Reach For What You Want!!

conference speaker AustraliaIt’s true what they say: follow your dreams. That is, if your dreams are relatively practical. I think mine are, although it’s taken some recent events to convince me that the saying really is true.

So I figured…people love boxing. People love MMA. And people just love them some golf. And absolutely nothing bad can come from taking two unrelated things and mashing them together, so that was the source of my grand plan: full-contact golf. No, really. JUST THINK ABOUT IT. Both people can hit the ball at the same time, and they can do pretty much anything (using golf clubs if they like) to stop their opponent from reaching the ball. Imagine how the ratings will soar when they both make it to the green at the same time! Think of how crazy it’ll be when multiple people are all in the running!

I never would’ve made it this far, however, without a good little jolt from a motivational speaker. Well, sort of. I work a desk job, nothing special and I don’t feel that much loyalty towards the company. A real ‘just a job’ deal, basically. Anyway, they got in this keynote speaker, one of those guys who stands at the front with a microphone and says things like ‘how are all you guys doing today?’ and ‘I want you to REACH for what you want!’

I don’t usually respond well to that sort of thing, but I know it’s just me. I sit there every time trying to make myself as small and unnoticeable as possible, because group participation terrifies me. But this time, the guy mentioned something about fighting for your dreams. And man…that really resonated with me. I began to think about what it’d be like if I was facing him in full-contact golf. And that made me smile.

I realised that my sport was good. It could give people hope, and a release. As the guy finished, we shouldn’t let fear hold us back from making the world better, at any cost. Wow, when did conference speakers in Australia get so good? I’m bringing my golf idea to the masses! It WILL be a success! I’m REACHING for what I want!

-Fergal

Poor Police Bag Handling


Funny how there are some old shows that you miss, and others that you don’t. I remember being obsessed with
Colonel Universe for a good year or so. And I mean I was wearing t-shirts and trying to convert all my friends at school into watching it too. I was a fanatic, and then suddenly they stopped airing it and I dropped off. No more interest. It was all in the sugary-sweet buzz.

But there was also a show I loved just afterwards, Kid Cops. It was about little kids solving crimes, with all their voices dubbed over with adults. In retrospect, it was kind of creepy, but it’s what I loved, and I still kind of do. Their methods for handling evidence bags were a little bit off, though. Like, right now I’m well into cop shows, having seen many, many more that star adults and people who do research into this kind of thing, and the police bags on Kid Cops were a joke. One time, Tammy (she was the four-year-old with the blonde hair- secretly in love with Jason, five years old, dark and handsome, I guess) was at a crime scene, I think maybe in the season 2 finale. Anyway, she picked up a severed toe and put it in the bag, and then if you look at her in the background of the next conversation, she’s just…swinging it around. I don’t even think she sealed it properly, she’s just…I don’t know. There are all kinds of blatant breakings of policing rules if you look at the kids in the background. Like when Suzie was investigating a double-homicide by a crazed schizophrenic, and she just waltzes into his apartment without a warrant. What mad kid stuff! Sometimes it was the child actors, sometimes not. But I’ve been catching up now that I’m older and wiser, and some of the things they do just wouldn’t fly if it wasn’t a kids’ show. All that wasted security packaging, with a generation of kids just not knowing how it all works.

-Jane

Wallflower Completes Me!

Melbourne makeup coursesI never thought I’d be standing in the fragrance section of Myers, staring at a beauty range that gets me. I’m not into ‘self-care’, I don’t subscribe to ‘pampering’ and sometimes I’ll just go to work with no makeup. More minutes in bed, and I can just toss my hair in a ponytail. I work in a cubicle and interact with the public on the phone, so it’s only my co-workers who have to suffer. And they’re used to it- we’re all friends here!

But now, I’ve found the makeup for me, and it’s transforming my life. According to the big cut-out sign they had when the line was released, it all began with a diploma of specialist makeup offered in Brisbane. The creator emerged with bigger dreams than simply going to some movie set or backstage of a theatre: she wanted to OWN the makeup world. That was what it said, anyway…the fact that she’s now offering a niche service makes me wonder if they’re not just embellishing a bit. Anyway, she used her makeup course to create something wonderful: Wallflower, a makeup line for people who don’t want to be noticed.

Seeing this, it was like a product had finally been tailor-made for my life. I love going to parties, but HATE being the centre of attention. But there’s a weird societal expectation that you have to look really nice for a party, your best, even. So if you want to go and have people not notice you…well, there’s no middle ground. You’re either admired and accepted, or judged for not scrubbing up enough. But now, there’s Wallflower! I’ve already used it for a work function, and it was perfect. I liked what I saw in the mirror, but I was able to hang around at the punch bowl and no one bothered me unless I wanted them to. It’s like some kind of magic.

Sure, Estelle tested the products on herself and was horribly scarred, but there’s a quote from her where she says it was all worth it. Gee, I should get on one of these makeup courses. Around Melbourne…yeah, there should be a few. Now I know makeup really can transform lives!

-Gina

Oh the places I’ll go

makeup coursesToday is it. Today is the day. I’m (potentially) off to great places I (might be) up and away. Whether there are brains in my head is still up for debate, and majority of the time I have foot in my shoes, but I know I can steer myself in any direction I choose. And the direction is (drum roll) back to study.

I know, I know, when I dropped out of my degree (dropped out is hardly fair, the whole thing just fizzled out when it was clear I was vastly under qualified) I swore black and blue I’d never go back. Black and blue. But what can I say? I’m a fickle creature. Not to mention, in today’s day and age it’s nearly impossible to find a decent job without some qualification – which is why I’ve started to look at doing makeup courses in Melbourne.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I love my makeup. I just find the whole application process so calming, I love changing my face, my expression, my whole demeanor with the light feather touch of a brush. It’s not just that it’s relaxing (even though it most certainly is) but that it’s fun. So much fun! I can become whoever I feel like being without practically any strings attached. And, at the end of the day (or the end of the hour depending on how it turned out) I can just wipe it all away.

So, just in my spare time, I’ve started to look at what options are out there for makeup courses. Who knows, maybe nothing will come of it, but it’s fun to look at all the same. Get some ideas and start thinking about real careers in makeup and beauty, instead of just the odd jobs here and there I’ve been doing over the last few months. All I can say is: watch this space.

Chaos Around Tax Time

Melbourne tax accountantsIf there’s one thing I know, it’s that when your six-year-old asks what would happen if you put bugs in a microwave, you should take the microwave and put it up somewhere they can’t reach it. Or at least I know that for next time. The smell wasn’t too bad, actually. I can see why some countries count these as delicacies.

But another thing I know is that getting your tax returns in late just isn’t worth the hassle. Again, this is something I know from experience, sadly. Our company isn’t going to win any awards for being wonderful at punctuality, although we do provide nice coffee. Thing is, our finance guy said we didn’t need tax accountants. Melbourne is full of scams, and he was totally all over this business if we all got our paperwork in on time! Unfortunately, like with the bugs and the microwave, we should’ve kept all business tax return duties away from him, lest he blow everything up and fill the office with the stench of shame and fines for not getting them in on time.

But we all had a part to play. I don’t think our inter-office communication is that great, which lead to Susan forgetting to email us all the reminder. And then there’s Tedward, who just has a habit of setting fire to things when he gets bored during the day. Stacey brings her dog into work for ‘medical’ reasons, even though it’s a pug  and I don’t see how that works. And then little Cheddar goes and chews up all the cables, so we’re without internet for a good part of the afternoon. Except that Yuri the IT guy only speaks Russian, so I think he thought we wanted the lights in the office to be brighter, so further delays as we tried to tell him we wanted our internet back. Meanwhile, I was browsing on my phone for some folks who do IAS accounting around Melbourne, for next time. I hope they don’t have any dogs in the office.

-Pierre

Lip fillers for mothers day

dermal lip fillers Melbourne

We don’t normally make a big deal out of mother’s day but this year I decided to go all out. My mum has been particularly good to us this year and I wanted to make sure she knew we all appreciated it. My younger siblings are pretty bad at arranging gifts, or I should say they are terrible at spending money on anyone but themselves so I decided to take the reigns. My mum has been hinting for a while that all of her friends have been getting cosmetic procedures like dermal fillers and vaginoplasties. Whilst I wasn’t about to sponsor my mum reshaping her vagina I figured I could stretch to booking her in for an afternoon delight of lip fillers in Melbourne. There are quite a few options of looks on offer so I’ll leave it down to her to decide, it depends on the shape and fullness of lips you are after! I proposed the idea to my siblings and said if they transfer me the money I’ll make all the arrangements. They didn’t quite understand why Mum would want lip fillers mainly because they didn’t really understand what it was but I assured them she would be pleased. I figured she would go for the collagen injections, it’s very popular, it’s the strongest option so it leads to the most effective results. I know a lot of her friends opt for the same fillers and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard her talk about it. My younger brother did make a valid point that she could take it the wrong way and see it as us telling her she needs to look younger. But I’m pretty sure she’s mentioned it enough times that it won’t be so out the blue. I will even offer to go with her if she so desires.

Small wedding please, fixed windows essential

timber windows

I had never really wanted a big wedding. Even when I was young I just didn’t really get the fuss, as long as my family and closest friends were present I didn’t need a massive party. When Charles and I got engaged we decided straight away we would keep it simple. I wasn’t even entirely sure I wanted to wear a wedding dress. I literally just wanted to marry him, the whole wedding element was non essential. My dad suggested we hold the ceremony and a small party type thing at his old farm. It was a pretty beautiful setting although it did need some work. Last time I visited was to help with window repairs, Melbourne weddings tend to be held in sprawling gardens or lovely event halls, not dilapidated farmhouses. So I actually thought it was perfect! As well as the window repairs, the timber frame needed some work and there was little if any electricity running into the building! We got to work repairing it ourselves with some help for the company. My dad had originally bought the timber windows in Melbourne and has managed to track down the same company to come and do the timber window repairs. Once we get the farmhouse up to just about habitable standards we’ll leave the rest up to decoration. I wanted to cover the curved ceiling in lights and have throws dotted around on various couches and chairs. I liked the idea of it all being a little mismatched and imperfect. The opposite of a big white wedding basically! The windows should all be fixed in a couple of weeks and then it’s just a case of choosing things to fill the barn with, my dad is going to brew a special batch of beer and my mum is going to cook up a storm! Catering and venue already taken care of!

Dishwasher Repairs, and So Much More

broken applianceToday I learned that a baby swan is called a ‘signet’, which sounds like something much cooler but…ah well. I’m learning so much in my life course, and now I’m wondering why everyone doesn’t just do one of these. Mine was set up by a local community teacher who noticed that kids in his class AND parents couldn’t do basic things like change a plug or point to Canberra on a map. So he set up a ‘life course’ that teaches you all the things you SHOULD know, but for some reason were never taught to you. Great, huh?

I’m looking forward to the segment on appliance repair. This teacher used to do Whirlpool repairs in Sydney, and we all know that Whirlpool is the most dangerous and complicated brand to work with, so he should be an absolute expert in the field. A true genius of making sure your coffee maker is ticking over correctly. A wizard in the art of properly cleaning the inside of your toasted sandwich maker, so that your next cheese toastie isn’t coated in old bacteria. Such things that I’ve missed! Were it not for this fellow, I wouldn’t even have known that Townsville was an actual place. I’ve always just thought it’s an expression for somewhere that you can never reach because it’s out in the bush. Like, ‘all the way to Townsville and back’ to describe a long journey. I owe an apology to the good and real people of Townsville.

We have to wait a few weeks before we’re doing oven repairs, though. Those are a bit advanced, and right now we’re still on a class on what to do if we find injured wildlife, or if we actually injure the wildlife while driving. Funny, you’d think living in Australia we’d be great at this sort of thing. But anyway…I’ll learn from this Sydney bosch repairs master. And then, I’ll do repairs of my own one day. Without help!

-Skye

Monster-in-law likes the carpets clean

carpet steam cleaningMy girlfriend is amazing. Somehow, she manages to love me for exactly who I was and put up with my overbearing and intrusive mother. You see, my mother is a very difficult woman to deal with, especially if she thinking you are beneath her. That basically covers everyone in my life. She managed to provide a very wealthy upbringing, but it was very lonely at the same time. I would have much rathered parental interaction when I was a child, than a trust fund and a credit card. I had been living with my girlfriend for just on two years, so she knew what to expect when I told her my mother and father were coming to stay. It was almost like my girlfriend morphed into mother-in-law mode immediately, grabbing the phone and calling the carpet cleaners. My mother is not only obnoxious, she is a complete clean freak and doesn’t feel embarrassed telling people their houses aren’t clean enough for her standards. She can be incredibly rude, but she is my mother and I care for her no matter what. Each time my parents came to visit we went through the same routine. We phoned the professional carpet steam cleaners, Melbourne gets dusty in the dry season. My girlfriend likes to hire the best of the best to impress my mother. We were very nervous this time around because we’d never had upholstery cleaning before. The steam cleaners that we had been going with had never slack off and always put effort into their cleaning. Apparently my girlfriend had heard of the best tile and grout cleaners Melbourne has to offer from her sister. Since they came so highly recommended around town so she gave them a call. When my girlfriend hung up the phone to the carpet steam cleaning company in Melbourne, we were both very excited, but a little nervous. Excited to show off our incredibly clean house to my mother, and nervous that it still wouldn’t be clean enough for her crazy standards.

Finding the experts

I’mSteel fabrication Melbourne so tired of dealing with contractors I know I can’t trust. All they do is avoid doing their job, making it almost impossible for me to do mine. I didn’t take 6 months off my work and basically put my life on hold just so I could wait around for some spaced out traddies to get their head in gear. They treat wasting my time and money like it’s a game and I’m sick of it. So I’ve decided to fire the group I’m working with at the moment and look for somebody half decent.

My first order of business? To find someone who specialises in steel fabrications in Melbourne. I know that this is a really competitive space and that there are people out there in the big wide world that do some really amazing work with steel. All I’m after, really, is someone who will turn up when they say they will, and will work really hard to get the job done. It doesn’t have to a masterpiece worthy of some modern art museum, just something that functions the way it’s supposed to without any major hiccups.

Before hiring the drop kicks I’m working with at the moment, I tried to do some of this work myself, and let me tell you it was basically impossible. I had a really hard time even just finding decent steel supplies in Melbourne. You wouldn’t think it would be that hard, but for someone like myself with very few connections in the industry, I didn’t know who to trust. After being burned a couple of times, I’ve come to realise that the only way to make sure everything gets done is to employ an expert. So that’s what I’m now going to do. The only thing I have to make sure I do myself is find the right people for the job. So … any suggestions?

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