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

Blog 18th Anniversary: Shake Up

 What can be the silver lining in a crisis?

When pessimism blankets the land, with drastic changes in the social order, can such a situation also bring out the best in human behaviour, despite the obvious signs of negativity?

Life is not a monochrome, but a rich tapestry of various outcomes, emotions and self effort. 

Is there opportunity in gloom?

Particular sectors, trades and professions can always thrive during good times and bad, because of their unique niche and roles.

The wreckage can be first surveyed by peddlers, most likely out to take advantage of scarcity, greed and basic want. Whether it is questionable or still ethical, some individuals and businesses can profit from a crisis, as against the overall good of society.

Existing systems already facing problems will be shaken in crisis. They can be forms of government, financial setups, trading orders, means of social communication, ways of delivering products and services or the divide between the various social classes. 

The world can witness more significant changes in mankind's development borne out of upheaval than during stable periods. At times, whole regions fall into relapse before rising again like the proverbial Pheonix.

It is not unexpected, after a catastrophic event, Mother Earth takes occasion to heal, regrow and revive. This may happen despite the ravages inflicted by humankind, biological organisms or atmospheric forces. The environment reintensifies with oxygen, over farming is stopped in the tracks and there is more time for non-human species to flourish again.

When human populations get decimated - and what many of us take for granted are taken away - the mindset of human individuals and communities can be reshaped by moderation, realisation and reinspiration.

People and societies find another way, perhaps more effective ones, of doing things and viewing their place in the Universe.

The true character of individuals, whether they are leaders, business allies, or just your friends or relatives, can be suddenly sifted out in the shake up. The best of true friendships are reinforced and at the same time, the worst of unreliable relationships are revealed. 

In a crisis, over the top materialism and excessive consumption are stripped bare for what they are. A monetary system that trades on dubious underlying values can be ripped apart. Governments that take the easy way out by printing money without supporting assets are caught. Nations that put the proverbial eggs in one basket will find grief in over depending on the golden goose that can no longer lay those easy come easy go revenue eggs. Players are shaken off their comfort zones.

So overdue restructuring of economic and trade parameters can be pushed forward in a crisis. Bad business management is thrown out, in an escalated way.

Man made boundaries are thrown off their shackles in times of war, whether initiated by aggressors of whatever kind - humans, artificial intelligence or biological. Traditional ways of seeing the world are disrupted.

#yongkevthoughts

A Wish for Bon Voyage

 May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours

wherever you may roam.

Blog 18th Anniversary: The Duopoly of Australian Supermarkets

 The duopoly of supermarkets continues across Australia, as corporate muscles are flexed against suppliers, staff and customers in a relentless obsession of growth in profits, dominance and control. 

I support more of stand alone independent grocers and direct producers, they have more variety on their shelves.  As prices in Coles and Woolies have gone up, they cannot compete price wise with some independent grocers, especially ethnic ones like Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, etc. 

My strategy now is to be mindful of selected items of grocery to buy - and suppport small business in my locality as far as I can. A more focused approach helps to avoid wasting expenses on addictive food, zoom for more quality in edibles and exercise our minds and hearts in better choices with discretion. 

Fresh eggs are not bad at Aldi, they do not shelf them in fridges like Coles and Woolies. Fresh milk at Aldis is a good buy, but at the same time there can be a lot of distracting products at Aldi outlets. 

More distracting is the preponderance of products laden with sugar, salt, preservatives and fat at the main supermarkets.  Do walk the aisles and make up your own mind. 

If one resides in an Australian regional area, I understand there can be a lack of choice -  and one depends more on the duopoly. 

This is echoed in the lack of competition especially in the Australian sectors of domestic air travel, pharmacies and banking. 

Fresh produce markets are fascinating to me, but generally since Covid, prices have spiked at such stalls, even if quality is maintained. 

I have also dabbled in ordering online offers of groceries and white goods - some provide free  and next day delivery at the very latest.

The physical store model is increasingly under threat - the way some businesses are treating customers is viewed in disdain by more people I know. 

Need we visit a supermarket venue to get essential food?  We step in such places and we observe some using them for social chats.  We also note the rise in self managed check outs with narrow spaces.  Cameras are attached to monitor the movement of human beings.

Pyschological games are played with posters put up by the supermarket to induce us to buy, but which underestimate our level of intelligence. 

Do reflect on the huge numbers of real estate such supermarkets sit on, they can easily get into the commercial property game once they stop selling food. 

There has truly been this relentless drive to know what you and each family have bought in the past to shape millions of purchasing profiles.   The underlying rationale is that once you buy something, you will buy it again.   This model excludes the very possible human trait of not purchasing the same thing ever again - and the right to have a significant change in taste. 

The use of membership cards implies the giving of peanut reward points to customers. 

The duopoly puts its bets on greater convenience, habitual pattern of spending and lack of competition for the majority of the population to

regularly visit its outlets.  They are also experts in marketing, human behaviour and commercial practices.   

#yongkevthoughts

When They Pushed Too Far

 

I reckon it is instinctive in each of us to be cautious about booster vaccination shots.  Each of us has our own unique circumstances and attitudes about protection waning, our own level of body T cells, authorities mucking up on over or under supplies, what we face in the intensity or complexity of political agendas we face and the varying level of  Delta cases occurring where we normally interact.

It can be complex, but I also take more comfort in our own immunity building ability and use of our own intelligence and common sense - can any human body keep up with being injected so often as we have been asked to?

I believe more in good ventilation outdoors, coughing or sneezing into our elbows and having good physical exercise plus nutrition, instead of getting addicted to vaccines and vaccine cross information from governments and media.