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Where My Ideas Come From: Life, Not Inspiration

People often ask me where I get my inspiration from. The question is well meaning, but it is not quite the right one. Inspiration usually belongs to imaginative writing. What I write here is not imaginative. It is grounded in real life. A more accurate question would be where I get my ideas from. The answer is simple. From life itself. Ideas come from what I see, experience, and observe, often understood more clearly when looked at in retrospect. Everyday life provides more material than most people realize. The drama that unfolds in workplaces alone is enough to fill a lifetime of writing. Add to that decades of lived experience as a son, husband, father, friend, colleague, brother, and uncle, and the number of possible reflections quickly becomes overwhelming. Many experiences take days or weeks to fully resolve. The flat tire incident , for example, took nearly two weeks from start to finish. That single event could easily produce several more reflections. Most of them will never be...
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The Case of the Flat Tire: A Small Incident With a Big Lesson

After decades of driving, I experienced my first flat tire the other day. It happened after 9 PM, which immediately adds tension to any situation, but there was some good fortune involved. I was in a shopping center car park. It was safe, well lit, and flat. Under the circumstances, that felt like winning a small lottery. I changed the tire using the spare, feeling quietly pleased with myself. The job was done without drama, the car was back on the road, and I drove off with a sense of achievement. That feeling lasted only a few minutes. Soon after, a warning message appeared on the dashboard saying “low tire pressure,” followed by another message advising me to check the tire sensor. At that time of night, panic naturally sets in. I stopped at a nearby service station, checked the tire pressure, and found everything was perfectly fine. Reassured, I drove off again, only to see the warning message stubbornly remain. The next morning, I called the dealership. What they told me sounded a...
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Does Money Really Bring Happiness or Just Fewer Headaches?

Does money give you happiness? This question has been discussed so often that it probably deserves its own public holiday. The usual answer is delivered with great confidence: money does not bring happiness. To support this claim, people often point to wealthy individuals who look stressed, unhappy, or permanently irritated, usually while standing next to very expensive cars. I used to agree with this view. When I was younger and much better at holding strong opinions, I confidently believed that money had little to do with happiness. It sounded wise, philosophical, and impressively detached from reality. Time, unfortunately, has a way of correcting such beliefs. These days, I take a more practical approach. I no longer believe that money magically creates happiness, but I do believe it can make life noticeably less unpleasant. That alone counts for something. Paying bills on time, fixing unexpected problems, and not panicking every time the phone rings all contribute to a calmer exist...
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Living in a Tourist City Without Being a Tourist: A Local Perspective

Have you ever lived in a city known around the world as a tourist destination, only to realize you know very little about the places visitors come to see? That realization caught me off guard recently, and it was more uncomfortable than I expected. I have lived in Brisbane for decades. Like many long-term residents, I move through the city on autopilot. Work, errands, familiar routes, familiar places. Tourist attractions rarely cross my mind. That routine was interrupted one day in the city center when two tourists from France stopped me to ask for directions to a specific destination in Brisbane. To my embarrassment, I had no idea what they were talking about. What made the moment linger was that English was not their first language. They struggled slightly to explain themselves, yet they clearly knew the place well. They had researched it, planned their visit, and traveled across the world to see it. I lived here and did not even recognize the name. That encounter stayed with me. A f...
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Why Does It Always Rain at Funerals in Hollywood Movies?

Here is yet another Hollywood stereotype that never seems to go away. Have you noticed funeral scenes in movies? Not all of them, but most. And somehow, it is always raining. The timing is remarkable. The rain starts at precisely the right moment. Not before, not after. Just enough to set the mood. Dark clouds roll in. Umbrellas appear. Everyone is dressed in black. The widow or widower stands perfectly composed, usually with a single tear that somehow survives the downpour. It is cinematic perfection. What I find impressive is the accuracy. How do they manage this level of weather prediction? If Hollywood directors ever tire of filmmaking, they could easily switch careers and become professional weather forecasters. The confidence alone would be enough. I often wonder whether the funeral is planned around the rain or the rain is added later because it has to be there. When was the last time you heard of relatives deliberately scheduling a funeral because rain was expected. No one ever...
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When Reusable Plastic Bags Became a Business Opportunity

The other day, I went to buy groceries at a large supermarket chain and realized I had forgotten to bring bags. As I stood near the checkout, I noticed a display of reusable plastic bags in different colors, sizes, and designs, neatly arranged for sale. Some of the prices genuinely surprised me. That moment triggered a familiar thought about how we arrived here. I remembered when supermarkets in Australia began presenting themselves as protectors of the environment. Almost overnight, free plastic grocery bags disappeared. The stated goal was to reduce plastic waste, which sounded reasonable. But the focus was not on excessive product packaging. It was on the thin plastic bags customers used to carry groceries home. What replaced them were thicker plastic bags, often colored green and marketed as reusable and environmentally responsible. There was one major change. They were no longer free. Customers were now required to buy them. These new bags used significantly more plastic than the ...
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Stop Oil Posters and Environmental Activism: A Moment of Reflection

The other day, I went into a cake shop and noticed something unexpected. Displayed prominently was a poster with a bright yellow background and the words “Stop Oil” painted in black. The sign itself was made of plastic board and painted with industrial paint. At the time, environmental activism was highly visible in Australia and elsewhere. Protests were common, with traffic blockages and public disruption often justified as necessary to protect the environment. Seeing that message in a small local shop made me pause. Out of curiosity, I asked the young staff member why the poster was there. She appeared to be a high school student working part time. Her answer was simple. She had been asked to display it, and she believed it was a good thing because she cared about the environment. I responded politely and shared something she had not considered. The materials used to make that poster, the plastic board and the paint, were themselves products of oil refinement. Creating, transporting,...
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Paper Straws at the Movies: Are We Really Helping the Environment?

After a very long time, I recently went to the movies at an actual theater. I went with my brother, and as expected, the familiar popcorn and large soft drink combo was part of the experience. What caught my attention was not the movie, but something much simpler. My brother picked up four paper straws for two drinks. Curious, I asked why he needed so many. Was that not unnecessary waste? His answer was straightforward. Things had changed. Plastic straws had been replaced with paper ones in the name of environmental responsibility. The problem, he explained, was that paper straws tend to become soggy after a few minutes. To finish a large cold drink, you often need two or three. He was right. Within minutes, the paper straw softened, lost its structure, and stopped functioning as a straw. By the end of the drink, more than one had been used. What was intended as a solution quickly became a source of additional waste. This led me to reflect on the broader issue. Which option actually us...
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The Salesperson Who Owns the Exact Same Thing

Have you ever noticed this curious pattern while shopping? You walk into a store, browse quietly, and before long a salesperson appears, ready to help. They ask what you are looking for. You explain. Almost immediately, they smile and say something reassuring. They have the exact same product. This has happened to me more than once. Most recently, it happened while I was buying an air conditioner. As soon as I mentioned the model I was considering, the salesperson casually informed me that he had the same one at home. Apparently, it was excellent. Reliable. No issues at all. This moment felt strangely familiar. The memory goes back a long way, to the very first car I ever bought. It was a second-hand car, many years ago. The salesperson was pleasant, confident, and helpful. At some point, he mentioned that he also owned the same car. At the time, this felt comforting. What better recommendation than someone who drives the product themselves. Trusting and naive, I bought it. What follow...
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Hollywood Medicine Cabinets: When One Pill Is Never Enough

Have you noticed that certain patterns in Hollywood movies never seem to disappear? Of all the recurring scenes, one of the most amusing involves prescription medicine. Whenever a hero or heroine is injured, in pain, or unable to sleep, the solution is always close at hand. The scene usually begins in a bathroom. A cabinet door opens, and inside is a perfectly organized collection of prescription bottles. Not a few, but many. Neatly labeled. Professionally arranged. Enough medicine to rival a small pharmacy. No questions are asked about where it all came from or who prescribed it. It is simply there, waiting for the moment. Then comes the dramatic part. Instead of taking one tablet, or even two, the character grabs an entire bottle and swallows everything in one confident motion. No water required. No concern for dosage. No hesitation. The message is clear. Pain solved. Sleep achieved. Emotional crisis postponed. In real life, this would not end well. There is a reason medications come...
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