Why Do We Fall Down?

Have you ever noticed how we spend our lives reading books about people with high-flying careers, a beautiful house, a wonderful family and great friends? Often, we think how unrealistic it all seems, that having our cake and eating it too, is just a fantasy that is laid out in books for us to read and mope about how our lives don't compare.

Isn't it time we started making the unrealistic become more realistic? If we really want it all, all we have to do is work for it and persist. Persistence really is the key to everything. Most of the time, we have this dream and we all plan it out in our heads, from how we dream our weddings to be, how we dream our careers to be, our future husbands, wives, daughters, sons etc. We all plan it right down to the last intimate detail (or maybe that's just women) and yet, we always seem to settle for second best. There has to come a time in life where people must chose, do they take the fairytale path and keep persisting until they feel that their dream really can't be taken any further, or do they settle for second-best on the path that's a little dusty, but safe and familiar?

If that person chooses the dusty second-best path (not that it's a bad one), you must ask yourself why? Why did that person suddenly stop aiming for their entire life's dream. Why did that person just give up? I know life is hard and it has it seems to have it's downs a hell of a lot more than it's ups, but every time we fall down, do we really just stay down? Or do we say "Fuck this" and get back up on our feet? Rather appropriately, I feel I must quote Batman Begins, one character asks "Why do we fall down?" and the other replies "So we can learn to get back up again". And it's true, we must fall down lots, so we can learn to pick ourselves up again. If we just stayed down all the time, we'd never learn anything. That's what mistakes are for, they are learning experiences, to make you a better, stronger, happier, wiser person.

I know it's hard to be positive a lot of the time, it's hard to really see the bigger picture as I've mentioned before. But next time you fall down, in that split second when you want the world to swallow you head to toe, why don't you try and think "This happens for a reason. This is something I have to learn from." And as hard as it is, to pick yourself up again, you must try. And if you can't do it yourself, then I'm pretty damn sure, you'll have some great friends to help you on your way. So when you finally get your feet back on the ground, you'll have considered the reasons for this mistake, this fall, and have learnt something from it, whether it be, not to do it again, that you're friends are awesome for helping you, or that you simply just need to do things differently. For that one week, day, month or perhaps even a year you spend on the floor, the feeling of getting back up again as a happier, wiser, better, stronger person is the greatest thing of all.

Music Unites The Masses

Have you ever noticed, how two completely different people can like exactly the same song for two completely different reasons? And those two people can deduce different meanings from the one song. Although many songs have one obvious meaning, to someone somewhere there will always be many interpretations to one song and they will take the meaning and relate it to whatever is going on their own lives right that moment.

We all have those songs that we can relate to specific moments, or people, or places in our lives. I myself have a few such as 3 Doors Down - Here Without you and Lonestar- Baby I'm amazed by you and also The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon. Although they are quite lovey-dovey songs, there are other songs, such as Voodoo Child which I can relate to my summer a few years ago. I find it amazing that the singers/artists/bands can make music that many people can relate to, or that can describe exactly the feelings and/or emotions that someone else in the world is going through. In saying that, I suppose a lot of us have felt a similar emotion to the one in the song at some point in our lives. But it just amazes me how music can make us feel better, or worse, or relate to our lives in ways we never imagined.

I've never been to a music festival but I have attended some concerts in my time and I got to thinking. Each concert has sold over a thousand tickets, which means over a thousand people like the same music, for similar and different reasons. And those people appreciate what those artists are doing, they can relate, or they just enjoy listening to the music and that's what makes it so good. I love finding songs that I can relate to or that are inspiring and meaningful, although they may be this to me, to other people they may be strange or not up to their music taste. Isn't it strange how there are so many different kinds of music and all of it can relate to somebody somewhere in the world?

All I know is, music seems to be a thing that brings people together, for example, at concerts, at music festivals and even in pubs, clubs and bars. And I really appreciate the fact that people can enjoy the music together even if they don't get on as friends, or as people. And to be totally cliche, I'm going to quote Abba and say, Thank you for the music, for the song's I'm singing, for all the joy they're bringing....yeah you get my point, haha. So, if you have any songs you want to share, or songs that you feel I would enjoy or be able to relate to, I'm open for suggestions. You can leave a comment or mail me at the address given on the sidebar, or better yet, subscribe using the Google box also on the sidebar! I'll be ever so grateful :P

The Difference A Day Makes.

Yesterday, I thought, "My life is falling to pieces". I thought this because I was going through a break-up and although I was the heart-breaker, it hurts just as much for me as it does the heartbroken. A break-up is a bit like a death, although it does not compare quite as much, it is still a loss and it still hurts, for all involved. But that is besides the point. I also thought "My life is falling to pieces" because I overheard some friends having a talk about me which they were not aware of. They said some hurtful things though they are unaware that I know and they won't ever know unless I really lose the rag and start yelling left right and center, which is unlikely. I also felt like this because of many other aspects of my life, things that have yet to come, things that I have done that I have to live with. But you know what?

Today, I thought, "What's the point?" what is the point in feeling crap about myself. It's just a waste of time and energy that could be better used elsewhere, being more productive and taking control of my life so I don't have to ever think "My life is falling to pieces" ever again. And although it will be difficult and it will take time to regain control, in the end, it will all be worth it. Life is all about self-discovery, about development and discovering new things about yourself, the people around you and the world in which we live. Why are we wasting our time being sad, when we could be happy? Why do we like sadness so much more? I know that happyness is a hard thing to gain, but if we aren't up for trying, then what's the point in life? There has to come a point when you just say "Fuck this, I'm going to happy, regardless of whatever crap Im going through right now."

Truth is, there will always be crap for you to go through. There will always be someone out their who is trying to take you down with them, but you have to be the better, bigger person and know not to go down, not go back to the miserable you. To stay above and beyond and be happy. And I know you've heard it a billion times before, but let's face it, your life could probably be a hell of a lot worse. So isn't it time, you took a little step backwards, had a look at your life from the outside, took an analysis and start making changes in order to improve the areas that you feel aren't up to your standard of happy? Yes, it is. It's time. So go do it, right now.

I know life is difficult and it seems that it's always "out to get you" but if you don't let it get to you as much then you will finally learn what it's all about. It's time to start living, regardless of the fact that I have just broken-up a relationship, despite the fact that my friends aren't as trustworthy as they seem. We all know really, the only person you can truly trust is yourself, and if you can't make you happy, then who can?

You are probably all wondering what's got into me, that Sami is actually posting a positive blog entry. And yes, I have to thank this blog entitled Think Simple Now because it points out the fact, that yes, it really is that simple, to be happy, to live your life, to gain control. And if that isn't enough for you, then check out Empowered Quotes, some quotes from people who may inspire you to have a good old think about your life. And so, it is with this quote, I leave you, in all my happy-glowy state of mind in hope that you too, will find a happy-glowy state of mind:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

People Are Surprising!

I know I did it again, say Im back and disappear, but really, I'm spending my time at the minute volunteering for my local summer scheme and therefore a lot of my time is taken up doing that. Anyway, I'm here, really (haha!) :P.

So the other day, I was having a chat with my friend and she told me she liked to write poetry and stories and things like I do. This surprised me because I never thought she would, I don't know why. Usually you get a sense when someones a writer, you just know, it's like a writer-detector in your brain, you can just tell when another writer has entered the room. But then we had a nice little discussion about writing and all this things (no doubt shes reading this and going, That was me!!) haha.

It got me thinking a lot about people. How people surprise you a lot, sometimes you have too low or too high expectations of people and then they surprise you by doing something better than you expected them to do and then it gets you wondering why you had such a high/low opinion of them in the first place. I guess we're all a little judgemental without meaning to be, when we first meet people, we develop a first impression and then we continue to think about their personality based on that first given impression and so when they do something unexpected, you are quite surprised.

My other friend and I had a discussion about writing, about how quite a lot of people, although mostly female, are writers. Or well, they enjoy writing poetry, stories or other such things and yet you wouldn't think it. We then went on to discuss the reasons why we write, for the most part, it's an emotional release. Everybody needs an emotional release somehow, someway and therefore writing becomes one of the main options for people to do that. Words are used in many and various ways everyday and so it shouldn't actually be that surprising when you hear that someone is a writer, or enjoys writing because it's just another way for them to release their emotions.

So yeah, maybe next time someone has got a pen and paper in hand, you should talk to them and ask how they are. Although disturbing them mid-flow isn't actually a good idea, cause like then they loose their train of thought and some piece of writing could be stopped from coming out and being a real good poem/story etc! Anyway, if you too enjoy writing and would like to share some stories or poems, I'm up for listening, just let me know. My email address is at the side if you want to do it privately!

For the meantime, take care of yourselves and I'll be back soon with more outlooks on life and everything in between! :)

The Bigger Picture

I know I was all "I'm Back, Yay!" and then I went awol for a week, but really, I am back. You see, some crap went down a week or so ago and it made me take some time out, take a step back from life and have a good old think about what was going on in my life.

You see sometimes, you get so bogged down with all the drama and madness of life at the present moment that you forget the bigger picture. The places you want to go, things you want to do, people you want to meet. All of it is just forgotten because the drama of present-life overtakes it all.

That's what happened to me, I got so caught up in the current drama I actually forgot how much of other things in life I wanted to do, see and achieve. I want to pass my A levels and go to Uni, I want to get a degree in English, I want to meet some of my online friends, I want to live in New York. I want to do all of that and more. And yet here I am thinking "What am I going to do tonight, oh my oh my!". When really, it doesn't matter, I should be working toward achieving one of my other main goals. And that's my bigger picture, I see myself, working as a journalist of some sort in New York, happy and all that. And I completely forgot about all of that because of the crap that happened a week ago.

In saying that, if the crap hadn't of happened, I wouldn't have learnt this lesson that I'm talking about now. So, next time you get bogged down in crap, just remember that there is a brighter, bigger, better picture out there, waiting for you to paint it into a masterpiece!

Blogging All Over The World

With my new blog layout, you will have noticed that I added more links to my blogroll. These are the blogs I read Daily. Some are written by good friends of mine, such as Neill at Bloggy Blog or Sarah at Soul Drift. The others I have just discovered while searching through the interweb.

You will notice that three of the new links involve New York, the place where I long to live. They are daily photo blogs, as in each day they will post a photo from New York. I think it's a nice way for me to learn about NYC and keep in touch with the city even though I'm several thousand miles away.

As well as there being Photo blogs from NYC, there are photo blogs from all over the world that are just waiting to be discovered. Such as this one from Paris, this one from Australia, this one from Las Vegas and this one from Berlin. This website contains a full list of all the daily photo blogs around the world.

I have been inspired by the many photo blogs and went searching to see if there is a Belfast one, I discovered a few but they have become inactive and I've decided to pick up where they left off and start my own Belfast Photo Blog. It's currently under construction but it can be found here. Expect updates at the end of the week, I'm still configuring the layout a bit.

I think it's such an amazing thing that we can see what's going on in places all over the world just by clicking a few buttons. It means we can watch the seasons go by in other countries as well as our own, see the similarities and differences and other such things. So, for now, I'm going to enjoy watching summer all over the world and I hope you will too.

Is chocolate better than sex?

Although I don't think this "fact" is scientifically proven, I do believe that chocolate is better than sex. For me anyway.

Sex can happen in a mountain of ways. It can be romantic, it can be cold, it can be for work, it can be wham bam thank you ma'am, it can be a lie and it can be just for fun. Having sex one night can easily turn into "Why are you calling me?" the next night and you are given the cold shoulder for the rest of your life. As far as I'm concerned, sex should mean something in order for it to be enjoyable. And if you are to have sex, just for the sake of it, then what's the point?

A wham, bam, thank you ma'am followed by absolutely zilch. What kind of life is that? The cold shoulder is not a fun thing to be on the recieving end of and this is why Chocolate is better. In the cold harsh reality of life, eating chocolate will release endorphins that make you feel better. And chocolate is a lot more accessible than men, all you have to do is go to the shop. Chocolate won't ask you dumb questions, it won't make you pregnant and it certainly doesn't make a mess all over your bed (unless you fall asleep and it melts in your hands).

After doing some research into what other people thought about Chocolate being better than sex, many of my female friends agreed with me (unlucky men eh?!), I found the following list here, which is the Top 20 reasons why Chocolate is better than sex and I wholeheartedly agree with them. So here they are, enjoy!

1. You can GET chocolate.
2. "If you love me you'll swallow that" has real meaning with chocolate.
3. Chocolate satisfies even when it has gone soft.
4. You can safely have chocolate while you are driving.
5. You can make chocolate last as long as you want it to.
6. You can have chocolate even in front of your mother.
7. If you bite the nuts too hard the chocolate won't mind.
8. Two people of the same sex can have chocolate without being called nasty names.
9. The word "commitment" doesn't scare off chocolate.
10. You can have chocolate on top of your workbench/desk during working hours without upsetting your co-workers.
11. You can ask a stranger for chocolate without getting your face slapped.
12. You don't get hairs in your mouth with chocolate.
13. With chocolate there's no need to fake it.
14. Chocolate doesn't make you pregnant.
15. You can have chocolate at any time of the month.
16. Good chocolate is easy to find.
17. You can have as many kinds of chocolate as you can handle.
18. You are never too young or too old for chocolate.
19. When you have chocolate it does not keep your neighbors awake.
20. With chocolate size doesn't matter.