sure everyone in her house is awake though...

"A brand new cliché"

"And the weirdest thing about a mind
Is that every answer that you find
Is the basis of a brand new cliché."

-Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin may be funny, but he has some good ideas. And isn't it true? How often do I repeat myself? I have clichés that only I use. But that is otay, because they are my clichés. My favourite is: Being weird is more fun than being normal. Doesn't it just sum me up? I feel that in my first proper post I should be finding something deep to say, and I am trying, I really am, but I keep getting distracted. By my hair tickling my cheek, my fan making me shiver, my friends sending me messages. So I reply, run my fingers through my hair again, straighten up and try to continue. Let's go back to my quote. "Every answer that you find" Answers to yourself. They become the clichés. Because when you understand something you can answer people's questions on yourself. And there are only finite answers to give, so, it becomes 'the basis of [your] brand new cliché'. And now, I can feel I have accomplished my goal. I can run my fingers through my hair, reply to my messages and sign off this post feeling like I have accomplished something. But yet, I still feel something is missing. But, I cannot find my answers yet. Maybe I'll give you my clichés in the next post...

Is this the start of something wonderful?

Will this be meditation? Will I bear to drag my thoughts out of my head? Will people care or will it be just for me? Will this be deep, or will it be shallow? Will it become a replica of my other site or be an original all of it's own? Will it be creative, or really rather dull? Will it be like me? Ever-changing, brightly-shining? Is this the start of something wonderful?