Category Archives: life

9/11… 20 years on…

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There are certain dates that happen in history that we remember where we were and what we were doing when those moments took place. Things like when JFK or John Lennon were shot, the death of Elvis Presley, the car accident that killed Princess Diana, September 11… just to name a few events people remember exactly what they were doing and where they were when it happened.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11, I remember where I was and what I was doing as it happened as it was in Australia night time when the it all started. I was in bed and listening to a talk back radio station where the first initial reports broke where it was thought that a small plane had flown into one of the World Trade Centre Towers in New York City. After the announcer read out the breaking news, I fell asleep with the radio still on, never thinking about what was going to happen while I slept.

I woke up an hour or so later and I could hear voices on the radio but it they weren’t from the announcer on the radio station that usually covered the midnight to 6am shift. These voices came from external news services the radio station had tapped into and these voices were relaying the news from these external news services. As I listened to the voices, they unveiled the full horror of what took place in the couple of hours I had been asleep for. I really couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing and my brain in the early hour of the following morning couldn’t absorb the total extent of the reality of what happened and what was still going on in the US in both New York City, Washington DC  and that field in Pennsylvania in particular but also in the rest of the USA and Canada, being their closest neighbour as well.

It took me all my effort to not get out of bed and turn on the TV as I knew that once I did that, I was not going to get back into bed and go back to sleep as I would have been transfixed and shocked by the raw footage on the TV screen, so instead I listened to the radio for a while longer and then turned it off and went back to sleep or some pretence of sleep until the alarm went off.

When I did wake up a couple of hours later to get ready for work, I did put on the TV then and found myself overwhelmed by the footage of what had occurred. The sadness, the horror, the shock, the disbelief, the confusion and the despair on the faces on everyone appearing on the TV screen. Watching the footage of what had happened overnight with the recaps, I cried over the fact that I was seeing some of humanity at its worst with the terrorist act perpetrated against innocent and unsuspecting people but I was witnessing also the best in people who were helping each other with kindness and love.

During the day, all everyone talked about was 9/11 and being shocked by or trying to comprehend what actually happened. That night when I got home from work, every single TV station had coverage of 9/11 continuously airing throughout the evening and into the night. All day every single TV station had uninterrupted coverage from what happened on 9/11. As I watched and caught up on everything I had missed during that first day, I cried more tears for all the lives that were lost or forever had been changed, that terrible day. I cried that the innocence of the world was lost because if terrorism could impact on the USA, it could happen anywhere and I also knew that the world would be changed forever because of this heinous act of hate.

Over the next week as all there was to watch on TV was the continuing footage of the events of 9/11, I watched and I cried or smiled over those moments of seeing people coming together and helping or comforting each other. People who were strangers assisting one another in what would be their darkest and nightmarish time. I felt the miracles from the stories of survival but also the stories of how people were kept off the planes and away from the World Trade Center Towers that day because that day for whatever reason whether it was people were running late for work, being held up in traffic that morning, people having car issues, school kids delaying parents from leaving home at their usual time and go to work.

As I reflect on that day, 20 years on, may we never experience anything like this event ever again. It is a day that I will certainly not forget.

Just do it because the world depends on it…

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We are certainly living in uncertain times due to the Covid-19 pandemic upon us. In fact, I feel as though we are in the midst of 2 pandemics – one which is called Covid and the other one is called Stupidity.

When the world began hearing about Covid-19, back in January 2020, people were generally encouraged by the health authorities and the government’s around the world to practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitiser if you are unable to wash your hands, to sneeze and cough into your elbow and isolate if you feel unwell. We were encouraged to not gather in big groups of people, to use technology as a form of being together with our loved ones and our friends in order to stop the spread of this virus. By being apart from one another, it was to enable us to be back together sooner rather than later. So what happened?

Now we are at almost August 2021 and this virus is still prevalent in it’s presence here in the world and that’s mainly due to the stupidity of certain people who refuse to do what they are told because they feel as though by doing what they are supposed to be doing to help eradicate this virus, that their rights or civil liberties are being taken away from them, where they are unable to do what they want to do, when they want to do it. These people think their freedoms are being taken away or that the leaders or the government of the country are turning that country into a dictatorship by telling these people what to do and these people do not want any part of it.

What the selfish, entitled, ignorant covidiots who organise and participate in “Freedom” demonstrations don’t realise is this… they are not fighting for their “Freedom” to do what they want and when they want to do it. Their “Freedom” was, or has, been already fought for them by those who served in a country’s military forces and fought during war times, enabling all free countries to be free and not be ruled over by another country who were hell bent on removing freedoms and turning another country into a dictatorship by overpowering their governmen. These covidiots really have no clue over this reality and that makes me angry over their attitudes in regard to this virus, which is definitely not just a “little cold” or just a “little flu” or “nothing to be worried about”. This is a virus, especially the Delta strain from India as that is a more highly infectious strain, it simply does not care who it infects.

Right from the first diagnosed case of the coronavirus, before it was renamed as Covid-19, this coronavirus has always been a real thing. From the very beginning, the way it affects people varies. It can go from a person who has no symptoms but has tested positive to having the virus to someone who has ended up on a ventilator finding it impossible to get air into their lungs and struggling for breath and then death. Then there is the incubation period of the virus, just because you don’t have any of the symptoms at present, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have the virus. This is a unpredictable virus as it can take days before you have symptoms from the time someone infected you with it, how many people have you interacted with in that time? This is how this thing spreads.

I choose to live my life as though I have the virus and have been doing this since the beginning of the pandemic. I’ve been social distancing as best as I can do when in places where social distancing is not guaranteed, I have been washing my hands or using hand sanitiser, I  can count on one hand the number of people I have hugged in the last 18 months and for a hugger, that’s been really hard and I miss the physical contact, I wear a face mask when required,  I have been following the advice from the health authorities because I want to keep not only myself safe, I want to keep others around me safe as well and that is why I do this.

Covidiots just don’t care because they are entitled, selfish, ignorant and stupid in their thinking. They have no respect for other people but they also have no respect for themselves either because they are willing to risk the health and physical well being not only for other people but for themselves as well.

Covidiots believe that those of us who are doing the right thing are “living in fear” of the virus. Wrong! We care about others well being and we care about ourselves and that’s why we follow the directions from the health authorities and the government.

If the covidiots would now learn to follow the directions and start doing the things we have been instructed to do, then this virus would quickly be eradicated and the sooner we can go back to life the way it was before the pandemic took over.

I think the covidiots are the ones who are indeed afraid and living in fear and that is why they refuse to do what they are instructed to do. These are the people who want to make this pandemic all about them but it’s not because it is about every single one of us. We are all in this together, not just individually but all of us. We need to follow the instructions and be guided by the scientists and medical professionals who have put in the research and studying the actual facts in relation to covid-19 and not the armchair scientists who listen and follow all the misinformation on Google or certain so called medical experts who have no medical background. We need to put trust in our medical authorities and our government health officials just so that we can go back to living life the way it was before the pandemic and not hinder or continuing to delay it by refusing to follow the guidelines and directions put in place by those who have the authority to keep us safe.

Just as the covididiots are over the pandemic and Covid, so am I but I will continue to follow whatever the current restrictions are as they can change rapidly. I will continue to gather my information from reliable sources. I will get vaccinated against covid-19 as well, when it is my time to go and be vaccinated. I want to go back to living life as we were before the pandemic. So I will do what I must do, not only for me but for those around me.

Until next time

Kaye

The way of life…

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Today I was scrolling through Facebook as I do and as I was scrolling, a friend’s post caught my eye and I read it. Her post was her coming out as a lesbian to the world as she decided to out herself before someone else did. So she swallowed her fear and trepidation in writing her post and put it out there for everyone in her friends list to see.

I felt saddened and angry at the same time that this person felt the need to have to come out regarding her sexuality before she was outed by someone but also by the fact that in her post, she had to “justify” on who she is and identifies as. It should be a natural process as it is for heterosexual people.

As a straight person, we have no need to come out of the closest and tell people that we are straight but for everyone else who identifies as something else, there is much bigger process they have to go through for many, just because they identify as non straight people.

I don’t care how a person identifies themselves because as long as people are good people, I will give them my time but if they are an asshole, then, I’m not going to have anything to do with those people, simple as that.

When Australia had a vote on whether or not to accept same sex marriage a few years ago, I voted yes on my form that was sent as a postal vote to everyone on the electoral roll in Australia. The reasons I voted yes is because I don’t think that a person’s sexuality is a choice, I didn’t choose to be straight, that’s how I was made. I believe that love is love and people should be happy being with the one they love. For parents who think their children failed them because their children are not heterosexual, it’s the parents who have failed because they are not loving their children unconditionally as a parent should. I voted yes because it was the right thing to do and it felt good to be able to have my say.

As a Christian, the Bible I read is about God’s love for every single person, not just certain people. Everyone is loved by my God.

I hope my friend now can finally be who God made her to be and be able find happiness and a Miss Right to share her life with.

Until next time

Kaye

Memory Lane…

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On Thursday, March 18, I will be celebrating my 50th birthday. 50 years?! Yes, 50 years! Who would have thunk it, me 50? I am unable to act 50 as I’m still haven’t left my first childhood yet because if there are toys around in a department store with buttons to press, you bet I’m going to be pressing those buttons and making a lot of noise in the process, trust me on this!

In those 50 years, I have also seen a lot of history and changes in technology as well.

Last year I went to the Birdwood Motor Museum in Birdwood, South Australia, where I’m from. There were cars from old vintage cars to the last Australian made Holden car which rolled off the Holden Factory production line in Elizabeth, South Australia in 2017 when Holden’s ceased car manufacturing at the Plant and Holden’s closed their doors.

There was a 1981 Toyota Landcruiser 4 Wheel Drive there and me, being older than that 4 wheel drive, it made me realise that the museum could put me on a platform and I could become an exhibit and talk about the technology changes and history I’ve lived through and used.

I’ve lived life before mobile phones (cell phones), computers, atms, cassette tapes, DVDs, CD’s, smart TV’s, smart phones, digital radio, digital cameras, smart watches, Facebook and other social media platforms, streaming services, credit cards and many other things.

Atari play stations, pay phones, rotary phones, Commodore 64, bank books, Beta and VHS video recorders, black and white TV, video arcade games, pinball machines,  roller skating rinks, Walkman’s, Gameboy… if you remember these, you must be as old as me… lol

I’ve witnessed history with the coming down of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War ending between the US and Russia, 9/11, the death of Princess Diana, Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, just to name a few events.

Remember being the remote control and being the one to physically change the channels on the TV?

Taking photos was fun as well when you had no idea of what you were taking on the camera as you only had a view finder to look through and if it was a blurry photo, you couldn’t delete it. The roll of film would be taken to the chemist shop (pharmacy or drug store) and you would have to wait several days for the photos to be developed and then go to back to the chemist to pick them up and get your first look at what you had photographed… a foot? Half a head? Some other random thing you had no idea you took a photo of? Yep, looking at the photos once you’ve collected could be an interesting experience.

I was in the generation who downloaded music from the radio and recorded the songs on a cassette tape making the original mix tapes.

We all will experience changes in technology in our lives and see history in the making, or be a part of it, in witnessing it.

To the younger generation, when you look back on your life and see the changes in technology or the history that’s taken place, remember that you are in an unique place because you got to be a part of it and that is special. You get to be a teller of history to the next generation who follow you.

Until next time

Kaye

Life Lessons…

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Just thought I’d share a few lessons about life I’ve learned throughout the years…

Smile and laugh often

No matter how bad you think your life is, there’s always someone who is worse off than you

Let the inner child come out to play often. Just because we grow old, it doesn’t mean that we have to grow up

Your true friends will not badmouth you or tell lies about you to other people. If they do, they’re not your friends to begin with

Maintain your sense of humour. It will help you to retain your sanity in life

Respect others, you don’t have to agree with them, or even like them

Take responsibility for your actions and accept accountability for all you do in life

Always take the time to learn new things in life

It’s perfectly okay to say no. Don’t feel guilty about saying it

Tell the people in your life that you love them. We don’t tell them often enough. (I need to work on this one myself)

Be yourself

When life gets on top of you, if you’re overworked, or feeling stressed, whatever the situation, dance it out. A good 30 second dance party works wonders

Listen to your body and what it is telling you. If you are in tune with your body, you’ll be more aware when something isn’t right

Give to others without expecting anything in return

Don’t be afraid to speak up and let your opinions be heard

If at first you don’t succeed, try again

All work and no play makes for a boring existence


Speak to elderly people when the opportunity arises. They have much history and knowledge and we can learn a lot from them

Don’t worry about the things you have no control over. Whatever is going to happen will happen and worrying about them will not help, so just go with it

Treat others how you would like to be treated

Enjoy the simple pleasures in life

It doesn’t matter if you are a bad singer, sing away like no one is listening and enjoy yourself

An afternoon nap works wonders for the mind, body and soul

Try to have a positive outlook in life. Negativity does more harm than good

Your true friends will always have your back no matter what

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, it’s then you find out you haven’t

A hug can say so much when there are no words

Be thankful for everything in life you have, there are those in the world who would give anything to have what you have (when we can go back to hugging again)

Don’t wish to have the life of someone else, you don’t know what possible struggles they have to deal with or what their life is like

Life isn’t fair all the time, however, it’s still good

Life’s too short for hating people. We all need to get along with one another

Don’t take yourself too seriously

You don’t have to win every argument, it’s okay to just agree to disagree

It doesn’t matter what age you are, you’re never to old to play with Lego! Or colouring in

Simple pleasures in life, are often the best

Until next time

Kaye

New beginnings…

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What a week it’s been… in fact, what a couple of months it’s been.. Friday February 19 was D-Day when the workplace I’ve been working for the last 16 years closes its doors for good permanently.

I was one of the people who started working for Domiciliary Equipment Service when it was located in Salisbury before being relocated to Netley in 2004. I started at DES in April 2001. DES has been my home away from home for 19 years, that’s a huge chunk of my life.

I have worked with some amazing people in that time, all of us with the common goal of helping the community by providing a much needed service for our clients. You spend more time with the people you work with than your own family and as people came and went, we became a family at DES. It was a unique and special place to work in.

Even though DES officially closed permanently on 18 December 2020, the clean up process began in preparation for the doors to close behind us as we leave the building one last time.

Last week, the Domiciliary Equipment Service signs outside were removed, the online auction went live selling unwanted office furniture to general kitchen appliances and everything in between that was no longer required.

This week we had people coming into the warehouse and collecting their items they bought from the online auction. Some people drove in with their vehicles into the warehouse with their utes or cars towing a trailer behind them. It was very surreal all week.

I’m fortunate to have my job with the DHS Equipment Program, the only part of DES to survive the closure and this week we’ve been busy doing our work, helping our clients and we were preparing for our relocation to the city by putting our stuff into boxes for the move. For me, leaving the building for the last time was a sad and emotional day, especially my last walk around the building and talking to a workmate who had been around just as long as I have before leaving but I’m definitely taking my memories with me.

I’m excited for what awaits the team working in the city in a new location from Monday morning.

Until next time

Kaye

Life begins at…

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A friend of mine recently turned 30 and for her it was a big deal, especially when she remarked that she was getting old! I informed her that being 30 is still young… wait until you reach your 40’s and things start going wrong with your body and start failing, that’s getting old lol. She didn’t even want a birthday party to celebrate the milestone, which I thought was crazy!

When I turned 40, I invited a few close friends and my family to dinner at a hotel and we all had a ton of fun and full on laughter. You also have to love the fact that someone else is doing the preparations, the cooking of the meals and the clean up afterwards and you get to bask in the glow of being the guest of honour at your own birthday celebrations.

For me, age is just a number. I didn’t get stressed out at getting older when I turned 30 and it didn’t phase me when I turned 40. As I get closer to turning 50, I might just run away and go on a cruise! Lol…

One of my favourite quotes which I read on a birthday card many years ago and it has stuck with me is, “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional” and they are words I live by as I’m always cracking jokes and being a big kid!

Embrace life, embrace your age, celebrate the grey hair, the wrinkles, the age spots, the gravity defying body as things begin to sag, live life to the full and be happy in your body.

Another bonus about getting older is that you’ve seen and lived through a lot of history, seen changes in the world with technology, music, fads and fashions come and go, only to come back again a few years or a couple of decades later and in a mixed age group on a trivia night, you will find out how much cool stuff you know to impress those around you and may your team win that trivia night because of all the knowledge inside your head.

This year I will be celebrating turning 50 and for me, it’s still no big deal. I haven’t even experienced having a mid life crisis yet and I know people who have just over the thought that they are getting older and they are trying to recapture their youth. It’s their way of dealing with getting older but for me, I know getting older is a fact of life but I’m still a big kid at heart. My biggest thought about turning 50 is, where to go and celebrate!

Live long and live happy…

Until next time

Kaye