Inspiration Regained.

I've lost tons of inspiration and motivation to do a single thing the past few days! It was terrible. I tried to watch lots of television. It made me feel worse. I didn't feel like researching anymore. I didn't feel like reading random articles. I didn't feel motivated to help others. I didn't feel inspired to sew. Oh, that time was dreadful. But now I'm a bit back at least more than before. I'm listening to really great music. It really helps. I'm a Pilot by Fanfarlo is great, soothing, yet exciting.

I'm thinking I should write a separate blog for my family to read. I think that's what I am going to do! I know, I know. I have too many blogs under my belt (that are not very complete either). But, there's nothing wrong, if I actually plan on using them.

I just bought some Skype credit using BettertheWorld.com to purchase it. It's a site that lets you purchase things online while donating a percentage of the cost to a charity depending on the company. Also you gain points per activity you complete. The points add up into donations for different types of goals that you set!

I wish to do some charities in France, but I'm kind of afraid of doing that. Wait, what am i saying !!! I'm saying I'm afraid again! Fear is going to keep me from accomplishing things!! Great things! Ah, I MUST VOLUNTEER IN FRANCE! must must must. I'm pretty sure my curiosity will get the better of me and I will do some kind of volunteer work.

Budgeting.

Budgeting is supposed to be fun according to Wise Bread. How can we make it fun? Well, it's to focus on all the things you need and want by creating a list that doesn't fail to include our great wants such as these super comfortable pair of shoes that we've been planning to get!

Therefore, here's my list of things I will need to pay for when I am in Paris:
Not Books, it's my chance to explore FRANCE!!! So, stop obsessing over buying books.
What I really would love to do there is:
*take photos
*meet people
*write in my book
*have fun
*learn about the world through experiences rather than through a book

I'm going to have the most amazing experience ever. I cannot let money or anything like that prevent me.

I'm going to join student clubs which are listed here:

Also I'm going to learn to take real photographs. I'm reading a book on Google Books called Understanding Exposure:How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera. I should check Monroe Library for any photography books.

Eight Step Activism Guide: Step One: Find your Cause

I will implement my own ideas using the Student Guide to Activismby PBS.

However, because I will take this seriously, I will only take one step at a time. Finding a cause is not easy since there are so many problems out there that we all care and worry about. Here are some inspiring activists out there:

I watched a clip of Diane Wilson who was a shrimper of the Gulf Coast. She was outraged by the company Formosa Plastics' downpour of toxics into the Gulf that affected the ecosystem there. Algae covered the waters that prevented fish from breathing easily along with the fact that it took the lives of dolphins that swam in that water. Not only did the pollutants harm marine life, but it harmed the people who live in that county who used that water for drinking, washing, etc. Her outrage led her to talk to environmental sectors of the government such as EPA, whom Formosa Plastics had a permit with. Formosa Plastics proved to have violated their permits countless times without penalty from EPA. Even as Diane Wilson tried to ask EPA to terminate their permit with Formosa Plastics, EPA refused, which showed how strong the political wall was. At this point as Diane Wilson saw that begging the government won't work, she took on a hunger strike and attempted to sink her own boat near the site where pollutants poured out. After two weeks of fasting, Diane Wilson succeeded. Formosa Plastics enacted their new policy of "zero-discharge".

An inspirational activist group called Have Justice-Will Travel helps abused women by traveling to their homes and providing help to them such as counseling, even getting lawyers.

The Algebra Project is a nonprofit organization that uses the teaching of math to raise the level public education. It endorses that every student in America has a right to quality education.

On the Marketplace on MPR, I heard about Shell gets their oil. They get it from the oil sand in Canada which is considered to be, of course, less dangerous than getting it from the Middle East. However, it's an extremely energy intensive process because it requires the use of warm water to basically extract the oil from the sand.







found here

Organize.

Ever felt like you just need a bag for every single thing you ever had? I do, and I love that feeling because that means there's something I've got to sew!

I just discovered something I want to sew: the Baggu

Now I'm working on my 8tracks playlist for my sweetheart. Writing in my moleskin. (Oh reminder! Get Kelvin a moleskin as a "See you later" gift).

On to Cool Tools: Books that Changed My Life-->
Perfect for camping/backpacking! I so still want to go on my camping trip with all my friends to Black Creek in Mississippi!!

I found a green way to use a toiletry bag, which is something I've been needing for some time since I'm always away sleeping over at emiko's. Pretty funny too.

How to turn a linen bag into a travel toiletry bag (something everyone can do!)

Locate your linen bag.

Take a break, run an errand, or have a drink.

Fill it with your green toiletries.

First and Foremost: Hard work leads to Success

Activism.

Let's make a difference. That's probably an overused statement, but does it still retain its meaningfulness? I hope so. Depends on the context, I guess. I have this habit of being an "all-talk but no-action" kind of person. I need to, no, I MUST change this. So by saying, "let's make a difference", I mean it this time. This blog will help me see how much I'm going to actually stick to my words.

Activism is a broad term. So, I'm going to start from the very beginning of the concept. People are activated to make a difference when motivated or inspired. There has to be some kind of kick-start, or else jump-start of emotions. Negative or positive. Usually, it's negative, such as seeing how unfortunate people are from other parts of the world or witnessing animal cruelty or the effects of pollution on the earth. Positive reinforcements come from mostly being inspired by the good acts of others. I feel that is harder to see and not as strong, since humans are more highly affected by negative feelings than by positive feelings.

Where am I going from here? I don't know. I might be distracted by the 8tracks playlist I'm listening too. Damn, I digress.

So, my first step is right now reading up on this Activism Guide. It's a pbs.org.

Important: Don't forget that we cannot expect large results from little effort. This blog is going to be a lot of work. Remember that. By realizing this and planning well and staying committed, this blog can help me a lot and continue on.

A cool quote by Nadia Comeneci is "Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win."

"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work." by Rita Mae Brown

"I've always worked very, very hard, and the harder I worked, the luckier I got."-Alan Bond

"If you want to achieve some really big and interesting goals, you have to learn to fall in love with hard work" -Steve Pavlina

~~I have to come back to this. So I will always end with the links that I was just currently looking at:
http://www.pbs.org/now/youramerica/YA-Student-Guide.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/26/magazine/20090826-a-womens-world-reader-photos.html#/20537
http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Hard%20Work-page-0.htm
http://anniely.posterous.com/

Let's solve a problem.

Many problems exist in the world. Large and small. Medium and miniscule. Micro and macro. I'm going to tackle on problem at a time. Wait, can I really do that? I'm kind of this jumpy person who cannot stay focused on one topic at a time. Okay, scratch that. But, the point of this blog is so that I can kind of stay focused on a certain topic for at least 5 minutes at a time, so that it will not have been pointless.

There are many purposes to this blog, but I can only think about so many to establish here right now at a time (I can barely type down my frequent bombardment of thoughts that rush through my brain). It's kind of like a "thought vomit" kind of thing. Unfortunately, ideas are only useful when they become real. So, that's one main purpose for this blog. Score! At least, one has been established so far (hasn't escaped from my mind yet!)