Spring Chiken Old Chook

So we finally finished the book! It's a cute coffee table book that contains different stories we got from the elderly we visited. There are lots of interesting and funny stories of when they were in our age, twenty something... If you are interested, drop us a message here or to our email... adviceforyoungpeople@gmail.com

RIKA xoxo

Ever Been Kissed?

Yes, the story is finally here! Excuse me for the super late post but then again this weekend was my birthday weekend so I should be excused! :p

So anyways, I talked to Adelia the other day and she is one of the sweetest and fun 90 years old lady I talked to during this project!! It didn’t even feel like an interview, it was more like a conversation. I seriously can say that I LOVE her!!! I would definitely go visit her again even after this project ends.

Right before I started talking to her, one of the nurse told me that Adelia was flirting with the doctor, so I asked here wether it was true or not, then she said ‘yeah I just told him that he was very handsome, I always do. But then again if he says anything back to me, I would run for my life! I’m all talk to action one.’ Ahaha, don’t you think she’s so adorable?

Ok so this time around I actually recorded the conversation so I should just probably take straight from there. I wouldn’t write everything but I will just take the most interesting part (in my opinion).

R: How did you meet your husband?

A: We worked at the same place. Well we both worked at a place called the Australian Paper Mills, in Heidelberg road, in Heidelberg. And we used to go dancing, a lot of dances. A lot of parking. You know about that?

R: Parking? What do you mean parking?

A: (makes kissing noise) Mwah! Mwah!

R: (bursts out laughing) Ohhhhh!!! Haha! Very naughty aren’t you!

A: Oh no I wasn’t naughty! I was good. But I still went mwa mwa!

R: So, tell me more about… the parking story!

A: No! You’re too young!

R: What?! I am twenty-two this year!

A: Now don’t tell me you haven’t been kissy kissy mwah mwah somewhere!? Haven’t you!

R: (giggles) I have! But I want to hear about your…

A: No! No no. It’s no different.

R: …story about parking…

A: Well that’s all, we used to just cuddle up and kiss.

R: What do you mean, what do you mean parking? Like… in a parking lot? Or… OH! in a PARK!?

A: No no no parking meant anywhere. Could be on the corner you could be parking! Parking was just… making out.


I had so much fun talking about PARKING! When she said it first I really had no idea what it was. But yeah, back then and now, I guess not much difference huh. When I asked about what they used to do for fun, she said, dancing, watching movie (or “going to picture” as how they say it back then) and making out (or “parking”). It’s exactly the same as what we do now don’t you think? But I thought it was very interesting to hear it from them because the way they tell the story is very different but yet what they did and we are doing now is exactly the same! Sometimes I think that I should have talked to my grandmothers a lot more when I had chance coz I’m sure there would be so many interesting story they could have told me. So a piece of advice I would give you all is that if your grand-parents are still around, take some time and have a conversation with them. You might be surprise what they have to say and it would also make them very very happy.

Oh one more thing, Adelia said something about fathers, I think it’s a great advice for all daughters out there with an overprotective fathers.

“If your father is strict with you, don’t blame him for it. It’s a man’s love and protection for a daughter. They just can’t help it! You know, as I say you would be his princess. Girls are very special to their father. So, if he’s strict with you - take it as something good. His love and affection for you… he wants to look after you so don’t ever blame him ‘cause it’s a natural thing for a father, to be like that with a daughter.”

Rika. xo

"Style is Nothing, but Nothing is without Style"

It doesn't matter which generation you come from, there are always gona be things that are in style, for example clothing. Different time have different style but do you realized that some old stuff also known as 'VINTAGE' is making its way back? While talking to some old people, I ask some questions about what they were wearing or listening when they were in their 20's and surprisingly some things are still pretty popular now. I'm actually using some of my mom's old belts and skits (things she was using when she was my age). So i guess it is true that fashion is going around in circle, so my suggestion would be dun throw your stuff away, keep them and one day maybe your kids might wana use then too, ahaha:p

I got this illustration from http://www.artdesignfashion.com/timelines/ done by Irina V. Ivanova. This site shows what was in during 1900's to 1990's, not only clothing but also popular music, dance etc. It's quite interesting to see the differences and also the similarities between different times.

Rika**

Wear Sunscreen

we are what we do

"Action 14: Spend time with someone from a different generation."

This pic is from We Are What We Do, it's a movement about doing small little everyday things to CHANGE THE WORLD. Naive? probably. but it's nice! They have a list of 100 actions, things like... Walk your dad ... Grow something & eat it ... Ring the IT desk just to see how they are. The RMIT help desk would probably think I was weird. 

Sarah xx

Ever Been Kissed?

" Don't tell me you've never been kissed before!"

Story coming soon... (I know you all cant wait to read this one!)

Rika xx

Cool little old man~

As we visited the nursing a couple of time, we do spend some time with others outside. David* is a regular customer of the cafe im working at now. He is pretty much 65-70 years old business man who works around that area and has a nickname "Long Black COffee" (cause that is his regular order). He is those kind of customer who will be in the cafe like 9.30 a.m sharp every week days with another friend of his. Years of strong coffees, strong cigarettes and stresses from work didn't do anything good for David's body. He had a minor stroke for 2 weeks and was hiding his smokey from his wife, he thought he can just come to our cafe and smoke as much as wants but we will tell him: "no coffee for you if we saw you lighting a ciggy." He is so adorable that he will pretend to go get a newspaper and light up a ciggarette at the corner and thought we wouldn't realize it. when we accidently caught him, he will say: "This is my first one in this three days."

One lovely Friday, he came in with casual clothing that makes me say "Yoh, casual friday huh?!, where Cappy(his friend who ordered cappucino all the time)?" David answer in a very young way:
"Somebody still need to work their *** out for the company, NOT FOR ME, I need heaps of rest like other elderly because I just realize I've been through alot that I didn't even notice, which you young people should really know how to REALIZE and care for things or people that is happening around you and spend more time with your love one, Don't just work and neglect things. By the way have I told you that Im going FIJI with my wife next weekend? YEAH!!"

David is such an optimist in life and it makes me like this cool lil old man alot.

*Ee Lynn

Eating cats and rabbits.

Went to visit the nursing home again today. Now that we've been a few times it almost feels like a normal weekly routine. 

I had a chat to Harry and John, while the other girls talked to the residents they know... I think Rika's getting quite attached to Marie! 

So Harry and I talked about rabbiting again. Last time I thought he used to go rabbiting just for sport but turns out it was during the Great Depression of the late 1920s/early '30s and hunting rabbits was a way of getting a meal on the table. Out of all his brothers and sisters (9 of them) Harry used to get home from work first, so he'd skin the rabbits for his mum to cook - maybe as a casserole or rabbit stew, or baked. When I asked him if rabbit is similar to any other meat he paused for a fair while, then said:

"Well... hard to say. Well they're... it's a taste of its own. Look... when you get to see a cat, they're the same. If you feel the cat it would be the same body as the rabbit, y'know. Four legs. Two front ones. Two small ones and then two big back ones."

The cat description didn't really help me imagine the taste of rabbit... but I suppose they'd be similar in texture. (btw sorry to any pet lovers reading!)

Could you skin a rabbit? I think I could... I mean I eat meat and a wild rabbit caught then killed quickly has probably suffered less than the commercially farmed animals we get in the supermarkets. Ergh... I should probably eat less meat. 

Sarah xx

About Dream

I have this 58 years old gay friend called Robert, he told me something about dream: "if you don't go for it, your dream will always just be a dream......"
According to his own personal life, yes, what he said is true.
He was an accountant in one of Sydney's biggest commpany, one day he decided to drop everything he had and go to Asia, studying Asian culture.
He now is a professor in Western Sydney University teaching Asian Affair.

Isa

Forever Young

Last Wednesday we went to the same nursing home again. This time I talked to a funny grandma of ten who loves to knit, let’s just call her Marie. When I went into Marie’s room, she just got up from her day nap and first thing she said to me was “oh sorry, I was taking a nanny nap”. When she said that I knew straight away, I would have a very interesting conversation with her. Over an hour long conversation, she told me how she used to love to go dancing, especially foxtrot with her husband. She said she was so good that she got picked to dance with soldiers who safely return from the war. When she was telling me her life story, I couldn’t help but wonder how old she was, because she sounded very very young, so I did (in a very polite way of course). Apparently she’ll turn 90 next month (October). I was very much surprised because she certainly didn’t sound like it. Then Marie said “You know what, if you don’t think about your age and if you don’t think that you are old, you will always be young. Don’t worry about how old you are. Just live life as you like and you will have a happy life. Don’t concentrate on a negative, don’t be so difficult about everything and life will treat you well.” Ok this may sound very cheesy if I or someone my age says it but when you actually hear it from someone who actually has been through so much in life, you would really appreciate this kind of advice. Then she asked me how old I was so I told her, 22. Her reaction was, “You are a CHICKEN! Ha-ha and I am an old chuck!!” I thought the way she said it was hilarious and very cute at the same time!! Coz it’s nothing like I’ve ever heard before. I think this kind of thing is something that makes me think she’s a lot younger than she actually is.

JUST FOR FUN
At the end I asked Marie eight quick questions that we came up with before visiting the nursing home.
1) What is your favourite song? A: Unforgettable by Nate King Cole
2) What's a slang for being drunk? A: Boozed!
3) If you could have a super power what would it be? A: Invisibleness, I would be so bad, ha-ha! No but seriously, I hope there’s a super power that can take away all the sadness in the world, especially for little children
4) Who is your favourite prime minister? A: None of them! (She answered this question even before I finish saying the question)
5) Describe your ideal man. A: Patient, the most important factor in a relationship
6) What would you do if you win 5 million dollars? A: Give it to my 10 grand-children. I never had a problem spending money, 5 million can go easy!
7) If you have to have the same dinner for the rest of your life, what would it be? A: Who would ask such question!? Must think of a better question! But if I have to choose then it’ll be Chinese food, lemon chicken especially.
8) What do you think of global warming / Paris Hilton? A: Don’t know much / I think she’s just a show off. If she’s not rich n famous she would have a different personality.

RIKA**

TOUGH

" When you fall and doesn't know how to/want to stand up, you'll say sorry to yourself one day."
-yee-


*eeLynn

Business Card!!

As Sarah said in her previous post (Moo Card), our business card indeed has arrived BUT we still had to do some adjusting to do, to make it more suitable for our project. For this particular project, we wanted it to have the feel of crafty, home-made and vintage. Aaaaand that’s why we decided to throw in some material and ribbon with our business card and this is the final product!

Rika**

lady talk

This Thursday, we went for our second interview with the elderly at the nursing home. I talked to this old lady called Marge. She is a migrant from Germany who has been in Melbourne for 53 years.

It was quite amazing how we spent over an hour talking about her life story. Marge is a talkative person compared to me. Before going in this time, four of us actually prepared a list of light questions to start up the conversation. But me and Marge ended up having a long talk on most of the questions, which was quite fun.

Back to her life story, Marge was born in 1920 and she was married to this guy when she was 19. The reason they got married really touches my heart. The man was going to the war, and thought Marge could get quite a bit mount of money from the government if he dies in the world. So he asked Marge to marry him, and he never came back from the war. Marge then stayed single for ten years. This is as sad and weepy as a drama. I was thinking “does this kind of love still exist in today’s world?”

People nowadays tend to ask for more from others than giving out love, they feel insecure to give and sacrifice.

Marge met her second husband when she was already 32 years old, they got married and came to Australia because the husband got a job offer as construction builder. By the way, her husband Tasiode is living in the same nursing home as well. He was taking his nap in another room while I was talking to Marge. Speaking of husband, Marge told me that “you should train your husband to do the housework as soon as you get married, otherwise he would just be spoiled and get lazier and lazier along your marriage.”

Talking to Marge was really a delightful experience since she made me feel like talking to my own grandma. The little fear I had that those elderly might be a bit scary to talk to is totally gone. They are the loveliest human being.

Isa.....

MOO cards!

Yay!! Our MOO Minicards have arrived!

We started this blog cos we're talking to all these old people for our book... and we thought if any of their family are wondering "who the hell are these people who keep visiting my mum?!" then they can look at our blog to see what we're doing.

We found out about MOO, this printing company in London while reading some awesome 'how to start a blog' articles by MeetMeAtMikes. You design your cards on the website, then they send them to you in the mail... and it's super cheap! So now we're going to punch some holes in the corners and tie them to pretty bits of material... and we'll have some spiffy little cards to give to people at the nursing home!

Sarah xx

Peacefulness

It was a quiet saturday morning, I am working at my cafe as usual. There's no customers around. Then, a elderly man came in and ordered a cappucino. I made his coffee and brought it to him sitting outside. I said " Morning Sir, this is the Cappucino you ordered." He smiled and said: " Morning love, It's quiet huh." I replied saying: " Yea, Most people who went partying or working last night were way too tired to come out this time." Then he came out with this sentence that make me feel so peaceful inside my heart.
" When you've been through all noises in your life, A moment of peacefulness like that will be appreciated and priceless".

Eventhough its just a simple sentence, it does made my day. =)

*eelynn

100%

"Always 10% talent, 90% hardwork"
-Ivan-

*eelynn

Partying like it's 1949

While Rika was talking with John about tomatoes, I chatted with the very lovely Harry*. Harry was actually the first of the nursing home residents that we were introduced to... so we were still a bit nervous when we waited outside his room while Julia, who works at the home, went in and started making the bed, and we could hear her saying

"HARRY! There are some young girls here who want to talk to you and ask if you have any advice for young people! Would you like to talk to them?"

Harry: "What? Talk to me? OH NO NO no I don't have anything to say really I don't have any advice..."

Julia: "They just want to ask about things you did when you were young, because it's different for their generation than it was for your generation..."

At this point Ee Lynn nudged me and was saying... "hey maybe we should stand there where he can see us"... so we shuffled into the doorway a bit... smiling like crazy and trying our best to look rather friendly and adorable. 

Julia: "So would you like to meet then?"

Harry: "Well I can see them already. They're right there. (Making eye contact with us) I don't have anything I can tell you really girls. All I could talk to you about is RABBITING, 'cos I used to go with my brother and we'd cycle up past Coburg. We'd take the dog and the ferret... 

And he was off!! It was great! He didn't give us any specific advice, but told us lots of stories. Details that he thought were pretty uninteresting were things we'd never heard of... for example in his day ALL pubs used to close at 6 o'clock! PM! Then eventually a later closing time was brought in for some places... 10pm! And we whinge about the 2am lockout. Though actually that is really annoying. 

I loved hearing about what people would do to go out and have fun when he was in his teens and twenties. He'd go to the pictures (not to see a 'film' or a 'movie'... the pictures) and he'd go dancing. Dancing meant going to a dance hall and doing things like the foxtrot. It's so bizarre now to imagine an average aussie bloke knowing how to do the foxtrot and thinking nothing of it. But it was just the normal social scene to go to dances, and everyone would dance in pairs but you'd keep switching partners as you went round the circle. If you were going out anywhere you'd always wear a collar, tie and hat for the boys and dresses for the girls. Harry would go with his friends then he and a girl started "knocking about together" and he'd go with her, then later they got married! He was 28 and she was 19. I asked Harry what sort of music they'd dance to and he asked if we knew Fred Astaire or Bing Crosby. He still likes to listen to them on his tapes and CDs.  

Sarah xx

One Sunny Day with John

Last Thursday, we managed to get an appointment at one of Melbourne's nursing home. It was in the middle of nowhere, seriously, there were like nothing near that nursing home. We thought that we were at some kind of deserted area or something ;p But i guess its nice and quite plus peaceful for people who retired already and just want to relax.

So when we got into the nursing home, our first reaction was, 'oh my god, are we really doing this?' We were all pretty scared when we just got there coz all we saw was elderly who needed intensive care and he had no idea what to do! When I say intensive care means, on a bed 24/7.
But then the activity coordinator, lets just call her Julia, brought us to elderly who didn't need such intensive care. The other reason why we were so scared was that we didn't know whether they would be willing to give out such information (their life story) to us, four strangers.
But then again we were there already, there's nothing much worrying we can do anymore.
Julia quickly introduced us to what she calls 'the interesting bunch'.

I was lucky enough to talk to a man named John -78 years old (his name isn't really John but for personal purposes I wouldn't reveal his real name). He was very very nice SURPRISINGLY, and straight away jumped into telling his loooooong life story. If I type every single thing he said in this blog, it would probably take me more than 3days to write, no joke, since i type slow as well. So anyways, the shorten version of John's story was that.....

He worked at the pro juice section of Queen Victoria Market his entire life. He started working there when he was 12 years old. When he was 16, his boss decided to move away so passes down the business to John (he must have been a very very good worker, don't you think?). Then he got into bicycle racing. He won so many different races that the bicycle manufacturer who was sponsoring the event wanted him to work for them. My reaction to that was 'wow, john well done!' Then he met this wonderful woman named Marry at Victoria Market and married her! She was a ballroom dancer and apparently was very good one as well. They had two sons who has two sons and all of them work at Queen Victoria Market (by the way, the story of his sons and their sons, i think he told me like almost four times, he was so cute! Must be very proud of his family!).

- The most interesting thing he said:
My life is like a TOMATO, because tomato is strong and can grow in any kind of environment

- The most useful advice he gave me:
Everyone has a same opportunity, some make it, some don't, it is all up to you

So that was the shorten version of my chat to John for the days. Pretty funny man huh. What I learn from this talk/visit was that THEY ARE NOT SCARY!
And also it's very interesting how they didn't get suspicious at all. I mean not that we were suspicious looking or anything, but say if someone comes up to you and ask for your life story, would you give it to them? Probably not right. Maybe this is what they call a generation gap. In the world we are living now there are so many bad things happening and things seems to be more complicated compare to John's time. Probably that's why, we grew up in an environment where 'strangers are bad people, when they come talk to you, RUN AWAY FAST!!' I personally think that this is a very interesting difference of our generation and John's. But then again, we share so much information through social networking websites (facebook, myspace and BLOG), that's like almost the same at telling your life story. People in our age don't seems to care if its only on the internet, but when it comes to person to person, they cannot ran away fast enough. Why is that? Or am I just reading too much in this sharing your story issue?

Rika**