Food for thought...

[deathpixie]

"So I think what it's done is — and I'm trying to sort of alleviate it as I get older — is always made me feel like I've kind of got to be responsible for everybody's happiness and everybody's satisfaction, which in many ways means that you then leave yourself, your concern then is for everybody else. But I think probably growing up I felt as a kid probably a little more responsible than every other kid in the school ground. I didn't really have a great bunch of friend at school. I kind of sat back in the corner and kind of watched what was going on. In some ways it's obviously been a wonderful thing because it's probably made me be, um, my radar for what's going on for other people be highly tuned, but at the same time I've probably lost a little bit of who I am. Now I'm in my 30s I'm trying to figure out who I am and get back to who I am."

"I feel like I've got this addiction to responsibility in a way. And so essentially what I need to do is just refocus somewhere. Funnily enough about a year and a half ago I had a little bit of a — it wasn't a nervous breakdown, but an overload of stuff. I took myself off to the opposite end of the earth — to Australia I went to north-western Australia for 30 days on my own. I needed to just literally get away from everything so I could at least make some sense of what the hell was going on."

Guy Pearce on Enough Rope last night.

Something for me to ponder, I think...

Comments

[lafee.livejournal.com]

Seems the appropriate time to jump in - hello, I added you as a friend because I was looking to read journals of people who are in Australia... trouble is I wanted to find people who actually had similar interests or something else that would keep me interested (like a good style of writing), so in the end you were the only one I added :)

The reason is I'm going to be in Australia in a couple of months (don't worry, I'm not looking to turn up at your doorstep or anything) and wanted to read up on life down there. This entry struck a chord somewhere - I guess me going on a working holiday at the age of 31 is a way to find out what I really want and who I am, and to get away from everything that is familiar and safe.

Um, enough of an introduction I guess :)
Carry on.

[deathpixie]

Welcome. :)

Last year I took five months off work to travel through Canada and the United States - my version of Guy's sabbatical, I suppose. So yes, I understand the whole "getting away" thing.

*grins* Of course, now I want to take off again. This travel addiction is worse than the responsibility one, I can tell you. ;)

Where in Australia are you planning to go to?

[lafee.livejournal.com]

Travelling really is addictive, I get itchy if I stay in one place too long and I've been stuck here far too long!

I haven't really planned my route that well, but I'll be landing in Sydney first. I was thinking of staying there for a few weeks or maybe a couple of months, and then exploring the southern parts, Tasmania, Melbourne etc. I don't think I want to go up north during the summer months because a northern lass like me wouldn't hold up in the extreme heat that well :)

[deathpixie]

Definitely save the northern areas for winter (June-August) - it's difficult for the natives to handle the heat and humidity Up North in summer. I'd suggest Tasmania in February - it's the hottest month of summer, generally, and Tassie has the mildest climate. And it's gorgeous. :)

*planning Europe for 2005 or 2006*

[lafee.livejournal.com]

Is Tassie overrun by tourists in the summer? I've always wanted to see Tasmania for some undefined reason so I'll definitely be heading that way, probably around that sort of time.

Hee, it's still hard to get my head round to thinking that February will be hot - I'm effectively avoiding the Finnish winter altogether this year, which is great :)

Where in Europe do you plan to go?

[deathpixie]

Tassie rarely gets overrun, even in summer - people tend to forget it's there, which is silly, because it's a nifty place. If you're into hiking and other outdoorsy stuff, it's terrific.

Europe... well, looking mainly at the usual suspects: Italy, France (I want to be there for Le Tour), Great Britain, the Scandanavian countries... Whatever comes up, really. I'm still in the vague "wanna go there" stage of planning. ;) I have a few friends in Sweden and Finland, so I'll be visiting them for sure. :)

[lafee.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd love to go on a hike, see the waterfalls and all that. I'm also told that there are nice beaches there, but then it seems that Australia is full of those! I have a bit of a scheduling problem though - I wanted to catch the Mardi Gras events in Sydney, but it's right smack in the middle of the time I was going to spend travelling the southern parts. I have to be back in Sydney or near some other major airport by the beginning of April, because a friend will be coming over for a visit. ::scratches head::

I was in Paris in 2000 when the cyclists arrived, but didn't go and see the festivities... they went right past the place where I was staying. England is, well, England - I lived there for just over a year back in 95-96. I think Scandinavia is well worth a visit just because it's different from the rest of Europe. Norway is yet another story (I went to Bergen a couple of years ago and loved it), so if you have time I recommend it. And, well, if you do come to Finland, I'd be happy to show you around my home town (Turku) :)