Herbs & Smoking.

Greetings and the warmest hospitality offered to you good folk tonight, and an even warmer one to those of you who are currently benefiting from the under-funded but highly regarded* medicinal herb section of your chemist.

*Highly regarded by all naturopaths I know, and most of my fellow students.

Of course, not all of these are found in chemists. Food you might use at home occasionally may have extraordinary benefits to your mental, physical, and overall well being. Just to put things in perspective, I personally do not smoke any of the herbs, or regularly smoke marijuana. Use at your own risk, you didn't buy them from me.

Everyday Herbs

Here is a (very) short list of some everyday herbs you may use that I have looked into and have shown surprising benefits. Perhaps pick some more up next time you go out to the shops, eh?

Parsley

Not only a tasty garnish, Parsley should be used in as many meals as possible, as it stimulates appetite and metabolism. It contains anti-cancerous properties that help protect the liver and intestine, as well as stimulating digestion and detoxifying your tract. It helps prevent kidney stones from forming, and the seeds stimulate the sexual glands, and it is recommended as a neutralizer against alcohol dependency.

It is rich in many vitamins, containing more vitamin C than an orange percentage wise. It contains Vitamin A, B, E & K, magnesium and calcium. It also works as a mild anti-septic throughout the body, and stimulates cellular growth.

Aloe Vera

Hailed as the saviour of the planet, Aloe Vera has been recommended for the Nobel Prize twice, won 6 Oscars throughout various movies, and was recently elected into the Rock Hall of Fame (Which is as hard to get into as Griffith University).

But seriously, get one of these plants. You can use the leaves for burns, the yellow sap as a laxative, it is an antiseptic, disinfectant, and stimulates cellular repair. It contains over 20 important minerals and can be used to detoxify your body.

Nettle

Okay, maybe don't go just grab yourself a handful of Nettle leaves. But tea that is brewed with Nettle contains therapeutic qualities, and is a great relaxant for those nights where you need extra sleep.


Lesser Known Herbs

Ginseng

This small plant is another one of natures super plants. It covers a wide spectrum of benefits including healthy circulation, mental stimulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressive, cellular energy, and reduction in fatigue. Quite the opposite of Nettle in fact, this is your get-up-and-go herb/root.

It is also recommended as a treatment for hyper/hypotension.

I suggest drinking it in tea, but in very small doses.

CAUTION - Ginseng can have damaging, negative effects if taken incorrectly. Consult a doctor or naturopath beforehand.


Marihuanilla

Yes, yes I know. Every stoner and his dog will probably use this from time to time, as it produces a mild high, with minimal to no side-effects. But (through experimenting with a number of herbs last year. Ask no questions get no lies) I have found that it has long lasting effects on your mental state, including stress-relief, increase in comprehensive skills and mind-eye co-ordination (I'm mind blanking at the moment, and cannot for the life of me remember the word for being able to articulate and draw ideas). Anyway. Again, use as you see fit. Yes it sounds like marijuana, yes it's related, get over it.


Remember folks, consult someone before using these. Except the first few, they're okay.

Stay safe, it's cold as fuck.

- Oscar


EXTRA - My rant on smoking.

As a health nut and psych. student, I have an incredibly bias opinion towards smoking. So whatever you read here, I'm telling you now, the facts will be warped by myself.


I grew up in a family of smokers, and indulged frequently as a teen. As I grew older I distanced myself from smoking and affiliated activities as I began to, not only hear about, but see the ill effects of long-term smoking. The argument that there are many others outlets available that are self-destructive is flat out nonsense. Simply because there are other things that can kill you doesn't mean it's a-okay to be involved in one. The stress-relief argument can be countered by offering a whole range of natural and medical alternatives, as well as introducing more frequent exercise and perhaps a change of life-style.

"But Oscar, it's my life, I can do what I want."


You sure can, I simply feel terrible for your close family and friends that have to watch you wither and die because of it. I think it's a terribly selfish ideology that just because you're going to die anyway you think you should speed up the process. And I don't believe that anyone is so hooked that through no force of will they cannot break the cycle.

Anyway. That's it.

Funeral & Apology.

My dearest readers, I deeply apologise (with remorse) for being absent these past few weeks. I had to hot-foot it over to England in order to attend the funeral of my Grandfather. But I have returned, with my heart intact and my head sober.

I hope you've all kept yourself relatively comfortable during the Easter weekend, with plenty of chocolate/money/chocolate money available. I know some of you out there have been enjoying the 1.5 upate of Minecraft, I know I am.

Note: Lightless-weekends.blogspot.com. Don't worry, it won't bite.

As optimistic as I was about this post, it seems that my head is clouded and my fingers slow to type. I suppose I could rant on about the importance of sleep today, or healthy eating, or making sure you're organised. But if we're totally honest with ourselves, it just comes down to one defining question.

What am I willing to sacrifice to achieve my goals?

Is it staying up late watching movies, playing games? Is it getting that regular milkshake from a fast-food joint? Or is it a few years of laid-back entertainment that you give up, in order to secure a future for yourself? Whether you like it or not, you're here and alive, and as you're reading this on a computer you are considerably lucky within this life. I suggest making the most of it.

Have a think about it, I hope to hear from you soon. Please forgive me for my late-ness in posting.

All the ebst.

- Oscar

Item Distribution.

My friends,

There comes a time in a mans life where he wakes up one morning a different person. He does not simply put on his dressing gown and go and make some sweet, delicious porridge. He does not wade through the floor clutter like so many lego blocks of the past. No, sir. He gets up, turns around, looks at his shelf, and says.

Fuck.

Or at least, I did this morning, when noticing the condition of my shelves and the lack of recognisable organisation. Which, as you may have picked up throughout this blog, I think is incredibly important to have. Not only to keep things nice and neat, but to know where your belongings are, to have control and discipline in the physical world, and to keep things aesthetically pleasing.

After that extensive introduction, Good Evening! I trust we are all well and healthy, and might I say, looking rather dashing. Before I go on, I would like to, once again, draw attention to my new blog, which is just a journal of some sorts, which can be found here:

-www.Lightless-weekends.blogspot.com

Of course, there are an incredible number of ways in which to organise and store your possessions. I myself make the most commonly used items the most accessible, and if I were to hazard a guess, this is the most frequently used strategy. This means that in my top drawer of my desk I have wallet, phone, folders, laptop case, etc etc. Because of this, I am always aware of where my stuff is. This, of course, is just an example, and on a very small scale. The distribution of belongings throughout your entire house is far more important though.

For example, a close friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, Greg) has terrible habits when it comes to storing. He puts his personal, everyday stuff on the table, which he then moves to god knows where when he eats, his course books are scattered throughout the various rooms (I found an autobiography of Bertrand Russel in his sink.) and, perhaps worst of all, he doesn't keep track of where his various cords and chargers are. Now, I might seem a bit obsessive/petty/wound-up (understatement of the year, eh?) but the amount of time I have spent waiting for him to find his phone could probably be measured in days. A structured layout of where to keep things not only makes life easier, if you lose something, it's a whole lot easier to find.

Furniture

When it comes to drawers, I recommend not simply shoving everything in them like some kind of universal dump for miscellaneous items. Instead, keep small boxes you get from stores and what not, and then itemise into them. This especially applies for everyone out there who just has a pile of paper that has to be kept due to the nature of the information. Get a folder. It's easier and you feel professional while using it.

Filing cabinet. Not the most aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture, but incredibly handy when it comes to filing the aforementioned paper of doom. And who doesn't enjoy flicking through the named folders? It's the little things.

Desk Space. A cluttered desk is a cluttered mine, or at least in my opinion. But it is general knowledge that if you have a ludicrous amount of paper, knick-knacks or paddy-wacks about, your work is bound to be impeded. I think that a small tray that can stack A4 pages is perfect for keeping relevant paper close by. If you have an snow-globes or Newtons Cradles, make sure they're not immediately in the way of anything important. Mug of pens. Do it.

All of this goes for the virtual world as well. It's much easier to find files if you have them organised, particularly your downloads folder, mine used to overflow with torrent links and pdf files.

Clean and easy. Just like my women. And there goes my female audience.

Stay safe. Sorry for the late post, I've been spending my nights in the entertainment district. Mana Bar, to be specific.

Have a good one folks.

- Oscar

Understanding Sleep & Sleep Apnea.

Afternoon Gents.

Before anything important is written down, be sure to visit my new blog at

-> Lightless-weekends.blogspot.com

Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to address the issue of sleep in today's post.

On average, we spend about a third of our life asleep. In this time, our mind is at rest and our body repairs itself. Without reasonable sleep, our cognitive ability is damaged, our body is unable to heal properly, our metabolism is slowed down, and our state of overall health goes downhill. The average amount of sleep recommended used to be 8 hours, however, new research is emerging that sleeping too long is detrimental to your health, recommending 6-7 hours as the best amount of time.

- > http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2002/02_08_Kripke.html

Of course, it varies person to person, due to sleep disorders, patterns, and how much energy is spent during the day. The best way to determine how much sleep you need is through trial and error in my opinion. Only you will know how much is too much, and once you've found the magic number, it is best to stick to it.

While you are asleep, you go through 90 minute phases. Each phase is made up of 5 stages. The most notable stage is the 5th, which is referred to as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). This is when dreaming occurs and you are most likely to wake. If you find yourself often remembering your dreams in great detail, it may mean that you wake up in the middle of REM during the night, but forget it ever happened later.

(As a side-note, that has often fascinated me. I mean, if you can't remember anything, are you even aware you exist? The answer will always elude me.)

Sleep Apnea.




Sleep Apnea is one of the most commen and varied sleep disorders. In short, while you are asleep you run the risk of ceasing to breathe for anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. This can happen frequently throughout the night, and causes disrupted sleep and health risks. This is not to be confused with Hypopnea, which is extremely short and shallow breathing during sleep.

"The Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study estimated in 1993 that roughly one in every 15 Americans were affected by at least moderate sleep apnea" - Wikipedia.

I am posting this here because I find it is much more common that anticipated, and it is important to discover whether or not you have it. In Brisbane, most hospitals will give you a free polysomnogram, or sleep test. Even if it's not free, I highly recommend getting one, just to be sure you don't suffer from anything else.



To the lighter side.

Sleep is an incredibly interesting function of the body. Scientists are still baffled as to why we require it to heal. Nearly every complex animal on the planet sleeps, whether it be in the day or in the night.

It is important to understand what time period is best for sleeping, how many hours you need, and any accessory things needed for a good nights sleep. Here's my personal list:

- White noise, such as a fan or rainsounds from my laptop.

- One really soft pillow, and one firm pillow. I like to have support right before I go to sleep, but then I like to change in the middle of the night.

- Socks. No matter what temperature it is.

- A glass of water. If I wake up in the night, you better believe I'm thirsty.

That's it for now, hope you have a thoroughly relaxing sleep tonight.

Take care of yourselves.

- Oscar

New Blog.

Afternoon folks.

Just letting you know, I have a new blog up at lightless-weekends.blogspot.com

(Don't worry, it's not an emotional title, a play on the fact I spend my party-time indoors reading books.)

This blog will now get back on track to be the hard-hitting, fast-paced, action-packed rollercoaster of a read that it usually is. Well, I'll be posting more about health and less about me.

Anyway, I'll leave you with this lovely song I found thanks to:

-> http://listendifferently.blogspot.com/

Enjoy, take care, don't be no square.



- Oscar.

Pessimism & Employment.

Hello, and might I say a hearty Good Evening to all those living in the Brisbane area, as you had most certainly better be toasty warm in this weather. Haven't been this cold in years!

First off, I'd just like to say that I received the shining symbol of wonder in the post today. That's right, a letter from your local psycho-analysis team! Alright, so it's not gold-trimmed and from the team, but, as I'm still in the "Stats-and-rats" part of my study, I'm extremely glad to be have landed a semi-stable job that ties in with my course. Wine and celebratory obligations for all!

Before I was able to check my mail, however, I attended a short lecture in which the basic characteristics of a pessimist were summed up. To the left are some of the phrases you might catch yourself using if you're feeling rather down. Pessimism is in no way a self-loathing mind set, as the picture may suggest. But nor is it witty cynicism, hyper-intelligent acceptance of the world. It has been over-analysed and magnified by media, psychologists and even philosophers to the point where it has almost changed meaning completely.

If you open a door expecting an angry lion on the other side, you're ridiculous.

If you open a door expecting another room or appropriate scenery, you're a realist.

If you open a door expecting cake or some other enjoyable pleasure, you're an optimist.

If you go to open a door, but then think you're too pathetic and sit down in the corner and cry, you're self-loathing.

If you open a door expecting to get your sleeve caught, which will in turn rip your shirt, you're a pessimist.

(That needed to be in bold & italic for those who didn't want to hear that many scenarios. Hear? I mean read. Audio-scripting would be fun though. Except I have a ridiculous accent. I'll give you a hint. I love St Patricks day.)

Being a pessimist, on a general, everyday basis, just means that you expect the worst out of most situations, almost regardless of the premises. Once you exceed a rational amount, then you're just being ridiculous, and will be paid the appropriate amount of attention. Which is none.

Pessimists are no more prepared for the worst than others in most cases. Because we are talking about the situational mind-set, and not something more deep-seated, even neurological maybe, they simply will not be shocked when it happens. It's like that guy who sits on the couch when you're putting up paintings, and he just casually calls out that they're going to drop, but you ignore him and keep putting them up, until they eventually all come crashing down and leave you an embarrassed, dusty fool.

Comes from experience.

Anywho, let's cut to the point. Obviously a negative outlook will produce a negative emotional rotation, on any scale. I'm not advocating being blindly optimistic, and I'm not advocating being the joy-kill of every party you make yourself aware at. It is best to find a balance just right for the day, where you're ready if things hit the fan, but you do not dwell on it for extended periods of time.

Anyway, have a fantastic day, thank's a bunch for your time :D

- Oscar.

Creative Outlets.

Gentlemen, let me begin by thanking all of you again for your support and contribution to this blog. It is greatly appreciated. I hope we continue to be good friends for a long time to come.

I know that a few of you guys are music producers/artists/or just enjoy enriching culture. Whether you do this professional or not, it is certainly true in most cases that this is a creative outlet. Regardless of whether you're a maths teacher (Although, I find maths to have an extremely artistic and creative side.), nearly every human being has/needs an outlet into which he can pour his ideas and creativity into. This may be a series of projects or a life-long passion, it's obviously unique to the individual.

A creative outlet is not something that should be viewed as "against the stream" or strictly for those not adhering to conservative lifestyle. This should be something that everyone can enjoy, whether you find yourself sketching in between work shifts or playing around with theoretical money, there is not set standard, nor a limit, as to what you can and cannot do.

The benefits? Having a private, enjoyable hobby will not only create that 'me-time' everyone needs, but helps to develop mini-goals and a sense of purpose and achievement. For me, I have my beloved blog, my psych studies, and a recently purchased guitar. Needless to say I'm not Jeff Beck. But I'm getting there.

I have previously mentioned the urge to create. This ties into this post, as it is important to understand that everyone does have an urge to build, whether it is literally or metaphorically speaking.

I hope you enjoy your outlet and make the most of your potential. That's it for tonight, take care of yourselves.

- Oscar.

Another apartment post.

Aloha.

Finally have a desk set up with the appropriate equipment needed to be a social, contributing member of society. As you can see, I have my tall mug of coffee, my required water for the day, and my lovely MacBook Pro. Useful for me because I do a lot of media editing, not great for others though.

I am sporting some very old-school dell speakers. They may be old, but they produce better sound that most modern speakers.

Anyway, just updating you on my current home status. As a frequent and favourite blogger, you are surely aware that the better state my home is, the better quality these posts will be.

(Inside joke. If you haven't been following from the start, disregard that.)

Anyhow. Hope these aren't boring you guys, I'm almost finished unpacking and what not, so I can fall back into routine soon.

Floor mattresses are so comfortable, I don't know why I bother with bedframes.

Take care of yourselves.

- Oscar.

Magic Food.

Evening gentlemen.

(I will refer to all my wonderful, amazing, and might I add devilishly attractive followers as gentlemen. Don't feel bad if you don't fit in to the male demographic, simply put on a top hat and you're in.)

Tonight, a short list of what I like to call Magic Food. I personally find these to be energy boosters or high in important vitamins and what not. Take it or leave it, just like to make it known.

As always, don't eat them if you're allergic or not hungry. I won't be held responsible if somebody dies. I love you all.

The Magic List

Lentils. Lentils are small dried foods similar to nuts, that are rich in protein and full of delicious-ness. Best served in soup or dry if you can handle them. That former statement made them sound like a hardcore food. Lentils - can you handle them?


Green Vegetables. A broad term used for anything and everything green and vegetable-like. These are rich in most vitamins such as A, B1 and B2. Add to any meal or sandwich to get the boost you need.


Bananas. Natures energy bar, these are full of vitamin C, potassium, and the necessary fuel to help protein synthesis. These little super-fruits also contain the highest amount of healthy carbohydrates than any other fruit.

"When the time comes, you'll know what to do." - Adam West, as he hands Quagmire a banana.


Yoghurt. As I've already mentioned, yoghurt is a high-quality and delicious food. Ranking in my top 3 favourite foods, yoghurt contains high-amounts of good bacteria, vitamin B, potassium and all the benefits of dairy products. Pot set is my favourite, but any greek is also good. Don't but the sugary stuff, it's no good.


Oats. Oats are whole-grain napalm, with important dietary fibre and slow release energy, these are found in many foods, but concentrated in oatmeal (No way, really?). A great way to start your day.


Avocado. A source of healthy fats and other good stuff, it's an amazing addition to any sandwich, and can be used as a substitute for butter. It's green, it's good and it's sometimes gold depending on how old it is.

Wholemeal Bread. This should be a given. White bread is just so terrible for you. Whole grain tastes bad in my opinion, so I settle for wholemeal, which is free from most nasty chemicals, full of fiber and tastes great.

Well, that's it for now. I hope some of you start to enjoy some of this food, as I find my diet affects my life greatly.

All the best.

- Oscar.

Power of Assosciation.

Ahh, it's nice to have my beloved laptop back in use.

Good Evening folks. After relentless banter, packing and unpacking and a night spent in a car, I have finally moved into my new apartment! Seeing as this is my first accommodation bought outright, I feel rather elated. Seeing as I've only unpacked two of 9 boxes of stuff, and all my furniture lies in disassembled heaps, I have much work to do tomorrow. I am also lucky enough to have moved right next to a Thai restaurant and general chinese shop. I love St Lucia already.

Above: The grand total of furniture assembled in my flat.

Anyway, enough about my excruciatingly mundane life. Tonight is a night for adventure into the depths of the human mind. Not really, but we can learn to trick ourselves into feeling good when exposed to certain things. A common occurence is when we feel sexual thrill with certain women, or when our stomachs twist when we hear of gruesome death. Our mind learns from experience, and with this, we can train it to create certain associations and forget old ones.

Similar to false memory implantation, an the old string-on-the-finger trick, association helps our sub-conscious remember what it likes and what it dislikes. I'm sure you can make an educated guess as the where this post is going. However, mind over, well, mind, is not such an easy task. As is more often than not the most powerful way to overcome a task, subtly is required to trick yourself into a better mood.

Anyone who has ever suffered from minor insomnia or sleep deprivation will know of the constant exposure strategy. Leaving small notes around the house reminding you to sleep and what not will plant seeds of fatigue within you. This tactic can be implemented for a number of problems such as minor eating disorders, lack of discipline, memory loss or for simply learning things. I'm sure we can all recite the dominoes pizza number by wrote, but how many of us sat down and tried to remember it? Lines from movies, prices for food, street names and locations, these are all generally due to constant exposure. Which is why you'll find that locals know much more than you do. I can barely find my way out of the suburb and yet, fellow students could find their way to a packet of noodles blindfolded.

Strict diet? Then why add fuel to the fire. By playing your favourite music, putting on a movie or simply enjoying the scenery, you may find that your mind wanders from the taste of endless salads and connects the green goodness with an enjoyable activity. Turning routine to habit is the key. It should come to the point where if you hear your favourite track, you automatically reach for an invisible apple, or call up information from the depths of your knowledge.

Physical reminders are, I find, the most potent associative tool in your arsenal. Whether it be a wristband put on for the sake of a promise, or a necklace worn to remind you of self-discipline, the constant physical reminder serves a great purpose in keeping us aware of our obligations. Again, you will find repetition a powerful ally in creating external memories.

If you're interested i the science behind fake memories, a quick search will render many informative sites which show evidence for either which way. Associative Psychology is a course in it's own and cannot be summed up in a simply blog post by a mere student. However, I hope this has helped you create the oppurtunity to overcome forgetfulness & lack of discipline.

A trained mind is not a caged one, rather, it is free of servitude to impulsive notions and desires.

Have a great day. I mean it, this blog brings me happiness and I am warmed to simply be able to share my ideas with such audience.

- Oscar.

Well, fuck.

Good morning,

So I'm posting this thanks to my esteemed neighbours lending me their laptop to just fix up some "office stuff".

Basically, I went to move into my new apartment, with all my boxes and luggage outside. And the landlord has had the locks changed. Apparently he had ordered it for the previous tenants before they moved out, and he didn't know the order still went through.

Apologies for not having a lengthy post, trying to find a place to sleep tonight.

Hope you're having a better day than I.

Keep healthy and what not.

- Oscar

CoQ10

Good afternoon ladies and gents.

Just another short post, I know, but I've been rather busy lately. Moving into a new apartment. You never realise how much stuff you have until you need to fit it into boxes.

Anyway, I'd just like to talk about the lovely powdered product, CoQ10.
(You can get it in pill form, however, I love the little scoops you obtain within the powdered ones.)

Coenzyme Q10 is the fancy name for a dietary supplement that can be bought in most chemists. It occurs naturally in some foods, however, not enough of it is ever absorbed so that you can reap the benefits of this magic powder.

To view all the health benefits, you can go to the wikipedia page ->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenzyme_Q10#Supplementation_benefits

CoQ10 promotes cellular energy by improving the efficiency of the mitochondria in your cells. This, in turn, helps to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. It's a great all round booster, improving your energy and overall health. As with all supplements, the effects are gradual but noticable. I've been taking this for 6 months now and I can tell you with sincere honesty, it is the best supplement I've ever taken (and I've tried a lot).

Anyway, the price for said powder varies depending on where you are. I picked my little tub up for 15 dollars, and one tub usually lasts around 1-2 months. If you do end up trying it, let me know how it works for you.

As always, this is based on my personal experience (apart from the science-y part.) All things in moderation, always follow the label and what not.

Take care of yourselves, next post will be a rant.

- Oscar.

Energy Efficiency.

Just a short post tonight,

From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep, we have limited amounts of energy. This is determined by our health, our diet, our mood, and hundreds of other variables. And the more and more energy we use up, the harder it is to use what's left. The key to maximizing the efficiency of this limited energy is understanding where most of it is used.

Don't waste your time and energy with fruitless and tiresome activities. Not to say don't enjoy yourself, but we can't dodge our responsibilities forever, so best to do them well I say.

Just another point. When you miss your recommended eight hours of sleep, you build up what's called sleep debt. This literally means you're going to have to pay those off someday. So try not to gamble with your hours, you can't beat city hall.

Enjoy yourselves, stay healthy.

- Oscar.

Procrastination & Consequential Avoidance.

Hello,

I would say good evening/afternoon, except the pleasantry may be lost due to A) It's shite weather or B) The majority of people reading this are most likely not living in Brisbane. If you are however living in Brisbane, and the weather is better where you live, don't feel bad, your day is nearly over so it can't be ruined. I hope.

Tonight I'd like to address the topic of procrastination. I happen to know for a fact that all of us here are extremely familiar with it. I know I am. Yes, the all too common "I'll do it later", "Just after this" "I CAN'T SAVE THE GAME, HANG ON!" (It's important to note that if you had never experienced the water temple in Legend of Zelda, you have no idea how applicable this is). Procrastination is simply delaying something you don't want to do, to continue something you do want to do. Put like that, it doesn't sound so bad, right? But I'm sure we're all aware it doesn't work like that. Procrastinating often leads to poor work output, poor quality of work, horrible time management and an overall lack of organization in ones life. (Noted in previous posts, I am not trying to say you should live by a schedule. Rather, I advocate the building of the self-discipline required to apply yourself to a schedule when needed. )

Separated from procrastination, is Consequential Avoidance. A fancy name I came up with that simply means avoiding something because it will suck. For the purpose of clarity, in the post, Consequential Avoidance falls under Procrastination, but Procrastination IS NOT Consequential Avoidance. If that makes sense. An example of consequential avoidance would be not going rock-climbing with your significant other because it makes you nervous. Not the best example, but my mind is rather cloudy today (ironic, right?). In total, CA is because there is a consequence affecting you, Proc. is because you just can't be bothered, or are enjoying what you're doing now.

Overcoming Procrastination.

I'll tell you later. (I would sincerely like to apologise for that joke, it was terrible taste and you didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Take me back, please?)

There is literally a never-ending list of tips & tricks to developing the motivation needed for getting up and doing something. The steps I will list are, as always, my opinion, and can be tinkered with as needed. The situation I will use as an example would be getting yourself to stop browsing/gaming/watching and to start studying/exercising/cooking.

Self-laid traps.

When you walk through your bedroom/office/front door, what do you see? If you see any of these, you have laid traps for yourself to over-indulge and procrastinate.

- Unmade bed. We all know beds are most comfortable when they're a tangle of sheets and duvets, and it's a great sensation to get home and just crash on your bed. But often you'll find you may fall asleep, or simply spend too much time lying there, letting your thoughts wander. It's great on holidays, but not when you have tasks to do. Make your bed when you get up, not only is this better for keeping you focused, it's also more hygienic (I think) and keeps your room looking good.

- Musical Instruments. Easily accessible and incredibly entertaining. If you keep it out of sight (in the cupboard or somewhere, not shipped anonymously to your friend) you are far less likely to "jam".

- If you leave your computer/tv on during the day, and come through the door, guess what has your attention first? Turn it off, it saves your work and your power.

- Neat freak? Do you tidying in the morning, it will help stimulate brain activity for the rest of the day, and you'll get your tidying fix.

- If you plan to shower when you get home, make sure you keep it short, and not too warm. Blasting yourself with cold water snaps you awake, among other things.

- KEEP YOUR GAMES AND MOVIES IN A SEPERATE PLACE FROM YOUR COMPUTER. I can't stress this enough. Especially if you're male, we're biologically hardwired to fit stuff together. Not joking, why do you think you play minecraft.

Motivation

Most procrastination is due to lack of motivation. Everyone has a vice, so if you know it, use it. Otherwise, here's a short list of things that might get you going.

- Reward yourself afterwards. I don't care how. A cookie, a car, time to read your favourite blog, it doesn't matter.

- Think about the repercussions. Your mind is a creative tool of unimaginable power. I'm sure it can put 2 and 2 together, get four, and then multiply that tenfold. Just think. If you don't cook that meal, you'll have to order pizza, which will then cost money, which comes out of your saving for the new special edition Gibson ES with the faded finish, which leaves you feeling guilty, which leads you to remember other times. So on so forth. Exaggeration is not a crime.

- Plan out your work during the day. If you have a rough idea of what you're doing, you'll obviously do it better, and with more enthusiasm.

And lastly, don't be a child about things. Life is hard, arduous, and plain boring at some times. But if we went skydiving all day every day, it wouldn't be the shriek-inducing adrena-fest it is. (My friends and I are going skydiving for my birthday this year. I'm terrified. If anyone's skydived before, let me know what it's like, I'll be jumping at 10 000ft.)

Tip. Once you've started working, it is much easier to continue it. If you just give yourself the necessary push to start, you'll find it's easy from there.

Consequential Avoidance.

Truth be told, there isn't much you can do about this. But I will say this.

If you're going to hate doing something, but you do it anyway, make damn sure you do it right. You don't want to have to repeat things that can be avoided.

I know that response is short, but I really don't have the answers for that one. I would just like to acknowledge it in this post because it is somewhat different to plain old procrastination.

To finish up, it's important to know what needs to be done and what can wait. If you're on top and efficient with your tasks, you'll find that the more time you spend on them, the more time you open up for indulging activities.

I would also like to leave you with this quote. I can't remember where I saw it, but I'm sure I'll see it tomorrow. It's a little strong, but the principle is still there.

"Life's a bitch. Make it your bitch."

- Oscar.

100 Followers.

Evening,

Just dropping in to give a huge thanks to everyone who has been following, I just hit 100 followers, which really means a lot. I'm so glad it's got this kind of reception. Thanks, I mean it.

Will have another rant up by tomorrow.

Cheers.

-Oscar.

Beetle Invasion & Winter Blues.

Greetings,

I have returned from my short jaunt to the beach (Noosa, if you want to get geographic), and now I have slightly more colour and much less money. Also, apologies for the former layout, I did it in a rush (nothing should ever be done in a rush) and I felt like it needed a more personal feel about it. As you can probably already tell, I love my coffee. Passionately.

Before we get too in depth into anything I'd just like to remark on the strange beach beetles. There were quite literally hundreds of them, everywhere, and nobody knows when and where they came from. They wouldn't be such a huge fuss, if it weren't for the fact that they were totally and utterly new. They even made headlines in one of the papers.

If you're not from Australia, beach beetles as the front cover, scraping in front of politics, sports and economics, might seem just a little strange. But due to the fact that everyone here is, and not targeting anyone (keeping in mind I live here as well), incredibly settled in, any minor disturbance to the natural flow shocks everyones respective socks off. In any case, I'm glad I got to the beach before winter sets in. The water was the nicest I've ever seen it, if a little cool.

Anyway, as some of you might be aware, there exists a medically diagnosed condition called Season Affective Disorder. SAD for short. Ironically. It's an incredibly common and general condition, in which I'm sure most of us experience it to some degree. I have it at a moderate level, and throughout the winter I simply feel apathetic towards former joys and tasks. So, here's a quick list of things that I personally find helpful during the winter (or summer, depending on when you have it).

Food.
Mood-booster foods such as fruit and chocolate are always good (the latter in moderate amounts, of course), and mild coffee will help energize you when you feel increasingly lethargic.

Yoghurt (why does it say incorrect spelling, I'm sure it has an H in it.) is full of pro-biotics, at least most of them are. I personally prefer the pot-set style, Greek vanilla is an all time favourite. Yoghurt will give you those extra calories needed for the winter in a healthy and delicious style.

English muffins. Every morning. Without exception. Getting back to topic. Wholesome breakfasts, including eggs, tomatoes, sausages and toast keeps you full and warm until lunch.

Exercise? A lot of people run for warmth, which is obviously down to preference, however, if you're not a natural/frequent runner, the cold coupled with the added pressure on your legs can lead to horrible shin ache. I know I get it. The best exercise is probably to be done in the sun if possible, giving your pores a chance to open and letting you absorb that precious vitamin D.

And remember, Warm & Functional > Cold & Stylish. I'm sure your friends won't be mortified at your lovely warm jumper.

That's it for tonight, apologies as it's not my longest rant, and that it's more health related than anything. I assure you my next rant will be as per normal.

Again. I am not a doctor. These are just my thoughts.

Thanks again guys, I'm truly happy this is getting such reception. And thank you for your suggestions, I hope the new layout is better.

- Oscar.

Vacation & Blog Frequency.

Good Morning,

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I've decided on the layout of posts I shall be doing. And that I'm also going to the beach today. You all needed to know that.

So, the format I was thinking, consists of two short posts of mainly first-level anecdotes or updates, followed by a long rant filled with food-references and effort.

That way I have a bit of time to muse on the topic of said post before I release it into the unforgiving world of the internet.

I hope that's alright with everyone, after all, this blog is for you!

Here's hoping I'm not viciously attacked by jellyfish at the beach.

- Oscar.

P.S. We have these at our beach, nicknamed Blue Bottles. However, they're not actually jellyfish, it is a jelly-like marine invertebrate. (Thanks Wikipedia!) You learn something new everyday.

The Inertia of Thoughts.

Inertia is Newtons first law of Motion. You have most likely heard of this through physics or general knowledge, but just to qualify.

Inertia states that:

Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to stay in that uniform motion unless an external force is applied.

i.e.

Objects like to keep doing what they're already doing, unless an external force interferes.

I love this law. Not because I love physics. I hate physics. Most likely because I had terrible grades for it in school, but that's beside the point. I like this law because it can be applied to people as well, in large demographics and to individuals.

Applied to the human psyche, the law is now.

Every person in a state of uniform routine tends to stay in that routine until an external force intervenes.

Emphasis on tends to.

This can still be applied to people without a set routine, who takes it as it comes. Routine is not a set plan for a day, a month, or a year. Your routine might well be to wake up in the afternoon, catch a bus to somewhere you don't know, and sleep somewhere else. It's still routine. A change in that routine would be do have a schedule for the day. Schedule =/= Routine, in this post.

People generally dislike change, and so you have people tending to stick to what they know. Human Inertia.

-Note. I had to add this in. Human Inertia makes me think of scientists sling-shotting people and calculating the velocity. I thought we should all have that mental image before we move on.

Now, talking from experience (I'm professional like that), outsourcing your energy into work doesn't start when you get home, when you finish your coffee or when you walk through the office doors. In my honest opinion, it starts when you wake up. If you wake up with the mindset of lounging about all day, or contemplate things other than the present, then Inertia will simply carry these thoughts throughout the day.

- Unless an external force intervenes.

It would be fair to argue that you could slap yourself in the face in front of a bathroom mirror, yell "Hustle up" and that would be considered an external force. But as you are well aware, procrastination is difficult to withstand. Coupled with an extremely bias opinion of oneself and you have yourself the recipe for delusional thinking, in the sense that you're the only one who will think you're working hard.

What's my point? You need to be making the effort the moment you have that first bite of delicious crunchy nut cornflakes. That way, provided I am not completely off my bonks, you can continue that state of mind all throughout the period where your attention will need to fixated on something for more time than it takes to cook bacon. I've been mentioning food a lot recently. I think that's a sign for dinner.

Anyway, thanks for the recent feedback guys, it's great to see that this is reaching people. I am of course a human, so if you disagree with anything, don't be shy.

After all. You can't prove me right.

- Oscar.

P.S. These are those delicious crunchy nut cornflakes you'll be eating.

A short note.

Good Evening from Brisbane.

I'm rather strapped for time at the moment, my sincere apologies, I'll have another lengthy rant ready for tomorrow, I assure you.

I would just like to share with you briefly a conversation I had with a non-descript person working at a non-descript coffee emporium.
(I like to use absurd names when ordering my coffee, I know there are some of you out there who do the same.)


Coffee Woman: And your name please?

Devilishly handsome man: Jaque. (Pronounced with a soft J)

Coffee Woman: Oh, okay, just wait behind the counter sir.

So there I was waiting for my coffee. And while I watched fiddle at the knobs (hohoho) at the magic machine of delicious beverages, she kept mouthing my name over and over again.

By the end of it, she had the pronunciation down to a point.

The coffee? Shite. And I assure you, the coffee from this place is usually to die for.

So was it just a mistake? Is she new? Doubtful, seeing as new workers have a tag that screams "In training."

Don't get distracted by oddities, folks, they're not so uncommon as you'd think.

Also. Using strange names is an oddly satisfying feeling, you should try it one day.

Thanks for putting up with this.

- Oscar.

Mood v Work Output

Happy workers are better workers.
Believe it, don't believe it, the fact still remains that elevated mood levels result in, not only more output, but better quality.

Elevated, however, does not always mean happiness.

Take art for example. Some of the greatest art has been painted by off-the-rail, traumatized, manic depressives.
The same goes for poetry, compositions, and most other creative productions.

On a more down to earth level, generally you will find that you prefer to work if you're already having a good day. This may result, however, in distractions. Reflecting on your life, planning future events, searching for things to change around you, these can always tug your attention away from your task. A healthy balance is required in your mental and physical world to achieve superior output.

Overcoming the urge to build.

Almost every human being has the urge to build. This is not limited to Lego blocks when you were a child, science projects in high school or engineering assessment at college. On a deeper level, people have the urge to build (create) life, security, privacy, a comfortable atmosphere and close relationships. Bringing this level up to your consciousness, you may find yourself, as mentioned before, thinking about your friends, your family, your weekends and what not.

So how is one to overcome these thoughts temporarily, to pour all your effort into the task at hand?

-Taking the example of work based around a computer, however, the principles mentioned can be applied with reasonable common sense.

Aesthetics of your surrounding environment.

To first overcome the ability to improve and design, you will need a work area that is both comfortable, minimalistic, yet does not draw attention. Less is more, as they say.
I'm not trying to come across as advocating a 1984-like scenario where you have no photos or personal assets near you. Rather, I am simply advocating a functional workspace.

Without going into too much detail here is a list of what is not recommended (by me, hohoho) to have around you while trying to work.
- If you have photos, make sure they are of a non-descriptive background. No holidays or reflective material.
- Pens in a mug? One of my favourite desk ornaments. However, make sure it is not commemorative of any event.
- No flashy computer gadgets. Keep it functional, people.
- On your desktop, don't have rainmeter or any other flashy product.

I know this sounds like the elimination of fun, but if you just take away a few distractions, you will find that your efficiency improves greatly.

Background music?

Ehhhhh.
You can go either which way I suppose. If you know which music distracts you, don't listen to it. I suggest making a playlist with a mix of music you enjoy, and just calm, natural sounds.
If you have the majority of your playlist as natural music, throwing in a few of your favourites gives you something to look forward to, on a very small scale.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. I hope this helps you guys, or at least provokes thought.

Thanks guys.

- Oscar.

Side note. Calmsound is a great source of relaxants.

Introduction.

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, fellow internet person.

If you weren't redirected here from somewhere else then kudos to you. I can't imagine how you got here otherwise. Unless you specifically searched for something of the like. In which case. Welcome? This post is just a brief summary of what this blog is going to contain, so brief skimming is sufficient to soak up the information.

Purpose.

The purpose of this blog is to express the ideas of organization, aesthetics, sleeping habits and diet, and in what way these affect our everyday life. Just as a side-note:

- Aesthetics is being used in the sense of the visual appeal of the objects and/or people around you, as well as metaphysical ideas.
- Organization is fairly self-explanatory; routines, categorization, listing of items, etc.
- Sleep habits just refers to how,when,where and why you sleep the way you do.
- Diet is just what you eat. Obviously.

I hope that the opinions stated in the posts to come help someone in some small, tiny way. I found that these are all collaborative ideas found in a whole bunch of sources that I mashed into my own simplified version. Seeing as I can't be bothered listing every book I've ever read, ever, I'll occasionally drop hints at where you can read more about them.

Details.

This blog will probably be updated once or twice a week. If I get a whole bunch of followers (not likely) I might up it a bit. I do reply to requests, so just send me an email if you have an inquiry. Yes, there is Adsense. No, I am not a money-making profit machine, It just helps buy scratch-its, my one and only vice...

About me.

I find that adding too many personal details blurs the important aspects of the text, so for the sake of my privacy and your attention, I'll keep it brief. I am currently living in Brisbane, Australia, studying full-time, and work occasionally doing odd-jobs. So. There.

A final note.

Just if any of you reference this blog at all, you may want to know a few things.
- I am not a qualified dietitian or a sleep expert.
- This is talking from personal experience, and the information can be used in any way you seem fit.
- Just drop me a message if you need clarification on anything.

Okay, thanks guys. I hope you enjoy yourself here, and find everything of some value and use.

- Oscar.