Things No One Enjoys

This is a public service announcement. If you find yourselves doing any of these things, stop right away and move on with your life. Never look back at that time and never repeat yourself. Sincerely, the rest of human kind. Seriously though, there is so much that goes on around us that no one likes yet people still do it. They even make jokes about it. Who has ever heard on a train or tram "Oh, I'm on a (insert mode of transport) but I can talk"? Just stop, no one wants to hear your conversation and if the most exciting thing on my train ride home is listening to what you are going to do later that night than I would rather not. Feel free to comment down below or use the contact form to the right if there are any that you want to add. There is sure to be a lot more out there.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/are-these-the-worst-train-journeys-in-the-country-158563

While I am on the topic of trains and trams. If you are listening to music, make sure you use headphones. No matter what song is playing, if I am being bombarded by it on a crowded train I am not likely to want to listen to that song again and if you stay like that for more than 20 minutes you are not going to be able to listen to music on your newly-smashed iPod. If you are using headphones, do not have your music so loud such that you may as well not be wearing any. You too may find yourself in the market for a new phone/music player in the coming moments. Also, if you think you are so tough by drinking alcohol, riding between carriages or doing what you think are "Chin-Ups" then just stop. You look like a complete tool and are probably going to be mistaken for the Janoskians. Moving away from transport we come to the wonderful world of entertainment. First, let us go on a trip to the movies. If you are going to see a movie do not spend half of it either talking or using your phone. It annoys everyone else around you and, trust me, you are not the center of the Universe. Also, if you are coming in late, do it quietly and with as little disruption as humanly possible. Narrating your way down the aisle tends to ruin the movie experience. The same goes for live shows where it is even worse as they tend to cost a lot more than movie tickets. Back to transport, do not be an idiot on the roads. No sane person likes a hoon. They cause a disruption and are a public nuisance. Who cares if their cars are crushed or impounded? Every bad choice should have a consequence. Also, if you are on the Highway/Freeway do not travel in the fast lane while going 20km/h under the speed limit. If you do, you are going to get harassed because no one likes that. Also, do not suddenly decide to cross all the lanes in one giant leap as if you are Moses parting the red sea. No one likes that and no one likes you. Next we come to shopping. If you are going to use the self-serve at the peak periods then make sure you know what you are doing. Do not bother going there if you are just going to take ages to scan one item. Also, if you do not know what you want, do not go up and wait in line to order or purchase something. Have you never heard of looking around before or is this just some strange concept? Also, if you find yourself in front of an emergency vehicle, get out of the damn way. I have news for you, you can get charged for doing that!

Finally back to some long posts. See you tomorrow!

Etiquette

Whatever happened to etiquette? We used to live in a world where it was absurd to even talk loudly at someone and today we have shouting matches in the middle of a street and no one bats an eyelid. Even in the past decade a lot has changed in etiquette and the way people act. Some of this is for the better (I mean, who would want to put on a suit for a quick trip to the shops?) while some of it really makes us look like horrible people. The worst part is we do not even realise what we are doing. It is as if we have evolved to a stage of humanity where we spare little thought for etiquette.

Image Source: http://studentworldedu.com/syd/worldetiquette-quiz/

I know some people are probably thinking of the 'good old days' where places like Downton Abbey and A Place to Call Home are set when I talk about etiquette. However, I am talking about the subtle points of etiquette that we have lost just over the last few decades. The most annoying of these that I want to get off my chest right away are related to Public Transport such as trains, buses and trams. First, who would not surrender their seat to an elderly person or a pregnant woman? Apparently many would not. I travel on trains maybe once a month and every time I see an elderly person being forced to stand while some teenager or young adult (in their 20s) is sitting down. The worst part is when they think that they have the right to take up one seat for themselves and another for their bag. Plus, since there are student and concession tickets they aren't even paying the full fare which means, by rights, that if a full-fare paying customer rides on the train they get priority seating to someone on a reduced fare. It is just absurd that someone would do this in today's age. A few years ago if you were to do this you would be publicly humiliated by those around you. If looks could kill you would be dead. Another problem with public transport etiquette is when people are on the platform trying to get on the train when there are people already on the train wanting to get off. I can still remember whole advertisement campaigns educating people about this. About how people getting on the train have to wait for the people to get off first before they can go on. For me it's a struggle just to get out of the train because of the amount of people pushing against you. It's most annoying when they give you the evil eye like you've done the wrong thing. It really is infuriating!

Image Source:

 http://workthatmatters.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/train-etiquette-campaign-parodies-are.html

Money really is more of an ethical dilemma now than it ever was before. It is also a point lacking in etiquette. Back in the good old times of Downton Abbey to ask a lady for some money (even your own sister) was the pinnacle of shame and it was even worse to ask a man. Such an act was a sign of weakness and yet today we have people 'borrowing' money everyday. At least the people in the Downton Abbey era had a higher chance of paying back the debt than there is now. It really does make me wonder where humanity is going. This also happens on dates where the man sometimes expects the woman to pay for what she ate or pay for the whole meal. How absurd (and incredibly selfish)! Also related to dining is the way some people eat and their mannerisms. Whatever happened to elbows off the table as a sign of respect? Although I must admit I am a major culprit of this. One thing I am glad about is that the etiquette of burping as a sign of respect has died out in Australia (would someone please tell my dad that, he must really respect me a lot). Can you imagine that? I don't think it ever really became a 'thing' in Australia but it certainly did in some cultures and even today I think it still occurs. Imagine the people in Downton Abbey burping. Although by the way some people act on that show I don't think there would be a lot of burping anyway. Etiquette really is simple stuff and yet is lost on today's society.

Image Source: http://www.justmeblog.com/2010/11/12/things-my-mother-taught-me/

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Books

Books open up gateways to other worlds and take us to places we couldn't dream of otherwise. Books are important in our world and provide us with entertainment as well as memories. We hold an emotional attachment to books, some more than others. Books are magical creations and it takes a skilled author to bring a world in a book alive.

Books are great sources of entertainment and can often remind people of fond times long since past. What do most people do when the power goes out or they get sick of watching television? They reach for a book. Books are always ready to transport us to far away lands and give us insights into cultures and people we otherwise have never experienced. Books are also good as they can contain information and vocabulary that will assist in education. Books are versatile and come in many categories, shapes and sizes. There are adventure books, comedies, romances and mysteries. There are large books, small books, round books and square books. Books that contain facts and books that contain fiction. There are so many different books around us and it takes a curious mind to uncover them (I totally just ripped off an advertisement just then, comment down below on what advertisement you think I copied). People often associate books with memories. Personally, I relate reading "Where's Wally" with happy car-trips with my family when I was young. Others may relate other books to past experiences in their lives. Books hold an emotional connection with people and it isn't until we look back that we realise this.

Often people hold emotional attachments to books and grow to love the characters within them. Sometimes these connections can stem out into obsessions (like Twilight or Harry Potter but not The Hunger Games [you can never be too obsessed with The Hunger Games]). These emotional connections can cause passion about a book and often we can begin to feel empathy for the character we are reading about. We may start to grow feelings of hatred against the antagonist, or feelings of love towards the characters families. Sometimes we even get upset when something sad happens to characters. Marley and Me is a great example of this. I grew an emotional attachment to Marley and so I got upset when, in the end, Marley got sick (especially in the movie, I was actually crying a little) and had to be put down. It is times like these that you realise how skilled the author must be to be able to hook a reader in and have them grow emphatic feelings towards the characters. Good authors are adept at doing this and a great book is one that hooks you in and doesn't let you go until the last word.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Taking Things for Granted

Sometimes we take things for granted and we don't actually appreciate what we have until its already gone. Friends come and go but we don't truly appreciate them until we look back and realise what we miss, the same can also be said for Family. Opportunities around us are also often taken for granted and it isn't until we go without it that we realise that what we had was actually something quite special. We are constantly taking things for granted and it takes something like loss to show us what exactly there was to appreciate.

We often take our Friends and Family for granted and we don't even realise it most of the time. Sure, we appreciate our friends but it isn't until they are gone that we realise how much they really meant to us. We think we know how important they are but until you have lost a friend you can't know how much they mean to you. Friends become a part of you (in a way) and when they go it's like a part of you leaves with them. We are always taking our Family for granted and often wish them away. Sometimes families can be so annoying that we just want to leave and never come back. Sometimes we even wish them to just disappear. Then, one day, one member of your family does (inevitably) die, or go away, and then you realise how much they actually meant to you. You realise how important they were and you notice the things that aren't the same anymore. You may have hated what they did with a passion but it isn't until it stops that you realise how you had grown to become attached to them and what they did. Friends and Family are often taken for granted and sometimes we have to lose someone to know how much they really mean to us.

Opportunities and resources around us are also taken for granted. We often don't actually appreciate that we have running water (and that it is hot AND cold) and sanitary living environments. We don't appreciate that we have a roof over our heads and food in our stomach. We don't appreciate that we don't live in constant thirst and that we have electricity. We don't appreciate public transport and education and all the other resources around us that we use on a daily basis yet are often taken for granted. Sure these systems can sometimes be frustrating and incredibly unreliable but at least we have something to be frustrated at. There are many countries who don't even have a public transport system, or adequate education. Many places don't even have running water or electricity. Sometimes we need to be grateful for what we have even though we may not like it because when it's gone, it might not be coming back.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!