I’ve had an interest in cars and sports for a while but that was taken over rapidly with travel. This providing a way to experience lots of odd tid bits here and there. I became fascinted with things i’d previously payed no heed to whatsoever. I’d never had an interest in pouring tea before I went to Morocco but when there I was captivated with the process.

PR consultancy is throwing up similar opportunities to learn odd things from varied people. While learning so much about my own profession, I’m learning just as much about other people’s.

Point is that I’m often more inclinded to distance myself from something popular initially based on it being popular rather than its actual merits. Perhaps it comes from my penchance for Triple J, which is anything but commercial. Or my desire to be different and unique and like a dazzling star flying across the nights sky…..among all the other stars in the universe.

Regardless, I often do come to realise the beauty of things that are popular and I am not ashamed to sing their praises once I do. My latest is the iPhone. My, what a tool – and I’m not refering to the people that use them as I originally would have. Now days I go everywhere with it, finding my way on the go, booking places, contacting people, taking photos – it’s a veritable swiss army knife with a fifth dimension. Also I can talk to it and it will call people for me – this doesn’t save any time or is really that useful – but I feel sooooo cool doing it. Perhaps I’m being a bit narrow minded when I say this, but I feel like as a modern man, I breath, iPhone. Cavemen used rocks, the modern man uses an iPhone. I’m not going overboard here I think, it’s not like I have a name for the thing and take it to bed with me tucked up in a little iSleepingBag – it’s just an inordinately useful tool – and I really like that and it deserves to be popular.

There’s a reason why there are always crowds at the Eiffel tower.

p.s Here’s a list of other popular things that I am quite partial too.

- The song ‘someone I used to know’ by Gotye

- Lady Gaga

- The new Kia Optima

- Krispy Kreme Donuts

- The sound of a Commodore V8

- The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

- The film Notting Hill

Whilst living overseas I was able to meet people of all types – from people who had a white grand piano in their two story apartment to people who lived meal to meal. My latest move to Melbourne has been an extension of this exploration and I’ve shared valuable time with a range of people. In doing this I try to adapt and forge myself to fit their mould somewhat, which despite sounding soulless is a necessity to a degree. In different social networks people operate under different norms, codes and rules. Doing one thing in one sub-culture can be interpreted completely different in another. For example gently nudging someone towards a pile of horse manure on the footpath could be seen as a cheeky joyful blag in one culture but a bit on the nose in another.

Yet by quoting another awesome chap from history, I’d like to point out to myself if no one else that it is important not to forget who you actually are. Ghandi said something along the lines of ‘I will open my doors and windows to the winds of all cultures but I won’t let any blow me off my feet’. Recently I have been having trouble with some of the social mores of a certain social group and I was trying harder and harder to fit myself right – struggling with the realisation that I wasn’t quite getting it. I then had a skype chat with one of my mates whose now living in France and the differences between him and my pals here was dramatic.  It got me realising that it is important to understand the rules and expectations of a cultural group, but you don’t have to let them own you. It is handy to have enough social capital to engage with people from different groups, but you don’t have to emulate it to learn from it.

If social groups, cultures, sub-cultures and societies were a smorgasbord of food it would be a shame to gorge yourself only at the one plate – that’s a Justin special.

Along the way however my mind got drunk on my emotions and my vision was hazy like a junkie on artificial cannabis. I thought things that I wouldn’t normally have and when I questioned myself I was unsure if I could trust my own judgement. My actions too reflected my inability to function on a proper cerebral level so I clung to the only solid thing I could on the shifting sea of social mores. I stuck fast to the rule of common sense that the best way to get over someone is to give them a wide berth – but to no avail (the common phrase about absence and the heart did not come to mind). And then I listened to this:

My intentions were always pure but my actions were not being interpreted as such. It was interesting and frustrating to find out that what I did could be seen completely oppositely to that which I intended. As Ellen says – no one rocks up to work thinking ‘I’m going to be really difficult to be around’ or ‘Who’s someone I can bully now’ – interpretations are very personal and there are not always steadfast rules.

So after listening to this I scrapped my rule idea and dug to the root of my feelings. I did want to have this person in my life – and as a friend would actually be quite alright.

All situations are unique and it pays to be mindful.

Recently I struck gold. At work we needed some posters put up around the town and I was asked to find some friends who would like to earn some pocket money. Bingo. So when ever I saw a homeless person asking for money I told them that I had some work that they could do. I took some phone numbers (this is Australian poverty keep in mind), and agreed to meet people at certain places at certain times. All in all I asked six different people, four were very keen but didn’t show when I needed them, one wasn’t interested and one showed up an hour late. So perhaps it was a fruitless exercise, but I think not. The one who showed up had her 19 month old baby in tow and she’d taken a long tram ride to get there – she was determined and happy to work.

Lots of factors must come into someone being homeless in Australia, and I think it would be too easy and simple to stop helping because a few seem unfavorable. Even though most people that I asked didn’t end up working in the end, I’ve no idea what they are dealing with, or what obstacles held them back from earning some money – mental, financial, or physical. One person did come and work though – which I’m sure made a small, but not negligible impact on her immediate future.

From talking to people who are begging for money I’ve found that they aren’t always homeless and might just need some extra money to get by. I don’t think that just handing it over to them is the answer as it continues the cycle but there are things that we can do. Giving food or advice could prove to be infinitely more valuable. Regardless, at the end of the day we are all people.

I thought coming to Melbourne that the weather would be sub par – but I’ve really learned something here too. Despite it being just a few days past the winter equinox the sun is shining brightly and it is ace weather for kicking a footy and cracking out the slackline. I’ve also got my act together on the tennis court and been for many a wander around the streets.

Not only is working good, but it makes not working better too!

This quick transition of do-gooder to what ever the opposite is cut quickly and deeply. I was the direct cause for her wasting two bottles of wine and the glass probably $50 worth or so. That’s the opposite of being helpful.

Unfortunately this transition was one that I’d experience again soon.

‘I got exceptionally bad results’ is what my sister said. That was three weeks after I had heavily edited and made suggestions to her University essay. I didn’t help much with the content as I know as much about psychology as I do about the iPhone app Viber (I know it exists but not how to use it), I only added my two cents worth on the structure of the essay. So my sister following her big brothers advice made the suggested changes and received worse marks than she had received before. The feedback particularly targeted the poor structure.

So once again I’ve created more harm than good even though my heart was in the right place. I wonder what really matters in the end? If I asked my sister I’m sure she’d probably take better marks, and I’ve little doubt the wine lady would take the Shiraz.

What worries me most about this string of doing good turning to bad is that things often happen in threes. So I’ve got a terrible feeling that by reading this you have been sufficiently distracted enough to forget that you left your iron on and your clothes are on fire. I’m terribly sorry.

Yet if it weren’t for all of the loopy, creative and fascinating activities and people in Melbourne it would be a shame to live here. It’s cold, the rent is high and it takes a dreadfully long time to get from anywhere to someplace different. Here the appeal of country towns is evident and it is surprising that more people don’t live there. If working, watching TV, seeing a film, playing sports and having some open spaces is your cup of tea (you must be willing to part with the coffee too) then you should not be in the city. But for me, for this moment I am lapping up the oddities. I just returned from seeing a friend of a friend perform a gig at a hotel down the road. She sung the most hauntingly uplifting songs with an insatiable voice whilst wearing a pink unicorn outfit. Fill me with your weird Melbourne.

Position available for Motivated Self Starter

Interested in having the freedom to work for yourself when you want, where you want and how you want?  Have no experience and want to get out of the daily grind? Then read on and apply.

A position will be made available for a self starter with strong communication and organisational skills. In order to excel you must be highly motivated, have strong presentation experience, creativity and the ability to find and exploit opportunities.

Essential requirements:

• Strong list of contacts and the ability to network effectively with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Exceptional time management skills are paramount. This position is very flexible and enables you to work at the hours of your choosing in a completely autonomous environment.
• Goal focussed and able to reach specific KPI’s (key performance indicators) on a bi-weekly basis.
• Ability to make appointments with government departments and adhere to them on a regular basis – your salary will depend upon it.
• Strong communication skills are essential both written and spoken as cold calls will be required and your writing must withstand scrutiny.
• Outstanding attention to detail and understanding of grammar and punctuation.
• You must be familiar with Microsoft Word, file management, strategically using social media and have strong internet research skills.
• Professional appearance and developed interpersonal skills are critical to your success in this role.
• A University degree will be looked upon favourably but will not guarantee success in this position.

This got me thinking about how the simplest things are often the best. Recently I’ve had the opportunity to go to many job interviews and I’ve tried out a few different techniques. Initially I didn’t want to be too stiff or unnatural so I went in rather casually. Though I dressed presentably my demenour may not have been what was desired. I referenced ‘balls’ somewhere during the interview and though I don’t think it is a swear word, I will concede that it probably wasn’t appropriate. Lesson learned. At the following interviews I tried to be what they wanted – a lean, mean sales machine and I gave them the slicked back ‘I am the right man for the job’ Justin. This didn’t feel natural at all and I failed to truely give the best impression of myself.

I just had an interview today for a job that I am very keen on and I tried to keep the tram in mind. All I needed to do was show why I wanted the job, why I’m good for the job and then let us both decide if we are good for each other. I wasn’t too casual this time, I didn’t try to be anything that I’m not and I took the time to think about the questions I was asked and wanted to ask. These are all simple things but they’re often the best.