Monday 12 May 2014

40 Hour Famine

Nana should be just about home by now. She got here early afternoon on Friday and left about 9 o'clock this morning. Hopefully she's having a good drive - it was good to see her this weekend :) Saturday the three of us girls went into town and spent the day there, getting caught in endless bouts of rain that weren't meant to happen. Where do they teach weather forecasters? I'd like to say they need retraining.... I found the "outfit" I'll wear for the HM Rage themed BRIGHT AND TIGHT dinner; a bright yellow cardigan and a not very tight purple skirt. They go well together and I'll definitely wear them again, so well done me! I wasn't too keen on a brightly coloured second layer of skin - I don't think I'll stand out too much :)

My friend had her appendix out last weekend which means her plans for going to HM Rage and doing winter sports are completely out the window - talk about timing!!!! I think she was part of a touch team and netball team this winter, she'd normally do soccer, and she's not the sort of person who likes sitting around doing nothing. I can imagine her going nuts not being able to participate in things for the next five weeks!

I wouldn't usually use the word "bonkers" but that's the only word I find worth using when thinking about my current Biology test. Bonkers. Why do they have such out there questions, when finding the answer in the book is beyond impossible? My teachers have said to me to "just guess if you have to". However the probability of getting it right is probably 1% chance and 99% chance of making my teacher wonder what on Earth I'm on! It's going to take a little bit to work through this one....it is the second and last book in that topic, but I'm thinking I won't be doing that external unless I get it all under whack....

Meanwhile, the 40 Hour Famine is coming up, and I'm doing it! It's my first time participating, and I'm going 40 hours without internet and food. Originally I figured I'd have a low fundraising goal of just $50, but I've made that already with Mum, Nana and a friend sponsoring me :) It's going to be interesting going without food for that long. I mean, there are times (more often than not...) where I skip lunch or breakfast. But never breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch. It's gonna be weird! Mum said that normally groups of friends do it together and away from home so you don't have to watch others eat. Although I know lots of people doing it, I don't think there is a planned "get together, suffer together" group going. So I'll have to just find a few really good books; My Sister's Keeper is ready and waiting on my Kobo, and hopefully everyone else won't have yummy meals, and chocolate sitting around (how cruel would that be?!) I will not break!
     It's always a little bit mystifying why it takes people to do certain things for fundraising to happen. Do the famine and go without for a set amount of hours and raise money to help the unfortunate and starving. Shave off your hair to raise money for cancer. I'm sure there are people who go blind during the Red Puppy Appeal. Of course there are others, like "buy a cupcake for SPCA" - why not do everything on four legs for  an amount of time instead? It's all one and the same isn't it?
     It really makes me wonder why it takes people to do something relative to the charity, before others will donate? Nobody wants to donate directly to the charity, but they're happy to support somebody who goes without food for 40 hours in the name of the starving? It's pretty darn crazy, no? Another example is people only donating after being a victim, like people donating to the local rescue helicopter only after it saved their life? One day everyone decides that everyone else will donate anyway, so why bother donating at all? Yet, tomorrow will come around and it'll make them wish they'd helped raise money for that helicopter to stay in the air. Everything is just so backwards.
     Yes, I'm one of those people who may buy a poppy, or daffodil, or a pink ribbon only if I feel like it. However Red Puppy Appeal I'll donate to if I ever see a fundraising stand - I'm picky and choosy. Others may only chuck a dollar or two in if there is a possibility of winning something or they get something beneficial out of it at the time. And there are those organisations where if you donate once, they'll guilt trip you into donating again and again and again until you feel you can't get out of it. But of course, people are happy to give money away to those who are physically demonstrating what is being supported - like going hungry or losing hair. It's sad.

11 comments:

  1. My sister did the 40 hour famine one year when I had a birthday party (40 Hour Famine always seems to coincide with my birthday). It was funny as to eat in front of her. I've done 24 hour famine when I was younger and I think I did 40 hours a few years ago, but it's been a while since I've done it. Well done you for taking part!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How mean to eat in front of her! hehehe I can imagine it would've been quite funny for you :D Yep, it runs over your birthday again this year - 23-25th. I don't see why you can't do it and just miss out on all the yummy food? ;) lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. O.o Are you *trying* to kill me or something!? :P Just kidding. I could probably do a no technology famine or something, but there's not often much for me to do on my birthday because everyone works. As long as I didn't have to do a famine on reading books. I love my books far too much.

      Delete
    2. Ah, yep. Definitely!!! lol Ok, how about no reading. None, whatsoever! Which means no school, no reading - books, emails, the news....a recipe, signpost etc etc etc. Which basically means your world would've have practically ended. You may as well just go blind for the 40 hours instead to make it easier...

      Delete
    3. Might as well! :P All I'd have to do is take my glasses off.

      Delete
  3. I was going to do no talking...but I didn't think I'd be able to cope...

    ReplyDelete
  4. So cool you're doing the 40 hour famine!! Honestly it's not that hard ;) I wasn't going to do it this year but some of my siblings want to do it so I might do it as well for support ;) :) I was gonna ask why you didn't post the link to your famine profile page. *duh* Can you send me think link for it? :)

    ReplyDelete