26 Things To Do Before I’m 27…
Sitting here contemplating the last 15 minutes of my 25th year on Earth, it momentarily crossed my mind that this year was my first birthday away from the warm blanket of my closest friends and family (minus Bailey of course, as he’s right here!) – then I suddenly realised that this was, in fact, incorrect because exactly five years ago – on the cusp of my 21st birthday – I was in Europe in Monte Carlo half a world away from my people with a bunch of crazy strangers. I don’t expect that 21-year-old would have seen me and my life coming her way!
Monaco at dusk
To guide me through the next year, at least, I’ve decided to taken on a challenge set forward by some fellow bloggers – Elsie from A Beautiful Mess (a HUGE inspiration) and HER inspiration for the challenge, Hula Seventy. Let’s see how I go over the next 365 days working through this heavy to-do list! Hopefully you will feel inspired to do one for yourself – please share, I’d love some friends to try it with me!!
Click for a larger view!
Catch you when I return from my birthday cake-induced coma.
Kx
Music To My Ears – The Art of Sleeping
Like probably everyone, music plays a massive part in my existence and there are many, many bands and songs that come into my life at certain times that seem so significant – I kind of like to think of them as contributions to the soundtrack to my life (sorry if that’s lame!)
One band in particular that has been a consistent chart topper in the “recently played” iTunes list at my house is Brisbane band, The Art of Sleeping.
I would love to gush over the intricate guitar riffs and beautifully complex lyrics – but I’m still exhausted from my post last night. So I am just going to say, please check them out and buy their album on iTunes. Let’s support some local music and our indie scene!! Particular highlights for me are Weightless and Clarity off their first EP (titled The Art of Sleeping EP) and The Daring and the Lost off the Colourblind EP (get them both, they’re $10.14 and $6.75 respectively!!)
Check out the ONLY video I could find on YouTube for a sneak peak.
But please buy it if you like it! I don’t know these guys personally, but I know lots of people who work in industries including music and film and TV and I know piracy is just a way of life these days for most people, but if you’re going to do it – don’t cheat the little guys like these dudes!
Kx
P.S Thanks to Bailey for introducing me to them! We hope you like their stuff :D
Generation Y Don’t You Have a Job?
Does anyone else get asked this a lot? I know Bailey and I certainly do and it often seems that most of our generation are in a similar situation. I have put it down to two things – either I attract people with similar aspirations to me, or we are Gen Y’s who are on a totally different wavelength to our predecessors…
It’s probably more likely a bit of both seeing as I know non-traditional careerists who are from other generations (including my dad) however; I am taking some poetic license for the sake of the title.
Everyone has a different story, a different reason, a different set of circumstances. I have friends in their mid to late twenties who are only now discovering what they want to do and going back to school, and others who still haven’t decided. I know people, including my sister, who work random jobs to fund their real passion for art, writing, performing, and filmmaking, who are just doing what they have to, to get by. There are others on my friends list who have moved overseas in pursuit of international happiness, and then there is Bailey – my closest and most poignant example – who has wanted to be an entrepreneur his whole life and is well on his way.
For me, I have wanted to work in film and television since forever. The past three or four years of my adult life (ie, after leaving uni and wasting a lot of time drinking too much) have been consumed with clawing for work in the industry in Brisbane, working dodgy in between jobs, and just plain being unemployed quite a lot. I could not even count or recall to you the number of times people have looked at me with bewildered expressions and asked how I can manage to live like that. But, just quietly, I LOVE IT!
Living the "dream" (sort of). Photo by Jesse.
Obviously being poor is not on my list of things to do. I like the idea of having a roof over my head and money to buy pretty things (and my recent move to Sydney will hopefully keep this a reality). But, that being said, I thrive on the idea of a constantly changing work environment with new challenges, different expectations, and (most importantly) an end date so that I can bypass the monotony of life and get through each day knowing that there is no way I will be stuck doing what I’m doing for the next 20+ years!
Call me crazy or disagree with my entirely, that is your prerogative (and I will not judge you for doing so) but that is how I like to live my life in a somewhat uncertain, but always interesting way.
These career and life aspirations could have a number of causes. Growing up with the Internet, substantial recent technological and social media advancements, and uncertain, ever-changing job markets are certainly some factors, but potentially more significant are the ambassadors for our generation who have become so by turning small ideas into overnight success stories (anyone heard of Facebook, YouTube, Google?). We could follow in the footsteps of previous generations and live to work, or create a whole new path and follow people who have show us that we can do anything we want – the world awaits us with infinite opportunities.
Working Hard - photo by Suresh
Apparently, Gen Y’s will have significantly more careers and change jobs more in their lifetime than any previous generation. This is a bad thing, why? Is there really anything wrong with trying until you find what you’re looking for? Striving for something better? Or holding your life to a higher standard so that you can look back when you are old and say you took every shot at having the best life you could? I don’t think so.
I don’t even think money is the primary motivator – although there is some attraction to the thought that ‘a million dollars isn’t cool, you know what is? A billion dollars’ – I think we are attracted to the idea that we can do whatever we want and create the best life for ourselves. My dream job involves all my favourite people getting to work together, preferably being creative while making money, and eating lots of cake. I’d really love to see judgey, other-generational, or just more mainstream people try and wrap their heads around that concept next time they ask me or any of my friends about our non-existent, not yet formed, or totally out-of-this-world careers…
P.S I have to thank my family for being super supportive about my life choices and putting up with me when it’s been tough!
A Few of My Favourite Things…
Inspired by a Facebook joke with my sister’s boyfriend last week, I decided to take a moment to give praise to a few of my favourite things (and The Sound of Music).
I’m not going to lie, there are many things in my life that make me happy – certain people, things, and moments – so this may become a regular thing :D
- Living in Sydney and seeing the bridge from so many random places. It shows up in places you’d never expect (stay tuned for photos) I hope the novelty never wears off!
Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Pink accessories. I never wear the colour but literally every time I buy some kind of accessory, case for something, etc, it HAS to be pink.
Pink!
- Bailey’s CRAZY hair. I have never met hair with such personality – alas, he will not allow me to share photo evidence of this with the world, so you will all just have to trust me on this one.
- Cake (I may have mentioned this previously)
Mmmm...
- Embarrassing myself for the sake of being entertaining or getting a cheap laugh (see above and look out for more of this).
- Lanes (especially those in Melbourne, Australia and Brighton, England), particularly if travelling down them leads to coffee and cake or boutique shops (it always does).
Melbourne
- This little guy – he’s a keyring my sister, Rach, brought back from Amsterdam and he reminds me of her when I’m feeling far away from home.
Wooden Key Ring Dude
- Staying up late and sleeping in late.
- These tights (that I snagged today and had to throw out due to a MASSIVE ladder – sad face)
Bow seam stockings
- This ring – it was my great grandmother’s ring, then she passed it on to my grandma, who had her initials DP (Doris Pearson) engraved on it. She gave it to me and it is probably my most treasured possession ever.
Ring
- And when my bestie, Sarah Jane, tries to be mean to me when I’m being hard on myself to secretly encourage me to keep going instead of giving up (it usually works)
Through My Looking Glass 