Another weekend has passed and I can already feel, once again, the vengeance of the Monday morning alarm clock for having so much chill out, fun time on it’s enemy days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So before I lay my head down to sleep I would like to pay tribute to a relaxing weekend and all that came with its imperfect beauty.
I can be more than a bit of a perfectionist. I have always admired photographers, artists, designers, musicians… all creative types in fact, who capture perfection in their pieces… Crisp and clean – that’s what I like. However, I must say that, after 22 years of not ever being able to reach the perfection I so adore and aspire to be like, I am turning my back on it…and instead I’m consciously appreciating imperfect beauty – because this is what is alive. The perfect model sitting on the perfect chair, on the perfect sunny day, next to the perfectly calm, crystal sea, on the perfect sun deck…isn’t real. For so long I’ve thought that I could be one of these perfect people, that one day, someday I could “make it” and “get there” and “all” I needed to do was work really hard and make all the right decisions, and then I could eventually attain this perfection, the perfection that many of us call beauty. Perhaps we call it this because that’s what we’ve been told is beautiful – but the fact is…this perfection we that we apparently need to be happy is impossible. Let us instead celebrate true beauty and instead of being so caught up in trying to become a “successful” perfect person, take time to remember people and things we really value – our partners, our kids, our savings, our dreams… if you’re already one of those people, I admire your wisdom! For me, it’s something I’m still coming to terms with – it’s ok to just be a bit…well…imperfectly real.
Below are some of my reminders:
What better way to inspire love of the messy beautiful than spending a day strolling through Newtown?
King st, Newtown
…And buying some awesome presents
Peppermint magazine, and some books to get me thinking
Or driving to the country with a companion and finding a beautiful lookout
Or cleaning up the leftovers after having good company around for a few cups of mulled wine and scones
Avoiding washing up
Even the lemon was drunk...
Or finding some great writing, creatives and music
Magnation - A truly inspiring space
Creativity...it's everywhere
Lanie Lane
Or getting lost with a friend
Or checking out the ACO at an underground gig with an awesome cousin
Awesome cousin and cellist, Daniel.
Me being extra smiley
Or finding the best bookshop in the world in a small town
Berkelouw Berrima book barn - top floor
I wish I could live here and wake up to the masterpieces of today, yesterday and centuries before...
Or just being super comfortable
When I stop and think about it, there’s so much to be happy about, so much to feel good about, so much to just grab at and enjoy.
They say it’s the simple things that make you happy, and it’s so true. Friends, family, books and a little bit of adventure…that’s really all I need…nowhere does perfection come into this and yet it is all so beautiful.
So thank you to the dirty, gritty, messy, complex and imperfect beauty that comes with this gift we call life.
Lauren K discusses social media with real business owners for the first in a series of installments about breaking into business
As I slowly edge my way into the big, scary world of self-promotion and “me branding” in order to continue working as a freelance writer, I’ve started to research marketing and business planning. Small business and entrepreneurship have always fascinated me and the more I delve into this world, the more enthralled I have become. A good place to start for me was the Toren brothers’ book “Small business, big vision”. It features several discussions and interviews with inspiring entrepreneurs on a range of business and marketing skills, tools, do’s and don’ts. It was great to read about these highly successful entrepreneurs and their thoughts on marketing, but I thought it would be great for me to get out in the business community and ask marketing experts, business owners and freelancers their thoughts on some hot topics in small business. One particularly spicy topic at the moment is, of course, social media, and with all the hype and all the critics, I thought it would be great to get a better understanding of the opinions held by real professionals.
What social media tools are the most useful and why?
From my own experience with social media, I would have to say that my favourite tool is Twitter – it’s easy to use, fun and fast. Julie Sweet from Certificates online, a birth, death and marriage certification service for time-poor individuals agrees: “Social media, namely Twitter has given us an opportunity to meet, get in touch with and transparently showcase our business and services…we tweet about what we do, what we are providing, how we are helping brides save time and more. Most importantly we tweet vital quick short facts surrounding the legalities of what is required for a wedding.”
Boost your business work by getting twitter followers?
Twitter can also be used to “see” inside people’s heads – get a feel for what they’re thinking, doing, wanting and buying. Though some, such as the great Andrew Denton, may argue that far from promoting ourselves, Twitter can highlight (rather hilariously) our stupidity: “…remember that old thing about, “wouldn’t it be great if you could walk down the road and read people’s minds? Well, Twitter has shown us that the answer to that is ‘No!’” However, it would be difficult to deny its usefulness when it comes to market research, as Denton admits himself “it is a useful research tool – and people I respect use it.”* Franziska Iseli-Hall, from Basic Bananas marketing agency stresses this power: “I like twitter to do research and see what people are talking about or what they are saying about a certain topic. This is very powerful for a small business.”
Franziska goes on to say that it is important to choose your social media tools based on what a business requires: “Each social media tool is useful for a business depending on their target market” and along with Twitter offers the following as particular favourites:
- Facebook – it is user-friendly and offers a range of great apps that can maximise its benefits.
- YouTube – it is still quite an “uncrowded space” and so “much easier to rank high and be seen”.
- LinkedIn – enables connection with other professionals and is a rather unique social media tool by allowing this professional use. “It’s basically your database of professional contacts” with one of its most powerful functions, ‘recommendations’, allowing “people to recommend you directly on your profile.”
Like Franziska, Julie agrees that LinkedIn is an outstanding source for significant contacts and states: “without a shadow of a doubt (LinkedIn) has helped our business grow and become more well known.”
What strategies are the most effective in helping to boost your business?
The Toren bothers’ stress the importance of strategic planning when it comes to social media marketing: “Small business owners make a plan for nearly every other aspect of their companies, but few actually create a written plan for social media. Yet without one…you won’t get the results you want, and you might even do more harm than good.”
Similarly, Franziska advises that you must be strategic to get results and suggests the following strategies to boost business:
- Focus on giving value – This is one of the most important things when it comes to making social media work
- Run competitions to get people excited and interested
- Post content that is valuable, funny, quirky – it just might go viral with your followers/fans/subscribers spreading the word for you
- Build brand awareness and ensure consistency – be clear on your tone of voice, branding, images you use and the way you connect with people
- Engage with your customers – this encourages them to interact with you and feel as if they know you
- Attract “social proof” – Ask your happy clients to leave a review.
Other real small business owners agree that these tactics are effective. Madonna Geyer runs a mums and bubs market and talks about the community that has grown out of engaging with customers via facebook – “Social media has allowed me to share my event so easily to the market goers. It has formed a small community of mums who share the same interests.” Similarly Diesel Laws, co-founder of barkles.com, a place for creating discussions, offering opinions and debates, stresses the importance of interacting with its audience – “social media provides a level playing field for entrepreneurs to connect with like minded individuals and customers. Being able to have direct contact through Twitter to entrepreneurs and investors on the other side of the world is invaluable. Through the use of Social Media, we have been able to grow a worldwide audience…we keep a close eye on when our brand is mentioned on Social Media and make sure to respond/interact with our members as often as we can. The one rule we live by: Social Media is a two-way conversation.” Julie reinforces the importance of branding “At the end of the day, it’s all about brand awareness and social media has allowed us to be able to get our brand out there to so many so that we exist.”
Social media – Just a fad?
Social media - just another fad to follow?
Franziska insists that social media is the way forward, in terms of better business, better outcomes and smaller marketing budgets – “Social media is here to stay, there is no doubt about it. It has changed the way a business interacts with its customers. The good news is that social media allows small businesses to be recognised without spending the big bucks they don’t usually have, it has allowed them to compete with the bigger companies without needing big marketing budgets.” But some, based on their own experience with social media remain cynical. “I have not received a single lead from any social media facebook, youtube, linkedin, vimeo, twitter – nothing” says Australian corporate Infotrainer David Welzman. He argues that social media is costly and ineffective – “Companies spend big money on social media promotions, B&T site case studies with marketing companies doing promoting Social media showing “likes” and hit statistics but not a single thing about sales, and sales is the end result of all marketing including word of mouth…It’s a pipe dream invented by so-called “experts” who are not experts but are simply saying social media is good because everyone else says it’s good- but the truth is it is extremely rare, super rare that ANYONE gets results, sure there are some who fluke it but realistically its the lowest form of word of mouth.”
Results - Can they happen?
Fad or no fad, real people in small business are coming out and saying they are happy with the results. At the end of the day, when it comes to business it’s the ROI (return on investment), the R&R – results and revenue – that truly matter. Perhaps the debate will continue, but I have to say that from all the responses I received in the lead up to writing this (just under 30 in total), they were overwhelmingly positive. However, I should clarify that this was not always in the form of a “sale”. The Toren brothers’ highlight the importance of remembering this when assessing the “results” from social media marketing strategies – “Although social media marketing can bring results, the results you see won’t be in the form of paying customers unless you work both ends of the social media channel…it’s up to you to have measures in place to turn (traffic flowing to your site) into cash.”
How do you turn traffic into cash? – Stay tuned for the next installment.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren K
*Quote sourced from “Outside the box” Good Weekend, SMH, April 6-8, 2012
As an aspiring writer I’ve been hoping for sometime now to ask a “real author” what the writers’ life is all about. When George Ivanoff, an Australian writer for kids and teens, very kindly agreed to an interview, I was totally insanely stoked. George has written a range of fiction and non-fiction works, including, most recently, the second book in the Gamers’ series: Gamers’ challenge. If you’re interested in checking out some of the cool stuff he’s been up to visit: http://georgeivanoff.com.au/
Have you always wanted to write?
It’s something that happened gradually. It was some time during high school that I realised I liked writing. I can’t remember the exact timing of it, but we did a term of creative writing in English class, and I discovered that I liked making stuff up. From that point, my interest grew. It was not until much later that it occurred to me that I might be able to make a career out of it.
What do you enjoy most about being an author?
I like the fact that my former hobby is now my job. I like getting paid to do something that I love doing… Something that I would be doing even if I wasn’t getting paid for it.
I also really enjoy working from home. I like the fact that I don’t have to travel to get to work or wear a suit and tie every day, and I love the fact that I can spend more time with my kids.
Do you think it’s more difficult to write for young adults than it is for older age groups?
I think that really depends on the writer. I read a lot of books aimed at kids and young adults, so I don’t find it all that difficult to slip into the right frame of mind.
Who are your biggest inspirations, and what about them inspires you?
There are so many writers out there that inspire me.
John Christopher and Robert A Heinlein, who both wrote so many classic young adult science fiction novels. They really inspired my imagination as a teenager.
Neil Gaiman, who writes so many different things. He’s equally adept at writing novels, short stories, scripts and comics. His work is always surprising and inspiring.
Australian author Carole Wilkinson. Aside from the fact that she found success later in life, thus proving that you’re never too old to start, I love her clean, deceptively simple prose. Her Dragonkeeper novels are so beautifully written. So many writers over-write and over-describe. Carole doesn’t. Her ability to create crystal-clear images without fussiness is amazing, and inspiring.
I could go on listing authors, but I suspect it could become a little boring.
Starting out, a lot of writers are told to not quit their day job, what do you think of this advice and can you relate to this from your own journey to becoming an author?
I definitely agree with that advice. I had a day job for many years while I built up my writing career. Writing is something that can be worked at ‘after hours’, assuming you’re dedicated enough.
I started sending out short stories and articles back when I was a Uni student. Although I had some publications in amateur, non-paying markets, I didn’t make my first sale until many years later while I was working a 9 to 5 office job. My first book (a YA short story collection called Life, Death and Detention) came out in 1999. Then I discovered the education market and began to write school readers and kids’ reference books. It took quite a number of years to build up my reputation in this area.
My next step was to go freelance as a web consultant, as web development had been a part of my day job. Doing this allowed me to earn decent money, but gave me more time to write. Eventually the balance of work started to shift, as I wrote more and consulted less. It was not until 2005, two years after the birth of my first daughter, that I started to wind down my consulting business, becoming a writer and stay-at-home dad. I still don’t write full-time… My wife and I had a second daughter, and she’s still at Kinder. But my writing income has increased over the years, and once daughter #2 starts school I’ll be doing it pretty much full-time. I’ve managed to slowly build up my writing career to the point where it’s ready to go full-time and earn me a full-time income.
In retrospect, this has been a really good way to develop my writing career. I think that I would have found the pressure of making it pay rather difficult to cope with when I was starting out and getting a lot more rejections than I now get.
What advice would you give to someone who is trying to “make it” as a writer?
Well, there is the clichéd advice of — read lots, write lots and be persistent. It’s become a cliché because it works. The more you read and write, the better your writing will become. And it can be a difficult industry to break into, so you certainly need persistence.
I would also suggest that you think outside the box in terms of markets. For example, when thinking about books, most people don’t even realise that there is a huge market beyond what you find in bookstores. I stumbled onto the education market. Books like school readers and kids’ reference books don’t ever make it into bookstores — they go straight into schools and libraries. But this is a HUGE market, and it’s writing for this market that has allowed me to make a living out of writing. So I would encourage new writers to investigate the potential markets for their writing.
With the second Gamers book out now, and writing the third, how do you manage your time between all the work that comes with a book launch and writing?
With great difficultly. 
There is constantly a variety of projects pulling me in different directions — education market writing, the next novel, short stories for anthologies, school talks, interviews, promotional activities, etc. It’s rare for me to be working on just one thing at a time. I’m constantly juggling projects. This is something that I’ve learned to do gradually. As my career has progressed, my writing life has become busier and I’ve accommodated. Looking after kids has complicated matters… But has also helped to train me. I’ve learned to work in short bursts around the schedules of my children. I’ve learned to work anywhere, anytime — be it on a park bench as my kids are playing in the playground or in front of the television programme they are watching. So a spare moment is never wasted. Mind you, I do have moments of frantic stress as multiple deadlines converge with the demands of parenthood.
Can you tell us a bit about the Gamers series?
The Gamers books are a series of novels inspired by my teenage obsession with computer games. They are about two 16-year-old thieves, Tark and Zyra, who spend their lives questing to reach a place called Designers Paradise. In the first book,href=”http://www.gamersquestbook.com/book/index.html”>Gamers’ Quest, the reader quickly discovers that Tark and Zyra are actually inside a computer game… It takes the two of them a little longer to work things out. In book two, Gamers’ Challenge, they stop playing the game and go in search of the Ultimate Gamer, the only entity within the game who knows how to get out. In book three, which I am working on at the moment, they will get out of the game and meet the people who created it.
The universe that I’ve created for this series has certainly given me a lot of scope for telling stories, and there is still more to reveal. And there are stories beyond those of Tark and Zyra. I have a new short story, “Gamers’ Inferno”, that will be published in an anthology called Trust Me Too (edited by Paul Collins, to be published in June 2012 by Ford Street Publishing). In this story I introduce a new set of characters and a new game environment.
I am very much enjoying writing in the Gamers universe. I’m hoping that I get the opportunity to continue doing so for a while yet. Mind you, I have lots of other ideas churning around in my mind. So the future probably holds a mix of Gamers stories and new stuff.
Gamers’ challenge is now available from Boomerang Books, Fishpond, or Ford Street Publishing.
Stay tuned for a review on the first and second Gamers’ series in the weeks to come.
Thanks for dropping by!
Lauren K
When I found out Michael Peter was releasing a second full-length album, I couldn’t wait to hear it. In the interim of: its arrival, my listening, writing a review and posting my thoughts on my music blog, I thought, why not get in contact with Michael and ask him for an interview. I couldn’t have been more delighted when he replied saying he was happy to answer my questions. What followed was an inspiring and fascinating account of the highs and lows of life, fun, creative expression, family values and the love of music.
How long have you been writing your own songs? Do you still remember the first song you wrote and what it was about?
The first song I wrote was when I was 14 (so that’s 16 years worth of writing) it was a co-write with my friend and we were actually more interested in making a comedy show so it was a terrible song full of nonsense – inspired by the lyrics you would hear in a Presidents of the USA song – remember them? We had a band called Sicks Phresh Egz and if you owned an instrument you could be in the band. It took a couple of years of fooling around before we started taking ourselves seriously. There would have been so many songs along the way that were written and then forgotten, probably for the best!
A lot of your songs seem to reflect your values and life-journey experiences. Do you ever feel self-conscious singing them to an audience?
There is nothing better for me in regards to performance then to offer myself through my songs to an audience that is there to come along for the ride. At those gigs I will open up and celebrate that thing we all have in common – being human. When that happens I am so happy to have a depth in the material to play with. On the flipside there is nothing worse then doing battle with an audience that just doesn’t care. If I am ever in this situation, I try to be my own audience so that I avoid feeling self-conscious. Most of the time my gigs are somewhere in between, I hoping this album will bring those stats up a little.
What is your favourite time and space to write music in?
At night while the world sleeps, in a place where no one can hear me. As a father these days I’ll settle for 5 minutes on the toilet to myself.
Who are your biggest musical and/or non-musical inspirations? What about them inspires you?
John Lennon is a big one for me, he could write hit songs that appealed to a massive audience but also be completely true to himself as an artist/activist. My wife is my grounded inspiration everyday reminding me of compassion, understanding and companionship. My mum was a great inspiration for my dedication to being the best father I can be for my daughter.
What did you enjoy most about the process of creating “Awake with Birds”?
That question makes me flash back to all these brilliant tiny moments that would sound insignificant to list by themselves, but it makes me smile to think of the process as whole. So maybe the answer is that I enjoyed it all, probably because in the recording studio the person I have dedicated countless hours to being and becoming, a songwriter/musician/producer makes the most sense. Put me on a building site and being song writer means nothing, in the studio you can get overwhelmed if you don’t have the feel for your craft to back you up. There were rewards along the way as each musician added their instruments and we heard something new born from a take. There were frustrating times too like when the tape played up or an hour was wasted on an idea that didn’t work. The amount of care taken with each and every song means I feel like I have earned the satisfaction of knowing it’s the best I can do.
Musicians in Sydney (and Australia) can hit a lot of obstacles in the journey to “making it”? What was a low point for you and how did you get through it?
Well I don’t see myself as someone who has “made it” yet but I am working on it. By that I mean I am working towards a point in my career where I can just be an artist, performer and song writer and I can pay someone else that is much better then I am at all the other organising that comes with booking shows and promoting myself. But there have been a few low points, one in particular that I even wrote a song about when my band Owenell broke up. It seemed like no matter how hard we tried we just couldn’t make it work. Being in a band is like having 4 business partners 4 best friends 4 creative objectives and 4 egos all balancing on a tight rope. After a while I had so much time and energy invested in that band that I couldn’t bare the thought of it not existing even though all the signs where pointing me towards going in a solo direction. When it was all over I felt relieved and sad at the same time, I was also afraid of doing anything musically without that support network and encouragement that comes with being in a band. That was my lowest point and my biggest obstacle to date. There was another low moment too but I think this answer is already long enough and I haven’t written a song about that one yet.
Haha…ok, last question, for someone who has never heard your music, how would you describe it?
I will do my best not to sound like my press release/bio here… My recordings so far all have an acoustic guitar leading the rhythm and chords. My voice is the other common denominator and that is mostly a feeling type delivery rather then technical. My songs are a little unpredictable because I write not so much in different styles but with different intentions behind each song. The variety and substance of the content matters to me. Sometimes words are first, sometimes music is. I don’t fake my enthusiasm or emotion. I try to reflect the full spectrum of colour life offers I believe the new album ‘Awake With Birds’ is the closest I’ve come to presenting all of this on one recording.
Full of life during the recording of "Awake with Birds"
To find out more about Michael Peter, his music and his latest album visit:
Also keep an eye out for my album review of “Awake with Birds” on musical seconds in the weeks to come.
Michael will be playing live in Sydney next on Wednesday 18th April at 8pm at the Tokio Hotel
Cockle Bay Warf Darling Harbour.
Entry is free!
In keeping with the curiosity theme for this year I thought I would do a bit of investigation on what’s behind the scenes of running an online store. Last weekend I sat down and had a chat with highly ranked Australian fashion blogger Mez and owner of up and coming online store Byrd Holland. Over a cup of hot peppermint tea we discussed fashion and the highs and lows of designing, launching and owning an online store.
What drove you to establish Byrd Holland?
That’s a very good question. I think I was really attracted to owning something, working for myself and running something at home using digital media. The whole digital world fascinates me and I thought, since I have enjoyed running my fashion blog fashionfazer so much, why not give my readers something more tangible to enjoy.
What processes have you been involved in to turn this vision into a reality?
I did a lot of research. I drew inspiration from my favourite online shops and then tried to incorporate their best elements to make something that I would be happy with. I had to spend a lot of time and effort setting the store up…it involved missing out on a lot of Saturday nights… well all nights really, to learn html and css coding for the website. I didn’t have much capital to start with, and I really wanted this so I had to teach myself.
What was your favourite part?
I really enjoy creating something, and seeing it solidify is almost like a drug to me. My favourite part was seeing it come together and come to life.
You also run a long-standing and well-established fashion blog, work and attend uni…how do you find the time to run a business as well?
I don’t sleep and I have a lot of caffeine. That’s pretty much how I do it…
What keeps you motivated?
I feel like this is an ever evolving process so I’m never satisfied, I always try to think outside the box and think of new ways to improve the site.
You feature as the model for a lot of the shop items and for your fashion posts, Have you ever gotten self-conscious in front of the camera?
Yes, I do all the time! I try not to, but really I much prefer being on the other side of the camera, taking the shots rather than being photographed. Unfortunately I don’t have any models at this stage so until further notice I will continue to be on the “wrong side” of the camera.
What sort of person wears Byrd Holland?
The Byrd Holland girl values quality of design, is fashion forward and is after an original design whether vintage of brand spanking new.
What is your favourite item available on the Byrd Holland website at the moment?
Hmmm… that’s a difficult question, I like a lot of the stuff on the site at the moment, but I have to say my latest love is this new vintage American 80s knitted jumper.
Vintage American 80s knit now available at byrd holland
To check out Mez’s online store visit http://byrdhollanddesigns.bigcartel.com
To check out Mez’s amazing fashion photography, inspiration and style, visit http://fashionfazer.com
Stay tuned for more interviews with inspirational and self-motivated individuals on secondfresh.com,
Lauren K
Despite recent promises that came with all the hope one gains from the start of a new year and its fresh appeal, I have been unsuccessful in keeping them and my desire to post daily has been put on hold due to the unfortunate event that comes with moving house: lack of internet connection. Furthermore, I recently begun working at a new job which I’m very excited about and which coincidentally further kept me from my blogging duties allowing me to slip back into the horrid position of an exiled blogger for a few short (but very long) weeks.
So since you’ve been patiently anticipating my next post for so long as I know you have been dear reader, I am offering up something juicy and controversial for our first dish: Smoking in public places.
Most smokers and non-smokers (if not all) will agree that smoking is a dirty habit, but what does that mean for public policy? Recent legislation has seen cigarette packets hidden away in locked, opaque grey shelves and rounded smokers up to puff away in outdoor cueing areas where passers by look on in disgust or envy (or both). More recently there has been promise to eliminate branding on cigarette packages. One could argue that perhaps these steps are not so terribly controversial for the general public (though tobacco companies who threaten to take matters to court will have a field day with the branding saga) but the more controversial is still to come.
For those of you that hop in and out of Sydney’s central station you may have noticed the signs on Eddy avenue – which for those of you who don’t know is a well-ventilated outdoors avenue leading to one of the main entrances to the train station. These signs demand passers by to not smoke. This is popping up everywhere, big black, white and red letters demanding “No Smoking” in outdoor areas. Areas where no one else but those who choose to fill their lungs with smoke are in any particular danger – less than what they are from walking through a traffic laden road.
Last year whilst I was completing my thesis I received an email from the university’s acting vice-chancellor declaring that certain areas amongst the University campus were to become no-smoking zones. The particular area they were notifying students and staff of was the entrance to the Lowy cancer research institute and other areas that were seemingly close by. The feeling was that smoking outside a cancer research centre sent the wrong message to the public. I must confess whilst I sympathised with an aspect of this no-smoking request, I thought of how many people may proceed to step just outside the campus walls for a ciggy in full eye of the public rather than inside the university boundaries, concealed from public view.
The email went on to ask how staff and students would feel about making the entire campus a smoke-free zone. Despite my greatest attempts, I could not understand what the uni was getting at. If someone is in the open air, what’s wrong with lighting up a fag? Why is it anybody else’s business? I wrote a reply highlighting my disgust along with some of the ‘positive’, if not contraversial points for smoking – it increases concentration and may help some students cope with stress before an exam. I went on to say that if a person was an addict, which lets face it anyone who is a smoker is to some extent, then it would be unfair to disadvantage them in exam conditions – indeed studies show that abstinence from smoking can impair memory and metacognition even when chewing on nicotine gum (2mg). You can find one study in particular using the doi: 10.1037/a0014246. I’ve also since learnt that Alzheimer’s disease occurs less frequently in smoking populations.
I’m not saying that smoking is good, I’m just saying that if we live in a free country, then adults should be able to make their own decisions about their health and if they choose to go with the short-term benefits it offers them whilst studying at uni, then that’s ok. It would be outrageous to walk up to a person in a park who is eating “too much” junk food and is severely overweight and ask them to stop eating. It’s their life and as long as they’re not harming anybody else, there is no reason to enforce a lifestyle choice upon them.
I can’t help but compare these scenarios to religious fundamentalism. Many if not most Christians believe that I am going to hell along with my fellow atheistic thinkers. Does that mean they are allowed to restrict my life in order to “save my soul”? Does that mean I must not express my viewpoint in fear that the Christian “soldier” might fall and become a hell-bound atheist? Hell no! Does it mean that Christians must listen to my reasoning and no longer live by their own beliefs? Hell no again! It’s the same with smoking. Many believe it’s not the best lifestyle choice, and there is science and medicine and lots of data to support their case, but that doesn’t mean you can stop them, and it doesn’t mean you can make outdoor spaces smoke-free just because some non-smokers would prefer for smokers to abstain from puffing away. Tough shit! If its bothering you, walk away!
When Oliver Cromwell rose to power in Britain he banned Christmas, dancing, plays, sports, parties and basically everything else that was fun due to the puritanical belief that these things were “sinful”. (Oddly enough he indulged in smoking, but that is beside the point). What one person believes to be wrong the next believes to be completely acceptable, and as long as these things are not impinging on others rights, on others freedoms, on others welfare, then we must allow room for these varying behaviours. Smoking is a dirty habit, but we’re lucky enough to live in a country where we are not persecuted for indulging in our dirty habits.
I posted this up on Broo a while ago and thought I would add it here. I’ve been trying to get more into my creative writing lately. Currently planning 2 novels – one a psychological thriller, the other, perhaps a little sci-fi…? (but hopefully more philosophical than sci-fi…we shall see). Your thoughts on my short stories would therefore be very much appreciated. I guess the real question is…can I write?? (Oh dear god I hope so!) This short story was partly inspired by Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” which I read with an English class at school long ago…
Necessity
Click. Swit.
The sounds soothes me. I immediately feel the tightness in my chest relax as I sink into bliss. I love my life. I bounce around with the colours that buzz around me – flick, flick, flitter-flutter. Always something new, always something different, each day exciting and yet its familiarity secures me. I scrunch my toes as I bathe in the pixels. Yup, I have all I need.
****
From the time I can remember I have sat like a yogi master in front of the box, control in one hand I felt as though I was ready to take on anything in the world. From this time, whenever it was on, I became oblivious to all but the screen that sat beyond my heels. My mother was always a pain, calling me for breakfast, for dinner, to brush my teeth – she was a constant source of distraction except when she was on night shift. She tended to leave me alone on those days. She was tired and couldn’t fight my focus. I had all I needed.
Each year I had a White Christmas and a family to come home to. That was pretty amazing for an only child living on the Gold Coast with a single mum working public holidays for extra dosh. Most kids in my block joined nippers with the local surf clubs at this time of year and many offered to teach me how to swim. I found Frosty the snowman friendlier. I had all I needed.
The black-rimmed set got me through my first break-up. He said I was “aloof” and that I “lacked focus”, he said I needed to “wake up”, move out of my own head and face the “real world” around me. But I live in the real world! I had remarked. And I did, thank you very much, from 5pm-6pm every afternoon…then 6pm-6.30pm for the local news and 6.30pm-7pm for the next slot of national news. I knew about all the pensioners getting ripped off and all the bad tradesmen that were out there thanks to the current affairs programs that followed suit. He didn’t know what he was talking about. None of them did but It didn’t bother me. I always found them a bit of a distraction anyway. Joey and Chandler were sexy and Jerry made me laugh. I had all I needed.
My school friends never really got me. They said I was a homebody. They couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t come out partying. I hated the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll scene most people revel in as a young adult. I never understood why people would drink themselves stupid or dope themselves up. They said it was for the “experience” that it was “experimental” that it was “only once…or maybe twice”. If I wanted to watch idiots mucking around, I could switch on “Big Brother”. I never understood the addiction. I didn’t stay in touch with any of those friends, I didn’t need them, even in my darkest days. When the dog died I curled up on the couch to watch “Lassie”. When mum died the main thing I wrestled with was the remote – “MTV” or “Entertainment Tonight”? Whatever I decided I would turn the volume up really loud, taping the decided program so I could watch it on repeat. The television was my therapist. I was allowed to sit and be completely accepted. I could speak if I liked or say nothing. Eventually when I felt brave enough I started seeking advice from “Dr Phil” and “Oprah”. They talked me through a lot of grief and tears. No friends have been that supportive. I had all I needed
Getting knocked back after my first few interviews was hard. Thank god for welfare. I don’t know how I would have survived without the dole. I watched “The Apprentice” before and after this interview process. I felt sorry for these people putting everything on the line for the sake of a job. I couldn’t understand how they could risk so much for their career. How did they even know it was right for them? I didn’t know what was right for me so I waited. In the mean time…I had all I needed.
My father, a Western Australian miser with thick skin told me that I needed to travel. “You’ve never been across the damn ocean love!” I recall him saying several times. He said I would work out my direction and where I was going if I just got out and saw the world. But I have travelled across sea and desert! I had insisted. I described the wonders and greatness of nature through the eyes of Attenborough and the ancient cities featured on the History channel. I didn’t believe him when he said it wasn’t the same. He didn’t understand the journey he was encouraging me to go on was merely a distraction. I had all I needed.
****
After what feels like a few cozy minutes I glance over to my glass and notice I can no longer see the red gums and white enamel within them. It must be getting late. I look around at the windows. Each frames the darkness of outside. As I hobble towards the kitchen for a cup of milk I stop and stare. A big number “88” that I entered when I bought the fridge calendar is scrawled across today’s date. I smile at the events of the evening and the happy coincidence that channel 92 had featured a brass band playing “Happy Birthday”.
Despite the coldness of my bed, I close my eyes waiting for the distraction of sleep. “Ladies and Gentleman. Tonight we’re featuring a woman who has been a loyal follower these past eighty-eight years!” I hear the sound of the cheers. “Let’s give a warm welcome to…” I scrunch my toes as I begin to pixelate amongst the bright lights.
****
“A beg your pardon officer. For as long as I have lived here there’s been noise blaring from the television set of number 42.”
“Ok, so what’s the problem?”
“Well its not a problem so to speak…but a suspicion. These past three weeks, we haven’t heard a sound and I’ve noticed that the bills and junk mail have been piling up in the mailbox.”
“I see…”
Christopher Hitchens, loved, adored, revered, hated, cursed and patronised was, to say the least a brilliant man. Coining the term “antitheist” Christopher Hitchens went beyond what many atheists would claim: that god does not only not-exist, but that a belief in god is a totalitarian belief (thank you wikipedia!)
I was very angry to see this posted up on youtube. At first I didn’t want to watch it because I knew how angry I would get. Then I watched it and felt like puking. I want to share it here to allow an opportunity for those who feel anger towards this video posted on youtube to express it as the stupid channel doesn’t allow comments or ratings on their video (one does not need to think long to know why.) So here it is and below is my response. I’d encourage any who feel a need to comment on this misrepresentation of Hitchens and its utter lie to comment here since it has been disabled by “1GodOnlyOne”.
This is what I sent to “1GodOnlyOne”:
“I am utterly disgusted by your misleading video: “On his deathbed an atheist prays to god”. The fact that you have not allowed comments or ratings on this video shows that you know how misleading and false what you have posted is.
What’s that in the bible about bearing false witness against your neighbour?
If you are smart you will remove this, I’m going to make sure that other people can comment on this on other platforms and on other spaces.
Fuck you all.
Ps. Atheism is not a dogma, what you represent is dogma and totalitarianism.
If there was a hell I know you’d all be there because “god” isn’t about what you preach.
Lucky for you there isn’t.”
The thing is it not only misrepresents atheists but also Christians. Many Christians would not be so heartless and self-rightoeous to propagate such false claims and celebration for the death of such a profound man. I’d really like to encourage others to post this up on their blogs as well and allow for comments on the video, as I think every viewer has the right to express their own thoughts on this video and set the record straight. Hitchens NEVER prayed to god. In fact, Hitchens will remain immortal in a much more real sense than the creators of such horrifically ugly videos such as those posted by “1GodOnlyOne”.
I put this up on Climbing Australia a couple of weeks ago (though the post date is coming up as today…) and thought I would share it here too:
After putting up with a climbing partner for 3 years, Lauren Kress shares 12 tips on how to tackle the complications, embarrassment and unintelligible conversations that go with it.
Ok so clearly when I say climbing partner I’m not talking about a climbing buddy who stands at the end of the rope to make sure you don’t die, hauling insults, patronizing tips and occasional words of “encouragement” that are meant to make you feel motivated, such as “You’re nearly halfway there!” No. I’m talking about being with someone who is a climber. My partner/boyfriend/guy who seems to hang around me a lot, is sadly afflicted with chronic vertical obsession syndrome. This can sometimes lead to complications in our relationship, though there are also benefits (the six pack is coming along nicely honey!) and I guess it keeps him off the streets so to speak. Needless to say, I’ve had to adapt my behaviour over the past few years to cope with this debilitating illness.
I thought nothing short of 12 tips would be a pertinent and useful beginners guide for those enduring a relationship with someone who prefers spending their time clambering up walls than pretty much anything else…
1. If you’re planning on actually seeing your partner during the week or weekend make sure you give them plenty of warning – don’t be offended if they had not thought about how they were going to “fit-in” seeing you between:
“Monday?…er…climbing”
“Tuesday?…umm…bouldering”
“Wednesday, no that’s definitely out, there’s a bunch of us going down to…”
Its not their fault, its part of their condition. Just remember, planning time for you and them without walls is essential.
2. Be suspicious of weekend “romantic getaways” to the blue mountains
3. Be more suspicious of the getaway when you see an ill-disguised rope, harness and “climbing shoes” aka. Torture devices for toddler feet, piled up in the boot.
4. If you’re going to get your hair done, buy a new outfit, get a new job, move out of the state for a while, let your partner know about all the plans and preparations so when you turn up to see them (with red hair or after being in Perth for 6 months) you can say something like “what do you think?” or “did you miss me?” and they’ll have an idea of what you’re talking about instead of giving up and looking at the stone wall behind you with eyes flitting eagerly from side-to-side.
5 If you hear the words “one sec darling” whilst walking down the street, that is climbers talk for “I just want to see if I can climb up this telegraph pole.” You must immediately walk away and pretend not to know who this monkey is. Why not walk up to a random group of people to ask for the time or help an old lady cross the street? If no-one is around, slip into the nearest pub or liquor store to drink away any embarrassment that you, naturally, may be experiencing.
6. The white powdery stuff really is chalk
7. When it’s your turn to plan a holiday, go somewhere flat.
8. Warning: Belaying is a bitch, your neck is really not meant to be bent back at the angle required to ensure your beloved does not fall to any harm.
9. Just don’t belay ok?
10. If you ever get dragged into belaying make sure you are the worst and most annoying belayer ever. Don’t acknowledge the fact that your partner just completed the “23” with the 90° overhang with toothpick sized “rocks” that everyone else had been unable to complete. When they look at you for the expected reaction: “Oh my god you are amazing, holy art thou! I cannot fathom to understand how you could be with such a lowly non-climbing human as myself, I must be the luckiest person on the planet!” as you bow down to the ground; instead simply smile and nod and ask when you can have a break for ice cream.
11. If my 10th tip has not deterred your partner and you’ve been roped in to doing another rock climbing session, then its time to step up your game and pull out the big guns. I suggest bringing a friend for two reasons, firstly because you will have someone to joke around with and make the experience more enjoyable and secondly, and more importantly, they can act as a “wing-man”. This is especially significant when you see your loved one flirting with some rock climbing chums of the opposite sex while you’re clinging on an “8” for dear life. Just remember there’s plenty of eye candy for you and your friend too. For best results, hop off the wall and prance around “checking out climbs” in sexy exercise gear – the fact that you’re not stinky and sweaty like the real climbers may just work to your advantage.
12. Lastly and most importantly, this is what you do when your partner is going all techy with their recent rock climbing achievements – rant about something you can go equally tech-ass on. I use skiing as my boyfriend has never seen snow so conversations go something like this:
Him: So I was traversing this 21 and had to battle some slopers on the overhang so I –
Me interrupting: Oh do you guys call it traversing too?! When I was in Canada I had to traverse some fox trails and flat-ass terrain that kept me skating for like 40mins just to get to some decent powder with good coverage so I could practice big Gs, pole-planting and mogul-hopping on black and double black diamond runs.
Him: Er…right, How’s the chicken?
I hope this has been useful for all the “non-climbers” out there struggling with the vertically obsessed. Just remember you’re not alone.
About three weeks ago, on the 2nd of November I had the opportunity to cross paths with one of the most intelligent, brilliant minds of this age – that belonging to the one and only Noam Chomsky. I was even more fortunate to hear him speak not once but twice on his visit to Australia.
Its hard to describe what its like to be a part of such a delightful piece of history. The Sydney Peace Prize, announced in June, was awarded to Chomsky as a way of recognizing his constant fight for peace and justice in the world throughout his life’s work. It was quite overwhelming to be seated in Sydney’s Town Hall as Chomsky was invited to the stage to give his lecture. As he humbly walked up to meet the crowd one-by-one everyone stood to welcome the man with a rare quality in today’s society – an inability to sacrifice the truth. There was no false humility, no waving of hands, not even a “thanks” Chomsky had a message to tell us, and without another word he launched into a story, a sickening and horrifying true story about the many who have died needlessly at the hands of insanity.
The lecture, which will be televised in Australia on the ABC at the end of the month, came across loud and clear through the firm but gentle voice of the 82-year-old MIT Professor. In the crowd of over 2000 people you could hear only silence and the occasional horrified gasp or flinch as crime after crime against our fellow human beings were described. It was terrifying, inspirational, sad, and motivational, carrying a clear message that all could grasp. There was no flamboyance, no newspeak or doublespeak or flare. It was plain and simple facts strung together in the way our teachers, journalists, politicians, historians, scientists, academics and any other person claiming to speak knowledge and truth should portray information.
So I can’t understand why Chomsky often gets such a bad wrap, particularly in the US. Is it because we wish that humans weren’t treated in such horrible ways? Is it because we don’t believe that anyone could inflict such pain and torment on a person, nation and nations and therefore Chomsky must be a fraud? Is it because we simply don’t care? I think it is because people want to stick to their world “knowing” and having an opinion about what is really happening without doing the work that goes with it. So we pretend. We pretend we know about the ins and outs of foreign affairs and government policy, based on mass media info. We pretend to know why an illegal war in Iraq began and continues, about the death of civilians under the regimes of the West. We pretend based on our manufactured consent. If we don’t know what we’re talking about why say anything? If we want to say something, we need to make sure we actually read and understand the evidence and information. Yes its hard to keep up with the overwhelming amount of “stuff” that is out there, but the fact that there is so much information available should tell us something: if we haven’t done the research then we don’t necessarily know what we’re talking about. We must reserve a certain amount of open-mindedness and willingness to hear what someone who has done the research says. Its not that we can’t have an opinion, its that we must understand that our opinion will often come from limited knowledge, unless of course it is a particular interest or field of expertise. Even then, I think it is important to remain open to the fact that we may have got it wrong. Once we accept that we don’t really know all that much we take the first step towards wisdom, positive change, justice and peace.
No-one but the most insane among us is happy about human suffering, the scary thing is it is still so prominent in today’s world. Perhaps this is where the true insanity lies.
Chomsky addressing a small linguistics gathering
