Rainy Days

I love rainy days. There is just something about them. Some people prefer sunny days while I actually prefer rainy ones. I enjoy it for many reasons including the satisfying sound the rain makes on the roof, the secure and warm feeling you get when you are inside and it is raining outside and just the mood of the day seems different. Of course, there are many drawbacks to rainy days that make them less enjoyable but still: one would endure a world of devils for the sake of an angel. Rainy days can come as they please, bring it on!

Image Source: http://community.miir.com/blog/2011/09/26/music-monday-rainy-day-mix/

The sound of rain on the roof as you are safe and dry inside is great, isn't it? It is one of the best moments of rainy days for me and I just can not wait to go home and just lay in bed with the sound of rain around me as I try to sleep. It really makes you feel grateful that you have a roof over your head. I know during the Summer months I do not even think about it but when it starts raining I become very sentimental. Even just the sound of rain on the roof has a soothing sensation and you can generally tell when rain is about to come or has just passed because when you go outside you can just smell the moisture. It really is very exciting and great at keeping me in touch with nature. Of course, rainy days are not all that perfect. Just this morning when I was walking from the train station to school there was a giant puddle near the traffic lights I could not jump over so I had to walk through it and I did not actually realise how deep it was until I was in the middle of it. Then I had to walk all the way down to school with wet shoes but at least I had my umbrella with me to protect me from the actual rain. Puddles can also be great though because I remember as a kid I used to love just throwing rocks in the puddles to cause a ripple effect. Even just watching the puddles fill with water or to see the little ripples the individual drops made was enjoyable. As the old adage goes: every cloud has it's own silver lining. Rainy days are really quite enjoyable in my opinion and I really do look forward to them.

Image Source: http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/rainy-day-friday-five.html

Don't let the rain ruin your mood, see you tomorrow!

YouTube Subscriptions Part 1

YouTube subscriptions: I have way too many of them! Every time I go on to YouTube my home page is clogged with channels I watched once and absent-mindedly subscribed to. It really is very annoying because I only watch a few channels regularly and a few more less regularly. Most of the channels I subscribe to I do not even watch anymore! First World Problems, I know. In today's post I am going to go through my YouTube subscriptions and why I subscribed to them. I will unsubscribe if I can not think of a reason why I still subscribe. Wow, this is going to be great! For me, I mean, you may enjoy it though. This is the first part of it and a new part will be posted every second day at 6 pm. I say at 6 pm because I am writing them all tonight and scheduling them for release at that time.

Image Source: http://mashable.com/2012/06/15/youtube-is-exploring-paid-subscriptions/

I begin with 153 Subscriptions so lets see if we can get rid of some. The first user/channel on my Subscription list is 39ShadowMan who makes some cool K'nex creations but I only ever watched his videos once so he's gone. AdeleVevo is next on my list and, of course, it is the Vevo channel for Adele which means it is a YouTube channel where all her music videos and other related stuff from Adele goes. If I ever want to watch one of her music videos I will just search it up so she is also gone. Another user is Alyssa Poppin who does music covers, original songs and vlogs (video-blogs) but I rarely watch her videos so she is gone also. Amy Poehler's Smart Girls is the YouTube channel where Amy Poehler (famous Hollywood Comedian) and other girls discuss things and also have interviews with influential women in Society. I only ever subscribed to this video because another user I subscribe to appeared on their channel. Sorry Amy but you are also going. Wow, four channels in and I have yet to keep 1 subscription.

Image Source: http://cuddlebuggery.com/blog/2013/04/22/buzz-worthy-news-22nd-april-2013/adele/

Now for a channel I may keep my subscription to: Anthony Padilla who is one of the men from Smosh (the most Subscribed channel on YouTube) but he is starting up a new channel with his girlfriend (watch us live and stuff) so I am going to unsubscribe from this one (Anthony Padilla, not Smosh) and subscribe to their new one. Sorry Anthony but you are gone. AntonElmvik plays the Piano and I am unsubscribing from him since I do not watch him. Australian Open TV is the official YouTube channel for the Australian Open but I do not watch Tennis anymore so they are gone as well. AVByte is a channel that makes Music Videos/Parodies of things but I never watch them so goodbye! Bad Lip Reading is the first channel I am going to remain subscribed to because they are genuinely funny and I enjoy watching their videos. As the name suggests it is a channel which makes Bad Lip Reading videos which are funny. Baracks Dubs is yet another I am remaining subscribed to and it is one where they take clips of Obama's speeches and mix them together so it sounds like he is saying the words of a song. They also put backing music so it is really good. Barely Political is another comedy channel I enjoy watching and does a variety of comedic things I want to watch. I am remaining subscribed to that channel and I recommend you subscribe to it too.

Image Source:

http://act.mtv.com/posts/interview-baracksdubs-barack-obama-carly-jepson-call-me-maybe-success/

BBC America TV is a channel I subscribe to which is the official one of BBC America where they have all the television show trailers and some behind the scenes. I like it because it has Doctor Who on it which I watch so I am remaining subscribed. Big Brother AU is the official channel of Big Brother Australia which I watch for behind the scenes extras of Big Brother as well as a look at the Audition Process and where past contestants are now. I am remaining subscribed to this. Black Box TV is a YouTube channel that makes short films and web series in a horror genre. I am unsubscribing from them because I rarely watch their videos although they are great. Brian Hill is a channel that has some material relating to my local CFA of which I am a member but I am unsubscribing because I only ever watched the videos once or twice. Camerax Life (no error) is a channel I do not even remember subscribing to and I have no idea why I did so, goodbye. That is all the YouTube Subscriptions I am going through in this post. At the end of this post I now have 143 subscriptions, already cutting down a lot. Be sure to check back in 2 days time for Part 2!

Image Source: http://www.novafm.com.au/article/big-brother-2013-auditions

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Blogs

There are thousands of blogs on the Internet and a myriad of sites hosting them. They range from daily blogs to Current Affair Blogs. Some of them are lifestyle blogs while others focus on other topics such as Beauty or Gaming. They all have many things in common and are all entertaining in their own rights. Some Blogs make us laugh while others make us think. Some just keep us up-to-date with news while others educate. Some show us different (sometimes entrenched) views while others just provide the facts without opinion. One thing is for sure, all these blogs involve an individual's thoughts, often unmitigated. This is fantastic as it provides us with an online World rich in opinions and culture. Blogs really are wonderful things.

Image Source: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/blog/web-links/assistive-technology-blogs/

I am going to use my friend (Xavier's) Current Affairs blog as an example. You guys should really check it out because it is very entertaining. As well as being entertaining this blog is also insightful (most of the time) and provides the facts as well as opinions so you know that however ridiculous it may sound it has some basis of fact. Also, under some posts there is a list of references (also known as a Bibliography) for further reading or to check some facts. This is very helpful as it can give an interested person some more information without the Blogger having to type anything else. Xavier's blog is a great example of the great use of Blogs today as it involves entertainment in the form of comedy as well as opinions and facts. There is also in-depth analysis in some of them as well as a lot of metaphors in others. I really recommend reading this Blog, it really is great writing.

Image Source: http://thetravelhack.com/blogging/top-travel-blogger-2012/

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

What our Parents Taught Us

We may not realise it at the time but our Parents teach us a lot. Our Parents teach us things we may not glean from School. Some of what we learn may come into use later in our lives while most will not. However, it can be better to know more than you need to in case you do need it later in life. Although, most of the stuff our Parents teach us we just really want to forget right away. Most of what our Parents teach us is inadvertent and not what they want us to know.  Now I just want to say that what I am about to talk about DOES NOT all come from my Parents. A few of them maybe but I am not writing this about my Parents but about all Parents in general. Sorry in advance if I offend anyone.

Image Source: http://paperhoon.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/embarrassing-my-kids.html

The first thing that your Parents will teach you is that their word is law. Heaven forbid you ever break their laws. They brought you into this world and sure as hell can take you out of it. Later in life you realise that your Parents were wrong about many things and that not following their orders may have been the better option in some cases. However, when you are young you do not think about these things and think that all adults are always correct. Oh, to be a child... We also learn from an early age to always strive to "do your best". For some parents this can be as simple as just trying your best but for others trying your best means having to be at the top of the class. Second-best is not good enough for some Parents and I feel sorry for their children. How must they cope sometimes? Our Parents also taught us that we can be whatever we want. Well, except for a few jobs but we will not go there. Sometimes I think our Parents are setting us up to be rich so they can retire in comfort. That is actually a pretty good plan, must remember it in the future. So the lesson we can learn here from our Parents is have kids and retire happy, among other things of course.

Image Source: http://asianetindia.com/life-lessons-kid/

Among other things our Parents also seem like very big religious advisers. Always going on about praying about one thing or another. Whether it be a stain coming out of the rug or a mark off the wall. Always we are reminded to pray or may "God help us". Religion must really be essential in raising families. Logic is also a big issue in our World and our Parents show us from an early age what logic is correct logic. We must always remember to do something because someone said so. That is all the logic we will ever need in our lives. We are also taught to empathise and be able to read someone's feelings. If we are not able to read feelings we may get on the nerves of certain people at certain times of the month. The ability to read feelings is always important when growing up as it allows us to know which rooms are safe to enter and which to avoid like the plague.

Image Source: http://www.modernmom.com/article/life-lessons-to-teach-your-kids

A major source of our Vocabulary is our Parents. Without our fathers we would not know what to say when we drop something on our toes. Where would we be if our mothers had not taught us what to say when we burn something? Then there are the words we say when we get a fright. Where would we be if our Parents had not taught us them? Persuasive Techniques are also learnt through our Parents so we already have a head start for English before we even reach High School. We learn especially about exaggeration and appeals to emotions as children as our Parents make us feel guilty about choosing something or whether they exaggerate how many times they have told us things. They are also experts at personifying and thank the heavens inanimate objects can not bite or I would be covered in marks for every time I forgot where something was. Put simply, our Parents teach us many things and for this we are eternally grateful.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Spoilt

We all know someone who is spoilt rotten. We all have that one person around us who gets what ever it is that they want. We can easily tell who the spoilt people are as they are the ones who always have to have their way. They are the ones who feel they are the only correct ones. They think they are better than everyone and do not hesitate to let you know. I am not saying that all people who are spoilt are terrible people, just most of them. Some people are very spoilt and never let you forget it.

Image Source:

http://crusader.blog.co.uk/2011/09/22/spoilt-brats-disorder-treatment-goes-on-sale-11898364/

Spoilt people can often be spoilt brats. When things do not go their way it can get nasty and tantrums can ensue. It may sound like I am talking about kids but trust me, I have witnessed tantrums from people in their forties. It is safe to say that our dog, Sandy, is a very spoilt dog. I mean very spoilt. He gets presents for his Birthday (which he shares with my brother), Easter and Christmas! Our pet before him was lucky to get a present a year. So yeah, Sandy is very spoiled. Sometimes he can also be a bit of a princess which can get really annoying. It is especially hard to say goodnight to my own mother now because whenever I get anywhere near her Sandy gets all protective in the way of jumping all over her and licking her. Seriously, he has big issues and part of that must be due to how much he is spoilt. I admit, sometimes I can get a bit jealous of him but then I move on, and become jealous again. So sometimes spoilt people can be nice but sometimes they can also be very annoying. If only we did not spoil ourselves and those around us in these days, maybe our world would be different.

Image Source: http://www.tithing.com/blog/the-church-is-a-spoiled-brat/

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Horrible Drivers

Can I just say that there are some really bad drivers on the roads. I mean, bad drivers. They do the silliest of things and are all around us everyday. Just today when we were driving home from Piano lessons (a mere 15 minutes) I saw three examples of horrible driving. Sometimes I can even hear hoons around our estate really late at night and incredibly early in the morning. They really are annoying and I would hate to live near to these 'hoon' hot spots. Some times I wonder how much these people must have bribed the person who conducted their driving test.

Image Source: http://blog.cargurus.com/2008/09/29/lets-change-the-driving-age-to-18

How many drivers think that having their stereo system turned so loud that the cars around them vibrate makes them cool? There are so many of these drivers around my area these days that sometimes you can be listening to quite a few songs at the one time. Actually, come to think of it, my own brother does this in the mornings before he goes to work. It really is very hard to practice Piano in the morning when the radio is on in the kitchen and his iPod is blaring in the bathroom. It really annoys me because I can not concentrate! One of the most annoying things drivers can do on the roads is to not use their indicators when they are in a lane that goes in more than one direction. I hate when this happens because you have no idea where they are going. It really annoys me and even my Dad 'forgets' to put his blinkers on sometimes so it is like some big surprise trip whenever I go somewhere with him because I never know which direction we are going until the last minute. Really makes you enjoy being a passenger, not.

Image Source: http://m.lockerz.com/u/ulises.sotelo7550/decalz/15064562/dog_is_sick_of_all_these_horrible_driver

Also there are the drivers who just can not make up their mind as to where they are going. These are the people who cross three lanes of heavy traffic on a freeway at the last minute just so they can take the exit. These are also the people who block up the turning lane because they want to go forward. This is annoying for me because to get to my house you have to take a turning lane. Many times drivers at the front have decided to go straight forward when they are not allowed to which means we lose out on a whole cycle of lights. So annoying! Also there are some of the 'P' plated drivers on the road that think going as fast as possible is the coolest thing ever. These are the people you hear hooning around your area late at night. These are the people who make me wonder how much it takes to bribe the people who conduct the driving tests. So as you can see there are some really horrible drivers out there. Please do not become one of them!

Image Source: 

http://www.sodahead.com/living/do-you-trust-grandma-behind-the-wheel/question-1984787/?page=6

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

YouTube

YouTube, the video sharing site, has become a normal part of my day-to-day life. It's become as normal to go on YouTube a few times a day as it is to writing this Blog (Hooray for the 73rd post by the way). YouTube has over 4 million channels, with other 72 hours of video being uploaded every minute! It's no wonder it has become a part of my everyday life. Sometimes I think I go on YouTube a little too much but then I think I'm crazy because you can never have too much of something, right? Right?!

YouTube has become a place of many vibrant communities. You have the Beauty Gurus who somehow come up with some amazing video ideas each week. Then there are the Comedians (I mean, who can't laugh at at least one of Barely Political's videos) who make us laugh every week through song, movie or just pure spontaneity. The Vloggers are also a growing community to be reckoned with. There are so many Vloggers (Video Bloggers) on YouTube today and I must say that it is fascinating to watch someone go about their everyday lives. I wish life was like this (and in 3D [just kidding]). Also the Gamers always manage to find an ordinary game and turn it into the funniest ten minutes of your day. I have seen a YouTuber turn Sims and Minecraft into something absolutely hilarious, it really is amazing. Then there are also the smaller, but not to be underestimated, communities of Short Film, News, Gossip and much more which just add yet another few layers onto an already vibrant community. It is no wonder YouTube has become such a big part of my life because it has so many new videos and topics everyday, it is very hard to get bored.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!