Category: Politics

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Self-Isolation: How it feels and why it doesn’t have to…

Every morning for the last 3 weeks I’ve been waking up in Ground Hog Day.

Some rendition of the movie, only in this world the grocery stores have security guards, I haven’t seen my friends in nearly a month and everyday I’m reminded that I’m lucky enough to be only 30 years old and therefore somewhat exempt from the fear gripping the world.

Groundhog Day' 4K Blu-ray Review: Perfect Every Time

I never thought I’d miss my office, my work routine and my forced gym sessions.

But I do.

This quarantine has left me with me.

Left me to govern myself without the constructs I apparently rely on. The forms of commuting, work, habitual health habits and socialising have disappeared from my tomorrow and I feel like a child stuck on a sick day loop, only it’s not exciting.

I don’t feel relieved to be at home. I don’t feel grateful to be surrounded by the same four walls everyday. This isolation is polluting my safe space and that’s the truth.

Despite the above, I am aware that I am one of the lucky ones;

  1. My work continues without missing a beat, and therefore so does my income.
  2. I’m young enough to know I just have to ride it out and I’ll be fine.
  3. I have a loving and supportive partner who understands me.
  4. I have a safe space, period.

I have however seemed to form some surprising and unique ways of handling this situation.

We've scrounged around for this week's 19 best virus memes. We're ...

Invest in yourself

This can be by doing anything that moves you forward.

  • Take up a body weight exercise program, if you’ve always wanted to do that.
  • Join an online course; something you’ve never quite had enough time for.
  • Take intentional time alone (especially if you live with other people). Even if it’s just sitting on the couch watching the rain or the people pass you by for half an hour.
  • Organise that part of your house you’ve been meaning to attend to.
  • Read that book.
  • Listen to that whole album, track 1 until the end and go on the journey the artist intended.
  • Paint. Draw. Colour.
  • Create anything.
  • Remember who you are, outside of who you’ve become.

The Most Accurate Memes & Tweets About WFH | Showpo Edit

If you’re WFH…

  • Dear lord separate the spaces you relax in and the spaces you work in – if possible.
  • Keep as much of your routine as you can;
    • Shower in the morning
    • Have breakfast
    • Get dressed
    • Have lunch away from your desk
    • Turn the computer off when you reach your finish time
  • Try set up work buddies, so you have someone to connect with twice a week (at least) to decompress with.
  • Walk away from your desk for lunch, dinner and any other non work related activities.
  • Don’t overwork because it’s easy to.
  • You can still take leave in isolation – sometimes not having to worry about work is the break you need.
  • Be open and honest about your needs and emotions while working from home as they’re SUPPOSED to be different.
  • Know it’s OK to grieve the loss of social interaction. Make an active effort to video conference with your team, friends and family as much as possible.
  • Keep your fitness routine as well as your work routine, even it’s a home based workout.

Essentially, remember to look after yourself, try and be vulnerable with those around you when you need to. Reach out more than you normally would because it’s likely they need the interaction too.

In the words of Jerry Springer, “until next time, take care of yourself and each other”.

Take care of yourself and each other : 90sdesign

Written listening to (in this order):

Evie Irie – The Optimist
Meredith Brooks – Bitch
Joy Oladokun – Sunday
REYNA – The Way I Loved You
Alma  – Summer
Freya Ridings – Love Is Fire
Taylor Swift – Lover
Kallico – Fancy

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Election Ignorance: Why should you care about the 2019 federal election?What difference does it make?

Last night I spent the evening at my boyfriends house, enjoying food and chats with him and his housemate.

One way or another the topic came up.

“Who do you support in this election?”

I blankly stared back as I replied, “In a twist of irony, despite my degree in political science, I don’t follow Australian Politics, and as such, I have zero idea about any of the parties and/or their policies.” (or something to that effect)

Image result for why vote

What followed was a surprising, enlightening and eye opening discussion around why I should care, how easy it is to identify some sense of association and what happens if I choose to turn a blind eye to it all.

In an effort to summarise the poignant points, I have paraphrased my learnings below:

  1. Donkey voting, blind voting and/or un-researched voting can result in electing parties (directly or indirectly through the preferential system) who go against the things that matter to me.

    Image result for donkey vote

  2. Being mindful of the preferential system. Once you’ve decided to allocate your vote to someone, be mindful of who you’ve selected after them and where your vote could potentially be allocated. If you’re supporting smaller parties, it’s important to know that it is likely they won’t achieve a 50% support rating, and thus they will move to your second preference and allocate it there, and so on until a clear 50% is reached. So knowing the preferred system of allocation for your smaller party is a good place to start.

    Screen Shot 2019-05-17 at 8.18.05 pm.png

  3. Know what you stand for. If the environment is important to you – as it is to me – know who stands with those beliefs, and how your voting preferences can best support those policies via your voted preferences. Go to your local candidates webpage to view their preferred voting order.

I know it can get overwhelming with all the advertising materials, and all the potential policies people want to push on you as important. If you’re struggling to align with a party, think about the bigger issues each party stands for, and see which fits you best.

Links to their policies/beliefs below:

There are many others available in certain areas, the above is just an initial snapshot.

Who you put on your ballot form, decides for the next 4 years which direction this country goes, what we care about as a nation and what we support and fund.

I’ve heard someone say that no-one really cares who’s in parliament until you’re in direct conflict with its policies. Don’t wait until it’s too late to do something, invest a few minutes of your time into discovering who’s about what before heading to the polls tomorrow.

For me, this planet matters. Her resources are finite, and time is running out. Though I may not live to see her demise, the idea that we are the last generation to live as comfortably as we do is frightening. If this is the pinnacle of human existence and we are responsible for a Frank Herbert style ending, I know I don’t want to be a part of the people who did nothing.

Your vote matters, more than you know.

Image result for vote like your rights depends on it

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