You say obsession like it's a bad thing...

There is a quote that says this but I am currently unable to post photographs on my blog.

But anyhow, let me give you an example:

A couple of years ago, I became obsessed with a skipping show on TV.  It left me with skipping-itus, and I would skip whenever I got the chance. I was extremely disappointed to find that the only skipping rope I possessed was too long. So I begged for a new one and made skipping ropes out of belts tied together. But a few weeks later, the obsession faded. Not completely. I still skip now, not constantly, though. And I have been left with a number of tricks that I still try to attempt when I have the rope out.

That is probably quite a good obsession- skipping is healthy, and it didn't get into the way of anything, I just did it in my spare time. There are many other obsessions like that. 

I consider myself quite well rounded, so I like to concentrate on more than one thing, but I am very open (the personality trait) so I do enjoy change.
Obsession can take over people's lives if they get out of hand, which is what I am trying to steer away from in this post. I'll admit that there are unhealthy and just blatantly bad habits and obsessions that people have, which explains why people often view obsession as a bad thing.
But that is a stereotype because there are ones that don't take up all of your time and are healthy. 

So here's my view: Obsessions allow people to do what they are passionate about (for a while, anyway). There are bad obsessions but there are many good ones too, which give people something to do, and more importantly, something to enjoy.
I understand that obsession can be very bad and "evolve into worse things" as Tiana said but I have a positive view on obsessions which is different to a lot of people's opinions so I wanted to share my views. 

Cari xxx

Rose Wellingtons

If you read my description, you'll see that one of my interests is photography.
I went to the park today and took some photos- here they are:



Here are the rose wellies :-)





It took ages to get this one- the bird kept moving!















I think that this picture conveys survival in a way, because the bird appears to be searching for food amongst the leaves. The many leaves show how hard it is to find food in order to survive. I shows hope too, because the tail feathers are up high. I think that especially as the leaves are a bit frosty, which symbolizes Winter, (the season of hardship in survival), which I think makes this photo more effective.

I know, the leaf in the middle is blurred- but I like it that way

 













Often, people don't see what is right before them. I took this photo to express that. The leaf is blurred to show that you sometimes can't see the obvious. The ones behind signify less obvious things, but you can see them clearly.

There isn't really a focus in this picture- just the depth















This picture has depth clearly shown in it- the trees getting "smaller" in the distance creates this effect. This one also has the feeling of being hidden- at the bottom of the photo, there are some holly leaves, as if you are behind a bush.

One of my favourites-
Through the trees......
















This photo creates a sense of mystery, hiding, almost secret agent rushing behind trees in a quest to go unnoticed. There is a bird that you can only just see in front, as if you can just about see what is going on. The aim was to create a mysterious photo that can be intepreted in many ways...
These were the best photos I took. I had a lot of fun taking them and I hope you enjoyed the photos!
Wait- I have made a decision. I'm going to start doing photo logs like this one. Not all the time. I'll still write things most of the time. But I like expressing my thoughts through photography.
Cari x

Anticipation

Hi!
I thought that anticipation would be an appropriate thing to blog about, seeing as it's Christmas in...9 days! Everyone is anticipating Christmas for various reasons, like spending time with family, seeing beautiful decorations light up shops and resturaunts, and presents :-) (giving and receiving). I have found that the build-up to something is as exciting as the event itself, because you feel this sense of anticipation, excitement and almost suspense.

You may be familiar with this advert...

I am going to write a story to show how I feel at the moment:

Ellie pushed her duvet off her and sprinted downstairs, where her crismon advent calendar awaited her. Without hesitating, she ripped open her door with an elaborate number 17 on it. Today, her treat was a detailed chocolate sleigh, laden with presents. She paused for a moment, looking at the intricate design, and then gulped it down. Only eight more days after today!, she thought excitedly, her wide, jade-coloured eyes shining with an almost wild glow. She grabbed a box of Cheerio's and drowned the remaining contents with milk in her favourite bowl. They had been consumed by Ellie within two minutes. She tiptoed out of the kitchen into the living room where the family's lavishly decorated Christmas tree stood proudly. Ellie was in a trance for a few minutes, gazing at the different ornaments, but was disturbed shortly by what sounded like a parade but what was probably her siblings. 

I'm like Ellie at the moment. A lot like Ellie. I am anticipating Christmas like a dog waiting for a bone to be thrown for them. Or like my brother at his birthday party, waiting for the animals to be shown (it was an animal party...).








Me in Jordan- on a much-anticipated trip!







Cari, who is becoming increasingly excited for Christmas!

So much more behind it...

Before I start, thank you to everyone who commented on my Intellectual Property blog, becuase you all had really positive things to say about it. I value everyone's opinion.

Now down to the post.
The name and idea has been inspired by quite a few things. First of all, I did a sushi-making course today and loved it (read on, this is relevant). And at first I thought, the sushi is delicious. And then, I thought, Is it really all about the sushi? Isn't it also learning about Japanese culture? There was so much more to it than just enjoying the (very enjoyable) sushi.
The second thing was a conversation that I happened to overhear on the Tube. Two women were presumably talking about someone they knew doing a public poetry reading but they hated saying things in public. They were doing it to overcome this. And they said something like: "He speaks really fast, but especially when you're reading poetry, you have to kind of read slow because you need time to think about what's behind the line, if you know what I mean."
That's hit the nail right on the head. Exactly what I wanted to express.


It's strange to consider this- when you appear happy, everyone thinks that you have everything going for you and your life is perfect. Ashamedly, I have thought that. But now it falls into place, because there is so much  more to being happy than it seems. I have never really thought of it that way, but it's true. Looking back on happy times as I often do, I realize that the setting had a slight imperfection that I didn't notice, and maybe I had a stomach ache that I didn't notice at the time- Why? I had decided to look past that. I was too busy being happy.

No-one knows everything, as everyone knows. But people think that they are superior by knowing more facts than others. People are not being wise by saying they know a lot, because no-one knows a lot compared to all the facts there are to find out. Yes, some know more than others, but the wisest people are the ones who realize they don't know everything and accept that. And the people who can come up with quotes like these.

Well, I never thought of it like this but, looking ahead is more important. Of course, reflecting to learn from your mistakes is a good idea, but you can only wait for tommorrow, you can't go back to yesterday. This quote speaks for itself. But I do love this saying.

The next one a lot of people are familiar with, but I want to explain it anyway.

This saying conveys this: make the best of a bad situation (or should I say, seemingly bad). It's a quote that keeps you looking on the bright side- Why? Lemonade is a well-liked drink. Lemons are sour and to most people taste horrible on their own, add some sugar and some positive views, and you have lemonade. And the people who do this enjoy the "lemonade" too.

Thank you for joining me through this thought-provoking journey (at least for me), and I hope you liked my intepretations of these quotes.

Cari x

Intellectual Property

Do you think that stealing ideas is as bad as stealing physical objects?

Well, I have always thought that the thought behind stealing is worse than the fact that something is stolen. So, this got me thinking- what about stealing thoughts?

Take illegal downloading. Somebody works hard to write a song, and finally manages to put it on iTunes to earn something for their work. Then, somebody comes along, thinks "I don't want to pay for that song," and illegally copies it and downloads it for free (I don't know much about illegal downloads mostly because I have never done it before, but I am using it as an example). They are basically stealing somebody's intellectual property (i.e. their song). This, in my opinion, is worse than the fact that they have actually "stolen" the song. They've stolen the thought behind it.

It's really the same as if you come up with a great idea, and discuss it with someone then they go and tell everybody and claim the idea as their own. Even worse, they may accuse you of copying them! That's intellectual property being stolen.

Stealing intellectual property is different to stealing an object. Most physical objects are replaceable, but thoughts? You can think them again but you can't take them back. And as for the thief... the only "revenge" that you can take on them is the fact that you know that you came up with it, and they know that they copied it. I would also consider copying a form of stealing. It's the same as stealing intellectual property.

Cari, who hates it when people steal her ideas and claim it as their own*

*Disclaimer: any reference to real persons is purely coincidental :-)

Happy Birthday

This post it dedicated to my little brother, who turned four today.

Where do I begin? There are so many positive things I have to say about my brother. He is so clever, extroverted, bubbly, active and full of fun. He enriches my life, brightening things up even at the darkest of times. He is caring, thoughtful, lovable, cuddly... I could go on. His liveliness triggers mine, his ability to always look on the bright side inspires my views. He fills my heart with joy when he runs around hysterically, too excited to describe in words. "Happy Birthday to me!" He chants wildly, his eyes brimming with eagerness. All the things that make him "him" merge to create a strong, happy young character- who brings joy to everybody. He is always onto something new and he's eager to learn about the world around him. He is hilarious, and his sometimes unintentionally funny comments and views of the world result in hysterics from the entire family. He is friendly and kind to everybody, and has every trait that I could possibly want from a brother and more. Every day he comes up with new tricks that make me burst out laughing, and every day my love for him grows.
Happy Birthday, you are truly loved xxx

Cari xxx