Tag: fun

Keep It Simple

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Today, write a post about the topic of your choice — using only one-syllable words.

Life was not meant to be easy. But why is it so hard to keep it simple. How do we start?  The answer may be to break it down. To stamp out the big words.

1. Write what you want to say. Use any number of syllables.

2. There will be many words with one syllable ignore them.

3. Circle the words that need to be cut down. Even three to two makes it simpler. Write a list of options and pick the best.

I wrote the first draft of my book in this style. The shorter the better. The easier it is to read. Stamp out big words. Keep it simple and see the power.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/one-at-a-time/

Lessons From My Blog

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What’s the most important (or interesting, or unexpected) thing about blogging you know today that you didn’t know a month ago?

Blogging is a never-ending journey. This is my 150th post. And I am excited there is always something new to learn or do.  So what are some of the things I have learnt recently?

1. Working out what my audience wants is tricky and seems to vary.

2. Connecting with others is the key.  I don’t expect others to stop by my site without me reaching out to them. This  is only half the journey and doesn’t work.

3. I make sure that my writing is clear and not open to interpretation. I use the KIS principle, keep it simple.

4. Writing daily makes it easier. I stopped for a few days and I lost momentum.  Now it takes me longer to write my posts until I get back into a system.

5. The more I blog, the more I want to blog. I love that you can sit at your computer anywhere in the world, share people’s lives and they can share mine.

6. The more I blog, the more I realise the power of the internet and the role of my voice online.

7. Finding viewers is hard but working my blog helps keep them. I appreciate everyone who stops by and visits my blog.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/recently-acquired/

Countdown To Christmas

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‘Tis the season for suspense-building lists.

‘Tis the season to be jolly. This year however, it took a long time to come. After 12 months of planning, my husband and I are exploring Canada on our countdown to our first white Christmas.

As Australians, the usual question is “how hot will Christmas day be? or “will the bush fires stay away till at least boxing day?” This year the question is “will it snow on Christmas day and how cold will it be?” As we are having Christmas day in Old Quebec City one of the top places in the world to guarantee snow falling as well as being on the ground, we are hopeful.

Just a week ago we began our grand adventure and countdown to Christmas.

We are fascinated by life in Northern Hemisphere, eating afternoon tea in a house older than our country, adjusting to walking on snow and ice as well as trying and learning about new things.

Our six week Canadian adventure includes visiting:

1. St John’s Newfoundland

2. Halifax, Nova Scotia

3. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

4. Moncton, New Brunswick

5. Montreal, Quebec

6. Kingston, Ontario

7. Toronto, Ontario

8. Niagara Falls, Ontario

9. Old Quebec City, Quebec

10. Ottawa, Ontario

Whilst we will be missing our usual Christmas traditions, we are proud to be sharing new ones with others half a world away.

103 - Lake Quidi Vidi

View over Quidi Vidi Lake, Newfoundland

133 - Govt House at night + with snow

Christmas Tree Government House St John’s

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_writing_challenge/countdown/

Supplies Aussie Style

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We’ve all been asked what five objects we’d take with us to a desert island. Now it’s your best friend’s (or close relative’s) turn to be stranded: what five objects would you send him/her off with?

The phone rang. It was my mother. She was letting me know that one of our relatives was stranded on a desert island. Being practical, I had been voted the family representative to send supplies. After careful consideration, I sent the following 5 items to help our loved one get through.

1. Large bag of flour – this can be used to make a damper ( flour, salt and water) cooked in a camp fire into a bread. This insures my relative can eat daily.

2. Billy – a metal tin or cooking pot complete with wire handle used to boil water or cook over a campfire. This allows water to be boiled ensuring it is clean and safe to drink.

3. Box of waterproof matches – to make sure a fire can be lit in all conditions.

4. Multi-purpose tool – a portable tool including a hammer, screwdriver, pliers, saw, knife and other associated tools that may come in handy. This tool would allow my loved one to build a shelter for protection.

5. Vegemite – no Australian should be stranded on a desert island without Vegemite, our national spread. It is an Aussie staple and  full of vitamins. Uses for Vegemite include being spread on the damper or dissolved in water as an alternate hot drink.

I hope they get home safely soon.   I would love to know how helpful my items were.

423561_VEGEMITE_SPREAD

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/someone-elses-island/

When Harry Met Sally

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When Harry meet Sally is a classic movie from 1989. It is a story about friendship, dating rules and a fear of intimacy. Everyone who saw the movie remembers the scene in the crowded cafe where Sally effectively fakes an orgasm, just to prove a point to Harry. It draws everyone in and then comes the iconic comedy line from the older lady—”I’ll have what she is having.”

I hadn’t realised how long it was since I had seen the movie until  my adult children on hearing the scene they came from upstairs to see what was going on—they couldn’t believe their ears. But what other themes does this movie about relationships address:

  • Bachelorhood
  • Coping with breakups
  • Dating scene
  • Grief and loss
  • Casual sex
  • Apologies
  • Anger management
  • Girlfriends
  • Fear of Intimacy
  • Fear of commitment
  • Guilt over relationships
  • New Years Eve traditions
  • Developing relationships
  • Commitment
  • Realising she/he is the one
  • Faking orgasms
  • Romance
  • The rules of dating
  • 80’s fashion
  • First Impressions
  • Embarrassment
  • Wanting Children
  •  Supportive Friends
  • Communication
  • Male Chauvinism
  • Male Bonding
  • Knowing it all behaviour

And for those who have never seen it or want to relive the experience—

Perfect Day

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What’s your idea of a perfect day off: one during which you can quietly relax, doing nothing, or one with one fun activity lined up after the other? Tell us how you’d spend your time.

Today is the first day of my 7 week holiday. I am excited. Next week I will be traveling to Canada with my husband for our first white Christmas. I am looking forward to exploring new areas, cultures and ways of life.

However, today I plan on enjoying the peace and quiet of my home while nobody else is here. This is my idea of spending a perfect day off. I work full- time with people, so on my day off, I like to recharge under my own rules. Mostly this involves sitting at my computer—oblivious to the rest of the world. I do really know what is going on around me—through years of training in observation, but I don’t get involved unless I need to.

Since I recommenced blogging in late August—I start every day on my blog. Excited about who has visited, any comments made and also what others have written on their blogs. I spend as much time visiting as I do on my blog. I love the interaction and inspiration. Blogging allows me to interact with others according to my time schedule, not somebody else’s and this I find relaxing.

The other way I enjoy my day off is working on my book. Having a large chunk of uninterrupted time to work on it helps me see my progress. At present I am on the last stages of editing, which is nowhere near the fun of writing it. I find it tedious and boring. But when it all comes together, editing is like learning to drive—a necessary evil that requires a lot of concentration—with a great reward at the end.

Thanks for calling in and visiting. You help to make my day off perfect. All I need now is some sparkling wine—just to top it off.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/still-or-sparkling/

Wonderfully Weird

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We all have that one eccentric relative who always says and does the strangest things. In your family, who’s that person, and what is it that earned him/her that reputation?

In my family, over the years every member would have taken the strange crown at various times, myself included—but no one holds it alone or regularly. We are all individuals and allow each other to be themselves.

Often described by the younger generation as a weird family compared to their friends, we try to hold family functions 3-4 times a year. These times allow us to keep up with each others busy lives, relax and plans for the future. Sometimes, it is fun to relive memories and help put together the details of the past forgotten by some.

Our family is large so inviting the relatives makes an instant party. Always keen for a party, we guarantee success—fancy dress included if requested or sometimes just because we felt like it.  You can also rely on some high jinx to pop up. During my 40th birthday party our concrete aboriginal ornament was removed our house—later found in another family members bed. This began a journey of about 12 months of him traveling around various family members homes—creating fun stories to tell about how or why he was there until he finally returned home to us.

Having fun and being yourself is important in family. It’s the strange and weird moments that I remember with fondness. I am personally pleased that in our family the weirdness or strangeness belongs to all of us—not just one person.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/cousin-it/

Movement

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Capture a fleeting moment and experiment with blur and movement.

My daughters diving show in one of China’s theme parks. It was a fun interactive display loved by the audience that gave us plenty of opportunities to practice our action shots.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_assignment/photography-101-moment/ ‎

I See Red

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Colors can stir emotions within us, tell stories, and transform our images. Today, use one color to add life or drama to your shot.

Christmas every year in our family is colour-themed. It is a very democratic process—all family members vote, from the youngest to the oldest. My sister who organises and holds Christmas every does an amazing job.  Her decorations and year-long planning—set the scene for the celebration. It is amazing how dramatic one colour can be when up to thirty people in the room are wearing it and it is reflected everywhere—from the decorations, to the food, table presents and the gift wrap.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_assignment/photography-101-pop-of-color/

Tongaririo River

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Capture a moment, big or small, and pay attention to the lines and curves produced by nature.

Walking beside the mighty Tongariro River, Turangi, New Zealand. It was my first true connection with New Zealand and I fell in love instantly. The caolours and fly fisherman were like pictures from a travel journal—albeit I may not have done them justice.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_assignment/photography-101-natural-world/