The First Time
It’s daunting, sitting here typing away the first piece of writing I’ve done in -what feels like ages. It’s been like months since I last wrote to you…so much has happened since then; my life warped in-front of my eyes as different lifestyles were thrown at me. All of which I loved, yet was not enough for me to stay… I have become my own martyr -my own hurdle. Where stepping-stones tried to lead me home, I veered off the path, distracted by the many facets of what could be. A Red Riding Hood losing track of time. A child in a candy store. A flightless bird left at sea. A void in a bottomless pit. A nothingness in the sea of digital living. Life’s mysterious endeavours tried to overthrow me. Life did not succeed.
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Mind Matters – Isolation is a Terrible Beast
Dearest readers, as some of you may already know, I am fascinated by the workings of the human mind (always have); with my previous employment (Support Worker) I was fortunate enough to work with and support adults with numerous health conditions -including mental health. I witnessed, first hand, my own prejudice to mental health and also how ‘healthy’ people (within a professional field or not) overlooked (and still do) the simplest of needs these individuals have. Confused? Over the next few weeks/months (let’s see how I feel with my schedule), I hope to shed some light on human nature and how our mental state can develop or falter in certain situations/circumstances. Today I will attempt to analyse how isolation can be detrimental to your health and how a little outside influence can make a difference. Curious to know how? Let me explain.
Before we start, I do hope you have watched the video above (it’s about 6.30 minutes long and worth every viewed second); not watched it yet? Well, we can wait a few more minutes until you do. Ready? Ok then, here goes…
The video is a great example of how the human psyche can deteriorate without any stimulus. I hope in this article I will be able to explain this with clear evidence and insights from my observations on the job and my chance encounters in life with people I’ve met or those who are within my close family/friends circles.
During my time as a Support Worker, I have worked with many elderly and vulnerable adults, all with varying needs (some less, some more); however, what I noticed during my 5 year career-span was that they all had a common need, the need to not be isolated.
Isolated?
Yep, I too used to think that was absurd, surely they have loved ones who look after them and those care homes, they must be great…
Roll-up, Roll-up, (My) Instacanv.as Gallery is now Open
Helloooooo to you all, hope you are well and are on target (for whatever it may be -seriously, I’m curious now, what are you all up to these days? Leave a comment below and let’s have a conversation
). If you all are asking about moi, these past few weeks I’ve been busy spending time with my family/friends (and Megan), writing, resting and snapping away taking pictures and editing them to my hearts’ content and then sharing them on instagram and here (when I have the time to do so). This has fuelled my creative drive somewhat and other than the odd spurts of dizzy spells (which forces me away from my laptop and any long-burst of writing) I have been feeling rather positive about what is in store for me. Getting back to my art and photography has become a blessing in disguise (as had my writing last year); being able to visualise and bring together images and create imagery which people appreciates’ has been extremely satisfying -as well as it has reminded me how much I missed just doing arty stuff. So, this is me -in addition to my writing; I will be designing visual artworks when I cannot write anymore due to my dizzy-spells; hopefully my art will spur on my writing and vice-versa.
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Making Sense of Scheduling
As you all know I have been struggling with keeping to my blog schedule –I’ve changed it a few times; but it’s not turned out quite to how I’ve envisioned it to be. External factors (laptop problems & internet connection issues) and internal factors (my anxiety & bouts of low moods) have stepped in and hindered me somewhat –it’s been pretty depleting and has made me feel like quite a failure (which I know I am not) –therefore, I REALLY hate it. For this reason I’ve come up with a cunning plan which will hopefully allow me to breathe and have fun with creating fun, thought-provoking and creative articles again –all with an element of surprise. I’m DITCHING the pace of the schedule, what this essentially means is I will post articles when they are ready and not to a predefined schedule. I am hoping this will help with lessening the anxiety I put on myself as I normally focus on trying to finish an article on time and then post it when I feel it’s not ready and needs more work. By taking out the time-constraints I hope to not feel pressurised and in turn be more forthcoming with my article. The only aspect of the schedule I will be keeping to is the themes. This means when an article is ready for posting I will schedule it to be published on the relevant themed day. –so when you see a post on a Monday you will know is a Meandering Muse, Tuesdays will be challenge orientated and Flash Fictions, etc…I’m sure you get the idea.
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Guest Posting over at Rance Denton’ The Action Prose
Heya to all you lovely readers and wanderers of the blogosphere; today I’m guest blogging at The Action Prose as Rance Denton’ guest. What a fabulous honour it is and a great opportunity to have a rant on a subject that I have been thinking about for some time now. Please follow the link below by clicking on the title to read the article and say a quick ‘hello’ to Rance too (who is an awesome person, writer and blogger).
Opinions and Assholes: “Trust me, I’m a Doctor.”
ROW80 Goals-A-Starting & NaNoWriMo-A-Decisions-A-Planning
Tricky Tuesday’s Treachery:
Dearest readers/visitors, as you are aware I have been (and still am) busy with spending time with my family who have flown over from Turkey to see me; this has limited my time and therefore I have been unable to do my regular writing sprints. This pattern is likely continue until next week. (Apologies from now). I will aim to do my best -though today I have noticed I am coming down with a cold/flu, have a sore throat (so annoying!) and my brain just wants to sleep (I’m doing my best to keep my eyes open whilst writing this). Anyhoo, the reason for this post is to a) let you know why there may be some silence at my end (as explained above), b) what to expect and c) ROW80 has started too…
(As always, there is a pdf document at the bottom of the post for those who may find this a difficult read.)
ROW80:
ROW80 has started this week (Monday October 3rd 2011) and I have been sooo looking forward to it. Due to my unexpected busy past week I have been unable to finalise my goals; therefore, I want to loosely write it here and once I get back into my routine (and feel a whole lot better after this pesky cold/flu) I hope to make more sense of the goals in my head. In the meantime, if you want to take part in ROW80 but are still unsure what it is all about then head on over to the ROW80 webpage, follow the instructions (not that complicated) and sign up.
that complicated) and sign up.
My ROW80 Goals (for now):
- Write at least three blog posts a week.
- Write and edit at least one short story a week for the short stories book I’m planning to publish by the end of the year.
- Start studying Tiffany Lawson’ (The Triple Threat Behind Staging A Scene, Oct. 2 – 30) online course.
- Read at least 3 chapters per week of the book I’m doing for the beta-reading.
- Start working effectively with my critique group.
- Think about how feasible it will to take part in NaNoWriMo this year as I may have to go abroad in November to see my gran (unexpected plan).
- Visit at least 5 blogs per day and comment on at least 3 posts.
- Attend the ROW80 Twitter Party on October 5th 2011 (health permitting). Why don’t you join us -further details can be found on Jenny Hansen’ blog.
- Take two days off per week for family, friends and ME-time!
I will amend these goals in the next two weeks as I feel better and I fall back into my normal routine.
What to Expect…
I plan my next blog post to be on Friday (the final stage of the Fun Game: In Your Head), following that my 100th post should make an appearance on Sunday. I am hoping to focus more on writing my stories, and getting them published more than just writing blog posts as I have done in the last round. For this reason, I wanted to take part in NaNoWriMo this year but it seems the whole family will be coming together in Turkey to see my grandmother early November and I really want to go and see her. This will mean I will have to forfeit NaNo as I am unlikely to have a space to sit down and type away (family gatherings are always so hectic and demanding) therefore, I am totally undecided and torn, any insightful suggestions will be gladly considered. If I do take part in NaNoWriMo another thing I need to evaluate is my username, I signed up back on May 2011 with my alter-ego doodllz and now am wondering if I should use yikici instead. I held it to a vote and the final count came to doodllz 4.5 and yikici 7; I am thinking if I do take part I could always sign under doodllz as yikici’ doodllz -what are your thoughts?
I best end this post here, I need to take herbal remedies, get ready and be prepared to do some more sight-seeing: Natural History Museum & The Science Museum.
Have a fabulous day.
Copyright © Ozlem Yikici 2011 & Copyright © doodllz™ 2011. All Rights Reserved.
***
What are your plans for this week and ROW80? 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 Goals-A-Starting & NaNoWriMo-A-Decisions-A-Planning
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 admin[at]yikici[dot]co[dot]uk
Care to join me for some collaborative work or want to be a guest blogger? If so, email me at the above address.
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.uk
SABOTAGE 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.uk
SABOTAGE 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
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.
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 – 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.
***
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.
***
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
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?
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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.
Pdf document: Are We Individuals or Are We Sheeps