The climate, it is a-changin'

"Changing attitudes towards climate change is not like selling a particular brand of soap - it's like convincing someone to use soap in the first place."
 
Came across this analogy while reading up on climate change communication strategies.

Why?

Because I have a new job description. Comms consulant.

The actual title is something like: Climate Change Communications Officer - Consultant.
and yes, the acronym does equate to CCCOC >.<

So yes. Cheers to the gap between Graduate dreams and Professional realities getting smaller.
An anti-cheers to the sea-levels getting higher.

Inspiration for the moment

The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation.

For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And along the way, lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.

Neil Degrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist and Science Communicator

(yeah contrary to my first thoughts, he is not related to Mike Tyson... dammit.)

Ode to my kitchen

"Do you fall in love often?" 
"Yes often. With a view, with a book, with a dog, a cat, with numbers, with friends, with complete strangers, with nothing at all."
-Jeanette Winterson (British Novelist)

Because really, how can you not!

I fell in love with my new kitchen yesterday.

So what if it doesn't have any electricity (yet), 

or even a fridge/stove or welcome mat 

(*adds Welcome Mat to shopping list*)

and that the waste disposal system leaks.

I love its space,

I love its tiled counter tops

the cupboards (even with its hint of white ants)

and the ceiling fan that is built too close to the tubelight.

I love lying on my $20 rug from Rups,

in the middle of the kitchen floor,

and loving it even more.

(and I love telling people how my entire Tokyo apartment could fit into this new kitchen)

Object of my affection.

New Dashboard

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." George Bernard Shaw

So instead of scribbling down quotes/words/phrases etc I like on the inside cover of my books, on scraps of paper that end up on the fridge, walls or floor (>_<) ...or copy/pasting them onto my dashboard (computer, not car) I will just post them up on the blog.
That will also take care of my lack of regular updates. That's what I call sneaky efficiency.

Also, its the 20th day of Jan and I have been almost completely substance-free.

I say almost because so far this year I have had one bowl of grog, 2 shots of frangelico and a glass of vodka&orange.

Everything in moderation, including moderation itself. (I don't know who said this one...might be from Buddhism)

- Smoke-free since January (I wish it were 3 for the sake of rhyme, but it's actually Jan 1) -

Moderate revelations

I like words
spoken or written
by and at me or you
I continue to learn their worth
to be conscious of their feel, their reach, their bleed.
their power.
and to not be embarrassed and apologise for them.
to know which to take with a bucket of salt,
some with a red balloon
throwing caution to the wind,
but keeping sight of the (Savusavu) harbour.
Ironic. and yet iconic.

I might have caught a cold, from the ice inside your soul.
and then realised, it was mine all along.