The Weight of Gold & the Guilt of Prosperity

I am a glass-half-full kind of person, as I believe most people are. When a door of opportunity closes I check if the windows are unlocked. If an unfavorable event occurs I try my hardest to interpret the Universe's lesson from it, no matter how angry I am at fate. However, there are some positives I cannot seem to accept, and some people whose happiness I cannot be convinced of - no matter how many times I am reassured.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that the people of the poorest communities, “though knowing they have nothing, are so content and happy”. And whilst I know I should believe, whilst I see the photos of ragged children with blinding smiles I cant help but think that they would be happier without the necessity to beg, a roof over their head, and a certain future. And I know my presence with my shiny camera hiding half my face only rings this home to them.

I have volunteered with these children whose innocence is universal, and whose spirit is captivating. I have been privileged enough to work in the simple schools and the township squalor that reaches so far from my home of governmental support and award wages that are equal to upper class earnings in other countries. And I'm aware that my presence demonstrates their underprivileged position even more. They know from my language that I come from a lucky country. One they were not lucky enough to be born into.



On the bus one foggy morning into Sydney city, I noticed a woman reading a brochure on an i-to-i Volunteer Project. I am currently writing a thesis on Volunteer Tourism and so couldn't help but ask her about it. I asked her what made her want to take a volunteer holiday and she explained that in her recent trip to Thailand she visited a school and both the people and children had this same happiness I hear so much about. I couldn't help but notice the spiteful sting of pessimism inside me, before scolding myself for being so cynical.

I open the brochures selling self-enlightenment through volunteer holidays and highlighted quotes of past volunteers advertise “The optimism of people who, compared to many here, have very little yet believe in so much – and have the courage to realise their dreams against all odds.” I know we have seen this gracious happiness that illuminates from a simple life, and that a life without the woes of consumerism is one free of shallow worries. But I cannot help but wonder if this idea that those less fortunate are happy with the little they have is just an excuse to alleviate the guilt of the much more that we do.




I know this idea probably doesnt sit well with a few people. Let me know what you think - if you agree or disagree?

There may be a million more days to come, but I'm happy to have one of them in somebody's cyberverse...

You have to aim high right? And to combine the things I love most; writing, traveling, learning would be the dream I know I share with so many others. But in my baby steps to achieving this I have joined the amazing site Matador Travel where I can read the scripts of lives so accomplished and yet still so curious. And to my absolute honor today when logging in I noticed my own smile gleaming back at me today, as traveler of the day! It may not be much, but in my eyes, every baby step is a step forward...

see more at
http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/edwina-storie
http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/australia/edwina+storie/travel-blog

The Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, Australia - A Royal Promenade of History & Culture

Boasting the most extravagant of Sydney’s old English charm, The Queen Victoria Building sits smugly on an entire block of the Sydney city. Bound by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets, and sitting in high-Victorian fashion, the regal building is crowned in copper domes and dressed in golden sandstone. Affectionately known as the QVB by Sydney siders, it is guarded by a glorious statue of Queen Victoria herself throned at the entrance, looking somewhat disapprovingly out over Sydney’s new metropolitan style.

Erected in 1898 as a mark of honor of the Queens jubilee, The QVB’s construction brought relief during the Great Depression, giving craftsmen a step out of unemployment (a somewhat grander version of Peter Garret's Insulation Scheme). Over the span of its life, it has hosted a library, a concert hall, shops fronts and offices. The fortress’ charming columns and stained glass arch windows are lucky to still be standing as the city council seriously entertained the thought of replacing it with a parking lot! Yet in 1982 it was restored and leased on a 99 year agreement by the Malyasian firm Ipoh Garden Berhad, and continues to retain its former glory. Its original spiraled cast iron stair cases run up into the ceiling and the crafted railings still stand, framing the voids of the top three floors. However, there are a few modern features such as elevators and contemporary bathrooms bringing the building into the Twenty-first Century.

New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010 - Strutting in Sleet

The heat on the runway is just cooling down, and the models can finally eat again, New York Fashion Week has come to a close for yet another season. The Fall/Winter 2010/11 parades started off like no other with the death of designer Alexander McQueen on the opening day. On February 11th the dark mood that hung over the site was cast not only from the winter clouds, but the shock of the fashion industry at the loss of a legend. The garments seemed to followed suit with night time colors proving vogue across all catwalks, and black once again was named the new black!

Yet as in every business the show must go on, and each designer’s collection told of a unique tale which materialized on the runway. Marc Jacobs lamented for “the sense of coming home after a long and dangerous adventure”. Models ‘returning’ in their best showcased grey tailored suits and romantic wistful dresses.

Marc Jacobs




Vera Wang’s seasoned style spoke the language of Film Noir, sewing together danger and elegance in sequins and fur. Favoring black ‘the color of deviance’ her muse was the good girl who owns a hidden mystery.

Vera Wang



The trend in dark tones encouraged ‘an exploration of black’, with pieces highlighting new textures and styles rather than making a spectacle of color. New York's influence will fall upon the streets next Autumn in the forms of midnight moods. The clean lines of tailored tweeds and velvets featuring rippling furs will bring sharp shapes and a strong strut into the winter cold. Bold lines and embellished nightmare hues will stand out on the icy streets, rather than wrapping women up in layers of bulging fabric. The favorite color, and easily wearable styles that compliment all figures will make a runway of every pavement and will make you want winter to linger a little longer next season.