Posts by admin | Nan's Lucky Duck

A Short Poem Inspired by a Bad Hangover

Let me pretend I’m better than you,Even if just for a minute.I’ve had a shit day, got nothing to say.Just take my shit for a minute. Let me pretend my dreams will come true,Even if just for the morning.I watched you sleep, didn’t catch a peep,And now another day’s dawning. Let me pretend things...

Sailing from Airlie Beach to Brisbane in 8 Days

Last Tuesday we stopped off at Percy Island for a full day of adventure, only 24 hours after departing Airlie Beach, Queensland. The island has a long history of welcoming yachties ashore. They even introduced goats to the island to feed those who became shipwrecked or were low on food. Today, it’s believed 500-800...

Trying to Embrace “Flearning” AKA Learning Through Failure

Around October last year I applied to participate in a leadership program offered by my university. It involved an all-expenses paid trip to London to meet university alumni who are now leaders in their field. I made it through the first round of judging, based on my submission of a quirky 30-second clip. The...

Celebrating Book Week: 5 Ways to Encourage Young Readers

Most years I celebrate Book Week in Australia by dressing up in the most humorous book character outfit I can conjure up (usually hours before the school’s costume parade). Never did I consider that one day others might dress as a character from a book I produced. While that may still be some time...

Childhood Memories Thanks to Mum

Today marks my mum’s 59th birthday. It’s crazy to think she has been a mother for more than half her life; and to think most of those years were spent giving my brother and I the best life possible. What a legend. All week I’ve been contemplating how I can make her birthday special, the...

Top 10 Things to See and Do in Japan

I was inspired to write this article after being asked for the 30-somethingth time what I’d recommend friends and family do while visiting Japan. Until now, I’ve been re-typing the same vague itinerary into Facebook messenger, each time a little less enthusiastically. Part of me wants to reply something snide like “well, if you...

I Pursued Passion Over Worry and Look What Happened

I moved to Bondi Beach over the summer to do some writing work for a guy called Dave. He looked like your typical Bondi fitness fanatic—million-dollar smile, designer tank top and trainers, sun’s out, guns out—all that. He owned and operated a small private gym in country NSW before relocating to Sydney and putting...

Hitch-Hiking Horror Story in Rarotonga Cook Islands

Memory from June, 2012, aged 23. Rarotonga, Cook Islands, New Zealand. When I was studying to become a primary school teacher, my university offered third and fourth year student teachers an opportunity to teach overseas. One of the options was to teach Maori children living on an island called Rarotonga, the largest of the...

Nan Was a Creative and Unique Lady But She Never Knew It

My nan was really creative, although it wasn’t a trait she was known for. When she passed away, everyone said they would miss her warm hugs and kind-hearted nature. She was known for giving lots, while having very little. She would deny having any creative ability and deflect compliments from friends and family. Having...

I Was Relentlessly Bullied for Having a Birthmark

Just thinking about sharing this next story creates an uncomfortable tightness in my belly. As I type these words, I wonder whether I’ll have to courage to actually publish them online. To you, the reader, this may just seem like your typical personal struggle story, but to me, it’s like a shameful secret which...

Author: admin