The most frustrating and humiliating thing about technology, is when you need it most and something goes wrong, or horribly wrong.

I had an important meeting the other day and spent a day doing prep, was half dressed formally, which seemed odd to the point of alien.

Despite my waning enthusiam and developeing paranoia, I pushed ahead and clicked on the Teams link, for a video chat, except no one was there. I waited a few minutes and repeated the process, finally the link breathed to life, slowly buy surely, I could see the 2 peoples avatars, but not them. By now, I was feeling anxious, my mobile phone started to buzz and the ever so helpful meeting organiser, called to suggest I try a different web browser.

After some reluctance, I tried chrome and miraculously the Teams call came to life, we could all see each other, but here comes the clinger, I had no audio and may as well been in space. The other people started to offer me technical advise, “your on mute”. I wish I could put them on mute! “Please click here or there.”

Anyway I closed the window, so after 20 minutes of shenanigans, the suggestion was a conference call or faced time, but I had accepted the obvious – defeat and learnt the lesson, that nothing beasts people to people conversations and Teams, Webex or Zoom, cannot replace that or us. Although I might try a mobile conference call.

1. In sports.
2. Films.
3. Love.
4. Friends.
5. Family.
6. In oneself.
7. A helpful stranger.
8. Social activities.
9. Exercise.
10. All of the above!

1. A decent amount of rest, including a refreshing amount of sleep.
2. Enough exercise to give you peace of mind and improve your health.
3. A clear mind to reflect and work out where you fit in the world.
4. Start to take steps of improving your career and life.
5. Do or choose whatever interest that makes you like or love.
6. Seek happiness.

Another year is almost over and as the end of 2017 approaches, the annual expectations are like a worldwide epidemic, is my life going to improve, will i find fame, fortune or love in the new year.  The best one can hope for is a degree of happiness, some purpose in life and hopefully the potential for a new or old love, perhaps as Borat famously said some sexy time.  

Personally, I am hoping for a more creative and productive year, spending more time with my loved ones and mates.  Most of all I am hoping to finally settle or be more accepting into a new city, that has eluded me up to this stage.  The year has ended on a materialistic upswing, but embracing the new culture of a city and its people has proven elusive so far.  I guess I am trying to find a place to fit in or work out where I fit in, which is a very human characteristic.

On the flip side, I am in good health and live in a democratic country, where people can invest in free ideas and expression, so maybe this blog is about continuing on in the same approach as 2017 and investing more time in the hobbies and obsessions that make me want to live life to the fullest, so whatever options people decide upon, enjoy them and keep trekking along, as you never know how the dreams or gig ends.

 

 

 

After a few hours of procrastination about to visit the zoo or drive down the Great Ocean Road, we finally decided to head down to St Kilda for a walk along the beach and to hopefully enjoy some sunshine!  Unfortunately to our fascination a car had parked across the driveway and we were blocked in, to say the least my frustration and feeling of powerlessness was certainly challenging and after some friendly suggestions from my neighbours about deflating the tyres and towing the car away, the adult in the relationship called the local police to seek some advice.

Finally 3 and a half hours later to our relief, the police arrived and told us a few jokes and called the perpetrator several times, who to their shock later on did not answer the phone at the time.  The police issued an infringement notice and organised a tow truck to remove the car, which happened 20 minutes later and luckily for them the tow truck dropped off the car to the nearest spot around the corner and subsequently billed our arch enemy for the day!

Now desperately hungry and delirious to be free again off to St Kilda beach we went, our excitement was high and even though St Kilda is always busy, the concert sent the strip into overload.    The West Beach of St Kilda appeared like an oasis to our eyes and stomachs, the food might not have been exceptional, but it did the trick and tided us over until we reached Caulfield, where we enjoyed a  nice Thai meal and went shopping.

Arriving at home and unloading the shopping, two PSA – police officers popped over from the station asking us if we had seen a car parked across the driveway, as the enemy had complained that their car had been stolen, the momentary glee we felt sure made up for a crap morning.  Thankfully we told the police what happened and all was well in the universe again, so there is some good even in bad situations.

The time of year has arrived in Melbourne and yes its Christmas time in December whereby the winter festival has arrived in a warm climate that has no snow, but very hot summer days being enjoyed by the beach and relaxing swims in the ocean.  In Australia, X-Mas time certainly has a lot of different meanings, we do not have a cold climate for Santa Claus to run amok with his reindeers, with the locals drinking mould wine and getting cosy in front of the open fire, around the Christmas tree.  In Australia, well Sydney its hot summers days, drinking beer and enjoying the outdoors, so expecting the Nordic theme is a but mixed up.  

After recently changing the largest city in Australia for the second largest, that is Sydney for Melbourne, not the other way around.  The different cultures one notices can be stark, not just the brilliant old trams and the single storey trains as opposed to the double decker trains in Sydney, who has a superior bus transport system.   Although in both cities, more than 75 per cent of people drive to work, for instance the shared Mad Max four wheel drive maniacs on the roads who kill their prey, usually a pedestrian or a driver in a smaller car is a characteristic of both cities.   Although Melbourne’s drivers are more polite and will let people into lanes or out of side streets, in Sydney the drivers take exception and its survival of the fittest stakes as they try to ram you!

The trams are a safe bet where the passengers are happy to catch and nothing will defeat a tram.  On the pedestrian front both cities is inhabited by people who walk on the right side, but in Australia we drive and walk on the left, so be prepared if you are on the footpath or sidewalk.  The Melbournians will to keep their manners and stay out of each others way, in Sydney look out or you will be stampeded.

The locals in Melbourne don’t mind a protest, whether its human rights or a bad coffee, in Sydney it takes a lot to mobilise the masses, maybe a nuclear holocaust.  They like to keep to themselves and get on with life.  Unless you are telepathic or ideally have a great network, the Melbournians are very insular, they are very polite and have a chat, but don’t expect them to invite you out for a drink, birthday or god forbid Christmas celebration, an invisible shield falls over the city, that takes a lot of effort to penetrate.  In Sydney, much like California, they take you on face value and invest some time in personal relations, which is good for the human race!

Talking about California, Sydney and Melbourne, the fitness industry and leisure wear is a dominant force, we are surrounded by approximately 8 24 hour gyms, let alone pilates and yoga studios in our local area.  I am not sure if its a trend or a take over, except if you are not participating look out and even though Aussies in both cities don’t like admitting it, we are heavily influenced by American culture, but preferably our own local interpretation and shared freedoms, that is reassuring.

Well 8 weeks after moving from Sydney, we are now living in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne at Armadale placed between the High St shopping avenue, the former tennis home of Kooyong and Glenferrie Road, if you don’t like trains or trams, I suspect you will be driving one of the 4WD’s in the area, so visitors considered yourself warned, be careful when crossing the local streets or boost your personal health insurance.

Now the culture shock that no one ever mentions about changing cities has passed, here I am sitting in our nice living room typing away some frustrations but hopefully making some constructive observations.  The brief visits of friends is a nice antidote to the loneliness and isolation we all feel at times when shifting cities or areas, I have a lot of time for people who seem to change countries seamlessly.  The constant struggle to belong and connect is ingrained in all humans DNA and is how we relate and interact with each other.  The social interaction that Adam Smith always mentioned which people as humans fundamentally need to feel valued and wanted is often lost when people discuss work or the lack of it.

Luckily we are position to maintain a decent quality of life on one income, as I attempt to start over again, which one always has high expectations that can become dashed even if people live in the same country.  The attempt to gain people’s trust and respect is tough no matter where you from, occasionally starting with a clean slate is easier than having a history that contains both success and failure, one can only hope that the lack of feedback or rejection and the motivation all the negativity brings along can be channelled into a constructive purpose.

The prospect of a new life, job and income that it brings cannot be measured in monetary terms, but the opportunity to buy a beer or coffee, go out for a day trip is a fantastic choice for people to have.

The alternative of domestic tension that comes with what appears to be a lack of career options, the degrading side of job hunting and money watching can easily drive one insane and cause people to hurt the ones closest to them, all one can do is stay optimistic and hope people can read and understand then treat each other well, I include myself in this bracket and need to remember it.

I might be down, but I am not out, not by long way!