Words behind Women

"Never underestimate yourself. You are stronger, smarter and more resilient than you think you are. Don't be offended if others underestimate you; if you're motivated by what others think of you, you'll never be fulfilled. Back yourself and go for it!" 

Chelsea Bonner said that. She is one of the gutsy dames featured as Australia's Top 100 Inspiring Women in an article in Madison magazine's latest and last (another one bites the dust, hashtag cryingshame) issue. 

There was a lot to find inspiring about these women - who also included Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton; Julia Gillard: Layne Beachley; Yassmin Abdel-Magied; Annie Crawford; Marina Go; Elizabeth Debicki; and Jacqueline Arias. They have a lot to be proud of and had a lot to say.

One thing I noticed throughout the article; when the women came to speak about their experiences and share some learned life lessons, a recurring theme was not listening to people who doubt your ability and not listening to your own self-doubts and self-imposed limits. And that great shoes are important (dah!).

"set your own standards and way of doing things. You don't have to follow set paths."

"Never think about your differences, but about your strengths."

"Don't limit yourself with low expectations."

"Don't be pigeonholed by expectations."

"Don't let gender expectations or stereotypes pre-emptively restrict your options in life and don't listen to people who say that you 'can't do' something."

"Face your fears early in life - they only grow bigger if you don't."

Clearly the words we say to ourselves as well as the words others lay on us have the power to point us in just about any direction. 

Check out the article if you have the chance - so many strong, industrious female folk all in the one feature.

PS I love this blog post by Paulo Coelho on The Power of the Word.

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20 Top Songs in 20 Years

For the past two weeks, that bastion of good musical taste and daily yummy ear treats, Triple J has been running a vote for the Hottest 100 Songs of the Past 20 Years. 

And given that I am a geek music lover with a penchant for lists,   ... a tendancy for anal retentiveness ...  a geek streak, I have been reminiscing and cataloging my favourite songs between 1993 and 2012. 

I tried to find songs that I not only utterly love but covered one or more of the traits of music that - when wafting loudly from my car speakers - make it difficult for me to retain an air of dignity while sitting in plain sight of other drivers at the lights: a) dancey b) poppy c) rappy d)Aussie e) rocky f) beautiful voicey g) from an all time best albummy and/or h) clever lyricsy.

In chronological order:

Linger - The Cranberries (1993)

Distant Sun - Crowded House (1993)

Laid - James (1994)

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye (1995)

Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve (1997)

Brimful of Asha - Cornershop (1997)

These Days - Powderfinger (1999)

Right Here, Right Now - Fatboy Slim (1999)

I Try - Macy Gray (1999)

Porcelain - Moby (2000)

We Come 1 - Faithless (2001)

(note: this is my favourite version of this song ... listen for what Maxi Jazz says in the last few seconds. It always gets me!)

Superstylin' - Groove Armada (2001)

Lose Yourself - Eminem (2002)

Seed 2.0 - The Roots (2003)

Mr Brightside - The Killers (2004)

Fix You - Coldplay (2005)

Kids - MGMT (2008)

The Fear - Lily Allen (2008)

And the Boys - Angus & Julia Stone (2010)

Shake it Out - Florence + the Machine (2011)

It also pained me not to include:

• The Test - Chemical Brothers with Richard Ashcroft
• Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill
• Orange Crush - REM
• Are you gonna go my way - Lenny Kravitz
• Friday I'm in Love - The Cure
• Something Good - Utah Saints
• Lost - The Badloves
• Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
•  Carnival - Natalie Merchant
• Born Slippy - Underworld
• Professional Widow - Tori Amos
• It's Like That - Run DMC
• My Friend - Groove Armada
• Silent Sigh - Badly Drawn Boy
• Relapse - Little Birdy
• Draw Your Sword - Angus & Julia Stone
• Thank You - Dido
• Hurts Like Heaven - Coldplay
• All that you can't leave behind - U2
• Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

I could go on. I better stop. Hammer time. 

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Say Anything

Years ago I went to visit my late Nan in a retirement home. At the time my daughter was only a few months old and as I walked through the corridors, quite a few residents came up to say hello and look at the baby. One man approached me, smiled at my daughter and gave her head a gentle pat. “What’s her name?” he asked. “Asha,” I replied.

He stopped, looked at me in exasperation and cried, “They’ll call children anything these days!”

Brilliant! After he shuffled away I told my mother, “I can’t wait to get old. You can say absolutely anything to anyone.” It’s always been an aspiration of mine to be the old lady that sits on her porch while the kids in the neighbourhood cross the road to avoid her honest mean comments. (Well, that happens now but the kids are my own).

English writer, Ian Martin has just turned 60 and to mark the milestone,he has penned 60 thoughts about turning 60. Here are my favourites:

1. People who "hate getting old" are idiots. Every year is a privilege. Let me tell you, callow miserabilists: getting to 60 feels like a triumph. I have no idea how I made it this far, but I am very grateful.

6. When someone starts a sentence "I'm not being …", they always are.

7. Actions speak louder after four pints.

10. Grandparenthood is a beautiful revelation. You have kids, you know you will never experience that feeling of unconditional love for anyone else, ever, and then it happens all over again. A heart-stoppingly beautiful miracle.

23. Sixty observations is suddenly feeling like quite a lot, to be honest.

34. Bah!

56. Before you say anything nasty about someone, just pause for a second and browse through some really good adjectives in your head.

There’s something to be said for saying what’s on your mind and speaking the truth. So much more interesting than towing the line.

With that in mind, here’s some of mine:


1.  I find Justin Timberlake’s music overwhelmingly underwhelming (although he seems nice, funny and a good actor ... sorry, I’m not copping out but honesty is one thing and totally trashing people on the internet is another)

2. What is the point of wine racks? Storing the empties before recycling day?

3.  I like both Apple and Moses as human names.

4.  For everyone confused about all this tech talk of the ‘cloud’ I’ll let you in on a little secret: ... it means “the internet”. End of.

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Research reveals that children who eat their crusts have curly hair

You don't say?

It seems everywhere we turn there is research revealing how to stack a dishwasher; that eating greens is good for you; that daughters benefit from being around their mothers; that we are more likely to die by being hit by a falling toilet than eaten by a shark. 

Rather than feeling we have been educated, our reactions are often either skeptical "what BS!", indifferent "why is this necessary to know?" or unimpressed "I could have told you that for free without the help of a 6 year, $2million study".

Has research lost its power to impress? Are we becoming pedantic, over-sharing, over-reliant followers of dubious data samples? Do we need to become more judicious with issues we deem worthy of a) research and b) cocky about proving or making arguments based on the results? 

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Quest for the Best

Remember in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega couldn't believe Mrs Mia Wallace ordered a milk shake retailing at an exorbitant  $5? That almost seems like a bargain price today. 

The collective we of consumers seem to be on a maniacal quest to find ways to spend our money, so those that invent and produce stuff are given the opportunity to do so – the higher the quality, the more and more they can charge.

If we want to run, we need to buy the most expensive shoes for the best performance. If we want to start bike riding, why would we bother buying a second hand pushy for $50 when we can spend $2,000 on something really schmick? We could, but price invariably brings prestige and excellence. And we certainly deserve that. Not to mention, it’s our money so we can do what we like with it.

To convince people to pay more for what they offer, when it comes to craftsmanship, attention to detail, presentation and customer service; all entrepreneurs must bring it. That’s the Rules of Business 101, right?

Then for Jack Rabbit Slim’s sake, let the standard of marketing reflect the worth.

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