Not So Great Expectations.

‘Deciding on a career’. This is a phrase so often heard by those within my age bracket and it’s enough to send a sweat panicked chill down your spine. I may be wrong but the harsh reality is that, from what I’ve seen, all but a very small few are totally lost when it comes to having a solid idea of what they want to do for ‘the rest of their life’. 

It is so hard for me to articulate my thoughts on why this is as it’s an ever-changing concept to me but I think I have an idea at least… In the time when my Nonna was my age, it seems, from what I have heard, that she chose any career she could find in order to earn money, even moving to another country to find work. Generalising of course, in my mum and dad’s generation they chose a career path that was vaguely in their field of interest and it was the lucky ones who loved what they did to earn a living. There were days when they came home thinking ‘Wow, what a great day!’ and others where they just wanted to get home and stay there forever. Nowadays though, I feel like there is this new expectation that if you come home feeling like you never want to go to work again, you are in the wrong line of work. I am comforted by the thought that a US statistic estimates that the average person tries out seven different ‘careers’ in their lifetime, but it also worries me a huge deal. Seven? I have to try out six jobs before I find the perfect seventh? And what if the seventh is the one I just decide to settle on because I’m tired of looking? I am all about doing what you love -take it from someone who chose to do a Fine Arts degree. But even whilst doing something you love, there are days that you feel like you are happy and days when you feel as if you can’t draw another sketch -take it from someone who dropped out of a Fine Arts degree…

When people heard I was doing a Fine Arts Bachelor - something so associated with passion and dreams they seemed to skip the usual ‘oh so hows that going?’ and move straight to ‘oh wow so you are really loving it?!?!’ and so instead of truthfully answering that, like with anything, there are aspects I loved and aspects I didn’t, I felt compelled to shout ‘OMG yes I love love love it !’ in order to not dampen the mood and seem down on the whole experience. I really did love it but I think it’s okay to keep some hobbies as a thing you do for enjoyment and not have to rely on them as a source of income. 

I think most of us are currently living in an idealistic la la land to think we are going to find a ‘passion’ that we will wake up every morning to pursue. Sure, it should be a goal to find a job we love most of the time but I think the alternative is also okay. Work takes up a lot of your time but it is for a purpose -to earn money. What else is this money for other than to pay off things that bring you comfort or provide for a family who’s company you can enjoy when you get home or to support a hobby such as cycling or scrapbooking or model aeroplane building or expensive shoe collecting for all I care? Some people are very career driven and are made to do something they love and earn money from it but for others, I think it’s okay to keep a job as a tool used to earn money. Life is brimming with possible avenues for satisfaction and I think a lot of dissatisfaction comes from thinking that avenue has to be your career.  

-B

*Mosaik does not take credit for any images used in this article

To My Sister, Julia...

Lately, noticing my sister Julia enduring the pressures of her final year of secondary schooling, I have been reflecting on when I was in her position. There is so much anticipation to finish and do her best. I remember, about this time last year, when I felt exactly the same. I had one goal and that entire year was just about working towards a score that would determine where I would end up in life…or so that’s how I thought it was back then. I remember my life then and think about how differently driven I was. I was under the impression that my life would just be about work from there on…all I needed to do was work, and I suppose in some aspects I wasn’t wrong. My goals were to study hard, to get into the course of my dreams, to spend the next three years of my life at University and spend everyday with my then boyfriend. I felt that it was all I needed, that my life would be content, and it would be all smooth sailing from there.

When I was in my sister’s position it was such an exciting time of life, I thought. I was on the cusp of freedom and I could almost taste the sunshine of the summer creeping up. All I could dream about was spending it dancing in the sun, embracing my incumbent freedom and all the time life would give me. I wasn’t thinking about reality – the reality that I would learn about later on. It’s insane to think, even though it hasn’t even been a year yet, that my life would change so dramatically and that my experiences and decisions would have brought me one step closer to feeling like an adult, despite the fact that I have so much more to learn about the world. The year after school finishes wakes you up with a jolt. It teaches you who your real friends are, who you want to spend a huge part of your life with, what your true ambitions are. You meet incredible people who inspire you, you travel the world, and you can be a total dork if you need to be! You learn to make decisions that will benefit you in the long term, like saying goodbye to old friends, your girlfriend or boyfriend, even maybe moving out of home. Despite how hard it may hurt, or how hard it may be, the hurting is only temporary and you come out the other side as a stronger person. It’s an extremely exciting time one you’ve finished school, I think, because, for me at least, everyday can be spontaneous no matter what, nothing feels tedious yet, and things seem to always surprise me and enlighten me. And you learn that time truly heals most things.

The most valuable thing I have learnt this year is that it’s incredibly important to live in the moment and on your own terms. Embrace the fact that you know nothing because your mind is just starting to open up…and learn. It’s okay to do things that seem utterly stupid sometimes because something good may just come out of it. Don’t worry about money too much. Focus more on making memories because, in the end, you aren’t going to look back and think how you much you enjoyed working but you’ll remember how you spent the money you earned on what you wanted to do…an exciting trip with your favourite people perhaps. One thing I didn’t realise while finishing school was how much scaffolding there was around me: family, friends, teachers, school, routine, and expectations. But when you come out of it all you start to take it apart and rebuild it on your own terms. You have to form your own structure, one that is best for you. No matter how long it may take you to get where you want to be (and you can do it in your own time) don’t deny yourself the opportunity to adjust the scaffolding of your life. Embrace each moment, each feeling, because it’s all part of growing up to be you.

So to my sister Julia, and everyone else who is on the cusp of entering into the next new chapter of their life, I will share with you this quote from Oscar Wilde that my mother shared with me when I was in your position: ‘To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.’ So just live, be the best you can be, be true to yourself and never, ever, just exist.

-D

Gogglebox

Confession time: I consider myself a bit of a television junkie. I’m happily balancing 8 television series at the moment, have been known to binge watch a whole season in two days and yes I may have the date Grey’s Anatomy season 10 is released on DVD written in big, bold letters on my calendar (it’s a wonder I find the time to show up to University at all really) but if there’s one thing I love as much as the experience of actually watching a show, it’s the chance to provide my own oh-so-witty commentary, even if it’s only to the television screen. 

We all do it; we love the live television blunders, the talentless X-Factor auditions and any excuse to critique an annoying politician from the comfort of our couch.   So I have to say I was a little more than excited when I discovered Britain’s ‘Gogglebox’ while watching the season finale of ABC’s ‘Reality Check’. Taking you into the living rooms of some of Britain’s most opinionated families, we watch their reactions to a variety of television programs from throughout the week, watching people watching television – it’s an oddly intriguing concept isn’t it?

I sat down to watch the first episode of season four, which is unfortunately the only currently available episode on YouTube, *sigh*, and found myself becoming completely captivated, laughing along with these families and wanting to join in on their conversations. The season opener covers everything from a Mrs Doubtfire rerun to the BBC News coverage of the Scottish independence vote, at 47 minutes in length it’s the range of programming and the diversity of the families that keeps the show fresh. There’s so much charm to be found in these unscripted reactions and the fact that, whether you’d like to admit it or not, you’re thinking the exact same thing.

Television can get a bit of a bad rap, however ‘Gogglebox’ ultimately shows us that regardless of the content, yes, even if it’s just a petty fight on The Bachelor, television encourages connection and the experience of sharing a program with a friend or family member is special, sparking passionate debate and allowing us to explore our emotions. I’ll leave you with a few of my favourite quotes from the episode:

On the Downton Abbey fire:

“As if [Lord Grantham is] fighting the fire himself, he’s Lord of the Manor, he’d be standing out the front watching his servants burn to death” – A Reverend said that.

“At least it gives us something to talk to my mum about” – Yes, also the Reverend.

Britain’s X Factor:

“She’s irritating me already and she hasn’t even started singing”

“I like the spice girls, Cheryl Cole was in the spice girls, Cheryl was my favourite” – A retired male teacher (It’s okay, a gold star for you sir)

- M

*Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article

My Three Favourite Words.

What's in a word? Some have cheeky connotations ('shenanigans' 'tomfoolery'), are fun to say ('haemoglobin' 'specificity' 'flabbergasted' 'vamoose'), or are just a bit gross ('phlegm' 'moist' 'plinth').

A favourite word can say a lot about someone and by extension, so can three.
The Mosaik contributors give an insight into their three favourite words and why those words hold value to them.


My favourite three words: Did you know.

As soon as someone asks 'Did you know...' my ears immediately prick up. I wait with bated breath for the promised knowledge. The words 'Did you know' are a doorway to anecdotes and facts and learnings of those around me which I so desperately crave. 'Did you know if you create a hole in the middle of a plate of food before you put it in the microwave it heats up quicker and more evenly?' 'Did you know scientists predict our little pinky fingers will drop off in the future due to lack of purpose?' 'Did you know that rabbits like liquorice?'.
I thrive on this sort of stuff.

-B


My three favourite words: I Love You.

Call me a cliche but how can these not be my three favourite words. 
They are the three words that are featured in some of the greatest literature, poetry, lyrics and movies of all time. They are the words said in the most intimate moments between two people, or the words confessed in front of a crowd. They are written, they are whispered, they are sang. They are the words we find hardest and easiest to say. They need both vulnerability and strength. 
They are the words said in a moment of desperation or despair or in a fleeting moment of happiness. They are sometimes the three words we do not say but we mean or the words we say but don't mean at all. 

I say these three words way too much to people, because I honestly fall in love with the majority of people that I meet, just because they are kind or genuine or unique. I feel like the world is such a guarded place so when I see people who are completely sincere I can't help but love them!

-A


My three favourite words: Would you rather.

Would you rather is defiantly my favourite game to play in the whole world, especially on long train trips or when i'm out to dinner. And I think the crazier the better, its a real game changer and you see such a funny and different side to people. 

I think my two favourite s are: 
would you rather be really good looking and have a not so good looking partner or would you rather be the not good looking one and have a good looking partner? 

and secondly would you rather wear a big purple fluffy top hat for the rest of your life or if you're a girl have a moustache and beard that you can never shave off?.  

-O


My favourite three words: Can we dance? 

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to dance, whether it’s at parties, clubs, on the stage or randomly in the street. When I hear a good beat, nothing can stop me from shaking my groove, even if it is by myself.

It’s normally me who always asks this question, but when someone asks me, I become so elated that it makes the whole experience of dancing even better.

Hint: Anyone who has/will ask me to dance, will hold a special place in my heart.

-S


My three favourite words: I appreciate it.

I have this 'thing' about people saying that they appreciate something. When someone says 'I appreciate it', it makes my heart feel happy because you don't hear those words being said very often. I genuinely believe that when someone uses those three words they are going even further than just saying a simple, generic 'thank you'. I try to use those three words whenever someone does something out of the kindness of their heart, or when I feel that someone's seemingly simple actions should be acknowledged that little bit more. 

Whenever an individual goes out of their way to do something for another individual, or when someone shows an act of generosity or kindness, responding with an 'I appreciate it' seems so much nicer.

-N


My three favourite words: READ THIS NOW!

For me, nothing beats a book recommendation. There's just something so delightful about sharing a great book or author with someone, and the conversation and connection it can generate. Extra points for excessive enthusiasm.

-M

Palo Alto.

I selected Palo Alto Stories off my bookshelf the other day for four reasons: 

1) It has some of the worst reviews ever (people actually hated this book) and I felt up for a challenge

2) It had an aesthetically pleasing front cover, so even if the book was bad I could just stare at the front and pretend I was reading.

3) There was a huge amount of hype about the movie adaptation, written and masterfully directed by Gia Coppola (and lord knows I love any movie directed by a Coppola)

4) I was super ill and needed to be entertained

Palo Alto is a series of short stories written and curated by James Franco. Many of the stories are loosely based around Franco's adolescence and his time at Palo Alto High School. 

Franco depicts the most unsettling portrait of his teenage hood, one that is still relevant, as each story realistically captures the detachment and indifference that teenagers use to approach and get through life. Each character lives only for the moment. The book portrays the unsettling feeling we get when we finally enter the adult world and realise how truly messed up adulthood is. Generations of us have experienced it and Franco suggests the staleness of it all. 

I read this book in the space of a day. I loved it and at the end of every story I was left staring at the page trying to recollect myself, because I related, in some way, to every short glimpse of those teenagers lives. If I and so many others I know loved it, why then did the book get such bad reviews? It was honest and shocking. I couldn't help but think that it was simply because it had been written by James Franco, the reviews weren't critiquing the stories, they were questioning his authenticity as an author. 

After finishing the book I watched Gia Coppola's movie, starring Emma Roberts, James Franco, Nat Wolff and Jack Kilmer. It was equally incredible to the book.

I was interested to see how Coppola would translate the short stories into a film and she did it effortlessly, carefully selecting and adapting them to create a continuum.  Coppola was chosen by Franco to direct the film after he saw a collection of her photography, and the collaboration resulted in a perfect nostalgic aesthetic. Wolff and Roberts characters stand out as their performances are unnerving and thought provoking.

Palo Alto allows you to enter into the complexities of life, not to part take, but to observe. It shocks you because you know it is real.

-A