google-site-verification: google935433b691795853.html KRISTY BERRIDGE: 2017-02-12

Saturday 18 February 2017


10 Reasons why you should travel instead of work!
10. You’re not at work.
I’m sorry but this is flat out the best reason on the planet. Although you may love your job, there is nothing better than waking up to zero expectations and taking the day as it comes and frolicking in the possibility of ‘what if’.
9. You experience a whole new country.
There’s nothing better than the safety and comfort of your own backyard, but sometimes to be able to step into an ocean ten thousand miles away or explore uninhabited bushland or climb pyramids built eons before can open your eyes to a plethora of opportunity. Perhaps your conventional way of living may be inspired by the landscape of somewhere new or your palette cleansed to try a whole host of new and inviting cuisine. Exploring a country of unknown origin is often bursting with excitement and teaming with memories you will never forget.
8. New food.
At work we’re often slotting coins into the vending machine, scouring the canteen for something edible or pushing a homemade salad around the plate. When you’re travelling, you’re forced to try foods you might otherwise ignore when at home and within driving distance of a fast-food restaurant or supermarket. To step outside the comfort zone and taste what a new country has to offer is adventure in itself … unless you get gastro. That sucks.
7. Learning a new language.
There’s nothing wrong with English, it’s one of the most complex and beautiful languages on the planet, but you gotta admit, it’s kind of sexy to speak French or exciting to converse in Arabic.
6. New opportunities.
When travelling, you really don’t know what sort of opportunities might come your way. It could mean an entire lifestyle change; moving to a foreign country of choice, a new city because more exciting job opportunities may wait or even the ability to volunteer in remote and poor communities to satisfy the humanitarian within.
5. Culture.
Believe it or not, experiencing a new culture is paramount to growth as an individual. To be able to see the world through another’s eyes and compare that lifestyle to what you already know and accept is both humbling and life-altering. Sometimes the culture of another country is so far removed from what we consider expectation that it forces you to broaden your horizons and objectively see things from a new perspective.
4. Bills.
The honest truth is; if you’re travelling and not working then it probably means you don’t have any immediate bills to consider and I really I can’t see anything wrong with that. Unless of course you were a buffoon who booked everything on credit and will one day soon be forced to face the mounting debt of hasty decision making. The question then is: was it worth it?
3. Relationships.
As far as I’m concerned and, if your partner and family are with you, it tests boundaries and offers new ways to be cohesive when under suffrage of the same environment. However, if separated, then these bonds can be strengthened or severed depending on what you hope to achieve by the distance in travelling.
2. Casual Fridays.
When at work it’s a rarity to have a casual day where you no longer have to don the sleepwear style blouse or trademark black pants and safety shoes. When travelling you can wear whatever you want and often avoid the pesky laundering bills involved with keeping your work wear attire fresh.
1.Adventure.
How can you ever have an adventure when shackled to the desk for a nine-to-five? The number one reason anyone travels is to experience a new adventure—something outside the beacon of normality and filled with the possibility of something slightly more exciting then pen pushing and number crunching.


Kristy

Wednesday 15 February 2017

How nice is nice?
How nice is too nice? Is there such a thing?
A lot of people would say that in a world filled with suffering, oppression, arrogance and disregard, being too nice couldn't possibly be something worthy of complaint. Usually I would agree, the world is seriously lacking in the sincerity and general kindness that this post hopes to inspire.

But what if your existence is nothing but a few thousand cubic meters of space and filled with people not generally influenced by the world on mass?

My town, for instance, is tucked away in the northern end of Australia; population approximately 160,000. There's enough people to create eccentricity, variation of cultural and religious belief as well as a government based on the ideals of the country's overall agenda, but still far enough removed to remain independent of major political upheaval. In this tiny town we may know the person living right next door or we may live with the window shades drawn in the hopes to remain anonymous; basic niceties are still expected regardless.

Being nice, to me, is respecting each individual's choices to live breathe and work within this environment without judgement or expectation of certain behaviours. Being too nice would entail dropping baked goods on doorsteps each day or friends and colleagues calling hourly to check on one's wellbeing.

To be nice (or merely human) is to be considerate of your fellow man; let them merge into your traffic lane during rush hour. Let the neighbour's kids play cricket in your front yard when there's no safe place elsewhere. Let the elderly have your seat on public transport and of course, respect everyone's opinions yet still value your own.

It's all about balance. Being too nice isn't really a first world problem and to be fair, not the worst thing that anyone could encounter. There's no issue with overextending oneself or elaborating kindness; it can be annoying, but still much better than the alternative which is to not care at all. I personally know which one I'd prefer even if I do like to keep the shades drawn most days.


Kristy