Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Living in the Past


Life in younger times seems to have been a lot more fun. Granted I am a child of the 'I-want-more' generation (where people these days seem to want only what they don't have) but earlier times seem to have been so much more free, easy and ridiculously relaxed. Don't get me wrong, I'm currently in my university holidays, spending time at the beach when not earning money at a job that doesn't feel like work, with people I love. My life's pretty sweet, but still I'm intrigued at how different the earlier generations were.. the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. All of it... I'm so interested in how things were just so different then. People didn't have technology to be addicted to, nobody had the money to make them selfish and social norms were traditional, reliable and just quite cool. Of course it was conservative, very conservative and we've come a long way in terms of rights, equality and those sort of major political breakthroughs since those days. But sometimes I think all the change that's occurred has kind of just created issues in the wake of new discoveries. Almost as though there is so much available to us nowadays that we are bombarded and almost never content with what we get? Because there's just so much out there... like when I go out for dinner. I can never, and I mean NEVER decide what to order first up, I will almost definitely be the last to order because I am incredibly indecisive. To the frustration of my friends and family, I put it down to an abundance of choice. There's always so much to choose from that I get nervous to make the wrong decision and get a severe case of food jelousy. In the 60s for example, my local diner probably had about four options to choose from. Easy peasy. They didn't have quite the nutritional knowledge we have today either, making my decision all the more carefree and easy. What should I wear to dinner tonight? Same issue! Too much choice, too little time. But really, in the 60s we wouldn't have known that spending time in the sun would lead to cancer, or that smoking cigarettes would slowly and surely eat away at our lungs.. we'd be unaware of so much danger. Is being oblivious more fun? I am inclined to think yes.

2013 - thirteen can you believe that!? There's so much on offer. So much more than previous times. It's exciting, sure. Career opportunities, travel time and so much ahead of us but at what stage can you stop the clock and prepare yourself for what's to come? To take a quick breather to relax and pretend there are only four options on the menu instead of twelve; only three dresses in my wardrobe as opposed to twenty-seven and only eight university electives as opposed to sixty-two. When we didn't know as much, or need as much, life seems to have been a whole lot easier. Sometimes I wish I could go back and experience it, just for a day. Actually maybe a week. I know after a week I'd probably miss my iPhone so much I'd be begging to return to my generation, but I really would love to see what it was like. People also seemed kind of nicer then... trustworthy and just normal. Black and white, good or bad (the bad ones I wouldn't want to be friends with of course). I'd choose friends whose mum's baked the most delicious cookies and whose dad's drove the coolest car... just kidding. Am I really that shallow? The product of Generation SPOILT.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Cheers for the heatwave

Today is Tuesday. Tuesday, January the 8th in the year of 2013. Just quietly... last year went all too quickly. But back to today, it is a giant sauna. Sydney is experiencing hell on earth in the way of forty-two degree temperatures. It's mighty ridiculous. I've become a hermit inside my house, which is situated at the bottom of a ditch which means it is somewhat cooler than the temperatures outside. I'm hibernating to the point that I haven't really even stepped outside of my lounge room. It's 2.14 in the afternoon. I tried, but as soon as I swung the door open I was slapped in the face by a tidal wave of sweltering wind. Disgusting. Heinous. Just plain inconvenient. I wanted to go for a run this morning but well... I accidentally slept through my alarm and woke up at 9.30 and you know what? It was already about thirty-five degrees. Not cool weatherman, not cool. So now I've watched two movies, tralled the internet and drunk about three glasses of iced lemon cordial. And here I am complaining.. Who am I kidding, life's pretty good. Please excuse me while I make myself some more cordial.