15/december - bed of roses

I was looking back at some old posts of mine, and I used to do a 'random question' every night. It's difficult to think of random questions so I generally just use Google for help. However, I just found a 'random question generator' which appears to generate questions that are random so we'll see how that goes. The first question that I got what 'what if I change it's name?' Very unspecific.
Well, my dog's name is Cosmo. He's a very good guard dog and sits if we say sit. What if we changed his name to Sit?
"Come here, Sit! Outside, Sit! Fetch, Sit!"
The poor dog wouldn't know what to do.

Okay, it's been 6 days since I posted. A lot has happened. Casper the friendly Ghost Fish died while I was at my sisters house. My parents thought it appropriate to replace him with four new fish. I haven't even named those fish, because it doesn't feel right. I have come to like them, but they will never be as loved as Casper was. A few days ago, one of the replacement fish died. It was sad. I have never flushed a fish down the toilet before, but I did, because it was nicer than throwing him in the garbage, right?
Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned but I have discovered a dead, decomposing sea monkey floating around on the bottom of the sea monkey tank. Depressing, right? I don't even know how to go about removing him. The sea monkey water is disgusting and there is a layer of slime across the top of the water. How does one clean a sea monkey tank? They are too small to scoop up.

Today I went Christmas shopping. Again. I have gone Christmas shopping a lot. Anyway, while in the shoe section in Target, I saw a group of three or four little girls. They looked about ten. One had dead straight hair and was wearing thick eyeliner. Her shirt didn't cover her belly and she was wearing high heels. She was the one who stuck out to me most, although the other girls were wearing make up and clothes that were way too old for them as well. This really annoys me. No matter how big your hand bag is, or how high your heels are, you're still ten. That fact will always remain. You should be playing with dolls still or something, not wearing trampy clothes in public. I can hardly stand people my age wearing clothes that spill out skin here there and everywhere, but at least they have hit puberty. They are (slightly) more mature. I also do not understand how their parents can let them go out looking like this? I don't think it's appropriate at all, to be honest. That's just me though. Kids these days are trying to grow up way, way too fast.
Rant over.

I have officially given up on the 30 Days of Thankful.

9/december - show 'em the ropes (30 days of thankful - day 11)

You have to love supermarket conversations. Whether you're going into the shop, coming out of the shop, or you're innocently shopping for groceries, it's impossible to avoid it. Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, often I see people who I haven't in a while and get to have a little chat. But when you see someone you don't particularly like, and they see you, and eye contact is made... The situation becomes difficult.

My best friend Marishka is going to Kenya soon, with Team Mission Australia. She'll be over there for about a month and will be helping build orphanages. It's things like this that just melt my heart. I am so incredibly jealous of her for having the opportunity to do this. My parents would never let me, but it would be such an amazing experience. Life-changing, probably. I would love to be able to help out like that.
How can I have fun over the Christmas holidays when my best friend is in another country?

Thirty Days of Thankful - I am thankful for my boyfriend's cooking abilities
Today Bren made cookies. One word: brilliant. I lied, here's three more words: BEST. COOKIES. EVER.

8/december - both sides of the story (30 days of thankful - day 09 and 10)

Today my brother let me play his Pokemon game on Fire Red. When we were younger, if I was going to play Daniel's Pokemon, I had to beg him for a long time. Even then, I wasn't allowed to save and I was definitely not allowed to start a new game. This devastated me. Today, though, while playing his game, I realised how annoying it is to play another person's Pokemon game. I had no idea where he was up to, which badges he had and where I needed to go.
I am currently sitting on an exercise ball. "Exercise" ball. "Exercise" = Fun ,over sized. Fun, over sized ball. Does anyone actually do exercise on exercise balls? Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a silly use. Exercise is not fun. Exercise balls, however, are.

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 09 (yesterday) - I am thankful for the food at my tuck shop

Last night, my best friend and I were watching Supersize Me, the documentary on McDonald's. It was pretty awful. It was made in 2004, which is scary seeing as the statistics would have intensified dramatically in the 7-8 years since it's been made. In the movie, it showed how at some schools in America, the kids can purchase soft drinks, chocolate, fries and so on for their lunch. Every day.
About a year or two before I started high school, they removed the vending machine that they had. Plus the tuck shop started serving "healthy options" for lunch. When I think about it though, I'm fairly glad that they did that. Even though the sausage rolls look like newspaper, and sometimes the muffins are defrosted, I'd rather that than chips every day.

Yesterday I got a call back from St Vinnies op shop in my town. I put in an application online. The man sounded a little bit suspicious since I'm 15 and the people who usually volunteer there are 60. And older. I just think it's something nice to do over the Christmas holidays and saves my boredom every. Single. Day. Mum said that I'll get first pick of the things that come through, and that that will be the best part of the job.

10 days in, and I have run out of things to be thankful for. From here on in I am going to be thankful for ridiculous things.

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 10 - I am thankful for my hair straightener

My hair is curly. So curly. So frizzy. Unbrushable. I've given up straightening all of my hair every single day because that is pointless and difficult. Instead, I straighten my fringe, and put the rest up. But that little bit of hair that I do straighten, if it wasn't straight, I would look like a 12 year old. You think I'm kidding, but I'm actually not. Straightening my fringe and a little bit of mascara makes me look 15 and I am thankful for that. So thankful. Some days I just really wish I had perfectly straight hair, but that wouldn't even be that fun.

6/december - between you and i (30 days of thankful - day 08)

Something that really, really annoys me? People who constantly whine about Christmas. Can someone please tell me what is so bad about Christmas? You get given presents! I don't care how much you hate Christmas, you are not going to ruin it for me. The best part about Christmas is that I'll see my big sister who I miss, and Mum always makes the best Christmas dinner.

My Mum's birthday is on the 31st of December. Unlucky, right? All of her children are out partying (without her) on her birthday. But one thing she says that is good, is that she gets fireworks on her birthday and "how many other people get that?"

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 08 - I am thankful for my fish

I'm allergic to cats. And dogs. Yeah, I know, how sad is my life. Cats make me cry and dogs make me itchy. But I happen to love fish an extremely huge amount. Enough to make up for never being able to own another cat in my life. Dogs aren't so bad, because generally they aren't as needy as cats. They don't want cuddles all the time. I really, really love fish - as you could probably tell, seeing how excited I was last night about the newest addition to my tank - Casper the friendly ghost fish. I also have two fighters, Quibble and Tibbler, and sea monkeys. I know, sea monkeys don't really count as fish, but they live in water and I have to feed them, so it counts. My room went from just being me, to 3 fish and 3820367679 sea monkeys in a fairly short amount of time. And they were all gifts. I know I'm not meant to choose favourites, but Quibble always swims up to the edge of the tank when I come near. And he's very selfish, he eats a lot of food. He's not shy, like Tibbler, and he doesn't hide, like Casper. Oh, Casper is nocturnal. I don't think I'll ever get to see him except when I trick him out of the barrel by turning off the light. 

5/december - half-truism (30 days of thankful - day 07)

This morning I woke up with the burning urge to write, write, write. Unfortunately enough, I can't find my USB, but even this doesn't upset my mood.

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 07 - I am thankful for my passion to write
This may not sound like it would be something someone was thankful for, but really, writing is such an important part of my life. A lot of the time I need a bit of inspiration to push me to write, sometimes a lot of inspiration. But once I have the urge, it comes naturally. I just want it to be my life, my career. I don't think anyone will truly be able to understand how I feel about writing unless they have had the same feeling.

Tonight when I got home from work, I went into my room to grab a towel to go for a shower. Just as I was about to leave my room, I noticed that the big (recently empty) fish tank was full and there was a beautiful little fish in there! He's a black ghost knife fish, and the way he swims reminds me of a sting ray. I've decided to name him Casper, as he's very friendly and, well, a ghost fish. Get it? He hides a lot, so he hasn't really come out of his barrel since I met him. But my fighter, Quibble, seems to like him.
He looks more or less like this, but I haven't been able to get a photo of him because he's so shy.

4/december - angel in the swamp (30 days of thankful - day 06)

Tonight there is a sneaky little mouse in my room, or more specifically my chest of drawers, making a racket and practically begging me to set a mouse trap. But I hate mouse traps. They are so cruel and even though mum says they are quick and painless, one night while I was laying in bed I heard the mouse trap go off and I heard the poor mouse jumping around in pain and squealing. I will never be able to go through with another mouse trap again. I have seen him twice tonight and I just know that he is going to keep me awake when I try to catch some sleep. I wish that I was a meaner person.

30 Days of Thankful Day 05 - I am thankful for Kids Helpline
Although I have never been in a situation where I have had to call kids helpline, or any helpline for that matter, I know how important these helplines are to people all over the world. The people who work for these helplines are so well trained and can think so quickly. Personally, I don't think I would be able to work under the pressure, but somehow they manage. Each and every helpline worker deserves a medal - they do amazing work and potentially save lives. I have the number saved in my phone just in case I ever need it.

3/december - appreciation and the bomb (thirty days of thankful - day 04 and 05)

I literally always cringe when I see someone take the first straw at McDonald's. It's wrong. It's unhygienic. It's full of germs. Wait - let me change that. The first TWO straws. Both of them have potentially been touched by a stranger's hand who could have been touching anything before that, which also could have been touched by lots of disgusting things! I'm not even a 'clean freak' so I can't even begin to imagine how those people feel. I have a solution: perhaps I should carry my own straws. But really, people, is it necessary to take the first straw? I beg of you. Just bypass it.

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 04 - I am thankful for the schooling system in Australia

All school seems to equal is stress, a load of crap teachers, stupid assignments which in no way relate to real-life situations and a social life. Despite all of that though, when it comes down to it, we are very lucky to have such a good schooling system where I live. In some countries, children wish for nothing more than to go school and get a good education - and when they are funded to go to school, they make the most of every day. We take little things - like reading and writing - for granted. Yes, it's a basic and a necessity but it's those things that other countries fail to provide for their citizens. Next year I will be in my first senior year and I'm terrified that I won't do well. But the fact still remains that there are hundreds apon thousands of children everywhere who will never even get the chance to graduate from school, simply because they are unable to pay for school. In China alone there are close to 2 million children missing out on school.

China has nearly 20 million migrant children under 18 who should receive compulsory education. But the survey found 9.3 percent of them, or about 1.86 million, have to drop out of school.

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 05 - I am thankful for religion

In primary school, everybody was taught Christianity in religion class and there was the option of leaving class with parental permission (which quite a few students did, and they did other activities). Religion was never forced apon us. In my town alone, off the top of my head I can count 5 different churches that I know of. There are so many different religions being offered to us, it is insane - but not in a bad way. We have so many choices. We will always have the option, and it is not and will probably never be compulsory to go to church. I am grateful that it is widely accepted to follow religion and although there are always people who will be against it, majority of people are open-minded towards it.

Tonight at work (I work at a pizza place) I decided that trying to make the pizza slices all the same sizes is pointless. Mainly because I am bad at cutting pizza, but I also realised that whenever I have a pizza, I go for the biggest pieces. People can't have the biggest piece if there is no biggest piece. Unevenly cut pizzas win.

1/december - amber changing (30 days of thankful - day 03)

So the other day while cleaning my room I found two of my old MP3 players. I can tell that they were old because one had the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana on it (grade seven), and the other one was... It was weird. I must have been going through a weird stage of my life (grade eight) as my music taste was very messed up. I have a lot of "hardcore" bands on there, and a lot of angry I-hate-life songs. But then, there were also some lovey-dovey songs and very poppy music. I have no idea what was going through my head when I put that messed up play list on my MP3, but I am so very glad that I have a better taste in music now days. Or at least a consistent taste in music. 

Thirty Days of Thankful Day 03 - I am thankful for Op Shops 

Up until recently, I didn't like op shops. My sister did, and to keep myself occupied while I was in there with her I would challenge her to an ugly outfit competition - whoever found the ugliest item of clothing won. However I have come to appreciate op shopping more, as it is a very, very worthy cause and my mother told me that a long time ago when our family went through a rough time, the Salvation Army helped us out. I now visit op shops every so often and occasionally find a very good bargain, for example today. My friend found for me a wonderful pair of shoes today for $2, and they might be 2-3 sizes too small, but I'll squeeze. Whenever I clean out my wardrobe, I donate all my pre-loved clothes to the Salvation Army or Vinnies, because someone else might find them and extend their life. Op shops do wonderful things for families in need, and I will always be thankful for that.