Creeps and Freaks

In recent weeks there have been a number of girls and women attacked or murdered around Australia. One has to wonder what exactly posesses a person for them to do such a thing. Uncontrollable rage and the individual was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Obsession with the individual and subsequent rage when they turned down their advances? Mental instability which caused them to randomly lash out? Who knows for sure.

What I do know is that I have become increasingly paranoid about being outside alone- even though it should not be this way. I have been approached and I suppose you could say I was assaulted on a train a couple of years back (if being sprayed by a random with cologne/perfume is considered assault). One of the most recent incidents that occurred to me was in broad daylight near a train station in Melbourne's inner west. I was walking home, carrying a free newspaper  (I will admit, I was reading an article as I walked); a man in a sedan (dark navy coloured if I recall correctly) called out to me and asked where a particular road was. I was not 100% sure exactly, but I knew it was at least 3 or 4km away and told him so without leaving the footpath or approaching the vehicle. I didn't conciously decide to stand back, it was all instinct. He then began asking me if I had leg tattoos.... I was wearing tights with embroidered filigree type pattern above the knees... he then asked what I had planned for the afternoon and if I wanted "a ride home". I was shocked not only that he asked, but at the fact he thought it was a legitimate question and that there would be a chance I would agree! I made it clear that someone knew where I was and was expecting me and promptly walked off.

Now I am not saying that this guy was definitely a rapist or would-be murderer, nor am I saying that what I did would have definitely deterred such a person (instead of driving off, if he wanted to do anything he could easily have chased me or followed in his car). What I am saying is to make sure you take precautions when you are out and don't make stupid decisions:

• Never willingly agree to or enter situations outside your control;
• Always keep your phone charged and handy when you are out alone;
• Know your surroundings- safe places, homes that you can seek help from, stores if there are any around, payphones, shortcuts etc;
• Stay in well populated areas when possible;
• Stand well back from a vehicle if asked for directions or tell them you aren't sure;
• Think about items you are carrying and how you could use them as a weapon to defend yourself- eg: metal hairpin, plastic waterbottle (stabbing motion to throat or face and eyes), books, myki (slicing), umbrella, keys, deodorant or hairspray, anything can be a defensive weapon.

Remember to walk with confidence as it is unlikely that you would actually be attacked- but it is better to be prepared. Another point to remember- if someone does try to attack you, your best chance is to get away by any means necessary, throw your purse or handbag away from you- if they want to rob you their focus will be the purse and you will have a chance to run away, if not it may distract them long enough for you to run. Do not try to plead or reason with them. Pleading and reasoning will in most cases enrage them even more, never mention their mother or sister or any female relative- it may sound logical to you to reason with them by saying "imagine/how would you like it if someone did this to your mother/sister"- you do not know their relationships and this could cause them to treat you even worse or commit even worse crimes against you.

If your assailant is a family member or partner, your best option is to leave the situation. Youths can contact Kids Helpline, ReachOut.org or the police in their state. Adults can contact Lifeline, beyondblue or police.

I will close by saying that my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of violent crimes, their families and friends.

Be safe everyone.

Unemployment and Jobseeking.

Statistically, most people will experience a phase of unemployment in their lives. Whether this is by choice, force or circumstance will vary. Personally, my experiences are mostly by circumstance. I completed two degrees and graduated as a Primary Teacher at the end of 2013. During 2014 I worked here and there as a Casual Relief Teacher, though it didn't do much other than keep my nose above water. Then that work dried up toward the end of the year and I was back at square one.

I'm not entirely sure if I had ever fully appreciated the situation of someone who was "unemployed". I lived quite a sheltered childhood- though my family were not by any means well off. They were farmer/graziers and went through their fair share of hardship. When I finished High School, I was working for them on the farm both as an admin girl and out there physically working the animals, in my "spare time" I was doing my Bachelors Degree. Eventually I decided that I wanted to become a Primary School teacher and thought (like many others) that I would find it easy to get a job if I had such a degree. Fast forward through all the pressure of my course and the bullying/ nastiness culture that was evident in of my placements and the university; I graduated and believed (through what I was taught at university) that I would be employed before school went back in January. Reality was, I couldn't find my ancient transcript from the first university I studied (but didn't graduate) at; and so my registration was stalled for some time. Eventually the job listings dried up and I signed with a relief teaching agency. I was busy for some time, though not earning a whole lot; and I was still considered to be "unemployed". Foolishly I thought that it surely wouldn't last past the start of another school year, perhaps if I apply earlier than I did last year I will be more likely to get a job. Wrong again, my chances did not improve and I only had one interview (albeit for two jobs at once), and I didn't get an offer.

Eventually there comes a moment of weakness where you just stop holding out hope that you will get a call for an interview, where you start feeling that your applications are just a pointless endeavor that has been designed to mock you and make you feel worthless. That is one thing that people who have never experienced it can never understand- being unemployed or underemployed is not a "lifestyle choice" regardless of what the government says or what the well off believe. 99% of those receiving welfare are not doing so because they think "I have the best idea, I'll just sit at home and collect welfare. It won't be enough to cover my groceries, rent, AND other bills... but I don't mind choosing between eating and having electricity...", they are doing so because they have no other choice and are desperate to just get by until they have an offer and can make some distance between who they are right now and who they are going to be.

There are times where you feel upbeat and everything will be ok. There are other moments of complete darkness, where you feel like the biggest failure on the face of the planet and when you will want to stay in bed and cry all day. Those are the days that it is most important to get up and keep going. As hard as it is to get up, go outside or to the gym or for a walk in the park, it has to be done. Breathe deeply as you pass by others who seem to have everything that you desperately want. That's another thing you will feel, excruciating jealousy toward other people that manifests itself even if you are deliriously happy for them. My friends announced their engagement and even though I was genuinely happy for them, I was jealous, I have felt that there was no chance of moving anywhere in my relationship until I have a job. Its a fact that he and I are well aware of, and one that is the most devastating to me. I desperately want to start the life I have dreamed of, marriage, travel, children, the whole catastrophe; but at this stage it is looking further away than ever.

Talking about it helps, venting, ranting whatever you want to call it. But until the day a job offer is legitimately on the table, it seems like a pipe dream and a roadblock in life and relationships.

The Social (Network) Experiment...

People say all the time that teenagers on social networks are too naive and that they aren't being safe. As a society, I think we'd like to believe that people are not stupid and can make good decisions. Of late, I found out about some fake profiles that were set up to humiliate members of a smallish community by anonymously asking for "gossip" and then posting the gossip on their page. Such things included claims that certain people were sending explicit pictures to each other, and that one man "bashed" women he had been with. It seemed crazy that this anonymous person had gathered some 159 friends in less than a day, and no one seemed to know who was behind it. Somehow, they were more intrigued by what the person behind the page was saying, than by what they were doing. 

To look into the situation, I actually created a new profile for myself to message the page to add me so I could follow. In doing so, I took the opportunity to send friend requests to various people who were already friends with the page- many of them teenagers. I used an meme and a comic as profile and cover picture, standard trademark of a fake account, yet my requests were still accepted. I was baffled. And one was mere moments after sending it. No thought at all had gone into accepting the friendship and clearly not a care was given about who I could be. I am in fact 1300km away from them and in my mid twenties. I could easily be anywhere and an unsavoury type who was planning to trick them into any number of things, such as sending money, sending nefarious pictures.. or tricking them into a meet up.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but it seems the current education approach is not working. Children and teenagers "know" the dangers they face online, but they continue to ignore the warnings about being safe online. I must admit, I feel like quite a creep sending out all the friend requests, and plan to delete the account within a very short period of time.

The other problem is, its not even just the teenagers and children who are falling victim. Many adults too are adding random friends and chatting intimately with strangers. For the most part, this leads to scams for money, which is far far too common.

As I delete my fake social media profile, I will be trying to think of some effective ways to educate children and adults alike, to save them from themselves!

Be blessed in all you do today,

Modern Melburnian x

Germs from the land of children....

One thing a teacher can never hope to avoid is the cunning and devious germ. It hides itself within a student, ready to launch its attack as soon as the student gets close enough. Most children just starting school have a limited concept of "personal space" and do not understand why the teacher would not want to hold hands with them or hug them... Not just for the most obvious reasons (especially male teachers)... I've had children speaking to me and accidentally spit onto my mouth on a number of occasions. I have ALWAYS ended up sick afterwards.  

Now as a casual teacher, I get called to many different schools and exposed to countless germs. Sure it will build my immune system, but at what cost?! My health and ability to work-- most recently I had a throat so sore I could barely speak, coupled with coughing and hoarseness. Not exactly ideal for getting the attention of the class!

Worst of all is spreading it to more people and schools... The germs live on to infect another day!

Why a remake?

Why remake something if the original was ok or even good?? I wouldn't ask my barista to remake my coffee unless the milk was lumpy!! So why remake a movie 30 years later? The only answer I can come up with is "money". 

Hollywood knows the original was popular, loved by many and hope that it will appeal to a modern audience and to those who enjoyed the original. But the truth is, the second time you have a big slice of that chocolatey gooey dessert, it's not quite as delicious as that very first bite. in fact the more you eat it, the more you will probably start to dislike it and perhaps even hate it! The same can be said of remade movies. My boyfriend enjoyed the original Star Trek movies, and the remakes according to him (a bonafide Trekkie), just aren't the same. While they're good, they're just not right. I have to say I would probably be excited if in a few years someone remade the Harry Potter movies, but would expect disappointment.

We all had favourite movies or franchises, we all saw the movies and had some fun. But it's over, time to move on and get some fresh ideas. Or is that the problem? Hollywood is out of ideas for new films. Solution: get some fresh minds on the job!

Lets throw some ideas about:

Train to nowhere... The last train from a city station has no signage due to a computer malfunction. Passengers board believing it to be their train and are never seen again.... In reality they're transported to a new dimension where nothing exists. It's literally nowhere. They can leave the train for brief periods but can't stay out for longer than a day or they will implode. They need to build something to either return to reality or build a new universe. Of course there will be divisions and some will stay and some will escape...

Real love... A realistic look at romance, dating and love. Where the girl doesn't always get the guy in the end. Or the guy calls her out on her true character and ends up with an unexpected partner...

Kids world... Get kids to develop a story idea to interest their peers...

Easy, Simple, Done!

:)

The Little Guy: On His Own

Over the past few years something has become abundently clear to me, is that what ever rights we think we have, are a lie. We think that we own our property outright and can deny entry by anyone we like. It simply is not true. Government can grant permission to anyone to enter private property if they see fit. You also think that you have free will when it comes to whether you want to sell your property or not, especially if you have never had any intentions of selling. This is also untrue- you can be forced to sell your property, even if you own it outright and do not want to sell. Government can force you to do this, yes they may let you drag it through the Land Courts, but they're not going to decide that the other person or company cannot buy your land because you do not intend to sell. No. They can set a price that the other party must pay, and hand your deeds of ownership over to the other party, even if you are still saying no. Indeed you have no rights, and this week it hit home for me more than ever.

You see, this week my family has been forced to sell a farm they have owner for 25 years to a mining company to destroy. Everything my parents worked, sweated and bled for will be destroyed in one foul swoop. The chicken run my dad built with his own two hands, the garden my mother and I tended for years. The fish pond I kept guppies in and lay beside on warm afternoons. The house my parents fought to be able to build, because they had already been forced to sell one farm to repay the bank. They fought to keep that land in the mid-90s and build the beautiful home on it, and now its gone. My childish dreams of bringing my children home to the farm for visits, my ridiculous sense of right and wrong, destroyed. I still cannot fathom how this can be allowed to happen, without the consent of those involved. Lives and families destroyed- because surely they cannot expect me to be happy about what has happened, problem is I don't know who to blame. I feel quite numb, as well as feeling like I've been set adrift in a vast ocean without a port in sight. I don't know how to feel, in some ways its like I don't care but how can I just not care? I'm upset with myself for feeling that way. I'm isolated, I know that- they're two states away from me and I'm leading my own life of sorts. I'm also afraid to see them, I will be next week for Easter. I'm afraid of what I will feel then and how I will react. Small mercy is that my boyfriend will be there to calm me down if anything goes too sourly. I don't wantg to hurt my parents, and I don't want to become bitter. But its part of me that has been lost- the home I grew up in, and farm I feel a part of. And I feel like no one else fought for it or considered how I feel. Its not just a farm, and it can't just be replaced "let's find another place to call home" is what my dad said, its not that easy. I won't feel any connection with any new farm, I wanted THAT farm.

And now there's not even a hope of "buying it back" in the future, because it will have been completely destroyed by the greed of an international (Chinese owned) mining company who cares only about their profit margin. I'm not usually a vindictive person, but I truly hope they burn in a special place in hell reserved for the most despicable individuals that ever existed, along with those in government and government jobs who allowed this injustice to happen. Burn.

Luck of the Irish be with you, to try and prevent the ever increasing prospect of becoming a North Korea type dictatorship... Now I'm off to try and calm myself....

Hope and Help

If Metro paid me to stand on my local train station bridge, and only paid me a few dollars per person who approached me instead of the PSOs to ask directions, I would be on a fast track to wealth. I don't know what it is that attracts people or makes me come across as approachable. I mainly have men and older people approach me for help- perhaps because I look friendly or non-threatening. Whatever it is, I am happy to help (so long as they respect me and don't cross too far over the creepy line). 

On Friday I stood at the station for around 45 minutes and was approached by about 6 different people needing help. That didn't surprise me, there are always commuters from elsewhere or unsure where to go (specially now with the station upgrades and new platforms), what surprised me was that time after time they chose to approach me rather than the Protective Services Officers. I guess it stands to reason that some do have a subconscious distrust of the uniforms (though it doesn't make sense to me), but why trust a random young woman who is standing in one spot for so long?

I'm 26, medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. I dress well most of the time and use only a small amount of makeup for the most part. I smile often and keep mostly to myself unless approached. Personally, I can usually sense if someone is not on the level. Maybe then, I exude some kind of energy that reassures others that I am kind, patient and helpful. Maybe the men just like talking to women (and let's face it, even I can admit that I am much more attractive than most people in my area). Maybe it's just the fact that there is someone around and they are getting desperate. If you know, let me know too!

As always,

May the luck of the Irish be with you!