Share Your World Archives

Share Your World – 2015 Week 6

February 13, 2015 inspiringmax

What was the last time you went to a new place?

At the end of last year, my husband and I left sunny Sydney Australia to spent 6 weeks exploring Eastern Canada. We were hoping for our first white Christmas. But no, unseasonably high temperatures meant we are still waiting. Many people in Quebec City—where we spent Christmas—because it was one of the top places in the world to have snow falling from the sky as well as snow on the ground— said it was the first green Christmas they had had. They had lived in the city for over twenty years. However, to my excitement, we did receive a very light snowfall walking home from Christmas dinner—so I made my husband turn around and walk in the snow until it stopped.

View over Montreal from Mont Royal

If you were or are a writer do you prefer writing short stories, poems or novels, other? And what type of genre would you prefer?

I am a writer. I am in the final stages of editing my non-fiction self-help book—Inspiring Hope: How Eating Disorder Recovery Is Possible. It has been along journey and I have enjoyed learning about every step. At some time in the future, however I would love to use my creative ability and write fiction—although I don’t know what genre I would write in although I would like it to appeal to both sexes like Janet Evanovich.

Out of your five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing) which is your favorite?

I am a visual person. I must see something to understand and remember it. I am attracted to the beauty of things, even the beauty of the less attractive things of this world.

If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?

Despite my daily commute to work, I find my life and job very satisfying. I work with a great team helping people with recovery from an eating disorder, which is rewarding work. I spent my weekend with family or if I am really lucky alone doing the things I love to do—writing and blogging. Every holidays I get to travel and explore the world. For these reasons I think probably only about 10% would lead a more satisfying life than I. When my life doesn’t satisfy me for a period of time, I get to the bottom of it and fix the problem.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week we had two separate visits from extended family. It was great seeing them and catching up on the latest gossip.

Yesterday my daughter brought home a new member of the family—a kitten she calls Toast. I look forward to getting to know him and possibly coming up with my own name to match his personality.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/02/09/share-your-world-2015-week-6/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 44

November 10, 2014 inspiringmax

What is your most vivid memory of the kitchen in your childhood?

Exciting vivid memories elude me. My main memory is being required to wash and dry the dishes with my siblings every night. Not caring for the washing part—I was happy to dry. This usually made everyone else happy. They would rather wash or put the dishes away. It also meant I had control of any naughty tea towel flicking behaviours my younger siblings liked to try.

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

My father’s mother lived in a ~~granny~~ or in our case, nanny flat at the side of our home. She was always available to us if we needed anything and would wait for us to come home from school. I remember one year she told Santa that we would like a swing set, which Santa delivered.

What did you or did not like about the first apartment you ever rented?

The first apartment I rented was in Sydney after I was married. Having already purchased my home I did find that I was limited in where I hung pictures and what I could do frustrating. I was excited however, by the freedom of being able to move cities and set up a new life that renting gave me.

What kind of TV commercial would you like to make? Describe it.

I would like to make a television commercial about the power of positive thinking. How your actions can change your outcomes. It would include references to being in the present moment.

My hope would be that it would inspire people to recognise the power of their daily choices.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful for the fun times I had at our work Christmas party. Catching up with people you don’t see often and remembering the year that was.

Next week I am looking forward to finishing work for the year at preparing for my Canadian adventure.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/11/03/share-your-world-2014-week-44/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 43

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 inspiringmax

What is your favorite time of day?

I like sunset. Hopefully, I have finished work for the day and it is the transition between working and relaxing. In summer in Australia, many people attempt to predict the heat of the following day by the colour of the sunset—the redder the hotter. I am unsure of the truth behind this tradition.

What’s your favorite charitable cause and why?

My two favourite charities go back to my childhood.

Salvation Army—supports disadvantaged families. In May every year, the Salvation Army holds their Red Shield Appeal. As a teenager I was a regular volunteer, knocking on doors and collecting donations, which I loved.
Legacy—supports families of returned defence force men and women, in need after their death. The annual Legacy collection is the first Friday in September. My grandfather was in the first and second world wars, so Legacy has always been close to my heart. I have many memories of supporting this cause from school—selling pins in the local shopping centre.

How do you like to spend a rainy day?

My perfect rainy day would be spent in the countryside on an old comfortable lounge, in front of an open fire, reading a good book, sipping wine and looking out the window at the drizzling rain on the surrounding green landscape. The last time we had this experience was on the weekend of my husband’s 50th birthday a few years ago. It was so relaxing we never wanted to leave the lounges and didn’t—waiters bought our meals to us. It was heaven.

When writing by hand do you prefer to use a pencil or pen?

I always write with a pen. I find them smoother and more consistent to write with. If I am writing with a pencil I find that I need to print and this does not help the flow of my thoughts. The fact that I have written with a pen since attaining my pen license in the third grade, 45 years ago helps. I am comfortable with the pen although it must not be too thin—I prefer the chunky style as they fit into my hand better.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last Sunday I went out to purchase a new outfit for my work Christmas party. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I wanted to go to only one shop that had a 25% sale and buy something quickly—preferably purple. Success. I left the shop 20 minutes after arriving, with a new black skirt and purple flowing top that works with my body shape.

Going to Newcastle to visit my extended family and celebrate our joint birthdays. It will also be the last time I see most of them before 2015 as we will be in Canada for Christmas.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/10/27/share-your-world-2014-week-43/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 42

October 26, 2014 inspiringmax

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

I wake around dawn most days to get to work on time. I needed to get up even earlier this week to take my daughter to work and it reminded me of how much work you can get done early in the day. Staying in bed until noon would waste so much of my time these days. I am sure when I was younger, I would have given you a different answer.

If you could choose between wisdom and luck, which would you pick?

Wisdom can change your world and help you achieve your goals. I believe that many people interpret good use of wisdom as luck. From my experience—very few things rely on luck—usually they appear to be luck but they are actually the culmination of planning and positive thinking. Without wisdom—even the winning the lottery type of luck is short lived.

If you were given the opportunity for free sky diving lessons would you take them? Why or why not?

Yes. I have wanted to sky dive for many years now. I think it would be an exhilarating feeling. However, if I had to do it alone my answer would be, no. My jump would need to be a tandem jump—so someone experienced was in control.

Is the glass half empty or half full. What is in the glass?

I am a positive person so my glass is always half full. Even in difficult times, I will focus on what I do have rather than what I don’t have. My glass is of course filled with a very expensive French Champagne to celebrate the joy in my life.

Photo credit: Google Images

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I arranged to self-publish my book with Balboa Press. This takes even closer to being a published author in 2015. Exciting and scary. I did have a little glass of champagne to celebrate.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/10/20/share-your-world-2014-week-42/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 40

October 11, 2014October 11, 2014 inspiringmax

You’re given $500,000 dollars tax free (any currency), what do you spend it on?

$500,000 would allow me to have a different lifestyle, which I would be grateful for. I would repay most into my mortgage, so I could work part-time. I would also pay it forward by giving the children a reasonable deposit for their own mortgage—payable only on a property purchase. I would make a donation to one or more charities or causes that make the world a better place. My special treat would be taking an extended 3-6 month round the world trip with my husband, ticking off many things from our bucket list.

What’s the finest education?

I believe self-confidence and self-belief to be the finest education a person can acquire. With these two life skills, you can achieve what you want in life and if necessary adapt your circumstances to meet your needs. Without these skills you can have a degree in any field and not be able to get a job despite your high marks. This is because your lack of self-confidence shows at interview, resulting in the more confident person with lower marks being chosen for the job.

What kind of art is your favourite? Why?

Pottery is both beautiful and practical and something I have always been drawn to. It cannot be made perfectly and pieces are really identical as they are individually made. My good dinner set was made by artist Helen Temasi over 30 years ago. I happened upon an odd piece of it by mistake in a small shop in Newcastle. Originally, she had made it for the Adelaide Art Gallery and to ensure she had enough quality pieces for an 8 piece dinner set, she needed to make an initial run of over 20 pieces—which in this case all worked. My dinner set is made up of the these pieces sourced from all over Australia.

Is there something that you memorized long ago and still remember?

I didn’t memorise things growing up. I am still not good at it today. When I am learning my speeches for Toastmasters, I learn concepts because I cannot remember exact words. This makes delivery difficult. sometimes, I write a great speech with everything in the exact order but some of the punch is lost by me not remembering the exact word at the exact time.

What are you grateful for from last week?

Last weekend I was awarded the One Lovely Blogger Award which I was grateful for. This helped my blog receive its highest ever views in one day, 167. Three weeks ago my best was 52, so I am growing and becoming more comfortable in this medium.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/10/06/share-your-world-2014-week-40/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 39

October 6, 2014 inspiringmax

Did you ever get lost?

Getting lost is unusual for me. If I am in familiar surroundings, I can usually act like a homing pigeon, make the correct turns and end up where I want to be. However, I cannot read the street directory as the navigator, when the car is moving. Taking my eyes off the road makes me feel nauseous and I lose my concentration. In order to stop me getting lost, I look up where I want to go before leaving home. That works for me.

When we visited China however, you could take me two blocks form our motel room on the first day and I had no idea where I was because everything was so different. My husband loved it and kept singing “I find my way home”, which overtime became reassuring that at least one of us knew where we were.

Who was your best friend in elementary school?

I don’t remember having a specific childhood friend in primary school. I had many friends and like a butterfly, I would flit between groups and friends regularly. I was also the person someone would come to for counselling—even in the third grade—when they had fought with their special friend.

Since the news television season has started in the US, list three favorite TV shows.

In Australia, I am not sure how we match with your current T. V. shows. Although it doesn’t matter to me as have little time for television with working full time, commuting and blogging.

I prefer to watch movies in my spare time. Although, I regularly get snippets of television based on shows my family prefer especially The Big Bang Theory.

If you were a mouse in your house in the evening, what would you see your family doing?

After diner our mouse would see my son in his bedroom on two computers at once—one with work and the other with music or anime. My daughter could be either in her room or more likely downstairs on one of two lounges with either parent using her i-pad or phone. My husband would be sitting in his rocking chair—no, he’s not that old—watching his prerecorded television shows or something that he and my daughter have a greed to watch together. Myself, unless it is Saturday night, our mouse will find me at the back of the house in the family room, sitting at my computer—I will be either blogging or working on the book I am writing.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

This week I am grateful for the warmer weather arriving. I could feel the sunshine on my arms for the first time in months—I love that feeling. It was also the first time I though it was warm enough outside to eat my lunch at work.

I am also grateful for South Sydney Rabbitoh’s winning the 2014 NRL Premiership for the first time in 43 years.

During this long weekend I am looking forward to catching up with family.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/09/29/share-your-world-2014-week-39/

Share Your World 2014 – Week 38

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 inspiringmax

1. If you could be a tree or a plant, what would you be?

If I were to choose between being a tree or plant, I would be a Californian Coastal Redwood. I love these trees. Singularly they are majestic, solid and live a long and happy life. The Chandelier Tree in Leggett, California is 2,400 years old. The energy and life created in a Redwood Forest is amazing .

2.If you could have a servant come to your house everyday for an hour, what would you have them do?

My daily servant would choose, shop for and cook my evening meal. I am not a fussy eater so I would be happy with anything they chose. While I don’t dislike cooking my daily commute is huge and limits my available time to cook. I have also discovered that cooking takes up valuable blogging time, so I definitely think an alternative should be found.

3.If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

I would choose to have an endless supply dairy foods. Cheese, yoghurt and chocolate. Without these foods my life would never be the same.

Photo Credit:Debbieseymour.com

4. What was one of your first money making jobs (other than babysitting or news paper delivery)?

My first job is the same as my current one—a psychiatric nurse. It is 30 years this year since I became a registered nurse and my knowledge base has grown greatly. Today I am a manager and help train and mentor new nurses. Today, mental health nursing, as it is now known, remains my ideal job.

What are you grateful for from last week.

Last weekend I achieved my personal best at impromptu speaking, when I was placed second in the Area 13 Toastmasters Table Topics competition, for which I am grateful. This is a first for me and was a surprise as I was competing against other experienced Toastmasters. it has inspired me to want to learn more about competitive public speaking.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/09/22/share-your-world-2014-week-38/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 37

September 18, 2014 inspiringmax

1. List three pet peeves.

Any repetitive noises such as all varieties of mouth noises, clicking the end of the pen and tapping feet or fingers.
Being deliberately ignored be someone you know or have known. Being pleasant and courteous is a form of respecting yourself and your own boundaries. It make you the bigger person and life so much easier for everyone around you.
Television or music on in the house when no one is focusing on it. I love the quiet as it helps me to relax.

2. What makes you unique?

There are a few things that make me unique:

I was born at one minute to midnight—something my mother predicted before my birth.
I am double-jointed in my fingers, something I thought was very special as a child but I now realise so are many other people.
I began working in mental health at the age of 18, straight form high school which is unusual. Even as a young woman I have used my sense of humour to connect with people quickly,even in difficult situations.
I am a good judge of character and have a natural psychic ability, which allows me to trust my own instincts.
I believe in the universal law of attraction where you thoughts create your world. This is why I rephrase negative thoughts quickly and look for the positive in all situations.

3. What would be your ideal birthday present and why?

Since I turned 50 my ideal birthday present is a holiday. Be it an overseas trip or a mini-break, I love to get away from my regular world, exploring and connecting with nature. This present re-energises me and prepares me for the year ahead. When I was younger and if going away was not possible, I refused to work on my birthday and would celebrate with champagne alone if necessary. Fortunately, in my 34 years of working, I have only been required to work on two birthdays. On both of these occasions, I made sure everyone I worked with knew it was my special day, so we had some special times—it’s the Leo in me I think.

4. Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under.

To be honest until this question came up on another blog last week, I had never given it much thought. At the time I decided that my preferred is over and now I find myself mindfully checking the toilet roll to check it is the right way.

What are you grateful for last week and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful to be able to attend Hay House Writers Workshops in Sydney. It was held over two days and inspired me to focus on completing my book and getting it published. Next week I am looking forward to settling in to working on the eating disorders unit again for the first time in five years—this time as the manager.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/09/15/share-your-world-2014-week/

Share Your World – 2014 Week 36

September 13, 2014 inspiringmax

1. Do you prefer reading coffee table books (picture), biographies, fiction, non-fiction or educational?

I love books. Anytime I go shopping I can’t resist looking in the bookshops to see what is new. Although I do admit looking for bargains in second-hand bookshops and stalls is my favourite book pastime. I usually buy at least one book. My husband has given up. My favourite books to read and buy are non-fiction self-help books. I am particularly drawn to success manuals and self improvement books. As I am nearing the completion of my book on what is important in eating disorder recovery, I am reading a lot of books on self publishing, which I find very helpful.

2. What is your biggest fear or phobia? (no photos)

My biggest fear is nyctophobia or fear of the darkness. In my own home this is not a problem however walking outside alone is a big problem for me. Walking with someone else even a child doesn’t seem to bother me, weird I know.

3. What is your favourite cheese?

My favourite cheese at the moment is blue cheese. My husband has been buying it to put on my pizzas and I have remembered how much I love the strong flavour. Blue cheese also goes well inside a dried apricot for a snack or appetizer. I think it is the delicate balance between sweet and sour that I like. Give it a try, you might like it.

4. What is your favourite month of the year?

August is my favourite month of the year because:

It’s my birthday
In Australia, it is the end of winter
Spring is around the corner
Usually I get to feel the sunshine on my skin again for the first time in months
If I am going to the NSW ski fields, it is the best time to guarantee snow
Flowers start budding
Baby animals are born

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/09/08/share-your-world-2014-week-36/