Don't be a Phony

If you get one thing out of this post it is this (three guesses for what it is): don't be a phony. I can not make this any clearer. No one likes a phony. While you have friends who do not know the real you then you do not really have any friends because they like the version of you that you let them see, not the real you. Also, once they find out who you really are they may no longer be your friends as they feel betrayed that you lied to them for so long. However, as I said before, be they your friends or not, no one likes a phony.

As a high school student I have known and still know a lot of phonies. Of course, you might be asking yourselves "Luke, how do you know they're phonies?" Though really I know you're not thinking that but for the sake of the argument, you are. You can easily tell a phony when you notice that they are actually two separate people. I'm not talking about clones, I'm talking about them being different people when they are with their 'friends' and when they are talking to you. This is really annoying because you have to ask yourself which one is real? Some of the nicest people you will talk to can be total dicks (if you'll pardon my anatomy) when they are around their 'friends'. I put the 'friends' in quotation marks because can you really call them your friends if they do not actually know the real person? That is actually an important question. Another is how much can you really trust someone who is not able to even be themselves? That is why my message to all you phonies out there is to stop. Seriously, take a look at yourself and finally be true to who you are.

Sorry for the short post, see you soon.

Holidays Are Here!

Yes, what has seemed to me as the shortest term ever (when really it was just a regularly sized one) the holidays are here! This means many things including catching up on sleep, finishing homework and just relaxing and recovering from a busy term. For me however, these holidays hold an even deeper meaning as they are the holidays when I finally go on my long-awaited (and nerve-racking) trip to Kokoda! I am yet to start writing the posts that will appear when I am away but as I have finished all my homework (after several days of consistently long hours of work) I have time now to do that sort of thing. These holidays also mean for me to get back into the swing of things with this blog. Sure I may have been super busy but there were days when I was not and I just put off writing these posts. Now I am getting back into the swing of things and it is great! Anyway, on with the week that was.

Source: http://www.giantsacademy.com.au/details.php?p_id=1221

I feel like it has been ages since I have written one of these segments (probably because it has been) but anyway, it feels great to be back into the swing of things again! My holidays started on the Friday night with me getting my final vaccinations for Kokoda. For those of you who want to know what they are you will have to wait until one of the posts that is scheduled to be released when I am away in Kokoda. It then continued with an ordinary Saturday (music, shopping etc etc) followed by a Sunday where I managed to start some of my Methods. I say some as I did not really get much work done until I started doing a lot of work on Tuesday. Monday was a good day though when I went to see Captain America : the Winter Soldier with my friends which was awesome by the way! It was a lot better than the first Captain America movie and now I can not wait for Avengers 2 when it comes out! It was also great to catch up with some friends, many of who I probably will not see until I leave for Kokoda though I am going out with some of them the day before I leave but anyway. I finally got a lot of my Methods done on Tuesday where I finished all my Methods work including some extra work so that when I came back I had time to recover after Kokoda instead of having to catch up on what I missed. Wednesday was another really fun day where I went with Mum to visit my grandmother (on Mum's side) and also see my cousin where we went to see the Lego Movie. In a sentence: everything is AWESOME!! I posted a review of that yesterday if you want to scroll down and check that out after this post. When I got back though I continued on with my Legal Studies assignment which is due when I return. I spent a lot of time on that on Wednesday night before spending the same amount of time on that yesterday (Thursday) before finishing it. I then did my Physics and was finished by 4pm which was great because then we went to visit my grandmother again and we had a family dinner at her place. Now it feels great as I have all my homework done and I have 6 more relaxing sleeps to look forward to before Kokoda. It feels great not to have anything holding you back now which is why I really want to get the Kokoda posts written soon so I am aiming to get a few done today and then finish the rest over the next few days. Wow, it really has been an interesting week.

I hope I can keep these consecutive posts going! See you tomorrow.

The Random Questions Continue

I think I have finally come up with a segment idea for Mondays and do not worry, it is not about random questions. Since Monday nights are really busy for me as I have CFA as well as homework I thought that I needed something easy to do that would not interfere with any of that. My first thought was a No-Post Monday segment where Mondays would be a no-post day but, however, I decided against that idea. Instead, I am going to have a "Catch-Up Monday" segment. This segment summarises the posts of the previous week with links to the different ones so that you can catch up on anything you actually might want to read. It will also be shorter so you do not have to worry about taking a while reading it. I am going to start this segment next week and, as promised, am going to finish the rest of the random questions from last week. Click here for last week's questions and answers.

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20120717/ten-questions-for-new-yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-this-wont-hurt-a-bit-okay-just-a-little/

51. Have you ever won a trophy?
Yeah, I have won a few actually. I won a few through different Spelling Bees (I used to be quite the speller, emphasis on 'used to be'), some through school and others outside of school.

52. Are you a good cook?
Not really. I can cook some things but other things I also freak out about and over-think. Even simple things like 2-minute noodles took a while as I never quite understood what it meant by "bring to the boil". I mean, when is enough bubbles enough bubbles?

53. Do you know how to pump your own gas?
This is clearly an American questionnaire. Anyway, I do not have my driver's license yet but I do have my learner's. However, I still do not know how to fill up the petrol tank properly.

54. If you could meet any one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?
I think I would like to meet Tina Fey in person as she just seems like such a funny person. I feel like I already answered a question with "Tina Fey" as the answer last week but, anyway.

55. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school?
Yeah, this is definitely American. In Australia, it is weird to have a school without a uniform so yeah, I have worn a uniform to school.

56. Do you touch-type?
Please, I am way past touch-type. I get enough practice from writing these posts every day.

57. What's under your bed?
Under my bed there is a chest of drawers, an exercise ball, an old piano stool, a CD player and a lot of other random junk.

58. Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do not actually know. For some people it may be possible in some weird circumstances but I really do not know.

59. Think fast, what do you like right now?
Lady Gaga. That was the first thing that came into my head. Probably because the last thing I saw on Facebook before I started writing this post was a picture of her.

60. Where were you on Valentine's Day?
Home, writing a blog post most likely.

61. What time do you get up?
I normally wake up at 7am on a school day or 6:30 when I have to get my own way to school. On a weekend it depends on what I am doing as to when I wake up.

62. What was the name of your first pet?
Ginger, he was our cat. His colour was ginger. My dog's name is Sandy, he is a sandy colour. We are very creative people.

63. Who is the second last person to call you?
One of my friends, her name is Heidi.

64. Is there anything going on this weekend?
I have music as usual on Saturday and than hiking on Sunday as part of training for Kokoda. I do not know if I am doing anything else.

65. How are you feeling right now?
Well, I have a runny nose that will not stop but apart from that I am pretty happy.

66. What do you think about the most?
Probably school work and what I have in terms of homework and classes. I do not really keep track of what I am thinking and for how long so I would not really know.

67. What time do you get up in the morning?
This is the same question as earlier just with another word at the end. If you want another answer, just look back.

68. If you had A Big Win in the Lottery, how long would you wait to tell people?
I am pretty sure that I would yell out in celebration and then, if no one was around, probably call  my parents or one of my friends and tell them the exciting news. Now I think about it, I may have just sent a quick group text to everyone on my contacts list before I call anyone.

69. Who would you tell first?
Probably my parents, then my friends.

70. What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema?
That would probably be Frozen.

71. Do you sing in the shower?
Who does not?

72. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Who knows, probably somewhere like Big W or something where I could get a lot of things all in the one place. I know, I am such a cultured person. You do not need to tell me, I know.

73. What do you do most when you are bored?
Go on Facebook or YouTube.

74. What do you do for a living?
I am a student, I learn for a living.

75. Do you love your job?
I like school, if that could count for this question.

76. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I either want to be a Civil Engineer or a Lawyer. Even a career in IT would not be too bad.

77. If you could have any job, what would you want to do/be?
I do not know, I am still young. The answer is probably the same as above.

78. Which came first the chicken or the egg?
A circle has no beginning.

79. How many keys on your key ring?
Just two keys.

80. Where would you retire to?
Maybe Phillip Island or somewhere beautiful in the Mountains.

81. What kind of car do you drive?
I do not have a license.

82. What are your best physical features?
I just love myself so much it is hard to choose just one. Do not worry, I am just joking.

83. What are your best characteristics?
I do not like answering these sort of questions, they are more questions for other people.

84. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
Paris

85. What kind of books do you like to read?
Mostly those set in dystopian futures, I really like some of those stories.

86. Where would you want to retire to?
This is the same as question 80, look above.

87. What is your favourite time of day?
Night time when I can finally go to sleep.

88. Where did you grow up?
In my home-town of Werribee.

89. How far away from your birthplace do you live now?
Well, I was born in Williamstown Hospital which is a thirty minute drive away so I guess that would count?

90. What are you reading now?
Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose for Literature

91. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I am not actually sure. I like the night better than the morning but I still get grumpy when I am tired either way.

92. Can you touch your nose with your tongue.
I must look really weird right now but no, I can not.

93. Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows?
Now I look really weird but yes.

94. Do you have pets?
I have a dog named Sandy and two chickens.

95. How many rings before you answer the phone?
It depends on how long it takes for me to answer. I try to answer as quickly as possible but it depends on where it is.

96. What is your best childhood memory?
From when I was still in the single-digits it would have to be a family holiday to the Gold Coast.

97. What are some of the different jobs that you have had in your life?
Student, son and that is all.

98. Any new and exciting things that you would like to share?
Not really, you already know all about Kokoda.

99. What is most important in life?
Friends, Family and Happiness I think.

100. What inspires you?
People who try hard and fight through their difficulties and barriers to show that anything is possible.

That is all the random-ness I have for now so if you want more random you should probably check out my "Random Thought Saturday" posts. See you tomorrow!

A Productive Day but a Short Post

Today was actually a really good day and despite going out with friends for most of the day I still got a lot done. Let us start at the beginning. I had to be at Footscray station by 10:30 to meet up with friends so I caught the 9:50 train from Werribee which was set to get me there with time to spare. However, as the train arrived at Newport they made everyone get off because the train was defective. This meant waiting a few minutes to get a replacement train so I only managed to get to Footscray just on time, if not a little late. After this we went to get Pho (vietnamese noodle soup) and I embarrassed myself with chopsticks, then spoons (yes, plural) before my amazing friend had enough entertainment and went to get me a fork. After this we rushed into Melbourne Central to see Catching Fire in Hoyts Xtreme Screen. Luckily we prebooked tickets so we had the best seats. After the movie we walked around a bit before going our separate ways. This is when I went christmas shopping and bought everything I needed for my family.

All in all, it was a great and productive day. See you tomorrow!

Did you really just say that?

Do you know those times when you are talking to someone and they say something and you are taken off guard? Or when you scroll through your Social Networks and see something that someone posted and have to ask yourself "why?" If you have experienced that then the best you can do is know that you are not alone. Statistics (that I just made up) show that at any one moment there is a 97% chance that one or more people are thinking this. Sometimes I think it when I see studies like this. Some people are amazed at the findings. I am just amazed that someone was interested enough to do a study on whatever it was they were studying. Some just seemed overly complicated. It is times like this that we question the thinking processes of certain people. Sometimes it can ruin your view of the future.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/11/dog-lovers-cry-foul-over-comments-from-jay-leno-and-chris-rock-about-michael-vick.html

Sometimes you just need to think before you speak. Do not just think about what you are going to say, think about whether or not that statement could hurt someone's feelings or make someone feel less about themselves. There are some incredibly thoughtless people out there who just say things and try to pass it off as a joke. Even if they are joking it does not make it hurt any less. Once it is said people begin to look at themselves and they realise if it is true or not. Believe me, the "it was only a joke" line never does you any favours. It just makes you look like more of a prick. On Facebook you see it all the time. People just posting meaningless statuses just so people ask them what they are on about. Talk about an attention whore. If you want people to notice you more, say something intelligent or interesting instead of something that makes you look like a self-important person. Seriously guys, I have said to think before you speak but you should also remember to think before you post. Think about how that post could make you or others look or feel. Once you feel confident enough that you know what you are saying can not offend anyone. Then you can post it. Of course, there are times when you need to voice your opinion and sometimes this can hurt people's feelings. The important thing you need to find is a balance and the fine line between opinion and just aiming to hurt someone.

Think before you act, see you tomorrow!

Social Interactions 2.0

Before I begin I just want to take a moment to explain to you that this post goes hand-in-hand with tomorrow's post which I am also writing straight after this one. You may notice some points in here that will lead on to tomorrow's post but tomorrow's post is not going to be entirely the same as today as it will focus on just one aspect of what I am going to talk about and discuss the wider impacts it has. But, you will just have to wait until tomorrow night (at 6pm AEST) to see what I am talking about. Social Interaction has updated in our modern society. What was once considered social a few decades ago is completely different to the modern conception of the idea. Technology like smartphones and sites like Facebook and Twitter have been some of the main causes for this update. Social interaction is adapting and we have just got to get with the times.

Source: http://instagram.heroku.com/users/gekkolife#p535214164077054847_490341153

No longer is the nightly phone call to friends normal, in fact it is nearly unheard of. I know a few people who find it weird when their friends call them. They find it easier to talk on Facebook or texting using their smartphones. This new age of technology has created a generation of people with social anxiety. There are more people now than ever before who find it easier to talk to people using Facebook or texting as they do not have to deal with any social awkwardness that can come with a face-to-face conversation. Of course, I am not saying this is an entirely bad thing, in fact it is improving social interaction in some ways. For one, people find it easier than ever before to communicate with people from far away and receive near-instant responses. It has also made it easier for people with social anxiety to communicate with others. It has also made it so much easier to catch up with people as people's lives are basically on sites like Facebook and Twitter. One look at a person's "wall" on Facebook can tell you so much about them and what they have been doing recently. You can see their likes, statuses, friends, information and relationship status. Of course, with nearly every positive there is a negative and this is no exception. People are losing their ability to communicate with people in person and so when it comes to times where they need to talk to someone face-to-face they lack the basic manners that you gain from experience. They miss out on all the social cues as they spend their lives in the digital world where you need to say what you are feeling as, unless you are Face-Timing, you cannot see the other person's face. Social interactions have indeed changed over the years, we have updated to version 2.0.

Check out tomorrow's post for a further look at one of my points and the inspiration behind these posts. See you tomorrow!

Fun with Friends

I know this seems like a post about a children's story but it is not, it is very real. It stares you straight in the face when you dare not look. It is the voice in the edge of your mind. That vision out of the corner of your eye. Basically, it is the truth and nothing but the truth (plus a little bit of imagination). Sometimes people go through days and wish it to end every second. However, sometimes we have those days where time flies and we just want it to stop and slow down so we can enjoy it. Even the views of different people can change how they experience time and how this wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey world works (points for whoever knows where this is from). Friends can make time more enjoyable and without them time can go very slowly.

Source: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/happy_friendship_day-wallpapers.html

Today was one such occasion where I can say that friends made time go faster and was made better than if I was alone. Today I went to the Geelong Show to celebrate a friend's birthday. Because his Father knew the people who owned a lot of the rides we went on a lot of them and paid nothing. It was actually a lot of fun and if I had not being with my friends I would never have had such great friends to keep me company and to talk to about random stuff (random is always fun). If they had not been there the six hours we spent at the show would not have been half as enjoyable and I was not on the rides all the time (in fact, the majority we were just walking around). On the way home, however, we got stuck helping the Father's friend with a truck. This took a lot of time so instead of getting home at 6pm I got home at 8:10pm. I know you are probably thinking that two and a half hours would be boring but you would be wrong as we talked the whole time about a variety of random things. There was never any awkward silences. It was a lot of fun and I know that without them the time would have just dragged on and I would have had nothing to do. So you can see why I see friends as being important and why I know that they make time move at a better pace.

Friends are important so never take them for granted. See you tomorrow!

New Addictions

So you may remember that I have already written a post on addictions back in May. This one will be a little different however. This one is going to be about new addictions and the sources from which we attain them. We can not always realise that we are addicted until we look back and realise how much a certain thing had taken over our lives or become such a major part of it that to live without it was something bad. These addictions can be really annoying when we need to get something done and we keep getting distracted.

Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/5-best-and-worst-addictions-to-cultivate-during-2009/

Can you guess where that last sentence came from, well, why I chose to write it. I am trying to write this post but I keep getting distracted by Fringe. This brings me on to the new addictions part of this post. My friend, Xavier, is always going on about Fringe, a science-fiction show he really enjoys. He has since gave it to a few friends to watch and so now many of us are hooked on this show. In some ways this is great because I needed something to help me relax after a busy term and before even busier exams. Friends are a major source of our new-found addictions. They may mention or recommend things for us to watch, see or do which we then find ourselves enjoying so much that we continue watching it and fall in love with it. With Doctor Who I saw one episode in school at the end of Term 2 and then I fell in love with show. I began to watch it and hence found a new addiction. New addictions can be the worst because sometimes it is too late before we realise it and we can not bring ourselves to stop it.

New addictions come from many sources, see you tomorrow!

Great Discoveries

We may not realise it but we are all pioneers in our own lives. Everyday we make life-changing discoveries. These can come from the discovery that things have to actually go in the bin for them to be disposed or that money does not grow on trees. Sometimes these discoveries can change the course of our lives forever or, like in my case, they can be easily forgotten. The old adage "those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it" is entirely true in my case as I discover something, then I forget and discover it again the next day or week or month or year or decade or... well you get the idea. Today I made a number of these discoveries yet I know that in a few days I will forget all about it and then rediscover it later down the track.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/axis-experience/3187217030/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Before we continue if anyone could please tell me what the above picture has to do with discovery. I have absolutely no idea so I thought I should include it unless anyone else worked it out. Anyway, so today was a big day of discoveries for me! It began in the morning with the discovery that ABC iView, basically catch-up television for ABC online, had a lot of new and old Doctor Who episodes which were being uploaded in the lead up to the 50th Anniversary in November of this year (so many great things going on with The Hunger Games Catching Fire coming out then too). It was a great discovery to see this as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed this morning (yeah, I am on Social Media a lot). I then walked the dog after watching The Waters of Mars with David Tennant as The Doctor. I decided we would go somewhere a little different today so I took Sandy (there he is again) past an estate that went near the Werribee River. By the time we got there though it was already thirty minutes into our walk as Sandy was being distracted by everything on the way but we did do some exploring and I found a nice little private pier that was fenced off (but pedestrian accessible through a gate) which would be nice with more water and the day was nice but we continued on after a brief exploration. We discovered some wonderful plains of grass right beside the river and just hidden from homes so it seemed like you were in the middle of nowhere. It really was paradise on such a beautiful day as today and so I am determined to go back there with Sandy (hopefully we will get there a bit quicker now I know the quickest route) and do some more exploring because he loved it and by them time we got back he was tired (for once). There were also a number of minor discoveries today I will not mention in an effort not to bore you more than you already are.

Discoveries are discoveries no matter who makes them and what they are about, they are all just as important. See you tomorrow!

Don't Judge Too Quickly

You know I am serious when I use a conjunction in the title of a post. Seriously though (see what I did there), we live in an age where word of mouth is major and preconceived notions play an important role. Granted, the spread is more in terms of Social Media these days but it still carries the same principles. We see examples of this everyday and we are all guilty of it (and I mean all) and at one point or another we look back and see the truth. Sometimes we have to take this step back so we can tell ourselves to not judge too quickly.

Source: http://amidlifeandsuch.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/dont-judge-book-by-its-cover.html

Miley Cyrus is our current-day example of a person judged too quickly by people. Her new song, Wrecking Ball, is judged by millions of people have not even listened to it (let alone watched the music video). Just because of her previous song We Can't Stop and her infamous performance on the Video Music Awards (VMA) all people see is the few seconds of nudity in the song and that is all they focus on. I have watched YouTube videos of people who have said before watching the video that it is crap and they come out of it completely different. The problem is that this nudity is more artistic in showing the raw emotion of what the song is trying to put across instead of those other acts in We Can't Stop which were just stupid. It is a perfect example of people judging other things without having experienced it themselves. It is so infuriating when people judge things I, or others, watch/listen/read when they themselves have not experienced. It just really pisses me off when people give me crap for watching a show they think is crap when they have not watched it. Sometimes to avoid a pointless argument which will make me want to swear them out of existence I just pretend I do not like it. Guys, seriously, just stop. Next time you might do it to someone with a shorter fuse (and mine is pretty short) and you might not be so lucky. It just makes me want to scream sometimes and between these sentences I have actually had to stop myself from swearing in this post and only allowed myself the one minor slip above which I will not repeat. Just stop guys because it makes us all look like jerks and I know it is not that easy but next time do not judge before you experience okay?

It really does annoy me tremendously when people give me crap for watching or liking something they do not like when they have not watched or experienced it. See you tomorrow!

Most Tagged on Daily Lukey

So today I was thinking of inspiration. Then it hit me, literally. As I walked outside Sandy came and rammed me full-on (accidentally of course). Then I realised that this blog is already at least 12% tagged with "Sandy" so today I thought I would talk you through some of my most popular tags in terms of posts tagged with them. So sit back, relax and ignore Sandy. The number of tags includes the tags of this post and the percentages take into account this post (so 178 posts).

Source: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/44498?hl=en

1. School (56)

So I am not really surprised by this because, as I say on numerous occasions, I write from inspiration and since I am at school five days a week most of my inspiration comes from school. So that is why School is tagged fifty-six times within this blog. This makes up 31.4% of this blog.

2. Friends (46)

This one was a little surprising as I did not think I talked about friends a lot in this blog but apparently I do. Well, I guess when you are as popular as I am... just kidding, I am not that conceited. Still though, Friends does make up 25.8% of this blog (yeah, I am using a calculator).

3. Entertainment (33)

I guess that I talk about a lot of entertainment stuff in this blog even though I am not that entertaining but anyway, someone somewhere must be. I mean, if they make up 18.5% of my blog they must be something special. You do not get on my blog that easily. Okay, maybe you do.

4. High School (32)

Again, I am not that surprised about the large number of posts in this blog regarding High School. I guess if you really wanted to know why you can look again at number one because this is basically the same reason except there is a little less as High School is a bit more specific than school. Still, making up 18.0% of my blog is no easy feat.

5. Annoying (32)

As this blog is taken from a lot of my personal experiences there really is no reason why this should be any lower. I am just saying that if something is annoying me and I have nothing else to write about, be prepared for some offloading. 18.0% of this blog is me ranting about what is annoying so yeah, go check those out!

6. Family (28)

Family, no surprise this is so high. I mean, seeing as for the majority of my life I have been with them and all of my life I have known them it is no wonder there are so many posts tagged with this. They make up the majority of my life and 15.7% of this blog (see what I did there ;)

7. Homework (28)

Yet another non-surprising popular tag. I will often discuss homework issues or other things related to homework on this blog. It is a part of the reason why some posts come out really late and are short because they were written on my phone. Blame homework, it makes up 15.7% of this blog.

8. YouTube (23)

I live on YouTube and rarely a day goes by when I have not visited it at least once. Seriously, I can not remember the last day I was not on YouTube although, admittedly, that is not saying a lot since I do not have such a great memory but, anyway. It makes up a large portion of my life and 12.9% of this blog (I did it again).

9. Sandy (22)

This lovable dog has, arguably, being on this blog too much. I guess this post was sort of putting it into perspective in the fact that there are a lot more other topics with more posts. However, since there are a few hundred different tags, being the ninth most popular is probably saying something. He comes in at number nine with 12.4% of this blog about him. See my great approximation in my introduction. No, I just edited that two seconds ago, hehe.

10. Facebook (21)

Yeah, as much time as I do spend on YouTube I do spend a lot of time on Facebook as well. Especially over the school holidays when I get bored and addicted to all the different games online. Woops, looks like that time is coming around again (1 more day!!). Facebook makes up 12.1% of this blog.

So you can see, there are a variety of popular posts on my blog. See you tomorrow!

The Curse Has Lifted

So as some of you may know one of my electives at school is Game Design. Sure, it sounds all fun and exciting but basically there are just modules (basically just a textbook with each chapter as a module) that you have to complete that includes games and stuff to code that it walks you through. In this sense it is good as you learn how to code for games so you can eventually make your own. It is also good because next term (we already have started our proposals) we spend the whole time just creating our own games to put into practice what we learnt. It is going to be fun and I am making a puzzle game just so you know. I guess, since I completed all the modules and game proposals today it is also a time for me to relax and finish other homework. Seriously though, if you are looking for a class where you can get away with minimal work then Game Design is for you.

Source: http://www.nyfa.edu/summer_camp/programs/game-design/

However, for me this subject is cursed. It is not cursed in the sense that I suck at it (which I do not by the way) or it is really hard. It is cursed because every time I have Game Design I get a runny nose during that class and at no other time during the day. The thing is, it is not the classroom as I have other classes in there and this does not happen. It really is a curse. Also, because it is so quiet as everyone is working (or watching YouTube videos) you can not blow your nose because it will just draw attention to you. It is sort of like during Assembly or Mass when there is a minutes silence and during that one minute you have never wanted to sneeze more in your entire life. It really is horrible. If you read the title of this post though (as so many do) you will know that the curse has lifted. This is so true because today was the first time in a long time that it did not happen. I even had tissues ready. It was probably me jinxing myself because the other times I was not prepared for it but as soon as I started cluing in to what was going on it changed on me. Story of my life. Wow, I never thought I could get through a whole post just talking about this (Gas Bag level "Luke" reached) but apparently I just did. Always nice to show myself up.

Seriously though, Game Design is cursed (do not do it, or do it. It is your choice to make), see you tomorrow.

Donations in Kind

I said I would keep you guys up-to-date with my Wyndham 'Leaders of the Future' program and so here I am. Yesterday morning we had our first community engagement activity. You may also know that Friday was also my year ten formal so basically I came home and went to sleep late to wake up early the next morning. That was not fun but the rest of the day was. Anyway, so this community engagement activity was with the Werribee Rotary and their project Donations in Kind. Donations in Kind is where they collect old clothes, toys, and furniture etcetera to send overseas to less-well-off countries. The majority of this stuff is new and is from big businesses like Coles and Woolworths where logos have changed around so we were packing Woolworths shirts, Coles uniforms, police ties and much more.

Source: http://rotarnet.com.au/users/9/96452/updates170211.htm

It was a great experience and those of us who came really came together as a group. On the bus trip there we were sort of getting to know each other but were still separated into class groups. However, when we arrived and the organisers saw there were more of us than they were expecting it meant that we all had to work together to effectively get the job done. It was a lot of trial and error but in the end we worked it all out and were working effectively. We had to communicate and get to know each other's names to effectively work as a team which acted as an ice-breaker and on the bus trip home we were all joking and laughing with each other rather than sitting in silence. It was a great experience and it was touching to realise that the things we packed were actually going overseas to people who did not need it and those clothes could mean the difference between life and death in places where the climate is in the extremes. We were shown around the place and told stories of how they had heard back from people who were grateful. They even told us how when we went over to Papua New Guinea we would see a large number of people wearing old Telstra or Coles shirts. We were all humbled by our experience and we will always remember our experiences.

I promise to keep you all updated with fundraising and other activities, see you tomorrow.

Gullible

So hooray guys, today I was organised! I wrote two posts at once which was yesterday's and today's. I wrote them both last night because I knew that I would not be able to write another one tonight. Why is that you may ask. Well, tonight is my Year 10 Formal which is going to be so great, I can not wait (although when this post comes out it will probably be about to start or something). So in between making posters for my fundraiser, scrolling through my Facebook news feed and watching YouTube videos I decided to write those two posts. I am pretty proud of myself as this means I do not have to worry about hurriedly typing one on the way home on the iPad because they all turn out pretty bad as it takes a lot longer to type. So we all know someone who does not think twice about what they are being told and takes everything as fact (seriously, did you see that change in subject?). This is their story (*cue "dun dun" Law & Order sound*).

Source: http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/3171988/Gullible/

Sometimes this can be great as they do not question you even when you are obviously wrong or missing something important. It is also great as it leads to a lot of funny (and sometimes mean) gags at their expense. I mean, how many times have you fallen for "Gullible is written on the ceiling"? For some this occurs too often and it has become a problem. It can also be a problem as you have to be extra careful with what you say around them because they are not going to know if you are joking or not. Sometimes even sarcasm is lost on these people. It happens to the best of us and we are just left there looking like idiots. However, sometimes you need to draw a fine line between gullible and argumentative. There just comes a point when you are so not gullible that you question and argue with everything someone says to you. This is often the most annoying trait someone can have as you can not possibly have a normal conversation with them.

Being gullible is often not a very fun thing (ignore my horrible sentence structure please), see you tomorrow!

Song in Head Disease

There are so many diseases in our World. Just think about it, there are hundreds. Due to the vast majority of such diseases there are quite a few that are often overlooked or simply ignored. Sometimes I wonder why they are ignored as they can be the most debilitating disease, especially one. I am, of course (just read the title), talking about the gruesome Song-in-head-Disease. It is a debilitating illness that can cause the patient to experience vast trauma depending on the artists or song. Sometimes it is brought on by others while most of the time it is our own fault that we contract the short-lived yet incredibly virulent disease.

Source: http://scienceillustrated.com.au/blog/culture/the-evolution-of-music/

At any one moment a person can be experiencing song-in-head disease from a variety of songs as we try to quell one song with the other. The disease starts off innocently enough with a song which is repeated and repeated and repeated and ... well you get the idea. By about the nth time this occurs you have fully contracted the disease and now must suffer through a song you most likely have no lyrics for. I mentioned in the introduction that this is a short-lived disease. This is true in the majority of cases as once the patient gets distracted by something else they quickly forget the song and the disease passes on. However, while the disease is in full control it is incredibly virulent. It can cause the person to hum the tune or sing it out loud which can cause the infection of everyone around them (as well as a few burst ear drums depending on the singer). Sometimes we also have the 'friend' who acts as a carrier. They do not suffer from the disease but have the tendency to sing out loud or purposely get a song stuck in another's head. Song-in-head disease is serious and should not be taken lightly!

Sorry for any offence, see you tomorrow!

House Chorals 2013

Be prepared for another short post although this is happening so much you probably are more surprised to see a long one. Anyway, for today's topic I would like to reflect on my school's House Choral competition. Would that be alright by you? Well it's my blog so if you do not like it then you can leave. So basically the competition is each house sings a song (this year it was two) together. They also use a band to play the songs and some houses even have choreography to go with the song. It was actually a lot of fun and I can not wait until next year which is bound to be heaps better with more students. It really pulled many people in our house together and was a great experience.

You would not believe your eyes if I wrote a long post tonight, see you tomorrow.

Repetitiveness

Competitiveness is both a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes competition can come from many different angles and each angle has its own drawbacks. Along with these drawbacks however there are often a few positives that can make our lives better. Sometimes competition can spur us to better and greater things while at other times it can dishearten us. Competition in small amounts can be a good thing but too much competition can have the quite the opposite effect. Sometimes we can even get carried away sometimes and lose ourselves in the competition. Too much of a good thing rarely leads to yet another good thing, do not forget that.

Source: http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/05/21/its-not-a-competition/

By this point I realise I had already written a post on competition in May so go read that if you wish (link to the right or on the word "competition"). It is times like these that you realise that daily blogging is sometimes not easy and even the inspiration you find, however new, can lead to a topic you have already written about. If you managed to get through that introduction without getting confused by the title then well done. I myself began writing this post as if it was going to be on Competition and from there I actually found my topic that I am actually typing about now. That is, obviously (well, obvious if you can read), about repetition. Sometimes we repeat ourselves without realising it or tell someone a story you told them last week because you forgot who you had told. Sometimes repetition can be annoying but at other times it is necessary. This is particularly true when it comes to learning. Having something told to you a number of times can actually help you to learn it and research has proven this to be true. Although, you do not really require research to know this. Basically, for Daily Bloggers or any blogger really faces the challenges of finding new inspiration everyday and sometimes this can be tricky. This is especially so during the Holidays or weekends where you might not actually do anything and therefore have no new experiences to inspire you to anything. Unless of course you right about laziness or the silly dog.

Repetition is annoying, see you tomorrow!

Fridays

Before I go on I am going to type something and I am only going to type this once (although you could read it as many times as you want, and this of course), thank god it is Friday. Of course, I could have also typed "TGIF" but that would have taken far less space, time and reasoning. In short, it would have been smarter but these extra sentences make the introduction just a little bit longer. I am just saying, being smart is sometimes over-rated and out-dated so just waffling on, as some put it, can be the better option at times. At least it means you guys actually have something to read. So, we all love Friday and here are some reasons why:

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/garfield/images/9223014/title/happy-friday-screencap

The first, and most obvious, reason is the weekend. At the end of a long week of staying up late and waking up early it is nice to know that you do not have to get up as early for two days at the end of five long days. That's part of the reason why I love Fridays. On Monday I am slightly tired in the mornings but by Friday afternoon I just want to fall asleep and then I go home and that night I can just sleep until 9am when I need to get up for music. Then Sunday is basically sleep-in until I want (well, until Dad or Mum comes in and interrupts my dreams). That is why I love it because I know that once school is finished and I have returned from Jujitsu I have the rest of the weekend for myself as well as anything else I need to do or catch up on. It is just really nice. Another reason I love Friday is I get to just relax for a night without having to worry about homework. In terms of homework the weekend is also a great time to catch up on anything and if I do not have much homework then I am set to have a pretty good weekend. I suppose it is the relaxation that Friday represents after a week full of five long days that makes it so appealing. For me this is true anyway.

You do not have to be religious to say TGIF, see you tomorrow!

Embarrassing Parents

When we think of our parents most of what comes to our minds are the embarrassing moments. Sure, we may remember the occasional happy reunion or casual day that we experienced but we still retain those embarrassing moments with us for the rest of our lives. Sometimes the embarrassment is constantly repeating over and over again as if they do not learn. Other times it is just a one-off, although that is still one time too many. I do believe that a large part of being a Parent is embarrassing your children. For me it happens all the time and even the dog can be a source of embarrassment in this family.

Image Source: http://www.pleated-jeans.com/2012/12/24/parents-are-embarrassing-18-pics/2q3jp/

Sometimes parents can be embarrassing without even realising they are. My dad, for example, takes ages to turn his phone off when it rings and we are somewhere. The problem is he waits until he knows who is calling him before he stops it ringing. Sometimes this can take a while if Dad is not sure. All the while the phone just keeps ringing and the ringtone is a loud one too so by this point nearly everyone has heard it. It is just so embarrassing and he does not even realise the amount of embarrassment this causes me and my mother. Other parents are just overly competitive. Sometimes you would just wish they would stop talking to other parents because it is just so embarrassing. Parents just love to exaggerate and whenever something good or exciting happens everyone has to know. Luckily my parents are not that bad (they just keep it within the family) but other offspring are not so lucky. Then there is what your parents (especially fathers) think is acceptable clothing to wear out shopping. Sometimes I wish I could pretend I did not know this person due to the dirtiness of what he can wear. Sometimes parents just do not realise (or pretend not to realise) the embarrassment they can (and will) cause us on a weekly basis.

Don't let embarrassing parents keep you down, see you tomorrow!

Cranky

There are a lot of people, places and things in our life that can make us cranky. The thing is, we are all different and so react in a myriad of ways. Some times our reactions are slow and drawn out while other times it is short and sharp. We can never truly know when our inner crankiness will be unleashed but we can generally feel it coming on. We all just get a little annoyed at everything and what we would normally forgive gets blown out to epic proportions. I guess the best we can do is keep moving on and past the experiences that ruin our moods.

I wrote earlier that we all get cranky from different sources. Some people get cranky when they are hungry. This is often referred to as being 'hangry'. Basically whenever you feel hungry you also have feelings of anger and your tolerance is virtually non-existent. This is very similar to the more common tired cranky which is basically the same as being 'hangry' except instead of feelings of hunger there is fatigue. This is the type of cranky I experience. Throughout the day I contain myself and any outbursts are all jokes and not serious. Despite how annoying some people can be I just soldier on and contain myself. However, this also means that when I get home my patience is virtually non-existent (except where Sandy is involved) and you do not want to cross me when I am in one of those moods. Like the Hulk, you would not like me when I am angry. So you see there are different types of cranky and each one is different for each person.

If you feel yourself close to an outburst, try to remove yourself from the situation. See you tomorrow!