So what follows is my first participation in a meme. Pauline from the blog Writing Down the Words asked me 5 interview questions which I answered (long-windedly :S maybe the next meme I'll be able to keep shorter). So here it is:
Question One: If you could land your dream job, what would it be?
Haha, this actually quite the complicated question to be asking a graduate in my opinion. Most of us have no idea what our dream jobs are - and we spend half our time thinking about it these days. We keep hearing from career counsellors and teachers and seemingly endless articles that you should love what you do - but what if what you love isn't exactly a money making venture? Well then the reply might be to do what you're good at - this isn't necessarily helpful either. I have a friend who's struggling with this predicament in her courses right now - she gets extremely high grades in one strand of courses but she prefers a different strand in which she gets much lower grades - so which should she focus on? Sometimes it isn't as simple as doing what you love.
But I'm digressing slightly. My dream job splits into 3 possibilities that I can't quite decide between. My ultimate dream job would be to be a professional writer - of fiction, fantasy literature in particular, although I also enjoy writing poetry. And what poet hasn't dreamed of the Griffin Poetry Prize or other prestigious awards - but all too often I get asked this question: that's nice dear, but what will your day job be? - thanks for the support. lol. As it happens though I think writing is something I'll always do - it's a passion and so for now I'll remove it from the list since it's always a possibility.
Which leads me to the other two dream options - owning an independent bookshop or starting my own publishing house. Are you seeing a theme yet? These two stem from naturally two different but highly related desires. The bookshop dream comes from my wish to share my love of reading with the world. There are 3 librarians in my family and I grew up with a never-ending supply of books to read. But what I consider equally special was that my Mum would take me with her when she went book-buying for her library (a high school library) and she'd let me help choose the books! Not only was this a glorious kid-in-the-candy-store experience but I loved the reward at the end of the experience - when she'd tell me that the books I chose were hardly ever in the library, that the kids loved them and were constantly taking them out. I'd love to do this for the rest of my life.
On the flip-side of this comes the desire to discover writers - to pick that story out of the pile that's really something and give it a chance - to make some writer's dream come true. Currently I'm leaning towards the bookstore dream job - I've begun researching what it takes to open up a bookstore but it'll take a lot of research before I finally decide - and it'll likely be several years before any of these dreams are possible - takes money to make money, so for now I'll stick to my writing - all it costs is a little time and commitment.
Question Two: What one person (living or not) has most influenced your life and how?
I know it might be a bit cliche but I honestly think the one person so far to have the biggest influence on my life has been my mother. She's a teacher librarian in a high school and not only did she provide me with an endless supply of books to read throughout my youth but she never censored what I read and she allowed me to help select the books for her library - enabling me to share my love of reading with others and instilling a life long passion for books and reading in me. Not only this but she showed me tremendous courage in our home life when I was growing up and when the time came she took us out of an unpleasant situation. I never doubted my mother's strength and resolve to live a good, honest life no matter what obstacles she was faced with. I only hope to have her wisdom, courage and strength when I'm her age.
Question Three: What are your own thoughts on alternate universes?
Haha - my thoughts on alternate universes change day by day. lol. But in all seriousness, I fully believe that there are other worlds existing out there, somewhere in the great beyond. How could there not be? It seems incredibly arrogant to believe that this earth is the only earth out there, the only planet or world with life in all the space beyond our small lighted window of this world. Wouldn't it be something fantastic if when you die instead of going nowhere, or to heaven or being reincarnated back on this earth you ended up in some other world in the universe? Until disproven as far as I'm concerned, all that the imagination can create exists in these alternate universes.
Question Four: What goals and aspirations do you have for the next ten years?
Heavens, ten years seems like a long time to me...and there are so many things I want to achieve within that time frame. If all goes well, I'll be good and graduated by the summer and sometime in the next two years I'll be married as well. And oh my, in the next ten years I hope to find a career that I can be passionate about, do something that I love, not every day, nobody loves their job every moment of every day, but one where I can be glad to go to work the following morning and start again. In my perfect world I'd have at least one book published by the time I'm thirty and be closer to my goal of opening up a bookshop. And family life? I'd like to start one! lol. I mean I have a family now, my fiance and myself, our dog Loki and cat Bagheera, but some little ones running around might be nice too - but not for a while. That's a lot of goals in 10 years and I have many more, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - let mine begin with that first step towards the podium to accept my degree.
Question Five: If, as a requisite for your upcoming graduation, you had to write an inspiring speech, what would be your subject and why?
Hmm, that's a bit of a toughy, but I think I'd take a page out of President Obama's book and make my speech about our entering into an age of greatness. It is when times are most troubled and the world seems to be facing some of its greatest perils that the greatest deeds are done - and this is the future facing today's graduates - to rise up, face and overcome some of the greatest challenges the world has ever known. And I'm not speaking of war or other such passing perils - we'll always have war and they matter most to the people living in them but I'd argue they're quickly forgotten (relatively to the enormous span of human history). But there are some really interesting and new things facing us today - famine on a global scale, "global warming", nations seemingly completely unable to extricate themselves from each other's business. Some of these new challenges and problems are down right bizarre when you think about them - but they're there nonetheless. But on the other side of the scale is this vast expanse of possibility. This could be the time when the world makes some serious shifts. Maybe we will discover some new worlds, maybe nation-states will dissolve and form some new global community, who knows? But it's our world to discover and make new and that's the important point. "'T is not too late to seek a newer world." An age of greatness ahead...let's hope.
And that concludes the interview :D Hope you liked it.
Now, if you’d like to answer interview questions of my own devising:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick what they will be.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview
someone else.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Soap Bubbles and Umbilical Cords
Watch this interview - http://www.wimp.com/bigtheory/
It is by far and away one of the most interesting interviews I have ever seen in my life. It's an interview with Michio Kaku where he talks about the scientific possibilities of parallel universes and wormholes. Thankfully he explains it all in easily understandable terms. To summarize, he basically says that the soap bubble of our universe may not be the only soap bubble out there and that our little soap bubble may be connected to other soap bubbles by umbilical cords - sliders anyone?
And he explains how parallel universes exist in our very own living rooms - that they're pretty much hovering above us but that they are invisible because the light of our sun goes underneath them - so we cannot see them.
And I love how he comes to terms with the conflicts in his two religions - Christianity and Buddhism. He says that "Genesis takes place continually in an ocean of Nirvana" - such a beautiful image. He explains that Nirvana is timeless - no beginning or end as compared to the "let their be light" Genesis, but that this timeless Nirvana is continually giving birth to multiple Genesises, multiple soap bubbles.
The other thing that's pretty cool about this interview is that he pretty much answers that childhood question: where does the stuff that gets sucked into a black hole go? - where does all that matter go? And his answer fits in seamlessly with the rest of the theories he proposes. The matter comes out the other end of the black hole through what is called a white hole - and white holes expand very rapidly .... like the big bang .... or Genesis. "Let there be light!" and poof! there's all this stuff.
But what I really love about this interview is the grand possibilities of what he proposes - of these parallel worlds. I grew up on fantasy literature, myths and fairy tales. I spent my youth looking for Narnia in the back of closets and searching for hobbits around every other tree. This is what fascinates me most - that all of these things - all of these different worlds and different creatures are possible, they can exist somewhere, even if they may not exist in this world. I always believed this to be true, but now there's the science to back me up. So I will leave you with some lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Ulysses:
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
....
Come, my friends.
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
It is by far and away one of the most interesting interviews I have ever seen in my life. It's an interview with Michio Kaku where he talks about the scientific possibilities of parallel universes and wormholes. Thankfully he explains it all in easily understandable terms. To summarize, he basically says that the soap bubble of our universe may not be the only soap bubble out there and that our little soap bubble may be connected to other soap bubbles by umbilical cords - sliders anyone?
And he explains how parallel universes exist in our very own living rooms - that they're pretty much hovering above us but that they are invisible because the light of our sun goes underneath them - so we cannot see them.
And I love how he comes to terms with the conflicts in his two religions - Christianity and Buddhism. He says that "Genesis takes place continually in an ocean of Nirvana" - such a beautiful image. He explains that Nirvana is timeless - no beginning or end as compared to the "let their be light" Genesis, but that this timeless Nirvana is continually giving birth to multiple Genesises, multiple soap bubbles.
The other thing that's pretty cool about this interview is that he pretty much answers that childhood question: where does the stuff that gets sucked into a black hole go? - where does all that matter go? And his answer fits in seamlessly with the rest of the theories he proposes. The matter comes out the other end of the black hole through what is called a white hole - and white holes expand very rapidly .... like the big bang .... or Genesis. "Let there be light!" and poof! there's all this stuff.
But what I really love about this interview is the grand possibilities of what he proposes - of these parallel worlds. I grew up on fantasy literature, myths and fairy tales. I spent my youth looking for Narnia in the back of closets and searching for hobbits around every other tree. This is what fascinates me most - that all of these things - all of these different worlds and different creatures are possible, they can exist somewhere, even if they may not exist in this world. I always believed this to be true, but now there's the science to back me up. So I will leave you with some lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Ulysses:
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
....
Come, my friends.
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Friday, January 9, 2009
I Dream of Ice Cream
You know what? Sometimes dreams can be really annoying. For me, lately they leave me thinking of food when I wake up. Last night for instance, I dreamt of ice cream, I even dreamt of buying it and had conversations with the clerk about which kind I'd be getting. And it wasn't even like it was some sort of special ice cream flavour - like peanut butter and chocolate - that would at least make sense for a craving. No, it was just ordinary vanilla ice cream - what made this dream craving special was the marshmallows and chocolate sauce used to garnish the ice cream. Thinking back now I recall that this used to be a childhood favourite of mine, but what has me dreaming about it now? What's even more bizarre though is that when I woke up it wasn't ice cream I was craving, somehow my waking mind translated the dream into a craving for of all things smores. Now I love smores - what could possibly be better than graham crackers, melted chocolate and toasted marshmallows all smooshed together in a messy ecstasy of flavour? But still - how do you get from ice cream to smores?
And besides, the last thing I need is to be dreaming about cravings - I get enough cravings during the day. I'd wager half my day is spent in craving certain foods, from salt and vinegar chips to chicken teriyaki sushi - and now these cravings have infiltrated my dreams. And it isn't so much that eating desire for food that drives me round the bend about cravings - it's the assumption from every Tom, Dick, and Harry you meet that if you're craving food you must be pregnant. What the Hell?! I'm not allowed to desire something delicious unless I'm pregnant?! Good luck with that one. So I don't know, at the end of the day I'm left with one question - what craving will I dream up next?
And besides, the last thing I need is to be dreaming about cravings - I get enough cravings during the day. I'd wager half my day is spent in craving certain foods, from salt and vinegar chips to chicken teriyaki sushi - and now these cravings have infiltrated my dreams. And it isn't so much that eating desire for food that drives me round the bend about cravings - it's the assumption from every Tom, Dick, and Harry you meet that if you're craving food you must be pregnant. What the Hell?! I'm not allowed to desire something delicious unless I'm pregnant?! Good luck with that one. So I don't know, at the end of the day I'm left with one question - what craving will I dream up next?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Let the Madness Begin!
Okay, so maybe the madness isn't just beginning, maybe I've been slightly mad all my life, but this is my first real opportunity to share my madness with the world at large and I can't wait to begin.
I'm not going to lie, this blog was started very suddenly and without any planning so bear with me.
Here's how it started:
Me: You know I've been thinking about starting a blog, but I'm not sure how to do it or what to write about, I think I'll get a book on it or something
Banana #2: Book? Pff! You don't need a book, here, we'll create one now (steals laptop and starts to create blog on blogger)
Me: No wait! Stop! I haven't done any planning or anything, I don't know what I'll write about! I'll do it later - wait!
Banana #2: All done.
Me: ...well okay then.
So basically this blog was created against my protests of unpreparedness (I doubt this is a real word, but really, who cares?) ... perhaps I can write a blog on make-believe words...
Okay, so I don't know what I'll be writing about although I think it's loosely going to be about starting life - you know - in the real world (shudders at the thought), with lots of random tangents in between (not only do I have a wandering mind but I have a stumble button on my toolbar - be prepared for lots of randomness).
Anyway, it's a mad mad mad mad world and this is my place to tell you all about my experiences in it.
Until next time Gadget, next time.
I'm not going to lie, this blog was started very suddenly and without any planning so bear with me.
Here's how it started:
Me: You know I've been thinking about starting a blog, but I'm not sure how to do it or what to write about, I think I'll get a book on it or something
Banana #2: Book? Pff! You don't need a book, here, we'll create one now (steals laptop and starts to create blog on blogger)
Me: No wait! Stop! I haven't done any planning or anything, I don't know what I'll write about! I'll do it later - wait!
Banana #2: All done.
Me: ...well okay then.
So basically this blog was created against my protests of unpreparedness (I doubt this is a real word, but really, who cares?) ... perhaps I can write a blog on make-believe words...
Okay, so I don't know what I'll be writing about although I think it's loosely going to be about starting life - you know - in the real world (shudders at the thought), with lots of random tangents in between (not only do I have a wandering mind but I have a stumble button on my toolbar - be prepared for lots of randomness).
Anyway, it's a mad mad mad mad world and this is my place to tell you all about my experiences in it.
Until next time Gadget, next time.
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