Ten Tips for Teenagers

Hey!

So, as you may have gathered from my posts (or if you know me personally) I've had some experience being a teenager. Sadly this 'experience' is almost over, but I thought I'd relive it a little by sharing my top ten tips for being a teenager.

1. If you have a prepaid phone and quite limited credit per month, don't worry! I have many methods for saving the dollars and minutes. Firstly - never call anyone. If you desperately need to call someone, simply dial their number and in less than one minute (it shouldn't take this long...) explain that you're low on credit and politely ask them to call you back. Then talk as long as you need to.
Secondly - you'd be surprised how few letters and symbols are required for a text message to make sense. This will condense a 4 page text to a 1 page text, cutting the cost down considerably! Here are some real, personal text examples from when I was 13 and 14.

D u wnt 2 go 2 d moVs w me?

ThkU for 2nit. U r wondrfl.

2. Not everything has to be an acronym. Believe it or not, it CAN be confusing. When you say 'YOLO', you could be saying, 'You Orang-utan Loving Ogre', or 'You Only Like Oranges'. Honestly though, I have had more than one hilarious moment with the acronym 'LOL', which I'm sure most of you will agree means 'Laugh Out Loud'. The first problem with this acronym is simply - where did it come from? Who cares if you're laughing out loud? Who does that when they're texting anyway?! The second problem is that it can also stand for 'Lots of Love'. I recently received a Facebook message from someone which said, "I miss you, it's been ages since we talked :'( LOL!!!". This left me sad and confused.

3. Don't refer to yourself as a 'Twelvie'. When I was twelve, the word 'Twelvie' didn't exist, but from recent conversations I have gathered that being twelve doesn't automatically make you a 'Twelvie' - and being a 'Twelvie' doesn't mean you're twelve. I know - odd. The urban dictionary defines it in two ways.

The first: Kids who think they are tough rollin' around with their friends on scooters
AND
The second: A person of the opposite sex who is noticeably younger than yourself, often twelve years old

Ok then?

I'm not fully sure why you shouldn't be a 'Twelvie', and on this basis I'm going to say that it's perfectly ok to be one despite the negative connotations that accompany the title.

4. Wear your caps the right way. All I want to do is turn them around.

5. Make sure you have the right friends. By this, I don't mean 'get in the cool crowd'. The teenage years are very influential times - I still feel like I'm influenced by the people around me today. Make sure they're good influences. Ask yourself, 'Do they care about me as much as I care about them?' If the answer is no? You know the answer.

6. Learn how to make fun of yourself. No, not in a self-harming, self-esteem hurting way. Learn to go with the jokes (but don't put up with bullying) and don't take yourself too seriously. I was forced to do this because of my inability to suppress stupid thoughts from reaching and exploding out of my mouth. A few such statements include, 'are there tides in ponds?', 'is Melbourne the capital of Adelaide?', 'does your hair change colour when you die?' Sometimes, you just have to laugh it off. I'm still laughing those ones off today. It's a shame my friends have good memories.

7. Get Facebook. If you want to be a good teenager, get every form of social media possible. If you want to be an even better one, go into your bathroom, stand in front of the mirror and get your best 'selfie face' on. This might mean resembling a duck, putting hair across your lip to make a moustache or just standing there with your eyes open wide and your eyebrows raised. Then take a picture of the mirror and post it for the world to see. Make sure the phone is visible. Why? Apparently it's 'cool'?

NOTE: Don't actually do this. Go and take a cute picture of your dog, or the beach you're holidaying at.

8. If you're a girl, buy lots of Justin Bieber and One Direction merchandise. Wear it, decorate with it, sing along to it. This will make you what is commonly known as a 'Directioner'. Enough said.

9. Get on the driving thing early! It is SO worth it. Incomparable freedom!

10. I just asked my brother for a tip for teenagers. He replied, 'Teenage boys - don't try and understand women. They are far too complex, do not waste the best years of your life trying to understand them. Instead, give up and eat lots of food.' For more tips on this issue refer to my previous post on 'Keeping Women Happy'.

NOTE: My brother has never read my blog. This was genuine advice!

I hope this helped all of my teenage readers out there, and that you could relate to it in some way. Happy Teenaging.

Written for you by TenTipsToday :)

Ten Tips For Keeping Girls Happy

Hey!

A few people have been asking me to write a 'Ten Tips for Dating' - which I'm not ruling out in the future - but for now, I decided to do something a little different. For all of you male readers out there (and the girls who will probably relate to this) here are my ten tips for keeping girls happy. What women want is a true mystery - I'm not even sure myself what we want, or what keeps us happy - but here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Never try to understand a woman. If a woman is crying, never say, "It's ok. I know how you feel." You don't, do you? If she's in a bad mood, never say "I know you're grumpy and I know it's been a hard week, but you have to put it in perspective." If you're trying to console her, don't say "I know." And don't tell her she's grumpy.
The truth is that we don't want to be understood. If we honestly wanted men to understand us, wouldn't we attempt to explain ourselves more thoroughly?

NOTE: Even though she says, "you don't understand!" and "you don't even try to understand me!" or "you'll never get it!" doesn't mean she wants you to.

2. Never use childbirth as a measure of pain in conversation with girls.
I have literally been in conversations with men who have compared the pain of rolling an ankle to that of giving birth.
This will never end well for you, even if the conversation is with someone who has never had a baby. You will probably be shunned and you certainly will not be getting any sympathy. Tell me, where's the win? Guys like sympathy. We know.

3. Always compliment girls on their make-up - but tell them that they look prettier without it. You don't think it makes sense? I promise you, it does. Like it says in tip #1, I don't really want you to understand this one, because the mystery is somewhat exciting - but for the purpose of this post, I'll attempt an explanation.

Women want to look nice - if they've gone to the effort of putting on make-up, they're making an effort to look good, and the chances are that they're secretly hoping that you'll pass them a compliment. This being said, they want you to think they're just as pretty without it. As Anne Roiphe says, "A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears." Note that this quote was written by a woman.

4. Notice hair cuts. I don't care if you have to make a mental note every time you see her and think, "is it different? Lighter? Darker? Shorter? Straighter?" Even if you're not sure, it's better to ask. What's the worst that can happen? Here's a scenario for you.

Boy: "Hey, is your hair different?" (Note the key use of 'different'. This word is flattering yet non-specific.)
Girl: "No, why?"
Boy: "Oh, no reason. It looks nice."

Either way, it ends in a compliment. You can't go wrong.

NOTE: This can be used on anything - not just haircuts.

5. Learn to love chick flicks. Be ready with suggestions.
When a girl asks you, "What do you want to watch?" she really means, "what chick flick are we going to watch tonight?" This one really isn't that hard - there's a huge range of chick flicks, many of which double up as comedies or even action movies. Did you know that Star Wars wasn't originally intended to be of Sci-Fi genre? I have a theory that no movie is a movie if it doesn't feature some form of romance. So yes boys - Lord of The Rings is a real movie.

6. Cook. There's nothing men look better in than aprons. Whether it's baked goods, dinner, breakfast or just a good sandwich, it won't go unappreciated! This is a definite opportunity to impress... there'll be extra brownie points if you clean up.

7. Flowers are flowers. Whether it's 50 or 1, it means exactly the same thing. Heres a tip: girls don't care about the quantity of flowers. It's quality, and thought that counts. So next time you're buying a bouquet of flowers as big as the NASA space station, put it back. A single rose and a note will do.

8. Keep boy conversation for boys. She doesn't want to hear about the rat that you dissected at Uni yesterday - unless she's really committed. She also doesn't want to hear about your numerous disgusting habits, what level you're up to on Call of Duty, and she definitely doesn't want to know how much you spent on that new pair of headphones last week. Especially if that amount exceeds two hundred dollars. This may or may not be influenced by personal experience.

9. Don't make fat jokes. Don't make jokes that could be interpreted as fat jokes. Don't mention the word fat around girls. Enough said.

10. All girls like an old fashioned gentleman. You know what this means boys - open the door. Even if she's the one driving, open the car door for her. Let her go first, use your manners, put the toilet seat down, don't burp in her face. It's not attractive. Men's obsession with bodily functions is something that is neither understood or respected by girls! I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you.

I hope these tips have been helpful and a bit fun. If you've got any extra tips you'd like to contribute, post it in the comments! Remember to subscribe via email if you want regular blog updates.

Written for you by TenTipsToday :)

Ten Tips for Finding Music You Love

Hey!

I have always been a music lover, whether it's playing music to myself in my room, singing at church and small events, or 'trolling' the internet for new tunes, I love engaging with music. Recently however; I've been stuck in a place where my music has become stale and old, and I'm ready for some new content - but how do we find the good stuff that we love amongst all the noise? It's hard! So here are my ten tips for finding music you love.

1. Get Spotify. I can hear the sighs, and yes - I know what you mean. Who needs more Facebook-connected platforms to clog up their newsfeed and send emails just incase you wondered if 'Polly Joined Spotify'? But it's actually this that I have learned to love. If you're familiar with Spotify, you'll know that your Facebook friends have a feed running on the right hand side of the program, notifying you of what they are listening to. Click away! You never know what your friends are into, and sometimes it can be unexpected. Once you find someone with similar taste to you, keep clicking on their songs, and see if you can find new bands that you like. 

NOTE: If you don't want people seeing what you're hearing, you can remove yourself from this feed so that no one can view your embarrassing choice of music. I only learnt this yesterday.

2. Old is not necessarily bad. Buy a record player, or borrow one from someone you know, and play some of your parents old stuff. Vinyls are beautiful things, and believe it or not, not ALL 80's music is lame. If your parents have tapes or CDs, try these out as well. 

3. Consult your siblings. If you don't have siblings, consult your cousins. Families aren't always similar, but they often are. The majority of my new music has come from my brother, who has a knack for finding new alternative kinds of music from artists I've never even heard of.

4. YouTube. YouTube is smarter than you think - if you watch a music video for an artist you love, chances are some random options will come up in the right hand side bar. Again - click away! One things leads to another, leads to another!

5. iTunes Genius! Imagine or remember this scenario - you've just bought a new album you've been dying to buy for weeks. You buy it, you close iTunes, you play the music. Hold up! When you buy the album, or even when you're on the page the album is on, take a look at the bottom of your screen and flick through the section that says, 'listeners also bought'. This is not always accurate, and I've had times where I've thought, "how on earth can people like this album and listen to this rubbish?" but often there's some great albums. iTunes also has a Single of the Week every week, which is a great way to grab new music for free and expand your taste.

6. Listen to Ads. Believe it or not, advertising agencies employ people to match ads with popular songs or jingles which are likeable and engaging for contemporary audiences and the demographics which they're advertising to. A lot of music used in ads is what I like to call 'under the surface music' - tunes that are bursting at the seams of popularity, but not quite there yet.

7. Find a site that you like which has free music. I'm not talking about illegal downloads, I'm talking about sites where new artists promote their music by giving you a free download of their EP or album. It was on a site called Noise Trade that I discovered one of my favourite artists, Matt Wertz.

8. Swap your iPod with a friend. I have to admit that I have never done this, but I have always wanted to. Probably the closest I have come to doing this was last night when my boyfriend was parked next to me, and a CD started playing in his car. Jokingly, I said, "Wow, I want your music!" To which he responded by ejecting his CD and handing it to me through the window. So either swap CDs for a month, or swap iPods - but don't steal the music. It's illegal.

9. Go to concerts with friends. This is good, because it's social as well. Even though you might not love the music, it's still an experience worth having. They don't have to be huge concerts - it might be a gig, a school or university event or local musical. You'll be amazed at what is in your local area if you really look.

10. Don't be afraid to try new things. New music will always be different to your old music - but it should be! Let it sink in, listen to it a few times before writing it off, and let it grow on you.

I wish you an evening (or morning, depending on where you are and when you read this) full of successful music searching! Feel free to comment with your favourite artists, albums and genres. Share the love!

Written for you by TenTipsToday :)

Ten Tips for Returning to Childhood

Hey!

It occurred to me the other day how we often fall in love with our childhood passions all over again when we grow up - whether it's that classic TV show you grew up with, a book your parents read to you every night that you still remember by heart, or a toy you simply couldn't part with - our childhood is something we generally love to return to. So here's my ten tips on how to fall in love with your childhood again.

1. You are never too old for Disney. Whether you grew up with it or not, Disney is one of those things that never gets old - even when you do! A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that a friend of mine had been living in the dark for his whole life, never to lay eyes on the wonder of Walt Disney. He has now been introduced to the world of 'The Lion King', 'Mulan', 'Aladdin', 'Beauty and the Beast' and countless other classics. I make it my personal goal to make sure he knows every lyric to at least one song from every Disney movie ever created. Whip out the popcorn and have a Disney marathon - I dare you.

2. Make a 'mixed tape' of your favourite childhood and preteen songs. For most of us it would actually be a CD or playlist, but 'tape' has a certain ring to it, and besides - tapes are a thing of our childhoods, are they not? If you're lazy, just make a mental list. I must admit that my 'mixed tape' or mental list would consist of nothing less than Nikki Webster's 'Strawberry Kisses', at least 4 songs from The Lion King Soundtrack, 'Hot Potato Hot Potato' by the Wiggles, some Colin Buchanan classics and most definitely 'I Love You, You Love Me' from the TV show 'Barney' - who is a large purple dinosaur. Google him, your life will be a happier place.

3. Go up to the roof (or your parents' roof) and pull out a box of your old stuffed toys. Allow me to tell you about my favourite one.

Polly, as she is known, is a rag doll who I was given the day I was born from my wonderful grandma. Polly has neither of her original eyes, none of her original limbs, her plaits have been cut off, the lace on her dress has been replaced, the back of her head has a large patch covering a hole I bit in it, and if I touch her, she will probably fall to bits.

4. Make fairy bread. Do it. Now! If you've never done it, it's not too late! White bread, loads of butter, topped with a million Hundreds and Thousands. If its your birthday, you can substitute butter for Nutella or chocolate spread.

5. Buy a tin of alphabet spaghetti and make your name with the letters. For example, if my name was Jerry I would eat 'J' then 'E' then 'R' and so on. Lots of fun. Great way to waste time.

6. Find a kids cookbook and cook one thing from page 6. I've found that page 6 always has the most random recipes. In my childhood cookbook it's a recipe for hot chocolate. No wonder I can cook...

7. Water colours are not just for children! Make a mess, make a picture. The best paints are in cheap 2 dollar stores - and they usually come with paint brushes. Just add water! Don't forget to hang your masterpiece on the fridge...

8. Make a snail garden. I don't know if you ever did this growing up, but I 'saved' snails on a regular basis, and fed them strawberries from my garden. Truth be told, my dad didn't mind me stealing the snails because they were eating the strawberries in the first place. Little did he know that I was actually the one destroying his fruit and veggie patch. Maybe don't actually take this tip - snails are slimy and disgusting (cute, but disgusting). I just wanted to take you back.

9. Make a collage. This one's actually not a joke.

When I was young, my grandma used to keep every card she was given and cut out the pictures on the front and keep them in a box. When we went to her house, it was my favourite thing to recreate cards, make pictures, and best of all, make collages on large pieces of paper. I actually still have some of them.  My suggestion is to use photos - make a photo wall.

10. Vintage gaming. What was the console of your childhood? For me it was the original Xbox. I spent hours playing 'Fusion Frenzy' and Lego Star Wars. My grandma also owned an Atari and a Nintendo 64, which was fantastic for playing Mario Kart and Donkey Kong. Jump on Ebay and see what you can find! 

I hope you enjoyed the 10 tips for returning to childhood! Let me know what you thought, and what things you do to re-visit your past.

Written for you by TenTipsToday :)

Ten Tips for Car Parking

Hey!

I'm becoming increasingly frustrated about the lack of good or cheap (when I say cheap, I mean free...) parking in the places I need to park. So to help you with your own parking frustrations, I thought I would share my top ten tips for car parking. That being said, if you have a motorbike, or a bus, or a truck... this most likely applies to you too.

1. Never pay for parking. Why? Well, where I live, free parking was given to everyone until approximately 3 years ago. When I got my licence. So now, since all on street parking is paid, I do not park in town unless it is after 4:30pm, when parking once again becomes free.
"It's only a dollar an hour," you say, "how cheap can you possibly be? Are you employed?"
Yes, I am. I'm also a believer in discipline. A child has a toy, he does something bad, you take it off him, he learns a lesson. Catch my drift?

*DISCLAIMER: This being said, if you are going to park in a paid parking zone, I would strongly encourage you to pay. But walk... it's good for you.

2. Always read signs in car parking stations. You know those multi story stations with boom gates? Don't even get me started on boom gates.
A week after I acquired my first licence, I parked in a multi story car park and after shopping, I came back and I read a sign that said "1 to 3 hours, $3.50" (I do realise that I have broken rule number 1. by paying for parking). So I got out my $3.50, and I arrived at the boom gate, with my ticket. Now surely you pay at the gate, right? Not right.
So here I am with the money in one hand and the ticket in the other, too far from the ticket machine, which has no money slot anyway. There's 3 cars behind me. At this point I can't back out and, there's a boom gate in front of me. As my boyfriend said, it was "classic." Apparently you pay somewhere else?
This resulted in security having to come and help us manoeuvre my car out so that I could pay and come back. We made the same mistake again.

3. If you go to uni, or any educational institution - never park there. University's are full of very smart people who think that tens of thousands of people can fit into 500 parking spots. Thanks goes to the Mathematics and Science faculties for that lovely contribution.

4. Learn how to reverse park. I have lots of friends who would rather park 6 blocks away than learn how to do a decent reverse park. Now understandably, if you are attempting to park between a 1900's Rolls Royce and a High-End BMW, walk 6 blocks. But for your average everyday reverse park, do it lots, get really good, have good insurance, and avoid exercise. Just kidding, walking's great. But reverse parking's fun too!

5. When you park in a big car park, don't lock the door before you get out of the car. Obvious? Maybe. But my little car, (who is called Sylvester if you're wondering) has a habit of freaking out when I lock the door, try to open it, unlock it, shut it, and lock it again. The alarm goes off and if you're as inconspicuous as I am, people will almost definitely stare at you. I'm yet to master the art of turning off this annoying alarm, which results in me frantically hitting buttons on my keys to stop it, and then walking away like nothing ever happened.

6. Don't park on speed bumps. You may forget that you did this when you go back to your car and proceed to start it, and wonder why your accelerator is suddenly doing almost nothing. In most cases, you shouldn't park on speed bumps at all... it's just that I have strange specimens near my house that go all the way across the road, often leaving me no choice in the matter. Truly weird.

7. Make note of where you park. You'll lose your car. I do this often...

8. Park near exits. Yes, these are often not near to the shop doors - but in big car parks, I've found that it is quicker to walk than to navigate a difficult car park when exiting with other cars. Cars are bigger than people... and far more restricted. Go figure?

9. Buy a hatch back! Tiny cars are GREAT for parking.

10. Last but not least - avoid parking altogether. Buy a bike.  No petrol, no insurance, no registration, no licence, no parking fees, no nothing!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment - I'd love to hear your horror stories about parking, or your biking success stories.

Written for you by TenTipsToday :)

Ten Tips About Me

Hey!

Welcome to my new blog! Before I start writing, let me give you a heads up.

I don't claim to have any kind of wisdom to impart! I'm simply someone who loves to do life, I love having stuff to share, and the big one here is that I love writing.

About me? There's not a lot that you have to know - but just so you know enough, here are my 'Ten Tips About Me'...

1. I'm a Journalism student (which probably explains my passion for writing)
2. I love to read (expect some book recommendations!)
3. I love to share stories
4. I'm a creative thinker - musically, artistically, dramatically... love it
5. Probably due to the above, I am in no way mathematical or scientific (don't expect a 'Ten Tips on Maths and Science' any time soon)
6. I'm a Mac user  (love me or hate me, I don't mind) but I have a secret love for Windows 8. So pretty and tiled...
7. I have one other blog, but it is fictional and currently dormant
8. My favourite food is chocolate
9. I have a Black Labrador. She takes me for walks
10. I currently have 22 books on my shelf and I've read all of them at least 2 times

So there's some stuff you probably didn't need to know, but now you do. Follow the blog to get updates, and I hope to be hearing from you in the comments really soon!

Happy reading...!