Observing Your Surrounds // Airports

Coming to you from the sky...

All of the people, there is so many people. They are moving everywhere – wandering aimlessly, waiting patiently and standing still. All around is chaos – delayed flights, crying infants, lovebirds making out at departure gates, tears of happiness because someone’s daughter has arrived home after one year and the occasional French backpacker. It’s all chaos, but there is simplicity about this chaos. Thousands, if not millions of people in one place at a time from all around the world, a person from every continent, every country and even every city. They are all here for the same reason. They want to get somewhere. Whether that somewhere is home, a holiday, business trip or calling a new place home; they are all trying to get to their destination. 

The simplicity of this is the emotions. The airport sees more emotion than any other location in the world. It witnesses everything from tears, love, heartbreak and anxiety to wanderlust, determination and anger. It even witnesses those lost individuals travelling on their own from Sweden that have no clue which direction they are going in. The airport sees more love than weddings, sees more heartbreak than funerals and sees more chaos than a murder scene. It is the unique atmosphere that is exposed to every single individual that is there. If I must estimate on my own observations, two thirds of people that are in the airport are blind to what surrounds them. Some want to get where they are going, some have families eager to get to their holiday destination and some are travelling on their own to explore the world. 

What the people in the airport are unaware of is that they are apart of that simplicity of the chaos. Every single individual makes up this unique atmosphere, even if they are blind to it. 

This is why I absolutely adore airports. They intrigue me for this very reason. Being in the location of so many different types of people. The different emotions. The different destinations. The different stories. 

I am an observer. Ask anyone who knew me as a baby or young child, I am content with sitting to myself watching the passing parade and taking in my surrounds. It fascinates me to this day how much time passes after I find myself sitting somewhere looking all around me. Maybe this is the reason for my infatuation with airports. An airport to people like me is like a toy shop to a four-year-old. To some, ‘observing others and surrounds’ may seem boring or somewhat ‘creepy’, but this is what you’re missing out on because you are staring at your phone scrolling through Instagram. Sounds cheesy? Look up from your phone more often and take in your surrounds. You’ll be surprised with the thoughts and observations you come up with. 

Trust Your Gut Instincts

Intuition is the important role that alerts us to the path, people and situations that we will find uniquely fulfilling.

This poem by Robert Frost would have to be my all time favourite. He shares his story of two paths; intuition and the norm. I interpret this poem to reveal that the path 'less traveled by' is the intuition path that he followed and it is 'grassy and wanted wear', exposing that it is rare for someone to take this path. You can feel the writers frustration with the expectation of society when he reveals, 'I shall be telling this with a sigh.' Robert shares that taking the path less travelled is what makes ALL the difference. 

Your intuition tells you intimate and important things nobody else will - and it will also reveal the things your own mind will argue with. Intuition can be either a moment where you naturally know if something is RIGHT or is WRONG. It's our special 'inner' voice that just instinctively knows and it understands what uniquely, at times seemingly illogically, will make you at peace. It is the gap between instinct and reason, and consciousness and unconsciousness.

So, is it fear that you feel or is it a gut feeling?
Intuition is created from your spirit, your authentic self and your heart. Fear is generated from your ego and from your personality. From my own personal experience, following a gut instinct is vivid and strong-willed. Following your gut feeling makes us wise and stronger. It does not make others perceive us as foolish and absurd, nor does it make us deliver pain or harm upon others. Intuition allows us to access information to protect ourselves and strengthen our personal ambitions. It offers the truth, even if it is painful and life changing.

Our culture has implemented us individuals to believe that being 'logical' or 'impartial' is what should be dominate when making personal decisions. But hang on, what about that 'gut feeling' or 'little something' which tells us how we feel beneath all these thick layers of rationality?

Too often, the way that we deal with our intimate private internal conflict is doing what we think is the 'norm' and what is 'right' to do while inevitably turning away from what we truly want to do. This will occur more than you realise - those battles that you have with yourself.
Have you ever had a struggle within yourself and are pulled by two courses of action by your differing emotions or a dynamic change within yourself?

Sometimes you'll experience a sense that something is not right; a feeling of hardship or turmoil. While frequently opting for those 'safe' paths, you find yourself increasingly disconnecting from your true essence of values and you only end up hurting yourself. Turning away from what you truly want to do, sweeping personal gut feelings under the rug and choosing the 'sensible' path based on the thoughts and expectations of those around you can only leave you fretting over what 'could have been.'

We fear our intuition and revelations because we are afraid that the metamorphose of power will interfere with the 'sanity' that our culture expects of us.

If you embrace the path of aligning your decisions and judgement with your core values, without interference of peers while recognising and appreciating your 'gut feeling', you have the potential to change and influence the rest of the world.

The longer you mull over big choices, the less satisfied you will be afterwards. Simply going with your 'gut feeling' and spending less time on those big decisions can lead to a more content, at peace feeling. Scantily analysing the pros and cons and sweating over the rationality, the more likely you'll make a decisions you are fulfilled with in the long term. So, do you follow your own personal intuition, disregard the opinions of other people and don't carp over the possible consequences or do you follow the social norm, falter over the decision you've chosen and let yourself be constrained with the perception of others?

To regularly, many people listen to the noise and judgement of the world instead of themselves. Listen to your own personal voice, your own one-of-a-kind heart and your own individual, developing soul.

Your body is your greatest and wisest guide. You honestly need to recognise and listen to its quiet wisdom, rather than the annoying chit chat in your mind. Listening to your body, you will be following a deeper calling, an impulse and that soul-driven knowledge, and when that feeling bubbles up, you are drawn to inevitably accepting the best opportunity for yourself.

You know those times during the night, just before you sleep, or waking p at 3am or when you wake up 8 minutes before your alarm, you have those least expected moments when you get a gut instinct or an idea... Make yourself trust and rely on that higher self communicating through to your consciousness. It is your inner guru, the YOU within you, the spiritual soul you posses.

Accepting the truth and your 'gut feeling' will make you a more authentic individual and will create you to be more capable of accepting life changing decisions in the future. 

Next time you come face to face with a life changing, or even a minor decision, take a deep breath. If it seems like all too much to handle, when you are tip-toeing on the fence, relax your shoulders and breathe. Go deep within your unique self, keep breathing and feel that instinct that pulls you to what is best. If you go against those who oppose you, that is okay; it is your own decision, and your soul is leading you on your own personal, wise journey.

Take note that whatever happens, as a result of our actions and choices, that path we take will ALWAYS be best for us, at that time. Smile, trust that gut of yours, surrender to the moment and enjoy your life.

The Perfect LA Dream in 24 Hours

My first experience of LA is a very memorable one – a walk down Hollywood Boulevard, a hike through the Hollywood Hills to the gleaming Hollywood sign, spotting out celebrity’s homes, going down Rodeo Drive, driving through the world’s most famous zip code – 90210 Beverly Hills and experiencing the night life at the Whisky a Go Go.

Leaving Southern California, Christine and I made our first stop in the Hollywood Hills, ready to start a hike to get a view of the Hollywood sign. There are many hiking tracks and observation areas to get a glimpse of the sign. But, me just having put on a lot of weight and had become very unfit from trying all of America's food y'all had to offer, Christine and I went for the shortest trail we could find. Guilty. Just witnessing the sign it self in reality was enough for me, but the view we found couldn't have been more perfect for me. Of course, my camera did not do the view justice, but I think we got pretty damn close considering how un-fit we had ended up... In addition to seeing the world famous sign, I caught a phenomenal glimpse of the heart of Los Angeles. 

Travelling back down through the Hollywood Hills we made our way to Hollywood Boulevard. Now this, this was something I had wanted to see ever since I could remember. Of course, another thing on my list that impressed me immensely. The people, the buskers, the people dressed up, the tours, The Walk of Fame, the atmosphere and the Grauman's Chinese Theatre... It is all real, you Aussies! 

This was something I was very lucky to experience. Seeing the stars planted into the paths, world famous people's hand and feet engraved into concrete at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the constant people handing out maps to celebrities's homes. 

To get the real tourist experience Christine and I did a Hollywood Tour of celebrities's homes. The number one thing all tourists must do when down Hollywood Boulevard. Although, is everything the tour guides tell you really true? To our own knowledge, we did catch this guy out a couple of times from sharing false information... That's not hard to believe though. One of the first things the tour guide spotted out was a diner that was supposedly where they filmed 'Pulp Fiction', us being a huge fan of the movie, we were eager to have breakfast there the next morning. Little did we know, it wasn't even the diner where it was filmed - the diner where it was filmed isn't even standing anymore, and hasn't for years! But, they still served up a pretty good meal. We were educated on how Brad Pitt became famous, yet, it was another fib the tour guide shared with us. 

We were pretty disappointed and questioned whether the tour was at all real, but we still enjoyed it, regardless, and I got the vibe of Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and got to see big, fancy homes and cars. Wouldn't we all love to live in Beverly Hills in a big, flash modern mansion and drive around in Lamborghini's? We can only dream...

Los Angeles really is the city of beautiful people. The amount of people I saw that looked flawless from head to toe was ridiculous! It is the city of dreams, adventure and no sleep. 

I was lucky enough to experience the night life. If you know me personally, you would know I am a huge, huge, huge The Doors and Jim Morrison fan. I love and admire that man to death. My night spent seeing a The Doors tribute band, Wild Child, at the Whiskey A Go Go. What a night to be in LA for me, hey? My favourite band's tribute band playing at the bar where The Doors originated from. Not to mention I slept in the hotel room where Jim, himself, once lived for several months in the 70's. Now, that night and story is left for another blog post... So stay tuned!

Now that was a very overdue blog post... I still have so many stories to share with you all from my 5-month stay in the United States. 

Land Down Under VS. The States

Hands down, the most popular questions I was, and still am, continuously asked is “What is the difference between Australia and America?” “What did you like/dislike most about the differences?” and I was even asked the naive questions like, “Which country is better?” “Is America better than Australia?” Let me get this started off with me saying…

There is nothing in this world like your own country. 

These are the most eye-catching and noticeable differences that I came across during my travels in the 12 states out of 52 in America. 

DISCLAIMER: I have no intention at all of sounding ignorant or hostile towards these cultural differences. These things are my OWN personal opinion and experiences. 

PRONUNCIATION OF WORDS // SLANG
The different levels of politeness is something I noticed tremendously. Australia has its own way of communicating manners that largely differ from the American culture. For example, if I misheard what someone has said I would respond with “pardon me?” or “excuse me?” In America, 95% of the time I found that people will respond with “what?” or “huh?” This sort of response does in fact, come across as impolite in Australia. Another aspect of manners is the term “thank-you”. Saying thank-you in Australia you will get a reply of with “no worries”, “no problem” or “you’re welcome”. In America you will get the occasional “you’re welcome”, but their large-scale reply is “mmm hmm”, which sounds dismissive to Aussie ears and quite rude. This is something I did adopt to very quickly, it became less of a big deal and it was something I didn’t even notice towards to end.

FOOD FOOD FOOD // CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP
America takes the cards with this one… Larger meals and beverages for less money. In Australia going out to eat, the food is usually of high quality, but you do pay your money for it. Going out for dinner in America and ordering a normal meal, you will be plated with a serve of chips (fries), salad/vegetables, bread, biscuit (scone) and then your actual meal. Oh, and you are welcomed with a glass or water and free refills (at the majority of places). In Australia, you order your meal and sometimes it will be plated with chips (fries) or your choice of salad/vegetables (sometimes these things are an extra charge). Take-away (take-out) restaurants are the most substantial differences I experienced. In Australia, a medium sized McDonalds meal can range between $15-20. In America, they can range between $5-10. So instead of paying nearly $50 for a family lunch at McDonalds down under, in the states you’re paying $25. America, you sure showed me how to put on weight…

WATER USAGE
To an extent with the majority of Aussie’s, there is sensitivity with water usage. The toilets in Australia has two flushing buttons, one is half flush and one is a full flush, in America there is one button or just a lever. The amount of water used to flush toilets in America is ridiculous compared to Australia. America, you would save so much water if you chucked in two flush buttons and halved the amount of water that is flushing! 

UNIVERSITIES & SCHOOLS
American’s are all about school, education and extracurricular activities. Most, if not all of the students DO participate in an extracurricular activity and most of them do go to university (college). In Australia, there is not as much pressure on students to undertake activities, go to university or even finish high school. In Australia we have much more options outside of school to complete a course/certificate in a career and there are wider opportunities to get a job before finishing high school. Although, a lot of students do in fact go to university but it is not highly pressured by parents and society (this was the hardest thing to explain to Americans). Schools in America are so incredibly spirited and passionate about their school. Friday nights are football game nights, during the week there is basketball games, baseball games, cheer and football practice and so much more. In Australia, to participate in an extracurricular activity it can be quite expensive and they are held in the community outside of school. 

Of course there is an infinite amount of differences that these two phenomenal, beautiful and unique countries have. The classic ones:
- Australian’s drive on the left side of the road, the American’s are on the right side of the road
-The accents we both has are distinct to those around the world
-The laws are totally different… Guns, gay marriage, marijuana…
-American’s believe us Aussie’s ride our Kangaroos to school
-American’s drive at 16 and drink at 21, Aussie’s drink at 18 and drive at 18
-Religion is widely practiced in America, in Australia we are culturally free
-Chips are fries, serviettes are napkins, toilet is bathroom, ute is truck, dummy is pacifier, mates is friends, tap is faucet, torch is flashlight and bum is butt

If it is one thing I learned while living in a foreign country is, that it has created me to grow a new fond love for my home country and has desired me to explore every inch of this beautiful, lucky country that I am so fortunate to live in. Australia is my home, and always will be… But there is that part of my heart that will forever call the deep American south my home.

Good Vibes and Good Intentions // Midtown Music - Atlanta, GA

For me, the crowd at a music festival is one of the most quintessential prospects that it has to offer. You are surrounding yourself with a great abundance of diversity with the festival goers embracing good vibes and good intentions. There are the happy hellos exchanged from stranger to stranger. The aura of a festival reveals love, paradise and generosity.  

A very early adventure of mine while in the United States was venturing to Atlanta, Georgia and attending the two-day music festival, Midtown Music. How could I not go? Eminem, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Iggy Azalea, Run DMC, Bastille and John Meyer. Just to name a few… 

I believe that Hip hop and Rap is a tough game in the music industry. Especially for us females. I am a big fan of women in the hip hop industry presenting their phenomenal talent and unleashing their fearless and strong lines and verses. Iggy Azalea is a pure example of this. With her outstanding talent and strong mentality, she has immensely blown away the music industry and its fans these past few years. After seeing Iggy strutting that incredible body and hearing her gift of a voice live on stage, she had gained at least one new big fan that Friday night…

Lana lana lana, simply one of the most exquisite, beautiful female artists I have ever come across. Lana Del Rey’s power of words and lyrics has hugely impacted me for years now and she continues to inspire me to create art with my talent and passion for writing. Being immersed into this crowd of Lana fans was so riveting. Hearing her mesmerising lyrics and unique voice, while singing and dancing along with her was nothing but pure serenity for me. You’re one of a kind, Lana. You’re back on my list of artists to see live…

Lorde, herself was quite the performance and seeing her doing her own thing on that stage was such an enjoyment. She has a pure talent for art. The way she presents herself on stage and that voice of hers composes you to let go of every worry, relax your heavy shoulders and sway along to the beat radiating inside of your chest.

Eminem, you awe-inspiring human being. This was the third time I have seen you in the flesh and this time was my favourite, but hopefully not the last. Those that know me, also are aware of my infinite love and adoration for this man. No one could come close to admiring this brilliant man more than I could. I was the closest I have been to him in the three times that I’ve watched him on stage. His enticing voice and engaging beats danced around inside of me and I was inside of my own little world just for a few minutes; no stress, no emotion and no worries. Eminem, you never ever will fail to disappoint me. You truly are my savior, man. 

Crossing fields with musical vibrations in the air, thumping shoulders with strangers, dancing in spirals to the waving beats. The rush of energy pulsating deep inside makes you jump and billow around in the wind, waving your arms absentmindedly and mouthing each word to the music. Music festivals are contagious, they’re an eternal party and they inhabit your senses full of elation. 

Dance away, you beautiful souls.