Neg: I got super defensive and taken by suprise when a friend tried to set me up on a blind date with their mate.  Pos: I explained how I was feeling and how I need my friend to recognise that I might not like their mate, and that I felt trapped in. My friend was understanding, gave me a bit more of an introduction to their friend and showed me a photo. So now I feel more comfortable potentially meeting up with this guy for a chat, and he and my friend know that I'm approaching it casually.  Basically: I communicated my emotions instead of hiding them to please people.  ... View more

Haha @missep, makes sense    It's great that you really get into things !! ... View more

Nice!  I can see how it could be tricky with long dark hair - sometimes your physique (eyes/hair/skin/height/whatever else about you) can make it more of a challenge to dress as your favorite character, but it's definitely doable, some people are very creative! Much easier to go with a character that looks similar to you though!  ... View more

Hey @Bee, thanks for starting this thread 1. I sometimes get cold because I'm anxious and will start shivering/teeth chattering. So I often try and do a bit of movement/exercise beforehand to warm up, and then I make sure I stand tall and relaxed when I walk into the building.    2. When I'm doing an interview, I find it really helpful to do some preparation beforehand thinking about why I'm doing this, and what skills I have that will help me do well. I try and think of the interview as a 'sussing out opportunity' - they will be evaluating you, but I find it helpful to remember that it's also a chance for me to find out more about them, the job and if it's a place I want to be working. Even when I absolutely100% want the job, I still like to find out more info at the interview, and thinking this way helps me feel a little bit less intimidated.      3. For me, dressing confidently is helpful and so is focusing on my breathing when I start to feel stressed. I never really get rid of the interview nerves, I just settle them to the point that I can seem calm and confident to others (even though my stomach is still usually in a knot).    ... View more

Thanks for the encouragement and the perspective @Sanguine.    @Birdeye and @RevzZ I'm now all done! Thanks for the support!  ... View more

@sweet_baking I do like autumn! Especially if I'm somewhere where the leaves change colour   Something good: I played some guitar.  ... View more

I will be done at the end of this week - but I've been finding it really hard lately, trying to focus on study. I've got a massive assignment 50% (still needing a fair bit of work) and then one last exam. Almost there.     @mspaceK congrats!!  And @N1ghtW1ng that really is great work, every bit counts! ... View more

My something good today: getting outside and going for a run (that sort of became a walk).    @Karinaskii I'm impressed by your love of winter. I definitely prefer days when the sun's out. Although, like @sweet_baking I do like wearing my boots...  ... View more

I ended up going as a vampire undercover (think Twighlight, Mortal Instruments, any vampires that pretty much dress normally)- just some false fangs and contact lenses to make my eyes look scary, but my usual everyday clothes. It worked well for the relaxed birthday/halloween (a lot of my friends have birthdays in October and early November) party we were having since only a few people dressed up.    @missep Cosplay and Comic-Con conventions sound so fun! I sometimes see people on their way to one, and I'm always amazed at the creativity and effort that goes into those costumes, it seems like a great thing if you're a fan! Do you know which one/s you'd want to go to?    ... View more

 @missep glad they made you laugh, hehe     Haha, the name is actually cos I like painting and it's a deep sky-blue colour. There was also a quote from a book I had to study in year 11 about the sea and the sky, and I just liked the word.  But now you mention it, Squirtle has always been my fave pokemon starter, and I do love beating Cerulean gym!    ... View more

Another idea which could be quite fun (although a bit hard to sit down in) is to buy a packet of green, purple or burgundy balloons and go as a bunch of grapes!        Or you could buy red and go as a raspberry instead.    EDIT: it's not very 'scary' though so might not fit in with the theme... although I personally get quite scared of balloons when they pop!  ... View more

Hey @redhead, I can't remember if I already introduced myself on the RO forums, but it can't hurt to do it again for October.    1. I'm definitely a dog person... although I have been known to pet and feed the semi-stray cats that wander down our street so I'm not not-a-cat-person.    2. Lol @roseisnotaplant, I would never think of something as creative as a maths test!   Hmm. I think I'd go for a creepy crawly of some kind. Maybe a red-back spider. Or maybe a shiny green scarab beetle.    3. I'm a Gryffindor    4. I like lots of numbers. I quite like 24, 0 and 1/8.    5. @Esperanza67 and @Birdeye I like your breakfast options! I am a big smoothie fan myself. At the moment my special breakfast treat is adding some frozen blueberries to my cereal.  ... View more

I have a couple of people I look up to:    My friends who have real fighting spirits: I am passive/peace-seeking by nature, and I really look up to my passionate and determined friends who defend themselves fiercely. I am now more confident and assertive thanks to them.    My family - At different times I look up to different family members, trying to learn from what I admire about how they've acted in tough situations, such as deaths/stroke/break ups/loosing jobs. I've learnt a lot about how to face a difficult and unchangeable situation with grace.    Emma Watson - I love the way she attempts to use her fame as a platform for facilitating discussion (e.g. Women's rights/Feminism; Education). I think there's something admirable in that. She's keen to do something productive with her fame, use it to contribute to a higher goal.      ... View more

Hey Redhead, sounds like you're having some tough feelings atm... I just wanted to let you know, I'm inspired by your dedication to this thread :) My something good today: going for a run. ... View more

These quotes are great!   Here's one I enjoy:  "One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory"  - Rita Mae Brown ... View more

Beautiful thread @redhead.    Something good from my today... opening up my colourful umbrella and dodging rain puddles while listening to a good song walking home after work.  ... View more

218 (?). Reading or writing some poetry. Or lyrics if you're musical.    Isn't it funny, the things that we say,  Both gain and lose power When down on the page?  Seeing them there and speaking aloud,  I see them for what they are:  - words -  And in writing, let go of some rage. ... View more

Wow, some great perspectives here! I am learning a lot from this conversation :)   For me, who I see as family has changed as people come in and move out of my life, but it's those people I know I can count on for support - emotional, physical, both. It's the people I put down as my emergency contacts on a sign-up form, because I know they'd come pick me up from hospital at any time of the night (although I don't mean to dismiss all the people I consider family who don't drive! ).     I am the oldest of four kids, but I live in a different state to the rest of my siblings - it's been interesting how our relationships have changed now that we only chat over the phone instead of face to face, and as we grow older and more independent. Having a bit more space to do my own thing has its pros and cons - there are times I feel left out of the family loop, others where my siblings confide in me more than they did when we saw each other everyday.       ... View more

I'm a big fan of the mp3s from Perth Meditation Centre. They have a whole series of mediatations, along with helpful explanations of what meditation is (helpful if you've new to meditation practice). You can access them for free here: http://www.perthmeditationcentre.com.au/mp3s/  :)  ... View more

@mspaceK I like drawing in my journals too, it lets you be expressive in a different sort of way to writing :)    @Birdeye I like having my journal, but I  don't think it in any way replaces a conversation with close friends. Friends make excellent sounding boards - and they can offer support that a journal can't. It's wonderful you've got friends who do that for you :)   ... View more

Three positives from today:    1. An assignment handed in 2. A new recipe I made for dinner was popular with the household (and I enjoyed cooking it!) 3. Had a good laugh with old friends   It's nice to celebrate these little things that otherwise slip by so quietly :)  ... View more

I find it helpful to have an ongoing Journal that I can come to when I feel like it- sometimes I'll write everyday for weeks on end, at other times I go weeks without writing only to fill pages. Sometimes I write about my thoughts and feelings, sometimes I write about my day and what I've been up to, and other times I write in quotes/ideas that I've read and would like to hold on to.    I can appreciate the love of fine stationary- for a while I was keen to have a colour theme consistent across the several volumes of journals I've filled- but I've found that it's the writing that's most important to me, the object of the notebook becomes more valuable as you create it. So I've ended up with some plain $2.00 notebooks because I felt the urge to get back to writing but didn't have any beautiful empty diaries on hand.    Another thing I like when journal writing aside from a pretty cover- blank pages. What about you guys? Do you prefer blank pages, lines or maybe even a guided journal (e.g. a sentence a day, a goal-based journal, or quotes in the margins...)?  ... View more