Interview with Emily from 'The Island of Me'

Hi Everyone, Below are answers for my survey that Emily from ‘The Island of Me’ has kindly answered. 

About Emily:

I am a 13-year-old girl living in New Zealand’s lovely country-side. I’ve just finished Year 8 at a small country Primary School and am going to an all girls high school next year. I love animals and own many. I also run and hope to (dream big world) go to the Olympics one day running the 5000m and the 3000m steeple chase (told you to dream big!). I also write and hope to one day publish a novel. I started blogging last year when I was home schooled and it has just become a hobby.

1. What was your inspiration to start blogging?

Dad asked me to start blogging to share what I did as my schooling last year. I think that the main things that inspired me to keep blogging from there was that it let me interact with people from around the world and make new friends. I also liked sharing my views on the world. I’m inspired by all the other bloggers out there I think.

2. What message do you hope to share through your blog?

Another tricky one. I hope to share the message that just being yourself is the most important thing. You can’t be someone who you either look up to or are jealous of without ruining yourself. I think that many people want to do things the way others want to and like what they like to be popular or liked. But when others realise this is just a cover they don’t like them. If you’re yourself then people are more likely to like you since you can’t surprise them by being someone else and not the person they thought you were. I also want people to know that I do look up to others and what they do is not something I want to be, it’s just something that inspires me to be more myself. I mainly look up to Emma Watson and Emma Coburn. How odd, both Emma’s! 

3. What do you like about blogging?

As I said in the brief, I like interacting with others and making new friends. I also like sharing my views and what I do. I love meeting people from all over the world and finding people who follow me who live places where I’d like to visit. I love sharing what I learn with others and finding out new things from them.

4. What do you wan’t to be when you grow up? What are your dreams for the future?

I said this in the brief too. I really hope to be able to go to the Olympics as a runner and do my country proud, even just representing NZ would be amazing. I’d also like to publish a novel, the novel I’m working on now, which was called Happy but now doesn’t have a name. My one huge educational goal is to become an anaesthetist.

5. If you could change one thing about our world what would it be?

Tough. There’s a lot I would change. Cancer, poverty, war, illness, depression, suicide, murders. The list goes on. One thing though. Hard. The first three are the most important to me, but I don’t know. One? Probably cancer. I’d like there to be a cure for cancer. It’s so hard. I know! Can I say I want all things horrible to be stopped and cured, bar death because death is horrible, but without it, overpopulation and we’d kill each other. Is that one? Otherwise, yeah, a cure to cancer

Just to share a fact on that, did you know that Japan and Russia are still at war? World War II that is. They didn’t sign a contract that called the war off, so World War II is still going!

6. What is your favourite hobby?

I’ve got so many hobbies! I crochet, cross stitch, play piano, go to school (a hobby!), cook, do gymnastics (at school), look after animals and run. There are probably more. Hang on, I write stories and poems and read. Yeah, a lot to choose. I also blog. Blogging, writing and running would have to be my favourites. I do all heaps. The running I do almost everyday, the writing the same. The blogging, not so much. So running and writing. They’re both stress relieving, can be difficult and are both definitely very fun to do (on occasion they can be difficult, but not often.).

7. What have been your highlights of 2017?

My highlight of 2017? There are so, so, so many. I have to say, there are some that really stick out though. Probably coming 7th in the HB Year 8 Cross Country Championships, 4th in the HB 1500m Athletic Championships, winning HB Mathletics with Ben and Hannah at school, winning my scale drawing competition, getting Reserve Champion Pet Calf with Cleo. Getting Dux of School last Wednesday. I don’t know. Probably winning Mathletics and Dux, they’re both very amazing achievements. I’ll have to put my ‘I Remember…’ piece of writing for school on here, show you guys how much fun it was. My year, it was all amazing, there were ups and downs to it, but overall, I’d have to say I had amazing fun and really enjoyed myself.

I hope you enjoy reading this. Stay tuned for more interviews. It is not to late for you to send me your own answers.

~Fizzy~xo

Interview with Mia from ‘A Happy Little Bookworm’

Hi Everyone, in my last post I asked people to answer my survey because it is interesting to get to know other bloggers. Below are answers completed by Mia from ‘A happy little bookworm’.

A Happy Little Bookworm is a book blog run by avid reader, Mia, or Happywhale as she is known on her Wordpress site. Mia frequently posts book reviews, book lists and takes part in book blogging memes popular around the blogosphere. You can visit her site at www.ahappylittlebookworm.wordpress.com.

1. What was your inspiration to start blogging?

Technology classes at school in which we were taught how to set up and run our own blog or website was what inspired me to start blogging. While A Happy Little Bookworm wasn’t the site that I originally created, these lessons did spark my interest in blogging and lead me to eventually create my current blog site.  

2. What message do you hope to share through your blog?

I hope to share my love of books and reading through my blog and hope that my posts will inspire others to pick up a book, whether it’s one of the books that I’ve written about or another book that they’ve found.

3. What do you like about blogging?

What I love about blogging is that it allows me to engage in a community of bloggers that I otherwise would never have found. Moreover, I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get whenever I release a new post, the feeling of pride that I get when someone leaves me a nice comment or simply likes my post. There are so many reasons why I like blogging, and I guess that’s why I continue doing it.

4. What do you want to be when you grow up? What are your dreams for the future?

A hard question, and one that seems to be thrown around rather frequently, especially as you get older. I’ve certainly said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, I honestly don’t know what the future holds for me. Sure, I have a few ideas; perhaps I’ll become an author? A journalist? A medical scientist? An immunologist? At the moment, however, I’m pretty happy right here in the present.

5. If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be?

An incredibly open-ended question and one that took me a while to answer. After some deliberation, the thing that I would most like to change in our world is children’s access to education. It’s an incredibly broad and complex issue, yet none the less, an important one and certainly one that needs 

to be changed.

6. What is your favourite hobby?

My favourite hobby? Why, reading books, of course! As you would imagine, coming from someone who runs a book blog, reading books is a favourite hobby of mine. Other hobbies I enjoy include knitting, sewing, baking, writing and playing sport, specifically hockey and surf life saving.

7. What have been your highlights of 2017?

2017 has been a good year for me and there are many highlights that I could list. Some of these include; sporting achievements (in both hockey and surf life saving), academic achievements and, of course, blogging highlights, specifically the decision to start blogging again after a long break spanning from December 2016 to September this year. 

It has been great to hear your answers Mia! Be sure to go check out her awesome blog, (The link is above).

~Fizzy~ xo

Allow me to interview you...

Hi everyone. I have decided that it would be fun to interview some of you awesome bloggers out there and post your answers on my blog. Here are the questions...

Before you answer the questions feel free to write a small paragraph about yourself including any extra information. 

1. What was your inspiration to start blogging?

2. What message do you hope to share through your blog?

3. What do you like about blogging?

4. What do you wan't to be when you grow up?What are your dreams for the future?

5. If you could change one thing about our world what would it be?

6. What is your favourite hobby?

7. What have been your highlights of 2017?

So there are the questions. If you want to complete the survey copy and paste the questions into and email and and answer them underneath then send it to quirkygirlstudio@gmail.com . When I receive your answers I will publish them on my blog with a link to your blog and your preferred name. If there is anything you want me to leave out or anything extra you want me to say about you, let me know.

Can't wait to hear from you!

~Fizzy~xo

Misfit By High Dive Heart

Hello! Happy Holidays. Today I want to share a song with you. It is called 'Misfit' by High Dive Heart. The song portrays a really important message, it is kind of like the message my blog shares. It is about not caring about being a misfit and being yourself. I also like it because it is very empowering if you are experiencing bullying or feeling like you don't fit in. You absolutely must listen to it. Check out the video below.

This song provides an important message that everyone ought to listen to. Please feel free to comment below with your thoughts on it. 

~Fizzy~xo

Are You OK?

Hi Everybody. Recently Australia had R U OK? day. It is about asking your friends and people you are close to if they are OK. Sometimes you feel depressed, anxious and sometimes like you just want to give up. The most important thing that I can't stress enough to you is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It is commons for lots of teens to feel like this...

Around one in 35 young Australians aged 4-17 experience a depressive disorder. 

One in fourteen young Australians (6.9%) aged 4-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2015. This is equivalent to approximately 278,000 young people.

Even though you feel like you are trapped and no one can help you, that is not true. If you feel like this at anytime you must must must ask for help because it only gets worse when you feel isolated and alone. There are many places you can go to for help. Your parents are people that really care about you and they are prepared to give you the support you need. You can also talk to people you are close to like grandparents, aunts, uncles and older siblings. If there are no family members you can talk to then there are other options such as teachers and psychologists. In Australia the number for Kids Helpline is 1800 551 800. If there is a kids helpline for your country then find out what it is because it is a great way to get your feelings out get some helpful advice.

To sum up, the people you love are always there for you no matter what. Everyone goes through tough times and it is important to talk to someone if you are struggling. If you notice that one of your friends is not themselves lately then my piece of advice to you is to ask them if they are ok. Tell them that you care about them and that you are there to support them through anything. 

For Extra Information visit: The R U OK website and Beyond Blue. 

~Fizzy~xo

Five Reasons Why Isis Holt is My Idol

Hey Guys I am back. This is definitely a record time for absence but I am now on school holidays.

As you may remember, Isis Holt is my idol and I am constantly inspired by her. In the time I have been away from this blog, she has competed in the IAAF world Para Athletics Championships in London. I was so excited when I heard she would be competing because as I said I love love love watching her and her fellow competitors, and I knew she could win this time. You may be curious as to why I find her so inspiring so I thought I'd share my top five reasons...

1. She persists. Although she had been in hospital a few weeks before her 200 metre race she then went on to win it. Not even just that, she is always trying her hardest.

2. She is humble, she doesn't tell everyone she is great (event though she is!)

3. She is a good sport. After every race she congratulates all participants with a handshake and a MASSIVE smile.

4. Nothing limits her. Even with cerebral palsy she still is a world champion.

5. She is a kind hearted person who seems to support everyone. Not only does she congratulate her competitors after every race, but she also seems to be kind in other ways. She even contacted me once after seeing my post about her on my blog to say thank you.

All of these qualities Isis has are important in being a good person and I hope you can learn from this AMAZING role model. It's always helpful to have a role model in life. I'd love to hear who yours are if you'd like to comment below.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Be sure to stay tuned for more posts.

~Fizzy~xo

The Issues With Popularity

Hi Everyone... This is probably the longest time that I have been absent from this blog. I really apologise for the lack of posts. I am on holidays now so more things will be up on the blog.

I decided that I would write this post about popularity. At school there is always a popular group who act like they are better than everyone else. I am not popular but naturally sometimes I wish I was. The popular group always have the cool things such as the latest gadgets, clothes and have watched the latest television shows. I realised through observing this that I could do all of that hoping to be in the popular group an the situation could go two ways. Firstly I could become popular, but how is that going to impact my happiness if I am always trying to be popular? Secondly, they would look at me as someone who is trying too hard and brush me off. That wouldn't have a great effect on me either. Everybody at one point in their life wishes to be something they are not. There is no point in wishing to be something you are not because it is only going to make you more unhappy than you were in the first place. Instead, embrace the fact that you are who you are. Make the most of being different to others. The only rule is to be yourself and if you stick to that you will be successful no matter what!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

~Fizzy~xo

Open Your Eyes - A Little Bit of Poetry

Eyes

Eyes are the magical definition of a person.

Eyes tell us what a person is like.

They whisper untold secrets to us.

Some eyes glare at you.

But some eyes smile.

Others are blank with no emotion.

Black as night and quiet as a winter morning.

Eyes can be many colours.

Green like the grass.

Blue like the sky.

Brown like the earth beneath our feet.

Some eyes are unusual colours.

Eyes help us see the wonderful things in our world.

They help us to judge what a person is like.

Eyes are the definition of a person.

A definition of us.

Thanks so much for reading this. I wrote this poem for a school assignment. I was never a keen poetry writer but I have grown to like it much better now. 

~Fizzy~ xo

Quirky Quote

"Don't let yourself be trapped 
by people who doubt you"

~ unknown~

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend everyone... Will write soon.

~Fizzy~xo

Schoolwork and Stress

Hi again, I am back and I am extremely sorry about the lack of posts. I have just finished my first term of year eight! It was quite stressful with all the work and assessment. I am actually finding the time to write today because school was closed due to extreme rain. Anyway back to the point, schoolwork makes everyone stressed and when I am stressed I find it hard to think about it rationally.

Here are some tips for managing stress.

• Take a short break, to calm down.
• Have a quick snack and drink plenty of water.
• Talk to someone about how you are feeling.
• Go out and do some physical exercise of your choice, to give your brain a break. 

When I am stressed my favourite this to do is physical exercise. Jumping on my mini trampoline helps me to let go of all the stress and distraction. You only need to spend five to ten minutes having a break and when you go back you will feel better. I also love jumping on my trampoline because it is fun to feel the springiness as you jump up and down watching the world fly up and down. Boing Boing Boing. Zoom Zoom Zoom. I love the feeling of flying. Imagine having a super power to fly?

Thanks so much for reading this. Let me know how you manage your stress by commenting below. :)

~Fizzy~xo

Problems and Opportunities

Sometimes a problem is just a gravity problem. Some of you may be wondering what I actually mean by this. Let me tell you a story...

There was a man who was out wandering to fetch some water for his family. The well was at the top of a hill. When he started to climb the hill he complained... "Oh why do I have to be so heavy? Why is it so hard to walk up a hill? Why does gravity have to exist?"

No matter what the man says or does he cannot change the fact that gravity exists. You may wonder why I am telling you this. Well, my mum told me this story when I was complaining about not doing well in a running competition because I was shorter than the other girls my age and couldn't keep up. No matter how much I whinge about it I can't change the size I am. A bit like gravity, some challenges will always be there and no matter what you do or say. So okay, I am too small to be in the Olympics. How can I overcome that? I can train to become better but that may just lead to disappointment. So perhaps the best solution is to compete with myself rather than comparing myself to others.

Sometimes when you wish things were different to the way they are, you end up miserable because you can't be or have what you want. So remember if you are feeling frustrated or something is... 'not fair' sometimes it is a gravity problem. Rather than fighting against  the thing that can't be changed, try looking for opportunities instead. Sometimes things not working out can open the door for something new that you hadn't even imagined was possible.

This is one of my favourite quotes.

I hope you guys had a good weekend!

~Fizzy~xo

Summer Holidays

Hi everyone. As some of you may know I live in Australia, and for those who don't know you have just found out. Because I live in Australia it is summer and so I am on summer holidays but now I am in my last week which makes me really sad 😡. I like summer holidays because...

• My  birthday is in them.
• I do many exciting things.
• I don't have to rush.
• The weather is perfect to swim in the pool and at the beach.
• I can totally forget about school.
• I have eight weeks away from the people at school that I don't like. 

I am also looking forward to going back to school, which I didn't think I'd say at the end of last year. Last year I was in grade seven which was my first year of high school. It was a challenge to get used to the differences after so long at primary school. I turned thirteen this month so I am now a teenager, which is exciting. I have just found out my new classes and teachers for year eight and I am surprisingly excited about getting back into the school routine next week.

I think you may be wondering what I actually did on the holidays. Well I competed in a state competition for the 4 x100 relay. I have circled myself in the photo below. It was really fun being able to run and even though we didn't win we all still had fun and surprisingly I wasn't nervous at all. (I am normally a nervous wreck before races).

We also went for a visit to a local beach but we didn't swim because it was quite windy so we just had a walk along the beach. We also had fish and chips while we were there too. Here are some photos of me on the beach.

My mum, sister and I went to visit a museum in the city and it had an exhibition of contemporary paintings from China and Hong Kong. It was really fun because they had some that were turned into videos. The air conditioning in the museum was really cold though!

My favourite artwork in the exhibition 

Me exploring the building after our visit

We also went to a Taoist temple and I have put photos of it on my Instagram. It was cool because it was like really being in China. I felt so peaceful and calm and relaxed as I walked through the temple looking at all the paintings, sculptures, lifelike gods and goddesses sitting proud watching over everyone with incense burning and their offerings below them. Here is a picture of me in the courtyard of the temple. 

Me in the courtyard

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. What have you guys been up to lately? I am sorry that not many posts have been popping up, I will try to do more soon. 

~Fizzy~xo

Quirky Quinoa Porridge

Hi guys today I am going to share with you a recipe for quinoa porridge. I have been trying to find healthy alternatives to my normal meals. Quinoa is an ancient South American grain and is considered a super-food. It is a complete protein which makes it excellent for vegetarians and vegans. It also has high levels of iron and other vitamins and minerals, which makes it very healthy. It is cooked in a similar way to rice. The good news is that quinoa is delicious and can be used in many ways. One of my favourites is porridge.

Porridge served

This recipe is for a single serve. If you are making it for more than one, just multiply the ingredients by the number of serves you would like.

What you will need:

• 1/2 a cup of quinoa flakes
• 1 cup of water
• Maple syrup or honey, to taste
• Your choice of dairy free milk alternatives
• Choice of seasonal berries or other fruits

Method:

1. Measure out 1/2 a cup of quinoa flakes and place them in a small saucepan.
2. Place 1 cup of water in the saucepan.
3. Bring the porridge to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer for approximately 2 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Place porridge in a bowl and add your choice of milk and maple syrup or honey, to taste.
5. Serve with seasonal berries or fruit.

Note: If you don't have quinoa flakes this recipe will work exactly the same using rice flakes or rolled oats.


I hope you get to try this gluten free, vegan and extremely healthy recipe. What is your favourite healthy food? Comment down below.

~Fizzy~xo