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Challenge Taken: Once-Upon-A-Time
Saturday’s Showcase Sketches:
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I have been working on this month’s flash fiction challenge -again I’ve tried something different and hope it reads well, I may need to re-edit at some point as I still see it as a possible longer piece; some more depth is needed methinks and also more work with weaving in purism… Anyhoo, I will let you be the judge on that also -so please let me know your thoughts and I’ll take them on board. 
Now back to the challenges at hand and also the lovely challengers.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
The challenge(s) I am aiming to meet are as follows:
Challenger No 1: Ken Broad (has serious magical powers) issued another fab picture prompt (see somewhere below) and his challenge rules can be viewed here.
Challenger No 2: Billie Jo Woods (always surprises me with challenging challenges -are you really trying to push my boundaries?) set the question ‘Where did I come from?’, click here for her rules.
Challenger No 3: Sonia G. Medeiros (I salute thee who’s challenges as well as stories are as fresh and compelling as the next one) challenged us to create doorways -here’s her rules.
Challenger No 4: Haley Whitehall (introduced me to flash fictions and now I’m addicted -so you can blame her -go on -I do 
) challenge involved aspects of dreams and the various forms of it, for more insight on her rules click here.
Challenger No 5: Little Moi (couldn’t leave myself out), my rules (which you should know by now) are here.
For the ever inquisitive the word count is (a little over by) 514 (with the title it is 518). Enjoy!
ONCE-UPON-A-TIME
Once-upon-a-time…
Lyn
I always thought bedtime stories were made-up fantasies for kids. Make-believe as some adults would say… So, I never questioned it –not until today. Today I sit on a dust-ridden couch in a dark, dank room which smells of some vile, putrid fragrance which I care not to ponder too much on or else, I may just gag until my death comes –it’s my room they say; I know better, I know how their lies fall freely, I know what this is and where I am. This is not my home -damn my alter-ego for tricking me and placing me here; a re-occurring nightmare which I plan to end –I have hopes and dreams –I will find my way back to where I came from.
…in a world where two worlds existed independently of the other; opposites to a point they were identical –yin and yang in some respects; mirroring each other but worlds apart; a collision course set-in-motion, adventure in the air; our heroes, Lyn cursed Glyn for what he stole…and he for what she ignored…
Glyn
Serves her right for being so naive in her fluffy-white clouds, dreams of meeting her prince in some lame tower –it was all too simple, not a trick –she was willing it to be true –and for my part, it was; I am a man –maybe not of prince material, but a man at least. There was a tower –well a lighthouse if I must be exact –but a tower nonetheless. I will not be guilt-ridden for making her wishes come true! She saw her prince and now she can wait some more; I have no plans to return back to my rancid cell-of-a-room –she can have that all to herself, after all it had been created from the impact of her decisions in this world –now it’s my time to reap the benefits –not wallow in leftover scraps from her royal highness!
…Two worlds, where one makes decisions and the other accepts the options left with no choice –a world where their actions are shadowed by the decision-maker, a world where their voice cannot be heard…
Glyn
Who does she think she –the Queen?
I have a right mind to-
A lesson she needs and a lesson she shall get –there are rules to abide by, she should know –everyone knows; if there isn’t there should be, I’ll instil it if I must and then I’ll make sure the rules stick.
…a world where the silent voices fights back…
Lyn
I need to find that lighthouse where…-if I get my hands on Glyn I’ll give him a piece of my mind! I never thought I would be part of a tale –the tale of the ‘Distant Worlds’ where I am Trinity and he is Neo; a tale I’ve read a million times –how did I get here? How did I end up as a story, how did I fail to read the signs?
“Day 164: Cozied Up” by Snugg LePup (Image sourced through: Flickr)…where the rules become stories, where stories become real and where reality is questionable by all except you…
The End.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
It’s really bizarre how this story kind of unintentionally wove these challenges together(ish) on its own (not much planning here); some may be more visible than others (brownie points if you can spot them in the story). So the million dollar/sterling (doesn’t have the same ring now does it?) question is, how did I fare? Yay or nay? Any places to improve on?
Do you take part in flash fictions? Where can we read them? How and why did you start?
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as ‘all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: Challenge Taken – Once-Upon-A-Time
If there is a topic you would like me to look into and explore in my own yikici-kind-of-way then please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comment box below or for those of you who are a wee bit shy drop me a line via my contact page or email me at ozlem@yikici.co.uk
Care to join me for some collaborative work or be a guest blogger? If so, email me at the above address.
My Pest Pet Hates
Frivolous Fun Friday:
Hello! Hello! Hello! 
This is a rather quick hello and taraaaaaa -mainly because I want to tie together some loose ends with the flash fiction I am writing and want it ready for Saturday. This means I am sacrificing Fridays post by switching it with Saturday -oooer I hear some complaints *looks around and whistles into the air* -okay okaaaay a quick fun ramble I can do…
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
Let the Fun Begin…
I have a pet hate -I’m not a fan of insects/bugs of any kind -I know they have their uses; spiders catch flies, worms make the soil healthy, bees pollinate etc but what’s the deal with wasps? Seriously, they must be one of the dumbest insects out there -why? Well let’s see, how can I explain it clearly… How many of you have had moments when a wasp has entered through an open window -my case usually my bedroom window -though the other day it was the kitchen window and I’m certain the wasp had been in the kitchen longer than that one day -too lazy to go home! And how many of you have stood in that room trying to encourage it to leave by the same entrance they came in from -you see where I am going with this? Yep -I have known myself to open the window to its widest to provide it an easy access out, but for the love of all things beautiful this wasp either a) refuses to acknowledge the safe route back outside b) thinks it’s highly amusing tormenting me by giving me false hopes, or my personal favourite c) they are just dumb plain and simple! Tell me why why why and how how how can such a huge escape route can take a good hour or more to reach, when all it has to do is move towards it, rather than pitifully miss it by mere inches! *shakes head in dismay* The things I have to put up with…
Do you have similar rants? Care to share with us -go on just make my day -I’d like to think I’m not alone with this particular moan *smiles encouragingly*
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as ‘all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: My Pest Pet Hates
If there is a topic you would like me to look into and explore in my own yikici-kind-of-way then please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comment box below or for those of you who are a wee bit shy drop me a line via my contact page or email me at ozlem@yikici.co.uk
Sabotage the Community – Sabotage your Work
*Stop Press News*
Before continuing with the actual post, I have some exciting news to share with you: I have been blessed with being interviewed by Mindi Anderson over at meanderfit.com -aptly titled ‘Ozlem Yikici – The London Novelist‘, if you want to find out how the interview went please pop over to Mindi’ blog and have a read -as well as a wander…
My ROW80 Update will follow the article below –scroll down to the end if you do not want to read the next bit (I won’t take any offence –well, I’ll try not to ).
*Continue*
Just a quick note: I apologise for the silence -I’ve had a tough couple of weeks with low moods and then I was encouraged to mingle with family and friends and babysit Ava therefore; I have been away from my novel, my blog and the social media circuit. Whilst I was away, I hoped my first article back would be on a positive note (about developments on yikici) but I had to speak, silence in a time like this is not good to anyone, here’s my voice, here’s my thoughts…
(As always there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
Image sourced from: http://www.thetimes.co.ukSABOTAGE THE COMMUNITY – SABOTAGE YOUR WORK
It has been over a week since the chaos hit the streets of London and then the rest of the UK… As I sat safe indoors, these were the thoughts that transpired…
I sit in front of my laptop (yes I have solved the issue with the broken adaptor); I listen to the sound of the police sirens as they drive past through the streets, in pursuit, in preparation; I hear the helicopter up above, tracking, reporting; I feel helpless… Will a repeat of last night endure or will our Police force prevail… There are plenty of speculations, some have hope, others do not… Is this where humanity has come to -a bunch of youths demolishing, uprooting people’s livelihood -communities trashed, local businesses ruined and homes burned… I ask why…?
I never thought I’d see a day when such violence could violate our streets, our communities; it was like a free-for-all -no rhyme, no reason -although there are others who would have you believe otherwise…where do you stand, what are your thoughts? This topic is vast and may have many underlining reasons behind it and for this purpose; it needs to be discussed to be understood –if possible. This is a tough subject to analyse and for the purpose of this blog I will look at it from an alternative artistic angle as well as it’s gritty form. In some odd ways this has made me think about how we; as artists, writers -creative-beings, how we sabotage our own works -be it intentional or not and with this in mind I plan to tackle this vast, macabre topic and try to mirror it with how we bring that into our works and possibly into our lives.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
When the news of the rioters hit the screens, I immediately thought it being a little too ironic; what with Rupert Murdoch, the Government and our Police force being questioned. I may have come up with a million and one conspiracy theories in that small space of time (ok maybe I’m exaggerating that a wee bit –possibly a million theories ). It was highly amusing to note that the three key figures, who were needed to address the country and tackle the problem at large, were on annual leave (holiday) and it was uncanny that our Police force seemed outnumbered against the unruly youths. These alone just prompted questions in my mind as I watched various parts of London ransacked, demolished and/or go up in smoke. This all happened as the nation watched. There were various accounts through the media (and reliable sources I know) that certain communities came together and chased the rioters off their streets. Dalston saw a group of Turkish and Kurdish men (young and old) guard their shops/restaurants; Green Street’ Muslim residents said enough is enough as the time for breaking their fast came (it’s the month of Ramadan), they stood firm –the yobs did not linger. By day three of the riots all three key figures returned to the UK and the Police force was strengthened –soon the calm came. With it a beautiful sense of community sprung up; they call themselves Riot Clean Up (follow them on twitter @riotcleanup or their hashtag #riotcleanup). A bunch of volunteers took it on themselves to organise a clean up where needed –a tear came to my eye when I heard; kudos to all who took part and still are spending valuable time in maintaining it. From the chaos a calm settled, from the grim a glorious day -my only hope is that this will get better as I cannot see how this will fare if it gets out of hand.
Image sourced from: http://www.guardian.co.ukSABOTAGE THE COMMUNITY
‘We’re getting back our taxes’ they said to bystanders/reporters as they trashed their neighbourhood; did they not think of the local independent businesses who would suffer from the damage they’ve caused –not to mention who would be pocketing the price of their mayhem. If only ‘getting tax back’ was that simple –I am certain there would have been more riots if it was the case, but sadly it is not and in the end taxpayers will be forking out extra to meet the extra expenses. It angers me, it really does; I understand that maybe some –or maybe the vast majority of communities have been affected by the budget cuts; youth clubs and social enterprises for youngsters has been withdrawn, university fees have rocketed to unmentionable amounts of money; all this does not condone what they did. The more I think about it the more it seems like an act of opportunists jumping in, to riot, loot and rampage. Acting like yobs is not a way forward; all this has done is cause fear in some communities and create a negative impact on independent businesses. What part of this is an admirable feat? It saddens me that our children are part of this ugly episode; they still fight against the police, our society and us. Where they believe they attacked the Government and hindered the tax system –they, in actual-fact, sabotaged our communities and hindered our growth in this slow economic farce. Not to mention how this will affect their family, friends and themselves.
To this day Police sirens can still be heard and it seems that it will continue like so for some time.
Here are some interesting links I’ve stumbled across whilst I was researching information on the riots: British use Social Media to Coordinate Riot Clean Up, Muslims Defend London During London Riots, Communities Rally for Riot Clean Up, The Guardian’ Blog on the Riots, Turks police own district amid rioting.
SABOTAGE YOUR WORK
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.The act of sabotage is a nasty bit of work –especially the intentional kind like I’ve mentioned above, but what about the unintentional ones –the ones subconsciously created by you… You know, when you’ve written over 10,000 words on your novel and abruptly decide it is pants and so you throw it in the bin –or, like me, you take up a painting project and become annoyed that a part of the painting does not work, so you decide to trash it (see examples above and below -brownie points for those who notice the apt ‘The End’ sign?). This also can be evident in your life, your relationships, your business, your career –how many times have you ruined it and thought ‘ooops my mistake’. We are prone to sabotage all aspects of our lives and works –even our health. Think of what you may have sabotaged or witnessed as acts of sabotages and let us know your findings.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.ROW80 UPDATE
I have been extremely bad since my last update and not achieved much (just this post –it’s over 1,500 words so I guess that counts for something). I have decided I will create a ROW80 page under the Social Interactions tab and organise my goals there. For the time being I will stick to my goals as planned and any adjustments I make I will make public this Sunday (hopefully). I hope the rest of you ROW80 stars are doing a better job than me –keep the good works going!
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as ‘all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: Sabotage the Community – Sabotage your Work
If there is a topic you would like me to look into and explore in my own yikici-kind-of-way then please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comment box below or for those of you who are a wee bit shy drop me a line via my contact page or email me at ozlem@yikici.co.uk
ROW80 Update -it’s Slow, but I’m getting there
Thursday’s Topical Tête-à-Tête:
Apologies no Topical Tête-à-Tête’s today -I’m feeling a little under the weather -if I feel any better towards the end of the day I may finish writing it and post it for you to read -I want to do the topic (the riots in the UK) justice and not post a mediocre piece of writing. Apologies again, I hope to be forgiven.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
ROW80 Update:
As promised on Sunday, here I am with an extensive update from my last update a few weeks ago. There’s not too much to update from a ROW80 point of view -other than life got in the way since then… My laptop went on the blink shortly after that post (see this blog post for a detailed account), I resorted back to the trusted notepad and pen -to jot down ideas, to continue with Becoming (it was difficult at times). Then on August 6th 2011 the adaptor for my laptop arrived and I was back in action -well, I embarked on my self-hosting project. This took up all my available time so my writing paused dramatically 
-I did write blog posts in between and approx 50-500 words per week on my WIPs (which I should not moan about -but I am truly annoyed with myself! I should have done better.) As you can see the new website is up and running (still tweaking here and there), this means I am able to concentrate on my WIP. Since Sunday I have managed to write 1000 words on Becoming (which is not bad if you consider Sunday and Monday my days off and also the fact that I’ve had a couple of days with low moods). I am having one of those days today but I refuse to let it faze me too much -I hope to snap out of it so I can finish the article on the UK riots; encouragements may help… This is my update so far. I leave this update on having completed 16,774 words on Becoming. *let’s pray more words are added by the next update*
Upcoming Plans & Schedule: If I complete my topical article today then please pop by to read it by midnight today, if not I hope to have a little something for Saturday’s Showcase Sketches with a ROW80 Update, guest blogger Patrick Tully will be back on Sunday with another engaging article and I will be back on Monday or Wednesday with another post and schedule updates.
***
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -’as all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: ROW80 Update -it’s Slow, but I’m getting there
Progress is Progress
Savvy Sunday Salutations:
(ROW80 Update can be found towards the end of the post.)
Hellooooo there! Miss me at all? I thought I’d break the long silence with a savvy Sunday salutation to all you lovely readers out there. I hope you are all keeping well and enjoying life and embracing it with a heart full of love. I have been trying to do that but mostly I’ve been kept on my toes with the new blog (most of the major modifications are completed -now the fiddly bits are left for me to lull over -ho hum…). Seeing the worst is over I thought I’d let you all pop by and have a peek (work-in-progress is always fun so I wanted to share this experience with you too ). I’d love to hear what you think of the modifications and what works and what does not etc… I also want to say a HUGE thank you to Ian (see this post for a reminder on who Ian is). He has had to put up with a lot of indecisiveness from moi -and my mood changes (there has been a few) -but we finally got there and this venture would not have been possible without his input soooooo THANK YOU Ian –I really appreciate your help.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
I’ve added a few new bits in the sidebar on the right (I’m sure you have already noticed):
- There are progress monitor bars (one for the modification of the blog, the other my novel-in-progress), if you want to check in my progress those would be a good indication to let you know how I’m fairing at a glance.
- There are subscribe (to rss/feedburner feeds)/connect/follow buttons.
- If the dark theme is too much (that does not have to be the only reason) but still want to keep updated with new posts/articles/news from yikici then you can subscribe via the email option.
I have added a redirection to the old website so any of you who are trying to access it will notice they will be finding themselves at the new site (so welcome back!)
ROW80 Update:
This is a very brief update, as I have not had time to work on my novel(s) due to a variety of factors (I will give a full account mid-week). Having said that a new story idea has popped into my mind so I wrote it down (yes my laptop was not working so I went back to my trusted pen and notepad –my laptop was back in action last week Saturday *yay*). I ended up writing an outline of about 7 A5 pages (which I’m pleased about) and I also wrote 2 A4 pages on becoming so that’s not bad either considering the mayhem I have been going through since my last ROW80 update. I leave this update on having completed 15,774 words of my novel –let’s see if that number changes in the next update I will be giving. *Trying to stay positive*
Upcoming Plans & Schedule: I plan to have the next post out on Tuesday (a reminder for those who already know the schedule) and following that a topical discussion is scheduled for Thursday (upcoming plans for the next few days will be mentioned at the bottom of Thursdays post). A ROW80 Update will be made available either on Wednesday or on Thursday; I’ll see how things pan out. That’s me for now, I have to dash… Keep smiling! Stay in peace…
***
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -’as all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: Progress is Progress
yikici… The Next Few Weeks…
Thursday’s Topical Tête-à-Tête:
Firstly, I want to apologise for the delay of this post and it’s shortness (there is a very good and valid reason). As some of you may already know my laptop has been out of action for a few days now and therefore, I have been unable to work on the article I was hoping to share with you today. My laptop is still not in a working state (I have braved using my rather old slow PC *hopes it does not crash just yet*), my posts and communications are likely to be not as frequent until this problem is solved (I am working on it and hopefully there won’t be too much delay). In the meantime I have some good news: I have mentioned it many times before and finally I have taken action -I will be going self-hosted soon (2-3 weeks at the most); I will keep you posted when the actual change takes place (promise I will). In the meantime I have noted that (despite exporting the whole blog content over to the new host) details of subscribers to this blog do not get transferred over (I know it is a HUGE pain!). Therefore (if you lovely readers still want to stay updated with the posts/articles); when the switch is made (I will post details of the new website etc when the time comes) please re-subscribe. Patience is a virtue they say, I do hope your patience with yikici is rewarded graciously on our full return when the laptop is back in force and so is the new site with its brand new host. Whilst I am on the topic of the new blog; if you would like to share any thoughts to any changes you would like to see, now would be a good time to let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.
I do hope what I have written above makes sense (I have a headache and am extremely tired, please accept my apologies if it’s garbled -tell me if it is *prays its not*).
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
If you want to share your thoughts; by all means do so: As I always say ‘all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Challenge Taken: Ferocious Fireworks
Saturday’s Showcase Sketches:
I’m a wee bit behind schedule today (should have finished this yesterday), my muse deserted me last night -of all the times she should be doing that! *not speaking to her now* -punishment comes to mind *evil grin* -ok, ok I take that back *apologetic smile* I know I know I have my WIP’ to think about too *grumbles*. Now that that’s all cleared *ahem* let’s get back to the matter at hand; today’s post. Since Wednesday I have been thinking about the challenge Ken Broad set (all those delightful pictures!); it’s only come together yesterday and today (just), I’m still wondering if it reads ok (been experimenting as usual). Please feel free to share your honest thoughts.
If you are wondering about my ROW80 goals, I will provide an update following the challenge and flash fiction below.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
The challenge is as follows:
Here are the rules for Ken Broad’ challenge (in his words):
- Have Fun
- Each month I will find 4 photos to post. Your job (should you dare) to write a story of no more than 500 words in any genre that might be inspired by one of the pictures.
- If rule 2 isn’t working for you, please refer to rule 1.
- New extra rule, use one or all (or somewhere in-between) of the photos. If in doubt on how to proceed, please refer to rule 1 as well.
***
The chosen image(s) will be displayed as I see appropriate. Incidentally, the word count is 360 (with the title it is 364). Enjoy!
FEROCIOUS FIREWORKS
I cannot believe how easily I swayed Meena’s parents; well, I was naive not to consider the impeding war on their doorstep. They wanted her safe, how ironic…
Image sourced from: http://farm1.static.flickr.comI gritted my teeth and exhaled slowly as the plane hit another cloud –turbulence! I jolted in my seat. I should have opted for the long drive back to the city rather than this rickety plane –it seemed to be on it’s last legs why did I agree to this!
Meena looked over the side, amazed at what she saw…
-did the plane just tip –or was that my paranoia? Great! That’s all we need –I knew the safari journey had to be better than this.
I gently pulled Meena back onto my lap. The pilot had specifically said no movements.
I closed my eyes…
Image sourced from: http://farm4.static.flickr.comI remember the joy filled curiosity in Meena’ eyes when I first took her to Piccadilly Circus –she stood still momentarily as she watched the happy chaos that was unfolding around her, the illuminating neon lights, the electronic billboards displaying various advertisements, the statue of Eros, the cars, the people, the animated crowd. She looked up and gave me a huge warm smile, it melted my heart –I had made the right choice, she was happy, content and safe.
Image sourced from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com“There must be something more you can do!” My eyes pleaded to the surgeon.
“I’m sorry…we did all we can.”
I blinked; moisture flowed down my face in silent torrents.
These words could not be…
…be true to my sweet…
…
-no –she was going to be fine!
He just…
…he’s just…
My thoughts faltered as the world shook around me –no that was me; trembling at the acknowledgement of the truth. My legs gave way.
How could I…
…what would I…
…where could I…
Image sourced from: http://farm5.static.flickr.comIt was just moments ago, we were watching fireworks –bonfire night had come so soon; we planned to visit her parents…
Safe –how ironic!
Those kids should have been supervised!
Isn’t there an age restriction on those!
Of all the dangerous things out there –my Meena’…
Hysteria shook me as I left the morgue…
My sweet child…how I was wrong…
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
ROW80 UPDATE:
Since Wednesday’s check-in I hoped to wow you my good intentions and spot-on targets -you noticed huh? Hoped -yep, that implies unlikely results -ho hum… I blame the lovely warm weather and my disorientation from my extended stay over at Katie and Neil (see Wednesday’s post).
What I have actually achieved:
Well, let’s see, I have not even typed a single character on Becoming or even the WIP2 -maybe tonight -I hope I do so tonight *wishful thinking*. I have; however written three blog posts (word counts: 1303, 630 and 1022 respectively -so I mustn’t grumble) and updated my various profiles on the world wide web (Twitter , Google+ , LinkedIn , Goodreads , NetworkedBlogs and Facebook) -yep I’ve been networking!. I guess thats still a positive thing -though I seriously need to focus -guys where are you?!! *peers out across through the screen*. I have also wandered across to a few ROW80 superstars and parted words of encouragements (I’m glad to have fit that in amongst all the chaos -yay!) Upcoming Plans: Within the coming week I hope to have kicked the mental blank that is happening with my projects, I will also be adding (hopefully -I know I have been saying that for a while) a storyline to the ongoing saga over at DiRosaYikici. Resident guest blogger Patrick Tulley will be about tomorrow and my next post will be on Tuesday where I will be issuing you with another Triptych Challenge and also collating all the entries for you to read (you are in for a treat!) -you still have time to enter just check out the prompts over here. Till then have fun!
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
Did I achieve the challenge set? What gets your creativity flowing? How are your ROW80 goals going? Down in the dumps or are you soaring high in the sky? As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -’as all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf document: Ferocious Fireworks
Wise Consultations, Collaborations & Plans?
Frivolous Fun Friday:
Hello! Hello! Hello!
What a glorious week it has been and the weather just seems to be getting better and better! *yay* Alright *sighs* let me get back to today’s post. Due to this week’s unexpected schedule (see Wednesday’s post) I plan to keep today’s post short(ish) -as short as I can muster (and yep I think you realise that sometimes -ok well most of the time, it’s a difficult task for me -but I will try!).
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
Let the Fun Begin…
For the past few weeks I have been thinking up questions to ask a Wise WinAmp over on Violeta Nedkova‘s blog (AKA Lyn Midnight); I enjoyed this participation -especially the spooky insight of WinAmp! Please have a wander over to find out what WinAmp had to say about my following questions:
Q: Where does my muse go when I need her?
Q: What happened to my passport?
Answers can be found here.
Q: How likely am I going to reach my ROW80 goals this week?
Q: Will you help me with fab ideas for my blog posts?
Q: Winamp -does Violeta work you too hard?
Answers can be found here.
These are hillariously accurate for such random questions -if you want a giggle you must click on the links above!
Asides from consulting with Wise WinAmp via Violeta, I have also agreed to take part in a collaboration she has devised up: The Blog of Fame: Google Brain Farts -and it’s very fitting with all things fun. If you want to find out what funny searches people have been googling and ending up on my blog please head on over to and delve into the goofy silliness that is just what we call human nature -errr really? These are just too funny! I was shocked (amidst giggling extremely) at what odd searches I found.
What to Expect Over the Next Few Days:
As promised I hope to have another flash fiction lined up for you on Saturday (tomorrow). I also hope to provide you with a ROW80 update too, so keep your eyes out for that and to see if I have turned around this week or not. On Sunday, popular resident blogger Patrick Tulley will be back with another engaging topic -I wonder what he will discuss this week… Tuesday I will be issuing you with another Triptych Challenge and also collating all the entries for you to read (you are in for a treat!) -you still have time to enter just check out the prompts over here. I have other exciting news to share -but I will leave you in suspense for now -ok ok, I’ll give you a wee clue:
- Questions and Answers
- Short Stories
Can you guess what my news may be? I will let you all a pondering whilst I say my goodbyes. I hope you all have a fab weekend (just incase I forget to wish you that tomorrow) and I will keep you updated with all news relevant to yikici -or anything I just take an interest in. Please don’t forget if there is a topic you would like me to look into and explore in my own yikici-kind-of-way then please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comment box below or for those of you who are a wee bit shy drop me a line via my contact page.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as all good discussions start with just one word.
Pdf document: Wise Consultations, Collaborations & Plans
Random Thoughts A Plenty…
Monday’s Meandering Muse:
Two weeks ago today I posted an apology; today I want to provide you with an explanation (my ethos in life is very close to honesty is the best policy -see yesterdays post and my comment in Patrick’ post Radical Honesty & Relationships for a better(ish) insight to my ethos). Following this explanation, I plan to have a discussion on how I am finding the blogging world; what is working for me and what is not and in turn, I will be picking your brains to see how you are finding this experience as a reader and/or blogger.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
Relapse vs. Lapse
Some of you already know about the recent panic attacks I have been suffering from (I have mentioned them in various posts; you can find them under the category of Health); well, I guess it will come as no surprise that I had a mini-panic attack two weeks ago –I have to say it was a huge surprise to me! Something rather silly triggered it off and I will not go into the details of that right here as I do not believe it will serve its full purpose here –and besides all involved are aware how I took to the situation and how I tried to deal with it. So what aspect of it do I want to talk about? Well, I want to talk about the two terminologies that are associated with all forms of mental disorders (be it mild or severe), lapse and relapse. Until very recently I would not have been able to give you an accurate distinction of either, to me they both meant the same thing –or so I thought. I soon found out that, after my panic attack two weeks ago, I have had a lapse. What this in actual effect means is that the panic attack hindered my recovery and set me back a little on my progress to overcome this pesky disorder. However, unlike a relapse (where you would find yourself back at square one and have to start all over again), I was able to continue from my recovery point two weeks ago (so it was a temporary setback) two weeks later (I’ve been on better form since Friday gone). This I am chuffed to bits about; as these setbacks really try to force you to become a recluse, which I really struggled with. Nonetheless, I still put up a fight as refused to let it take me back. Fortunately, my friends, family, my blog and my ROW80 goals for my WIP helped me stay focused.
Blogging
When stepping out into the blogging world I ummed and arrred quite a bit; I couldn’t quite decided how many blogs I wanted and if I should separate my individual interest and delegate it out to the respected blogs. I initially started out over at blogspot –it’s a bit scatty and underdeveloped as you can see. The themes were limiting and I was still learning and taking baby steps. I stumbled across wordpress after getting into discussions with fellow tweeps on Twitter (mainly Emlyn Chand at Novelpublicity) and checked out all the comparisons made between blogspot and wordpress. I crossed over to the other side muhawaahaawaaaa… I started to get my head round the wordpress set-up and began to get carried away. However, there was still that niggly thought in the back of my head ‘do I need more than one blog?’ –I am still at two minds with this. I am beginning to think this is one of the main reasons I have still not started my self-hosting project (though my health and mindset that went with those moments surely did not help).
So what are my current dilemmas in all of this? Well, I am undecided if I should have one blog/website for everything –my random thoughts, my writings, artwork, sketches, doodllz, ideas etc or should I separate what I classify as more polished and refined works/articles in like a professional blog and have another blog for sketches, doodllz, ideas; a blog for the carefree, silly me… I come and go between those two thought processes so much so that Ian (see Self-Hosting – My Trials and Tribble-ations) believes he is off the hook in terms of helping me and pointing me in the right direction! (You can go and ask him if you do not believe me!)
My Blog Posts vs. Readability
Another reason I am considering a second blog is because the way I write; I am partial to write in cascading thoughts –sometimes jumping from one thought to another with no rhyme or reason (well there is always reason behind it –I sometimes just like to exaggerate –it’s fun! ). I wonder if the readability is easy for you or just a tad confusing. In one post (take my last post) I start off with my current mindset, then I delve into explaining challenges and present you with a flash fiction story; then I update you with my ROW80 goals and finish off with what to expect in the next few days. Is there just too much going on? How do you digest what I write; do you find it to the point, a tad meandering, acceptable or totally confusing? Therefore, separating the blogs as professional and personal seems feasible and sensible –then I just throw it all in the air and argue that I should not separate the two aspects of me; one blog with a working schedule will have a better visual and overall presence… My conundrums’…always playing havoc with my mind!
Blogging & Social Media
There are many aspects to discuss here; how the two intertwine with each other, the various Social Media networks and how they work and how they will benefit you… I am still experimenting and finding these out (I’m on Twitter , Google+ , LinkedIn , Goodreads and Facebook –I’m not very versed in most so maybe you should pop by and give me a heads-up so I understand it all better). When I get my head around these I will share my newfound wisdom with you in a future post, until then, have fun.
My Questions to You
What do you struggle with? How do you overcome these situations/moments? What are your experiences with blogging? What works what does not? Do you find you are constantly evolving and your ideas changing from one day to the next?
As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as ‘all good discussions start with just one word’.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Pdf document: Random Thoughts A Plenty…
Challenge Taken : St Pauls at High Tide
Saturday’s Showcase Sketches:
I know I have been delving in some different forms of creativity lately (I have my moments) –I had some fun with them all (they helped me with the tough two weeks that have passed by); now I wanted to get back to the challenges I love taking part in. In keeping with the yikici tradition, (you can’t expect me to not follow tradition! *stares in disbelief*) I have combined three challenges together (no need to sound surprise –I will gasp when I successfully combine like a hundred challenges together! )
If you are wondering about my ROW80 goals, I will provide an update following the details of the challenges set and of course the story below.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
The challengers and challenges are as follows:
- Billie Jo Woods’ rules are:
‘For this challenge you can write in any genre you wish but your piece must include some sort of twist on the traditional fight for freedom or independence story. Perhaps your protagonist has to keep their independence or freedom hidden from others or perhaps they gain their freedom from mutant robots taking over the world, as long as it veers away from the typical independence story it should fit in with the challenge. Keep your word count under 1000 words for this one.’ The deadline is July 31st 2011.
- Sonia G. Medeiros’ rules are:
‘This month’s challenge is to write a piece of flash fiction in 500 words or less. The challenge is to write a story that prominently features a moon (our moon, an alien moon, whatever)… It can be science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, etc. It can be a myth about how the moon got into the night sky or a what the moon really is. It can be an apocalyptic tale about the moon’s demise. Whatever you like.’
- Moi (AKA Öζιξμ)’ rules are: To write a flash fiction using one of the three prompts provided here.
Your three prompts for the next four weeks are as follows:
Image sourced from: http://www.tate.org.uk
- Four lines of poetry:
Tear out a page of the book and make an aeroplane.
Launch it. For an instant it seems that you have fashioned
A shape that can outwit air, that has slipped the knot.
But no. The earth turns, the winch tightens, it is wound in.-Defying Gravity by Roger McGough
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This challenge was a tough one. I pondered a lot (it was constantly in the back of my mind brewing; then yesterday a light shone –I slept on it; today something special has taken shape; I hope you enjoy all the elements I have tried to weave into the story (twisted independence, moonstuck, the painting, the poem and Mannerism) as well as the story itself). Without further ado I present to you St Pauls at High Tide –oh before I forget, the word count is 449 (with the title it is 454). Enjoy!
ST PAULS AT HIGH TIDE
I have been anxious for some time now; the time neared slowly every day with every tidal rise of the moon; my dreams of the Venetian setting encapsulating the London landscape close to being realised. They knew nothing of what was coming, what to expect; I began scheming, planning changes; something to upset their plans, something to make a mark, to remember, to commemorate.
I waited patiently…
The banks forceful restrictions
Pinned me down a route I had to go
No choice, no freewill but brute force
Years I followed these orders
Years I hoped secretly that it was true
I brushed against their sides
Testing, flexing, searching…
The moons pull hypnotising my every move
I still waited, dreaming, planning…
I gushed with excitement as I flowed
Bigger, grandeur in body
Brimming over my rocky prison banks
Stretching across the streets
My escape, my independence, my joy
The blue moon shone bright
The blue moon overbalanced the tides
The blue moon set me free…
…St Pauls at my feet; my dreams came alive.
That was a momentous day; they never knew what hit them; like a monsoon but with much gusto –not raining from the heavens; a tsunami breaking free, drowning the streets, overflowing into buildings, homes, washing ashore bodies –human or otherwise; a sea amongst a city; a city submerged with the sea. They floated; I swam. Then there was some who flew with my torrential impact; a surprise honoured by the moon; I –grateful for my release…
The imprisonment soon began; swiftly as had my freedom; the blueness of the moon faded; replaced by its normal pallor glow. It dragged me back to the treacherous banks; the bars of my enslavement, no amount of rebellion I muster now will help my cause. My only strength came with the blue moon and now that is fading… I will wait, wait again for its marvel; it surely will not be long before it is set back in motion –after all, there is a reason why they say ‘once in a blue moon’. No matter how rare that is, it will happen again and when it does, I will be waiting…
There is one solace in all of this; my escape was marked in history and captured in paint; the artist much in awe of my capabilities used brushstrokes evocative of my waves; a reminder of what happened and what might be. The irony, I am caged in once again within the narrow banks and now the within the limits of the canvas and the gilded frame. Then hazily I wonder as my memory fades; was my escape from the actual riverbanks or from the mystical magic of the painting…
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
ROW80 UPDATE:
It has been a week since my last update; therefore, I think I best let you know how it has all been going…
This week has been tough (yet again) but not as bad as I have managed to lift my spirits and stick to some of my goals as set below last week:
This is my now amended ROW80 Goals:
- Email BETA Readers my current WIP (for feedback).
- Start outline for new project (novella/script).
- Try to write 0-500 words per day towards WIP (a reality-check was in order here –pressure taken off in order for my muse to roam freely).
- Should I feel stuck with point three I will consider how well I have done with my blog posts –as a means to stay positive –any achievements’ considered for acknowledgement right? *looks up expectantly*
- Each day I will set aside a 15-30 minute editing session, before I start my writing; reworking the previous day’s works (still a ploy to get myself back into the flow of things).
THEN (When responses come back from my lovely BETA Readers:
- I will rework the first three chapters of my WIP.
- I will start to contribute towards the above set word goal (maybe alternate with the WIPs for a bit of variety and also it’s good my muse can just tackle something different every once in a while).
What I have achieved:
Sunday and Monday, I was away from home (so that was my two free days). On Tuesday I posted a blog article (ok it was a copy and paste job –but I am not going to moan, as I was still a wee bit low then) I also wrote 122 words towards my WIP (added some special spells). Wednesday I continued with outlining for my WIP. Thursday I wrote an article on Copyright for my blog (forgot to post it so I posted on Friday instead). Friday I decided to take a peek at my initial research for my WIP therefore, I printed it off and began to go over it when I needed a break from the screen. Today, well, asides from writing this post (which now hit 1,449 words) and enjoying a cuppa of lovely brewed (by my standards) tea; I will continue with going over the research and also feedback from my betareaders. I hope I add some more words to my WIP tonight.
I have just realised; since I am working on two WIP, I need to differentiate between the two so you know which WIP I am talking about here’s a little clue:
- WIP One (The initial one I started with) is titled Becoming: Mystical Realisations (I’ll call it Becoming for short).
- WIP Two (The one discussed on Manon Eileen’ #writepsych) is not fortunate to have a title yet so we can call it WIP2 for now.
Well, that is all for today, I will now be working on Becoming; I hope you enjoyed the flash fiction above (I just felt like I needed to have fun after these past two weeks and celebrate my enthusiasm by indulging in these challenges –for me it is an indulgence). Upcoming Plans: Within the coming week I plan to tackle Ken Broad’ Challenge (I am determined to combine all four images –why don’t you join me to see if I succeed.) and also add a storyline to the ongoing saga over at DiRosaYikici. As you know resident guest blogger Patrick Tulley will be about tomorrow and my next post will be on Monday. I plan to share with you my thoughts about challenges and why I love them so much on Wednesday and also provide you with another ROW80 update –so keep your eyes out if you want to know what goes on in my quirky mind. Till then have fun!
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Did I achieve the challenges set? Did you get lost within the vivid landscapes or did you sail above the waves? Let me know what works and what does not and perhaps how it could be made better… As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as all good discussions start with just one word.
Pdf document: St Pauls at High Tide
Copyright – What Do You Constitute as Ok?
Thursday’s Topical Tête-à-Tête:
I have just realised that I must have saved this article instead of hitting the ‘publish’ button yesterday (apologies). Please find below my blog post intended for yesterday.
Today I want to talk about a topic that has preoccupied my mind since the onset of my writing endeavours and subsequently my venture into the blogging world. Copyright – I am no master on the topic and quite frankly I am uncertain if I will ever achieve that honour; therefore, I will only attempt to ‘think out loud’ for the purpose of this discussion. Should you want to jump right in and give us some insight or just your own thoughts on this matter then please do grace us with your presence -I am all ears.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
COPYRIGHT – WHAT DO YOU CONSTITUTE AS OK?
I have always been a little hesitant when it comes to putting out my writings/artworks/photography etc on the internet (be it fictional or not) -not that I do not want to share it with you; it’s more the case that -if what I do is any good; someone may pinch/borrow/pass it on as their own etc… (I am certain I am not the only one to be plagued with these thoughts –particularly if I think about those working in the creative field; how do you protect your own work?!)
Then there’s that age old argument ‘if you don’t put it out there you will never know’ and no one will hear of you if you haven’t bagged yourself an agent (what are the likelihood of attracting an agents interest by self-promoting?) -so begins the conundrum… I know I am going off on a tangent; it was just a random thought that has some weight when considering promoting your work and with that, the issues of copyright arise…
I pestered a lot of my good knowledgeable friends about the aspects of copyright –I researched it on the internet (as you do) and came up with a wealth of information that surpassed my knowledge and added extra question marks in its wake. It seems copyright laws differ from country to country, though there is also the Berne Convention which encourages an international collective understanding and agreement. I have since found out that there are other laws to consider (depending on where you reside) these are: the Creative Commons Licence and the DMCA (see further details in the comments section of Self-Hosting – My Trials and Tribble-ations -Wayne Borean enlightened me quite a bit; I recommend the read).
Whilst doing all the above necessary reading; it dawned on me; all we can do is declare ownership of our creative works, enforcing it would be another matter entirely –if at all possible… This hurt my mind whilst I pondered away. Amongst a million thoughts I got talking to Emlyn Chand and she told me how I could track my articles/creativity etc by using Google Alerts; this somewhat cheered me up –though in practice I have been lax –mainly because I keep forgetting to do so. Though it makes me wonder, how I would proceed if I came across someone who took content from my blog… I took precautions; I put up legal notices on my blog (copyright notice & a linking policy) and now I question if the linking policy was a good idea.
Four months into blogging and I have come across many trackbacks/pingbacks that link to my posts (some from genuine bloggers who mention you in their posts (which I have no quibble with) and others from more dubious backgrounds that have copied parts –if not whole, and enabled a link back to the original article). I wonder if these are a good thing or not; where do these stand’ with copyright laws? I suppose it is a good thing that they (whoever they are) do not pass it as their own and provide that link etc, but I am still unsure if it should be acceptable; shouldn’t they seek permission? Then there’s the whole issue of how can you contact them if there is no contact details –totally annoying!
What are your thoughts? Do you think these levels of ‘linked’ plagiarism are ok; should you allow their trackbacks/pingbacks to be visible in your comments? Do you have any other concerns or discoveries that may enlighten us? I would be intrigued to hear from you.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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If you want to share your thoughts; by all means do so: As I always say ‘all good discussions start with just one word‘.
Pdf. document: Copyright – What Do You Constitute As Ok
Empathy
Savvy Sunday Salutations:
Welcome to another week with guest blogger Patrick Tulley; last week he talked about Relationships, Friendship & Attraction and how we engage with people and what our reasons are for forming friendships/relationships etc; this week Patrick talks about empathy and what it is (I sense he’s flagged this up because I may be using it incorrectly in my writings! -Is that true? Only you can be the judge of that ). I found this an easy read; I hope you do too! Now it’s over to you Pat.
(As always there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
EMPATHY
I want to talk about empathy this week. A regularly misunderstood term and I think for good reason as well, which I will attempt to explore in this post. We use empathy probably more times than we care to think. In fact a lot of empathy comes deep from within our unconscious minds. But it’s an important part of how we interact with the world around us.
Sympathy
Empathy is often mistaken for sympathy. Whilst there are some similarities, the differences are quite stark. Having sympathy for a person is to understand a persons pain. Whilst it requires empathy in order to get there, it is specific to this definition. So when we feel sympathetic we have an emotional reaction towards another person’s pain. In a sense it’s like sharing the feelings of that pain. This is quite different to empathy of course. You could be a very empathic person, but not be moved to sympathy at all.
Copyright – Kheng Guan TohEmpathy is about understanding an interaction you are having with either a group or one individual in any given environment. It’s about recognising dangers, safety and personality types. That’s why for instance, when a woman walking alone down a dark street is hollered at by a group of men, that her heart rate increases and she quickens her pace as she responds to her anxiety. These are empathic reactions to a potentially dangerous situation. Those guys hollering at her are very aware of her response to their whooping. They use their understanding of empathy in order to get this reaction, most likely for some sadistic pleasure. So empathy is an important tool we have to gauge signals from others in order to know how best to respond to them. As the above example shows, empathy can be used for both good and bad purposes.
My previous example is a very clear way in which we can understand empathy. It doesn’t require much in the way of thought to recognise these signals and act accordingly. What I have found particularly fascinating is the more subtle forms of empathy we experience in our everyday lives. These are not the extreme or dangerous situations that occur, but very often the environments where we feel most comfortable, such as at work or with our friends. Most of us know how to behave in a social situation apart from say the most unconscious of people. What was surprising for me, was just how little I was aware of my emphatic feelings in these situations. There is a surprising amount of passive aggression and self-attack, even amongst so called polite circles. I know I have used self-attack a number of times in my posts, but it’s an important phenomenon to be aware of. Particularly since passive aggression cannot exist without self attack. The two go very much hand in glove with each other.
I had an experience at work, after the Japanese tsunami back in February. I don’t listen much to the news, so I wasn’t entirely aware of what had happened. Returning to work after the weekend I happened to take a look at the BBC website and was pretty shocked to hear that 2,000 bodies had been found washed ashore in the wake of the disaster. When I turned to my colleague and expressed my horror he then told me about a friend he had in Japan whose bar had been washed away with the wave. I felt some sympathy for his friend and asked him how he was coping. He replied, ‘well he is fine, but some of his customers keep floating in from time to time’. My reaction was to laugh, but not because I thought it was funny. In fact I was pretty annoyed by him and I think for good reason. Now, not let it be said that Patrick doesn’t have a sense of humour, I do and it can be as dark as the next persons. But wow did I feel like a dickhead for a brief moment after his last comment. Within the space of three minutes I had heard about a truly horrific story of mass carnage. Only to be lured into a colleague’s story about a fictitious friend who was caught up in the disaster, to then being swiftly rebutted by a poorly timed joke. I say poorly timed, as in a different situation I might have found the joke to actually be funny. Describing it as poorly timed also gives my colleague the excuse for being inept with his social skills, which he wasn’t I can assure you.
So what did happen in that interaction? Why did I find myself feeling conned and slightly annoyed? Well I think it’s interesting that I described myself as a ‘dickhead’, as it’s not a particularly nice way to describe oneself. So when I use a derogatory expression against myself, I always ask myself why? I believe this came down to two reasons. My colleague was entirely aware of what I was feeling the moment I expressed my shock to him. If his experience of this event was to ask me not to talk about it, I would have understood and complied with his wishes. But no he preferred to prolong my experience further with his little story, whereby he would deliberately access my sympathy further. It was only upon his conclusion that I was able to fully understand his intention. This was to passively humiliate me for showing sympathy for such an horrific event. It was to infer that my feelings were stupid and inconsequential. Calling oneself a dickhead is a humiliating thing to say about yourself of course. But that was how I felt in that moment, ‘humiliated’. My response to laugh at his tactic was of course my way of avoiding further humiliation. This is because there is a clever play on words (language let’s say) when people use passive aggression. I say clever, when I really mean ‘stone cold’ genius. If I was to complain about what he said, his response would have been to say, ‘hey Pat, it was just a joke, no harm done’, which would have entailed me experiencing further humiliation for being perceived as overly sensitive. Because he wasn’t using direct (rude) language to humiliate me, he was able to be more subtle about his aggression towards me with relative impunity. However, I still felt annoyed and irritated by him, which would be the normal reaction with someone who had been more overtly aggressive. The second and perhaps most important reason I felt humiliated was because I already knew he would react that way. Why did I know? Well I had experienced him with other people around the office. It was fairly obvious this chap often used humour to humiliate people. So I had a swift lesson in learning not to ignore my empathy with people again in future.
To a large degree this is the culture we live in. People act out this kind of behaviour very often from an unconscious place. However, pointing out this bad behaviour in people allows them be evasive and direct blame back onto their victim. This is the part that is the most interesting of course, because it works. A lot of victims of passive aggression will usually blame themselves for their own perceived stupidity in being humiliated. It’s a bait and switch many of us probably learned in our childhoods. It’s a form of dissociation that shields us from the humiliating feelings. That’s why many of you are often convinced you didn’t feel humiliated in these situations. So it’s often futile trying to correct passive aggressive people, because many people will just support them regardless. To find out whether you yourself dissociate, then break down a similar experience to mine and decide for yourself.
Empathy starts with yourself first and then with others. It’s about asking yourself, how do I feel and then what do I experience from this other person or persons. Unfortunately it’s a process many of us have to relearn, which is why at first it can seem so insurmountable. Keep applying my method and you will eventually begin to become more empathic about yourself and the people around you. If you find yourself dismissing your feelings as wrong or bad, then you are dissociating. Feelings are never bad or wrong, they are a signal often from your unconscious telling you something useful. In fairness my method does require a degree of introspection, which in turn can be helped along enormously with therapy. Empathy is a very powerful skill that protects us, even enriches us. Understanding this skill to a higher level will help improve your jobs, relationships and life in general, so it’s well worth pursuing. As always, best of luck.
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Copyright © Patrick Tulley 2011 – All Rights Reserved.
Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always.
Pdf document: Empathy
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PATRICK TULLEY: PHILOSOPHER, AMATEUR WRITER
My name is Patrick Tulley. I am primarily a philosopher and an amateur writer but also have been a painter and sculptor in the past. My background has been quite varied, as I have lived abroad on and off during my 20′s, been in a number of different professions throughout my life. More recently, I have been working as a private consultant within the public sector.
Since philosophy is my preferred interest; it is always something I rigorously apply to all my thinking and writing. Whilst I am knowledgeable about abstract philosophy, I am not particularly interested in taking that route. Philosophy is about the search for truth, it was always meant to be understandable by everyday people -this does not mean dumbing down the ideas of course. It just means I do not allow myself to get sidetracked by too many inconsequential arguments, often referred to as lifeboat scenarios. I tend towards the more Aristotelian and Socratic methods of philosophy, but I also have interests in Hume, Nietzsche and Rand. Philosophy has been a wonderful and fulfilling part of my life; it’s often been a very misunderstood subject -which I hope to discuss in future posts. I also enjoy reviewing art, literature, music and passing comments on culture, news and personal experiences that I have found both interesting and enlightening. I do not have a particular interest in politics –however; I may discuss my reasons with you sporadically throughout this blog. Overall, this is hoped to be a journal about a philosophical life. I hope you will enjoy my outlook on things and look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts along the way. I would also like to thank Ozlem for giving me this opportunity to have a voice on her blog.
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Disclaimer; whilst we (guest bloggers and I) do not set about to intentionally upset visitors to the site; I understand some of the topics discussed/raised may touch nerves. Please note I will do my utmost to screen these posts before I post them however; I do believe in freedom of speech and I would hate to limit someone because they think differently to me or have different values from mine. Therefore, I urge you to have some understanding and an open mind before jumping in and causing a scene without it being constructive. Like I said, Patrick and I do have difference of opinions and on most cases we agree to disagree but at the same time we also respect the others’ thoughts and views -after all we do live in a civilized world; with this in mind I hope we will have more cultivated and engaging discussions. One last note to all: Here on yikici I have aimed to keep posts and discussions clean; I am not a fan of words that are disrespectful and disparaging therefore, I will not condone its’ use here on yikici; I do hope you share my views on this –if not, at least can respect them.
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Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always.
Pdf document: Empathy
Photoshoot – My Amateur Debut
Saturday’s Showcase Sketches:
I’ve had a mixed day today (it really feels like it has passed by with a blur), because of it being an odd day of-some-sorts, I wanted to share a different kind of creativity with you -sometimes a variation helps me focus (we’ll see if it helps me today). If you are wondering about my ROW80 goals, I will provide an update following the article below.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
A few weeks back I took a stab at doing an amateur photoshoot session (for items to be sold on eBay by my sister -well experiences comes in all shapes and forms!). I was enlisted as a photographer (ahem!); my task to was to make the items for sale attractive -a rather tall order -if I do say so myself! (The tall order -really was referring to my photography skills than the items in question -not that I doubt my skills; I just had not done a photoshoot before so was a tad unsure.) I started of hesitantly -as did the model; then we picked up pace and confidence which reflected in the many delightful photo’s I took. Here is a selection of my favourites (some are raw images from the day (quite catalogue-esque images), others I have played around in Photoshop to give it a bit of a va-va-va-voom style that may be fitting for a magazine photoshoot). This was a fun project to take part in and I hope to experiment more with photography and Photoshop imagery when I have more time; for the moment, I hope the visuals below work.
If you are interested in the items above, please head off to Esmyster‘s eBay page for all listed items. In addition, I have set up a gallery page for you to view the above images in detail please click here to view the Esmyster’s eBay Photoshoot.
ROW80 UPDATE:
Following my scheduling from yesterdays article; it’s time for a quick update.
- Friday: After yesterdays blog post I felt extremely pooped (tired for those who are not familiar with the terminology); so I rested -I wrote a staggering 1872 words for the article so I musn’t grumble!
- Saturday: Today I emailed my WIP to my betareaders (accomplished -yay!) and started to outline my new project as mentioned yesterday -but for some unknown reason my muse wanted me to think about the WIP I sent off to my betareaders -so I did. In addition to that I brainstormed a mini-outline for it too (I guess that is not too bad); let’s see what else takes place. I haven’t yet started my word goals (as the outlines are not complete) therefore, let’s consider this articles word count (currently it is at 519+ words); I have hit over 500 words -yay! I’m chuffed to bits -not to mention the time I spent on Photoshop enhancing the photographs and then attaching it here then checking out how to work the slideshow and gallery options -not bad for a day’s attempt methinks!
All in all it’s pretty good… now I need some time away from the laptop so without further ado I’m taking a break… *heads off to make a cuppa and then take some time to chill*
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Do you dabble in different avenues -if so what are they? I’d love to hear what you get up to when you just need that change. As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as all good discussions start with just one word.
Pdf document: Photoshoot – My Amateur Debut
ROW80 – Up, Up and Away!
Frivolous Fun Friday:
I’m baaaaack! (Albeit slightly behind schedule –please accept my apologies.) As promised on Wednesday, I want to give you a quick update before delving into my post today. Therefore, this will be structure of my post today:
- Update on ROW80 goals this week and a revised goal schedule.
- A wee amendment to the blog schedule (just so the ROW80 updates are not random affairs -I’d hate to confuse you all -I confuse myself plenty so no need to share that experience all the time).
- Some frivolous fun thoughts, ideas that hopefully will be enjoyed by all.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
ROW80 – Updates & New Goals:
As you all know, I have had a tough week this week and did not set off on my goals as I had planned (you can read about it here and here). Having said that and as many of you know; the beauty of ROW80 is that we can make it fit into our lives (no matter how many little surprises life throws at us!). So here I am, standing tall and updating you with what I have managed to do despite my pesky low-mood trying to take away the joys of my life. -I refuse to let it win -I hope you too are not letting negativity rule you -come on let’s just get up from our seats and have a little dance *looks at each reader* come on then let’s do it *switches on iPod and starts to boogie*
-oooops (I got carried away) *blushes*; now back to my update…
- On Wednesday, I decided not to take any prisoners, so I started to get back into the swing of things with a blog post (word count 1,409 – woo hoo what a start!). Feeling good about that achievement I opened my WIP and began reading it from the beginning. I began working/editing on the prologue(s) -I have two (I know -I have tendencies for trying different things -I bet you have noticed that by now!), I then added 350 words towards my 500 word goal then got stuck (and also extremely tired -it was past midnight, therefore I decided to call it a day).
- Thursday was another challenging day; I really struggled to get motivated (I even lacked appearances on Twitter!) -regardless I still prevailed. I decided I needed time away from the screen so I printed off my draft manuscript (I could not believe how many pages I had written -my self-esteem rose somewhat at that moment and I may have also done a jig of some sort -just for the pure elation of it all!). I started to edit on the page and tried to amend those dreaded chapters (1, 2 and 3). I managed to write a measly 150 words towards my goal (I suppose that is better than nothing -though I have to admit I was still annoyed with myself -I am a harsh critic; I am very aware of this trait in me!). I realised I was not happy with how I was tying the prologue(s) with the remaining chapters; therefore I stopped reading and writing -I started to think and brainstorm my ideas instead. When my sister joined me in the evening, I discussed my concerns about the WIP with her. We talked about the possibility of going back and starting again (the prologue(s) and chapters work well separately but together it just seems iffy -this is where I find it difficult to move on as it needs to feel right and complete before I continue). I then had a brainwave, I decided to take this issue and present it to my BETA readers. I plan to ask them to read all I have written up to now and ask them their honest thoughts; which parts work for them (if any), where I can develop the story more (if needed) or do I have to have a re-think and which bits in particular. I will be emailing them after I have written this post.
- As for today (Friday), once this article is written; I plan to start work on another idea I had a while back (initially it was an idea for a screenplay; but now I’m considering it as a novella as well (otherwise I would be doing the main character a huge disservice). I went over the Main Characters’ psychological make-up with Manon Eileen* and Allie Wilde* on a special psychology discussion session on twitter hosted by Manon Eileen: Character Psychology Tweetchat – #writepsych); I will re-work the outline for this new project.
*Just a quick THANK YOU to you both –you both have helped me make my MC have more substance –I understand him a little bit more therefore, hope to build a more believable story (well I guess the proof will be in the pudding once it’s completed and put out there).
ROW80 Goals:
Here are my previous writing goals (as quoted by me):
- I will rework the first three chapters (oooer feeling panicky already -guys step in at any moment).
- I will write a minimum of 500 words per five days a week -aiming for 27,500.00 words (take a deep breath (I did) -yep this is manageable).
- Each day I will set aside a 15-30 minute editing session, before I start my writing; reworking the previous day’s works (also a ploy to get myself back into the flow of things).
This is my now amended ROW80 Goals:
- Email BETA Readers my current WIP (for feedback).
- Start outline for new project (novella/script).
- Try to write 0-500 words per day towards WIP (a reality-check was in order here –pressure taken off in order for my muse to roam freely).
- Should I feel stuck with point three I will consider how well I have done with my blog posts –as a means to stay positive –any achievements’ considered for acknowledgement right? *looks up expectantly*
- Each day I will set aside a 15-30 minute editing session, before I start my writing; reworking the previous day’s works (still a ploy to get myself back into the flow of things).
THEN (When responses come back from my lovely BETA Readers:
- I will rework the first three chapters of my WIP.
- I will start to contribute towards the above set word goal (maybe alternate with the WIPs for a bit of variety and also it’s good my muse can just tackle something different every once in a while).
Amended ROW80 Blog Schedule:
I know I said in a previous post that I would be updating you with my ROW80 goals on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and/or Saturdays. I have had a rethink and believe that is too unorganised therefore I have narrowed the days down to Wednesdays and Saturdays (it will tie-in better with the actual ROW80 check-ins; hopefully no confusions there!).
With Hindsight Comes Clarity –Well So They Say…
Why do I say that? Well, I have realised that after writing the above, I have lost my trail of thought for what I wanted to write here; so now I will share you some random thoughts –just for the sheer heck of it! Let’s see what you make of the concoction of thoughts that will fly off the page and into your mind… What you do with it is entirely up to you; bite, chomp, chew, churn, gulp, digest, stew, rip it apart, knock a nail through it, toss it in the air –or the bin, swish it, squash it –the list is endless; I suggest you enjoy the blast and then share your angst with it (if any).
- In my last post I was kindly reminded (by a few thoughtful souls –you know who you are, I will not be naming any names) that the plural for sheep is sheep and not sheeps or sheep’s as I have written…err hellooooooooooooooo guys I know that already! What do you take me for?!!! I just felt it sounded as if it was missing something therefore, I went with the overall sound quality rather than the correct spelling (pah humbug to that!). Did I not already mention I rather be an individual than follow the norm? -What’s that? Are you recollecting your thoughts back to what I wrote in that last post? Now are you quietly nodding you head in acknowledgement? Hmmmm… Well, like I said there was some rhyme and reason to why I decided to ignore the etiquette of spelling in that particular scenario (if you want to scream or shoot me or just give me a crash course in spelling and grammar –you can’t –I’m vetoing that decision –why? I’m in that kind of mood so tough!).
- I cleared the door of my fridge-freezer yesterday and found a few Chinese proverbs (don’t ask); I thought I’d share these with you (just because I can & because I find them witty and quite true).
- A sharp wit is better than a harmful weapon. (I’d love to see those in the line of fire apply wit and see if it does really abode well in all circumstances –in theory it is great but in reality…?)
- Money dishonestly acquired is never worth the cost. (I have no qualms with that –I even touch on it briefly in a poem I wrote about Life <— check it out )
- He who laughs last did not get the joke. (Lol!!!!! I have been in this predicament plenty of times –sometimes it’s true I laughed out of politeness but other times –maybe I was just a wee bit slow –now now there is no need for such comments! *sulks*)
- Finally, on a very warm day like today (the sun was out and beaming today!) we all enjoy cool drinks, which quench our thirst. With this in mind I wanted to share a favourite drink of mine that is really simple to make (you may have come across it in some shops already); it’s a well-known yoghurt drink in Turkey, it’s called Ayran. What you will need is natural yoghurt, water (bottled or tap) and a little salt for flavour. I will give guideline for one cup; you can add the ingredients to apply this for greater quantities. In a clean glass spoon in some natural yogurt (I prefer to add enough to meet half of the glass –you can add less accordingly to your tastes). Then top up with water, add salt for taste and stir the mixture until it all blends in (I guess you could mix it in a cocktail shaker so it becomes fluffy); add ice for extra coolness and then enjoy its delicious taste. It’s a good, refreshing and healthy drink with all the goodness of all those friendly bacteria’s –you know the ones that go “hello, hello, hello, hello…etc…” :D
So after all those hellos it’s time for me to say adios, taraaa, goodbye etc… –It’s time to tackle that all important ROW80 goal –wish me luck
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as all good discussions start with just one word.
Pdf document: ROW80 – Up, Up and Away!
Apologies…
Monday’s Meandering Muse: I am really sorry for not being able to send out today’s post. I have lost all enthusiasm for it (had a semi-low moment). I think I will call it a night for now and continue a fresh tomorrow. This has totally ruined my plans for ROW80 too -if I can cheer myself up before the end of the day, I will start my ROW80 goal; but right now, I am not feeling it. I am truly sorry my lovely visitors/readers.
I will hopefully post Monday’s Meandering Muse tomorrow -maybe it’s best to think of it as Tricky Tuesday’s Treachery -seeing something has tricked me out of completing the post today!
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always.
Relationships, Friendship & Attraction
Savvy Sunday Salutations: Welcome to another week with guest blogger Patrick Tulley; we had a great response last week (thank you for your interest). Patrick talked about Bullying, Self-Attack & Panic Attacks and toyed with the idea of how these individual elements can be linked (based on personal experiences); this week Patrick talks about Relationships, friendships & attraction and the reasons we get to interact with people. I am fascinated how people engage with one and another and always try to understand what is going on behind the scenes -so to speak; so it is no surprise I found this an interesting read.
(As always there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS & ATTRACTION
An interesting conversation I had with a friend this week reminded me of a very difficult aspect of myself that I have began to surmount over recent years. That is of recognising my own qualities and weaknesses when interacting with other people, in particular with my friends and more importantly, my motives for having a relationship in the first place. Of course, the obvious reasons are for fun, sharing, intimacy and eventually love. However, there are quite a lot of historical and psychological decisions that go into choosing friends, more than I ever imagined at first. This is perhaps even truer when it comes to romantic relationships. Actually romantic relationships are probably the best and most fertile area you can explore about yourself and your choices in friends. I have talked about my time in therapy and so understanding my motives for relationships in the past has led me to having more fulfilling relationships now. I will add of course, that I still often struggle with these issues. So I am, for all intents and purposes a work in progress still.
Attraction
What attract us to others are many things of course and often seemingly complex. They can be historical reasons that stem from our childhoods, but they can also be cultural too. Lastly of course being beauty, often the strongest aphrodisiac when it comes to choosing partners, but often a feature we can apply to our friends as well. These I would argue are the three factors that tend to govern our choices of friends and partners.
Culture
So what of culture? Well of course, there are many strands within culture itself. It might be religion, politics, music, language, clothes, lifestyle, national identity, sport or any combination of these things and more. Our inclusion within any of these cultural groups is often a reason why our friends choose us above others and vice versa. So what is culture? Now here is where perhaps I go out on a limb. Partly because I understand how important culture can be for people. But please bear with me, as I attempt to apply some philosophical thinking to it. All culture is made up and imagined. Culture only exists in our minds. It is neither tangible nor real like that of an object. It is quite simply a concept as such. Now that’s not to say that culture doesn’t have a big impact on people’s lives, it clearly does. Take any football stadium throughout Europe and you will see tens of thousands of people cheering manically for their football team. All of those fans at one stage in their life had to say, ‘I support this team’, but why? Well for many of them it was possibly an accident of birth. For instance if you were born and raised in the suburb of Moss Side in Manchester you’re likely to be a Manchester City fan. However, many fans made their choice of team based on their parent’s preference. Although I was born in Ipswich in the UK, I never recall living there, as I left within 18 months of my new life. My father carried on supporting them, so when I was of age, I too would become a supporter of Ipswich Town. An unlucky choice many of you may be chuckling. In all cases with all culture, we have to make a choice about which parts we like and which parts we don’t. More often than not the prevailing culture of where we live and whom we interact with, often dictate those preferences, but many of them we choose deliberately from our own predilection. Football teams, nations, fashion style, music genres and political ideology are merely concepts and do not exist as objective reality, say like the tree in your backyard does or the sand in the desert. Although I don’t think there is anything intrinsically wrong in making friends based on these concepts. Sharing a language has a practical application, but if we share a different language by choice but also have different languages culturally, how important is that a feature for our friends or lovers? So whilst culture may have some practical aspects to them, its worthwhile remembering they are just merely constructs of the mind. Finally asking yourself, how important is the concept I have in choosing great friends.
Beauty
Now much is claimed when it comes to beauty, so I want to be brief, as much of it correlates with what I said about culture. Beauty is certainly a powerful attractant in of itself. Much of this has to do with biology and a person’s capacity to bare or rear children. Biologically we are programmed to make sure our offspring have the best chance of survival. So having a beautiful partner will mean the same for our children. Like culture though, beauty is just an accident of birth. Either you have it or you don’t. Whatever the biological benefits, which really only apply to partners themselves and not friends. Whilst I don’t want to ignore its potency, how important a factor is it, when it comes to choosing a lifelong partner and in particular friends?
History
I touched on this topic in last week’s blog; in the final paragraphs about my relationships and how my childhood experience had influenced those choices. Without repeating what I said there again. If we are not aware of the impact our childhood experience had on us, we are likely to be making poor decisions, detrimental ones even, when it come to our own relationships of all kinds. Now this may not be strictly true, since if your experience was a good one, then you will be probably making better choices. The trouble with childhood experience though, is that much of it is unconscious. Very often, the child dissociates from incidents in their lives in order to cope better with traumatic events that happen to them. There is one way you can discern whether you are ignoring that history. Ask yourself how much does ‘culture’ and ‘beauty’ influence your choices’ in friends. Whilst I agree it is not empirical, it might provide you with some useful clues as to where your choices are coming from. If either or both of them dominate your choices’, I would suggest that you are indeed ignoring your childhood history. A history that probably doesn’t bear repeating itself, either for you, but especially for your children.
Culture and beauty tend to have this ability of patching up great holes in our lives that we acquired in childhood. Having said that, I am not suggesting we should be without culture or beauty entirely. I enjoy watching an exciting football match as much as I like wearing nice clothes too. I also like to be physically attracted to my partner as well. It’s only that, if we seek our life’s ‘value’ in only these areas, we are surly missing out on friendships of great depth, warmth, intimacy and joy. There are aspects to this that I would like to discuss further another time, but for now, why not explore this area of your life. I have posted links to two great books that can help you explore your childhood past more effectively. By no means are they definitive, but they will lead you to a better and more clearer understanding of yourself. As always, best of luck.
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Copyright © Patrick Tulley 2011 – All Rights Reserved.
Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always.
Pdf document: Relationships, Friendship & Attraction
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PATRICK TULLEY: PHILOSOPHER, AMATEUR WRITER
My name is Patrick Tulley. I am primarily a philosopher and an amateur writer but also have been a painter and sculptor in the past. My background has been quite varied, as I have lived abroad on and off during my 20′s, been in a number of different professions throughout my life. More recently, I have been working as a private consultant within the public sector.
Since philosophy is my preferred interest; it is always something I rigorously apply to all my thinking and writing. Whilst I am knowledgeable about abstract philosophy, I am not particularly interested in taking that route. Philosophy is about the search for truth, it was always meant to be understandable by everyday people -this does not mean dumbing down the ideas of course. It just means I do not allow myself to get sidetracked by too many inconsequential arguments, often referred to as lifeboat scenarios. I tend towards the more Aristotelian and Socratic methods of philosophy, but I also have interests in Hume, Nietzsche and Rand. Philosophy has been a wonderful and fulfilling part of my life; it’s often been a very misunderstood subject -which I hope to discuss in future posts. I also enjoy reviewing art, literature, music and passing comments on culture, news and personal experiences that I have found both interesting and enlightening. I do not have a particular interest in politics –however; I may discuss my reasons with you sporadically throughout this blog. Overall, this is hoped to be a journal about a philosophical life. I hope you will enjoy my outlook on things and look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts along the way. I would also like to thank Ozlem for giving me this opportunity to have a voice on her blog.
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Disclaimer; whilst we (guest bloggers and I) do not set about to intentionally upset visitors to the site; I understand some of the topics discussed/raised may touch nerves. Please note I will do my utmost to screen these posts before I post them however; I do believe in freedom of speech and I would hate to limit someone because they think differently to me or have different values from mine. Therefore, I urge you to have some understanding and an open mind before jumping in and causing a scene without it being constructive. Like I said, Patrick and I do have difference of opinions and on most cases we agree to disagree but at the same time we also respect the others’ thoughts and views -after all we do live in a civilized world; with this in mind I hope we will have more cultivated and engaging discussions. One last note to all: Here on yikici I have aimed to keep posts and discussions clean; I am not a fan of words that are disrespectful and disparaging therefore, I will not condone its’ use here on yikici; I do hope you share my views on this –if not, at least can respect them.
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Thoughts and comments are encouraged as always.
Pdf document: Relationships, Friendship & Attraction
Are You a Pet Lover? – I Have My Moments!
Frivolous Fun Friday: Yay its Friday! (Ermm actually, for me, it’s Wednesday! I have a busy schedule (mine and my teams’ leaving do and a special birthday party for a very sweet one year old) until Sunday, therefore I am trying to plan ahead and get my posts ready; in the eventuality that Saturday’s post fails to make a showing I wanted to just say apologies from now -I know you will understand -and maybe even glad that’s one less post to read *stares in disbelief* -not impressed! *sulks off into a quiet corner and cries a huge boo hoo hooooooooooooo*) -now that I have that off my chest; back to Friday’s post; it may be shorter than normal (time-constraints etc) but I hope it will entertain you somewhat.
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
ARE YOU A PET LOVER? – I HAVE MY MOMENTS!
I was not born into the world as a pet lover; well not to my knowledge anyhow. Sure, at school, we had Gerbils, African snails -did I mention Gerbils? Those pesky rodents -you call it scratch, I call it bite; yes it bit me! How dare it!!! How dare my school teacher appoint me and my table to safely harbour the Gerbils!!!! Since then my love affair with pets of any kind diminished dramatically. I had already had a dislike to dogs [one had followed me as I was going home and ambushed the path of safety (I'm sure he/she -I didn't check for fear he/she would attack -did I mention I was going to the infants at the time -that's Primary School to those who do not know.)], my list grew.
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My Encounter with Fate!
Monday’s Meandering Muse: I am sitting looking blankly at the screen; I am unsure what to write -well I know what I want to write; I just don’t have a clue how to write it (it seems my inspiration muse has deserted me -not the best moments for my muse to do that; let me see what I can come up with without her). Maybe I should start with a prompt…
(As always there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
“Fate – everything happens for a reason. And when fate happens look for the good in it as it is there.”
This is very true; I try to remind myself of this all the time. Sometimes when something happens beyond our control and it is not the desired outcome we become disgruntled and moan about how life is unkind to us. We rarely think of what it is fate has presented to us; we do not look with unclouded eyes; we do not allow the haze to clear so we see the other possibilities -we do not see clearly until the very last minute and then when we do, the relief sets in; wouldn’t it be great if we did not worry about what has happened; but embrace what opportunities are ahead of us? Why think the cup is half empty when it could be just half full.
You may ask why I am talking about fate… Well, asides from the fact that I am fascinated by the concept of fate I have had to look at it a bit more deeply than normal recently, why? Well I have recently just been made redundant due to the recent Government spending cuts; I know the news sounds terrible when you hear it like that but; there is a silver lining behind it; this development has enabled me to think more clearly with what I have been living through the last few years and I believe I have had an epiphany with this current upheaval in my life. All the missing pieces of the puzzle finally(ish) fit into place and makes sense -please note, it is not my intention to say anything untoward to my past employers; I enjoyed working there heaps (see fact no 6 on post Awards? -Aww *Blushes* -You Shouldn’t Have!); it has given me insight to a lot of things and helped me understand myself and my needs.
In brief; I started work, part-time, as a Support Worker about five years ago (bizarrely; July 24th 2011 will be five years to the day -talk about coincidences!); I loved it -the variety; being able to find solutions for those who really needed it; being proactive and above all having a wonderful team to work with! So when I was offered a full-time post think of the joy I felt -I was ecstatic! I never saw it coming; my attention to detail; my ethos in life: give %100; ensure the work done is perfect; my empathetic nature -they all were a concoction of potions waiting to become a disaster; individually they are great but collectively it was to undo the essence of me -I would only realise this three years too late. At this point, a normal person would just despair and worry to what will happen next; maybe we just need to have a fresh outlook on life…
“Do not worry about the future for it is not yet come. Live each day in the present and make it beautiful.”
Stressing about what could be, how things may work out; rarely does any good -other than cause your health serious harm! So if you do not want to be well, then maybe you should just continue the way you know best; keep worrying… -I am not saying that to be mean; it’s just a true fact -we are all guilty of it (including me). I am a huge worry wart; if I can worry about anything -I do so without thinking; it automatically sets in (well I am trying to kick that habit; but having empathy does not help -especially in the line of work I have been in; my mind rarely switched off I was constantly thinking of what might happen if I was not about). It’s tough -I know! By worrying we forget about the most precious gift we have: today -with today we can do anything and things happen; things fall into place or a wheel of motion is set into action; so why do we fail to utilise this day? Let’s not forget and try and enjoy the precious moments we have today and make it beautiful.
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Are We Individuals or Are We Sheep’s?
Wishful Wednesday Wanderings (one-off theme for days like today):
Following my apology on Monday, I wanted to also apologise for not showing up at all yesterday (I planned to post Monday’s article as part of Tricky Tuesday’s Treachery (another one-off theme)). Unfortunately, my low moment hindered my plans -these moments can hit you in the middle of nowhere and can last longer than you really care for.
I am still not 100% (I’ve had 2-3 mini-panic attacks these past 3 days; my motto is still as I said in my previous article). I am determined to at least write something today -be it my blog post article, my WIP to meet my ROW80 goal, a flash fiction piece or even a follow-up storyline for Our Story Begins over at DiRosaYikici (or a combination of the above). Any success stories to be heard will be shared on Friday (hopefully) as part of Frivolous Fun Friday. Before I continue with the article I planned for Monday; I want to say a HUGE thank you all for the lovely comments and warm encouragements. I really appreciate every single one of them (I will do my best to respond to all as soon as I can); you cannot guess how much your positivity and empathy has helped during these tough two days. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Just a quick note: The below article is a continuation from Monday -which means I have not changed any part of it; I will just continue from where I stopped writing it (that will be from: ‘I was truly amazed.’); I hope you all enjoy the read despite its delay. Oh and before I forget –yep the bookshelf is assembled and adorned with all my books/files and random stuff that was eating into my space!).
(As always there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
The long awaited:
Monday’s Meandering Muse:
All this changing of rooms and creating space for my office/art space has limited my time and hence why I am now sitting amongst piles of books and files awaiting the delivery of a bookshelf which I hope will ‘magically’ bring a calm to the current chaotic space. This disarray does not help me think clearly or indeed make me feel if I am on time…right now I feel like I am running behind schedule with the blog -oooer! My only solace is that you are all very understanding of my predicament *looks ups with a marvellous/timid grin* -you are right?
Of course, you are -that is what I love about all you lovely visitors/readers of my humble blog! 
Ok, now let’s get focused and see what my muse wants to discuss today… Oh and by the way, if there is a topic you would like me to look into and explore in my own yikici-kind-of-way then please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comment box below or for those of you who are a wee bit shy drop me a line via my contact page.
ARE WE INDIVIDUALS OR ARE WE SHEEP’S?
I have heard this (and or similar) terminologies throughout my life and it always made me ponder how much individuals we are as opposed to being a sheep. I even recollect a very vivid memory from my childhood, which visualises this whole idea to another level; maybe this is why it has stayed in my minds-eye throughout the years.
I must have been in my early-mid teens (or maybe even younger; I cannot quite remember); as part of our family holiday (which incidentally was always a trip to Turkey) we visited family in Tokat –a region in the Northern part of Turkey. There I was gazing out of the window, which was looking out to the main street where a river (or maybe it was a stream) was gushing through it (not freely flowing onto the roads silly! It was below the roads surface, barricaded with walls and a bridge was available so people/animals/and all forms of transport could cross over it). Whilst marvelling at this sight and wondering the dangerousness of the rapid flow of water, I spied a shepherd with his flock of sheep moving along towards the bridge.
I hear you say that there is nothing fascinating about that; bear with me, there is more…
When they reached the bridge, the sheep, scared by the sound of the water I assumed, refused to cross over; the shepherd tried many tactics –one of which worked. He held one of the sheep by its two front legs and gently pulled him/her across the bridge so he/she sheep-stepped over the bridge. At this stage; I’m with you here -I was thinking ‘what is he doing!’ Then something amazing happened and in turn, that occurrence gave me the epiphany that was to stay with me throughout my lifetime. The remaining sheep started to follow the shepherd and the poor (two-legged) sheep –they all crossed the bridge; blindly following the semi-captive sheep up-front with the shepherd.
Soooo that’s where the terminology ‘sheep’ comes from.
I was truly amazed. To think all it took to sway the remaining sheep to cross the bridge, against their better judgement, was to hold ransom one of their kind and then et voila! I guess the term ‘lead by example’ also takes an interesting form when thinking of it in this context. Are you really leading by example or are you forced to do so?
Let us think some more… Hands up those of you who have been in the following situations:
Did you raise your hands? I have for all four scenarios (in the past when I was younger). I remember once writing a poem for a poetry module at university; the tutor insisted I separate my poem into two; convincing me, it would be a better read and more evocative (well according to her). I refused (I did) and I guess my artistic temperament took centre-stage at that point –I submitted it as one piece; my argument, the two themes were a necessity for each other. Was it a sound judgement call? I believe so –despite being marked down for my refusal to conform to the tutors ideal; I felt good for standing up for my belief in my work and my vision –that was the day I became aware of my individuality and realised a difference of an opinion should not deter you from speaking up.
Guidelines are great; but these should not force you to carry out tasks/create works of art/novels in a style that has worked for others –why must we copy others? Why follow in their footsteps when we are all unique in our own little way? We have been born into this world; created as individuals –all with our own unique DNA (our fingerprints are good examples of how individual we all are physically; is this not a good indication for what also is within us spiritually?). –I know this is a vast topic we can get lost in; but for now let us just think of our place in life; are we individuals or are we sheep’s?
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
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As you already know, thoughts and comments are encouraged as always -even if it is just a word -as all good discussions start with just one word.
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