A duality of sorts: Australia takes on England minus the cricket

We all know there is a long entrenched tradition that is English bagging Australians and Australians bagging the English, but what happens when you hold dual citizenship? You never lose out, that's what. Its the best of both worlds and you gain the art of laughing at yourself! Enjoy my read about the....

Immediate differences between Australians and the English.

The English complain about the wet and cold, the Australians complain about the sun bloody poking them in the eye…yet they still don’t wear sunglasses. We shorten every single word. Eggs benedict- no, eggs benny people. Makes us immediately slightly bogan and probably also the reason why we are perceived as being a little more laid back- everything is shorter- less effort to talk means more effort for something else right?!

A feed that is more than 5 dollars is expensive. Struth, let’s not pay that, but by all means as soon as you see duty free we will by every way possible stock up to our alcohol maximums- we’re not alcoholics, we are money savers. Don’t get it confused.

Pay for your wi-fi Australia, $5 for an hour isn’t too much to ask is it and we’ll take your card details as well, but at least you don’t have to pay to pee right? It's 15 degrees outside, possibly even 20 but that is freaking cold- beanie up or you’re a tosser, understood?

And last but certainly not least, if you do not sit in the food court, hog the seats whilst flicking through all the pages of the paper and then fix your eyes on the sports section only for hours on end- there is something wrong with you. Go and buy a paper. But don’t leave it on the table like you would on the Tube, put it in a bin people- you’ll find them in Australia.

While you then ponder the proceedings of the day look around see the ‘Australian way’ and ‘beach culture’ acquaint yourself again with the fact that thongs can be called thongs without people thinking your referring to a g-banger; in fact make sure you don’t call them flip flops unless you want someone to assume you’re from South Australia and let’s face it, those guys aren’t really Australian. Then absorb the State of Origin jersey of Queensland, think about the big game and all the excitement that comes from mullet adorning bogans shouting their mouths off full of team spirit for the second biggest football match in the country whilst Victoria sits quietly and salivates knowing that AFL holds all the money, history & stature that makes Australian sport set apart from the world. For a moment the European football moments of Drogba, Ronaldo and the like are mere memories of the Evening Standard and Metro that once haunted the hourly train ride back to the humble London abode. Both are home. Both are loved, for their own ways.

 
 

A Love Challenge extravangza!

Good Morning peoples. So naturally I guess it goes without saying, I owe you much. I have been quite absent of late. So this one is going to be BIG. First I must update you on the days I have missed for the Love Challenge. The ones that I have listed in chronological order I am going to dot point so that it is quicker and easier.

Day 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

• I love how people can sit in silence and enjoy the scenery.
• I love how children smile and say hello even if they don't know you.
• I love how children don't care of your age they still feel like they have something to teach you, adults are tainted by experience and feel like without it perhaps they don't have something to teach- its not a good thing...we should learn from children.
• I love how the rain rejuvinates the earth, and makes things new- but also how fire can damage the earth and also still make things new- its natures proof that through bad things good things still prevail.
• I love how people volunteer their time for valuable causes in a selfless manner. 
• Extra ones, but who cares- I love it when in hardship great friends are there to lift you up, take your mind off things and make you smile.
• I love it when you learn knew things and your mind because a buzz of excitement.

Day 14- Valentine's Day- this day was spent with some great friends doing one of my other greatest passions that give me peace...singing. But while this is what I loved about the day what I loved the most was the fact that one of my friends approach a man who was sitting on his own looking rather miserable to join the group so that he wouldn't be alone. I thought that was a lovely thought.

Day 15, 16, 17, 18

• I love how men strike up the courage to say hello to women and even if they make a fool of themselves they still think its worthwhile.
• I love it how people apologise if they feel like they haven't given you the attention right then and there, just because they are courteous and they care.
• I love it how people say things just as they are because beating around the bush isn't an act of loving another...saying things how they are is loving someone, no matter how harsh it first seems.
• I love it when you can laugh with a friend until you cry and it doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense.

Day 19- On Tuesday night I landed myself in hospital, it wasn't a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination. When I arrived in the hospital via ambulance, the ambulance officer tucked me in to my hospital bed- just one lovely extra touch of someone who does that little bit extra in their job.

Day 20- Today. Finally I've caught up, I know what your thinking. This blogger is one slack lady. Today I'm grateful for 3 things already, but I suppose they come under one banner. This morning I received messages from people who are colleagues that said they were pleased I was feeling better and that they missed me at work...this is the first time in a very long time I have experienced such genuine, loveliness in the workplace- I have always known where I work was fabulous and that I am very fortunate but it is times like these that it just affirms it more. I also recieved messages from good friends, some of which have been massive support and provided great joy (perhaps little did they know) recently. On top of that my current house sitting client, Jane (and I suppose boss as well), contacted me to make sure I was ok as well. It just makes me feel so incredibly wrapped up in love. How can anyone feel alone when there is such great people around?! Bless them all.

Phew...that's a heck of a lot of love going on there. But I have finally caught up. I some respects, though I'm sure you are thinking, wow this chick is lazy, its nice that I can still remember the effects and that when I go back over them I can think my goodness there's been so much going on. I find it so refreshing to write these down. How can you think of bad when you are wrapped up in love? It just proves that focusing on the positive is superb! Please check out the following posts for Inspiration Station, Already Read & my general posting of what's been going on lately.

Please do also share with me what's new & thanks to those new readers! I get a kick out of seeing a new person joining each time. I would love to know more about you!

The challenge that gave me plenty of instrinic rewards

This was the challenge that I gave myself as a way of combatting sadness with sunshine...my kind of inacted Love Challenge whilst I was living in London last year. Here's a recap that I wrote last year after I reflected upon how it was going. Enjoy :)

My London challenge

Little people, my friends included, knew about this but I decided after being shitty at London living one day that I would commit to a UK challenge that I hoped would have far reaching results. I have to admit I was hoping that at least one person would react but I wasn’t expecting huge results considering that my motivation was the very thing that I thought would hinder my challenge’s success.

I decided that I would commit at least 1 random act of kindness each day on public transport. It started off with a lady who needed a pen, it grew to a man who needed a tissue and then developed to a dude who ever so eloquently doused himself with Coke whilst riding the Jubilee line one late afternoon amidst the rush home. Each time people had entirely different reactions. The first time I gave a lady a pen to use for a few seconds it was like I was a bloody miracle that I had helped her and then when I told her as the train approached Greenwich station that she could keep the pen it was like I was suddenly transformed into a female God yet to me I had done nothing.

 After a few days of ensuring I was committing these random acts of kindness I began to feel far better about living in London and I also starting approaching the train in the morning as an opportunity to stand and not a ‘why didn’t I get a seat’ moment, despite the colossal amounts one pays per week for a train pass. Perhaps positive affirmations do in fact help more than one person; the affected, the train driver, fellow passengers and myself. Who could have thought huh?!

Several months passed, several acts of kindness committed. Do I consider myself a hero, no. In fact I consider that I just reaffirmed what I always thought was going on, people have become so involved with themselves, tired and also afraid of connecting with strangers that they shut off to their whole world. That is probably why when I first came to London creating the analogy of Londoners being dead bodies Monday to Friday and children on Saturday and Sunday was quite a simple thought process for me. Then I recall having a conversation with a friend who suggested that society has become so soft that people are not pushing back and saying that we do not approve of peoples’ idiotic behaviour for fear of retribution and hence we silently perpetuate it. But I would like to boldly suggest that we can in fact attack the negative with positive without fear of retribution. This can be done through random acts of kindness. When we act in kindness people can see our hearts. They know our motives and it is that in which people respond to so positively, that is why they respond ‘bless you’ as you finish assisting them with the rather small task you have been 'burdened' with for a minute or two. The more who can repetitively commit acts of kindness the more infectious good becomes in our lives, the less we will see posters about surprising ‘good’ happening in London city and the more we can start to validate each other for the positive.

 

Day 5 & 6

How has the challenge been going? I have found that when you start looking for one thing in the day that you love you end up finding more. Today I share with you my Day 5 & 6, but this time I want to spend a little more time on it.

DAY 5

Two days I was asked by a 6year old if I would be happy to be introduced to her friend, also 6years old, because she felt that it would be very beneficial for this young girl to get to know me and also because my happiness could rise simply by knowing another person. At the base level, this I think is simply adorable- children have such a great way of discerning what is required and what isn't for others without even knowing what is going on with them, just like they know innately who and who not to spend their time talking to & they'll voice it in words and through their body language. While it made me a little chuffed for a little while that she considered me a special person worthwhile being introduced to I was far more grateful for the gift the little girl had given me. You see absolutely unbeknownst to her I had been trying to make friends for a while with all the new people in my community & I had been finding it hard- knock backs here and there or people who just don't return messages; this little girl made me realise that I was worthy of hanging out and taking time to get to know. Which I do know myself, but it is nice that somebody else reminds you sometimes.

DAY 6

Purchasing my coffee for the day- literally 5 minutes ago the lady at Jamaica Blue who probably knows me as 'medium skinny capuccino addict' gave me a random compliment, but then she preceeded to give 3 high-vis men advice and then wish a couple a fantastic day all the while being completely genuine. How refreshing!

So anyways there is just a couple of things, I'm sure we could all agree there would be lots but I think there is definitely something different between writing what you notice down and letting it slide by. I was once told by a University lecturer that it is best to write something and come back a few days or not a week later and re-read what you have written to ascertain whether the content really is what you desire. Admittedly being a bit of perfectionist and writing a minimum of 4 copies for every text I wrote since grade 10 this was something that would have been useful had I known it years earlier when I would hastily throw out what was probably perfectly good writing. Nowadays I make sure I go back and look at words I have written and I never fully discount a work. Message here- be critical but not so critical that you aren't effective and in fact produce nothing. Art work that is imperfect sells and art work that is perfect consistenly becomes boring, get away from a formula and find what works for you. Off to work now to hopefully infect minds with positive thought..will write again later. Enjoy whatever part of the day that you have.. :)

ciao

Quotes for today!

Some random quotes for you as per promised! Comments are welcomed.

- hotel opulence; decadently enjoyed and thankfully mortgaged by somebody else.
-success- the sum of all mentalities
-pressure- what you create
-faith; what you realise you don't have enough of when you need it the most.
-friends: people who help you without prior engagement.
-fear- a barrier to appreciating all of humanity
-gifts: things that are God given and highly immeasurable
-insignificance is found only if you want it to be.

These are obviously my own quotes, copyright is reserved to Julia Kate Trask- no reproduction is permitted without consent of the author.


DISCLAIMER: Written content does not reflect the opinions of my employer & therefore cannot be deemed as such.