What are the biggest mistakes people make when visiting your country?

Probably the biggest mistake people make when they visit Australia 🇦🇺 is that they expect to see kangaroos roaming the streets in the suburbs and cities. I laugh at that  I live on the outer fringe of the suburbs of Melbourne and I have only seen a kangaroo loose on the streets of Sunbury twice since 2012 when I moved here

What’s a song that always puts you in a good mood?

The song 🎵 that always puts me in a good mood when I hear it is Something So Strong by Crowded House.  Neil Finn wrote such a happy, positive and optimistic song 🎵 about love in general and how good that love feels.  It is not just about romantic love, but also the love of friends and family. Whenever I hear it I think of Susanna and many happy memories of time spent in her company.  We truly did share a love ❤️ that was Something So Strong.

What’s the best way to build self-confidence?

The bestt way to build self confidence is to approach life with an attitude of the glass half full.  This can take awhile to achieve and it helps to practice mindfulness along with it. Take it in baby steps as it can take quite awhile to consciously change your thinking,  but if you can consciously stop yourself when you feel low self esteem and find yourself getting negative thoughts. Like learning a new language or a musical instrument, practice and dedication to the outcome can progress at a rate that increases with practice and commitment.

Do you believe in soulmates? Why or why not?

I do believe in soulmates beause I have two in my life. A soulmate doesn’t have to be a lover, I think it is more about spiritual unconditional love and for that reason I think both Lily and my c good friend 🧡 Russell are my soulmates 💖  😇🙏🏽

Do you believe in minimalism?

I hsve a confession to make, I was once a terrible hoarder, but recently have done a fair bit of decluttering because I plan to move soon, and mainly haorded things like letters and cards , clothes and trinkets.  I threw away a lot and gave things to my friends or donated them to the Salvos.  If felt good and freeing to do so. I think it’s ok to be a bit of a hoarder and keep the important and truly sentimental stuff like photos and vinyl records, CD 💿 and books but get rid of the things that hsve served their purpose and you no longer need them. It is nice to keep things like photos or those things given to you by loved 😍 ones.

What’s the first book you ever finished and still remember to this day?

The first book i ever read and finished was a children’s literature book about the life of Helen Keller.  I don’t recall the author but the book stayed in my memory my entire life.

What’s the most profound piece of advice you’ve been given? Did you take it?

The most profound piece of advice that I’ve been given and took on board was to surround myself with good people.  This advice came from my brother David when I was first diagnosed with my mental illness back in the day.  I took that advice very seriously and now only let people with the very best intentions be a part of my life.  I lost some people from my life around that time, but it was no great loss, they weren’t true friends in the end, now I am surrounded by wonderful people and eternally grateful and gracious for what I have.

If you had an unlimited budget for 24 hours, what would you do?

If I had an unlimited budget for 24 hours I would buy some nice furniture for my new place.  I would help pit my nieces and nephews with their mortgages and also help Russell with his. I would give Adrian the deposit for a place of his own and I would give some money to the Olivia Newton John Cancer Centre and the Royal Children’s Hospital. I would also give money for music 🎶 🎵 and art therapy in psychiatric hospitals.

What’s a show that had the perfect series finale?

The program that I think had the perfect finale was definitely the Australian ABC drama program The Newsreader season 3.

If you could have dinner with any philosopher, who would it be?

If I could have dinner with anyone I considered to be  philosopher it would be Neil Finn because even though he is a musician and songwriter his songs are often philosophical and he is obviously a deep thinker because he dedicates a lot of energy and support and his abundant wealth to causes around the 🌎 world like poverty, homelessness etc. He has empathy and a compassionate heart ❤️ and today is his birthday