Blog 18th Anniversary: Changes That Crept Up

 What has changed in the nuances of daily life, surely creeping up gradually and suddenly becoming reality?

I do find the absence of complimentary napkins at food courts. I never had to bring any of mine when I first settled in Sydney. There was always the dutiful handing over of paper napkins with the utensils handed to you.

Nowadays, perhaps in the name of cost reduction or increase of marginal revenue, the food outlet operator gets very miserly about such handouts. Haha, the thought did cross my mind that in a required turnover business, saving costs, like from a missing olive from an aircraft drink, did accumulate to significant higher margins.

Pocket tissues are becoming useful in the ritual of work day lunches out at food courts and takeaway outlets.

Secondly, in the effort to reduce the usage of plastic, we are often now caught without a bag to hold our groceries, especially when we decide, off the cuff, to drop by at the supermarket.

Yet we can see the contradiction when plastic and other non-recyclables are still made available and utilised in every other scenario.

Thirdly, what happened to the previous practice of bringing our own eco-friendly coffee cup to our local barista?

There was a time, not too long ago, when such cups were proudly seen in the office and Saturday morning cafes. 

Number 4, an increasingly regimented traffic order has appeared on footpaths along the beach, when walkers share the way with cyclists and pets.

These paved ways are now marked with a required orderliness to manage the gusto and flow of human movement, especially at sunrise and sunset. 

Fifthly, watching streamed in movies or events on devices does not provide the thrill and joy of shared comaderie like in years past in a cinema hall or gathered around the family tv set.

The price paid for the convenience of anytime viewing is that the consumer is very alone when imbibing the passion, thrill and benefits from a presentation. Live staged events, never to be repeated or made available on various viewing channels, force audiences to share a unique collective togetherness. 

Number six, for a rather simple purpose, manufacturers have provided a rather inflated variety of toasters for our kitchen counter. The design of such devices has become monstrous and over the top with the corresponding prices requested. Top end models are too large, come in fancy colours and may look anything else than a toaster. Yet low end models continue to do the job and last as long.

Not a seventh heaven, the access to an overload of information does create a strong reaction in our individual pysche. Think of news, running figures of market performance and over kill in commentary of events. We need peace away from such constant feed of data and minute changes of analysis, unless we earn our keep or make our financial gains on churn, differences between buy and sell or constant monitoring and analysis.

Finally, we are now more than able to do everything just from one device, even if we are constantly on the move. There is this liberation revolution in lifestyle. We no longer require to have a physical wallet, office drawers and document pouches. Fashion gear or accesories become tools of communication, measurement and identification.

#yongkevthoughts