.

What do you do when everything stops making sense?

Just a thought...

Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The "Natural" Alternative

You know what has always bothered me?  That so many alternative items are made to mimmic nature.  That there are pharmaceuticals made which have the same effect as something natural and far better for the body.  We are creating synthetic alternatives to nature but endorsing them to be more favourable options.  It blows my mind to think about how many natural things can achieve the same results as their artificially and chemically synthesized brothers.  You know we are being made fools when more people have heard of the latest facial scrub, pharmaceutical drug to cure insomnia or the floral air freshener that smells "just like jojoba oil" than things that already do these things without being humanly created to do so.  For all we know jojoba oil could smell like anything if its synthesized scent is all we know.  It's like a dip I saw called "avocado style dip" which barely tasted of avocado, but if you'd never tasted the natural version you would never know.  And for many of us it is like this, we are oblivious to what is natural because we already have our packet of synthetic to do the job for us.  What is the point?  Sadly this is what happens when the world is driven by money instead of logic and good intensions.  However I accept that this is what must happen for many to survive and I know I have the choice to use natural products. 

The conscious mind

What makes something non existent because clearly its absence is merely not enough proof of its inability to exist?  Prior to the "existence", or more the idea of something, does this mean that it did not exist?  Perhaps as a concept it did not YET exist not but as a possibility, it did.  This explains one of my past primary flaws - the belief that just because something wasn't visible to me, it didn't mean it wasn't there.  Of course since, I have realised that this theory may apply to a vast majority of things in life but I have managed to find an absolute exception; the human that barely seems conscious of their consciousness.

The present and future thoughts, opinions and sense of self that one forms is based upon and is only made relevant by their exposure to a number of factors - most importantly their environment, events, co-inhabitants within the environment, the knowledge in which they have or seek and the connections between all of these factors that one can make and understand.  In one way or another, there is always a choice to expand on wider knowledge and to form an acceptance of new things and new concepts that may exist to you, the individual.  However what is most upsetting is that a huge proportion of human beings merely expand in ways in which they are told, only to be exposed to certain sources of information which may or may not be valid or alternatively, may or may not be the only perspective.  No one thing has an absolute perspective but still I find people flocking to agree on one without any deeper thought to it, somehow allowing an idea other than the suggested, to bipass any real assessment by logic or other things.  A brain on autopilot is one that is very misused.

All this babble brings me back to my primary statement - that I once refused to believe that such things really happen, that an "autopilot" brain exists.  Clearly they do as each day I pass hundreds of people who's likenesses correlate in more ways than one.  However I still believed that the majority of these people had traits and beliefs driven by their own longing to be somewhat individual.  I know realise I was very mistaken.  Contrary to my previous belief (that people have some deep and meaningful aura with an extreme sense of purpose hidden somewhere deep within), I have now realised that many do not.  There are those that are only interested in something if it proves itself to be "popular" and sadly, what is popular is not always arguably valid, nor interesting in any way shape or form.

I guess what I'm trying express is that I feel a sense of relief and gratitude that I finally realised - ordinary does exist.  The most unfortunate thing about the time and space in which I occupy is sharing it with a vast majority of conscious inhabitants that hardly seem conscious of their consciousness.

Resistant Starch

Most Australians consumer 2-5 grams of resistant starch in their diet.  The recommended daily intake is almost 20grams!

You have 0.5-1 kg of bacteria in your intestines (intestinal flora) who's energy source is this resistant starch.

Go feed your intestinal flora please!  Colon cancer is the easiest to avoid.

Thanks, Love me xox

Rain in May...

The rain makes a treasured sound that is heard scarcely really.
I have missed it terribly.
In this moment, in this place,
Everything is perfect.
I have always know that everything happens for a reason.
But there are times when you are reassured entirely.
You know, you are a question I want to spend my whole life answering...

Sweet poison

One of the most misunderstood of all molecules is carbohydrates; sugars to simplify.  They are deceiving little buggers.  Sneaky sucrose hides in all our foods from pancake mixes, to stir fry sauces to canned fruit and cartoned juices.  Many know that sugar is bad but there is a difference right?  Only some sugar is bad surely not all?  I am here to burst your bubble.  Sugar isn't necessarily all bad but there is hardly any differentiation.  It all breaks down and is metabolised in virtually the same way and I'm going to tell you how.

So fructose... fruit sugar right?
YES it is essentially fruit sugar but there is not a huge amount in fruit.
Honey has a high fructose content and a lot of products have fructose added which has been extracted from other foods and fruits.

By weight, an apple has 10 grams of sugar and is 8% fructose.
But an apple is healthy right?

The sugar in this apple must therefore be good sugar?

This is the biggest of all misconceptions.

Fructose is like all the others, the only difference between eating an apple and eating that lolly you were eyeing off is that the apple is less energy dense and therefore has less calories but more substance than other foods may, it contains nutrients and fibre too and therefore more "friendly" macromolecule concentrations.  The sugar within though is still metabolised like maltose or glucose.  Being an apple does not make it any more special.



So here's what happens:
When you eat sugar your digestive enzymes and body cells say "hello sugar" and deal with it accordingly.  Above is a diagram of glycolosis - the process by which sugars are metabolised by cells.  Glucose enters glycolysis and undergoes two chemical reactions before fructose and maltose enter the cycle but essentially the end product from the uniform break down is all the same.  The only difference is that the glucose is transported primarily to the brain and the fructose is transported, filtered and stored by the liver as glycogen for later use.  The storage grows if the stash is not needed.

Fructose is perhaps more dangerous that we are aware as it seems to bipass the apetite control systems of the body that say "Enough sugar thanks".  Glucose is a readily available energy source and because it circulates more frequently and at higher concentrations, our body knows how to respond.


To be continued...

There is nothing worse than being ordinary.

I honestly used to believe that everyone had an extraordinary side
to them and you just have to dig deep enough to find it.

I also thought that perhaps it came down to personal opinion
and of course it does to an extent.

However I have realised that you can get to know someone
and reach a wall after a brief period.

That lust for something more just overcomes you.

You dig deeper but find less.

And realise that this person seems almost mindless,

And the worst part is they don't care...

The things kids say...

I love the little things kids say. Having a kindy teacher

 for a mother and a million cousins I hear a lot of funnies....

Its funny when you knock on the toilet door and your little cousin says "come innnn".

My mum had a "round the world" theme one week where every
day kids dressed up in international clothing.
Mum (to 4 year old boy): So what did you wear today cameron.
Cameron:  These quicksilver thongs. My mum said they were made in china!

My 8 year old cousin was walking around the house saying "Who has the biggest fanny".
My aunty asked him why and he said that and he said his teacher asked everyone at school that day. WTF?

Kid I babysit: Can I be a massage man and give you a massage in my shop.
Me: Sure.
*5 year old boy makes me lay on the floor and undoes my bra*
WTF.

5-y.o boy I babysit: Did you know that santa claus' wife has a beard in her pants?

Little girl (4ish) in the dentist: Mum, what does "perving" mean?

Mothers Day card from my 8 year cousin: Dear mum, you are shiny as a shield and just like a vacuum!

I'm moving to madagascar!

For These guys!

Dream: Future house of white

Here's to you

There is always someone in your life who feels like home and who'll
forever make up a small part of your heart.

Love and cherish them because nothing you find out there will ever be sweeter...

Beauty is endless.

What defines beauty?

Beauty is everywhere
but each beautiful thing needs a certain eye to see it.

Dream big

People in the gym

I hate to stereotype but it amuses me the types of gym go-ers that I see every visit to fitness first (and other gyms included).  There is this crazy predictable segregation in gym folk and you can tell them apart by their attire, choice of machinery or area in the gym.

Gym folk include:

Gym junkies: Men and women who you see EVERY time you're there. They have a crazy routine, know how to use all the equipment and leave with their protein shake in hand.


SUPER buff men: Guys that spend 2 hours just doing weights at ridiculous levels and have to groan with each repetition and check out their biceps discretely in the mirror as they walk past.  These guys tend to segregate and create a crazy zone of testosterone and protein shakes.  You can almost feel the subtle "notice how much weight I can lift" eyes glaring at those near by.

The "False credit-ers": Those that walk on the treadmill (at a low speed) for 45 minutes everytime they come and seem to think its doing them wonders aka "That piece of cake and extra latte will be a-o-k because I was on the treadmill for 45 mins today!"

"Buddy" type: Girls (and sometimes boys) who wait for their friends and synchronize their entire workout together, treating the gym as more of a social outing. Nothing wrong with this at all, you can just see the 15 year olds all wearing matching Lorna Jane gym wear!

"Flaunt-me-body" type: Girls that wear make up, jewellery and do their hair all pretty and then jump on a near by treadmill.  You then see them in the bathroom re-applying between machine changes.  That shit clogs your pores you sillies!!!!!!!!!! Guys also do this in a different way - they'll wear singlets and all the latest gym gear that reveals their massive muscles, tattooes etc and you'll be the only two people in the gym and they'll jump on the machine in front or next to you!

Jenny Craigers: Recent gym joiners who really need to lose the pounds. Often they'll only make a 20 minute work out before struggling out the door. Good on them for it though, start small.

You make me wonder...

Since when did people stop questioning the repetition
 of life and begin to become accustom to it?

When did people become so dissatisfied with learning new things?

How is it that little things go unnoticed by most
because they are little things?

How can you look at me and tell me you have no
dreams, no ambitions, no future sense of self?

Challenge.

Sometimes, life feels like a challenge....
Especially when everything seems to be harder than it should be,
More tedious and more crazy than I had ever imagined.
I've realised that challenges are all part of the reward in the end.
For each challenge conquered is an even greater sense of gratitude.

I choose this path - not because it is easy but because it is hard.
Because that goal will serve to measure and organise the best of my energies and skills.
Because that challenge is one I am willing to accept,
One I am unwilling to postpone,
And one I intend to conquer.

10 Health misconceptions...

So talking to people about nutrition causes you to hear a lot of myths and common misconceptions.  I have written down a few that friends have told me in the last few months and I want to set it straight for those confused souls out there.  Sometimes Cleo just doesn't quite clear it up:


1) Drinking a litre of cold water will NOT make you burn 100 calories. No way. Sorry to burst your bubble. If you need further explanation, please ask.


2) There is no "healthy" sugar! Sugar in fruit and sugar and lollies are treated in EXACTLY the same way in your body!  Fructose is taken up slightly differently in the cell and enters glycolosis at a different point to glucose and maltose, but essentially they are digested and recognised in the same way.  So yes, that means your daily sugar intake does include natural sugars too!  Did you know there is almost as much sugar in orange juice as in coke?


3) Probiotics don't work unless they are in a biomolecular casing that can withstand stomach acid.  They need to pass through the stomach in order to reach your intestinal flora.  Some yoghurts contain good bacteria but not witheld in a special casing so therefore your HCL in your stomach breaks it down before it reaches the intestine and therefore wastes your time thinking its making a difference!


4) Skipping meals will NOT help you lose weight!  By now people should know this!  You MUST EAT REGULARLY for weight management AND health.  You can have weight management and depleted health if you dont eat but you need to consume food to have both.


5) Creatine supplements do very little for the body.  Yes they are meant to help storage of important minerals in muscle tissue but your body produces sufficient amounts of creatine naturally when you are active and therefore it is not necessary as it will only be excreted.


6) Vitamin C makes no difference when you're sick!  The immune system is not going to suddenly be boosted by it!  Your immune system just needs a constant supply of this vitamin to maintain itself!  Excess (once again) will only be excreted!


7) Green tea IS full of antioxidants and does have homeopathy effects if it is of an appropriate quality!  Tea bags are usually bleached or are not fresh enough to make much difference!


8) Boiling vegetables until they are soft DOES deplete vitamin content!  Same with using the microwave!  The microwave completely kills a lot of the good stuff in our food; not just vitamins but other things also!


9) Meat is NOT good every day of the week!  It's not good everyday for sportsmen even!  Another thing about meat is that it strains the digestive system and really is full of a lot of saturated fat!  Most of the animals now days are farmed on such a scale that they are not given the opportunity to grow lean and exercise to their full extent, making the meat quite fatty.


10)  Eggs will NOT USUALLY give you high cholestrol.  The cholestrol within them actually helps to control the body's normal cholestrol levels.  Its a different type.  Ask if you want further info.

This beautiful mess.

Look at this world we have created.  It's beautiful is it not?  It's everything we had hoped it would be.  However the way we feel is not how we had planned.  What we have been through together is not how we would ever have pictured it to be.  I can't help but feel we see these faults in each other.  The beauty keeps us whole.. it propels us along and along every single time a speed bump is faced but despite the beauty, the darkness still lingers in the back of our minds.  Why did this happen?  How did this happen?

I used to wake up every day with your face in my head, so glad that it was there, so thankful.

You crossed my mind each hour and I was happy, so thankful to have you.

But there comes a point in every good dream where you realise you've missed something.

Everything in your perfect world, that ideal head space is corrupted.

The little bubble you've lived in has burst and the contents within spill out.

It is then the problem begins.

You question yourself over and over.

You think about everything over and over.

How could you have missed something is those eyes that glared into yours?

How could the deception have fooled you?

What was it you did wrong?

Why were you deserving of this?

This battle is the hardest to conquer and I'm not sure if I've got it right.  I think of you in the best of ways, I long for you as I always have done.  Your face still crosses my mind often but there's something inside myself that's different now; a personal battle, a hidden internal conflict.

It's not your fault that my mind battles the way it does.

Yours does it too.

I too have done things that have hurt you, the way you've hurt me.

There is no consolation for what we have done to one another.

And in a way its beautiful where we have ended up anyway.

But I have this problem my love, this one I can't seem to fix in any way...

I can't seem to free myself from this internal conflict.

I can't seem to get the best out of this bad situation.

My lack of intuition makes me feel so uneasy in myself.

All I want to do is tear myself apart completely and put myself back together.

All I want is to be free from all anxiety and find peace within my soul.

To confess entirely, this internal conflict is changing me.

It's tearing apart my sense of self.

I feel lost and I can't fight it.

It distracts me from life, keeps me dwelling.

I used to be scared that the next would have a lot to prove to me,

A lot to undo, sift through, put up with.

Well I know now that there is no next, there won't be.

But you know its me that has a lot to prove, a lot to undo, a lot to sift through.

I have a lot I have to do for myself and you might have to let me do that.

Now this all seems very dramatic for such a small situation but there's something you should know, you already do but you need to really ponder it for me.

Forgiveness is not the problem, forgetting is the hard part.  

Chase that feeling

I'm scared.

Something could go completely wrong.

But I guess that's the beauty of it - not knowing.

You were the risk I never thought I'd take,

but I'm sure as hell glad that I did.

To a gorgeous person, inside and out.

On this day, at this moment, in this life...

You have made everything inside me feel perfect.

Read this:

I just bought this awesome book.  I've read bits and pieces from it and so far love it.  I will give you an update soon and give you some feedback :)

Think about your children...

Nothing upsets me more than seeing children fed rubbish.  I don't mean the occasional lolly pop or packet of chips but utter rubbish for most meals. To all the parents out there that don't take responsibility over what their child eats please think of this:

Think about how they think when they see you putting that cheeseburger into your mouth.
Think about how the food you are giving them is helping their bodies to live and grow.
Think about how you are completely shaping all their views and ideas of food by exposing them to certain foods and eating habits.
Think about what trans fats, sugar, additives and nasties are doing wirling through their blood stream.
Think about the way you discipline their behaviour; could it actually be that they are like this because of what you feed them?
Think about giving them that chocolate bar to shut them up whilst doing the shopping - it will be once, twice and then soon enough the child will learn that it will be always.
And by far the most valuable thing to think about is how their food and eating habits will impact the rest of their entire lives - how they live, grow, their choices and how they will feed their own kids.

Taking part 

•  Involve your child in choosing 

which fruit or vegetables they 

would like.

•  Take your child fruit and vegetable 

shopping and let them see, smell 

and feel the fruit and vegetables 

with you.

• Let your child help wash and 

prepare fruit and vegetables. Use 

this opportunity to explore new 

colours and shapes.

• Encourage their skill learning by 

letting them make a simple salad 

to serve themselves.

• Count out grapes or berries 

together in a bowl.

• Grow some vegetables or herbs 

in the garden or pot. Let your child 

water and nurture the plant.

2. Enjoyment

• Remember to enjoy meals 

together with your children 

whenever possible. If children see 

you eating and enjoying a wide 

variety of fruit and vegetables, 

they are more likely to join in.

• Sometimes children may prefer 

their vegetables raw to cooked.

• Children may refuse new foods if 

mealtimes are stressful, so try and 

focus on the positives about the 

meal and avoid arguments.

3. Presentation

• Keep a bowl of fresh fruit handy, 

and vegetables such as peas, 

cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and 

mushrooms in the fridge to grab 

for a quick snack.

•  Make vegetables and fruit look 

great on the plate. Serve different 

coloured fruit and vegetables, 

chop them on a special plate. 

•  For reluctant eaters, keep trying 

a new fruit and vegetable once a 

week. 

4.  Include fruit and vegetables 

wherever possible

• Include vegetables and fruit in a 

range of ways, and at most meals 

and snacks. 

• Rather than searching for new 

recipes, try to increase the variety 

or amount of vegetables added to 

your favourite family recipes such 

as pasta sauce, soup or stir-fries.

• Include vegetables and fruit in 

snacks too. Try corn on the cob, 

jacket potato, plain home-made 

popcorn, sliced vegetables with 

salsa or dips, muffins, pikelets or 

cakes made with added fruit or 

vegetables. Enjoy frozen fruit or 

vegetable segments, skewers of 

fruit, stewed fruit, fruit crumbles, 

and tinned fruits in natural juice. 

5. Keep trying

•  Children need a chance to learn, or 

sometimes re-learn, to enjoy fruit 

and vegetables. Your job is to make 

them available. Remember that 

children may need to see a fruit or 

vegetable ten or more times before 

they are ready to try it.

• Always include a small serving on 

children’s plates; encourage them to 

try, but let them decide whether or 

not to eat.

• Perhaps offer some crunchy raw 

vegetables before the main meal, 

when children are often most 

hungry.

• Resist the urge to prepare options 

to the meal you have prepared. 

Children may choose to leave 

certain foods, but will learn 

to accept the meal offered if 

alternatives are not offered.

Carry you.

The hardest burden to carry is one you carry for another. 

You carry it for so long that you get used to its weight and find comfort in its familiarity. 

But as you carry, you grow weaker and weaker 

until you reach a point where you wonder why you ever tried to carry it in the first place.

 I can't save you. 

Only you can do that...

Love is an equal experience...

"If I love you, I will carry for you all your pain,

I will assume for you all your debts (in every definition of the word), 

I will protect you from your own insecurity,

I will protect upon you all sorts of good qualities that you have never actually cultivated in yourself

and I will buy Christmas presents for your entire family. 

I will give you the sun and the rain, and if they are not available, 

I will give you a sun check and a rain check. 

I will give you all this and more, until I get so exhausted and depleted

 that the only way I can recover my energy is by becoming infatuated with someone else." 

- Elizabeth Gilbert

Beautiful Things...

Beautiful Things.

Some of the most beautiful things in life are free.  

Others may cost you a little.

It's worth it.

Day.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Man

So how do we measure a man?

By content of his character?

A salary of six figures?

How far from the ground he stands?

A man of compassion?

Or a victim of fashion?

- Mike Kaye