"An interview with..." is a monthly feature interview with a forum member. When will it be your turn? Keep an eye out for an email from us coz we are interviewing someone new every month... who will we interview next month? It's a great way to find out more about the people who make this place so great!     florenceforever joined the forums back in 2012 to help us test out the new forums before there were launched! florenceforever can almost always be found posting in all wide variety of threads, but you'll often find florenceforever hanging out in, well Hanging Out with posts like this, which make us realise what a kind and caring person florenceforever is. You'll also find florenceforever regularly getting involved in Getting Real sessions, like this recent one on going back to study.   So lets get to know... florenceforever       RO: How long have you been using the forums? ff: I helped test out the new forums. I saw a post on Facebook and thought it sounded pretty cool, so I started back in July 2012. However I have only just recently returned to the forums after taking a break for about a year.   How did you first hear about ReachOut.com? I can’t quite remember actually. I’ve followed the Facebook page for about two years now, and I often use the website for advice.   What's your favourite forum thread? You will almost always find me in the Hang Out section   What's your favourite sub-form (e.g. Games, Hang Out, Everyday life stuff, etc) It’s a tie between the Hanging Out section and Every Day Life Stuff   You said recently that this year you're going to try and find a better balance between study and other activities. Great idea! What are some of the other activities you're going to do when you're not studying?    Currently I dedicate some time volunteering for two different organisations. My roles for both are completely different, but I love doing both of them and I’m gaining so many skills.   In my down time I like to see the friends I don’t get to see at uni, as well as lie on the couch in my room and read. If I’m meant to be studying, then you will often find me in the kitchen baking or around the house cleaning!   If you could have any job in the whole world, what would it be and why? My dream job would be to run or be the CEO of a non-for-profit organisation that works towards helping the world's poorest, especially in ensuring they are receiving their human rights, shelter, care, clean food and water, sanitation and a form of education.   I’m currently studying to be a psychologist, and am also obsessed with tennis, and I would love to become a sport psychologist and travel on the tennis circuit!   Seen any good movies or tv shows lately? Recently I’ve seen Frozen and The Hunger Games Catching Fire at the movies – absolutely loved both of them! My all time favourite tv show is Bones, but I have also recently been introduced to 2 Broke Girls and Community and really like them too!   What's your favourite song at the moment? This can and does change hourly! I did just listen to Demi Lovato’s ‘Let it Go’ whilst baking, which is a big winner for me. I listen to ‘All Alright’ by Fun when I need a pick me up.     What's your favourite inspiring/celebrity/movie quote and why?   I have three that I try to stick by, the first about happiness, the second about achievement and the third about life.   1.     The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything 2.     We get the results we deserve, not the ones we want 3.   Just keep swimming – Dory! ... View more

Hey, hey, hey.   So you found us. We're really excited that you did and guess what? Can't guess?   We want to know you!     Tell us this: 1. Where is your favourite place in the whole world? 2. If you could do anything in 2014, what would it be? 3. How did you find us? 4. Are you a cat person or a dog person? 5. What I value most is...     Don't forget to check out our guidelines and then have a look around! ... View more

"An interview with..." is a monthly feature interview with a forum member. When will it be your turn? Keep an eye out for an email from us coz we are interviewing someone new every month... who will we interview next month? It's a great way to find out more about the people who make this place so great!   Pris joined the forums at the end of August last year and has risen to Super Frequent Scribe with some awesome posts! Pris can almost always be found posting in all of our threads, like this super three positives of today post in Everyday Life. Pris is also commonly found responding to others users posts like this epic post. Pris has also given some awesome advice about meeting people from the internet! Great tips and tricks Pris!   So lets get to know... Pris     RO: How long have you been using the forums?   I've been using the forums on and off for about a year, but I've been lurking on  them on and off since I think early 2010.   How did you first hear about ReachOut.com?   I first heard of it off a friend of mine. He was a bit of a lurker too, actually.   What's your favourite forum thread?   My favourite would be The Best Advice thread.   What's your favourite sub-form (e.g. Games, Hang Out, Everyday life stuff, etc)   Well, Hanging Out, of course.   You mentioned in the forums that one of your favourite quotes is  "It doesn't do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live."--Albus Dumbledore. Firstly, which is your favourite Harry Potter book, and secondly - what is it about this quote that you find appealing?   I think my favourite of the Potter books would have to be either The Prisoner of Azkaban or The Half-Blood Prince, because I think these are the books with the best character development.  That quote, which as many people probably know is from the first book, connects with me because I think it's quite reflective of the human condition. I mean, you see so many people out there who are essentially stuck in their own dreams and can't get anything done because of it and because they don't know how to go about it. But then Dumbledore walks in and sees Harry there, on the edge of becoming like that, and he knows Harry's meant for something more, so he gives him the nudge he needs to not become that person, because I think Dumbledore realised that you start developing your own character from the moment you're born and you keep developing until the day you die.  But he needed Harry to be a certain person in the next few years, so he said exactly what he needed to say to keep Harry on the straight and narrow. But here's the thing: I think it's good advice for anyone, because we all need to be a certain person to improve humanity. I don't say that flippantly, I mean it--I really do believe that it's everybody's responsibility to try and improve humanity in some small way, and you won't do that by dwelling on dreams and forgetting to live   If you could have any job in the whole world, what would it be and why?   If I could have any job, I'd be a teacher. Preferably teaching history or English, but I'm getting a TAFE certificate in hospitality next year, so I guess I wouldn't mind teaching hospitality either.   What do you think your spirit animal is and why?   I'm not really sure how spirit animals work, to be honest. I guess I'm going to go with a dog, because I tend to be very loyal to the people I care about, even if I don't always like to admit it   Seen any good movies or tv shows lately?   The best movie I saw recently would probably be 50/50. The best TV show I've seen recently would be Firefly   What's your favourite song at the moment?   My favourite quote-unquote cheery song right now is Skip to the Good Part by He Is We. My overall favourite would either be Our July in the Rain or Kiss It All Better, both by He is We.       ... View more

"An interview with..." is a monthly feature interview with a forum member. When will it be your turn? Keep an eye out for an email from us coz we are interviewing someone new every month... who will we interview next month? It's a great way to find out more about the people who make this place so great!   tesla-weapon only joined the forums a month or so ago, and has already risen to Frequent Scribe status! This month tesla-weapon has received the second highest amount of high-fives which we think is a super awesome feat. tesla-weapon is great at both responding to threads as well as staring some, including this awesome game! tesla-weapon is a great community member, often using the report inappropriate content button when they notice content that shouldn't be here... great job t-w!   So lets get to know... tesla-weapon         RO: How long have you been using the forums?   I guess only for a month, I just seem to post a lot. I don't work or study, so I have a lot of time on my hands.   How did you first hear about ReachOut.com?   I was just searching for mental health support groups. Its been really hard to find a group that I could go to, to talk about the issues I have, share them with other people, and get some support. So every now and again I will start googling, and this time I found the ReachOut forum. At first I thought it was for anyone with a mental illness, and then I noticed after posting that it was for people aged between 14 and 25. I'm a little older than 25 (not by much) and wondered if I would still be able to join in, and apparently that is fine!   What's your favourite forum thread?   I guess it would probably have to be the poem thread that someone started. I really like writing poetry. I don't read a lot of poetry though, although I have read the ones here in RO. I like poetry, because sometimes you can say things out loud, that you might not otherwise say, and you can say them better, simpler, clearer.     What's your favourite sub-form (e.g. Games, Hang Out, Everyday life stuff, etc)?    I like seeing all the people come in the door with their problems. I really wanted to go and volunteer in a psych unit, to talk to people who were sick, and who needed some encouragement to get better, or help them to stop denying their illness (which is what I did). I really wanted there to be someone there who was in the same position as them, but had gotten a lot healthier. There was no-one really when I was in hospital, except the nurses and the doctors, and you tend not to want to talk to them.   So I really enjoy getting the chance to let some younger people know that having a mental illness isn't the end of the world, and that there is a lot that can be learned from the experience. If you've ever been to a psych ward, you will always have a secret bond with a whole bunch of people you will probably never see again. That's why you will quite often see me posting in response to someone in "Somethings Not Right" or "Getting Help".     You mentioned in a forum post a little while back that you think it's boring to be normal. What's one thing that's unique about you?   I'm definitely not normal, although some people like to philosophise about what is actually notmal, I am under no such delisions. I was always given a hard time when i was little, and I learnt to keep my mouth shut if I didn't want people to know I was a freak. But as you get older, you realise that there are other freaks out there, and that they will applaud you for your mind and soul.   I guess one of the things it taught me from a very young age, (as well as not having anyone to talk to, especially my family) is that my thinking became very independent. Thinking for yourself is a powerful thing, especially if it is sometimes critical as well as honest with yourself. If you think for yourself, and develop good problem solving skills, you will also develop a unique personality, which is much more interesting than being normal.   I've realised now, that I just say whatever I want. And if I get a negative reaction, that person isn't worth my attention. This is because I have spent a lot of time thinking about who I am, and what I believe in, and what interests me. It gives me confidence to be myself, and once I started doing that, I made some of the very best friends I've ever had.     What's your favourite way to treat yourself?     I'm not sure that I do this. I tend to avoid anything that would require a break! My life is one big long holiday! Doctors orders! But I guess the special things in my life, is when I go out and spend precious spending money. If I save up for a few weeks, I can go to a gig, have a few pints, and get a bit loose. I saw Beasts of Bourbon and Iggy and the Stooges earlier this year, so that was pretty special.   Seen any good movies or tv shows lately?   I'm about to finish season 4 of Battlestar Gallactica, which is becoming a drag. (It started out so well!) And I also just watched the entire first part of Full Metal Alchemist, which was great, and I loved it, and I will have to wait until those brilliant Japanese people finish their current story!   What's your favourite song at the moment?       This is a song from 1986, and it needs a bit of a story. D-Boon and Mike Watt met when they were kids, and D-Boon's mum wanted them to play guitar so that her son wouldn't be out on the streets. She told Mike Watt that he would play bass. They formed a revolutionary little known band called the Minutemen and they released a vinyl in 1980. They played stuff that no-one had ever heard before, and live they were even better. They changed tack a little from being hard and fast, to being more jazz rock. It is brilliant. Unfortunately D-Boon died in a car crash, and Ed Crawford said he wanted to start up the Minutemen again. Mike Watt was a huge Ed Crawford fan, but said that the Minutemen was D-Boon's thing. And then fIREHOSE were born. Way more alternative before there was an alternative, and rivals any band you would hear today.   What's your favourite inspiring/celebrity/movie quote and why?   I've read the other interviews , and I've been thinking about this question. I think there are three which really come to mind, two of them you will probably know quite well. I'll say what they all are, and then explain the significance that they have for me.   "No! There is no try! Do. Or do not." Yoda from Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring "This is Africa." Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Blood Diamond   The first quote to me is about hope and foolishness. If you try to do something, and hope for an outcome, then you are foolish. Better to do it right, or not do it at all. A lot of the Jedi mantra, is about keeping your mind on the present, which is good advice if you are doing anything worth doing.   The second is important, if it feels like you are trying to do something and its not working. Then you might fall into the trap of thinking that you are trying and failing, instead of doing. But sometimes the only thing we are capable of is very little. We might not yet be capable of doing the things we would like to, so instead all we can do is try to do them, and fail. It might seem like a lost cause, until you remember the words of Gandalf. You can't do everything, you are not all powerful, and you will hardly ever get anything done right, the first time you try. But all we can do, is to do what we can, with the time we are given, and that is enough. If its not, then remember the last quote.   The last quote is usually said in the film, when people double cross each other, or are overly selfish, or murderous. I think "This is Africa" is a way of saying, "Anything Goes." Which is very true. Human beings are violent, vicious creatures, who hunt and kill for survival, and who scheme against their own tribe, and other tribes for power and wealth and beauty. We are not meant to be these peaceful social animals, and often we will forget to look out for ourselves if we are caught in the trap of being a good person all of the time. Remember, in the jungle, anything goes, and if you don't take care of yourself, no-one else is going to.   ... View more