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Showing posts from December, 2012

Type A and Type B Personalities

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Tweet Image from Wikipedia  I recently discovered types A & B personalities from at an unusual place. I was flicking through Reese Witherspoon's Wikipedia page. You see, Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was called "Little Type A" as a kid. But what does that even mean? Well, the result is her multi-tasking genius. Type A peeps are those who always want to be doing something constructive. Constantly. They're the workaholics of the world. What matters most is creating something big. These busy bees are known to over-commit by saying yes to almost everything. This sort of schedule requires super-organised habits. People under this category stand out not because they're 'better' but because a lot of the work they do could be more public. Reese kept busy over the years by acting, modelling, producing... She wanted to do everything. I can sort of relate to that. I can't do the same thing for too long at once, so I need a variety of roles or

Sharing Christmas with great people

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  It has been fantastic to spend Christmas time with a lot of brilliant people. Although it is difficult to see all friends at this time, the more the merrier. My Rotaract club visited a nursing home where we met happy social retirees / senior citizens. A Christmas party with Toastmasters was a special memory of catching up and meeting Santa (an old friend). The end of year gathering for the Australian Liberal Students' Federation was an opportunity to network and also return to familiar faces. Of course my family feels very blessed to have some rellies visit all the way from Italy. I'm equally thrilled to spend my first Christmas with my special mister, Sean. There were some friends I was more able to see earlier in the year than now. And at least we can share Christmas with all our Facebook friends. But it was great to be blessed with the presence of some awesome people at Christmas time.

All colours of life at Christmas time

We need to remember those who are facing dilemas during Christmas time. I am one of the lucky ones who had things fall into place recently. But we're not always that lucky.  It wasn't always smooth sailing this year. A beloved school friend left this world very unexpectedly. A lot of us will still be feeling the shock since that lovely person is no longer with us. The world is experiencing a similar feeling after the loss of children at Sandy Hook Elementary. Please remember those friends around you who are in a similar boat. Check on them.  Please think most about those in even more desperate need. Amongst all the Apple products we crave, it's important to consider those in developing countries who don't have running water. Programs at this time of year provide toys for children in developing countries,  cans of food for the local needy, and a whole lot more. Maybe now is the right time to sponsor a child for a dollar per day. Or give someone a gift car

The day I told a class the truth about Santa

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I have always been a little bit opinionated and outspoken. There has always been this inclination to speak to a group about something important. That feeling was suppressed throughout school. But now the "real" grown up world appreciates it. It's the second grade, maybe the third. My teachers are telling the kids yet another Santa-themed fairytale that they are eating up as though it was reality. The teachers are once again deceiving the children into blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a mystical tale. But the second you start believing it is the moment when your grasp on reality starts to slip. I had always been told there is the truth, and then there are lies. They are two very separate categories. Or so I thought. I couldn't take it anymore. Someone had to tell these kids the truth. If everyone else was lying to them, I would be the one to show them what's real and what isn't. I got up, faced my de

The mob has spoken: toss away the guns.

The recent shooting of the American elementary school kids is the most publicised disaster in a while. And it is yet another political nudge towards stricter gun laws. The affect of shootings has came to our attention in plenty of TV shows, proving the media is against reckless use of guns. What worries me is that a lot of people are claiming leadership have cried wolf. Obama promised a 'conversation' after the last shooting. And people expected more than what conversation is - talk. But at least dialogue is a start. The whole world is mourning for these children. And the Democrats are there to comfort them. We constantly hear about Obama's tweets, speeches, and visits. He is not just representing the country - he is of course a voice for the Democrats. But Republicans need to put aside their beliefs about gun laws and appeal to the emotion of the people. It is the only way for them to stop fading into the background. They need to show sympathy. Constant global coverag

Misperceptions of the Blacktown area

A taxi driver recently told me some rumours, about Blacktown, which are pretty distant from the truth. I was chatting with this cab driver at about 9 at night when he warned me of what had happened just a 2 hours earlier. A group of supposedly "junkie" girls had robbed a couple at the bus area. This unsuspecting couple were visiting the area and were probably a bit more trusting (until then) of little school girls. Although other families in the area are trustworthy, these messed up girls clearly were not as innocent as you would expect. I believe this much of the story. But it had led to wild speculation that's more distant from the truth. The driver believed that robberies and other crimes go unnoticed in the area. He heard rumors that the police generally avoid intervening in Blacktown because it would officially make the area look worse. If the cops stepped in, they would have to make records about the dilemma and the location. So the statistics would rise. And t

Busting myths about Blacktown

A taxi driver recently told me some rumours, about Blacktown, which are pretty distant from the truth. I was chatting with this cab driver at about 9 at night when he warned me of what had happened just a 2 hours earlier. A group of supposedly "junkie" girls had robbed a couple at the bus area. This unsuspecting couple were visiting the area and were probably a bit more trusting (until then) of little school girls. Although other families in the area are trustworthy, these messed up girls clearly were not as innocent as you would expect. I believe this much of the story. But it had led to wild speculation that's more distant from the truth. The driver believed that robberies and other crimes go unnoticed in the area. He heard rumors that the police generally avoid intervening in Blacktown because it would officially make the area look worse. If the cops stepped in, they would have to make records about the dilemma and the location. So the statistics would rise. And th

Buzzing away from coffee addictions

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The American Cancer Society has a bit to answer for. Apparently, 4 cups of coffee will keep the doctor (and cancer and death) away. Seriously? We can't do anything we like just because it's (quote quote) healthy. I feel hyped enough after one cuppa. Some people indulge in a second, and feel just a little bit guilty. But four? No self-respecting caffeinated coffeeholic would reach that level every single day. Life is not a video game. You don't win points for consuming a many of these as possible. The newspapers probably tell us about these wild experiments for a few reasons besides us taking the ideas seriously. They're either trying to fill up the page, or the researchers themselves are pushing for media coverage to get their organisations' names out there. I don't mind both those strategies most of the time. And the public has a right to know pretty much anything these days. Just take the ideas from these health nuts with a grain of salt.

Ego boosts and celebs without makeup

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Do you ever google search "celebrities without makeup?" Or maybe you find a page about them in a tabloid magazine on a waiting room table. I stumbled upon some videos of untouched famous faces on Youtube. These photos are comforting reminders that they are just like us. The only difference is they have some extra media attention.  I used to wonder how winter woollies seem to pile upon our outfits in a way that never happens in the magazines. They visually add a kilo that we don't actually have. Darn baggy jumpers. But this model looks just like most of us did last winter. She's rugged up in what feels like wearable blankies. And that's perfectly fine. Now, I know very little about these Kardashian girls. All I know is they sell a whole lotta stuff by swapping the first letter of things with a "K." Still, this picture will boost the mood of any girl who wears thick layers of makeup to the gym. Because Khloe doesn't bother with all that. She is

Product Placement in Gilmore Girls

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Tweet Image from Fan Pop As a teenager, I had no idea Gilmore Girls was so commercial. The show appeared innocent with their small town and quirky characters. It was all about feminist ambition and independence. Why cook and clean when you can do your homework or run your own business? That's the message we got from the show. But beneath the free spirited style was a carefully run program to get us to eat and consume more. I should have noticed the product placement at an early age. And I now know more as a marketer. But most teenagers don't know any better. A lot of sites and books talk about the commercial nature of the show. Just Google, "product placement Gilmore Girls." My PR course actually mentioned that P&G and other companies funded the launch of GG so they could get their many brands onto the small screen. That's fine, it's extra exposure that the marketers need for their brands to grow. But I think there are right and wrong prod

DSM Messed Up Asperger's

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Tweet I feel absolutely stunned by the latest news about Asperger's Syndrome. Someone out there has created a stereotype which is very difficult to return back from.  The DSM manual is the source of all knowledge about mental disorders. Toni Collette's character regularly refers to it in the movie Mental . But more importantly, it's what every psychologist uses. The latest addition of this book has made a dramatic change towards labelling people as something they are not. CBS News reported the latest DSM will group Asperger's Syndrome as one of the Autism Spectrum disorders. Asperger's will no longer be a disorder of its own. This is completely outrageous because Aspies are not necessarily Autistic. Pure "low-functioning" Autism can involve not speaking at all. It can be illustrated by, but not limited to, the Rain Man. Autistic people can be friendly and happy just like anyone else. But there is one thing they are not: they're n

Perspective

I have realised there are some people in my life who are bad role models for conflict resolution. Our behaviour is, at least to some extent, influenced by the behaviour of those around us. I am now seeing where I picked up the habit of expecting others to convert to my views without me considering their views. You see, I realised the pattern when someone (who shall remain nameless) recently deflected attention away from themself and onto me. I recently asked this person to do something really practical that I was already doing. It was a matter of everyone contributing equally and taking responsibility for themselves. My hope was for some sort of practical plan where that person would gaurantee to contribute to a work load in the same way that I was. What I got was a deflection of, "But you do this...." It became about me instead of that person. I am happy to take responsibility for myself, but not for others. The context of this conversation is really not important. Anony