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.
Sunday, 15 November 2015
Thursday, 5 November 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
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
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
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.
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.
Friday, 24 July 2015
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!
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!
Sunday, 28 June 2015
The Redneck Invasion
As I am sure everyone has heard, the US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of same sex marriage across all 50 states. However, not everyone is happy about this news. There are (for a lack of a politer sounding term) a lot of homophobic rednecks who feel threatened due to the fact people can marry whoever they love (perhaps Brokeback Mountain hits a little to close to home for them?). Unfortunately the rednecks have taken to twitter to announce they would be leaving the USA.... and would be coming to Australia.
That's right, the Australian parliament is so backwards that rednecks are seeing it as their homophobic promised land. Who is the leader of this promised land I hear you cry? Well it's none other than Tony Abbott, who I believe is becoming more and more like Australia's very own personal Voldemort. Despite the rising support from his country and around the globe for people to have the right to marry whoever they love (including his own sister who is currently in a long term same sex relationship) he refuses to change his mind. It came to a stage when opposition leader Bill Shorten wanted to introduce a bill to the parliament regarding same sex marriage, yet Tony didn't even have the courtesy to show up.
Now I don't want this to seem like an attack on Tony just for his views on sam sex marriage. It's about his entire way of thinking. When you have more Australian flags in the background of a speech than you do women in you parliamentary cabinet, you have a problem. Or when push for coal and fossil fuels because you think green energy looks ugly.
He's supported by his own personal Wormtail (another harry potter reference, I have to assume everyone has seen the movies or read the books) Joe Hockey. Mr Hockey, Australia's treasurer, has some stunning views. One of my personal favourites being "rising fuel costs won't matter because poor people don't drive" or his advice on buying a new home "get a good job that pays good money". I'm glad he was there to tell me the last one because I would never have been able to figure that out.
Tony blatantly goes against basic human rights when it comes to asylum seekers. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission All people have a fundamental human right to seek asylum from persecution. Instead of helping these people find a place away from their war torn countries where they are being persecuted. Yet Mr Abbott decides this means he can throw alyssum seekers into a detention centre in Indonesia which is full of sexual assault and abuse.
This man is skyrocketing Australia all the way back to the 50's and seems quite happy to do so. We need a change, and we need it soon. Let's hope we can join the rest of Western Civilisation and legalise same sex marriage, it's the first step of many that we need to take to start making this world a better place.
That's right, the Australian parliament is so backwards that rednecks are seeing it as their homophobic promised land. Who is the leader of this promised land I hear you cry? Well it's none other than Tony Abbott, who I believe is becoming more and more like Australia's very own personal Voldemort. Despite the rising support from his country and around the globe for people to have the right to marry whoever they love (including his own sister who is currently in a long term same sex relationship) he refuses to change his mind. It came to a stage when opposition leader Bill Shorten wanted to introduce a bill to the parliament regarding same sex marriage, yet Tony didn't even have the courtesy to show up.
Now I don't want this to seem like an attack on Tony just for his views on sam sex marriage. It's about his entire way of thinking. When you have more Australian flags in the background of a speech than you do women in you parliamentary cabinet, you have a problem. Or when push for coal and fossil fuels because you think green energy looks ugly.
He's supported by his own personal Wormtail (another harry potter reference, I have to assume everyone has seen the movies or read the books) Joe Hockey. Mr Hockey, Australia's treasurer, has some stunning views. One of my personal favourites being "rising fuel costs won't matter because poor people don't drive" or his advice on buying a new home "get a good job that pays good money". I'm glad he was there to tell me the last one because I would never have been able to figure that out.
Tony blatantly goes against basic human rights when it comes to asylum seekers. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission All people have a fundamental human right to seek asylum from persecution. Instead of helping these people find a place away from their war torn countries where they are being persecuted. Yet Mr Abbott decides this means he can throw alyssum seekers into a detention centre in Indonesia which is full of sexual assault and abuse.
This man is skyrocketing Australia all the way back to the 50's and seems quite happy to do so. We need a change, and we need it soon. Let's hope we can join the rest of Western Civilisation and legalise same sex marriage, it's the first step of many that we need to take to start making this world a better place.
Friday, 26 June 2015
Gym or Netfix
I have been debating recently if I should get a gym membership or a Netflix subscription.
I've decided to write up the pros and cons of each, and hopefully it will help me (and maybe even help you) to figure out which one is best.
Gym:
Pros
- Will hopefully allow me to pull a Chris Pratt - turn me from a loveable chub to a ripped hottie who is somehow even more loveable than before
- Improves my general fitness and health
- I know it's the better option..... although I can't think of any more reasons
- It's more expensive
- It takes a lot more will power
- It's going to be a lot more painful than sitting and watching Netflix...
Netflix
Pros
- I can finally be up to date on all the popular shows, this will lead to be being able to talk to people again.
- I can binge watch old favourites
- It's cheaper than a gym membership
- I do love movies and tv, so that is going to count for a reason
Cons
- Admittedly it's detrimental to my fitness to stay in bed and watch a season (or two) of TV...
- It will cost me what little of my social life I have
- That is really about it...
The gym membership is definitely the healthier option, which I guess is the better option... but the minute I get a job that pays I will get both a gym membership and a Netflix account! Then we can see which holds up better...
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