Peeved, miffed, a tad unsettled...

I've just about had it with lip service, paid by all of us...

...it's quick and easy to get mad, rant and rave, sulking while mumbling, and we all do it. 

The taxis that cut in front of us while we obey the rules of the road, the members of the public who enter a store, then park in the doorway while they get their bearings or check their cellphone when alerted to a message...the list is actually endless and once you get started, there seems to be no stopping. 

It builds and builds till you feel you want to explode.

So we meditate, practice our breathing, try to remember that kind words and gestures are rewarded while anger rebounds, and then someone throws their lunch wrapping down not a foot from a huge, brightly coloured bin...and you - what? Grab them and make them pick up their litter or even better, lecture them while making a citizens arrest and then haul them off to the nearest cop shop to lay a charge...yeah, right.

Pedestrians cross the road in their hundreds at peak time, while the crossing is not even 20 metres away, and traffic slows to a crawl as motorists change lanes without a please or a thank you, honking their horns as if this gives them right of way. No one smiles, is courteous, steps aside for a man struggling to negotiate an overflowing pavement with his crutches, the little old lady, bewildered in the midst of all this anger is shoved from side to side, almost toppled into the oncoming traffic and is sworn at by strangers who don't care about her age, or the fact that she is a frail 90+years old.

What's happening to us? Have we all gone mad and decided it's us or them and we will be the winners in this race of rats?

I want a magic stick that works all the time...not only when it's held aloft as a weapon, ready to strike and smite down anyone who deserves it. I want it to calm those around me so that they can see how absurd our living has become and I want to inspire them to find their own magic and spread it so that we can enjoy our living again, without fearing each other's reactions to this craziness we currently live in.

The weather

First off, no! it does not deserve the capitalisation so many of us ascribe to it...I think.

I do not watch a lot of television - mostly because machinery with which to generate power for more than just the basic uses, is lacking at home - rather, I prefer working in the garden, enjoying the sunset, listening to the sound of nature.

Except (oh, yes...there always has to be one), when I am with my mom, at her flat in the city...then I 'actively' watch television. Because I am family, I am able to slip into the routine my mother has created in her home and part of this, is the daily watching of soapies, legal/criminal dramas, detective stories, rugby, wrestling, several good, full length films and the occasional DVD on a Saturday night.


Personally I enjoy seeing what the advertising industry is up to and I thoroughly enjoy a good advertisement. My best though, has to be the weather. High pressure systems and cold fronts, wind directions and precipitation forecasts delivered in graphic, computerised animation that keep me going back for more.


And then the broadcaster goes and changes the sequence in which the weather is presented. Where my mom's part of the world used to be almost last on the list, suddenly it is first and I keep on missing the good bits, catching the back end of the rest of the week's wind direction and rainfall forecast - when I remember.


The question now begs to be asked - am I going to adjust my schedule to suit the weather broadcast?

I think not! It may be the best topic yet to start a conversation with a stranger but I have been reminded of so many little things I usually rely on to read the weather, when there is no television or radio feeding me information.

There are the 'Little Swifts' here in the city, accurately predicting a rain shower on it's way by their animated chittering and low flight while they feed on insects scurrying for cover, the obvious cloud banks rolling into the bay, wind direction and strength are indicated by the swaying of tree tops and the city residents themselves, who carry their umbrellas like weapons, while hugging their jackets closer against the cold of Winter.

At home, the moths fluttering around the candles at night and the Coucal's call during the day, are a sure sign of approaching rain, while the wind chimes and mobiles start their slow dance at the slightest hint of a breeze.

When you are surrounded by concrete, commuting to and from home by car, nature's little weather indicators seem non-existent and you turn to television or radio to feed you the information you need to plan your wardrobe and activities, until eventually you stop looking and the weather forecast can quickly become a pivotal point in your daily existence.

And when the broadcaster changes the sequence in presenting weather information, you suddenly wake up to just how dependent you've become on allowing others to be your eyes and ears and how your own thinking process has ground to a halt. And the weather slowly but surely gains importance, you change your schedule to suit and before you know it, the weather has become more than just an easy topic when talking to strangers and in your mind (and writing) its importance gains momentum...and in the end, you present it in capitals.

It's no longer a mere starting point to a conversation, it IS the conversation.

So, how do you weather the WEATHER?

Reblog if you like

Born in 1960
at the start of it all
grew into it as I learnt
about exceptions
through 51 years and now
live with the repercussions
of my 60's perceptions

Striving to live
in the here and now
working to not earn
by the sweat of my brow
digitally conversing,
befriending and liking
while there's a link,
a laptop or mobile

it's affordably cheap
it's fun
it's company
it's friends
it's idling
procrastinating
an excuse!

Where is the contact,
the one-on-one
it was just here...
...and now it is gone.

digitally duplicated...like and share

Born in 1960
at the start of it all
grew into it as I learnt
about exceptions
through 51 years and now
live with the repercussions
of my 60's perceptions

Striving to live

in the here and now

working to not earn 

by the sweat of my brow

digitally conversing, 

befriending and liking

while there's a link, 

a laptop or mobile

it's affordably cheap

it's fun

it's company

it's friends

it's idling

procrastinating

an excuse!

Where is the contact, 

the one-on-one

it was just here...

...and now it is gone.

Digitally removed

Born in 1960

at the start of it all

grew into it as I learnt 

about exceptions

through 51 years and now 

live with the repercussions 

of my 60's perceptions.

Striving to live

in the here and now

working to not earn 

by the sweat of my brow

digitally conversing, 

befriending and liking

while there's a link, 

a laptop or mobile

it's affordably cheap

it's fun

it's company

it's friends

it's idling

procrastinating

an excuse!

Where is the contact, 

the one-on-one

it was just here...

...and now it is gone.

www.writeupcafe.com

The good stuff

Read, read and read some more. This is my advice when anyone asks me how to improve their reading, writing and verbal skills, in whichever language they choose to become proficient.

The replies to this advice usually start a hefty argument and I fail to understand the logic of those who do not get it. When you are constantly reading, your vocabulary has to grow and with it your understanding of the topics you pursue in your reading. With the growth of your vocabulary and understanding, you equip yourself with the tools you need to enhance your language skills and this can only result in better writing and...pretty soon you will find that you are able to better express yourself.

Yes, it's a process and yes, it takes time. But, if you take the time and make the effort, the rewards are well worth it.

Being an English second language 'practitioner' (I speak, read and write it) the satisfaction and pride I feel, when those I am conversing with are surprised that English is not my home language, far exceeds the time and effort it has taken me to get here.

It all began before I started school and what motivated my learning to read, was my seemingly endless stream of questions. Television adverts and personal experiences as a parent underline the ever questioning mind of a child - how it is dealt with, however, is another topic entirely.

What stands out in my mind was my need to know and every time a grown-up told me "no more questions" or "time for you to learn to read" I wanted, no needed to do just that, so that I could find the answers for myself. And so my need to read increased, until it became almost an obsession.

I would hide comics, leaflets, picture books with words and oh, anything I felt would provide me the 'answers' to my questions. And these I would read, under the blankets or even the bed, by flashlight - almost giving my mom a heart attack when she investigated the origins of the strange sounds I made turning pages as I learnt to read.

Now, I started school at age five, and I firmly believe that had it not been for my 'obsession' with reading and my never ending quest for information, I would have been at a severe disadvantage. It is almost a half a century later and at times, I find my impatience at the disruption of having to still sleep, eat and go to the bathroom, both hilarious and quite depressing.

Disruption...? Yes, it detracts from my ability to focus while...reading of course!

And then there's blogging.

The ultimate in reading, I think...because you also get to comment on what you read, feel, think! It makes the process better, for me at least. Not sure how other bloggers feel about this. Busy. Reading. Writing. Oh yeah, then there's still interaction with other humans, socialising (does going to the shop for bread and milk qualify?) and of course daily chores. So many disruptions!

Ok, so it can get a bit out of hand, considering what all bloggers know - it does not pay (not good money, not till you're famous anyway) and it can really isolate and hermitise you...if you let it.

The answer is balance and of course, time management and oh yes, it helps...to be busy with work that takes you out of the house to places where using a phone or a laptop are not appropriate or practical...just till you can get back to reading, writing - the good stuff!

The Good Stuff

End of the world...?

END OF THE WORLD...?

So the world ends this December, does it? I am finding a lot of writing on this topic and am holding back when I overhear strangers discussing it because I see no need to burst anyone's bubble.

Points being discussed include whether the Mayans had a 'plan' they worked to - much like having a 5 or 10 year plan, only theirs was till 2012. Others talk about how the end will come, comets hitting the planet, sun flares destroying life as we know it, a new virus that kills of everyone...the reasoning sounds a lot like science fiction.

And then there are the religious views of 'the final days' being upon us, the second coming to sort out the wheat from the chaff, all quoting the Bible, mostly the book of Revelation, which can be a science fiction story on its own and has many different interpretations.

Personally, I must say that I am busy with the here and now, and fail to see how something that may happen should affect me to the point where I live in fear and am filled with angst at all the what ifs, maybes and picturing of different death scenarios.

Plan of action:

If you believe the world is going to end this December, please start your preparations and planning now. Decide who gets what of your earthly possessions, make sure you don't pay any more insurance premiums or rates and taxes etc. and by the end of October, start putting your plan into action, you'll have a month in which to finalise, say farewell and then it's time to party! You will be able to use Christmas gift monies for this because you won't have any need to buy anyone any gifts this year.

And if you have any money collected/stashed away or any insurance payouts that you can arrange to have done on December 22nd...tell me where to send my bank details. I am more than happy to help take it off your hands.

And by the way, in order to do all of this, we have to ignore the true meaning of the word 'apocalypse', which is Greek and means 'to lift the veil' or 'the lifting of the veil'. Also, the Mayans said it would the end of an age - not the world!

Oh, yes, December 21, 2012 is also the date on which Anonymous implements Project Mayhem...want to know more - GTS (Google That Shit)