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