The 1000 Word Picture Challenge # 1

We used to have a exercise in our english class wher the teacher woul give us a picture and we’d have to write about it. I decided to let my friends on Facebook challenge me to do it now, only I had to write 1000 words (seeing as a picture is worth one thousand words). The challenge was that not only did my friend choose the picture they also chose the style of the piece.

As I sat alone, I felt so very alone

As if a thousand hand made bricks

Were built into a hundred walls

Each a reminder of some action

Performed by my hands

That I cannot undo.

The bricks are inscribed so delicately

With words that haunt me now

Burrowing deep inside my brain

Feeding on that which once I dealt out

But now drown in daily.

I feel that presence over my shoulder

Overshadowing every decision I make

Bearing down on me like a freight train,

Growing in speed and weight

With every thought that flows;

With every word carelessly uttered;

With every selfish push and shove.

A wise man once said

(with all the wisdom of the universe)

That how people treat you is their karma –

That word worms its way into my memory

An replays over and over and over again

Playing on and on for infinity

Or until my poor addled brain

Turn completely in on itself

And eats away at its insides

Like a parasite gnawing away

Upon its hosts defenceless body.

That self same wise man also stated

That how you react is yours –

I oft remember the tale told

Of a lowly farmer of Scottish blood

Who, working hard to keep his kin,

Heard the plaintiff cry of a forlorn boy

Coming from yonder bog, so sad and scared.

He ran towards that cry for help

And saved the boy from certain death.

The boy, upon arriving at his home,

Did tell his father of the heroic deed.

This man, of noble birth and heritage,

As soon as the sun graced the sky once more,

Rode to the farmer’s humble abode

In a carriage fir for such wealth and status

And offered the farmer some just reward.

The farmer, honest and proud,

Could not, with any good conscience,

Accept a gift for doing what any decent man

Would do in the same situation.

The Nobleman, seeing the farmer had a son also,

Offered a deal to replace the gift rejected:

To educate the farmer’s son

As he would educate his own flesh and blood.

The farmer, knowing the deal was good and true,

Shook the hand of the Nobleman.

Over the years both boys grew,

Physically and mentally developing,

A source of pride for both fathers.

The farmer’s son, with brilliant mind,

Discovered that which would save millions

And yet would also save a man

Who, once being a small boy trapped,

Had been rescued by his saviour’s father

So many years before.

What splendid words did fall

From the lips of that once small boy twice saved

When he uttered that line,

“We make a living by what we get,

We make a life by what we give.”

Here I sit having made my fortune,

Having scaled the dizzy heights

Of finance and all that goes with it.

Now I would give all the coin,

No matter how hard earned,

To have what those I stepped over

To get to where I am now

Treasure so very dearly and hold so very close.

I wonder where my friends are

As I look around at staged photos;

And where my trophy wife is,

Except I am the only one who thinks like that,

That she might be something to be won

And displayed as an ornament.

Is it any wonder no-one would consent,

Not any warm and nurturing woman,

Only those as materialistic and vacuous

As I have been to this point

And hold no attraction for me.

I wish I had listened to those who said,

“One good turn deserves another.”

Too many times I used and abused

And now I sit, abused and used

By the consequences of my own actions.

Living a life where you care not for others

Lends itself to others not caring for you

And now, in the twilight of my years,

Without a friends in the world

And only my bad decisions to keep me company

I know my reactions have been my karma,

The results of my decisions a harsh teacher.

You might say that fate,

She has been a cruel mistress,

But my undoing was not at fate’s hand

For I brought this all on myself

And must bear the weight

Of every despicable action

Upon these weak and narrow shoulders

For all eternity and beyond

Unless I can find some measure of respectability,

Something to redeem my shallow soul.

I want to write Mr Buechner a letter

And ask him now I take them back –

All those touches that burned,

That scolded, stained and scarred.

He will surely tell me that I can’t,

That what has passed will always be

And that those minor indiscretions,

Those major ones too,

Will flow through the universe

And come around to bite me in some way

Or maybe topple those hundreds of walls

Filled with thousands and bricks

Like dominoes set in motion

What feels like a million years ago.

And as they fall the words written

Will burn into my once thick skin

Until there is nothing left of me

But a broken body and a tormented soul.

If I could move from this chair

Before that final domino falls

Then maybe my life is worth something,

Maybe I have evened out the balance.

Now I face that impossible choice

Made such by present circumstance

(Though my current predicament

Is wholly self inflicted and

I have no-one to blame but my own greed) –

Do I continue down this path

That I have worn so well

Or turn and face up to all I have done,

Bear the consequences of a thoughtless existence

And hope that, in doing such an act,

The universe will grant me the favour

Of allowing me some small measure of humanity

That I may leave some mark on the world

Which is not the ruins of what was a life

But instead is that which may blossom

And perhaps grow through nurture

To be bigger than itself

And be a legacy of my time here.

Who Inspires Me

I think we draw inspiration from different spheres of our lives. If I look back at all the different people who have inspired me then there are quite a few of them.

The first is my mum. She raised me single-handedly and I think I turned out relatively ok. I’ve had my problems but all in all, I am a decent human being (I hope). She didn’t work so she’d be available to take me to all the sports I did. She scrimped and saved so I could do the sports I did. We didn’t have a proper holiday for 22 years. Now that I am a single mum myself, she has stood by me, helped me out and never shied away from any hardship life has put in her way.

The second person to inspire me was my 3rd Grade teacher, Mrs Levy. She believed in me, encouraged me and was always the most friendly, helpful and genuinely nice teacher I ever had. I’ve seen her a few times since I left primary school and every time I’ve seen her she’s been just the same as I remember her and she always remembers me, no matter how many years have past in the meantime.

The third person on the list is my old gymnastics coach, John. He taught me to be a better gymnast and a better coach, he didn’t take any of my crap and he gave me hell. He could be the most serious person on the face of the planet one second … the next he’d be pretending to be Dracula and trying to bite my neck. He also instilled in me the notion that all areas of gymnastics are important, from Kindergym right the way through. I think that if it hadn’t been for his inspiration I would be just like a lot of coaches I’ve known over the years that only aspire to teach competition kids, but I aspired to work with the kids who are fresh to the sport, who don’t want to go to the Olympics, who just want to have fun.

The fourth and fifth inspiring people are that for the same reason. They showed me what could be achieved if you set your mind to it, if you trained your arse off and didn’t listen to the nay-sayers. Of course, I never reached their lofty heights but I still aspire to be like them. They inspire me to continue in a sport when I could have turned my back so many times. They inspire me to do more than I think I’m capable of. Who are they? They are the most talented Tammy Bryant and Jayson Sutcliffe.

The sixth person of inspiration to me is one that is known to just about every school student across the western world: William Shakespeare. To be a writer of that calibre would be the most thrilling thing ever. He has inspired me to dabble in plays and poetry, short stories and screenplays (and blogging, of course). I hope that one day someone will like a work of mine enough to say, “I want to publish that.” Whether it happens or not is immaterial, the inspiration to be the best writer I can be stems from reading that very first play, and continues to inspire me to this day.

The seventh inspiration is comedian/actor/writer Craig Ferguson. Here is a man who has seen the ugly side of life, through alcohol and drug addiction, and has overcome them. It is inspirational that someone can pick himself or herself up out of the gutter, so to speak, and actually make something of their life. It tells me that it doesn’t matter how bad my life gets, as long as I want to change I can and as long as I draw breath there’s still hope.

The person who is my eighth inspiring person is Adam Goodes. If you don’t live in Australia and don’t follow Aussie Rules Football then you may not know who he is. He is one of the best players in the modern era. He is respectful and delightful to talk to. He gives of himself not only to his football club (the mighty Sydney Swans) but also to the community, especially the aboriginal community. He is unaffected by his fame and very down to earth by nature, a truly inspiring character.

My ninth inspiring person is Annie Sullivan. You may never have heard of this woman. She was a teacher in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She inspires me to be a better teacher, especially in regards to children with disabilities. Why should this teacher, with whom I have no contact with and who died long before I was born, inspire me so? She was the teacher who taught Helen Keller language (I’m sure you would have heard of Helen Keller but if not, she was a blind and deaf woman who became the first deaf and blind person to attain a Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as being an author, activist and lecturer). Helen Keller once said, “Once I knew only darkness and stillness... my life was without past or future... but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living.” What better summary of the blessing that Annie Sullivan gave to Helen. I can only hope that I touch the lives of the children I work with a fraction of that amount and I am inspired to persist when I might give up.

The last person on my list is by no means the least inspiring. They are, in fact, the most inspiring. This person is my son. He inspires me every day to be a better person so that he is a better person. He does not discriminate against people based on looks or religion or cultural background or mental or physical capabilities. He is happy and bubbly and social. He inspires in me a love like no other and an ability to forgive others that I have not known before (it doesn’t always work, but it works more than not).

So, it doesn’t matter who in your life inspires you, from those closest to you to those you’ve never met; if that person inspires you to be a better person then their job is done. It is up to you to be part of the next generation on inspirational people, even if to no-one but your own small circle of family and friends.

Naming Your Child

Choosing a name for your unborn child can be one of the hardest things to do in the world. I was lucky, in the sense that I didn’t have to compromise with anyone else. I could choose whatever I wanted and there was no-one I had to run it by. That’s the benefit of being a single parent. But there are some things you should consider when naming a child, and here’s my top 10 tips:

1. The Surname

The name you give your child might sound perfectly fine on its own but when you say the full name it can be quite horrendous for the child. My surname is Busch (pronounced Bush). My mother used to joke that she wanted to call me Rose. If she had, I would have been Rose Busch (rosebush). It might seem cute when they are a baby but when they reach their teens it can be a nightmare.

The other thing about surnames is, if you have a terrifically long surname, or one that is hard to spell, be kind to your child and give them a nice easy first name. If the child is going to go through their entire life spelling one name, at least do them the favour of giving them a name that’s easy.

2. The Initials

Like with surnames, the combination of initials can spell some terrible things. Imagine being the child whose initials are POO or COW or some other unfortunate arrangement of letters. Imagine the torment. So when choosing a name write down their potential initials and ask yourself: would a young child be able to make something stupid out of that?

3. The Nicknames

Some names don’t really lend themselves to shortening (Jane). Some names just become variations of themselves (Thomas > Tommy). Some names become other words entirely (Richard > Dick) and this can be embarrassing for the child. My mum gave me the name Shannon partly because she though it would be hard to make a nickname out of and she just wanted me to be known as Shannon. I got the following: Shaz, Shazza, Shan, Shanny, Shan-dog, Shannona and (of course) Nona. Whatever name you give your child, they are going to get a nickname made out of it at some point during their life. Make it as painless or as bearable as you can, for their sake and yours.

4. The Prevalence

Do you want your darling child to be unique or the 5^th child in their year at school with that name? There were 2 Shannon’s in my year in high school. Not a popular name, but not unheard of either. We had 4 called Kelly (or variations of) and 5 boys called Matthew. You had to distinguish which one you were talking about before  you started. And it can be a nightmare for teachers. I teach kids gymnastics and had in a class of 20 girls three lots of multiples: Taylor (4); Charlotte (4); Jessica (3). The best way to see what names are doing the rounds is to check the birth notices in the paper each week, and research the top 10 names for the past 5 years.

5. The Pronunciation

If you give your child the name Jack, there’s pretty much only one way you can say it, but the name Kyra can be either Keer-ah or Ky-ra and that’s just a basic example. If you give your child a complicated name, or one that isn’t said how it’s spelled (especially the Irish names), then your child may resent their name and prefer to go by their (often easier) second name or just change it altogether when they are old enough. Then there’s the names that look similar but are pronounced differently: Mia, Maya, Myah. So before you give your child a name, write down the name and give the paper to your friends. Ask then to say the name. If you get 10 variations from 10 different friends, maybe choose a different name.

6. The Spelling

I mentioned above the gym class I had in which there were 4 girls called Taylor. Only they weren’t. One was Taylor. One was Taylah. Another was Tayla. The last was Tailah. I cannot stress enough how frustrating it is for teachers to come across what should be an easy name to spell and have to ask the child to spell it. It got to the point where I’d ask every child to spell their name, just in case they had an unusual spelling for it, even if their name was something easy like Tim (who knows, maybe they spell it Tym).

7. The Weirdness-Factor

It’s usually the celebrities who like to call their children weird things, like “Apple” and “Blanket” (ok, that’s just a nick name, his real name is Prince Michael II, because Prince Michael was already take by his older brother). But occasionally the regular world people adopt this strange habit and call their child something very bizarre. I think your child will either love it or hate it, there won’t be any middle ground with the weird names. If you like a certain thing (for example, planes) I can almost let you get away with naming your child Jett (like John Travolta did) but not Pilot Inspektor (like Jason Lee did). And Nicholas Cage is clearly a Superman fan as he called his son Kal-el, which is Superman’s birth name.

And why stop at one strange name when you can have a whole raft of them. Bob Geldof has 3 daughters: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom and Little Pixie. Frank Zappa had 2 sons and 2 daughters: Zweevil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, Moon Unit and Diva Thin Muffin.

Other names that celebrities decided to call their children (some you’ll recognise, some maybe not, all you’ll wonder what drugs they were on when filling out the paperwork) include :

Audio Science

Moxie Crimefighter

Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily

Camera

Puma

8. The Style

Sometimes a name just doesn’t suit a child. I work with children a lot and I have had a few instances where the child just hasn’t suited the name because they don’t look like someone with that name typically does. I know it’s hard to know when your child is born if they are going to suit their name in looks and personality but try to choose a name that suits your child, not you.

9. The Meaning

Mostly, name meanings don’t really signify much but when you have a name that is clearly one thing and the child is clearly the complete opposite then it can be a little strange. An example of this might be if you have a blonde haired, blue eyed, pale skinned girl and name her Ebony.

Place names (especially place of conception) are quite popular at the moment. I am named after a river in Ireland, which is nice, but I wasn’t conceived there or born there. If you begin with this trend, it can be a bit awkward down the track if you conceive of your child in some badly named town like Little Hoboken (which is a perfectly acceptable name for a town, just not, in my opinion, for a child).

Likewise, other trends can start out well, if you name your children after flowers, like my great aunts were, you could end up with Violet, Rose, Olive, Daisy, Rosemary, Ivy … and I could go on. Or maybe you prefer gems: ruby, pearl, jade … Or maybe months of the year are more your thing: April, May, June, August. But if you have an especially large family, keeping the trend going can be difficult, and how sad (or exciting, if you pick a terrible trend) for the last child who misses out on the trend.

10. Tradition

Does your family have a tradition of naming the first child after a certain member of the family? Does the father’s first name become the son’s second name? It can be important to uphold the tradition but it can also be important to stamp your own uniqueness on your child as well. For example, in my family there were, when I was little, three generations of men called “Richard” but only one was known as that. My grandfather was known as Dick (a common nickname for people called Richard during that generation). My uncle was known as Des (short for Desmond, his name being Richard Desmond). My cousin was the only one known as Richard. I quite like the idea of passing names down from generation to generation but also understand that it can lead to confusion and a sense of too many people with the same name, especially if the family is very large.

Whatever you choose to name your child, I hope that it sits well with you, your family and (most importantly) your child. Oh, and congratulations on bringing a new life into the world :D

Overcoming Writer's Block

Ok, we all get it ... that annoying, mind-numbing feeling when you stare at the page or screen and nothing wants to fall out of your brain. If you're lucky, it doesn't last long. If you're not so lucky, it can go on for what seems like forever. I am someone who has the concentration span of a gnat when it comes to writing in a single discipline. I like to flit between blogs, poems, short stories and plays. This can been a good way of getting around writer's block but it's not the only way. Here are my top 10 tips and tricks for (hopefully) snapping out of it so you can get back to doing what you do best.

1. Change topic

I have a really bad habit of having 3 or 4 blogs and/or stories on the go at once, but a little distraction can give you the break your brain needs to get back into the original topic. If you get stuck on one thing and can't move forward with it, put it away for a day, a week, however long it takes and write about something else.

2. Exercise your body

Exercise can revitalise you. It gets the blood flowing and, for some, the creative juices flowing. While you exrecise, you can let your mind wander. It might go off on some random tangent that is perfectly relevant to the topic you've been stuck on that means you can now move forward with it. And if it doesn't work, at least you've gotten in some exercise.

3. Read

If you write about a particular subject, then reading works by other authors on the same topic might inspire you to write your next piece. You might not agree with what you read, you might not think it's very good, but remember that everything you read can be fodder for your next piece, either positively or negatively influencing your thought processes. If you're writing poetry or fiction, read things in the same vein as what you want to write to spark the imagination.

4. Play word association games

Whether you play alone or with someone else, just being spontaneous and random can trigger all sorts of topics and ideas and associations that you never imagined were there. Just open up your dictionary to any page and read the first word, that's your starting point. From there it's whatever comes into your mind without thinking about it. I find it best to close my eyes when doing this so there are no outside influences.

5. Be entertained

Watch TV, rent a movie, go to the theatre, listen to some music ... anything that triggers and emotion is good. Scare yourself silly on a rollercoaster, laugh 'til you cry at a comedy club or sing your heart out at karaoke. What you do isn't as important as actually doing it. Sometimes, sitting in front of the idiot box and emptying your mind for a couple of hours is just what you need in order to take a fresh look at what you were working on.

6. Explain your work to someone who has no idea

This can make you think about your topic differently. It can make you get to the essentials of what you're writing about. The person you explain it to might ask you questions which help you to get at what it is that has you stumped.

7. Play Devil's Advocate

If you're writing an opinion piece or arguing for a specific point of view, try looking at it from the other side. Pick holes in your own argument. It will make you make your own argument stronger by weeding out those weak points.

8. Write your piece in a different style

Can't get your poem to work? Try writing it as a short story instead. Can't get your description to flow? Turn it into a review. There's no rule that says you're only allowed to use one style, either. Mix it up. Sometimes it's the kick start our brains need.

9. Go to sleep

If you're tired, your brain isn't functioning at optimum efficiency. Get some sleep, even if it's a power nap. There's only so many cups of coffee you can drink before the side effects become negative. If you can allow your brain to reset itself, you might just find that the vibes are all working in your favour and work can begin again.

And finally ...

10. Relax

If you're writing for pleasure, then that is what it should be: pleasurable. Ask yourself, "does it really matter if it doesn't get done today?" Take a deep breath, don't stress about the final product. If you don't like it, don't publish it, start again, change tack. In the end, you're writing for yourself and you can be your harshest critic, so give yourself a break and chillax.

50 Questions Everyone Should Try To Answer

The following questions I found on the website: http://www.marcandangel.com/2009/07/13/50-questions-that-will-free-your-mind/ and thought I'd have a bash at answering them. My answers are only valid for me, your answers may be similar or very, very different.
 

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

You would be the same age as if you did know. Time is a concept invented by man based on the rotation of the earth and the orbit around the sun. This cycle continues regardless of whether we are aware of it as a passage of time.

OR

This question could mean to ask how old I would think I was, looking from the outside, as a stranger. In which case, on physical appearance I would probably think I was about the same age as I am, psychologically, I might think I was anywhere between 16 and 60 depending on the situation in which I observed myself.

Which is worse, failing or never trying?

They are equally as bad as each other, though the pain is different. I think that the pain of failing is short lived but more intense, whereas the pain of not trying is more subtle and lasts longer (or until you decide to try).

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

We do things we don’t like because we feel obliged to do them – visit family; go to a job just for the money and not for the enjoyment. Society often makes us feel bad for not doing the expected things, meaning that in order to get along, we do those things which we might not want to do.

I like motorbikes (I don’t own one or know how to ride one). I think there are two major reasons why we like things that we don’t do. One is the fear factor. We like the idea of doing something potentially dangerous but can’t bring ourselves to actually do it. The other factor is the time constraint. We get so caught up in our day to day lives that we find it hard to make the time to do that thing we like or try the thing we want to do.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

I think I will have said more than I’ve done, not only because I like to talk and write but because there’s a lot I want to do but will probably never get around to doing. I think as long as you’re happy with what you have done and can live with what you’ve said you’d do and didn’t then it’s a life well lived.

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

The materialistic nature of society. I have no problem with ownership, I just have an issue with the cost of buying those things. Having withings and wanting things is not being materialistic. Wanting something because it is more expensive than something else, or because no-one else has it is materialistic. We have become a society that values the dollar more than we value our values.

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

I would do the same thing I do now, work with children in an active environment. I suppose, looking at it from the premise of this question, I am already as rich as I could ever hope to be.

Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I think my life is a mixture of both. I love what I do and I believe in the value of doing it as fulfilment of myself: being a parent, the work I do, the other interests I have and partake in. I have also settled in that I haven’t tried in any real sense to extend myself or better myself recently.

If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

Probably not. I might date a bit more. And it depends on whether it was the same process of aging but sped up to shorten the lifespan to 40 years or whether you aged as you do now, then dropped dead at 40.

To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

I think it’s about 50/50. Somethings have been completely my own choosing. Some have been influenced by others and some things have been forced upon me (both good and bad).

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Again, I think I worry about both. I want to do things right, I am a perfectionist. I also want to do the right things (as seen by others and by myself). I would like to be able to worry less about the outcome, rather than the reason behind what I am doing.

You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?

With all due respect and admiration to the people I am with, I would correct them if they said something erroneous about a friend of mine and have done this before. I think if they are critising based on information that is flawed then I should correct the information so they can come to an informed critique of the person and/or their actions.

If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Learn from the mistakes of others, it saves you having to make the same mistakes yourself.

Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Yes. There is no hesitation in answering this. I would do anything to protect and/or save my family and close friends.

Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

I’m not sure about insanity, but stupidity definitely. I recently had a revelation, or maybe a reawakening of a thought: A person can be incredibly creative in one manner and yet you find the rest of their work to be incredibly stupid.

What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

Eat spaghetti / noodles.

How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

Individuality: culture, religion, generation gap, gender, sexuality, friends, family, genetics. There are probably a few basic, fundamental phenomena that make most people happy but all in all be are a product of what we are, what we experience and what we gain from the experience which makkes each individual unique.

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?  What’s holding you back?

Sky Dive: money, time, encouragement, fear.

Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

The idea of the perfect man.

If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

Interstate: Tasmania – it’s beautiful and it’s not busy

International: Scotland or Ireland – the accent

Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

Yes. No.

Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

A worried genius because if I were a genius I could figure out a way to solve what was worrying me and then be a joyful genius.

Why are you, you?

Because my brain is wired aspecific way so that it experiences things in certain way and informs future decisions based on what has gone before. In other words, a little bit of nature and a little bit of nurture working together.

Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

Not always but mostly and I hope increasingly more so.

Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

Losing touch with a good friend who lives near by because there is nothing you can blame the loss on but yourself because distance isn’t a factor.

What are you most grateful for?

Choosing not to follow through with thoughts of suicide when I was younger because if I had, I’d never have had my son.

Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

There’s some old memories that I’d like to lose but I think I’d rather not be able to make new ones because I could document my present in some way, through writing it down or videoing it and not have to rely on memory, whereas the old memories have no backup.

Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

No. You can have faith in it being the truth, but you can never really know that it is the truth unless you have challenged it and seen the result for yourself.

Has your greatest fear ever come true?

My greatest fear is being without a partner for the rest of my life. This can only come true the moment I die, so the answer is no.

Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?

No, and clearly not, because I don’t remember it.

What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?

Finding out someone had a crush on me. It made me believe that I could be just like the other girls.

At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

At the football, cheering on my beloved Sydney Swans with my son and my friends.

If not now, then when?

When it’s convenient, when I have the money, when I have the time, when I have the energy.

If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

It depends on what the achievent is. If you give up nothing for an achievement, then what have you really achieved. We all give up something to achieve: time, money, other opportunities. The real question is whether they are worth losing.

Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Yes :D

Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

Because most religions support love of an ideal which may be different from another religions ideal and so in order to “save” the followers of the other religion they feel that they must destroy all opposition to their ideal.

Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

In some cases, yes. In some cases no. I believe that nothing is good or evil except the intention which makes it so.

If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

No, because a million dollars doesn’t go very far these days.

Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

More work I enjoy doing.

Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

Sometimes.

When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

When I started this blog. It’s not much but I believe in it.

If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

My son.

Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

No, because in those 10 years I may find someone who can see past my physical imperfections or become famous on my own.

What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Being alive is survival mode, truly living is make the most out of every experience, trying new things, being the best person that you can be.

When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

In my case, never. Or when the risk is negligable and the reward guaranteed.

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

The percieved pressure we feel to be perfect.

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Say yes more often when I was younger and no more often now I’m older.

When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

Everytime I yawn I notice my breathing.

What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

I love my son. I tell him all the time. I love writing. I do it as often as I can.

In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Or the day before that?

No, not specifically, as it is an ordinary day.

Decisions are being made right now.  The question is:  Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Both.