Tag: Share Your World

Northern Ireland VS Australia

Having looked at the pros and cons for Australia in my previous post, let me take you through my pros and cons for living in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Pros :

– Family & friends. My absolute number one reason for moving home is seeing my family and friends and making more memories. Covid has given me a new appreciation for spending time with loved ones, especially as we haven’t seen them in person for over three years.

– The Scenery. Northern Ireland is very green and scenic. It has lots to offer in terms of sightseeing, for example, the north coast. Also I plan to visit more of Ireland as a whole and explore what is on my own doorstep.

– Europe. Northern Ireland may have left Europe (unwillingly) but we are still situated in the European continent. This means we can travel pretty much anywhere in Europe quickly and relatively cheaply, as opposed to when living in Australia. It really is amazing to have Europe in your back yard and I plan to take advantage and make the most of travelling to places in Europe in the future.

– No natural disasters. Yes the weather in Northern Ireland can be horrendous, being wet and cold almost all of the year but at least we don’t suffer the extremities such as fires, floods, earthquakes and volcanoes etc.

– The NHS. Yes the National Health Service has its fair share of problems but it is still a free health service (I know we pay through our taxes) and a pretty good one, most of the time, especially in Northern Ireland. To receive free health care for everyone is fantastic and I actually really loved working for the NHS.

– The Craic. In our country, this term means fun and good times. It can also mean sense of humour. People in Northern Ireland are great fun and have the best craic. They are also very friendly and hospitable people.

– The bright nights. In Northern Ireland it can stay bright until 11pm at night in the summer months. I took this for granted until I moved to Australia, where it never stays light past 6 or 7pm.

Northern Ireland Cons :

– The Weather. Unfortunately this has to be top of my list. The weather is pretty horrendous in Northern Ireland for a really long part of the year. From end of September until about April, it will be really cold with good chances of rain, sleet, snow and hail. They even had snow in June this year! We do have the odd good day now and again. Unfortunately we do have the most beautiful scenery but it is all weather dependent.

– Spides & Millbags. Yes most of the people in Northern Ireland are extremely friendly but we do have a minority of people known as spides and millbags. These are people who can be described as being small minded, brash, loud, still argue about religion, never leave Northern Ireland and have the worst dress sense. I, for one, do not miss these people. I’m sure every country has their fair share of people like this but in Northern Ireland, they’re a breed of their own. Most of the time you can avoid them but now and again they will leave their homes and make an appearance into your safe little world.

– Religion. Northern Ireland, sadly is still stuck in the past with regards to religion. You have Protestants and Catholics (both a Christian religion 🤷🏼‍♂️) still arguing about Northern Ireland and whether it should belong to Ireland or belong to the United Kingdom. I actually think it’s not even about religion anymore but more about territory. Thankfully, these people are in the minority and I don’t personally know many people who still think like this but they do still exist in Northern Ireland. Thanks to immigration these people are being diluted and the country is moving forward, albeit at a snails pace.

– The dark mornings and nights. Just like the cold and wet weather, Northern Ireland is also pretty dark for a lot of the year. You will go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. This is pretty grim to be honest. Due to this, many things do not open early, for example, it’s nearly impossible to obtain a coffee before 9am. I think I will struggle with this since living in Bondi where you can grab a coffee as early as 5.30 am.

– The Government. I don’t like talking about politics so I will just say that our government is pretty basic. They argue with each other and when one party can’t agree with another party, they just stop working altogether. They actually still get paid even though the government stops working. They take whatever rules they want from the UK and if they don’t like them, they will change them to suit their own religious agenda and beliefs.

Even writing about religion and the government in Northern Ireland makes me cranky. On the whole, Northern Ireland is a great country with lots of character and interesting people. I love being from Northern Ireland as I can have dual nationality, meaning we can carry an Irish and British passport. Northern Ireland is a unique country with lots of potential. We are really upping our game in terms of attractions, bars, restaurants, hotels and even media (think Game of Thrones). I honestly hope you all have the opportunity to visit Northern Ireland one day.

Thanks for reading my part two blog post on the pros and cons of both Australia and Northern Ireland. Do you agree or disagree with any of my points? Have you ever been to these countries or want to visit in the future?

Take care,

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 Share your World 5/7/22

Another set of great questions from our Melanie 😊

What do you think it means to be healthy?

Healthy is looking after ourselves and trying our best to maintain our health. I’m sure most of us know what we have to do to be healthy, ie. having a healthy diet, exercising, reduce alcohol consumption, no smoking etc. etc. I know it’s not always easy to do these things. Life can often get in the way and there are also additional factors at play, for example, our environmental, social, mental, emotional and physical elements that can limit or affect our lifestyle choices. We just have to do the best we can. Your health is your wealth. I appreciate this more than ever since becoming a nurse.

Is being obsessive about someone or something a good thing?

Personally, I don’t think it’s a good thing. Yes it’s great to be focused and determined but it can be a fine line between that and becoming obsessive. I have seen this with training at the gym and people becoming so fixated on results, what they eat etc. to the point of being unhealthy, both mentally and physically.

Being obsessive with a person can really affect your mental health and you may make poor decisions as a result. It is also not good for the person being obsessed over.

After a disagreement with your significant other, do you initiate the makeup conversation or wait for your signature other to do it?

Thankfully I can disagree with my partner about anything and it never results in an argument. Therefore, we never have to have a makeup conversation. I’m very lucky that we’re both pretty relaxed and carefree.

Have you ever done something incredibly embarrassing in front of a huge crowd?

I remember being a teenager in high school. We were practicing the high jump and instead of jumping gracefully over the pole, I jumped straight into the right stand holding the pole up. It was extremely embarrassing and actually quite painful. I had to limp away with my tail between my legs. Not my finest hour and needless to say, I didn’t become a high jump professional 🙈.

What’s your sweetest memory from childhood?

Helping to look after my baby sisters.

Why can’t I get a tan like this anymore?! 🤣

Thanks for reading and have a great week everyone!

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share Your World 28-06-22

Melanie’s questions from her Share Your World this week are:

What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?

Most of you probably know this by now 🤣 but I love going to the gym, going out for a coffee and walking. Lots and lots of walking. Maybe about 20,000 steps along a coastal route would be perfect for me.

Now that Covid isn’t so strictly monitored and folks can go out and about again, are you into after-work happy hours?

Not really to be honest. As I’m a nurse, I don’t really have the time to attend happy hours. If I am free in the afternoon, I usually head to the gym. I don’t really drink during the week and they don’t seem to have happy hours at the weekends much. Don’t get me wrong, I love happy hours but they just don’t fit into my daily schedule.

What physical traits do you share with your relatives?

Wrinkles. The ONE physical feature I have from my Dad’s side is wrinkles on my face and lots of them around my eyes. Sad but true 😜 but at least I have my hair on my head.

How long does it take you to decide if you like someone or not?

I normally make my mind up pretty quickly and I like to feel I’m a good judge of character. I like most people thankfully 😅.

GRATITUDE SECTION

Feel free to share some wisdom you live by.

Try to make the most of every day. Life is too short and you never know what is around the corner so go out and enjoy the little things in life and appreciate everything that’s good in your life 😊.

Thanks for reading and thank you Melanie for some more great questions.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday thoughts 💭 – Share your world 07-06-22

Melanie’s questions this week are good ones in my opinion 🤗 so thank you Melanie.

When you were a kid, did you eat the crusts on your sandwich or not?

Yes absolutely. I love the crusts and still do. They also give you curly hair!

Are you a fan of musicals—why or why not?

Yes I LOVE musicals. I love the energy and the way that musicals can be emotive, really lifting your spirits with one song and the next you could be weeping like a willow. I used to work in the Grand Opera House Belfast as an usher and this is where my love for musicals blossomed. We were able to watch every single show that visited the Opera House. I remember “having” to watch Chicago for fifteen shows straight…and I loved every minute of it. The euphoria you feel at the end, when everyone is clapping and the actors take their bows, it’s another level.

Is it difficult to do what you do? (for a living, hobby etc.). If you’re retired, what you ‘did’ previously for a job can be substituted.

I am a registered nurse here in Sydney. I would say it is a tough job but when you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t seem so bad. The tasks that we have to perform are not difficult, as we are well trained. It’s the obstacles in front of us that can make our work hard. For example, being short staffed, not having the resources we need, having numerous tasks to perform in a short period of time, not to mention the things that can happen out of the blue, i.e. if a patient becomes really sick or we enter a pandemic. The last two years have been extremely difficult for nurses worldwide. Not only for the extra duties we have to carry out and the PPE that we have to wear for a whole shift but we were also fearful of becoming sick ourselves and/or bringing the virus home to our loved ones. You not only become physically exhausted but also emotionally drained. I feel for those nurses who were working in nursing homes, emergency, ICU and the covid wards. When family were unable to see loved ones. That must have been heartbreaking for everyone concerned and for the nurses being the patients first and maybe only point of call. Nurses do not want to be recognised as superheroes, we want to be seen as professionals in our trade and respected and paid accordingly 😊.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? (Doesn’t have to be a rock concert either).

Eminem, Glasgow, 2003. I’m not a huge rap fan but he was really out of this world. Also John Legend in Atlantic City, 2005 was pretty special.

GRATITUDE SECTION

Looking back over your life, what is one thing you’re grateful for? One thing you really regret?

I’m grateful for the upbringing I was given. To be kind and respectful to others, to be the best person I can be. The one thing I do regret is undertaking a geography degree. I completed it but it has done nothing for me. It was one of those degrees that everyone seemed to be doing whilst having a great time at uni so I thought, sure why not. However, it was a complete waste of time. Maybe I learned some life lessons but that’s about it 🙈.

Thanks for reading guys. Have a great day.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈

I read the most amazing, open and honest blog post this morning and wanted to share it with you all, especially, as for many people around the world, pride is being celebrated this month. We should be proud of who we were born to be and educate others who are still ignorant to what it’s like to be a gay person.

It’s LGBTQ Pride Month. I was struggling with what to write about that has not already been done, and better, by smarter, more talented people than …

Pride: A Powerful Reminder.

Thanks for reading guys and have a lovely day.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share your World 31/05/22

First of all, was anyone a little excited when they awoke to find the WordPress app looking a lot different?! The black background with the rainbow W really jumped out at me and jolted me from my groggy state. I was curious to see what it was all about. When opening the app, the screen said there was a new block editor feature. Ok, yes that’s great but why the dramatic change in appearance? I mean, I like it, a lot but what does it mean?? Is it temporary? I can’t see anything on Google so if you hear or see anything be sure to let me know 😊

Version 19.9

Melanie’s questions this week from her Share your World segment are as follows:

Has anyone ever tried to scam you?

Not recently but when I was 16 years old I had a customer tried to scam me on more than one occasion. I was working my first job at a supermarket and I loved it. I worked on the checkouts putting through people’s groceries. One day, a woman gave me a fake £20 bank note. I didn’t realise and I was pulled into the manager’s office and reprimanded. The second time it happened again. The same lady came to me and this time I suspected the note looked dodgy but I freaked out and accepted it. I was so worried about getting in trouble that I replaced the fake note with one of mine (£20 was a lot of money for a 16 year old). It happened to me a third time and I had no idea this time, how could I have been so stupid and not realised AGAIN?! I was in so much trouble with my manager that I was so scared to go back to work on the checkouts. I had some training in identifying fake notes but I had lost all confidence at this stage and just didn’t want to let anyone down again. The fourth time 🙈! I knew who the woman was and my managers put me to the test. I was used as bait. When the woman came to my checkout and handed me the fake note, I knew this time. I nodded to my manager and she was questioned by them and the police. I felt bad for her that she maybe had to use fake notes but at the same time, I was angry that she kept picking me as she obviously thought I was an easy target. However, little did she know that I nearly lost my first job and I was traumatised from that experience in future retail jobs. I did learn a valuable lesson though. I certainly knew how to spot fake notes and I had the confidence to speak up about it. Luckily for me and future companies 😉, it never happened again.

What’s the best thing about parties?

Meeting new people. I love talking to others and having interesting conversations.

Do you listen to people’s advice if you didn’t ask for it?

Yes I do if it’s valid and it comes from good place.

Why is it impossible to spell funeral without fun?

Good question. Maybe funerals are meant to be fun, I mean as a way of celebration for the person’s life or maybe it’s just a coincidence as it comes from the Latin word funus (which still has fun in it!).

GRATITUDE SECTION

How was last week for you?

I had a very busy 6 day working week. I just kept my head down and got on with it but it was all good. I can’t complain 😊.

Thanks for reading everyone. Take care,

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share your World 24/5/22

Melanie’s questions from her Share your World this week are:

If You Could Be Best Friends With A Celebrity, Who Would It Be?

I would have to choose Chris Hemsworth or Zac Efron, simply so they could help me with my gym training 😜.

What is, or should be, the main purpose of law?

To keep everyone safe and to have order in the world.

Do You Care About Reviews?

Yes I do to a certain extent. I often look at reviews for hotels or a product before I purchase. However, it’s good to go with a majority vote as some reviews can be over the top. Especially with hotel reviews, some people complain about the silliest things 🙊.

Is the ‘mind’ different to the ‘brain’? If so, in what ways?

I would say yes. They are interchangeable, however, for me, the brain is the biological aspect whereas, the mind is the psychological aspect. They depend on each other to coexist (if that makes sense).

GRATITUDE SECTION

Overall how sunny is your nature?

I’m a pretty happy and upbeat person I think. I like to make others feel happy too 😊

Have a great Tuesday guys!

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share your World

Hooray for Melanie’s questions making a return for her Share the World blog post. I love these random questions as a way of learning more about others and sharing a little more about myself. Melanie has posted the following questions and you can read my answers below 👇🏼.

1 – What two totally normal things become really weird if you do them back to back?

I would say brushing your teeth and then having a coffee. I’m sure the coffee would taste really minty. I always wait a good half an hour after brushing my teeth before I have coffee.

2 – What is something that you just recently realized that you are embarrassed by, that you didn’t realize embarrassed you?

I haven’t really been embarrassed by anything for a long time thankfully. I do tend to be embarrassed if people I know speak very loudly, especially on public transport and normally regarding a private matter. I guess I find it strange that people can hear you airing your dirty laundry (so to speak).

3 – If Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Germany, the USA, Brazil and Italy were represented by one food, which would it be for each?

Australia – Lemingtons

NZ – kiwi fruit (may not be the case but it makes me think of NZ 🤣).

UK – bangers and mash

Ireland – Shepherd’s Pie

Germany – Curry Wurst

USA – burgers or anything deep fried

Brazil – Brazil nuts (may also not be from Brazil)

Italy – Pasta

4 – What might happen if Goldilocks and the Three Bears were set in modern times?

I think the bears would eat Goldilocks.

5 – Where was the most most embarrassing or inappropriate place you’ve passed audible gas?

In the gym! Thankfully only one other person heard but I was mortified.

Thanks Melanie and thanks for reading everyone. Feel free to answer also in the comments section 🙂.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share your World 05/04/22

Thank you Melanie once again for your questions. I will use these for my Tuesday Thoughts today 🙌🏼. I love this Share Your World blog which you can check out again here. A great idea to connect with others and answer questions that you would not normally be asked. Check out my responses below 👇🏼

Are you more productive at night or in the morning? Do you think it’s possible to change and get used to another schedule?

I am always more productive in the morning. My brain must work better or maybe because I’m refreshed from a good sleep. I am more focused in the mornings and determined to meet my goals. I think it is possible to change, however, other things in your life would need to change. Maybe going to bed later and rising later. Maybe going to the gym in the evening might provide you with more energy. Who knows. All I know is that I’m content with my morning productiveness 😆.

What’s the biggest vehicle you’ve driven? If you don’t drive, what’s the biggest vehicle you’ve ridden in?

The biggest vehicle was a Renault Scenic. Maybe not that big for some but my first car to drive was a Ford Fiesta so the Scenic seemed pretty big. I loved that feeling of sitting up high with a good view around you. My dream is to drive and stay in a camper-van one day but like one of those big motor homes from Meet the Fockers.

What songs would be played on a loop in hell?

Oh anything heavy metal or trance music. That would be painful 🙉.

How were your spirits (mood) over the past week?

Pretty good to be honest. I have a lot to look forward to this year and plans are starting to come together. Watch this space 😉.

Thanks everyone and have a good week. Enjoy your Tuesday (Monday night for some).

Wayne ✌🏽

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Tuesday Thoughts 💭 – Share your World 22/03/22

For today’s post I want to reply to Melanie’s post which you can find here on SHARE YOUR WORLD. I love the idea of sharing our thoughts. Ps. I just missed my spot to hop off the train by about three stops. The joys of being engrossed in the blogosphere 😬.

What very common thing have you never done?

I have never been married to the opposite sex.

Are we morally obligated to be charitable, if we have the means to?

This is a really tough question. I don’t think we are morally obligated but it is the right thing to do. We should want to help others as decent human beings. I feel morally obligated to help Ukraine but feel so helpless as a single entity to do anything significant.

What is the most amazing fact you know?

That the sun will rise again tomorrow.

What’s your favorite sandwich and why?

Chicken and cheese all the way!

Something that inspires me…

The youth of today inspire me, especially their stance on global warming and wanting to improve the world we live in.

Thanks for taking the time to read my Tuesday Thoughts and thanks to Melanie for the inspiration.

By the way, I actually can’t believe this but I have just missed my train spot again on the return train!!!!! No more blogging for me this morning 🤦🏼‍♂️.

Wayne ✌🏽

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