Why I Dislike “R U OK? Day” (Even Though I Agree With Its Message)

Why I Dislike “R U OK? Day” (Even Though I Agree With Its Message)

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Today is R U OK? Day in Australia. It’s a day meant to raise awareness about mental health and suicide: how people may be suffering in silence and isolation, and that we should check on each other. In other words, ask each other: “Are you OK?”. At least, that’s the idea. A very good idea, I believe. But somewhere along the way, I feel the message has been misunderstood at best, and misrepresented at worst. I feel that whatever the…

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My thoughts on the Splendour XR virtual music festival

My thoughts on the Splendour XR virtual music festival

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So, my thoughts on the much-hyped virtual Splendour XR event. Having experienced both weekends, I have to say that overall I enjoyed it, but I do have a few criticisms. Firstly, a bit of background. Splendour in the Grass is one of the premier music festivals in Australia, taking place in Byron Bay every July. That was until COVID-19 broke out and made putting on a festival with over 40,000 attendees a health and safety risk. So July 2020’s Splendour…

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Looking Back on the Year 2020

Looking Back on the Year 2020

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What a year, huh? What a year. For me, 2020 started at Falls Festival in Byron Bay, seeing in the New Year with the band Peking Duk with about 25,000 other festival-goers. A new year and a new decade. None of us knew how radically different it would be though. At the time I was enjoying the festive atmosphere, although I was conscious of my lack of money. I’d left my old office job earlier the previous year, and while…

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Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels
Some Thoughts From A Pandemic-Induced Isolation

Some Thoughts From A Pandemic-Induced Isolation

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I’m writing this blog post during the month of May in the year 2020. For the first half of this year we’ve watched as a coronavirus has quickly swept the entire globe, bringing with it a disease called COVID-19. At the start of the year many of us assumed that this would be no worse than the common flu: those with existing health problems or weakened immune systems might be at risk, but most people would just have the sniffles…

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How I Became A Music Fanatic

How I Became A Music Fanatic

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Note: I’ve included a lot of links in this post because I wanted to take you on a journey. It’s one thing to describe what I heard or experienced, it’s another to give you examples so you can hear and see for yourself and hopefully understand what the hell I’m going on about. Hopefully all the links work, but please let me know if they aren’t. Introduction Anyone who knows me (and I mean genuinely knows me) knows that I…

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Lessons I’ve Learned From Traveling Solo (Part One)

Lessons I’ve Learned From Traveling Solo (Part One)

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Last year (and early this year) I did quite a bit of travel, both around Australia and overseas. Over this period I’ve come to realise a few things about travel that might be different to how it’s often promoted online. Of course, these experiences might not be universal, but they are ones that I’ve felt myself and I suspect others who are in my position might feel. So, without further ado, here they are: It pays to get out of…

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My Top 20 Albums and EPs of 2019

My Top 20 Albums and EPs of 2019

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Whether this year has been a good year for you or a terrible one, or maybe both at times, at least there’s been plenty of good music released to enjoy, if even to find some sort of comfort or escape in. Music has been a huge part of my journey this year, and narrowing down my list to just a small selection is difficult, but I think I managed to whittle my choices down to just 20 albums and EPs…

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To Suffer Others or Suffer Alone?

To Suffer Others or Suffer Alone?

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I had another article written up but I’m still tweaking it a bit, so here’s an edited and expanded version of something I wrote on Instagram over a month ago that I believe speaks to where I am at life in my attitude towards friendships. Enjoy! *** What’s worse: to be lonely or to be surrounded by people who treat you unfairly? I’ve thought about it a lot, having experienced both. Being lonely hurts. We are social creatures, after all….

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Traveling Solo in Venice (with Poor Social Skills and Low Self Esteem)

Traveling Solo in Venice (with Poor Social Skills and Low Self Esteem)

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Back in 2008 I was working in a depressing office job and dealing with ongoing issues with my father’s health as he battled with cancer. As I was on the verge of burning out, I made the decision to take a long holiday and go overseas. Fortunately I had accumulated a large amount of money to support myself on such a trip; even if most of my leave was unpaid I was in no danger of going broke. Still, I…

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My 10 Favourite Albums of All Time – #1: Pink Floyd – The Wall

My 10 Favourite Albums of All Time – #1: Pink Floyd – The Wall

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Over the years there have been a number of albums that not only have stuck with me because of how good they are, but also in how they influenced my tastes and even my outlook on life. While it’s hard to narrow it down to just 10, I think this list is a good selection of what has inspired me throughout my life. I tried to pick only one album for each artist in order to keep it varied, although…

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