So I am into fitness don’t get me wrong, but there is something about yoga that I just can’t seem to get into. Maybe I’ve been burned too many times by wannabe yogi guru gym instructors soothingly telling me to ‘breath in through my spleen’….
But there is one way to get me rolling out the yoga mat quicker than you can say Namaste and that’s to involve some furry friends!
The sessions are led by qualified volunteer instructors and the movements are very easy to follow, perfect for beginners or non-yoga enthusiasts. In fact, truth be told, the yoga is actually a very small reason why everyone comes along. It’s pretty hard to zen when a sheep is sharing your yoga mat, a goat is nibbling your sneakers or a cow is moo-ing in the background. But that’s the beauty of it!
The sanctuary has over 150 rescued native and farm animals and as a not for profit organisation, the Goat Yoga sessions are a great way to contribute to their fundraising efforts. Not to mention there is time set aside after the yoga for lots of pats and pictures with the photogenic farm critters.
If you are looking for me on weekends this Spring I’ll be Saluting the Sun with this smiling guy.
The Melbourne based Paws Animals Shelter first opened its
doors in 2019. Over the last decade we have successfully rehomed hundreds of
animals to loving families. But we have noticed that our older pets are often
the last to find their new homes.
At Paws, we believe that all pets deserve a second chance – especially our senior pets. That is why we started the PATCH Project.
PATCH ~ People and Animals Together Creating Happiness
PATCH first launched in 2018 with a mission to pair older pets with senior citizens living in aged care facilities. The initial local trial was a success with 30 PATCH matches achieved.
Living on my own, at my age, I didn’t see much point in getting to know other people here. But Rusty makes sure I talk to other people. We have to be sure we are not all feeding him! Being part of PATCH has given me a sense of real purpose in this place that I didn’t have before.
Brian Smith, 89 years old, Aged Care Resident, Melbourne
This year, we want to expand PATCH and match more elderly pets with senior citizens than ever before!
Why You Should Care
Pets are loving members of many families. However, an alarming number of animals are being surrendered to pounds and rescue shelters. According to RSPCA Australia, more than 40,200 dogs and 53,000 cats were surrendered to their shelters between 2017 and 2018 alone. That is a staggering number! While some are able to be rehomed, sadly many others are euthanised.
At the same time, the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare reports that there are more than
170,000 Australians living in residential aged care facilities. Did you know
that up to 50% of aged care residents are reported to suffer from depressive
symptoms? And in the last year alone, 40% of residents have received no
visitors?
With Australia’s ageing population continuing to rise, we need to develop strategies to improve the quality of life for our senior citizens.
This is where the PATCH Project comes in.
The PATCH Impact
PATCH provides benefits for both elderly pets and senior citizens. We’re not only giving our senior pets a second chance at a new home, but we are also helping to bring joy and companionship back into the lives of residents of aged care facilities.
We want to expand PATCH
and continue to help more people and animals find happiness together. But we
need your help!
So far, we’ve secured
a $50,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Dreams for Good Fund. However,
we need to raise another $50,000 through crowd funding initiatives to ensure
that we can meet our goals by June 2020:
Rescue 100 older pets from kill shelters across Victoria.
Increase Paws Shelter’s capacity to care for an additional 50 animals.
Establish PATCH partnerships with more pet-friendly aged care facilities across Victoria.
Rehome over 100 elderly pets though PATCH.
Fund medical treatments and behavioural assessments to ensure pets are ready for adoption.
Support our pets and their new owners with a Pet Care Basket filled with all the essentials they need.
Provide elderly pet owners with the assurance that their PATCH pet will be taken care of in the event they are no longer able to care for it.
Prevent more pets from being surrendered to animal shelters by working to improve policies at aged care facilities allowing animal companions to stay with their owners.
Risks and
Challenges
We recognise that while PATCH has significant benefits, it is not without its challenges. As a result, we have taken special steps to mitigate these factors.
Well-Mannered and Healthy Pets: We perform extensive behavioural assessments to evaluate if the pet is suitable for adoption. We also cover microchipping, desexing, vaccinations and other procedures to ensure that our pets are ready for their new homes.
Aged Care Partnerships: We have partnered with several aged care facilities who have agreed to support the PATCH Project and feel that their staffing environments and residents are a good fit for the program.
The PATCH Matching Process: Our partner aged care facilities provide residents with the opportunity to sign up to the PATCH Project. When a suitable match is found, we begin an initial introduction to see if they’re compatible. If both parties are happy, we then proceed with the adoption process.
The PATCH Promise: We consider everyone who comes through our program as part of our family. So if something happens, we’ll be there to support them no matter what!
Lifestyle Changes: If the pet owner is no longer capable of caring for the pet, the pet will be rehomed by the PATCH Project.
Veterinary Expenses: We understand that medical treatments for pets can be expensive, especially for older pet owners. That’s why we provide health insurance for all of our PATCH Pets.
Death and Loss: We recognise that instances of death and loss are likely to be higher compared to other adoption programs as we work closely with elderly people and pets. As a result, we provide owners with the assurance that Paws will take care of all pets in the event of their passing.
Support Us
We believe in the
PATCH’s potential to make a real difference in the lives of pets and people. In
recognition of your generosity, backers of our campaign will be offered:
Become a PetPal for
$20: You will be matched
with an elderly resident of an aged care facility and receive updates from them
and their new PATCH match.
Gift a PATCH Pet
Care Basket for $50: You will have your
name written in the card that will be received by the new pet owner and your
name will appear in the Paws Newsletter.
Rescue a Pet for
$100: Join Paws and the
rescue culture and save a senior pet from an uncertain future. Paws does not euthanise.
You will be named on the pet’s adoption certificate and receive updates on
their adoption process as well as become a member of our PetPals program.
Provide a Better Life for $200: Help fund the general but sometimes life changing medical treatment of our senior pets. You’ll also receive all the aforementioned rewards listed.
Make a difference by supporting PATCH today!
*The PATCH Project is a fictional crowd funding campaign. It is all part of making media for Deakin University – ALC701. Thank you for reading.*
In this day and age, websites, online advertising and social media have become our go-to when we are searching for that perfect job opportunity. It’s a great way to find out information about a company. For example we might consider employee benefits, customer satisfaction reviews or the company’s vision and future plans before making a judgement about whether this workplace is a good fit for us.
However, what if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was instead the employer who was using our social media to infer judgements about us?
We tend to view our social media accounts as personal rather than professional. However, it is increasingly becoming a way for employers, particularly during the recruitment process, to find out more about an applicant that what they divulged on their resume.
While there’s no formal consensus amongst recruiters about using social media as a screening tool for potential candidates, a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2016, p. 3) found that 43% of companies surveyed did use social media for this purpose.
To discuss this topic further, I spoke with HR professional Verity Newton and you can listen to our conversation via the podcast below.
But so what if employers use social media to screen candidates? Can what they find online about us through a Google search really influence our chances of landing our dream job? The short answer…ABSOLUTELY!
A study by Sameen and Cornelius (2013, p. 31) found that 31% of the recruiters surveyed made their final hiring decisions based on the social media profiles of the applicants.
However, more than 16% of respondents also reported that they rejected applicants based on what was published on social media, citing the use of poor communication skills, lies about qualifications and inappropriate references to past employers as the main reasons for the decision (Sameen & Cornelius 2013, p. 31). The SHMR (2016, p. 3) also found that over one-third of organisations surveyed disqualified an applicant because of information found via an online search, pertaining to inappropriate or illegal activity or discrepancies with their application.
Yet, even before the content of our social media posts can be considered, judgements are often made about us just by looking at our face. Impressions about characteristics including attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness are made in as little as 100 milliseconds and these first impressions can be extremely difficult to change (Willis & Todorov 2006, p. 592).
One recruiter in Perth has been caught red-handed recently after failing to hang up the phone when leaving a voicemail message for a candidate. In the recording the recruiter can be heard making comments such as “Not answering the phone now, probably getting another tattoo” and “She’s probably doing her fake tan”. The recruiter is also heard saying that she “really liked the resume and then I looked at these” in reference to the candidate’s photos on Facebook (Sculley 2019, para. 6).
Unfortunately for job hunters, when it comes to recruiters using social media to inform their hiring decisions, it seems that the old chestnut of ‘judging a book by its cover’ is still alive and well. This is supported by the findings of a study by Williams and Almand (2014, p. 55) which suggests that the strengths of an applicant’s skills and job related qualities will likely be overshadowed by the perception of character displayed via their social media.
The take away message then, is that when applying for a job you should always consider your social media account as an extension of your application and your resume. Urge on the safe side and assume you will be Googled. What might your social media profile be saying about you?
Olive: “Felic, to be honest I’m not sure what this Purrth Life blog says about your personality…”.
References Sameen, S & Corenlius, S 2013, ‘Social networking sites and hiring: how social media profiles influence hiring decisions’, Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 27-35. Sculley, A 2019, ‘How Facebook profile may have cost woman a job opportunity’, Nine.com.au, 27 May, retrieved 16 August 2019, <www.msn.com/en-au/money/personalfinance/how-facebook-profile-may-have-cost-woman-a-job-opportunity/ar-AABYIIR>. Society for Human Resource Management 2016, SHRM survey findings: using social media for talent acquisition – recruitment and screening, Society for Human Resource Management, retrieved 1 September 2019, <www.shrm.org>. Williams, T & Almand, AD 2014, ‘The role of social media in hiring decisions’, Journal of information systems technology and planning, vol. 7, no. 18, pp. 53-74, retrieved 20 August 2019, Applied Science & Technology Source, EBSCOhost. Willis, J & Todorov, A 2006, ‘First impressions: making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face’, Psychological science, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 592-98, doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01750.x
A report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published earlier this month, discussed the significant impact that agriculture, and particularly livestock production, is having on the environment. The message? It’s time to think more about our food choices!
So what’s the vegan scene like in Perth? It was my mission to check it out. And who better to do that with than our best (vegan) friends who were visiting from the east. But I haven’t eaten meat for some years now (and I don’t miss it) so I thought the best way to get a really objective opinion was to see if I could convince the carnivorous husband to alter what he eats…at least for the weekend!
Northbridge Brewing Company, Northbridge
A rainy afternoon (a rare event in Perth) meant we had to take shelter inside for lunch. Usually pubs offer a vegan option, and it’s called hot chips. Not very inspiring. But at NBC we had the pleasant surprise of numerous animal-free options. Today’s special…$6 vegan pizza with any drink! I’d rave about this place on a value for money basis alone, but it was actually very tasty as well. I didn’t even mention the beer!
Plastic-free gift shop, vegan and raw food menu and a yoga studio, all wrapped into one funky converted warehouse. The Raw Kitchen’s tasting plate was epic, the Thai-style curry was delicious, and the chef’s special miso was delightful. Not to mention the extensive range of sweets available to take home. Note to self…vegan cake makers know their stuff!
Plant based eatery
Dips and pickled vege
Thai-style curry
Miso super soup
Chez Gianatti, Our House
So after much inspiration all weekend, it was my turn to step up. I took one of my favourite vegetarian dishes and found a way to make it vegan friendly. This spanakopita got a massive thumbs up and was as easy as pie (no pun intended).
So if veganism or going full vego seems like a stretch for you at the moment, try taking small steps and find ways to just reduce your carnivorous behaviours. Jordan did it! We all can do it! Olive on the other hand didn’t seem at all impressed with my suggestion that she lower her meat intake…or food consumption in general.
Sorry to disappoint any Married at First Sight fans (firstly, you know who you are, and secondly, shame on you) but this will not be a re-cap of last season. Instead, in this post MAFS stands for…
Making Adult Friends SUCKS!
And it does, it’s hard. Moving to a new city in my thirties, it became apparent very quickly that as we age it seems we also lose the confidence and the skill of making new friends.
According to a study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships it takes approximately 60 hours of time spent together for a relationship to transition from acquaintances to casual friendship. It then takes anywhere from 120-160 hours to become close friends and over 200 hours of hanging out to become best friends!
After wasting too may precious friend-making hours panicking over this statistic, I decided that while I may not make lifelong friends immediately (clearly) that doesn’t mean I should be lonely in the meantime.
So I tried Meet Up. It’s an app based system designed to facilitate group activities. Be it cycling, trivia nights or book clubs, the whole premise of Meet Up is to connect people who are looking to expand their social circles or find like-minded others to do activities with. Regular concerns when trying something new such as “I couldn’t imagine going on my own” or “I won’t know anyone” become irrelevant in this scenario as Meet Up is designed ESPECIALLY for this. If everyone rocked up to a Meet Up with 10 of their best mates, the whole system falls apart. So while it took a little bit of courage (or I chose a bar crawl activity so in my case it took liquid courage) Meet Up seems like a good place to start on the friend making journey.
I’ve enjoyed the activities I’ve done and the people I’ve met so far and I’ve heard some great success stories of growing friendships. While unfortunately for me I still have about 195 hours of Meet Ups to attend before I make my ‘best friend’ (not that I’m counting!) I am confident that by putting myself out there, trying new things and most of all just being open to possibilities I am at least taking a step in the right direction.
And if all else fails, I know I can always come home to a crossword and a cat!
Inspired by Olive’s recent YouTube premiere, here it is, my own official online debut. It’s all part of making media for ALC701 at Deakin Uni.
Thinking about making this video started with what I knew I DIDN’T want it to be, and that was me, reading a script and staring awkwardly into the camera. Instead I had lots of ideas of how to make it, what I thought at least, would be a little more interesting for you as the audience and a lot more embarrassing for myself!
But despite a little bit of embarrassment (there were a few takes of hitting that cricket ball!) I’m glad I chose to incorporate those ideas. I think it shows a bit of creativity, that I enjoy a laugh and that even though it made me nervous, I could overcome those nerves when it was necessary to achieve a goal. Overall I think that makes for a more authentic video and tells he audience more about me, than if I had ‘chickened out’ and opted to simply read a script instead.
Brainstorming the ideas on paper though was the easy part. The actual DOING…this was completely new for me! Of course I wanted to showcase some of the South Perth Foreshore in my video as not only is it a great backdrop, it is my new home. But filming outdoors presented some challenges! Especially when the weather can change daily, which makes it hard to test before hand. In the end, on filming day I got some sunshine, and it took some time to find an acceptable balance between levels of shadow and leaving me squinting into the sun. The sun really dictated for me the city scape I could get into the shot but I think it’s important to stay flexible in that situation and not be too locked in to doing something one way only. Otherwise you might miss out on an even better idea. Perhaps one of the other challenges was communicating my ‘vision’ to my camera man (Cheers Jordan!). I hope he was able to understand my rookie explanation of ‘the rule of thirds!’.
When it came to my monologue, I think you would laugh if you had seen my set up! Lamps situated precariously around the room, me trying to hold that selfie scope still without it looking uncomfortable, and then trying to keep eye contact with the camera and not get distracted looking at myself on the screen! All without setting my hair alight on that candle!
Once I was happy enough with each short video the fear set in about ensuring it all stitched well together. But in the spirit of ‘learning by doing’ I found an easy to use editing app for my smartphone and while it wasn’t the most technical of tools it did the job and prompted me to play around with things like music, sound effects and transitions between videos.
While some of you would already know some of these things about me, what I also wanted to convey was why I’ve made this sudden leap in the online world. Some would say long overdue leap, as I’m still the one with a huge DVD collection and buying CDs to load onto my iPod Classic.
But really, I do feel as if I am at a bit of a cross road, having moved recently to WA and now considering my future career path and while I may not know exactly where I’m headed, I like to think that I am making some good progress to get there anyway.
Timebomb the game goes on, Time is running out, yeah, it’s almost gone Time is running out…
The Prodigy, 2018
Doing a uni subject all about digital and online media is great. It’s practical, all the resources are accessible via my phone, and students are strongly encouraged as part of the course to spend time simply engaging with social media.
But when does ‘engagement’ just become scrolling? My guess it’s when my newsfeed ceases to be stories of my uni classmates also engaging with social media and instead I find myself watching cat videos and suddenly wondering where the last half an hour has gone…But I still feel that I can justify (just) that by simply being online I’m learning something.
I am a professional procrastinator. I love to put things off, and my bathroom has never been so clean or my floors so vacuumed as when I have study to do instead. However I would argue that leaving things to the last minute and instilling in oneself ‘the fear’ that only a looming deadline can bring on, actually makes me more productive. Case in point, I’m writing this blog instead of doing an assignment with a due date that is too close to even mention. See, I’m multitasking!
But living on the edge isn’t sustainable…I need to stay focused and, according to my sneakers…
Just Do It!
So far… I’ve tried wearing headphones and most of the time I’m not even listening to anything! I’ve tried getting out of the house, I’ve spent more time in the library in one day than my whole life put together.
And I’ve decided to give my ‘office manager’ some time off. She’s a bit of a distraction and honestly I don’t think she’s been pulling her weight. When this uni assignment finally gets done I think we’ll be having a discussion about her paw-formance. How do you stay focussed?
Navigating this unfamiliar world of digital media is a challenge but I’m really loving learning things along the way! Especially with such cute on-camera talent.
Introducing Olive in her YouTube premiere ‘Cat Hide and Seek’.
Get her paw-tograph now folks, coz she’s the next online superstar!
“…jetlagged and tired, Didn’t sleep at all on the flight, 3 little hours, I’ll never get back, What’s this city hold for me?”
‘Tall Buildings’, Carus Thompson, 2003
Coming from Melbourne, Perth has a bit of a reputation for being behind the trend, a snoozey city and an outright Boresville! While I admit to partaking in a bit of Perth bashing in my past life, I will try now to do my best to dispel what I’ve come to realise is a very unfair label. Here are some things I’ve been able to do in Perth that I haven’t been able to do elsewhere.
1. It’s not quite sky high, but ceiling high isn’t bad
I am a bit of a thrill seeker and for some indoor fun this hits the spot. Simulating the freefall of a skydive, the vertical wind tunnel is 13m high so still big enough for your stomach to do a couple of somersaults as you fly to the top. Putting the overalls on, with the wind in your face, and your cheeks flapping around…it is almost like the real thing. And guess what…Melbourne doesn’t have it!
It may have had electricity, a much needed industrial sized fan and a private ensuite attached but technically it was still a tent, which I think counts! The fact that we could move easily between beers beside the infinity pool or being the only people on the beach for literally 100s of kilometres was just one of the perks of staying at the Eco Beach Resort outside of Broome. I always thought of Broome as a far off mystery place that was too hard and definitely too expensive to get to. From Melbourne certainly, but not from Perth! The whitest sand, the bluest sea and the opportunity to wrangle a baby croc. That’s WA!
3. The signs say ‘don’t touch the quokkas’, but they say nothing about a quokka touching you!
Somewhere between a wallaby and a rat is the iconic Rottnest quokka. Made famous by celebs, the ‘quokka selfie’ is one of the most sought after Australian tourist souvenirs. But there is more to Rottnest Island than these cute, and pretty curious, critters. Think of Rotto as a high school in a Hollywood rom-com: there is tonnes of history for the nerds, plenty of cycling tracks for the jocks and an awesome beach front pub for the burnouts. Its a WA must do for a daytrip or a week…just whatever you do please be kind to our furry friends.
4. Front row seats for Skyworks
I know what you’re thinking…fireworks are fireworks right? I thought that too until I had the pleasure of an uninterrupted view of one of the biggest fireworks displays in the country right from our very own balcony. Australia Day is a big celebration over here, and luckily there are also many pyromaniacs ready to set off fireworks from barges all along the Swan River. Not a bad view, even if I do say so myself…
5. Sunbaking, in July!
This one is for Olive. An indoor cat (except for under supervision) Olive has loved roaming around the gardens here, soaking up the sun and having an ongoing stand off against one very arrogant little willy-wag tail. I know you are wondering “Am I that crazy lady who walks her cat?” Only in the privacy of our own home thanks very much. But yes, yes I am.
The PURRth Life 