Madonna, Your Fans Deserve Better

Dear Madonna,

We can all respect that in your prime you were the pop princess of the '80s, however I feel like I need to remind you that it is no longer the '80s and you are no longer the pop princess you once were. Yes you still have fans, and yes they still love you. But having been 2 hours late to the stage here in Brisbane (4 hours late to another show), I have to wonder why they still have so much respect for you? I did some research and apparently you lost quite a lot of respect from your fans during this tour. Turns out saying "bitch I'm Madonna" doesn't have the same effect when you're 57 (soon to be 58) in 2016, when your fans have careers and families, oh and not to mention it was the middle of the working week. You may have a 'Rebel Heart' but that doesn't excuse the blatant disrespect you have for your fans, for the music industry, and for the people working with you. No one minds a late night, but if you're going to perform late, how about you don't advertise your show to start at 9pm? Okay, maybe you didn't have a choice in when the show started; but just like every other person with a job, when your boss says you have to show up at a certain time, you show up at that certain time. I won't get into the allegations that you were drunk, or even that you were lip-syncing the show, that would be petty.
I understand that sometimes things go wrong and you can't help but come on stage late. These things happen, we get it. However, this is not a one off. As far as my research shows, you haven't been on time once this tour (for Australia and New Zealand).
Madonna, it's time to start taking some responsibility. Because, and I'm sorry to say this but, you just aren't all that any more and your fans deserve more than what you gave them.
I hope we can see some changes for the rest of the tour.

Best Wishes
The World

Dear Adele and Drake

Adele and Drake have both recently released songs that almost broke the internet. I won't get into which song I like more or which is a better song (although those of you who know me personally will probably guess which one I belt out in the car and which one I can't stand listening to.)

What I am going to do, is delve into what these songs are about because I disagree with the message. Here is my open letter to Adele and Drake.


Dear Adele and Drake,

It's time to move on, you left your ex behind. You can't get sad now that you've come back years later to discover they have moved on with their lives. I understand that you were hoping you could take off right where you left off, but it's selfish of you to now make your ex feel bad, through the power of music, for living their lives.

I would like to speak to you individually now, starting with Drake. Drake man, you're getting to a creepy stalker level. Don't follow your ex to the club, don't worry if she has champagne out on the dance floor. Looking at your lyrics I am beginning to believe that you never actually dated this girl... was she just a late night booty call? Because if that is the case you need to move on man. You left the city, you have made that perfectly clear, so don't worry about what this girl is up to or who she is hanging with. I get you care about her, but don't get made that she is filling up pages in her passport or hanging with some girls you never seen before. It sounds like you left your booty call, and she has made some new friends and gone travelling, Drake you could learn a thing or two from this girl, go and live your life and make some new friends.

Adele, I can understand your perspective a little more than Drakes (again Drake, don't be a creepy stalker following her to the dance floor). All you wanted to do was apologise about how you left things when you did leave. In a way, I think you are just after some closure, to make sure they did go on and live their life. This would be fine, if not for you passive aggressive line of "But it don't matter, clearly, it doesn't tear you apart anymore." Adele, that's not okay. Don't make this ex of yours feel bad because they moved on and were able to heal the wounds of their past. You have the power to make people miss ex's they never even had. You need to use this power for good, not for passive aggressive making your ex that you left feel bad for healing and moving on. I understand he didn't take your call and so you had no option but to give a message through song, but maybe you could have had a chorus that went...
"Hello from the outside,
I'm glad to see that you have tried
To move on, and I'm happy
For you, and all that you've done, so be proud"
It's not perfect I know, but you can work on it.

I wish you both happiness in your future love endeavours, maybe you could call each other? Just try to be less passive aggressive (Adele), and a little less stalkery (Drake).

Love
Darcy

The Reactions to Paris

A tragedy rocked the world this week when several attacks were made in Paris, with over 120 deaths and over 300 injured it's a time for mourning. Yet this wasn't the over all reaction that spread across my Facebook page. There was a lot of anger.

The first thing that surprised me was the anger towards the hashtag Pray For Paris. I saw posts saying "Why would you pray to a God who did nothing to prevent the attacks" and "praying won't solve anything, why don't you all do something useful instead."
I understand that religion isn't something that everybody believes in, but who are you to say that the coping mechanisms for other people are wrong? How do we know that there aren't families who have been effected by these attacks who want people praying for them?
You shouldn't be putting people down for doing what they believe is the right thing, yes by all means encourage people to help in other ways. But nothing gives you the right to belittle another persons belief.

The second thing I noticed were people getting mad that people were upset about the attacks on Paris. I know this seems beyond foolish, but it is happening. People are saying that we shouldn't care about Paris because of attacks that had happened earlier in the week in Lebanon. They claimed that the media was brainwashing us by not reporting on these attacks. This got me a little upset firstly, do not negate the pain people are feeling about Paris because of another tragedy, the reason that this particular attack would be in your news feed and not the Lebanon attack is that it is more likely for your loved ones to have loved ones in Paris at the time rather than in Lebanon. This doesn't mean one was a greater tragedy than the other, it just means you have a predominately Western newsfeed. The other point about the media is wrong as well. A quick google search showed that every reputable news site had reported on the Lebanon attacks, from local community news such as 4zzz, through to National news with ABC and international news with the BBC. I don't believe shows such as A Current Affair and Today Tonight would have reported on it because it was fear mongering enough for them. So don't blame the media if you aren't getting information, you need to expand the places you get  your information from and decide for yourself which news sites and shows are the best.

And thirdly, and this is what terrifies me the most, is the threatening backlash on the Muslim community. Thankfully no one on my personal news feed has been blaming the Muslim community for the attacks in paris, but I have seen that channel 7 has once again given well known racist bigot Pauline Hanson a platform to inject fear into the hearts of Australia. She tried to blame the refugees who are fleeing this very conflict for being the ones behind the attack. I personally believe we need to stop giving her any more attention.

Martin Luther King Jnr once said "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
This should not be a time to let hatred sit in our hearts for anyone. I know that in a situation like this, it's hard not to let the fear turn into hatred. As Yoda once said "Fears leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." So let's not allow this fear to turn into anger or hate, instead cast your love out into the world, acknowledge those who are trying to do the same, and only then will we see real change.

My prayers go out to anyone who is in need of them, along with my love and support for anyone who needs it in this time.

Advice For My Brother

Today my brother finishes a major chapter in the book of life and is about to embark on a new journey. That's right, today is his final day of classes for high school. As the older, wiser, and I assume better looking brother, it is up to me to pass on some advice to my little, yet taller, brother.

My first piece of advice: Embrace your weirdness.
I think our baby brother does this the best, he doesn't care what people think. Has he been wearing the same clothes all week? You bet he has! Does he care that you think it's gross? Not even a little bit! You can learn a lot from him. People will always try and put you down for not conforming to the norm, but you can't let these people who are too afraid to branch out effect how  you live your life. Go out and wear weird glasses, and watch cartoons, embrace your weird and do what makes you happy.

This leads to my next piece of advice: If something is worth doing it will be hard.
As much as I wish it were untrue, you will need to work hard at what you love. I know the saying "if you do what you love then you will never work a day in your life" that is BS. You have to accept that somedays are going to be hard, and that's okay because it means you are doing something worthwhile. You will have days that you are loving what you're doing and it won't feel like work, but you will have days that you question why you thought it was a good idea in the first place, but remember, if it's what you love then you can push through the bad days.

Let mom and dad help you.
This is a hard lesson to learn, and I know that at 17 you pretty much know all you need to know about life... however, I promise that mom and dad still have some wisdom to pass on. And  trust me, I know that at times it will feel more like a lecture than passing on advice, but if you can learn to listen to them and take on board the advice they have for you I promise that you will be able to achieve everything you imagined in life and more.

Don't forget to let them in to your life as well.
I will admit that I'm not great at doing this, I forget to tell them things, and I am terrible at remembering details. But mom and dad love you more than you can realise, and they don't want to judge, or criticise or even be physically involved, they just like to know that you are safe and happy.

My final piece of advice: Never lose your sense of humour.
I don't think there has been a day this year where I haven't been with you and laughed, yes some times I'm laughing at you, but I still laugh. Even when I'm laughing at you you have this amazing ability to roll with the joke and make it yours. I don't know if you realise how important this skill is for life. Being able to laugh at yourself and being able to make other people laugh is truly a gift to the world. So never let anyone take your sense of humour, it's perfect the way it is.

Sean, you will be able to achieve anything you want in this life, so go out and live it. Never be afraid of what people think. And because I don't say this enough, I love you Sean.

Coffee - A Poem

I feel like a Zombie

As I stumble off the train.

My head hangs low, my feet shuffle,

I barely feel the rain

As it begins to fall upon my shoulders

I make my way towards a haven,

A fortress, with my saviour,

I approach the man standing guard

who asks me to chose my flavour.

The machine purrs to life,

Steam curls around it's corners

My guardian angel reaches out

A cup is in his hands.

I reach out with mine,

Fingers briefly intertwine

Then it's as if time.... stops.

I take a sip,

and then another,

The warmth flows through my veins, down to my core

I feel life spread to my extremities,

No longer shall I shuffle like a zombie,

My head held high,

I walk fast and strong,

Im calm,

confident,

Yes, this coffee will get me by...

Until the addition starts to twitch

Yes, this coffee will get me by...

Until I can get my next fix

Humanity and the Refugee

Hey, it's been a while... sorry....

Lot's of exciting things happening though! From interning at the ABC for radio through to writing a children's book!! But I am back to clear some things up for people who probably don't read this blog... I am talking about all the hate that has been given to people who are seeking asylum in Australia.

I want you to imagine for a moment, every day you live in fear that you, your family,  your children, your parents, could be killed any second for really no reason. You have no power to stop it. Every day you wake up in fear, eventually that fear becomes just an over all numbness, every day could be your last, could be your child's last day. Now... keep this fear and this want to keep your family and your children alive... Someone offers you an escape. They say you can be brought to Australia, a country you hear as one of the most open multicultural countries in the world. This place that seems like the garden of eden, a place where your children can grow up without fear, with healthcare and education, where they can have a future. Would you take it? Would you not take the opportunity to take your children out of a war zone, a place where they are at risk of dying every day, where they will get little to no education, where the longer they stay the shorter their future looks. Would you not try and save them?

The problem with Australia and Asylum Seekers is that we remove the humanity. We don't see them as people like the rest of us. We are led to see them as just that.. "THEM" Tony Abbot and the terrible "news" programs such as A Current Affair, and Today Tonight (I use news in the same way McDonalds is called a restaurant) try and spark fear into the heart of the nation with an US verse THEM mentality, that they are coming for our jobs and our homes and our society will crash because all of a sudden vegemite is halal (heads up, it's always been halal, it's just been certified now).
People are concerned that we are taking in too many refugees, but the reality is we are taking in so few we may be in breach of international law.

We don't get the full story, I have heard people say that the only reason the are coming to Australia is to improve their socioeconomic status. No one would risk their 3 year old drowning because they want to move from middle class to upper-middle class.
I've heard someone else get mad at a photographer who took a photo of a drowned three year old because he should have saved the child if he cared so much.... I would like to make this clear the child was dead before he washed ashore...
He drowned along side his 5 year old brother and mother. His father survived and travelled back to Syria to burry his family. He was given the opportunity to resettle in another country and he said "what does it matter, all that was precious to me is gone."
We are losing our humanity. we are losing what it means to be human, our empathy, our sympathy, our compassion. And that terrifies me.

A friend of mine has written an article about a boy whose parents and brother were killed and he escaped the country with his 2 best friends. As they were running up a hill to escape, soldiers open fired, they were 16, soldiers open fired on children. his friend was gunned down, begging this boy not to leave him, not to let him die. His other friend pulled the boy away to the top of the hill. To this day he says he still sees his friend begging him not to leave and asking why he left him to die, he blames himself. He is 16.
While on the boat to his new life, it capsizes, half of the people on board drown, including his last friend in the world. He is now on his own, no family no friends.
He makes it to Brisbane, and he sees people dancing in the street in Southbank, music playing. And for the first time since he left his home country, he smiles. He knows that no matter what things will be better here. He now lives in a detention centre, only being allowed out to attend school. But still he is happy, because no one is gunning him, a child, down as he flees after his own family was killed. He still sees his friend in his dream asking him why he left him to die... but he believes that now he is here things will get better. He studies harder than almost any student I have met.
This is a real human. Just a boy who has no one, no friends no family, living in a detention centre, and who is happy to be in such an accommodating country....

We have lost our humanity.
Our compassion.
Our ability to feel anything for anyone but ourselves.

Tony Abbott and his media think fear mongering is the best solution. But it's clear that the only thing that it's doing is removing us from our fellow humans.
It shouldn't be US vs THEM. We are all humans, and we need to realise that before we are too removed to come back.

So to Tony, Today Tonight, and anyone who believes that Asylum Seekers don't have a right to be here, but yourself in the shoes of that boy. See things from their perspective. Find your humanity.

Trying to Adult

I recently quit a job, I won't mention the name of said job, but know it was a type of club for coffee. a coffee club if you will.... And I was so happy to be rid of the environment. For whatever reason this coffee shop was unable to ever have a satisfied customer, and the times I was able to use my customer  I would be told I was spending too much time with the customers. Customers would be waiting 45 minutes for an entree of 5 calamari rings, but I wouldn't be able to make small talk to distract them from this wait. Not to mention the crazy under staffing... but I'm getting off topic.

Once I quit I felt a freedom, that was until it was time to do my taxes.... I discovered that they didn't email me my payment summary, which indicates how much I could claim back on tax etc. At first this seemed like a relatively easy fix, all I would have to do is call up the old store and get them to email me my payment summary... I was wrong... so very very wrong.

the first conversation went along the lines of:
Me - "Hi, I'm an old employee of this store, I haven't received my payment summary, would you be able to email it to me, thanks?
Boss - "We emailed them last week"
Me- "Ahh, well something must have gone wrong as I never received the summary"
Boss - "Yeah well we emailed them last week"
Me - "I don't suppose you could email it again"
Boss - "No you have to call head office"
Me - "No problem! Do you have the number by any chance?"
Boss - "Just look it up online"
Me - "Ok, thanks for your time"
Boss - *hangs up*

I then went and called head office
Me - "Hi, I'm an ex-employee. I haven't received my payment summary"
Receptionist - "We emailed them last week"
Me - "Ahh yes, my old boss did mention that, but said I should call you to email me again."
Receptionist - "You have to email payroll"
Me - "Do you have an email address?" *fearing they would just tell me to look it up online

Thankfully they did have the email address! So hopefully I will be able to actually complete my taxes like a real adult and can be rid of this club for coffee for good...

And remember, never stay in a job you hate just because they pay you!