Thought Provoking 'things'

I do lots of writing without any actual links to things for the eye candy purpose.  I'm unsure why and I'm not sure if it's needed.  I suppose that I'm not trying to remove from the content or context of what I'm writing by doing so.  Maybe if I find something read worthy or maybe have an increased following in my blog, that I just might take up the link thing.  

I'm very passionate about homeless issues especially where children are concerned.  I'm a pro when it comes to the In's and outs with homelessness issues and so is my darling for that matter.  Not only is the whole thought of one of your own being homeless sad, it has me ask the question why?  I'm thinking it's one question that everyone stirs in their heads to try to understand why one of your relatives would be homeless. Sometimes timing plays a big factor, your landlord has just decided that they would sooner live in their rental property and well there is nothing else to say but move on.  This is when things can be difficult, especially when there is a shortage and there is simply nothing available.  So what do you do?  I would think that families would step in and assist in the interim, however be prepared to think otherwise.  While families may be all say, when it comes to the actual do that is another story.  In any possible way, seek the support beforehand of social services who are willing to hear that you are in a situation of almost homelessness due to your circumstances.  They are obligated to assist you until a satisfactory outcome can be attained and refer you if not.  Start with a social worker at Centrelink first and make sure you get the appropriate referral from Centrelink before you proceed.  Make sure it's in writing and make sure when possible that they call the Social Worker beforehand to let them know your coming. 
Be aware that there are workers in the Social Services sector who do not want to go out of their way to accommodate your requests or even acknowledge your situation.  Take the names of everyone that you speak too and make it known that you are documenting the conversation etc.  So this means being prepared to go with notebook and pen.  As much as we do not like to admit it, there is a sense and air of racial preference when it comes to dealing with some Case Managers, so be assertive in making sure that they are doing right by you.  We had a situation in Bankstown Centrelink where they were not prepared to refer us to a social worker as apparently they did not have any and none existed and then we were told that we would have to wait for a month before our payments would start (are you kidding me) Centrelink is obligated to meet your needs in the event of financial hardship, as remember they get to go home to their warm beds at night.  You just may not based on their discretion to nominate when your case is loaded into a computer that takes 5 minutes.  Trust me I have sat next to a case worker who done just that.  It's not a matter of being a bitch about things, it's the urgency of the matter that they are just not listening to or wanting to deal with you right now.  Always be prepared to go above their head, why? because you can.

Eye of the Tiger

Not only is this title a very catchy song, its purpose for being used today is really nonchalant.  In case you didn't know, but my brain just does not switch off when I want it too.  Which leads to thoughts on many many subjects and things that I want to include in my blog.  Most are to do with the service that I receive on my consumer watch dog trails and I am pretty disappointed with the things that I have bare witness too. This by no means that I enjoy complaining for a living, it simply means that I am aware of what is acceptable and what is not.  Take for example the privacy laws.  I bank with ANZ, not by choice, but merely the fact that our pay is entered into this account faster than any other bank is able too.  My point is though, I asked recently for details of a specific payment into our checking account.  This was to give our employer proof that they had short payed us the previous week.  The meant to be professional, gives me a wad of statement and proceeds to expect that I will be on my way.  After reiterating that I wanted a specific transaction, she then tells me "we cant do that" Annoyed I pointed out that I had no intentions of revealing previous and current transactions of our account, which to me is a privacy issue.  We are told time and time and time again to protect details concerning our banking details and yet we cant be given simple information that links to a specific request.  A little over the top yes, but its amazing what a person of the fraudulent kind can do with this information.  Use it as a means to gain access to your personal details, who knows and while I know that our boss would do nothing of the kind.  I have to ensure that my bank knows that I am not purposely revealing this information, so that in the event something does occur.  I am covered.  Here's my point is that I am ensuring that I am covering my ass, when the bank questions me about how I maintained the privacy of my information.

Passionate about things

I'm one of them people who gets passionate about varying subjects.  It changes depending on the day and the feeling.  I always have something to say, but of late I have been very lazy in expressing the things that I am really passionate in and well I tend to talk about the things that piss me off instead.  Its a way of venting the frustration without taking the feelings out on my family directly.  A happy home doesn't have hurt and sadness in it, so I will avoid at all costs any emotional stirring that effects that.
When was the last time you were passionate about something? Something that made sense and ticked all the right boxes in your heart and mind that you felt compelled to act on that  feeling? My partner is very passionate about obtaining credit to purchase things and while I would love to be in debt (sarcastic smile here) its not going to help in the long run.  I have already set budget limitations in place to allow us to be comfortable within our means and still be able to feel comfortable that we are not on the poverty line.  The first priority is making sure that the rent is paid every week and on time without fail.  We need  to maintain a roof over our heads if our lives are going to get better.  The hardest part so far is trying to convince my darling that we don't need things right now, considering we already have the things that he wants.  Like a new TV, new bed etc.  So Ive done my research to obtaining these things and well its going to take time and saving.  There is no real way to get what you want unless you obtain credit and I'm not taking that path only to lose it because it puts us out of our means in the near future.  We have a trip back to NZ to save for and realistically its not happening right now, but it will happen that's for sure.  I have fines owing that I need to pay before I can even get into the country or even out for that matter.  So I need to set a figure and times it by 3.  Lets see if I can do it, so wish me luck.  I will be keeping you up to date on this one.