WORK IN PROGRESS

Sorry for all the oddities on my blog at the moment, I know there's some funny elements and missing links. I've just started this blog and I'm still working out the kinks, but it will all be fixed up ASAP. Cheers :)

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Post-Christmas, Post-Childhood, Post-Merry?

A Christmas Stress-ball... How appropriate?
Image via Axell @ Flickr
     Merry Christmas Everybody!!!! Deck the halls, ring the bells, etc... etc... Whether you spent the day with family or friends, at home or visiting another's home, wherever you were and whatever you did, I truly hope you had a great day! Personally, I spent Christmas eve catching up with my Father & Step-Mother who visited, and then had a lovely two days sharing wonderful meals, a few small but well though out presents, and some great Christmas spirit with my mother and brother. Of course me and my friends all wished each other the best Christmas, and Christmas as a community is fantastic, but at the end of the day family is where Christmas is truly at it's best.

     There was something different about our Christmas this year though, as we didn't have a tree, or any decorations. We didn't mourn over the regular Christmas rituals, we simply took it slow. Now, while this could just be a sign of a grown family on a low income managing Christmas, I think it's also a sign of the times... Christmas has transformed so much since modernity, with the influences of retail, sales, and advertising; Technology advancing so fast that a brand new x-box is already superseded by the next Christmas to come; The pressure to buy buy buy, spend spend spend, has never been greater. The cost of living rises at least five times as quickly as wages do... and to top it all off, if you can't keep up and provide for your children on Christmas, well, that's not seen as a failure of the system but a failure of the parent. For kids, Christmas is still a wonderful fairytale, and hopefully that never changes. But, for the rest of us, Christmas can sometimes seem to be a big pressure point that comes at the end of every-year at just the time we're suppose to be able to finally relax.

     Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to knock the good ole' Christmas tradition. The whole history of Santa and the north pole that lights up childrens faces everywhere, the amazing joy of sharing our love for one another, the opportunity to reflect on whether we've been naughty or nice... It's all fantastic stuff. This year, i was dressed up as Santa Claus briefly for a friends costume party, and had the opportunity to let a small girl receive a gift from Santa personally, and it was truly marvelous! Christmas is grand! But I'm just worried that despite all these wonderful elements, the commercial transformation of Christmas is taking away the 'grander' side of this holiday period for most of us. Christmas day itself is always great... but people are often working (if not on Christmas itself) the very next day. People often start reflecting on their Christmas not by who they got to share it with, but by what they were received, or were able to give.

     So I guess in the end, I don't see Christmas as evil, useless, or anywhere near dead. BUT I do think it's going to be important to stress to future generations the 'spirit' of Christmas, above and beyond the commercialism of the day. I am an Uncle and I Looove my nieces and nephews, I want them to have the best of Christmas, every year. But tell me, what do you think of what I'm saying here? Is Christmas degraded my commercialism, or do you think it's strengthened, stronger than it's ever been? Whatever you think, let me know...

     Now for those of you that are sick of it all together, here's a simple shoot 'em up online game called 'Kill Christmas' where you can vent some of your frustrations as a clown with a gun. And for those of you that are still full of Christmas spirit, and have something left to give, why not give it to someone less fortunate? In early February, for all you fellow Sydney-sider's, The Sydney Morning Herald are holding their annual Sun Run & Cole classic (swim). If your an active kind of fellow than there's still plenty of time for you to register, raise funds, and get involved! After all, Christmas is about the spirit of giving, not the dollar coin and the best brand name....
Merry Christmas to you all! Lets hope 2011 is a great year for everyone!

Cheers,

Oxy

Thursday, December 16, 2010

So What is this Blog all about?.... (ie: My incredibly long Intro)

         OK well hello everybody. You're probably all wondering what this blog will be about, and why I'm blogging? Well, your not alone in that question because I'm asking it too, and the only answer that comes to my mind is "Why not?". Seriously though, I blogged last year as part of an Oxfam project, and I used to be an (almost) daily vlogger, so the idea of Blogging has always interested me. I also have always had a love for writing, for conversation, creativity, and more generally expression. And finally, I love idea's, I love people, and it's only when people and idea's are connected that change and progress happens. It's gotten to a point where my friends are writing awesome blogs, and the instinct for me to join them is overwhelming. So, I guess that's why I'm here :).

         The next thing I should tell you is what this blog will be about, but once again there's no clear answer here. It's going to be both a personal journal for me, and also an outlet where I hope to start interesting conversations. I'll start by telling you what you probably can't expect from my blog:
  • Consistency...
    • Sorry guys, it aint gonna happen. My mind is about as random as a rainbow turning up in the middle of a drought stricken dessert after the appearance of a rabbit in a tuxedo...?
  • Perfect Grammar, Spelling, etc...
    • In writing this blog I've used spell checker more than you'd ever believe. I am a Uni student who has to stress with every piece of writing I submit because honestly grammar is my weakness. So, while I will do my best to write well, I'm not stressing to much over this blog, so you'll just have to grit your teeth and bare it! :p
  • Regularly scheduled posts...
    • Yeah, I'll repeat it one more time: "I'm a Uni student", I also have depression and some other health considerations. So I'll try to post whenever I can and it's not just going to be pointless. but don't wait up.
Now, what you can expect:

  • Psychological and Philosophical related posts
    • My two main areas of academic interest.
  • Creative Writing
    • Poetry, Song Lyrics, Maybe even a short story or two
  • Sharing of the Internetz
    • The Web is fun!!!! Sooooo much fun!!! And fun is always better shared.
  • Rambling, Reflection, Questioning, etc...
    • Lot's of it.

Alright so that's my blog covered, now what about me... (does anyone else have that Shannon Noll song in their head now or is it just me?) As I said before I'm a Psychology student, studying via a Bachelor of Arts so I can also study Philosophy. However, my long term goal is to actually study sociology as well, and then be able to treat people for both their psychological needs and their sociological circumstances. I grew up with some physical weaknesses, which I often cruelly phrase as "I was born Retarded", and also into a household and family that strangely belonged to two socio-economic groups simultaneously. This meant I was exposed to all sorts of thing at a very young age, so thats where I guess I got my inspiration for my career goals. Before I went to study I worked in retail and sales for 8 years, selling electronics, manchester, and banking products. I've also done volunteer work in aged care, general fund raising & awareness, and also briefly acted as a co-convener for an LGBTI rights group here in Sydney called CAAH (Community Action against Homophobia)

I Love people, conversation, movies, and music. The movie 'Empire Records' (1995) is an obsession of mine, along with 'Almost Famous', and I loved 'Inception'. Music-wise my tastes are very varied, but more mainstream than anything else. I am a lyrics person though, and probably would have to say R&B and Dance are my favourite Genre's, including the Artful Dodger & Babyface. 

I think that's about all there is I need to tell you. If you have any questions please ask, I really want to make this blog as interactive as possible, and now I will bid you farewell till next time. Have a great day