Author: Rei

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google+ and new tumblr theme

I have a new tumblr theme. I don’t know what it’s called but I like it. The previous theme I used had lasted 2 years and served me well. This new theme has my twitter feed, RSS, it shows what tumblrs I’m following and even has a mobile view of the site. Oh and disqus comments work by just adding your username. No need to insert code into the theme editor.

I expect this theme to serve me for two years also.

Ok now onto google+.

You can follow or add me on: https://plus.google.com/u/0/102191995483442905630/posts

So feel free to check it out or follow me. It’s a public account.

Google+ has an interesting crowd. I don’t post there that often and am not as personal or as social as I am on this site. Tumblr’s still a great way to blog. I don’t see myself stopping.

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Norway

It’s hard to believe that something so wrong can occur in today’s age. Have we not learned from all the suffering that humanity has has witnessed in the past?

A life is priceless, it’s immeasurable. What’s left are the impressions and lessons these innocent souls have left us. Many people join with other like minded people to live out and enjoy their political principles and beliefs on how society should function. As close as we may be to those ideals, one should never have to die for them. Not in a democracy, not in any form of government for that matter and definitely not in 2011.

The saddest part of this tragedy is that the problem is a human one. For this reason, we must provide a resolution. It’s through our strength, our solidarity and empathy that we can ever cope and continue forward. It’s through, love respect and hope that we can face tomorrow.

I can’t comfort those Norwegian families with my words. My only gesture is to say that on Saturday, we in Australia hurt too. We are all saddened. Humanity all over the world hurts when these things happen. I can extend my solidarity and my sympathy. May the memories of those deceased brothers and sisters be kept alive by those who knew and loved them.

We won’t forget. We won’t stop. We will continue because this is human nature. Together, we are all stronger than hate, fear, violence and evil.
Peace is the answer, love is the ingredient and understanding is the key.

Bless you all.
A fraternal hug from your brothers and sisters in Australia.

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The difference between Disqus and Gravatar

I couldn’t find a website with this title so I thought I’d create one myself.

This evening while thinking about my Gravatar and Disqus profiles and the fact that many professional wordpress bloggers use Disqus, – rather than the software’s comment system – I became confused.

I know that Gravatar is a service that adds your photo to comments you write online and that Disqus manages the comments you make.

I asked myself “is there an overlap with these services?”.

I couldn’t find an adequate answer so after close examination of both my accounts, I’ve come to the following conclusions:

  • Disqus is very commonly used on tumblr sites and professional wordpress sites.
  • Disqus allows for someone’s comments to be stored in one place so that their comment footprint can be accessed.
  • Gravatar is a portrait photo holder that is displayed wherever you enter a comment and works on sites where Disqus isn’t active.
  • Both services offer a profile pop-up, containing links to your other accounts such as twitter and other blogs.
  • If a website doesn’t have Disqus installed, your comment will appear with your Gravatar profile.
  • If a website has Disqus activated, your profile will be generated by Disqus, not Gravatar.
  • Your Gravatar photo can be used by Disqus.
  • If you would like to promote yourself then creating a detailed and complete profile with both services is recommended.

That’s what I came up with. Can anybody else shed some light on the matter?

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Is it good to be stubborn

Double edge swords. Sometimes virtues can also be flaws. I’ve got two examples that I can give. 

One is that I’m stubborn. Of course this is seen as a flaw. However, there have been times where being stubborn and being right have joined forces and given me great credit. (Did I mention I’m majorly modest?). Really though, sometimes being wrong but sticking to your guns is a good thing. At least in politics it’s easier to admire someone who lives by their values despite it taking more courage to speak against your values if this is for the greater good. Oh well, we are all stubborn to a certain degree and there are moments where this is a good trait to have.

Another example is honesty. Honesty is great but it makes it hard for me to hide my real emotions. Unfortunately, friends can tell when I’m not happy, when my joke isn’t really a joke and when I have to convince someone even though I’m not entirely convinced myself (don’t ask about the last part, we are all put in complicated positions sooner or later). We all have to hide disappointment at times and I don’t really succeed at doing this. I’m just too honest. I’m not a great liar but I’m glad I’m not because I’m in the habit of telling the truth despite it blowing up in my face or coming back to bite me.

Above all, self-awareness is a great gift. Those who have it, know they do, those who don’t think they do so this virtue is another trap.

Just something to think about. Do you consider yourself stubborn?

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Regrets

…
I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence
Fear is such a weak emotion that’s why I despise it
We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth
So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you
Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to
I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you
Consider this your bailing out, so take a breath, inhale a few
My screams is finally getting free, my thoughts is finally yelling through

It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said

Words I never said – Lupe Fiasco

The verse above is from the one song that caught my attention from Lupe’s music.

He’s quite right. Sometimes the biggest regrets I have aren’t about things I’ve said or done but rather not having said or done things when I really should have. When considering this, then I do have many regrets – some of them are quite recent.

As lame as it sounds, this song has inspired me to stop shutting up, to stop being diplomatic, to start speaking out, to start expressing myself and to be controversial if the situation warrants it. If this makes others feel uncomfortable then I’m sorry but I can’t keep quiet when I witness things that are not acceptable.

In my lifetime I’ve heard some racist comments, I’ve seen people get teased, bullied. I’ve seen people get abused, worse yet, I’ve let myself be abused (verbally) by others. Well at 26 years of age, I say “f**k that!”.

There are things I can’t tolerate and I will no longer keep the peace by being quiet. Our only weapons against wrongdoings are our thoughts and our voice. I choose to now speak up on issues I care about and defend those who need assistance. I can never be proud of myself for not acting when I should. I don’t mean we should all impose our views onto others but we should step in when things aren’t right.

Fear is what’s holding us back. So instead of keeping thoughts and opinions to myself and not acting when I should, I will now act in accordance with my own personal values and morals. Sorry if you don’t like it but I don’t want to live with these regrets any longer. As the song says I can’t take back something I never said in the first place.

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Trying to get into Single Lens Reflex (SLR) photography

So, I have an interest in photography. Until now I’ve owned one compact digital camera and my parents own a film SLR.

I’m quite fond of using the film SLR because it gives me a sense of craftsmanship, vintage and expertise. Of course none of this amounts to much because I’m not a trained photographer.

I’d like to learn, I’d like to be able to use the camera to it’s best ability. Unfortunately, as cool as it may be to use film, it’s expensive to use and hard to learn with as there is no immediate feedback.

So my option is to purchase a digital SLR. It seems like the most logical thing to do but it brings about a few worries. Here they are:

  • I might not go to the effort to learn despite having the immediate feedback after taking a shot.
  • I may lose interest and not go out and take photos.
  • I might turn into a person who takes 50 shots of the same object rather than try to get it right the first time.
  • I might get over the hobby after a few months when I realise that my camera is now very outdated.

Happy to take any comments or tips.

Photo taken on my parent’s Nikon film SLR camera in 2009.

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