Well there is only a few hours left of 2011. Least in my part of the world there is only a few hours left! And what a year it has been, my first year out of Avondale College after graduating December 2010, my 23rd year of life, and a year full of travel adventures, catching up with old friends not seen for a long time, meeting amazing new people and making friends that are close to my heart no matter where I am in the world. And of course seeing amazing new countries and cultures and spending time with my two gorgeous sisters, Larissa and Anna. What more could an already blessed girl ask for?
Yes, there have been some hardships this year, we live in a sinful world where there is going going to be pain and sorrow- loss of loved ones, sickness and pain, breakups and other dramas amongst friends and family, all tragic and painful. But in the end they make us appreciate the good times so much more. They make us value those friends who do stay with us through all the bad times as well as the good, who hold us up when we can no longer do it for ourselves. They make us value sunsets, the smell of beautiful flowers and the simple things in life, to take each day as it comes and simply to LIVE our life to the fullest.
That is what I set out to achieve in 2011, and with a little help from God and my beautiful friends and family I believe I managed to reach my goal. So 2011. Thanks for the laughs, the travel, the good times, the friends, the learning experiences and the love that was given and shared. All in all, despite everything, you were one HELL of an awesome year. And I want to send out a massive thanks and lots of love to those who made it so.
So here's to 2012. The supposed end of the world. But whether you believe it or not, I think it is a good reminder that we never quite know what moment is going to be our last- so make it the best year yet, and I challenge you all to get out there and LIVE your lives to the absolute fullest. Don't wait to tell someone how much you love and appreciate them in your life, NOW is the time, don't let the sun set on your anger, forgive and move on, be open to new experiences and new joys, let go of the pain of the past and lift your face to the sun and most of all, enjoy doing the things and spending time with those you love. And of course, TRAVEL. Learn from others, we have so much to teach each other, if we would just learn to open our hearts and minds and listen for once. Learn the joy of serving others and help those in need. If we all set our minds to do this- imagine how much we could change the world?? Wouldn't that be amazing?! :) Find and maintain your Kefi- your spirit of Joy, of passion. Dream big, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve exactly what you want to? Remember, nothing is impossible, especially not for those who TRY. So face the world this New Years Eve and shout your challenge, mine is BRING IT!
Happy New Year my lovelies- wherever you are in the world, I'm sending lots of love and happiness your way from a sunny land down under!
~Lelle
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Boxing day- a day shopping and chillaxing..? or of giving and service
So I was on fb, seeing all the posts of Happy Boxing Day (and Merry Christmas from all those in the States a day behind) and a friend asked me what exactly Boxing day was. It made me stop and think for a second, all I knew was what Boxing day is to us now, but where it came from and why we celebrate this holiday the day after Christmas on December 26 I knew not.
Today Boxing day means to most Australian's a day when a lot of long awaited movies make their debut, when the massive after Christmas sale's begin and there are lots of bargains to be had just waiting to be found. It means a day spent with friends and family that you may not have seen on Christmas to celebrate with them over a barbie or eating the many leftovers from the day before, or simply lazing by the pool or beach with drink in hand and enjoying the sunshine.
But what are its origins? We can imagine, that like Christmas its real meaning has been lost or changed to suit some commercial purpose. And you couldn't be more correct! Like Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth Jesus, whether you believe he is simply a prophet and man, or the saviour of the world, it matters not if we celebrate it on the right day, all that matters is that we DO. And Boxing day I believe is the same.
Boxing day is known in some places as the Day of Goodwill, and while the exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear and there are several competing theories, there are none of which are definitive. The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; where metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.
Like Christmas, it doesn't matter when you celebrate Boxing day for what it once was, a day of giving, giving to those who do not have as much as we might, in fact the more you give the more blessed I believe you will become, and the more often you help those in need, then the better. For life is never more fulfilling than when we are serving others. But how cool is it that we have a day set specifically aside to help others? It may have been lost in todays society of selfishness and wants, becoming a massive day of shopping for sales, but nevertheless it is a day, a holiday to remember those less fortunate. I challenge you and myself to remember this, plan something for next year and start a new tradition of servitude.
What better time to have a day set aside to think of others than after Christmas day? A day where we get to relish in giving to those we love most, a time spent with family and friends and the giving and receiving of gifts is sometimes paramount and where we stuff ourselves so full of good food we can barely move. Boxing day comes as a gift of itself, for us and those in need, for what is more satisfying than giving to others and not asking or expecting anything in return?
So this or next Boxing day, why not skip some of those sales and think of something you can do to help someone else instead? you may find that it is the best gift that you both gave and received that Christmas, where other presents may break, get consumed or thrown into a box in the garage and soon forgotten about, I bet that something you do for someone else with no agenda will last forever.
Happy Boxing Day
Today Boxing day means to most Australian's a day when a lot of long awaited movies make their debut, when the massive after Christmas sale's begin and there are lots of bargains to be had just waiting to be found. It means a day spent with friends and family that you may not have seen on Christmas to celebrate with them over a barbie or eating the many leftovers from the day before, or simply lazing by the pool or beach with drink in hand and enjoying the sunshine.
But what are its origins? We can imagine, that like Christmas its real meaning has been lost or changed to suit some commercial purpose. And you couldn't be more correct! Like Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth Jesus, whether you believe he is simply a prophet and man, or the saviour of the world, it matters not if we celebrate it on the right day, all that matters is that we DO. And Boxing day I believe is the same.
Boxing day is known in some places as the Day of Goodwill, and while the exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear and there are several competing theories, there are none of which are definitive. The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; where metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.
Like Christmas, it doesn't matter when you celebrate Boxing day for what it once was, a day of giving, giving to those who do not have as much as we might, in fact the more you give the more blessed I believe you will become, and the more often you help those in need, then the better. For life is never more fulfilling than when we are serving others. But how cool is it that we have a day set specifically aside to help others? It may have been lost in todays society of selfishness and wants, becoming a massive day of shopping for sales, but nevertheless it is a day, a holiday to remember those less fortunate. I challenge you and myself to remember this, plan something for next year and start a new tradition of servitude.
What better time to have a day set aside to think of others than after Christmas day? A day where we get to relish in giving to those we love most, a time spent with family and friends and the giving and receiving of gifts is sometimes paramount and where we stuff ourselves so full of good food we can barely move. Boxing day comes as a gift of itself, for us and those in need, for what is more satisfying than giving to others and not asking or expecting anything in return?
So this or next Boxing day, why not skip some of those sales and think of something you can do to help someone else instead? you may find that it is the best gift that you both gave and received that Christmas, where other presents may break, get consumed or thrown into a box in the garage and soon forgotten about, I bet that something you do for someone else with no agenda will last forever.
Happy Boxing Day
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Musings of a 24 year old
I woke up this morning to demanding phone calls and txts from two of my best friends with the order- get on skype! Very happily I complied and was greeted with a happy birthday song from Kimmy, Grace and Grace's son, the cheeky little monkey/monster, Taki (aka, my favourite little man). Afterwards I checked my phone and facebook to find many messages of love and birthday wishes, this being preceded by having many of my lovely friends that have been in my life from primary school, high school, RYLA camps and dancing friends over for a birthday dinner the other night, and I feel very loved indeed. Not to mention a call at midnight last night from my dear, darling sister in London, calls from my parents and my Erin Dear and the arrival of some beautiful flowers on my doorstep from a gorgeous friend.
Thinking back over my life, there has been many ups and downs and trials, friends made, some lost. But at the end of the day one wonders what they did to deserve so many good friends and beautiful family who have been there through it all.
This year certainly has been full of ups and downs, sad times, drama's and the most fantastic fun. But all in all it has been one hell of a good year! I have made so many more beautiful friends, got to spend some lovely quality time with both my sisters, Larissa and Anna in Europe, and have had the great pleasure to do quite a bit of traveling- my favourite activity!
As I look down the barrel at my 24th year of life, almost a quarter of a century, or as my sister says it, quarter of a life (I guess she means to live to 100 aye?) I am challenging myself to let go of the things I can't change, to remember the fantastic times I've had and the wonderful people I have met and to do my best to have the most awesome year imaginable! So here's to 2012 and my 24th year, my I learn, grow, love and laugh, remember to thank my friends who are always there for me, how much they mean to me, and of course- here's to more travel adventures! :D
I hope that you all have the most fabulous Christmas and New Year, and I send my love out to all of you all over the world! I truly have the best family and friends a girl could ask for. <3 Lelle
Thinking back over my life, there has been many ups and downs and trials, friends made, some lost. But at the end of the day one wonders what they did to deserve so many good friends and beautiful family who have been there through it all.
This year certainly has been full of ups and downs, sad times, drama's and the most fantastic fun. But all in all it has been one hell of a good year! I have made so many more beautiful friends, got to spend some lovely quality time with both my sisters, Larissa and Anna in Europe, and have had the great pleasure to do quite a bit of traveling- my favourite activity!
As I look down the barrel at my 24th year of life, almost a quarter of a century, or as my sister says it, quarter of a life (I guess she means to live to 100 aye?) I am challenging myself to let go of the things I can't change, to remember the fantastic times I've had and the wonderful people I have met and to do my best to have the most awesome year imaginable! So here's to 2012 and my 24th year, my I learn, grow, love and laugh, remember to thank my friends who are always there for me, how much they mean to me, and of course- here's to more travel adventures! :D
I hope that you all have the most fabulous Christmas and New Year, and I send my love out to all of you all over the world! I truly have the best family and friends a girl could ask for. <3 Lelle
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Aussie Jingle Bells
For those of you who wonder what kind of songs we sing for Christmas Down Under when its so hot, well in answer we still listen to white christmas and all of that, but we have one that we've changed the words to fit our summer Christmas. so enjoy the Aussie Jingle Bells.
(remember, a Ute is like a pickup truck, thongs are flip flops, an esky is an ice chest, kelpie is a farm/working dog, and to shoot through means leave)
Aussie Jingle Bells
Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It’s summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
Engine’s getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggy climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family's there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue!
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
Come the afternoon
Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
Are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go
We take a family snap
Then pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
(remember, a Ute is like a pickup truck, thongs are flip flops, an esky is an ice chest, kelpie is a farm/working dog, and to shoot through means leave)
Aussie Jingle Bells
Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It’s summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
Engine’s getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggy climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family's there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue!
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
Come the afternoon
Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
Are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go
We take a family snap
Then pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER’S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
A Season of Giving
Christmas is a wonderful time that we get to spend with family and friends, we get to eat till we're so stuffed full of good food that you just want to spend the rest of the day napping until you can fit a little bit more in, and presents. Don't forget the presents. Everyone (generalisation I know, but for arguments sake, let's stick with it) loves to get presents, and really who wouldn't? If your family is anything like mine, then you love to give gifts to those you love, just because you love them. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But this Christmas, during a time of reflection on the year gone past, a time of giving- of presents and love, to those around you, why not think further afield. Think of those who for Christmas is just another day to try and survive, the only present they can give is to go hungry themselves so their children can eat just that little bit more. And I ask you- what else can you give this Christmas, instead of going out and treating yourself to the latest game of whatever, or getting the newest such and such, look around and see if you really NEED it? There has been a photo that has been posted around facebook, a photo worth 2000s words or more i believe, and yet it only says two.
'Define Necessity'
How often do people say- oh i NEED the new whatever. Reality check is, we have everything we could need, we have food, shelter, clean water and security. Anything more is simply a want.
So this Christmas I hope that you will think of others, others who struggle to attain the things they really NEED, where their wants and needs equate to the same things. There are many ways that you can help, many projects that you can support, so much so that often people don't do anything as they don't know which to choose. My solution? Choose something that you are passionate about, something that is close to your heart. So many projects need funding, but every little bit really does help. I've put some ideas below of my favourite projects.
The Women's foundation of Nepal, I had the privilege to visit whilst I was in Nepal in 2009. The project provides shelters for women and their children who have been abused and teaches them vocational skills such as farming and weaving scarves. They also fight these cases of abuse in the court, as well as trying to change the laws in Nepal to support women. There are almost no laws in Nepal protecting women, there have been cases of men pouring burning hot oil on their wives in public and getting away without even being charged. The women who run this project, and those that it protects are all, simply put, incredible. Not only would your money go to help change laws in Nepal and help provide for the shelters, or teaching the women how to support themselves, but you will also be giving their children a chance at a future as well.
http://www.womenepal.org/
Also in Nepal, though I only just heard about this project this last year and so have not been able to visit, is Friends of Maiti Nepal, run by an amazing woman, Anuradha Koirala. You may have heard of her, she was named CNN's top 10 Hero in 2010 for her work in stopping sex trafficking. Anurandha and Maiti Nepal have saved as many as 12,000 victims. But there is many more to save, much more work yet to be done, until those running the trafficking are stopped, there will always be victims needing saving. If you want something more than just sending money off to a project you haven't seen, you can instead buy one of their products- for you or as a gift, and so still support a worthy cause.
http://friendsofmaitinepal.org/
On the same trip to Nepal, we had the honour and pleasure (though slightly heart-breaking that it was) of visiting ADRA's Keep Girls Safe project in Thailand. This project, much like Maiti Nepal, provides shelter for girls who are saved from the sex trade, or are deemed at a high risk of being sold into the sex trade. ADRA provides the girls not just shelter, but and education and vocational skills to help ensue that when they leave the shelter they are at a far less risk of being trafficked. Thailand is often overlooked today in the face of it being classified as a 'developed' country. Though it has taken great leaps forwards in the last few years, there is still much to be done in Thailand, and the sex trade and trafficking is still a disgustingly prevalent industry throughout. Unfortunately for is 'developed' status, many organisations are pulling out of Thailand and instead putting their money and time into areas that are deemed as having a greater need, leaving what is left to a few organisations who find getting funding rather difficult.
http://www.adra.org/site/PageServer?pagename=need_appeal_thailand
If these seem overwhelming, or doesn't quite grab you, as you would like to put your money into somewhere else. There is always the Oxfam shop, there are a few situated around, or you can go online and buy a goat, chicken or poo for a family somewhere in the world and the recipient will get a cute little card informing them of the gift they have given another family in need this Christmas.
I wish you all the most wonderful, fun filled, food coma inducing, family love filled Christmas this year. I also hope that maybe this Christmas you find yourself giving also to someone in need. If you do normally give something, at Christmas or other time, as I know many of my beautiful friends do, I would love to hear what projects you support!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! May 2012 be the most wonderful, happy and fulfilling year for you all.
~Lelle
But this Christmas, during a time of reflection on the year gone past, a time of giving- of presents and love, to those around you, why not think further afield. Think of those who for Christmas is just another day to try and survive, the only present they can give is to go hungry themselves so their children can eat just that little bit more. And I ask you- what else can you give this Christmas, instead of going out and treating yourself to the latest game of whatever, or getting the newest such and such, look around and see if you really NEED it? There has been a photo that has been posted around facebook, a photo worth 2000s words or more i believe, and yet it only says two.
'Define Necessity'
How often do people say- oh i NEED the new whatever. Reality check is, we have everything we could need, we have food, shelter, clean water and security. Anything more is simply a want.
So this Christmas I hope that you will think of others, others who struggle to attain the things they really NEED, where their wants and needs equate to the same things. There are many ways that you can help, many projects that you can support, so much so that often people don't do anything as they don't know which to choose. My solution? Choose something that you are passionate about, something that is close to your heart. So many projects need funding, but every little bit really does help. I've put some ideas below of my favourite projects.
The Women's foundation of Nepal, I had the privilege to visit whilst I was in Nepal in 2009. The project provides shelters for women and their children who have been abused and teaches them vocational skills such as farming and weaving scarves. They also fight these cases of abuse in the court, as well as trying to change the laws in Nepal to support women. There are almost no laws in Nepal protecting women, there have been cases of men pouring burning hot oil on their wives in public and getting away without even being charged. The women who run this project, and those that it protects are all, simply put, incredible. Not only would your money go to help change laws in Nepal and help provide for the shelters, or teaching the women how to support themselves, but you will also be giving their children a chance at a future as well.
http://www.womenepal.org/
Also in Nepal, though I only just heard about this project this last year and so have not been able to visit, is Friends of Maiti Nepal, run by an amazing woman, Anuradha Koirala. You may have heard of her, she was named CNN's top 10 Hero in 2010 for her work in stopping sex trafficking. Anurandha and Maiti Nepal have saved as many as 12,000 victims. But there is many more to save, much more work yet to be done, until those running the trafficking are stopped, there will always be victims needing saving. If you want something more than just sending money off to a project you haven't seen, you can instead buy one of their products- for you or as a gift, and so still support a worthy cause.
http://friendsofmaitinepal.org/
On the same trip to Nepal, we had the honour and pleasure (though slightly heart-breaking that it was) of visiting ADRA's Keep Girls Safe project in Thailand. This project, much like Maiti Nepal, provides shelter for girls who are saved from the sex trade, or are deemed at a high risk of being sold into the sex trade. ADRA provides the girls not just shelter, but and education and vocational skills to help ensue that when they leave the shelter they are at a far less risk of being trafficked. Thailand is often overlooked today in the face of it being classified as a 'developed' country. Though it has taken great leaps forwards in the last few years, there is still much to be done in Thailand, and the sex trade and trafficking is still a disgustingly prevalent industry throughout. Unfortunately for is 'developed' status, many organisations are pulling out of Thailand and instead putting their money and time into areas that are deemed as having a greater need, leaving what is left to a few organisations who find getting funding rather difficult.
http://www.adra.org/site/PageServer?pagename=need_appeal_thailand
If these seem overwhelming, or doesn't quite grab you, as you would like to put your money into somewhere else. There is always the Oxfam shop, there are a few situated around, or you can go online and buy a goat, chicken or poo for a family somewhere in the world and the recipient will get a cute little card informing them of the gift they have given another family in need this Christmas.
I wish you all the most wonderful, fun filled, food coma inducing, family love filled Christmas this year. I also hope that maybe this Christmas you find yourself giving also to someone in need. If you do normally give something, at Christmas or other time, as I know many of my beautiful friends do, I would love to hear what projects you support!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! May 2012 be the most wonderful, happy and fulfilling year for you all.
~Lelle
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
For a want to serve
There has been a lot on my mind lately (in case you hadn’t gathered that fact already I just thought I would point out the obvious), and most of that pertains to a sense of restlessness that is quite common enough for me, especially when I am in my beautiful hometown of Perth. (No, that wasn’t sarcastic, it is beautiful and I do love it, but as previously stated, this gypsy also has a love of the world and wants to see as much of it as possible, and when better to do this but when one is young and single with no ties I say?) Along with this restlessness to keep it company comes an anxiety and a certain amount of dissatisfaction.
We live in a world, and in a generation where everything is at our fingertips. We have become a society of instant gratification. We want whatever it is that will make our lives easier, or what is perceived that will make it more fun, or simply because everyone else has it, we want it too — we want to keep up with the Joneses.
I too often, to my own distain, find myself caught up in this world. I want something and I want it now. Don’t get me wrong, I was raised in the Aussie culture of work hard, play hard. Where I was taught early from those around me, specifically my parents, of working towards something you want and the satisfaction that comes when you have saved hard for something you want and can finally afford it. Nor am I saying that we should give up those things that we have worked hard to attain. Not at all, if you have worked hard for something then I believe you should enjoy it and the pleasures that it affords you.
What I think is that too often we are caught up in selfishness. Too often all we can think about is what we want, and we want the things we want to be easy. If something is too hard, we often give up, oft forgetting that the hardest things are often the most rewarding. Or on the opposite note, if we desperately want something we often overlook the pain it may cause us or others to acquire it. We are a self-centered generation.
Lately I have been rather obsessed with the Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Quite frankly I can’t get enough of them and keep reading them over and over. I think why I can’t get enough is that I see the rather bleak world that Suzanne has so skillfully painted and in it I see a mirror, a murky mirror where somethings are distorted, but a mirror nonetheless of our world today. A world where a minority gets to live in wealth and splendor, never wanting for anything, whose lives are caught up in a silly tirade of parties and fashions and lacking in all forms of substance and reality. Where for these people to live in this world, they essentially prey off the majority who live in poverty and a constant fight for survival.
Something else I haven’t been able to get off my mind lately is the movie In Time that was recently released (fantastic if you haven’t seen it yet- do!). In this movie a character makes a comment, ‘for a few to live forever, many must die young.’ To which the reply by the main character was, ‘No-one should live forever if even just one innocent person has to die before their time.’ This struck me as rather profound. How is it not true that we are not currently living that way already?
For a few of us to live in wealth, many must live in poverty. For a few of us to live in comfort and have long lives, many must fight to survive everyday, never knowing which may be their last. This world that we live on cannot support all of us to the level of living for which we aspire.
There is nothing wrong with wanting more, rather it is through this that we gain so many new inventions and better ways of living.
But, is it right that we succeed and live long, healthy lives and have all we could want and more, when others are barely able to exist from one day to the next? It is not good enough, we all need to get off our couches, you and me both and DO something. It doesn’t matter what, every little bit counts. Read about the issues of today, sign a petition, donate some money to a worthy cause, sponsor a child, whatever it is that your bank account can sustain (and being a poor student, and recently poor traveler I understand that it is often hard to commit to giving any amount of money), but there are other ways to help. Even if it is just reading about things and staying abreast of worldwide issues. This world is dying and it is all because of our generation’s ignorance and selfishness.
It was funny, the other day I was in a suburb of Perth called Gooseberry Hill for a birthday dinner, and I noticed a sign that stated people could bring their dogs to have a photo with santa on the coming Sunday. I couldn’t help but look at it in incredulity. How many kids go without, who DIE for the lack of a 2cent immunisation, and yet people would more willingly pay to have a photo of their dog with santa on the mantlepiece that to give that money to help others?
The world is changing, we are seeing a new era come in, and no-one really knows that this era will bring. The world is changing...and it is time that we changed accordingly.
We live in a world, and in a generation where everything is at our fingertips. We have become a society of instant gratification. We want whatever it is that will make our lives easier, or what is perceived that will make it more fun, or simply because everyone else has it, we want it too — we want to keep up with the Joneses.
I too often, to my own distain, find myself caught up in this world. I want something and I want it now. Don’t get me wrong, I was raised in the Aussie culture of work hard, play hard. Where I was taught early from those around me, specifically my parents, of working towards something you want and the satisfaction that comes when you have saved hard for something you want and can finally afford it. Nor am I saying that we should give up those things that we have worked hard to attain. Not at all, if you have worked hard for something then I believe you should enjoy it and the pleasures that it affords you.
What I think is that too often we are caught up in selfishness. Too often all we can think about is what we want, and we want the things we want to be easy. If something is too hard, we often give up, oft forgetting that the hardest things are often the most rewarding. Or on the opposite note, if we desperately want something we often overlook the pain it may cause us or others to acquire it. We are a self-centered generation.
Lately I have been rather obsessed with the Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Quite frankly I can’t get enough of them and keep reading them over and over. I think why I can’t get enough is that I see the rather bleak world that Suzanne has so skillfully painted and in it I see a mirror, a murky mirror where somethings are distorted, but a mirror nonetheless of our world today. A world where a minority gets to live in wealth and splendor, never wanting for anything, whose lives are caught up in a silly tirade of parties and fashions and lacking in all forms of substance and reality. Where for these people to live in this world, they essentially prey off the majority who live in poverty and a constant fight for survival.
Something else I haven’t been able to get off my mind lately is the movie In Time that was recently released (fantastic if you haven’t seen it yet- do!). In this movie a character makes a comment, ‘for a few to live forever, many must die young.’ To which the reply by the main character was, ‘No-one should live forever if even just one innocent person has to die before their time.’ This struck me as rather profound. How is it not true that we are not currently living that way already?
For a few of us to live in wealth, many must live in poverty. For a few of us to live in comfort and have long lives, many must fight to survive everyday, never knowing which may be their last. This world that we live on cannot support all of us to the level of living for which we aspire.
There is nothing wrong with wanting more, rather it is through this that we gain so many new inventions and better ways of living.
But, is it right that we succeed and live long, healthy lives and have all we could want and more, when others are barely able to exist from one day to the next? It is not good enough, we all need to get off our couches, you and me both and DO something. It doesn’t matter what, every little bit counts. Read about the issues of today, sign a petition, donate some money to a worthy cause, sponsor a child, whatever it is that your bank account can sustain (and being a poor student, and recently poor traveler I understand that it is often hard to commit to giving any amount of money), but there are other ways to help. Even if it is just reading about things and staying abreast of worldwide issues. This world is dying and it is all because of our generation’s ignorance and selfishness.
It was funny, the other day I was in a suburb of Perth called Gooseberry Hill for a birthday dinner, and I noticed a sign that stated people could bring their dogs to have a photo with santa on the coming Sunday. I couldn’t help but look at it in incredulity. How many kids go without, who DIE for the lack of a 2cent immunisation, and yet people would more willingly pay to have a photo of their dog with santa on the mantlepiece that to give that money to help others?
The world is changing, we are seeing a new era come in, and no-one really knows that this era will bring. The world is changing...and it is time that we changed accordingly.
Monday, December 12, 2011
For the want of a roadtrip adventure
So this is just a plan, that I hope will come to fruition- but as it has been a plan of something I would like to do for a long time, I'm not saying anything is set in stone, as my plans have a habit of changing frequently! BUT, it WOULD be awesome if it was to happen. :) just saying.
Where is the roadtrip to you may wonder? Well keeping with the latest theme of a love for Australia, and specifying that to a love of my state- West Aus, the trip I am proposing, is to start out from Perth, in a cold, windy, rainy depressing part of the year (between June-August sometime), and head north, that's right, to the beautiful, sunny (did i mention dry season) north. Where beautiful beaches and sunny, warm days reign in the winter.
Proposed stops along the way consist of, Monkey Mia, Coral Bay - for a day or two or three of snorkelling/scuba diving on the Ningaloo reef, then on to Broome, for more beach time- think cricket, rugby, footie on the beach with a bonfire, toasted sandwiches, watermelon, marshmallows and spotto (spotlight, and if you don't know what that is, then you have had a poor deprived childhood) in the sand-dunes, the famous sunset cinema's, the best ice cream I have ever tasted, and just time to chill, relax and unwind.
so keep it in mind, think about it, check out the following photos and movies to help you decide and if it does start to come to some kind of fruition, this dream roadtrip of mine that has been on my mind for an odd 6/7 years I will let you know! :D
movies to watch-
Australia
Bran Nue Dae (seriously a good movie)
the above two are set in or near the areas the proposed roadtrip is planned. but if you want some other good aussie films to watch I have listed the ones I consider to be the best for your enjoyment. :)
Tomorrow When the War Began (if you haven't seen this or read the books- seriously you don't know what you are missing out on!!!)
The Castle (a classic showing of aussie crazy sense of humour, can be a bit to sit through if your not used to it...)
The Dish
Rabbit Proof Fence
Gallipoli
(these last three are all based on true events, as Australia (the movie) is as well. They therefore can be a little heartbreaking and you may want a box of tissues, some chocolate and maybe even someone to cuddle whilst viewing these ones. (The Dish is not so much in the way of heartbreaking, but the other three are pretty epic at times) But they are very informative on events that you may not have heard of if you are not Australian.
enjoy!
so who wants to join me on a trip to paradise? :D
Where is the roadtrip to you may wonder? Well keeping with the latest theme of a love for Australia, and specifying that to a love of my state- West Aus, the trip I am proposing, is to start out from Perth, in a cold, windy, rainy depressing part of the year (between June-August sometime), and head north, that's right, to the beautiful, sunny (did i mention dry season) north. Where beautiful beaches and sunny, warm days reign in the winter.
Proposed stops along the way consist of, Monkey Mia, Coral Bay - for a day or two or three of snorkelling/scuba diving on the Ningaloo reef, then on to Broome, for more beach time- think cricket, rugby, footie on the beach with a bonfire, toasted sandwiches, watermelon, marshmallows and spotto (spotlight, and if you don't know what that is, then you have had a poor deprived childhood) in the sand-dunes, the famous sunset cinema's, the best ice cream I have ever tasted, and just time to chill, relax and unwind.
so keep it in mind, think about it, check out the following photos and movies to help you decide and if it does start to come to some kind of fruition, this dream roadtrip of mine that has been on my mind for an odd 6/7 years I will let you know! :D
movies to watch-
Australia
Bran Nue Dae (seriously a good movie)
the above two are set in or near the areas the proposed roadtrip is planned. but if you want some other good aussie films to watch I have listed the ones I consider to be the best for your enjoyment. :)
Tomorrow When the War Began (if you haven't seen this or read the books- seriously you don't know what you are missing out on!!!)
The Castle (a classic showing of aussie crazy sense of humour, can be a bit to sit through if your not used to it...)
The Dish
Rabbit Proof Fence
Gallipoli
(these last three are all based on true events, as Australia (the movie) is as well. They therefore can be a little heartbreaking and you may want a box of tissues, some chocolate and maybe even someone to cuddle whilst viewing these ones. (The Dish is not so much in the way of heartbreaking, but the other three are pretty epic at times) But they are very informative on events that you may not have heard of if you are not Australian.
enjoy!
so who wants to join me on a trip to paradise? :D
For a love of Australia- Coffee, Cricket, Batmania and why Jesus was an aussie
A how to guide for ordering coffee Down Under
For those of you who have grown up in other areas of the world ordering a coffee in Australia can be quite confusing, as I myself have found when traveling to other parts of the world- specifically in America where I had to explain what a Mocha was (you know chocolate and coffee, as although they spell it the same, our pronunciation is rather different- think of the O’s used in dock, mock and lock and that is how we pronounce it, like ‘mocka’). Or in rural France, Mulhouse where I had a few hours to kill waiting for my German sister Anna and inadvertently ordered five shots of expresso...I can tell you I was fairly pinging for the rest of the day, right up to when Anna came and the fatigue set in. But back to Aus, we have such things as Affogato’s (black coffee with a scoop of ice cream), Vienna’s (black or white that consist of cream on the top) Cappuccinos (strong coffee with lots of frothy milk), Latte’s (similar to caps, but with less expresso and froth), Macchiato’s (a shot of expresso with a dash of milk), Expresso (simply put, a shot of coffee), Flat White’s (a white coffee, similar to a cap but with only a slight film of froth on the top) and of course Long and Short Blacks (self explanatory i think). Some have discovered the hilarity that we take for granted and generally don’t think twice about it till it is pointed out to us by others. “It appeared that you had to specify a length (principally long or short), a colour (black or white) and even an angle of orientation to the perpendicular (flat or not), and these could be put together in a multitude of permutations” (Bill Bryson)
Here follows the best description of the game of cricket that I have ever read. Kudos to Bill Bryson once again!
“After years of patient study (and with cricket there can be no other kind) I have decided that there is nothing wrong with the game that the introduction of golf carts wouldn’t fix in a hurry. It is not true that the English invented cricket as a awy of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. I don’t wish to denigrate a sport that is enjoyed by millions, some of them awake and facing the right way, but it is an odd game. It is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as players (more if they are moderately restless). It is the only competitive activity of any type, other than perhaps baking, in which you can dress in white from head to toe and be as clean at the end of the day as you were at the beginning. Imagine a form of baseball in which the pitcher, after each delivery, collects the ball from the catcher and walks slowly with it out to centre field; and that there, after a minute’s pause to collect himself, he turns and runs full tilt towards the pitcher’s mound before hurling the ball at the ankles of a man who stands before him wearing a riding hat, heavy gloves of the sort used to handle radioactive isotopes, and a mattress strapped to each leg. Imagine moreover that if this batsman fails to hit the ball in a way that heartens him sufficiently to waddle sixty feet with mattresses strapped to his legs he is under no formal compulsion to run; he may stand there all day, and, as a rule, does. if by some miracle he is coaxed into making a misstroke that leads to his being put out, all the infielders throw up their arms in triumph and have a hug. Then tea is called and everyone retires happily to a distant pavilion to fortify for the next siege. Now imagine all this going on for so long that by the time the match concludes autumn has crept in and all your library books are overdue. There you have cricket.”
A Town Named "Batmania"
At least that is what it used to be called. When first settled in 1835 the area around the Yarra River region of Victoria was named after one of it's first settlers, John Batman. Between the years 1835 and 1837 the area was also known as Bearbrass, Bareport, Bareheap, Barehurp and Bareberp. In March of 1937, the town was officially named in honour of the British Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. The later mining boom in the areas around Melbourne resulted in the town growing rapidly. At the time of the country's federation in 1901 the Federal capital was situated in Melbourne until it could be relocated to new parliamentary headquarters which were to be built at Canberra. The Canberra construction was not completed until 1927, so for 26 years Melbourne was the capital of Australia. Personally, I think "Batmania" would make a great name for a capital city.
Some may find this offensive — especially if you are not an Aussie, but I think its a good example of the screwed sense of humour that the Good Lord blessed those of us fortunate to live Down Under with. So enjoy. :)
Why Jesus Was an Aussie
* He wore thongs (Aussies call flip flops thongs fyi)
* He was a chippy (carpenter), who like all good union members didn't work on weekends.
* His favourite past times were fishing, camping, going 4-wheel donkeying, and most of his mates were fishermen.
* His mates all had nicknames: The Rock, The Doubter, Simon Peter, The Baptist etc.
* The only time he went to church as a young bloke he got into a fight.
* He was a champion surfer - he was almost as good as if he could walk on water.
* He did a mean barbie, 5000 people rock up, no wuckers, throw a few fresh caught fish on the barbie, some buns and a bit of mum's potato salad (it's in the Gospel of Thomas, trust me) and bob's your uncle.
* No one is exactly sure where he was earning his quid from but he had a mate in the tax office so it was all sweet.
* And to top it all off, he turned water into alcohol and so founded the tradition of Aussie home brew.
For those of you who have grown up in other areas of the world ordering a coffee in Australia can be quite confusing, as I myself have found when traveling to other parts of the world- specifically in America where I had to explain what a Mocha was (you know chocolate and coffee, as although they spell it the same, our pronunciation is rather different- think of the O’s used in dock, mock and lock and that is how we pronounce it, like ‘mocka’). Or in rural France, Mulhouse where I had a few hours to kill waiting for my German sister Anna and inadvertently ordered five shots of expresso...I can tell you I was fairly pinging for the rest of the day, right up to when Anna came and the fatigue set in. But back to Aus, we have such things as Affogato’s (black coffee with a scoop of ice cream), Vienna’s (black or white that consist of cream on the top) Cappuccinos (strong coffee with lots of frothy milk), Latte’s (similar to caps, but with less expresso and froth), Macchiato’s (a shot of expresso with a dash of milk), Expresso (simply put, a shot of coffee), Flat White’s (a white coffee, similar to a cap but with only a slight film of froth on the top) and of course Long and Short Blacks (self explanatory i think). Some have discovered the hilarity that we take for granted and generally don’t think twice about it till it is pointed out to us by others. “It appeared that you had to specify a length (principally long or short), a colour (black or white) and even an angle of orientation to the perpendicular (flat or not), and these could be put together in a multitude of permutations” (Bill Bryson)
Here follows the best description of the game of cricket that I have ever read. Kudos to Bill Bryson once again!
“After years of patient study (and with cricket there can be no other kind) I have decided that there is nothing wrong with the game that the introduction of golf carts wouldn’t fix in a hurry. It is not true that the English invented cricket as a awy of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. I don’t wish to denigrate a sport that is enjoyed by millions, some of them awake and facing the right way, but it is an odd game. It is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as players (more if they are moderately restless). It is the only competitive activity of any type, other than perhaps baking, in which you can dress in white from head to toe and be as clean at the end of the day as you were at the beginning. Imagine a form of baseball in which the pitcher, after each delivery, collects the ball from the catcher and walks slowly with it out to centre field; and that there, after a minute’s pause to collect himself, he turns and runs full tilt towards the pitcher’s mound before hurling the ball at the ankles of a man who stands before him wearing a riding hat, heavy gloves of the sort used to handle radioactive isotopes, and a mattress strapped to each leg. Imagine moreover that if this batsman fails to hit the ball in a way that heartens him sufficiently to waddle sixty feet with mattresses strapped to his legs he is under no formal compulsion to run; he may stand there all day, and, as a rule, does. if by some miracle he is coaxed into making a misstroke that leads to his being put out, all the infielders throw up their arms in triumph and have a hug. Then tea is called and everyone retires happily to a distant pavilion to fortify for the next siege. Now imagine all this going on for so long that by the time the match concludes autumn has crept in and all your library books are overdue. There you have cricket.”
A Town Named "Batmania"
At least that is what it used to be called. When first settled in 1835 the area around the Yarra River region of Victoria was named after one of it's first settlers, John Batman. Between the years 1835 and 1837 the area was also known as Bearbrass, Bareport, Bareheap, Barehurp and Bareberp. In March of 1937, the town was officially named in honour of the British Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. The later mining boom in the areas around Melbourne resulted in the town growing rapidly. At the time of the country's federation in 1901 the Federal capital was situated in Melbourne until it could be relocated to new parliamentary headquarters which were to be built at Canberra. The Canberra construction was not completed until 1927, so for 26 years Melbourne was the capital of Australia. Personally, I think "Batmania" would make a great name for a capital city.
Some may find this offensive — especially if you are not an Aussie, but I think its a good example of the screwed sense of humour that the Good Lord blessed those of us fortunate to live Down Under with. So enjoy. :)
Why Jesus Was an Aussie
* He wore thongs (Aussies call flip flops thongs fyi)
* He was a chippy (carpenter), who like all good union members didn't work on weekends.
* His favourite past times were fishing, camping, going 4-wheel donkeying, and most of his mates were fishermen.
* His mates all had nicknames: The Rock, The Doubter, Simon Peter, The Baptist etc.
* The only time he went to church as a young bloke he got into a fight.
* He was a champion surfer - he was almost as good as if he could walk on water.
* He did a mean barbie, 5000 people rock up, no wuckers, throw a few fresh caught fish on the barbie, some buns and a bit of mum's potato salad (it's in the Gospel of Thomas, trust me) and bob's your uncle.
* No one is exactly sure where he was earning his quid from but he had a mate in the tax office so it was all sweet.
* And to top it all off, he turned water into alcohol and so founded the tradition of Aussie home brew.
For a love of Australia- fun Aussie facts
Australia is the world’s sixth largest country and its largest island. It is the only island that is also a continent, and the only continent that is also a country. It was the first continent conquered from the sea, and the last. It is the only nation that began as a prison. It is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the great barrier reef, and the most famous and striking monolith, Uluru. It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world 10 most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures — the funnel-web spider, box jellyfish, blue ringed octopus, paralysis tick and stonefish — are the most lethal of their type in the world. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents (rips) of left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. Its a tough place.
Its creatures seemed to have evolved as if they had misread the manual. The most characteristic of them doesn’t run or lope or canter, but bounces across the landscape. 80% of all that lives in Australia, plant and animal, exists nowhere else. More than this it exists in an abundance that seems incompatible with the harshness of the environment. Australia is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents, only Antarctica is more hostile to life. This is a place so inert that even the soil is, technically speaking, a fossil.
A nuclear bomb went off in outback WA, near Banjawarn Station in the Great Victorian Desert, and no-one knew for over four years. The tremor registered on seismic equipment, and a few people (truckies and the like) reported seeing a sudden flash in the sky and hearing or feeling the boom of a mighty but far off explosion. The shock was consistent with a large meteorite strike, but no crater could be found. It was puzzled over for a day or two and then filed away as an unexplained curiosity. Then in 1995 Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese ‘doomsday cult’ was discovered, after a terrorist attack on Tokyo underground to have a 500,000 acre desert property in WA very near the site of the ‘mysterious event.’ There they found a laboratory complete with nuclear engineers. Apparently the group’s avowed aim was destruction of the world, and the bomb in the desert was a dry run for Tokyo.
We lost a Prime Minister. in 1967, Harold Holt He went for a walk on the beach one day in Victoria when he apparently plunged into the surf and simply vanished. No trace of him was ever found again. There is a memorial built in Melbourne for our lost PM...true to Aussie style — its a swimming pool.
The Bungle Bungles in the north-west area called the Kimberley’s are an isolated sandstone massif where aeons of harsh, dry winds have carved the landscape into weird shapes — spindly pinnacles, acres of plump domes, wave walls. The whole extends to about a thousand square miles, yet were not generally known of until the 1980s.
The Simpson Desert, an area bigger than some European countries, was named in 1932 after a manufacturer of washing machines. Alfred Simpson, who funded an aerial survey. Only in Australia can an expanse of 100,00 miles square be unnamed until 70 years ago.
(stolen from Bill Bryson’s Down Under. great book, if you are planning a trip to the Land of Oz anytime in the future, or you simply want a good read, I can’t express enough how good of a read this is!! For an outsider he captures our sense of humour and has an understanding of our culture that is exceptional and quite funny coming from an American!)
The Anna Creek cattle station in the South Australian Outback is by far the largest working cattle station (ranch) in the world. It covers a huge area of some 34,000 square kilometres. This makes the station bigger than the country of Belgium. By comparison, the largest ranch in the USA is around 6,000 square kilometres. The station has a carrying capacity of 16,000 head of cattle.
Population density in Australia is usually calculated in km2 per person, not people per km2.
It was estimated in 2007 that 22 per cent of Australians had a convict ancestor.
If you thought Australia was an island nation, you would be incorrect. The Principality of Hutt River is Australia’s “second largest country” formed when Leonard Casley, appalled by new government quotas on wheat production, seceded from the Commonwealth in 1970. The principality has around 13,000 citizens and is constitutionally valid. It has a post office and gift shop and welcomes visitors. You don’t need a passport to visit.
Temperatures in the desert areas have been recorded above 51 C (123 F) and at the other extreme the mountain snowfields have been as low as -23 F (-9 F). Australia is considered to be the driest continent with more than 70% of the land mass receiving less than 500mm (20 inches) of rain per year. The largest desert, the "Great Victoria Desert" is one and a half times the size of the UK
Australia's greatest folk hero was a bushranger named Ned Kelly who was finally captured at Glenrowan, Victoria, and hanged at the Melbourne Gaol (jail) on the 11th November 1880 where his last words were "Such is life"....
Australians often use opposites to describe people like a redhead is called "Blue" or "Bluey", a bald bloke will be called "Curly", a tall man will be called "Shorty", a silent fella will be nicknamed "Rowdy' and bastard, bitch, chicken, chook (a mature chicken) and possum are often used as a terms of endearment.
Besides Athens in Greece the largest Greek population in the world can be found in Melbourne, Victoria.
It's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to hold. (how true!)
In Australia, we have a range of strange creatures, from cute to weird to plain deadly, for example a platypus is an odd-looking creature that appears to be a cross between a duck and a beaver with reptilian qualities (they lay eggs) and also mammalian ones. They live primarily in water and appear only to exist to confuse biologists. The Salt Water Crocodile on another scale, is the worlds largest reptile. They normally grow to around 4 metres in length but have been recorded up to 7 metres (23 feet). Australia’s spiders are extravagantly toxic; capturing small insects and injecting them with enough poison to drop a horse would appear to be the most literal case of overkill, but no-one knows why they have evolved with this ability. And of course, Australia is home to the most deadliest creature on earth- the box jellyfish. The tentacles of a box jellyfish carry enough wallop to kill a roomful of people, yet they live exclusively on tiny krill-like shrimp — creatures that hardly require a great deal of violent subduing.
So whose coming to visit? :)
Its creatures seemed to have evolved as if they had misread the manual. The most characteristic of them doesn’t run or lope or canter, but bounces across the landscape. 80% of all that lives in Australia, plant and animal, exists nowhere else. More than this it exists in an abundance that seems incompatible with the harshness of the environment. Australia is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents, only Antarctica is more hostile to life. This is a place so inert that even the soil is, technically speaking, a fossil.
A nuclear bomb went off in outback WA, near Banjawarn Station in the Great Victorian Desert, and no-one knew for over four years. The tremor registered on seismic equipment, and a few people (truckies and the like) reported seeing a sudden flash in the sky and hearing or feeling the boom of a mighty but far off explosion. The shock was consistent with a large meteorite strike, but no crater could be found. It was puzzled over for a day or two and then filed away as an unexplained curiosity. Then in 1995 Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese ‘doomsday cult’ was discovered, after a terrorist attack on Tokyo underground to have a 500,000 acre desert property in WA very near the site of the ‘mysterious event.’ There they found a laboratory complete with nuclear engineers. Apparently the group’s avowed aim was destruction of the world, and the bomb in the desert was a dry run for Tokyo.
We lost a Prime Minister. in 1967, Harold Holt He went for a walk on the beach one day in Victoria when he apparently plunged into the surf and simply vanished. No trace of him was ever found again. There is a memorial built in Melbourne for our lost PM...true to Aussie style — its a swimming pool.
The Bungle Bungles in the north-west area called the Kimberley’s are an isolated sandstone massif where aeons of harsh, dry winds have carved the landscape into weird shapes — spindly pinnacles, acres of plump domes, wave walls. The whole extends to about a thousand square miles, yet were not generally known of until the 1980s.
The Simpson Desert, an area bigger than some European countries, was named in 1932 after a manufacturer of washing machines. Alfred Simpson, who funded an aerial survey. Only in Australia can an expanse of 100,00 miles square be unnamed until 70 years ago.
(stolen from Bill Bryson’s Down Under. great book, if you are planning a trip to the Land of Oz anytime in the future, or you simply want a good read, I can’t express enough how good of a read this is!! For an outsider he captures our sense of humour and has an understanding of our culture that is exceptional and quite funny coming from an American!)
The Anna Creek cattle station in the South Australian Outback is by far the largest working cattle station (ranch) in the world. It covers a huge area of some 34,000 square kilometres. This makes the station bigger than the country of Belgium. By comparison, the largest ranch in the USA is around 6,000 square kilometres. The station has a carrying capacity of 16,000 head of cattle.
Population density in Australia is usually calculated in km2 per person, not people per km2.
It was estimated in 2007 that 22 per cent of Australians had a convict ancestor.
If you thought Australia was an island nation, you would be incorrect. The Principality of Hutt River is Australia’s “second largest country” formed when Leonard Casley, appalled by new government quotas on wheat production, seceded from the Commonwealth in 1970. The principality has around 13,000 citizens and is constitutionally valid. It has a post office and gift shop and welcomes visitors. You don’t need a passport to visit.
Temperatures in the desert areas have been recorded above 51 C (123 F) and at the other extreme the mountain snowfields have been as low as -23 F (-9 F). Australia is considered to be the driest continent with more than 70% of the land mass receiving less than 500mm (20 inches) of rain per year. The largest desert, the "Great Victoria Desert" is one and a half times the size of the UK
Australia's greatest folk hero was a bushranger named Ned Kelly who was finally captured at Glenrowan, Victoria, and hanged at the Melbourne Gaol (jail) on the 11th November 1880 where his last words were "Such is life"....
Australians often use opposites to describe people like a redhead is called "Blue" or "Bluey", a bald bloke will be called "Curly", a tall man will be called "Shorty", a silent fella will be nicknamed "Rowdy' and bastard, bitch, chicken, chook (a mature chicken) and possum are often used as a terms of endearment.
Besides Athens in Greece the largest Greek population in the world can be found in Melbourne, Victoria.
It's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to hold. (how true!)
In Australia, we have a range of strange creatures, from cute to weird to plain deadly, for example a platypus is an odd-looking creature that appears to be a cross between a duck and a beaver with reptilian qualities (they lay eggs) and also mammalian ones. They live primarily in water and appear only to exist to confuse biologists. The Salt Water Crocodile on another scale, is the worlds largest reptile. They normally grow to around 4 metres in length but have been recorded up to 7 metres (23 feet). Australia’s spiders are extravagantly toxic; capturing small insects and injecting them with enough poison to drop a horse would appear to be the most literal case of overkill, but no-one knows why they have evolved with this ability. And of course, Australia is home to the most deadliest creature on earth- the box jellyfish. The tentacles of a box jellyfish carry enough wallop to kill a roomful of people, yet they live exclusively on tiny krill-like shrimp — creatures that hardly require a great deal of violent subduing.
So whose coming to visit? :)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
(For the Americans) For a love of Aussie Slang
While I was in the States I was often asked what words mean or how we said a particular word in 'Australian' or to teach them some slang. Well here it is guys! For your future reference and enjoyment. :)
AFL: Aussie rules football league
Ankle biter: small child
Arvo: afternoon
Aussie salute: waving away flies with the hand
Bag (something): to mock
Barbie: BBQ
Barrack: to cheer support
Bathers: swimsuit
Beaut: beauty, great, fantastic (often used as ‘you beaut!’)
Big Smoke: the city
Bikkie: Biscuit (cookie)
Billabong: waterhole in the bush, often dry in summer
Billy: large tin can used to boil tea water over a campfire
Bloody: very, used a bit as an exclamation mark
Bludger: lazy person who doesn’t like to work
Boardies: board shorts
Bogan: bit of a 'hick' country bumpkin type person
Boofhead: funny lovable ‘idiot’
Bottle-o: liquor store
Bugger: ‘what a shame’ or something broken can be buggared, also used for very tired. Bugger off means go away. Someone you feel sorry for is a poor bugger.
Bull bar/Roo bar: steel bar on the front of a vehicle to protect from hitting kangaroos.
Bush bashing: off-roading, 4wheel driving.
Cark it: to die
Chuck a sickie: take a day off from work with the excuse of ‘being sick’
Crook: sick
Cuppa: cup of tea, or other form of hot drink
Cut sick: go for it
Dag: a funny person
Daggy: unstylish
Daks: pants, trousers ‘to dak someone’ means to pull down their pants
Dead horse: tomato sauce (ketchup)
Dead set: true
‘spit the’ Dummy: get very upset
Dunny: outside toilet
Esky: insulated food/drink container (ice chest)
Fair go: a chance
Fair suck of the sauce: expression of wonder, awe, disbelief
Footie: football (either AFL or Rugby)
Fortnight: two week period
Fruit loop: fool
Good on ya: well done
Grog: booze, alcohol
Half your luck: congratulations!
Hard yakka: hard work
Have a gutful: to be fed up
Joe blow: mr. average
Kangaroos loose in the pop paddock: loopy
Kiwi: person from New Zealand (reference to their national bird, also called a Kiwi)
‘to’ Knock something: to criticize
Kraut or sour-kraut: a person from Germany
Lollies: sweets, candy
Loo: toilet
Lose the plot: forget what you were doing
Macca’s: McDonalds
Mozzie: mosquito
No worries: no problem
Ocker: a ‘less sophisticated’ aussie accent- most often associated with bogans
Off your face: very drunk
Pom/Pomme: someone from England (came about during the wars when prisoners from England had Prisoner Of Mother England tattoed on their arm)
Reckon: think, estimate (most often used as, I reckon, or I don’t reckon”)
Rough as guts: very rough
scorcher: a very hot day
Servo: petrol ‘gas’ station
She’ll be right: it’ll be ok
Shoot through: to leave
Shout: to buy somebody something- a round of drinks persay
Sook: a soft person
Spiffy: great, excellent
Stoked: very happy
Stubby holder: a beer bottle cooler (stubby being beer bottle)
Sus: suspicious
Tall poppies: successful people
Tall poppy syndrome: habit to criticize successful people
Tassie: tasmania
Thingo: anything, if you don’t know what a thing is called in English, call it ‘Thingo’ or ‘thingymabob’ also can use ‘dovalacky’
Thongs: flipflops
Too easy: ok
Tucker: food
Ute: utility vehicle, cross between a car and pickup truck
Veg out: relax and chill often in front of the T.V
Wag: not to turn up for school
Whinge: complain
Wonk: ‘to chuck a wonk’ means to have a fit
Woop Woop: small and unimportant town, often in the middle of nowhere ‘its out in bloody woop woop’
Zilch: nothing
Zillions: lots and lots, more than millions and billions
Zonked: very tired, exhausted
AFL: Aussie rules football league
Ankle biter: small child
Arvo: afternoon
Aussie salute: waving away flies with the hand
Bag (something): to mock
Barbie: BBQ
Barrack: to cheer support
Bathers: swimsuit
Beaut: beauty, great, fantastic (often used as ‘you beaut!’)
Big Smoke: the city
Bikkie: Biscuit (cookie)
Billabong: waterhole in the bush, often dry in summer
Billy: large tin can used to boil tea water over a campfire
Bloody: very, used a bit as an exclamation mark
Bludger: lazy person who doesn’t like to work
Boardies: board shorts
Bogan: bit of a 'hick' country bumpkin type person
Boofhead: funny lovable ‘idiot’
Bottle-o: liquor store
Bugger: ‘what a shame’ or something broken can be buggared, also used for very tired. Bugger off means go away. Someone you feel sorry for is a poor bugger.
Bull bar/Roo bar: steel bar on the front of a vehicle to protect from hitting kangaroos.
Bush bashing: off-roading, 4wheel driving.
Cark it: to die
Chuck a sickie: take a day off from work with the excuse of ‘being sick’
Crook: sick
Cuppa: cup of tea, or other form of hot drink
Cut sick: go for it
Dag: a funny person
Daggy: unstylish
Daks: pants, trousers ‘to dak someone’ means to pull down their pants
Dead horse: tomato sauce (ketchup)
Dead set: true
‘spit the’ Dummy: get very upset
Dunny: outside toilet
Esky: insulated food/drink container (ice chest)
Fair go: a chance
Fair suck of the sauce: expression of wonder, awe, disbelief
Footie: football (either AFL or Rugby)
Fortnight: two week period
Fruit loop: fool
Good on ya: well done
Grog: booze, alcohol
Half your luck: congratulations!
Hard yakka: hard work
Have a gutful: to be fed up
Joe blow: mr. average
Kangaroos loose in the pop paddock: loopy
Kiwi: person from New Zealand (reference to their national bird, also called a Kiwi)
‘to’ Knock something: to criticize
Kraut or sour-kraut: a person from Germany
Lollies: sweets, candy
Loo: toilet
Lose the plot: forget what you were doing
Macca’s: McDonalds
Mozzie: mosquito
No worries: no problem
Ocker: a ‘less sophisticated’ aussie accent- most often associated with bogans
Off your face: very drunk
Pom/Pomme: someone from England (came about during the wars when prisoners from England had Prisoner Of Mother England tattoed on their arm)
Reckon: think, estimate (most often used as, I reckon, or I don’t reckon”)
Rough as guts: very rough
scorcher: a very hot day
Servo: petrol ‘gas’ station
She’ll be right: it’ll be ok
Shoot through: to leave
Shout: to buy somebody something- a round of drinks persay
Sook: a soft person
Spiffy: great, excellent
Stoked: very happy
Stubby holder: a beer bottle cooler (stubby being beer bottle)
Sus: suspicious
Tall poppies: successful people
Tall poppy syndrome: habit to criticize successful people
Tassie: tasmania
Thingo: anything, if you don’t know what a thing is called in English, call it ‘Thingo’ or ‘thingymabob’ also can use ‘dovalacky’
Thongs: flipflops
Too easy: ok
Tucker: food
Ute: utility vehicle, cross between a car and pickup truck
Veg out: relax and chill often in front of the T.V
Wag: not to turn up for school
Whinge: complain
Wonk: ‘to chuck a wonk’ means to have a fit
Woop Woop: small and unimportant town, often in the middle of nowhere ‘its out in bloody woop woop’
Zilch: nothing
Zillions: lots and lots, more than millions and billions
Zonked: very tired, exhausted
Thursday, December 8, 2011
For a Love of Australia
So after spending a total of five months and one week overseas this year- in amazing places such as (four months, working at summer camps and traveling) the States, and five weeks throughout Europe (England, Scotland, France and Germany) with a base in London, I have come to an even greater appreciation for my home country. Many people may find this funny as if you happen to know me even a little bit, you know I am always planning my next travel adventure, often before I’ve even been on the one that is coming up. My good friend Luke was laughing at me the other night when we caught up for dinner when I was talking about maybe staying in Perth for a little while and getting some money finally, commenting something along the lines of “you only ever stay in Perth long enough to get enough money to leave again.” Which in all fairness I suppose is true.
In my defense I blame my parents for my gypsy blood, who made sure I caught the travel bug at an early age, and whose fault I am sure it is for my seeming inability to stay happily in one place for more than two years.
But I DO happen to LOVE my country (and yes that totally did deserve capitals!) I love that I am able to call myself an Aussie (pronounced ozzy for any American’s that may be reading this, you can massacre every other word of ours and I will simply laugh, but PLEASE don’t massacre the word that sums up who we are! In this I find I am a little bit patriotic, a word I only ever really use in relation to American’s. Go figure) Anyway, there I go off on another tangent again...
I was lucky enough to be born in this amazing country ‘Down Under’ where sarcasm reigns, where people work hard, and play hard. A country where when a crisis arises in the world somewhere we dig deep and give all we can. A place of so many deadly things that I was often told in my travels that it’s amazing that I have lived to reach my twenties! A place filled with unique and rugged beauty. With beaches that rival the tropics, beautiful rainforests, magnificent gorges that hold so many wonders. Red dirt that clings to everything in sight, flat expanses that go on for as far as the eye can see. The white trunks of Eucalyptus trees that fill the air with their scent. The snowtops in south-east Aus, where you can have four seasons in one day (*cough* Melbourne), and the beautiful warm sunshine that reaches every corner of this amazing land. Where we have twisted and shortened and massacred the language called English and made it so much our own that those from other places who speak English can barely recognise any of the words that are used. (I still find myself explaining words like ‘sook’ ‘D&M’ ‘arvo’ ‘devo’ ‘boofhead’ and many more to those around me, then I realise that they know what these are and I don’t need to try to explain - and fail as I often do. However if i start saying, “that means....” then please just excuse my insanity for the time being, I’m sure it shall pass)
So if you have not had the pleasure of experiencing Australia then I suggest that you plan a visit to our gorgeous shores, and if you are an Aussie and have yet to travel through our extensively amazing country then get of your lazy backsides and DO IT! My first big trip as a kid was when I was seven. My parents, God forever bless them, sold our house, bought a caravan and we proceeded to spend the next year traveling around Aus, stopping where we felt like it and ended up living in beautiful Broome for a few months before coming back to Perth for 9 or so months then moving to America (explains a lot doesn’t it?) But this trip gave me something other than the travel bug I have happily lived with since. It gave me understanding and appreciation and a deep love for my roots. This beautiful and diverse country that I come from will always go with me in my heart and is such a big part of who I am. I don’t think you can truly understand where it is you have come from until you have delved extensively into it and then left and came back. Until you have done so, how will you ever really appreciate it or anywhere else for that matter? so get out there, visit Melbourne with its European like ‘arty’ atmosphere, Sydney with its iconic Harbour bridge and Opera house, Cairns and Surfers Paradise, the Gold and Sunshine coasts with their beautiful beaches and great surfing the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays. Down south WA- Esperance and its white squeaky sand, wineries and fantastic surfing at Margaret River, Coral bay and the incredible Ningaloo Reef, Broome and the Kimberley’s housing the wondrous Bungle bungle’s. And of course, Uluru- the red heart of Australia.
In my defense I blame my parents for my gypsy blood, who made sure I caught the travel bug at an early age, and whose fault I am sure it is for my seeming inability to stay happily in one place for more than two years.
But I DO happen to LOVE my country (and yes that totally did deserve capitals!) I love that I am able to call myself an Aussie (pronounced ozzy for any American’s that may be reading this, you can massacre every other word of ours and I will simply laugh, but PLEASE don’t massacre the word that sums up who we are! In this I find I am a little bit patriotic, a word I only ever really use in relation to American’s. Go figure) Anyway, there I go off on another tangent again...
I was lucky enough to be born in this amazing country ‘Down Under’ where sarcasm reigns, where people work hard, and play hard. A country where when a crisis arises in the world somewhere we dig deep and give all we can. A place of so many deadly things that I was often told in my travels that it’s amazing that I have lived to reach my twenties! A place filled with unique and rugged beauty. With beaches that rival the tropics, beautiful rainforests, magnificent gorges that hold so many wonders. Red dirt that clings to everything in sight, flat expanses that go on for as far as the eye can see. The white trunks of Eucalyptus trees that fill the air with their scent. The snowtops in south-east Aus, where you can have four seasons in one day (*cough* Melbourne), and the beautiful warm sunshine that reaches every corner of this amazing land. Where we have twisted and shortened and massacred the language called English and made it so much our own that those from other places who speak English can barely recognise any of the words that are used. (I still find myself explaining words like ‘sook’ ‘D&M’ ‘arvo’ ‘devo’ ‘boofhead’ and many more to those around me, then I realise that they know what these are and I don’t need to try to explain - and fail as I often do. However if i start saying, “that means....” then please just excuse my insanity for the time being, I’m sure it shall pass)
So if you have not had the pleasure of experiencing Australia then I suggest that you plan a visit to our gorgeous shores, and if you are an Aussie and have yet to travel through our extensively amazing country then get of your lazy backsides and DO IT! My first big trip as a kid was when I was seven. My parents, God forever bless them, sold our house, bought a caravan and we proceeded to spend the next year traveling around Aus, stopping where we felt like it and ended up living in beautiful Broome for a few months before coming back to Perth for 9 or so months then moving to America (explains a lot doesn’t it?) But this trip gave me something other than the travel bug I have happily lived with since. It gave me understanding and appreciation and a deep love for my roots. This beautiful and diverse country that I come from will always go with me in my heart and is such a big part of who I am. I don’t think you can truly understand where it is you have come from until you have delved extensively into it and then left and came back. Until you have done so, how will you ever really appreciate it or anywhere else for that matter? so get out there, visit Melbourne with its European like ‘arty’ atmosphere, Sydney with its iconic Harbour bridge and Opera house, Cairns and Surfers Paradise, the Gold and Sunshine coasts with their beautiful beaches and great surfing the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays. Down south WA- Esperance and its white squeaky sand, wineries and fantastic surfing at Margaret River, Coral bay and the incredible Ningaloo Reef, Broome and the Kimberley’s housing the wondrous Bungle bungle’s. And of course, Uluru- the red heart of Australia.
Fast-forwarding the tough times!
I was reading something today that got me thinking. The line was “You’ve got to go through it to get to the end of it” from my latest book craze- The Hunger Games, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. (Absolutely AMAZING books by the way, I am re-reading them as it is, and can’t WAIT for the movie to come out next year. Warning however, they are no sweet cup of tea, but rather will have you on the edge of your seat, grabbing the hand of whoever is closest type of book that will make you re-evaluate everything that we take for granted and wonder where exactly our actions regarding this world and the people in it are taking us and what will our consequences be? But I digress)
Truthfully how often do we say, I just can’t wait for this to be over, to get through it and survive and reach that time when everything is going to be better? If you’re anything like me, quite often. But really how unfortunate would that be if we just got to skip over the hard times in our lives? It brings to mind the movie ‘Click’ starring Adam Sandler where he gets to fast forward through those tough or boring times in his life and get to the exciting parts. But when he gets there he is lost and confused and can’t understand or truly appreciate what is going on as he has missed all the growth, drama, sweat and tears it took to get there. It becomes meaningless. There is no appreciation for the happy times as there was no balance, no tough times to give meaning to the happy ones.
I am not saying go looking for drama. I have had enough drama in my life I think to know how unpleasant it is to go through it, and why you would WANT to put yourself through that is beyond me. Nor am I saying to prolong a drama until you think you have gotten every little bit of learning out of it that you can. But rather, when a tough time is in progress or coming to a close, examine it and yourself. Think of who you were before and who you are now, think of what you have learned and gained and determine if you have grown as a person through these trials. Have they made you a better person or not? If so, remember this, remember what it is you have learned and apply it to your life, if not then figure out why and what you need to do to change it. But whatever you do, don’t try and go back. In the words of Margaret Hale, main character from the T.V series North and South “Try as we might, happy as we were, we can never go back.”
And why should you want to when you have learned so much? Rather, look forwards to new happiness and adventures that the future holds for you.
Truthfully how often do we say, I just can’t wait for this to be over, to get through it and survive and reach that time when everything is going to be better? If you’re anything like me, quite often. But really how unfortunate would that be if we just got to skip over the hard times in our lives? It brings to mind the movie ‘Click’ starring Adam Sandler where he gets to fast forward through those tough or boring times in his life and get to the exciting parts. But when he gets there he is lost and confused and can’t understand or truly appreciate what is going on as he has missed all the growth, drama, sweat and tears it took to get there. It becomes meaningless. There is no appreciation for the happy times as there was no balance, no tough times to give meaning to the happy ones.
I am not saying go looking for drama. I have had enough drama in my life I think to know how unpleasant it is to go through it, and why you would WANT to put yourself through that is beyond me. Nor am I saying to prolong a drama until you think you have gotten every little bit of learning out of it that you can. But rather, when a tough time is in progress or coming to a close, examine it and yourself. Think of who you were before and who you are now, think of what you have learned and gained and determine if you have grown as a person through these trials. Have they made you a better person or not? If so, remember this, remember what it is you have learned and apply it to your life, if not then figure out why and what you need to do to change it. But whatever you do, don’t try and go back. In the words of Margaret Hale, main character from the T.V series North and South “Try as we might, happy as we were, we can never go back.”
And why should you want to when you have learned so much? Rather, look forwards to new happiness and adventures that the future holds for you.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thought this was particularly brilliant- Kudos to Dale Neill!
How to Take Boring Photographs
With so many people taking wonderfully creative, Photoshopped, designed by rule of thirds photographs we are fast losing the ability to take good old fashioned, deadly boring photographs.
Here are a few tips to help you take boring photographs:
Photograph a red rose; put it in the centre of your photograph
Take landscapes with nothing in the foreground
Take photographs of insects and flowers in the same shot
Buy every piece of software available and sit at your computer for hours
When the tour bus stops, stand with the other 40 photographers to take your shot
Fiddle endlessly with your camera’s controls while taking people shots
Photograph your dog half in shade and half in sun
Take photographs of ‘gauzy’ (soft focus) ladies
Photograph a sunset with the sun just above the horizon and an empty foreground
Photograph your new baby or grandchild from the ‘ogre’ position (standing directly above the baby)
Spend endless hours talking about camera equipment and no time travelling and taking photographs
Follow ‘photographic rules’ rigidly
Wait until people clear from your street or landscape shots
Join a class that specializes in shooting nubile young models, using (misusing) umpteen studios lights
Follow these simple guidelines and quite soon you’ll have your very own collection of deadly boring photographs.
© Dale Neill 2011 http://boringphotographs.blogspot.com
Follow Dale on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/DaleNeill
With so many people taking wonderfully creative, Photoshopped, designed by rule of thirds photographs we are fast losing the ability to take good old fashioned, deadly boring photographs.
Here are a few tips to help you take boring photographs:
Photograph a red rose; put it in the centre of your photograph
Take landscapes with nothing in the foreground
Take photographs of insects and flowers in the same shot
Buy every piece of software available and sit at your computer for hours
When the tour bus stops, stand with the other 40 photographers to take your shot
Fiddle endlessly with your camera’s controls while taking people shots
Photograph your dog half in shade and half in sun
Take photographs of ‘gauzy’ (soft focus) ladies
Photograph a sunset with the sun just above the horizon and an empty foreground
Photograph your new baby or grandchild from the ‘ogre’ position (standing directly above the baby)
Spend endless hours talking about camera equipment and no time travelling and taking photographs
Follow ‘photographic rules’ rigidly
Wait until people clear from your street or landscape shots
Join a class that specializes in shooting nubile young models, using (misusing) umpteen studios lights
Follow these simple guidelines and quite soon you’ll have your very own collection of deadly boring photographs.
© Dale Neill 2011 http://boringphotographs.blogspot.com
Follow Dale on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/DaleNeill
For a love of the world...
Just some of my photo's from travelling- unfortunately I cannot claim the beautiful image of the world map. that belongs to Havianas who have not yet put it on any merchandise!!
an old poem, still think it may be my best so far...
Haunted Dreams
Sky reflected
in eyes of blue
sparkle
mischief and laughter.
Strong, gentle
hands — stroking
keys
of black and white
passionate, worshipping.
Medley's of colour
create
rainbows of notes
stirs my core —
coiled anticipation.
Lips
soft and dreamy
whisper against my cheek
tracing their impression
stay
long after they leave.
Sky reflected
in eyes of blue
sparkle
mischief and laughter.
Strong, gentle
hands — stroking
keys
of black and white
passionate, worshipping.
Medley's of colour
create
rainbows of notes
stirs my core —
coiled anticipation.
Lips
soft and dreamy
whisper against my cheek
tracing their impression
stay
long after they leave.
"The World is a book, and those who don't travel read only a page"
Saint Augustine was a ingenious man. His quote certainly speaks to me on many levels, two of my greatest loves are to read and to travel. Something I often hear people say when I talk about travel, is "yes, but whats wrong with ... *insert place of choice* ?"
My thoughts when someone say's this? Well nothing, it is a great place as far as places go, will always have its little quirks, things that you love about it, things about it that always frustrate you. But that's the point. There is a whole big world out there, so full of amazing things to see, people to meet and experiences to be had. Why NOT travel is what I ask?
I believe that everyone should take a trip every now and again- the more the better in my opinion! But I realise that not everyone is as travel crazy as I may be. However, there are things I love about travel that relate to your development as a person, in mind, body and soul. I think it opens our eyes and hearts and minds. Makes us more accepting of others and different beliefs and religions. I mean think about it- if we were all the same, thought the same, spoke the same, worshiped the same...how BORING would that be? we have SO much to learn from each other! So I can only encourage you to look around you, and try to see things from another's point of view rather than trying to railroad them with your own thoughts and opinions!
Travel also has this amazing way of reseting our priorities and setting them straight. Especially travel through developing countries. How can you complain that your meal at a fancy restaurant wasn't quite up to par when you still have images on hungry children begging on the streets? Children who have to fight for survival every single day, and may never live to grow old, fat and happy? Parents who have to watch their children starve to death, or die from curable diseases? Or remain caught in the cycle of poverty as they can't afford to go to school?
If a book is good, you can't put it down, or if you have to you come back to it as often as you can, grasping at each word with a greedy hunger barely satisfied with each passing word. The world is not a good book- it is an amazing and incredible book, filled with laughter and tears and exciting adventures. It is a book where once you have flipped the page you don't want to stop- and why should you? There is so much more to be read!
So get out of your house and GO somewhere, ANYwhere! doesn't matter for how long, just do it. It will change your life, that I promise. The change you may wonder? The change is that you will start to LIVE your life- rather than letting it sit on the shelf gathering dust.
My thoughts when someone say's this? Well nothing, it is a great place as far as places go, will always have its little quirks, things that you love about it, things about it that always frustrate you. But that's the point. There is a whole big world out there, so full of amazing things to see, people to meet and experiences to be had. Why NOT travel is what I ask?
I believe that everyone should take a trip every now and again- the more the better in my opinion! But I realise that not everyone is as travel crazy as I may be. However, there are things I love about travel that relate to your development as a person, in mind, body and soul. I think it opens our eyes and hearts and minds. Makes us more accepting of others and different beliefs and religions. I mean think about it- if we were all the same, thought the same, spoke the same, worshiped the same...how BORING would that be? we have SO much to learn from each other! So I can only encourage you to look around you, and try to see things from another's point of view rather than trying to railroad them with your own thoughts and opinions!
Travel also has this amazing way of reseting our priorities and setting them straight. Especially travel through developing countries. How can you complain that your meal at a fancy restaurant wasn't quite up to par when you still have images on hungry children begging on the streets? Children who have to fight for survival every single day, and may never live to grow old, fat and happy? Parents who have to watch their children starve to death, or die from curable diseases? Or remain caught in the cycle of poverty as they can't afford to go to school?
If a book is good, you can't put it down, or if you have to you come back to it as often as you can, grasping at each word with a greedy hunger barely satisfied with each passing word. The world is not a good book- it is an amazing and incredible book, filled with laughter and tears and exciting adventures. It is a book where once you have flipped the page you don't want to stop- and why should you? There is so much more to be read!
So get out of your house and GO somewhere, ANYwhere! doesn't matter for how long, just do it. It will change your life, that I promise. The change you may wonder? The change is that you will start to LIVE your life- rather than letting it sit on the shelf gathering dust.
Rodney Smith- Photographer and Inspiration
Rodney Smith is a modest man. With eclectic sensibilities. He can wear an ascot without appearing pretentious. He proclaims himself to be a closet optimist. He believes Modernism took a wrong turn at the wrong time. He thinks Freud saved his life. He graduated Yale. He lives in a wooded enclave in Snedens Landing, just close enough to Manhattan to meet an editor for lunch at a moments notice, but far enough away to mollify his distain for city living. He loves books. Paper. And printed matter. He wrestles with Big Ideas and references Wittgenstein and Plato as if he saw them just yesterday. He’s tweedy. Never needy. Proud. Not loud. He’s a perfectionist. Workaholic. Worry wart and fuss budget. He won’t stop what he’s doing until he’s satisfied that it couldn’t be done any better. He’s adamantly analog. Only shoots film. Never uses special effects. And knows the darkroom like the back of his hand. His work is outside of time. He creates worlds whose logic is his own. He’s old school with a twist. A landscape photographer. Who places people in landscapes. A realist who puts dreams on to paper. A man who is kind, generous and humorous. Who has a great wife. A lovely daughter. A successful son who’s made Rodney a proud grandfather. A thinking man’s man in a bespoke suit with an eye that sees the world in a way you or I will only see it if it’s in the form of one of his photographs.
*photo's and biography from http://rodneysmith.com/
*photo's and biography from http://rodneysmith.com/
Teshuva Kefi
The other day my brother asked me a question that made me think, on and off, over re-occurring days long and hard.
The question you may wonder?
Was I happy with who I was?
Loaded much?
After thinking about it for a minute or two I answered him, with a slightly hesitant yes. But the more I have been thinking about it, I start to wonder if I have been quite truthful — with him and with myself?
On the surface I can truthfully answer yes. I see myself as someone who cares deeply and can be counted on to be there for those I love. I see someone who wants to make a difference in this world and help others who have not been as fortunate as myself. I see someone who loves adventure and experiencing life and the world to the full, someone who is open to other cultures and religions and peoples. I see someone who loves a good laugh with friends, and hopefully someone who shares that love and laughter with those around her.
However- and there is always a but isn’t there? I also see someone who hides behind walls built over the years to keep everyone at a distance. Someone who, most every time has opened up her heart has been hurt and therefore is terrified of opening up to anyone. I see someone whose fears often stop her from taking a plunge and really living.
This year was to be about me learning more about myself and discovering what it was that I wanted to do with my life. So off I went on my travels (which is where I think you find your true self more fully than in your comfort zones), and I for the most part had a fabulous time, I believed that I learned more about myself, but all in all am still processing all of that an so hope to have a better idea of that in the next months. As for discovering what I want to do, I am not much closer to finding the answer to that than when I was when I left six months ago. I believe however that most things happen for a reason, so I can only hope that it will all come to light someday.
What I do know after looking at this year and the DRAMA’s it has brought, as well as the good times and immense fun that I have been so blessed to have with beautiful people all over the world, is that it’s time to stop hiding and stressing. I’m making myself a challenge for the New Year- to find out what I want to do, even if it’s just for a few months, let go of my control freak side and just LIVE life! To take the opportunities that come my way, to realise the differences between what is an opportunity and what is not, to “not live down to expectations, but go out there and do something remarkable” (Wendy Wassersteine)
I spent too long changing my plans and ideals for others, putting what I felt was right for me on hold for them and what they wanted. It’s time that stopped and I live the life that I was made for. I came across this amazing word, from my studies in Judaism last year, Teshuva. Literally meaning “return” and is used as a term for repentance, I also saw it used as ‘returning to who you are meant to be.’ Another word I discovered was Kefi, a Greek word meaning the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, or high spirits. So this new year, the year of 2012 is all about Teshuva. Returning to the person that I am meant to be with joy and passion and enthusiasm!
The question you may wonder?
Was I happy with who I was?
Loaded much?
After thinking about it for a minute or two I answered him, with a slightly hesitant yes. But the more I have been thinking about it, I start to wonder if I have been quite truthful — with him and with myself?
On the surface I can truthfully answer yes. I see myself as someone who cares deeply and can be counted on to be there for those I love. I see someone who wants to make a difference in this world and help others who have not been as fortunate as myself. I see someone who loves adventure and experiencing life and the world to the full, someone who is open to other cultures and religions and peoples. I see someone who loves a good laugh with friends, and hopefully someone who shares that love and laughter with those around her.
However- and there is always a but isn’t there? I also see someone who hides behind walls built over the years to keep everyone at a distance. Someone who, most every time has opened up her heart has been hurt and therefore is terrified of opening up to anyone. I see someone whose fears often stop her from taking a plunge and really living.
This year was to be about me learning more about myself and discovering what it was that I wanted to do with my life. So off I went on my travels (which is where I think you find your true self more fully than in your comfort zones), and I for the most part had a fabulous time, I believed that I learned more about myself, but all in all am still processing all of that an so hope to have a better idea of that in the next months. As for discovering what I want to do, I am not much closer to finding the answer to that than when I was when I left six months ago. I believe however that most things happen for a reason, so I can only hope that it will all come to light someday.
What I do know after looking at this year and the DRAMA’s it has brought, as well as the good times and immense fun that I have been so blessed to have with beautiful people all over the world, is that it’s time to stop hiding and stressing. I’m making myself a challenge for the New Year- to find out what I want to do, even if it’s just for a few months, let go of my control freak side and just LIVE life! To take the opportunities that come my way, to realise the differences between what is an opportunity and what is not, to “not live down to expectations, but go out there and do something remarkable” (Wendy Wassersteine)
I spent too long changing my plans and ideals for others, putting what I felt was right for me on hold for them and what they wanted. It’s time that stopped and I live the life that I was made for. I came across this amazing word, from my studies in Judaism last year, Teshuva. Literally meaning “return” and is used as a term for repentance, I also saw it used as ‘returning to who you are meant to be.’ Another word I discovered was Kefi, a Greek word meaning the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, or high spirits. So this new year, the year of 2012 is all about Teshuva. Returning to the person that I am meant to be with joy and passion and enthusiasm!
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