Hello everyone!
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who participated in my post at the Simple Green Frugal Co-op on Christmas Gift Ideas. What a great list we're compiling over there!
Recently, I have become a real fan of Jayel Aheram's photography in Flickr. All images that I use here on this blog have a Creative Commons Licence allowing me to use them freely (provided I attribute the photographer). I stumbled across Jayel Aheram's photography when I was looking for football photos for this post.
Ever since then, I've been flicking through Jayel's photostream, thoroughly amazed by it. Here is a favourite of mine:
Mixed messages are part of life today. Jayel saw it in his deployment to Iraq and I see it in consumerism and how we treat this planet of ours. These mixed messages are camouflage. The best we can hope for is to sift through these mixed messages and find our own truths and hopefully also recover our own values.
Another thing, a big sorry for being a bit slack on the blog front. As I said in my last post, I have a lot on my plate at the moment and I admit I'm finding myself running a bit dry on the blog topic inspiration front!
So I am going to climb back into my boabb (bit of a bloggy break) until next week and hopefully I'll come back feeling energised and inspired to blog again.
See you all on Monday!
28 October 2009
25 October 2009
Wrap-up of 350.org event and garden update
Hello everyone!
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. As you know yesterday, I went to Parliament House to attend the 350 rally. It was also my kids' first rally! They spent most of the time skipping rope and I didn't think they really listened to any of the talks until this morning when both of them started to chant:
And after lunch my daughter finally went "what does carbon mean?" and my son asked "is atmosphere the air that we breathe?"
So there you go, even though I don't think they are listening they're absorbing things in their own pace and asking me questions as they process it.
My son talking to the Polar Bear. Today he now wants to know why the polar bear was at Parliament House.
I particularly enjoyed the talk by Rod Quantock. One thing that really hit a chord with me was when he said (paraphrasing here 'cause I can't remember the exact words):
Speaking of little things I've done, my vege garden has gone WEIRD. The one surviving pak choy bolted this morning. Yesterday, it was fine and I was thinking of harvesting it, this morning it had bolted. *dammit* BUT the potatoes (the ones that sprouted from my compost) are growing very well. Whatever ate the pak choy seems to be leaving the potatoes alone.
And here's another thing that has grown:
The fig tree that I rescued from next door's ivy is bearing fruit! I *love* figs so I can't wait till these ripen. I can not get rid of the ivy as it is next door so for now, all I'm doing is regularly pruning it back so it won't strangle my fig tree.
On a related note, I also have 40+ year old pest plants in my garden.
close up of leaves and flowers
Anyone know how I can get rid of them? My neighbours suggested that I hire a bobcat to dig them out but I'm afraid I don't have the money to do that. These plants were planted back in the 1960s to become what is now my 6 ft tall hedge. Their "trunks" are about as thick as my legs! These plants are a HUGE problem for native wildlife and I really want to do the right thing and get rid of them, but I really do not have the money to dig them out and dispose of them at the moment - I got quoted $1,500 to dig them out and get rid of them!
Anyway, all suggestions welcome!
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. As you know yesterday, I went to Parliament House to attend the 350 rally. It was also my kids' first rally! They spent most of the time skipping rope and I didn't think they really listened to any of the talks until this morning when both of them started to chant:
Ooooh its hot in here!
There's too much carbon in the atmosphere!
There's too much carbon in the atmosphere!
And after lunch my daughter finally went "what does carbon mean?" and my son asked "is atmosphere the air that we breathe?"
So there you go, even though I don't think they are listening they're absorbing things in their own pace and asking me questions as they process it.
My son talking to the Polar Bear. Today he now wants to know why the polar bear was at Parliament House. I particularly enjoyed the talk by Rod Quantock. One thing that really hit a chord with me was when he said (paraphrasing here 'cause I can't remember the exact words):
"All of you who have done the little things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint should be angry. Your emission savings, under the proposed emissions trading system are effectively being transferred to the large corporations so that they can continue to do nothing. You should be angry."How true.
Speaking of little things I've done, my vege garden has gone WEIRD. The one surviving pak choy bolted this morning. Yesterday, it was fine and I was thinking of harvesting it, this morning it had bolted. *dammit* BUT the potatoes (the ones that sprouted from my compost) are growing very well. Whatever ate the pak choy seems to be leaving the potatoes alone.
And here's another thing that has grown:
The fig tree that I rescued from next door's ivy is bearing fruit! I *love* figs so I can't wait till these ripen. I can not get rid of the ivy as it is next door so for now, all I'm doing is regularly pruning it back so it won't strangle my fig tree.
On a related note, I also have 40+ year old pest plants in my garden.
close up of leaves and flowersAnyone know how I can get rid of them? My neighbours suggested that I hire a bobcat to dig them out but I'm afraid I don't have the money to do that. These plants were planted back in the 1960s to become what is now my 6 ft tall hedge. Their "trunks" are about as thick as my legs! These plants are a HUGE problem for native wildlife and I really want to do the right thing and get rid of them, but I really do not have the money to dig them out and dispose of them at the moment - I got quoted $1,500 to dig them out and get rid of them!
Anyway, all suggestions welcome!
23 October 2009
Climbing down from my boabb to make some announcements
"Boab trees" Photo by Yewenyi
The Australian Boab Tree can be found in Western Australia and Northern Territory. According to one legend of the Aboriginal people in the area, the Boab Tree was created by the Tree God to be the most beautiful tree in the universe. But when the tree finally matured to bear fruit and flowers, the flowers were ugly and the fruit was bitter and vile. The Tree God was so disappointed that it yanked out the tree and slammed it back on to the ground upside down. And that's why the Boab Tree looks like its upside down with its roots up in the air.
In many ways, I look at this tree as very similar to my relationship with consumerism. For the longest time, I thought buying was a great thing, until I matured and realised that the whole thing was bitter and vile. And disappointed, I yanked myself out of mainsteam consumerism and turned my entire consumption habits upside down. :P
The Australian Boab Tree can be found in Western Australia and Northern Territory. According to one legend of the Aboriginal people in the area, the Boab Tree was created by the Tree God to be the most beautiful tree in the universe. But when the tree finally matured to bear fruit and flowers, the flowers were ugly and the fruit was bitter and vile. The Tree God was so disappointed that it yanked out the tree and slammed it back on to the ground upside down. And that's why the Boab Tree looks like its upside down with its roots up in the air.
In many ways, I look at this tree as very similar to my relationship with consumerism. For the longest time, I thought buying was a great thing, until I matured and realised that the whole thing was bitter and vile. And disappointed, I yanked myself out of mainsteam consumerism and turned my entire consumption habits upside down. :P
Hello everyone!
Well, I'm back from my bit of a bloggy break (boabb). My son is better - thank you so much to everyone who posted or emailed their well wishes! My son is so much fun to be with (he amused the entire medical clinic by belting out ABBA classics) that looking after him feels very much like a holiday for me.
While I was sitting in my boabb, I got a couple of emails that may be of interest to readers here.
Canberra Event - "Gambling with the Climate"
Firstly, for ONC'ers! 350.org are putting on a play called "Gambling with the Climate" on the lawns of Parliament House on Saturday at 1:30pm. This is a free event to highlight the importance of the number 350 - which is the level of carbon dioxide that we need to fall below if we want a chance of a safe climate. There will be games and prizes for best dressed participants.
My friend Emma of Brindabella Baby will be giving away a copy of a Charlie and Lola book: "Looking after your planet" to the best dressed child.
I'll be there with my kids (still not sure if we'll be dressed up or not). If you do decide to come along, drop me an email and maybe we can meet up!
Petition - "Say No for Kids"
I subscribe to Kids Free 2B Kids and I got this email from them today. Its a petition to change the laws so that sexually explicit images (once called "soft porn") can not be displayed in milkbars, newsagents and service stations. More info here.
I *hate* how my children are constantly bombarded by inappropriate sexually explicit images like the ones here (warning, contains sexually explicit images - all covers of "magazines"). I am so sad that life has gotten to the point where these images are now so normalised, its okay to have them on magazine stands in normal shops.
I've signed and I hope you do too.
Anyway, so that's it from me! I will see how I go with blogging over the next few days. Like I said, I really enjoyed my boabb that I'm tempted to climb inside it again! hehe
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
*ONC = Our Nation's Capital
Well, I'm back from my bit of a bloggy break (boabb). My son is better - thank you so much to everyone who posted or emailed their well wishes! My son is so much fun to be with (he amused the entire medical clinic by belting out ABBA classics) that looking after him feels very much like a holiday for me.
While I was sitting in my boabb, I got a couple of emails that may be of interest to readers here.
Canberra Event - "Gambling with the Climate"
Firstly, for ONC'ers! 350.org are putting on a play called "Gambling with the Climate" on the lawns of Parliament House on Saturday at 1:30pm. This is a free event to highlight the importance of the number 350 - which is the level of carbon dioxide that we need to fall below if we want a chance of a safe climate. There will be games and prizes for best dressed participants.
My friend Emma of Brindabella Baby will be giving away a copy of a Charlie and Lola book: "Looking after your planet" to the best dressed child.
I'll be there with my kids (still not sure if we'll be dressed up or not). If you do decide to come along, drop me an email and maybe we can meet up!
Petition - "Say No for Kids"
I subscribe to Kids Free 2B Kids and I got this email from them today. Its a petition to change the laws so that sexually explicit images (once called "soft porn") can not be displayed in milkbars, newsagents and service stations. More info here.
I *hate* how my children are constantly bombarded by inappropriate sexually explicit images like the ones here (warning, contains sexually explicit images - all covers of "magazines"). I am so sad that life has gotten to the point where these images are now so normalised, its okay to have them on magazine stands in normal shops.
I've signed and I hope you do too.
Anyway, so that's it from me! I will see how I go with blogging over the next few days. Like I said, I really enjoyed my boabb that I'm tempted to climb inside it again! hehe
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
*ONC = Our Nation's Capital
20 October 2009
Random topics and a bit of a bloggy break
Hey everyone!
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. A big thank you to everyone who messaged and commented in my last post. I found reading your thoughts and experiences on the issue really helped me expand my own thinking on the subject. I guess, in the end its a matter of trying to provide an environment for my children to explore their sexuality in an age-appropriate way. Hard to do, given that I don't have full control of that environment!
...on another note, a work mate of mine told me that several Australian tropical islands are currently for sale! The GFC has apparently led gazillionaires to sell their islands at "bargain basement prices". At $3.5 million AUD, I can buy a whole island.....hmmm... want to go in with me to buy an island so we can create a less-consumerist environment for our children? (hehe)
Oh before I forget, I made my laptop bag! It matches my daughter's school bag. Here it is:
I'm particularly proud of this one. Mainly 'cause I tried a few things I haven't tried before. Like an inner zippered pouch! (And isn't the lining beautiful? Its leftover fabric from my bean bag project)
More of the lining - just opening this bag makes me smile.
So this post (as hinted by the title) is a bit all over the place. I'm afraid that's where I am today - a bit all over the place. My son is a bit sick and I have quite a bit on my plate at the moment. So I'll be taking a BOABB (bit of a bloggy break). I hope to be back online by the weekend.
I wish you all a good week ahead. See you later!
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. A big thank you to everyone who messaged and commented in my last post. I found reading your thoughts and experiences on the issue really helped me expand my own thinking on the subject. I guess, in the end its a matter of trying to provide an environment for my children to explore their sexuality in an age-appropriate way. Hard to do, given that I don't have full control of that environment!
...on another note, a work mate of mine told me that several Australian tropical islands are currently for sale! The GFC has apparently led gazillionaires to sell their islands at "bargain basement prices". At $3.5 million AUD, I can buy a whole island.....hmmm... want to go in with me to buy an island so we can create a less-consumerist environment for our children? (hehe)
Oh before I forget, I made my laptop bag! It matches my daughter's school bag. Here it is:
I'm particularly proud of this one. Mainly 'cause I tried a few things I haven't tried before. Like an inner zippered pouch! (And isn't the lining beautiful? Its leftover fabric from my bean bag project)
More of the lining - just opening this bag makes me smile.So this post (as hinted by the title) is a bit all over the place. I'm afraid that's where I am today - a bit all over the place. My son is a bit sick and I have quite a bit on my plate at the moment. So I'll be taking a BOABB (bit of a bloggy break). I hope to be back online by the weekend.
I wish you all a good week ahead. See you later!
17 October 2009
"Boyfriend/Girlfriend"...another rant about sexualisation of children
Hello everyone,
Firstly a big thank you to everyone who participated in the "one tip to live an eco-friendly life"! I enjoyed reading your tips and for those who left their blog address, I also enjoyed discovering your blogs. Its not too late to include your tips and if you don't have a blog or website, then feel free to use my blog address.
Now on to the purpose of this post. To be honest, I really hesistated about putting this post up because it is a sensitive issue and I'm not sure if I can convey it in a way that is mindful of all the sensitivities involved. Obviously, I have decided to give it a shot - in the hope to spread the word out there and to also ask your opinions on how I can improve how I handle situations like this.
A few days ago, Miss J (not yet 7yrs old) tells me that there was a conversation happening at school that she didn't like. Apparently, everyone in her year had a boyfriend or girlfriend and now some friends of hers are wanting her to have a boyfriend too. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: "What do you think having a boyfriend would mean?"
Miss J: "It means that you really like them and you hold hands and kiss them."
Me (trying to be very calm): "That's true. And what do your feelings say if you have a boyfriend now?"
Miss J (after a pause): "It makes me feel sick."
Me: "You know what, you are amazing because you are listening to your feelings. I think that a boyfriend is a really big thing. You still have to learn a lot of things. You know how we talked about your brain still growing? Well, holding hands and kissing a boyfriend can mean a lot more things that your brain is not yet ready to understand."
Miss J: "But all my friends will laugh at me if I don't have a boyfriend."
Me: "Well, I think your friends are the ones who are being silly for thinking that they need a boyfriend."
Miss J: "But they will still laugh at me."
Me: "I'm so sorry that that might happen. Would you like me to go to your friends' parents and talk to them about it?"
Miss J: "No!"
Me: "Can I speak to your teacher about it because I think she can show me ways how to help you?"
Miss J: "Okay."
Me:"Okay, I'll do that but for now what do you think you want to do?"
Miss J:"Maybe I'll just tell my friends that I don't want a boyfriend."
Me: "Okay - you know what? I didn't get a boyfriend till I was 15 yrs old and even then I can see now that I wasn't ready then. I can see I should have waited till I was a lot older, so I'm really proud of you for knowing how you feel. And if things like this happen again, I want you to listen really hard to your feelings first instead of listening to your friends."
Miss J: "Okay, mum."
That day I picked her up from school and she comes to me with a HUGE smile on her face and says "I talked to all my friends for a really long time about not wanting a boyfriend and they're still going to be friends with me! Maybe when I'm in Grade 3 I'll be ready."
And so I think the crisis has been averted (though still a bit worried that she thinks Grade 3 is an acceptable grade year to have a boyfriend).
The fact that this is happening to her at 6 years old, is breaking my heart. I remember well the peer pressure of having to find a boyfriend. This happened to me when I was 15 years old. I talked to my younger work colleagues and they say it happened to them when they were 12-13 years old. And now its happening for my 6 yr old.
The pornification of our culture is a real problem. My story above is just a tip of the iceberg. I am lucky. My daughter is articulate enough, and emotionally aware enough to talk to me about it. I worry for my son who does not have the same skills as my daughter.
Last week, Theresa sent me this news story about girls wanting to attend pre-school and kindergarden in specially tailored bras and that by the age of 10 years, many are getting their first brazillian wax and by 13yrs old they are engaging in oral sex.
A study in the US showed that children who consistently watched TV shows aimed at adults are more likely to have sex at younger ages. Quote from the article is below (highlight is mine):
I try to be there for them, but as every parent knows I can not physically be with them 24/7.
So the best I can do is to keep educating them about sex (and yes they, at 5 and 6yrs, already know exactly how babies are created), about the unreal-ness of the images/situations that they see, hear and read about and most of all, to keep listening to their feelings.
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.
Firstly a big thank you to everyone who participated in the "one tip to live an eco-friendly life"! I enjoyed reading your tips and for those who left their blog address, I also enjoyed discovering your blogs. Its not too late to include your tips and if you don't have a blog or website, then feel free to use my blog address.
Now on to the purpose of this post. To be honest, I really hesistated about putting this post up because it is a sensitive issue and I'm not sure if I can convey it in a way that is mindful of all the sensitivities involved. Obviously, I have decided to give it a shot - in the hope to spread the word out there and to also ask your opinions on how I can improve how I handle situations like this.
A few days ago, Miss J (not yet 7yrs old) tells me that there was a conversation happening at school that she didn't like. Apparently, everyone in her year had a boyfriend or girlfriend and now some friends of hers are wanting her to have a boyfriend too. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: "What do you think having a boyfriend would mean?"
Miss J: "It means that you really like them and you hold hands and kiss them."
Me (trying to be very calm): "That's true. And what do your feelings say if you have a boyfriend now?"
Miss J (after a pause): "It makes me feel sick."
Me: "You know what, you are amazing because you are listening to your feelings. I think that a boyfriend is a really big thing. You still have to learn a lot of things. You know how we talked about your brain still growing? Well, holding hands and kissing a boyfriend can mean a lot more things that your brain is not yet ready to understand."
Miss J: "But all my friends will laugh at me if I don't have a boyfriend."
Me: "Well, I think your friends are the ones who are being silly for thinking that they need a boyfriend."
Miss J: "But they will still laugh at me."
Me: "I'm so sorry that that might happen. Would you like me to go to your friends' parents and talk to them about it?"
Miss J: "No!"
Me: "Can I speak to your teacher about it because I think she can show me ways how to help you?"
Miss J: "Okay."
Me:"Okay, I'll do that but for now what do you think you want to do?"
Miss J:"Maybe I'll just tell my friends that I don't want a boyfriend."
Me: "Okay - you know what? I didn't get a boyfriend till I was 15 yrs old and even then I can see now that I wasn't ready then. I can see I should have waited till I was a lot older, so I'm really proud of you for knowing how you feel. And if things like this happen again, I want you to listen really hard to your feelings first instead of listening to your friends."
Miss J: "Okay, mum."
That day I picked her up from school and she comes to me with a HUGE smile on her face and says "I talked to all my friends for a really long time about not wanting a boyfriend and they're still going to be friends with me! Maybe when I'm in Grade 3 I'll be ready."
And so I think the crisis has been averted (though still a bit worried that she thinks Grade 3 is an acceptable grade year to have a boyfriend).
The fact that this is happening to her at 6 years old, is breaking my heart. I remember well the peer pressure of having to find a boyfriend. This happened to me when I was 15 years old. I talked to my younger work colleagues and they say it happened to them when they were 12-13 years old. And now its happening for my 6 yr old.
The pornification of our culture is a real problem. My story above is just a tip of the iceberg. I am lucky. My daughter is articulate enough, and emotionally aware enough to talk to me about it. I worry for my son who does not have the same skills as my daughter.
Last week, Theresa sent me this news story about girls wanting to attend pre-school and kindergarden in specially tailored bras and that by the age of 10 years, many are getting their first brazillian wax and by 13yrs old they are engaging in oral sex.
A study in the US showed that children who consistently watched TV shows aimed at adults are more likely to have sex at younger ages. Quote from the article is below (highlight is mine):
"The study found that for every hour the youngest group of children watched adult-targeted content over the two sample days, their chances of having sex during early adolescence increased by 33 percent."But even if I follow all the suggestions in this great article, in the end, I know that I can not keep my children in a bubble. My children do not watch adult-content TV, nor do they wear suggestive clothing - but they will always come into contact with children who do.
I try to be there for them, but as every parent knows I can not physically be with them 24/7.
So the best I can do is to keep educating them about sex (and yes they, at 5 and 6yrs, already know exactly how babies are created), about the unreal-ness of the images/situations that they see, hear and read about and most of all, to keep listening to their feelings.
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.
15 October 2009
Wanted: YOUR tips for living an eco-friendly life
Hello everyone!
As many of you know, today is Blog Action Day.
Now in the past I have talked about *my* climate change. I hear about climate change in the news. I read about it in the papers and on the web. But all that can feel a bit surreal....until I relate it back to what *I* am experiencing. In the last 10 years, I have seen ONC winters get milder, our summers longer, the rains come less and strangely enough its also more humid....
Because its happening to me *right* now, it does amaze me at how much I've adjusted and adapted without knowing.
I am also a big believer that we need to do more than just adjust. Every little step towards living a more eco-friendly life helps. I've blogged about my own little steps, but I guess I really want to hear from you.
So I'm going to pass this post over to you now. I've added a widget below so you can post directly on to this blog post. Where it says "Link Title", just type in your tip. You can add your blog as your url.
So , what's one thing that you do to live a more eco-friendly life?
As many of you know, today is Blog Action Day.
Now in the past I have talked about *my* climate change. I hear about climate change in the news. I read about it in the papers and on the web. But all that can feel a bit surreal....until I relate it back to what *I* am experiencing. In the last 10 years, I have seen ONC winters get milder, our summers longer, the rains come less and strangely enough its also more humid....
Because its happening to me *right* now, it does amaze me at how much I've adjusted and adapted without knowing.
I am also a big believer that we need to do more than just adjust. Every little step towards living a more eco-friendly life helps. I've blogged about my own little steps, but I guess I really want to hear from you.
So I'm going to pass this post over to you now. I've added a widget below so you can post directly on to this blog post. Where it says "Link Title", just type in your tip. You can add your blog as your url.
So , what's one thing that you do to live a more eco-friendly life?
14 October 2009
My daughter's school bag!
Hello everyone!
So yesterday, I gave a sneak preview of what was in my sewing machine. I'm proud to say that last night I finished it!
My daughter's school bag had worn down at the bottom (holes were appearing) and it was time to give it up before all her stuff fell out from the bottom. We went to the op shops to look at the school bags there, but she didn't like any of them.
So I decided to get her to choose "fabrics" from the op shop instead so I can make one... and here it is!
The outer fabric is actually curtain material - $5 and I have a TONNE left over! (Plus its really ugly as a curtain - much nicer as a bag). The embroidered silk panel is actually 1 of 2 small cushion covers. I got both cushion covers for $1.
Inside fabric is PUL - I had bought the PUL a LONG time ago from Brindabella Baby and was part of excess stock she wanted to get rid of. I'm afraid I can't remember how much I bought that for. I used it to make a couple of things but still had quite a bit leftover so I used a bit more of the PUL scraps.
Anyway, my daughter loves it - she tells me that there is no one in her school with a bag like hers.
I'm thinking of making a laptop bag with the curtain material and other silk panel. Oooh a matching mother daughter thing! Not sure if that makes it extra special...though my daughter is still young enough to think it is (I'm sure when she gets older she would ban me from making matching stuff) hehe.
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful day.
So yesterday, I gave a sneak preview of what was in my sewing machine. I'm proud to say that last night I finished it!
My daughter's school bag had worn down at the bottom (holes were appearing) and it was time to give it up before all her stuff fell out from the bottom. We went to the op shops to look at the school bags there, but she didn't like any of them.
So I decided to get her to choose "fabrics" from the op shop instead so I can make one... and here it is!
The outer fabric is actually curtain material - $5 and I have a TONNE left over! (Plus its really ugly as a curtain - much nicer as a bag). The embroidered silk panel is actually 1 of 2 small cushion covers. I got both cushion covers for $1.
Inside fabric is PUL - I had bought the PUL a LONG time ago from Brindabella Baby and was part of excess stock she wanted to get rid of. I'm afraid I can't remember how much I bought that for. I used it to make a couple of things but still had quite a bit leftover so I used a bit more of the PUL scraps.
Anyway, my daughter loves it - she tells me that there is no one in her school with a bag like hers.
I'm thinking of making a laptop bag with the curtain material and other silk panel. Oooh a matching mother daughter thing! Not sure if that makes it extra special...though my daughter is still young enough to think it is (I'm sure when she gets older she would ban me from making matching stuff) hehe.
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful day.
13 October 2009
Where I am virtually.... and my creative space IRL
Hey everyone!
Just a quick post today because I want to get back to bag making (have 3 projects on!).
I re-posted my older post on "How I broke my dependence on credit cards" at Simple Green Frugal Co-op this morning. If you are embarking on breaking the credit card habit, it might be something you will be interested in reading. If it helps, I found that once I changed my consumption habits, the credit card habit kinda fell away too. So for those who are choosing to break the credit card habit - I wish you well!
Sharnia also interviewed me in her blog "Chronicles of Sharnia". For new readers to my blog (welcome!), you may want to head on over there and get a bit more of an understanding on why I am on this journey to a simpler life.
In the meantime, I thought I'd join in Kootooyoo's creative space post and show you what I'm about to head back to.....
2 of my bag projects are on this table - the one in the sewing machine is my daughter's new school bag (it will become a backpack) and on the other side...a new mini hand bag for me!
Just a quick post today because I want to get back to bag making (have 3 projects on!).
I re-posted my older post on "How I broke my dependence on credit cards" at Simple Green Frugal Co-op this morning. If you are embarking on breaking the credit card habit, it might be something you will be interested in reading. If it helps, I found that once I changed my consumption habits, the credit card habit kinda fell away too. So for those who are choosing to break the credit card habit - I wish you well!
Sharnia also interviewed me in her blog "Chronicles of Sharnia". For new readers to my blog (welcome!), you may want to head on over there and get a bit more of an understanding on why I am on this journey to a simpler life.
In the meantime, I thought I'd join in Kootooyoo's creative space post and show you what I'm about to head back to.....
2 of my bag projects are on this table - the one in the sewing machine is my daughter's new school bag (it will become a backpack) and on the other side...a new mini hand bag for me!See you all tomorrow!
12 October 2009
How I got my grocery bill down to $70 a week
Hello everyone!
As some of you may know, Cath asked me a few days ago how I got my grocery bill down to an average of $70 a week. So I thought I'd elaborate on how I menu plan and hopefully this will give you ideas on how to cut your grocery bill too.
Some things about me first - my menu plan is to feed 3 people - my two children (aged 5 years and 6 years) are big eaters (as well as very very active) and so I've learnt to count their meal portions the same as mine. My daughter and I are the more adventurous eaters. My son is not adventurous at all and takes some coaxing. As a result, I have learned to keep "adventurous" meals down to maybe one meal a week or to keep it to one side dish a week.
Like everything else I buy, I buy food according to my values - so cocoa products (coffee, chocolate etc) must be fairtrade; and all my meat products must be at least one of the following: free-range, halal or organic. And yes, I can do all this on $70 a week.
Before I menu planned, I spent an average of $300 a week on food. My first menu plan, I cut my grocery bill down to $200 (a saving of $100 and I hadn't changed wasteful kitchen habits yet!). Then very very slowly, my menu plan got better and better.
So here is what I do:
1. At the start of the week, I look at *any* leftover food in the fridge or pantry and make ONE meal from leftover ingredients in the fridge or pantry.
2. Write down 1 other dinner that I would like. Write the ingredients for that meal.
3. Review the ingredients for that meal and now write down another meal that uses many of the same ingredients from that first meal - eg ingredients for a stew are often very similar to say a stir-fry or savoury pie. Repeat till you have 4 dinners. What you should now have is a list of meals that allow you to buy ingredients in bulk.
4. Review all dinners and ingredients for the dinners and see if you can expand the ingredients to include lunches and breakfasts - eg. if the ingredients for 4 dinner will use up "6 eggs" and you know that you probably will buy a dozen eggs, then you know that you probably have enough to make omelettes for at least 2 breakfasts or 2 lunches. By doing it this way, you can now buy in bulk with a purpose (as opposed to buying in bulk but never really using it all up).
5. Write down any other ingredients you may need for the breakfasts and lunches.
6. Now that you've written 4 dinners and (hopefully) 7 breakfasts and lunches, you should now review what you can do with any of the leftovers from the above. (Think of it as a "Masterchef challenge" :P). I've found that by having 4 dinners, 7 breakfasts and lunches, then I can always come up with atleast 2 more meals using leftovers.
7. And so that makes 6 dinners, 7 breakfasts and lunches AND the 1 dinner using just existing ingredients in the fridge/pantry.
8. (Optional tip) If you are in the habit of getting takeaway (food to go), then PLAN that in your menu plan!! You would be surprised how many people actually throw away leftovers from their takeaway food. When the kids and I splurge on takeaway (the Ethiopian restaurant near us has a GREAT takeaway menu), I plan any leftovers from that too.
So, as you can see, I put a lot of emphasis on leftovers. When I first started this journey, I found it difficult to incorporate leftovers. That was for 2 reasons:
1. I didn't have the skills to think about leftovers creatively.
2. I didn't recognise "leftovers" to begin with - that is, I didn't know I was wasting food - I just thought it was "normal" to throw it away.
To address my first reason, I started slowly - just using vege leftovers to make one side dish instead of a main meal etc - nothing really flash, just little "experiments". The more I did this, the more confident I became with how to do it. And the more confident I became, the more creative I got with cooking. I tried not to beat myself up with mistakes either!! If it didn't work, then I learned from it and tried to not make the same mistake next week. Remember its not a race!!
For the second one, I have to admit this came as a shock to me. I didn't think that I was wasting food at all until I met up with people who used every bit of food they had. If I had not met amazing people like these, then I would probably not realise how much I can "extend" my food.
Here's an example of what I do to use up every last bit of food...
Night 1: Make roast chicken. My roast chicken has a stuffing consisting of 1 chopped tomato, 1 chopped onion, garlic and soy sauce.
Day 1: Have leftover roast chicken sandwiches - include a bit of the stuffing as part of the sandwich.
Night 2: Using what should now be the carcass of the roast chicken, make chicken stock. Set aside any leftover stuffing. After making chicken stock, it time to throw away the bones. (Eat something else ;) )
Night 3: Using the chicken stock, make rice. When rice is just about cooked through, use the leftover stuffing to flavour your rissoto even more. Add any other ingredients for your rissoto (hopefully the ingredients are also leftover ingredients from other meals).
So the leftovers from the roast chicken meal ended up becoming 1 lunch and 1 extra dinner - that's 3 meals using pretty much the same ingredients!
Now, prior to me seriously menu planning, I would've made roast chicken and then *maybe* used bits for a sandwich BUT I would've thrown away the carcass and the leftover stuffing thinking I couldn't do anymore with it. But as you can see, its possible to actually make more meals with it.
Anyway, I hope you can see now why my grocery bill is as low as it is. If you have any questions, or more ideas on how to get your grocery bill down, then please let me know! (I can always improve).
*************************************************
Some great sites you may want to visit:
Mealopedia - helps you with a menu plan! You choose your tastes and they give you recipe ideas, complete with a list of ingredients at the end to print out and use.
Love Food, Hate Waste - lots of food facts, including what expiry date/use by dates mean, lots of recipe ideas for leftovers, and portion control.
************************************************
I hope you have had a wonderful start of the week!
As some of you may know, Cath asked me a few days ago how I got my grocery bill down to an average of $70 a week. So I thought I'd elaborate on how I menu plan and hopefully this will give you ideas on how to cut your grocery bill too.
Some things about me first - my menu plan is to feed 3 people - my two children (aged 5 years and 6 years) are big eaters (as well as very very active) and so I've learnt to count their meal portions the same as mine. My daughter and I are the more adventurous eaters. My son is not adventurous at all and takes some coaxing. As a result, I have learned to keep "adventurous" meals down to maybe one meal a week or to keep it to one side dish a week.
Like everything else I buy, I buy food according to my values - so cocoa products (coffee, chocolate etc) must be fairtrade; and all my meat products must be at least one of the following: free-range, halal or organic. And yes, I can do all this on $70 a week.
Before I menu planned, I spent an average of $300 a week on food. My first menu plan, I cut my grocery bill down to $200 (a saving of $100 and I hadn't changed wasteful kitchen habits yet!). Then very very slowly, my menu plan got better and better.
So here is what I do:
1. At the start of the week, I look at *any* leftover food in the fridge or pantry and make ONE meal from leftover ingredients in the fridge or pantry.
2. Write down 1 other dinner that I would like. Write the ingredients for that meal.
3. Review the ingredients for that meal and now write down another meal that uses many of the same ingredients from that first meal - eg ingredients for a stew are often very similar to say a stir-fry or savoury pie. Repeat till you have 4 dinners. What you should now have is a list of meals that allow you to buy ingredients in bulk.
4. Review all dinners and ingredients for the dinners and see if you can expand the ingredients to include lunches and breakfasts - eg. if the ingredients for 4 dinner will use up "6 eggs" and you know that you probably will buy a dozen eggs, then you know that you probably have enough to make omelettes for at least 2 breakfasts or 2 lunches. By doing it this way, you can now buy in bulk with a purpose (as opposed to buying in bulk but never really using it all up).
5. Write down any other ingredients you may need for the breakfasts and lunches.
6. Now that you've written 4 dinners and (hopefully) 7 breakfasts and lunches, you should now review what you can do with any of the leftovers from the above. (Think of it as a "Masterchef challenge" :P). I've found that by having 4 dinners, 7 breakfasts and lunches, then I can always come up with atleast 2 more meals using leftovers.
7. And so that makes 6 dinners, 7 breakfasts and lunches AND the 1 dinner using just existing ingredients in the fridge/pantry.
8. (Optional tip) If you are in the habit of getting takeaway (food to go), then PLAN that in your menu plan!! You would be surprised how many people actually throw away leftovers from their takeaway food. When the kids and I splurge on takeaway (the Ethiopian restaurant near us has a GREAT takeaway menu), I plan any leftovers from that too.
So, as you can see, I put a lot of emphasis on leftovers. When I first started this journey, I found it difficult to incorporate leftovers. That was for 2 reasons:
1. I didn't have the skills to think about leftovers creatively.
2. I didn't recognise "leftovers" to begin with - that is, I didn't know I was wasting food - I just thought it was "normal" to throw it away.
To address my first reason, I started slowly - just using vege leftovers to make one side dish instead of a main meal etc - nothing really flash, just little "experiments". The more I did this, the more confident I became with how to do it. And the more confident I became, the more creative I got with cooking. I tried not to beat myself up with mistakes either!! If it didn't work, then I learned from it and tried to not make the same mistake next week. Remember its not a race!!
For the second one, I have to admit this came as a shock to me. I didn't think that I was wasting food at all until I met up with people who used every bit of food they had. If I had not met amazing people like these, then I would probably not realise how much I can "extend" my food.
Here's an example of what I do to use up every last bit of food...
Night 1: Make roast chicken. My roast chicken has a stuffing consisting of 1 chopped tomato, 1 chopped onion, garlic and soy sauce.
Day 1: Have leftover roast chicken sandwiches - include a bit of the stuffing as part of the sandwich.
Night 2: Using what should now be the carcass of the roast chicken, make chicken stock. Set aside any leftover stuffing. After making chicken stock, it time to throw away the bones. (Eat something else ;) )
Night 3: Using the chicken stock, make rice. When rice is just about cooked through, use the leftover stuffing to flavour your rissoto even more. Add any other ingredients for your rissoto (hopefully the ingredients are also leftover ingredients from other meals).
So the leftovers from the roast chicken meal ended up becoming 1 lunch and 1 extra dinner - that's 3 meals using pretty much the same ingredients!
Now, prior to me seriously menu planning, I would've made roast chicken and then *maybe* used bits for a sandwich BUT I would've thrown away the carcass and the leftover stuffing thinking I couldn't do anymore with it. But as you can see, its possible to actually make more meals with it.
Anyway, I hope you can see now why my grocery bill is as low as it is. If you have any questions, or more ideas on how to get your grocery bill down, then please let me know! (I can always improve).
*************************************************
Some great sites you may want to visit:
Mealopedia - helps you with a menu plan! You choose your tastes and they give you recipe ideas, complete with a list of ingredients at the end to print out and use.
Love Food, Hate Waste - lots of food facts, including what expiry date/use by dates mean, lots of recipe ideas for leftovers, and portion control.
************************************************
I hope you have had a wonderful start of the week!
11 October 2009
Dreaming of summer (50c tablecloth into a dress)
Hello everyone!
Well, its now middle of Spring here in Oz - we're experiencing the standard October cold snap at the moment but I know that this cold snap will soon give way to warm summer weather soon.
A few weeks ago, I found this old tablecloth in the op shop for 50c. The tablecloth was 50c because a corner of it had moth holes... and it was an ugly tablecloth.
BUT I thought it would make a great dress, so I bought it, cut out the moth eaten parts, washed it, then turned it to this! (No pattern I just winged it)
I was really going for a Jackie Kennedy 60s look...not sure if I got there. On hindsight maybe some interfacing at the neckline would have given it a stiffer line which would be more the era. Nevertheless, for a "wing it" sewing job, I'm very happy with how its turned out. Especially as I don't have a sewing dummy so it felt like I did an endless amount of trying on at every step and then trying to draw the dart lines while I had it on (the back ones were impossible, so I just guessed based on the dart lines I drew for the waist.)
My neighbours think I should find a white belt to cinch the waist a bit more. What do you think?
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Cath in my last post asked me to go into more detail about how I divy up my groceries to fit it into $70, so I'll post about that tomorrow!
See you then!
Well, its now middle of Spring here in Oz - we're experiencing the standard October cold snap at the moment but I know that this cold snap will soon give way to warm summer weather soon.
A few weeks ago, I found this old tablecloth in the op shop for 50c. The tablecloth was 50c because a corner of it had moth holes... and it was an ugly tablecloth.
BUT I thought it would make a great dress, so I bought it, cut out the moth eaten parts, washed it, then turned it to this! (No pattern I just winged it)
I was really going for a Jackie Kennedy 60s look...not sure if I got there. On hindsight maybe some interfacing at the neckline would have given it a stiffer line which would be more the era. Nevertheless, for a "wing it" sewing job, I'm very happy with how its turned out. Especially as I don't have a sewing dummy so it felt like I did an endless amount of trying on at every step and then trying to draw the dart lines while I had it on (the back ones were impossible, so I just guessed based on the dart lines I drew for the waist.)
My neighbours think I should find a white belt to cinch the waist a bit more. What do you think?
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Cath in my last post asked me to go into more detail about how I divy up my groceries to fit it into $70, so I'll post about that tomorrow!
See you then!
9 October 2009
Interest rate rise! Eeek! 2 tips on how to cut back spending BIG TIME.
Hello everyone!
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who sent me their congratulations either through this blog, email or Facebook since my last post. I truly appreciate it. Like I said, I am almost always blown away by thought that there are people out there who read this blog and choose to share their thoughts with me. Thank you for helping me and sharing my journey.
I have been following with interest the news that the Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted interest rates. Since their announcement, various banks have (predictably) also lifted their interest rates.
As a mortgage owner on a limited income, rises in interest rates always affects me. Having said that, I have to admit that this news didn't upset me as it normally would have.... why? Because my recent difficulties with ACTEWAGL showed me that I *can* find ways to stretch out meals and use the resources that I do have to maximum effect. Basically, it showed me that there is some slack in my budget.
Those who know my income often look at me in disbelief when I say this. Don't get me wrong, I am earning, what I consider, a good income. BUT, my income would be considered as "below average" in the ONC. Despite this, I have money to live according to my values. I only buy fairtrade or organic cocoa products, all my meat products are free-range, halal or organic and every now and then I do treat the children and I to a weekend away.
I'm able to do all this because of the following 2 major"lifestyle" changes:
1. I menu plan. (That is, I write down all my meals and snacks for the week and buy ingredients only for those meals and snacks). Seriously, this simple step has been a major source of savings for me. Prior to me menu planning, I would easily spend an average of $300 a week on food. Now I spend an average of $70 a week. On a very very lean week, I am able to do my groceries for $15. Menu planning represents a total saving of $11,960 a year for me. And we're eating better now. The more I menu-planned, the better I got at it until now I can buy "complimenting" ingredients that give my family and I, a good range of meals.
2. Go second-hand. This is something I have blogged about a LOT. I very very rarely buy brand-new these days. I buy or get for free (from Freecycle) second-hand clothing, furniture, garden stuff, kitchen items etc. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how much money this has saved me. I just know its a lot. After all, I managed to furnish my entire house, including white goods, little kitchen items etc for under $1,000. I also use only second-hand materials (sourced from op-shops) for sewing clothes/costumes for my children. As a guesstimate, if I was still buying brand-new, this whole year would have cost about $15,000 - that's for furniture, white goods, clothing for myself and the children. Instead, I have spent to date maybe just over $1,500. So that's a saving of $10,000.
As you can see, by living the way I do, I have managed to find savings of around $20,000 for this year alone. And the best part about it? I've had FUN! I found creativeness in finding/making/restoring things for my family. My bargaining skills were also polished through sourcing so much stuff from flea markets and garage sales. I learned how to bid in auctions.
The next thing I'm embarking on is to grow my own food. I'm hoping that eventually, this too will be a source of savings....how big a saving, only time will tell.
Anyway, I will continue to watch interest rate rises, but I do know that unless something drastic happens, I am confident that I will find ways to pay it.
I wish you all a good weekend.
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who sent me their congratulations either through this blog, email or Facebook since my last post. I truly appreciate it. Like I said, I am almost always blown away by thought that there are people out there who read this blog and choose to share their thoughts with me. Thank you for helping me and sharing my journey.
I have been following with interest the news that the Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted interest rates. Since their announcement, various banks have (predictably) also lifted their interest rates.
As a mortgage owner on a limited income, rises in interest rates always affects me. Having said that, I have to admit that this news didn't upset me as it normally would have.... why? Because my recent difficulties with ACTEWAGL showed me that I *can* find ways to stretch out meals and use the resources that I do have to maximum effect. Basically, it showed me that there is some slack in my budget.
Those who know my income often look at me in disbelief when I say this. Don't get me wrong, I am earning, what I consider, a good income. BUT, my income would be considered as "below average" in the ONC. Despite this, I have money to live according to my values. I only buy fairtrade or organic cocoa products, all my meat products are free-range, halal or organic and every now and then I do treat the children and I to a weekend away.
I'm able to do all this because of the following 2 major"lifestyle" changes:
1. I menu plan. (That is, I write down all my meals and snacks for the week and buy ingredients only for those meals and snacks). Seriously, this simple step has been a major source of savings for me. Prior to me menu planning, I would easily spend an average of $300 a week on food. Now I spend an average of $70 a week. On a very very lean week, I am able to do my groceries for $15. Menu planning represents a total saving of $11,960 a year for me. And we're eating better now. The more I menu-planned, the better I got at it until now I can buy "complimenting" ingredients that give my family and I, a good range of meals.
2. Go second-hand. This is something I have blogged about a LOT. I very very rarely buy brand-new these days. I buy or get for free (from Freecycle) second-hand clothing, furniture, garden stuff, kitchen items etc. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how much money this has saved me. I just know its a lot. After all, I managed to furnish my entire house, including white goods, little kitchen items etc for under $1,000. I also use only second-hand materials (sourced from op-shops) for sewing clothes/costumes for my children. As a guesstimate, if I was still buying brand-new, this whole year would have cost about $15,000 - that's for furniture, white goods, clothing for myself and the children. Instead, I have spent to date maybe just over $1,500. So that's a saving of $10,000.
As you can see, by living the way I do, I have managed to find savings of around $20,000 for this year alone. And the best part about it? I've had FUN! I found creativeness in finding/making/restoring things for my family. My bargaining skills were also polished through sourcing so much stuff from flea markets and garage sales. I learned how to bid in auctions.
The next thing I'm embarking on is to grow my own food. I'm hoping that eventually, this too will be a source of savings....how big a saving, only time will tell.
Anyway, I will continue to watch interest rate rises, but I do know that unless something drastic happens, I am confident that I will find ways to pay it.
I wish you all a good weekend.
8 October 2009
I must be living under a rock...
because I didn't even realise that this blog of mine had made it as a finalist in Business Mums' Network's "Favourite Australian Blog by a Business Mum" - in the Environment/Eco-Friendly Category!
Mel, a friend and fellow ONC'er had to tell me about it. I feel kinda silly 'cause I had already voted for Mel for her blog in the Business Category and didn't even notice my blog's name sitting there under the Eco category!
Perhaps its because when I started this journey, I never really thought of myself and what I wanted to do as "environmental" or "eco-friendly". All I wanted to do was to stop feeling so overwhelmed by having so much stuff. I wanted to know why it is that I kept buying things I didn't *really* want, even though I knew that the stuff is not making me happy.
My road to self-awareness was painful at times. After all, its not easy to admit that I bought stuff because it was my main way to project identity - or as I explained in this post, buying stuff was my main way to be "the me that I wanted to be...and for people to see".
'Course my journey has now led me to this point - a life that is well on its way to being simple, frugal and yes, even eco-friendly. I am at a point, where, for the first time in my life, I am actually living and consuming within my values. The fact that I can do this within my limited income never fails to amaze me. To think, that only 3 years ago, I thought that ethical consumption would be an expensive exercise! How wrong I was!
Of course, now that I've been made finalist (I'm so chuffed to have gotten nominated to begin with), I am feeling this huge pressure to post amazing advice on the environment..... Alas, my mind is blank. This blog has never been about giving advice. It has always been a record of my journey and sharing my ideas as I stumble across each challenge. I truly feel privileged by the fact that people have chosen to read my journey, share their own ideas, experiences and very often encourage me to keep trying.
So with that in mind, I thought I'd completely deviate from what I usually write about and share a video I found of Missy Higgins when she was still at school (she introduces herself in the video as Melissa Higgins). This is an earlier version of a song that she later re-jigged and re-titled to a fun song called "Cactus That Found The Beat". In this earlier version, she called the song "How I Found My Way" - and the unpolished performance, combined with optimism, in her earlier rendition of this song seems to be more apt for me at this point in my journey.
I wish you all a happy day.
*******************************
Oh and if want to have a look at all the great blogs in the Environment/Eco-Friendly category, the link to see them (and vote for them) is here.
Mel, a friend and fellow ONC'er had to tell me about it. I feel kinda silly 'cause I had already voted for Mel for her blog in the Business Category and didn't even notice my blog's name sitting there under the Eco category!
Perhaps its because when I started this journey, I never really thought of myself and what I wanted to do as "environmental" or "eco-friendly". All I wanted to do was to stop feeling so overwhelmed by having so much stuff. I wanted to know why it is that I kept buying things I didn't *really* want, even though I knew that the stuff is not making me happy.
My road to self-awareness was painful at times. After all, its not easy to admit that I bought stuff because it was my main way to project identity - or as I explained in this post, buying stuff was my main way to be "the me that I wanted to be...and for people to see".
'Course my journey has now led me to this point - a life that is well on its way to being simple, frugal and yes, even eco-friendly. I am at a point, where, for the first time in my life, I am actually living and consuming within my values. The fact that I can do this within my limited income never fails to amaze me. To think, that only 3 years ago, I thought that ethical consumption would be an expensive exercise! How wrong I was!
Of course, now that I've been made finalist (I'm so chuffed to have gotten nominated to begin with), I am feeling this huge pressure to post amazing advice on the environment..... Alas, my mind is blank. This blog has never been about giving advice. It has always been a record of my journey and sharing my ideas as I stumble across each challenge. I truly feel privileged by the fact that people have chosen to read my journey, share their own ideas, experiences and very often encourage me to keep trying.
So with that in mind, I thought I'd completely deviate from what I usually write about and share a video I found of Missy Higgins when she was still at school (she introduces herself in the video as Melissa Higgins). This is an earlier version of a song that she later re-jigged and re-titled to a fun song called "Cactus That Found The Beat". In this earlier version, she called the song "How I Found My Way" - and the unpolished performance, combined with optimism, in her earlier rendition of this song seems to be more apt for me at this point in my journey.
I wish you all a happy day.
*******************************
Oh and if want to have a look at all the great blogs in the Environment/Eco-Friendly category, the link to see them (and vote for them) is here.
7 October 2009
So what do I say?
Photo by Jayel AheramHello everyone,
I had an interesting conversation with my daughter (Miss J, 6 years old) tonight that I thought I'd share. Just a bit of a background, Miss J recently discovered Australian Football League (AFL). She played it at school for physical education and was suprisingly good at it (she's the only 6 year old I know who can do a drop kick while running).
Anyway, the conversation went like this:
Miss J: It's not fair.
Me: What's not fair?
Miss J: Football people are not fair.
Me: Why is that?
Miss J: They don't let girls play football.
Me: Yes they do. You play football now.
Miss J: They don't let you play when you become a teenager or a grown up.
Me: Oh, lots of adult women play football!
Miss J: Adult women can still play football? But they don't show women playing football on TV.
{pause}
Me: I guess you're right. I haven't seen women playing football on TV.
Miss J: Is that because the people who make the TV shows not like women?
Me: ...um....
Okay, so I flipped flopped around saying something like: "I guess they think no one wants to watch women playing football."
After a few more feeble excuses from me, (with me pointing out that they show women's tennis on TV), she finally just gave me the look (the one she gives me when she think I'm not being honest with her) and changed the subject.
And now, I am wondering if perhaps she's just cut to the heart of the matter and spoken the truth bluntly and simply....
...and it breaks my heart to think that she already knows it.
**************
P.S. Greg Baum from The Age seems to have a different view on this, which I totally object to, but you may want to check out: http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/count-me-out-women-must-earn-coverage/2006/08/04/1154198332013.html
6 October 2009
Notes from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Social Media and our Children's Brains
Hello everyone!
Sorry for not posting yesterday. I had a wonderful time with my kids in Questacon and was simply too exhausted yesterday to blog about the other talk I attended at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Anyway here it is now:
My notes from Baroness Susan Greenfield's talk: "Does Online Networking Harm Children's Brains?"
First, a bit of background for those who may not know of Susan Greenfield (before her talk at the festival, I had only known of her work through a short radio interview). Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist who is well known in the science world for her research into Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease.
According to Susan Greenfield, the saturation of social media in our children's lives are re-mapping our children's brains. She claims that the amount of time children are spending on the internet and other forms of media means that their brain maps are being formed in ways that seem to emphasise:
I found SG to be a fantastic speaker and presenter. Her explanation of how nature (genes) and nurture (environment) shapes (and prunes) the connections in our brains (what she refered to as "brain-map") was truly fascinating.
Having said that, there was one thing about her talk that did bother me - that she had skewed her talk to pass a value judgement on these changes. Further, she did not convince me that increasing inability to empathise and increasingly unstable sense of idenity is the result of a saturation of social media alone.
SG herself stated that one's brain map is shaped by a number of factors (internal and external), with complex linkages to each other. Social media may change the way we think but whether these changes are "damaging" or "harming" is a value judgement and one that I'm not entirely sure I agree with.
Further, changing brain maps does not necessarily have a direct link to one's abilities and actions. SG herself showed us research results (I forget by whom, but it wasn't hers) whereby there were 3 groups of adults who all had one thing in common - they did not know how to play the piano.
One group of adults (the control group) were taken into a room and for 5 days straight, they were told to just stare at a piano (for about an hour).
The second group of adults were taken into the same room and for 5 days straight, they were taught how to play the piano.
The third group of adults were taken into the same room and for 5 days straight, they were told to imagine that they could play the piano.
The brain maps at the end of the 5 days showed:
Group 1 - no change.
Group 2 - significant change
Group 3 - significant change to almost the same maps as Group 2.
So the brain maps were similar BUT did this mean that Group 3 had the same skills as Group 2? I imagine it would not. The only conclusion for me is that brain maps indicate changes but it does not necessarily translate to concrete and demonstrable changes outside of the brain.
So just as how I can accept that social media changes the wiring of our brain, I am not convinced that those changes necessarily will translate to concrete changes in people's behaviour.
Having said that, her talk did leave me to ponder about social media and my children. I have blogged before about the importance of teaching media literacy, but this is very different from that. My (slightly better) understanding as a result of SG's talk tells me that our brains (for the most part) will adapt and "wire" according to our genes AND our environment.
So even if I completely ban any type of technology and media in mine and my children's lives, we will STILL be affected by it because we would come into contact with people who do.
Its the same, I guess for consumption. While I have reduced consumption in our household, my children are STILL affected by over-consumption because that is the environment in which they live.
My only hope is that my attempts have given them an alternative (and concrete) path - whether they choose to follow it or not will in the end be up to them.
"My Brain". Artwork by My Name is Rom
************************************************************
Sorry for not posting yesterday. I had a wonderful time with my kids in Questacon and was simply too exhausted yesterday to blog about the other talk I attended at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Anyway here it is now:
My notes from Baroness Susan Greenfield's talk: "Does Online Networking Harm Children's Brains?"
First, a bit of background for those who may not know of Susan Greenfield (before her talk at the festival, I had only known of her work through a short radio interview). Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist who is well known in the science world for her research into Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease.
According to Susan Greenfield, the saturation of social media in our children's lives are re-mapping our children's brains. She claims that the amount of time children are spending on the internet and other forms of media means that their brain maps are being formed in ways that seem to emphasise:
- process instead of meaning/content (the example she used was that in a book, one gets to know the characters and therefore develops an understanding of why they do things - on the net, children ARE the characters and the emphasis is then on (being seen to be) doing things and getting things done.)
- sensory instead of cognitive (ie the pursuit of instant sensations of the present rather than a deeper reflection of the past, present and future)
- higher IQ levels (as in higher capacity to think analytically, mathematically and spatially);
- shorter attention spans;
- increasing inability to empathise; and
- an increasingly unstable sense of identity.
I found SG to be a fantastic speaker and presenter. Her explanation of how nature (genes) and nurture (environment) shapes (and prunes) the connections in our brains (what she refered to as "brain-map") was truly fascinating.
Having said that, there was one thing about her talk that did bother me - that she had skewed her talk to pass a value judgement on these changes. Further, she did not convince me that increasing inability to empathise and increasingly unstable sense of idenity is the result of a saturation of social media alone.
SG herself stated that one's brain map is shaped by a number of factors (internal and external), with complex linkages to each other. Social media may change the way we think but whether these changes are "damaging" or "harming" is a value judgement and one that I'm not entirely sure I agree with.
Further, changing brain maps does not necessarily have a direct link to one's abilities and actions. SG herself showed us research results (I forget by whom, but it wasn't hers) whereby there were 3 groups of adults who all had one thing in common - they did not know how to play the piano.
One group of adults (the control group) were taken into a room and for 5 days straight, they were told to just stare at a piano (for about an hour).
The second group of adults were taken into the same room and for 5 days straight, they were taught how to play the piano.
The third group of adults were taken into the same room and for 5 days straight, they were told to imagine that they could play the piano.
The brain maps at the end of the 5 days showed:
Group 1 - no change.
Group 2 - significant change
Group 3 - significant change to almost the same maps as Group 2.
So the brain maps were similar BUT did this mean that Group 3 had the same skills as Group 2? I imagine it would not. The only conclusion for me is that brain maps indicate changes but it does not necessarily translate to concrete and demonstrable changes outside of the brain.
So just as how I can accept that social media changes the wiring of our brain, I am not convinced that those changes necessarily will translate to concrete changes in people's behaviour.
Having said that, her talk did leave me to ponder about social media and my children. I have blogged before about the importance of teaching media literacy, but this is very different from that. My (slightly better) understanding as a result of SG's talk tells me that our brains (for the most part) will adapt and "wire" according to our genes AND our environment.
So even if I completely ban any type of technology and media in mine and my children's lives, we will STILL be affected by it because we would come into contact with people who do.
Its the same, I guess for consumption. While I have reduced consumption in our household, my children are STILL affected by over-consumption because that is the environment in which they live.
My only hope is that my attempts have given them an alternative (and concrete) path - whether they choose to follow it or not will in the end be up to them.
"My Brain". Artwork by My Name is Rom************************************************************
P.S. Some of you may want to read a post I did in SGF about children and consumerism, where I talked about accepting that my children may choose a path that is very different to mine.
4 October 2009
Notes from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Freedom
Hello everyone!
Oh dear, it seems to me I keep breaking my "no-technology Sundays". Ah well, I am planning on a big day out with my children tomorrow (Monday) as its a public holiday, so I probably will have that technology-free day anyway.
Anyway, I am back from my day at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. What a fantastic day! Unfortunately I was not able to live-blog any of the sessions. Still, I am truly privileged to have been able to spend an entire day listening to some amazing minds. I spent time afterwards writing and reflecting on what was said.*
Germaine Greer: "Freedom is the most dangerous idea of all".
According to GG, freedom is:
She gives particular attention to children, women and old people as those who are most oppressed. All these people are widely regarded as irrational beings who must be controlled and punished for transgressions.
She states that all people in general are losing their liberties because of fear. It is fear (often vaguely defined as terrorists, or criminals or mental illness) that empowers oppressors and enables them to control others.
My thoughts on GG's talk
Firstly, I have to admit to being slightly disappointed that most of her examples and rhetoric illustrated the overseas experience. While I acknowledge that the United States' and Great Britain's notions and experience of freedom can be carried across to Australia, I do believe that Australia and Australians have their own unique views of freedom arising from our own experiences as a nation that was founded and built on prison (and prisoner) economics.
That is perhaps why I particularly enjoyed GG's answer to a question at the end of her talk about freedom and Australian Aboriginality. She stated that Australian Aborigines have been portrayed as problematic and unable to respond to help that has been extended to them. GG illustrated the point about housing. Many houses have been built for Australian Aborigines. Yet, many of these houses are not used in the way they were meant to be used. Aborigines tend to sleep outside and around them. Different people come and go and use the houses as a thoroughfare rather than a place of settlement. Things inside the houses break through improper use or lack of care. However, GG questions whethere these things meant Australian Aborigines are "irrational" and therefore need to be controlled? GG proposed that what it does mean is that Australian Aborigines are RESISTING this type of "help" because it does not fit into their value systems.
This point fits in with one of GG's key messages - that freedom is something that needs to be negotiated and redefined at all levels, and that a key part of this negotiation and redefinition is to treat all people as if they are free (even though we know they are not).
After her talk, I pondered for a little while about consumerism and corporations treatment of consumers. Are the companies who produce, and governments who ensure that there are goods for us to buy treating us as if we are free? Or are they treating us as if we are irrational and therefore use fear to compel us to buy what we do not want?
Is the whole notion of consumerism a form of social control?
Anyway, lots of deep thoughts for me at the moment, so I thought I'd leave you with this image I found in flickr:
"Freedom is a Toilet Tissue" Photo by Russell Higgs <-- click to read Russell's story about this photo.
on online networking and children's brains.
Oh dear, it seems to me I keep breaking my "no-technology Sundays". Ah well, I am planning on a big day out with my children tomorrow (Monday) as its a public holiday, so I probably will have that technology-free day anyway.
Anyway, I am back from my day at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. What a fantastic day! Unfortunately I was not able to live-blog any of the sessions. Still, I am truly privileged to have been able to spend an entire day listening to some amazing minds. I spent time afterwards writing and reflecting on what was said.*
Germaine Greer: "Freedom is the most dangerous idea of all".
According to GG, freedom is:
- an absolute value - that is, it must be respected at all costs - including if one disagrees with liberties of another.
- self-determination
- autonomy
- something that should be negotiated and redefined.
She gives particular attention to children, women and old people as those who are most oppressed. All these people are widely regarded as irrational beings who must be controlled and punished for transgressions.
She states that all people in general are losing their liberties because of fear. It is fear (often vaguely defined as terrorists, or criminals or mental illness) that empowers oppressors and enables them to control others.
My thoughts on GG's talk
Firstly, I have to admit to being slightly disappointed that most of her examples and rhetoric illustrated the overseas experience. While I acknowledge that the United States' and Great Britain's notions and experience of freedom can be carried across to Australia, I do believe that Australia and Australians have their own unique views of freedom arising from our own experiences as a nation that was founded and built on prison (and prisoner) economics.
That is perhaps why I particularly enjoyed GG's answer to a question at the end of her talk about freedom and Australian Aboriginality. She stated that Australian Aborigines have been portrayed as problematic and unable to respond to help that has been extended to them. GG illustrated the point about housing. Many houses have been built for Australian Aborigines. Yet, many of these houses are not used in the way they were meant to be used. Aborigines tend to sleep outside and around them. Different people come and go and use the houses as a thoroughfare rather than a place of settlement. Things inside the houses break through improper use or lack of care. However, GG questions whethere these things meant Australian Aborigines are "irrational" and therefore need to be controlled? GG proposed that what it does mean is that Australian Aborigines are RESISTING this type of "help" because it does not fit into their value systems.
This point fits in with one of GG's key messages - that freedom is something that needs to be negotiated and redefined at all levels, and that a key part of this negotiation and redefinition is to treat all people as if they are free (even though we know they are not).
After her talk, I pondered for a little while about consumerism and corporations treatment of consumers. Are the companies who produce, and governments who ensure that there are goods for us to buy treating us as if we are free? Or are they treating us as if we are irrational and therefore use fear to compel us to buy what we do not want?
Is the whole notion of consumerism a form of social control?
Anyway, lots of deep thoughts for me at the moment, so I thought I'd leave you with this image I found in flickr:
"Freedom is a Toilet Tissue" Photo by Russell Higgs <-- click to read Russell's story about this photo.Tomorrow (or Tuesday), I will try and write about the amazing talk I also attended by Baroness Susan Greenfield,
3 October 2009
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Hello everyone!
I hope your weekend is going well. Last night I finally caught up with reading many of my favourite blogs. I’m so glad I did because Gleaner posted about the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. This Festival celebrates “courageous discussion”, aiming to “stimulate, provoke and engage with the wider world.”
In short, this is a Festival I just can not resist. So I am going tomorrow! I will be there to listen to (among other things) Germaine Greer’s talk on: Freedom: The Most Dangerous Idea of All.
Her talk description:
Do human beings really want freedom? Could they possibly cope with freedom? Does freedom mean self-regulation and self-realisation or is it 'just another word for nothing left to lose'? Are human beings really born free or is freedom a glimmering illusion that we chase after at our peril?
Freedom has been a concept I’ve tried to grapple with in my musings and I have often described it here in this blog as a matter of choice. Having said that, there have been times in my life when I have felt that I (as a consumer) had too many choices. At those times, the range of choices became overwhelming and suffocating – the very opposite of what freedom is supposed to be.
I can’t wait to hear what GG has to say about the whole topic.
I'm going to try and live-blog the event (via twitter) but if its not possible, I'll see you all on Monday!
2 October 2009
How I broke my dependence on credit cards
Hello everyone,
A couple of days ago, Ryan asked me where I learned how to build my nest egg and not have credit cards.
You know, I think its great when you guys ask me questions like that because it forces me to stop and reflect a bit more on my journey. I tend to be more "future-focussed" - I love planning and thinking up goals for myself. Sometimes in the journey to achieve particular goals, I pick up skills or knowledge along the way but I am so focussed on the goal that I am not even conscious that I've picked up those skills or knowledge.
For me building my nest egg and not having credit cards was one of those things. Having savings and giving up my credit cards was a side-effect in my journey to become a more ethical consumer. It was not, at the time, my end goal. Of course, now that I'm in "maintenance" mode for my consumption habits (rather than "change" mode), I can see now the importance of my nest egg and not having credit cards.
I'll try and explain how I broke my dependence on credit cards first.
I guess the first step for me was when I decided to not buy anything brand-new for a year. That was the year when I made a conscious acknowledgement that I was an over-consumer - that I bought too many things that I didn't really need or even really want. I acknowledged that I had too much stuff and the stuff didn't make me happy.
I found that trying to cut back my consumption (by deliberately leaving credit cards and bank cards at home, or setting a budget) didn't work. Oh it would work for a few days - maybe even a few weeks, but then old habits would creep back in and I would end up buying stuff again.
Looking back, I can see that it mirrored classic addiction symptoms and cycles - with the exception that I never bought stuff to the point where it was obvious that I had a problem. In fact, my consumption habits were very similar to everybody else! Everyone I knew could empathise with the maxed out credit every now and then. Like everyone else, I got into debt, but not so much debt that my wage could not service that debt. Everyone I knew went to end-of-year/christmas/boxing day etc sales. Everyone I knew would go crazy over a "bargain". Everyone I knew would every now and then, complain about lack of storage and/or too much stuff.
In a sense, my over-consumption was not considered an addiction because it was normalised in my culture.
In the end, I had enough and I decided to just stop. Oh not stop completely but I stopped a major source of my buying - I stopped buying brand new. I set myself a goal for a year.
At first, I sought to maintain my consumption habits by buying lots and lots of second-hand items. This worked for a little while, but I found myself not reaching the same "highs". It was a lot harder work to buy second-hand. I had to look around. I had to learn how to see the potential in items when they're not being displayed at their best. There was less "hype" around second-hand items so I couldn't get carried away by the enthusiasm of the crowd.
And not all second-hand sources would take credit cards. I learned to carry cash and to bargain (when appropriate). I learned to walk away when I didn't have enough cash to buy that second-hand item (because I had no choice).
My foray into second-hand buying gave me good skills (indeed, I am thankful for it because it enabled me to furnish my entire house for under $1,000) but in the end, it came down to the fact that the second-hand market simply could not meet my over-consumption habits.
And that's when I learned how to create. If the second-hand market could not give what I wanted, then I learned to how to make what I wanted. Now I learned how to do this during my no buying brand-new year, and for that I'm truly thankful because I think this could have become another source of over-consumption for me. But no, the option of buying brand new supplies would mean breaking my challenge, so I learned how to source second-hand supplies for my creations.
When I created things, I realised how much work was involved in making the stuff. I realised how I was not truly paying for the labour costs for most of the things I bought. It really brought home to me the depth of human exploitation I participated in by buying my goods for "a bargain".
And that when I learned how to just make-do. If I was not willing to put in the work to make something exactly the way I want it, then I learned to accept the next best thing, or learned to do without it all together.
In the meantime, I am now wandering around the place with these credit cards in my pocket.... and I had not used them in months. In fact, the only time I used them was when I was reminded to use them.
In my quest to consume in accordance with my values, I had learned how to buy things, only when I had cash for them. I learned how to walk away from items I really wanted but didn't have enough cash for (and walking away got easier as time went on). I learned how to make things so I didn't have to buy so much. I learned how to live without certain items or accept the next best thing.
And by learning how to do all that, I no longer needed my credit cards.
Funny enough, by learning all those things, I suddenly had more money in my account. For the first time in my adult life, I had SAVINGS. I didn't know at first why I had so much money in there. I kept thinking I forgot to pay a bill. But no. For the first time in my adult life, I was earning more than I was consuming. And that's when I realised that I am now in a position to actually build a nest egg.
Late last year (and over two years from when I stopped buying brand-new), I finally closed my credit card account. I wasn't using it and was only paying account keeping fees for it. I started to build my nest egg.
My nest egg, is not, by all means perfect. My posts on how I've lost it - once I lost most of it for real, and another when it got lost by mistake - show that I'm still learning how to build a nest egg and how to keep it secure. But the fact of the matter is, I am actually in a position to build a nest egg in the first place... and I feel that's the most important step in the first place.
I wish you all a lovely weekend.
What I do to "sales mail" that sneak past my "No Junk Mail" sign..
Origami Crane. Photo by me.
A couple of days ago, Ryan asked me where I learned how to build my nest egg and not have credit cards.
You know, I think its great when you guys ask me questions like that because it forces me to stop and reflect a bit more on my journey. I tend to be more "future-focussed" - I love planning and thinking up goals for myself. Sometimes in the journey to achieve particular goals, I pick up skills or knowledge along the way but I am so focussed on the goal that I am not even conscious that I've picked up those skills or knowledge.
For me building my nest egg and not having credit cards was one of those things. Having savings and giving up my credit cards was a side-effect in my journey to become a more ethical consumer. It was not, at the time, my end goal. Of course, now that I'm in "maintenance" mode for my consumption habits (rather than "change" mode), I can see now the importance of my nest egg and not having credit cards.
I'll try and explain how I broke my dependence on credit cards first.
I guess the first step for me was when I decided to not buy anything brand-new for a year. That was the year when I made a conscious acknowledgement that I was an over-consumer - that I bought too many things that I didn't really need or even really want. I acknowledged that I had too much stuff and the stuff didn't make me happy.
I found that trying to cut back my consumption (by deliberately leaving credit cards and bank cards at home, or setting a budget) didn't work. Oh it would work for a few days - maybe even a few weeks, but then old habits would creep back in and I would end up buying stuff again.
Looking back, I can see that it mirrored classic addiction symptoms and cycles - with the exception that I never bought stuff to the point where it was obvious that I had a problem. In fact, my consumption habits were very similar to everybody else! Everyone I knew could empathise with the maxed out credit every now and then. Like everyone else, I got into debt, but not so much debt that my wage could not service that debt. Everyone I knew went to end-of-year/christmas/boxing day etc sales. Everyone I knew would go crazy over a "bargain". Everyone I knew would every now and then, complain about lack of storage and/or too much stuff.
In a sense, my over-consumption was not considered an addiction because it was normalised in my culture.
In the end, I had enough and I decided to just stop. Oh not stop completely but I stopped a major source of my buying - I stopped buying brand new. I set myself a goal for a year.
At first, I sought to maintain my consumption habits by buying lots and lots of second-hand items. This worked for a little while, but I found myself not reaching the same "highs". It was a lot harder work to buy second-hand. I had to look around. I had to learn how to see the potential in items when they're not being displayed at their best. There was less "hype" around second-hand items so I couldn't get carried away by the enthusiasm of the crowd.
And not all second-hand sources would take credit cards. I learned to carry cash and to bargain (when appropriate). I learned to walk away when I didn't have enough cash to buy that second-hand item (because I had no choice).
My foray into second-hand buying gave me good skills (indeed, I am thankful for it because it enabled me to furnish my entire house for under $1,000) but in the end, it came down to the fact that the second-hand market simply could not meet my over-consumption habits.
And that's when I learned how to create. If the second-hand market could not give what I wanted, then I learned to how to make what I wanted. Now I learned how to do this during my no buying brand-new year, and for that I'm truly thankful because I think this could have become another source of over-consumption for me. But no, the option of buying brand new supplies would mean breaking my challenge, so I learned how to source second-hand supplies for my creations.
When I created things, I realised how much work was involved in making the stuff. I realised how I was not truly paying for the labour costs for most of the things I bought. It really brought home to me the depth of human exploitation I participated in by buying my goods for "a bargain".
And that when I learned how to just make-do. If I was not willing to put in the work to make something exactly the way I want it, then I learned to accept the next best thing, or learned to do without it all together.
In the meantime, I am now wandering around the place with these credit cards in my pocket.... and I had not used them in months. In fact, the only time I used them was when I was reminded to use them.
In my quest to consume in accordance with my values, I had learned how to buy things, only when I had cash for them. I learned how to walk away from items I really wanted but didn't have enough cash for (and walking away got easier as time went on). I learned how to make things so I didn't have to buy so much. I learned how to live without certain items or accept the next best thing.
And by learning how to do all that, I no longer needed my credit cards.
Funny enough, by learning all those things, I suddenly had more money in my account. For the first time in my adult life, I had SAVINGS. I didn't know at first why I had so much money in there. I kept thinking I forgot to pay a bill. But no. For the first time in my adult life, I was earning more than I was consuming. And that's when I realised that I am now in a position to actually build a nest egg.
Late last year (and over two years from when I stopped buying brand-new), I finally closed my credit card account. I wasn't using it and was only paying account keeping fees for it. I started to build my nest egg.
My nest egg, is not, by all means perfect. My posts on how I've lost it - once I lost most of it for real, and another when it got lost by mistake - show that I'm still learning how to build a nest egg and how to keep it secure. But the fact of the matter is, I am actually in a position to build a nest egg in the first place... and I feel that's the most important step in the first place.
I wish you all a lovely weekend.
What I do to "sales mail" that sneak past my "No Junk Mail" sign..Origami Crane. Photo by me.
1 October 2009
I <3 ONC - playing tourist in Canberra
Hello everyone,
One more day to go till the weekend! Now a few days ago, a reader here asked me to write up a little bit about Canberra - which I refer to here as "ONC - Our Nation's Capital".
Firstly, I have to state up front - I love living in this town (and yes, most ONC'ers call Canberra a "town", though we keep getting told its a city), so I'm pretty biased. I moved here at the beginning of highschool, after moving quite a bit in my childhood, and I immediately recognised it as home.
At a population of about 350,000, I love the country feel of the place while at the same time having access to everything I could possibly want for a city.
I love being able to drive 5 minutes and end up in the "bush".
On rainy days, I love taking my children for walks in world-class art galleries.
Claude Monet's Nymphéas [Waterlilies] - part of the permanent collection at the National Gallery of Australia
I love living in the nation's capital, where I can walk into Parliament House when its sitting, to see our politicians in action (a privilege that I think many Aussies take for granted - there are not many nations who can boast the fact that their citizens can see their nation's leaders in real life should they choose to.)
Parliament House foyer - where tourists, public servants and even politicians tend to cross paths. Photo by My Big Blue Gorilla.
Members of the public are able to access free tours and are also allowed to watch debates in Parliament (no cameras, recording devices or mobile phones are allowed).
I love the many local and community events that always seems to be happening.
Balloon Spectacular, a regular Autumn event at the ONC. Photo by me.
I love that my children can explore the story of our nation - the formal stories:
and the living stories:
Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Photo by Pierre Pouliquin
And as an added bonus to doing all of the above? They are all FREE.
Now while I can go on and on about Canberra, and show you many many photos, I have to admit that all my words and all my photos can not really capture the feel of this place. So just as well, that there are people who live here who can capture it better than I do. Here are my favourite excerpts from Saba Vayani-Lai's poem "Canberra's Song, Morphing":
***********************************************
P.S. There are, of course, other great activities that you can do with children that are not free. For the budget conscious traveller, if you are willing to pay for only one thing in the ONC, then the entrance fee to visit to Questacon, is WORTH IT.
P.P.S. Aside from all of the links I've provided above, this website is a good source of information on what to do in the ONC: http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/
P.P.P.S. Tomorrow, I'll attempt to answer Ryan's question about learning how to not rely on credit cards and building a nest egg. See you then!
One more day to go till the weekend! Now a few days ago, a reader here asked me to write up a little bit about Canberra - which I refer to here as "ONC - Our Nation's Capital".
Firstly, I have to state up front - I love living in this town (and yes, most ONC'ers call Canberra a "town", though we keep getting told its a city), so I'm pretty biased. I moved here at the beginning of highschool, after moving quite a bit in my childhood, and I immediately recognised it as home.
At a population of about 350,000, I love the country feel of the place while at the same time having access to everything I could possibly want for a city.
I love being able to drive 5 minutes and end up in the "bush".
On rainy days, I love taking my children for walks in world-class art galleries.
Claude Monet's Nymphéas [Waterlilies] - part of the permanent collection at the National Gallery of AustraliaI love living in the nation's capital, where I can walk into Parliament House when its sitting, to see our politicians in action (a privilege that I think many Aussies take for granted - there are not many nations who can boast the fact that their citizens can see their nation's leaders in real life should they choose to.)
Parliament House foyer - where tourists, public servants and even politicians tend to cross paths. Photo by My Big Blue Gorilla. Members of the public are able to access free tours and are also allowed to watch debates in Parliament (no cameras, recording devices or mobile phones are allowed).
I love the many local and community events that always seems to be happening.
Balloon Spectacular, a regular Autumn event at the ONC. Photo by me. I love that my children can explore the story of our nation - the formal stories:
and the living stories:
Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Photo by Pierre PouliquinAnd as an added bonus to doing all of the above? They are all FREE.
Now while I can go on and on about Canberra, and show you many many photos, I have to admit that all my words and all my photos can not really capture the feel of this place. So just as well, that there are people who live here who can capture it better than I do. Here are my favourite excerpts from Saba Vayani-Lai's poem "Canberra's Song, Morphing":
There is beauty in
Simplicity,
In air thick with insects and
Kangaroo-sweet fire, roasted strands of grass
Sprouting from the earth's flaky scalp like
Uncut hair.
....This is Kanbarra, meeting place of the
Ngunnawal
...There is beauty in
Complexity,
In these city streets all lined up -
The Lego blocks
Of men.
This is Canberra, the meeting place of Australia,
Where we trace an engraved Coat of Arms and
imagine
Kangaroo-sweet fires, roasted strands of grass;
Where we join the bustling Cafe-on-Wheels queue,
Puff out frost and pretend to be dragons.
...This is Canberra.
Simplicity,
In air thick with insects and
Kangaroo-sweet fire, roasted strands of grass
Sprouting from the earth's flaky scalp like
Uncut hair.
....This is Kanbarra, meeting place of the
Ngunnawal
...There is beauty in
Complexity,
In these city streets all lined up -
The Lego blocks
Of men.
This is Canberra, the meeting place of Australia,
Where we trace an engraved Coat of Arms and
imagine
Kangaroo-sweet fires, roasted strands of grass;
Where we join the bustling Cafe-on-Wheels queue,
Puff out frost and pretend to be dragons.
...This is Canberra.
***********************************************
P.S. There are, of course, other great activities that you can do with children that are not free. For the budget conscious traveller, if you are willing to pay for only one thing in the ONC, then the entrance fee to visit to Questacon, is WORTH IT.
P.P.S. Aside from all of the links I've provided above, this website is a good source of information on what to do in the ONC: http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/
P.P.P.S. Tomorrow, I'll attempt to answer Ryan's question about learning how to not rely on credit cards and building a nest egg. See you then!
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