Christmas time is here once more!
So this is Christmas…
Never fear I have a recipe to help you make it through. Read On…
There are a number of ways you can go.
You can do this:
OR you can do this:
Both have merit and there is no judgement either way. Because Christmas is individual, and I must admit I like the creativity of the latter.
Sometimes little Christmas treats like this happen,
While we all wait on the big guy to show up
We all need to remember this recipe.
I understand it also works well with champagne,
wine (both red and white), rum, vodka, gin, scotch and brandy
(any alcohol) although not mixed altogether. You
need to drink responsibly after all.
Enjoy Christmas, anyway that's the best for YOU! Dare you to…
The current generation and waste
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a Tattoo:
Kids Striking for climate change and don’t get me started on Greta…
To all the school kids going on "strike" for Climate Change. This from a generation who have been the first to require air-conditioning in every classroom. The first generation whose excessess have been soundly tolerated and even celebrated (the Kardashians are the prime example). Ego and self-exposure are no longer dirty words. Not only a TV in every room for this generation but a mobile phone and laptop or personal computer are mandatory personal accessories.
Electronic devices rule this generations world and how energy hungry are there manufacture and use?
Yes… Greta Thunberg
answer that one...
You smug little brat. You can talk of the current politicians' failure to move on world climate change and you are correct. But I think you need to look far closer to home before you start throwing stones.
Greta's generation are the most energy consuming, materialistic and obese generation ever. They first generation to not readily walk or ride bikes to school. Instead arriving in monstrous, oil guzzling SUVs and private cars that spew pollutants and choke suburban roads and worsen rush hour traffic and pollution. Plus and this is why this generation are the most energy wasteful; these huge cars rarely carry more than two occupants, for all the energy they burn and greenhouse gases they create.
Greta's generation are the biggest consumers of manufactured goods ever and update perfectly good expensive luxury items to stay trendy.
Then there's all this waste and plastic proliferation because of this generation of which only one example is plastic bottles. If this generation is so concerned about waste and plastic proliferation how have these things become the hottest collectibles on the planet... One example: Coles little shop minis.
What possible practical purpose do they serve other than to appease marketing moguls who invented them to increase big supermarket profit share. Yes Greta your generation, along with being one of the most wasteful and energy inefficient we have ever seen, are also one of the most gullible and susceptible to marketing and consumerism ever to grace this wonderful planet you care so dearly about.
CAN YOU SEE THE HYPOCRISY.....
How about this... Switch off the air-con, walk or ride to school. Switch off your devices and read a book. Make a sandwich instead of buying manufactured fast food.
No. None of this will happen because this generation is self-important, badly informed, and empowered by the adults around them who crave a feeling of having a "noble cause" while they indulge themselves and their offspring in Western luxury and unprecedented quality of life.
Wake up, grow up and then shut up until you are sure of the facts before your default position becomes protesting. How about really trying to decrease your own carbon footprint by not shitting in your own nest (that's our nest: the planet) instead of throwing shit on others.
So let’s try not to apportion blame. It’s hard as I haven’t managed it in this blog but how about a pledge to work out how to better our track record together so for the future we are all assured of clean air, water and a fruitful life.
Dare you to…
When you think feminism hasn't changed much...look here
Observations of a Middle-Aged Dragon with a Tattoo:
When you think Feminism hasn’t changed much…
I hope they made your blood boil.
Because remember it should be like this:
feminist.lisa you can follow on Instagram. Very insightful and simple.
While not perfect we’ve come a long way and still have a way to go…
Keep paving the feminism path in your own unique style ladies
Dare you to….
The Truth on Mother's Day
Observations of a Middle-Aged Dragon with a Tattoo:
Welcome to Mother’s Day
As I’ve said before: mostly when we celebrate these special “DAYs”, we should really think!! Let’s temper the great out-pouring of care, compassion and sentiments that happens for 1/365 days of the year with why we need just one day to ‘celebrate’ this when we should be much more thoughtful all 365 days for who’s ever day it is.
Should the ‘day’ really be called the releasing of guilt day for all the rest of us for whoever this day is really for!! For example:
‘Release the Guilt over not showing Mum enough love the rest of the year DAY’
Which would see Valentine's Day as the day ‘Release of the Guilt over not acknowledging my partner everyday DAY’
AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON… the people who think it shouldn’t be called Mother’s Day and should be Appreciation Day or some other shit like that. All because of the small percentage of people out of the 7.7 billion world’s population who may not have a mother in the traditional sense or whose mother is no longer with them. I think most people are mature enough to understand they celebrate it how they want and that there is no hard and fast rule to how or who you celebrate Mother’s with or for. To the rest GROW-UP and know that the day is what you make of it and who you are celebrating it for…and you have way too much time on your hands; probably not like most Mum’s who are…
And become….
SNAP OUT OF IT and do what you want and be happy with that for yourself and your family. Don't get worried about others.
AND for the world’s SANITY please don’t think/believe that because you do what you see as how Mother’s Day should be...that it is what the REST of the 7.7 billion or so, should do.
Let people BE what they want to be and do NOT how you believe the world should be. Be happy within yourself. Mother’s day is not a contest. Strip it back to the core... LOVE between you and your MUM or whomever you see as your Mum.
Dare you to…
How sad does your life have to be?
Observations of a Middle-Aged Dragon with a Tattoo:
How SAD and pointless does your life have to be? That you’d take a shot at something so exquisite.
Photo by Michael Wilson
As Tayla Harris said: ‘Here’s a photo of me at work’.
The comments made were as Tayla said ‘like sexual harassment in the work place’.
SO I ASK AGAIN, how sad does your life have to be?
Just because you feel bad, sad, jealous, or put quite simply you’re a dickhead; it doesn’t give you any right. ONLY until you can go out there and produce something better; maybe then you can make a small comment. Dare you to… you won't because you're gutless.
Oh and by the way here are some other women at work: All top of their chosen field. What are you top of?
Clockwise: Top then L to R: Julie Bishop, Penny Wong and Ellyse Perry (just in case you didn't know). And Sam Kerr Below.
And shame on the AFLW for taking the photo down and giving in to the lowest of low. But I applaud them for reinstating it. Because as Sam Kerr said, 'The problem was not the photo.'
If you couldn’t see a problem with what happened then you’re a chauvinist, Neanderthal cave man.
Here's one of them at work:
What saddens most were the bitchy women who made derogatory comments. Only achievement here is playing right into the hands of men who think women have no place anywhere except maybe the home…seen and not heard. Quite simply put; the people who trolled were dickheads and really, their thoughts have nothing to add to anything except ignorance and hate. Two of the most shallow and useless things to subscribe to in life.
Here’s Tayla in action again,
I’ll leave the final word to Tayla Harris; she said she felt ‘EMPOWERED’, because
of the discussion that lead to all the overwhelming positive responses.
Find the thing that empowers you. Dare you to…
Changes we didn't realise had passed us by
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a tattoo:
Changes that have passed us by and we didn’t even notice!
From Tech to Fads.
Old Tech: all these items have been superseded by something better.....granted the smart phone is the beautiful (and sometimes much maligned) piece of tech that has been responsible for the demise of most of the items below:
Faxes….
Postage Stamps and Christmas Cards:
Keys and an old-fashioned car locks: 
One Hour photos and photographic film:
Other pieces of tech killed off: The smart phone, humble laptop/pc, streaming and downloading, have all but killed off the following pieces of tech (some aren’t even that old):
Handkerchiefs and pocket squares.
These items are really about the art of chivalry. When Chivalry died these were the first to go.
They are not to be used by their owner but to be part of the act of giving to someone. The most chivalrous of these situations being tears. Other situations may involve spillages, stickiness, soiled clothes, and anything that amplifies the art of giving them away. This act never dates, should never be forgotten as it shows class, sophistication and gallantry which has not been replaced by anything more chivalrous or classy.
Matchbooks: In days gone by, when people smoked (a lot), and all the time at all the places we visited or partied at; like resuturants, nightclubs, and bars. You could always collect these.
Some mornings we struggled with smoke filled clothes and smoke infused hair only to be left struggling with a smokey smell on our pillow. Although part of a nasty habit, the humble matchbox sometimes was the only way we could tell where we’d been the night before! They usually turned-up in wallets, purses, bags, pockets etc, etc, etc… But alas now we have one less item to write phone numbers on now...although mobile phones have provided a much cleaner phone number recording device.
Yellow and white pages: remember this great iconic ad, whose catch-phrase entered the Australian vernacular. ‘Not Happy Jan!’ Having been big thick, hulking books that that you used to prop open doors, place TVs on top of and to lift-up computer screens; now the combined white and yellow pages are lucky to be an inch thick.
‘Let your fingers do the walking’ was the logo for the yellow page. Now your fingers still do the work but when using Google!
Remember the time when the only thing that was VIRAL was a disease or the cold/flu.
It was a time when the Australian AIDs Council ad on TV and Billboards had everyone talking, and feeling distinctly horrified, terrified and worried about something normal antibiotics weren’t any use for.
Then we discovered antivirals.
Now viral means we are exposed to a whole lot of new horrifying things. These terrifying new viral human billboards are not as worrying as the original auto-immune viruses but seem to hang around as resiliently as a bad flu or cold. However - it is important to note that antibiotics don’t work against them and unfortunately neither will antivirals.
I think I prefer the cold and flu type virus.
I’ve only scratched the surface. See what else you remember that has changed from not that long ago…Dare you to…
Cutting to the chase on communication
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a tattoo:
This week I was remembering all the management courses I attended with colleagues about 'improving communication' and how nothing really changed; aside from a day or two and then we’d be back to this….
It made me think of redesigning those courses to include some of these gems to cut through all the crap. Starting with the following:
REMEMBER we all have one mouth and two ears. Open your mind and close your mouth, they work best this way.
The reason this is a fact is that silence is always preferred to bullshit. Otherwise this happens
OTHER people view life differently they may not be so understanding or frankly don’t care - you can’t change them because they may be missing something OR it might be YOU who's missing that filter that stops you from saying insensitive shit.
That’s okay too, just don’t expect people to shower you in compliments and roses for stating the obvious because they are oblivious or can’t grasp facts. You can’t change these people either. Live with the knowledge you have. You can follow one of two options:
Option ONE
Option TWO
Some days option two will appear the most appealing especially if you haven’t had a chance to reach the Zen-like state needed to repond appropriately for option one to truly work. WARNING: Some days BOTH options may be hazardous for others because you may not be able to respond nicely to idiots; no matter what your Zen state.
You may think you need more training but there are some things you just can’t ever become qualified to do.
Important rules to keep in mind when contemplating the human condition:
Manage other people’s expectations:
Manage your expectations:
Sometimes you may just plainly run out of patience with a person, who no matter what - causes you pain or time or both. This maybe the person who you can’t work out what makes them tick, or what they see as their purpose in life. You may have met one of these:
Leaving you to ask this sage old question:
There will be people who constantly annoy you let them know politely.
Maybe some days you’ll just have to take the higher road, comfortable in your knowledge that you can shine brightly no matter what.
Let yourself grow and bloom regardless of what is going on around you. Dare you to..
The Serena Dilemma: Saint or sinner
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a tattoo:
The Serena Dilemma: Saint or sinner.
Is she a doyen of female rights or simply a precocious bad-mannered brat?
This is the question. There’s no denying she is a wonderful female athlete, philanthropist, strong woman and a stylish dresser.
But she also can be entitled, self-important and arrogant. This time I wonder if the blow-up wasn’t more about her own frustration at not playing her best, rather than anything to do with women’s rights.
Was it women’s rights or a frustrated smoke screen pieced together hastily after she started losing - not only the match but her cool. A good story to try and seem like Serena's bad behavior was for a worthwhile cause, championing for the end to institutional sexism. The right for a woman athlete who has a sports bra on to change her shirt at the change of ends in a tennis match!
No one will ever fully know, as it is only Serena who really knows herself. Was she being true to herself and honest with the world and the realm of women’s rights - or simply unable to cope with being blown off the court.
Let’s face it she’s done this before at the US Open. Remember the reprehensible 2009 Serena Williams outburst in the semi-final against Kim Clijsters. That time the umpire was a woman (no-where to pull the gender card) as was the lineswoman who called Serena for a foot-fault and Serena was accused of saying she’d kill her.
As for the cartoon fracas: as I’ve said many times before people need to be able to laugh at themselves and GET over it. Political Correctness as a form of censorship is one of the most pernicious and dangerous aspects to our present society.
It was rightly asked later this week; WHY was that particular cartoon singled out as racist: Here’s how other cartoonists have drawn Serena….. these aren't particularly flattering either and no one sent their creators death threats??
When people wrote and posted obscene things about the cartoon that Mark Knight drew, I was brought back to the shootings on 7 January 2015 in which twelve people were killed at the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Here Islamic radicals shot up the offices of the magazine for posting what they saw as disrespectul cartoons about Islam and the prophet Mahomed.
I bet the same people crying foul this week, were also appalled at the actions of the Muslim radicals back then (and rightly so). The attacks this week on Mark Knight, while nowhere as violent, were still born from the same lack of an ability to laugh at ourselves (remembering: cartoons aren’t actual pictures they are caricatures!). Also from a lack of understanding of what freedom of speech and freedom of expression really means, that is the ability to have acceptance for all opinions. We are the West - we champion free speech and this is the price we pay - diversification - acceptance of all views.
Pause for a minute:
Let’s Remember: "Je suis Charlie" (French pronunciation: [ʒə sɥi ʃaʁli], French for "I am Charlie") is a slogan and logo created by French art director Joachim Roncin and adopted by supporters of freedom of speech and freedom of the press after twelve people were killed at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Me thinks everyone is protesting too much; maybe for the wrong reasons. At the end of the day this is an amazing sportsperson regardless of sex, yet, it was also an example of entitlement, disrespect, bad manners, and abhorrent behavior.
As the dust settled; players, umpires, sports commentators and some of the public were questioning whether in future do Serena’s games have to umpired to a different set of rules, not those everyone else plays by. Surely; no-one is bigger than the game.
As for the anaemic argument that men were never drawn that way,
I beg to differ see the examples here of John McEnroe.
Plus Nadal, Federer and Djokovic would never have gone off at an umpire so viciously and persistently.
And down the other end - holding it altogether with grace and courage was Naomi Osaka:
*For anyone who doesn’t know this is Naomi Osaka. She is 20 years old and on the night of Saturday September 8th 2018 she became the US Open champion. She received no coaching, broke zero rackets, and treated the umpire and her opponent with respect throughout. Unfortunately nobody is talking about her.... *Source Jonathan Bennett
