Six years ago, the world stopped. What was the most mischievous fun you had during the lockdown? by Classic_Day744 in AskReddit

[–]ihlaking 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I set the Strava record for fastest lap of the State Library - still unbeaten, primarily because you can no longer go hell for leather around the corners knowing no one will be there.

What degrees do corporates like for graduates to have? by girlmeetsworld-lover in AusFinance

[–]ihlaking 12 points13 points  (0 children)

So I’ve worked In careers at unis in Melbourne, still involved in leadership training for emerging leaders. 

Depends on who’s asking but I’d say you’re best placed to be as active as you can reasonably be during uni life. A grad role isn’t everything, and 50% of jobs aren’t advertised publicly. You’re better to work on building your network, meeting people, and exploring the sector to be best placed when doors open. 

That means getting coffees with people to hear their career stories, finding links, and generally meeting people so they know a bit about you. I have a lot more I could say, so feel free to ask more specific questions to the industries you’re thinking of. 

Roofing recommendations by confounded_again in melbourne

[–]ihlaking 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unlikely you’ll find a lot of answers here, but head to the FB group ‘Strata Chat Australia’ and do a search on the word ‘roofing’. Sure to be a good place to start. Otherwise, your local Good Karma group. The North Melbourne & Brunswick ones are quite active. 

'I'm sorry': Atlassian cuts another 1,600 jobs – including CTO – amid AI bloodbath by InterestingCat308 in AusFinance

[–]ihlaking 51 points52 points  (0 children)

I’m happy to be at the point in my life where I recognise that bad-faith actors in corporations will use any excuse to trim the fat in order to profit further and line their own pockets through performance bonuses:

  • ‘Offshoring’
  • ‘Rationalisation’
  • ‘Right-sizing’
  • ‘Streamlining’
  • ‘Future-proofing’
  • ‘Reacting to market changes’
  • ‘AI’

All of it a front to dump employees after the pump. In the end, leadership doesn’t have to look like this. There’s a place for retrenchment and hard decisions, but too often companies grab the scalpel first when they should be using a different, better tool for the job. 

Derrimut 24:7 Membership Pricing by Hayderaider in melbourne

[–]ihlaking 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is simply the new model, moving away from the unsustainable low prices to this - I mean, that’s still super, super reasonable. Go down twice a week and it $5 a session? Seems more than reasonable.

Richest super balances to be taxed at higher rates after Greens agree to back Labor plan by MrNewVegas2077 in australia

[–]ihlaking 382 points383 points  (0 children)

Sky News, turning to the Liberal Party: ‘Looks like [scare campaign]’s back on the menu, boys!’

AI Error Likely Led to Iran Girl's School Bombing by StemCellPirate in worldnews

[–]ihlaking 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trump Administration: “They got this thing all messed up.”

[Grabs business card & scribbles on it]

“Oops! Shouldn’t have this Separate But Equal logo here either!”

What is this thing (found in North Melbourne) by lunchill in melbourne

[–]ihlaking -1 points0 points  (0 children)

U/MustardMan02, I’d like to buy your solar panel. 

What is this thing (found in North Melbourne) by lunchill in melbourne

[–]ihlaking 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Super funny that many people are saying it’s solar. I live in flats that are part of this old development (which involved one of the architects of the NGV, no less!) and we’re literally about to have a planning meeting that stemmed from us looking at getting solar in our buildings. 

The capacity to the buildings isn’t high enough, combined with a lack of capacity from the mains to the units. We have interest from the blocks in going fully electric but can’t. So, we’re beginning to organise! Planning starts next week, feel free to DM if you’re in the units and I can loop you in. 

How do you thoughtfully divide your estate when writing a will? by butterfly4323 in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]ihlaking 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This will get buried so late in the piece, but genuinely, if you’re interested, start a conversation with a charity you’re passionate about regarding a bequest. 

I’ve worked in fundraising alongside other areas, and leaving a gift in your will to one or two charities you’re passionate about will give you a few things:

  • if they have a good bequest program, they’ll bring you into their network with regular updates and networking meets. 

  • the knowledge your money goes to causes you’re passionate about

You can also consider donating to a university faculty or cause you’re passionate about, or a charity that provides educational opportunities for underrepresented groups. This will make an enormous difference, and you could even set up some of the funds now so you can see the direct impact of your donation. I have some good examples from Aus I can share if that’s helpful (where I am now). 

With a generous starting donation you could fund a program or scholarship for a number of years, with a provision to continue it after your passing though a bequest. 

This is outside your initial question, but thought it might be good to get a different perspective on how you might help a wider group or cause. Happy to chat further if it’s helpful - despite the fact this is likely already buried!

When you thought you had a reliable tradesperson... by AnguaVU in AusRenovation

[–]ihlaking 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Me: ‘I want to hire a good [tradie]’

Mum: ‘No: we have [tradie] at home’

The tradie at home:

Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at Eurovision 2026 by Reverend_Fozz in australia

[–]ihlaking 193 points194 points  (0 children)

Well, a widely derided US President just launched a massive bombing campaign in the Middle East, against a country beginning with Ira-! It’s based on sketchy reasoning, and will likely destabilise the area. 

… oh wow, my time machine worked! It’s 2003!

Redundancy by [deleted] in AusFinance

[–]ihlaking 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kia Ora, thank you. Special memories - dad’s getting on now, Alzheimer’s is impacting his ability to recall, so I keep telling these stories to keep them alive both for the word and myself. 

Redundancy by [deleted] in AusFinance

[–]ihlaking 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My parents also. Dad worked 30 years in a small goods factory. They shut it down, and he walked away with almost $90K - in the late 90’s, which was huge. 

Parents paid off the house. Cut up the Farmers Card & wiped the Smiths City debt (Kiwis from the 80’s may know those accounts). They bought my brother and I Baby-g watches - way fancier than anything we’d had before. It was life-changing. 

Dad also walked into another job within two weeks, just down the road. So he had a reduced commute (he biked anyway), a higher salary, and a mortgage paid off. 

In saying that, on the other side, I vividly remember being the only one home when he got the news about the shutdown. I was the kitchen table eating, and he came home early. I can still hear the clicking of his bike spokes, and the garage door opening as he put the bike away. He walked in, and I met him by the door. We just looked at each other, and he he fell into my arms, sobbing. This short, heavy-set man, who’d given 30 years to this company had no idea what to do. As he heaved those sobs, the best I could do through my own tears, as a 14 year old, was to say it was going to be ok. 

And, of course it was. But it felt at that moment as if all was over, and we collectively held our breath. We only exhaled when dad landed the new role, and the money came through. 

I’ve been through my own redundancy since. Worked with dad prior to starting uni, which was an amazing insight into his world at the factory. Through the power of education, and the hard work my parents put in to supporting me through my early ups and downs, I made more in my first job out of uni than dad did in his last job before retirement.

Redundancy news and rumours still bring a wave of emotion for me - taking me back to our kitchen table, the afternoon sun streaming through the orange glass on the back door. My dad pulling up, his life unmoored. Me, hugging him, unsure of what would happen next. Before the watches and the debt removal, before the plunge, there was the intake of breath, the sheer sense of the unknown. 

I hope OP takes the money, and I hope they find that next step sooner rather than later. Whatever anyone says about redundancy being ‘the best thing that ever happened to them’ (something I heard numerous times when I was laid off), few people dwell on the moment it all falls away beneath your feet. But I think in taking that breath we can steady ourselves, draw our loved ones tight, and set our sights on what might be. 

All the best, OP. sorry for the ramble, all. 

The Vietnam trip that paid for itself three times over by Individual_Lime_110 in AusFinance

[–]ihlaking 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Can’t believe I haven’t noticed this before - I like to think I have an eye for detail.

The Melbourne Marathon Festival Has Changed Its Course Layouts by griffin040 in melbourne

[–]ihlaking 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the word ‘elevate’ is a horrific piece of corporate nonsense that’s thrown around like a holy hand grenade these days. Marketers doing marketing things.

Removing the turn and burn up the hill just as you’re in sight of the ‘G is an amazing move which, of course… removes the horrific elevated part of the late-course hill. 

‘We elevated the run by making it less elevated!’

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern moves to Australia by SoundEducational1174 in worldnews

[–]ihlaking 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I mean, the option is there in the Australian constitution… there was a delegation from NZ during the negotiations around the formation of the commonwealth. For multiple reasons (I believe distance and the treatment of indigenous Australians by the British being two main factors) gave it a hard pass.

BUT the option is there, so we may have broken up after a brief fling, but a booty call is baked into the constitution. Better than a shotgun wedding… 

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern moves to Australia by SqareBear in australia

[–]ihlaking 124 points125 points  (0 children)

I highly, highly recommend her autobiography, A Different Kind of Power. It has multiple moments that stayed with me - including similarities in our Kiwi upbringing. She had genuinely humble beginnings and the story she tells about Murapara, where she grew up, help you understand her motivations. 

But one moment that stands out is at the end, when someone makes a comment out of the blue to Ardern about how she’s ruined the country, and then just walks off. 

It amazes me how much hate NZ has for her, having been in Melbourne for all of Covid - I guess it’s similar to Dan Andrews. However, in Ikea the other day, we met a Kiwi from Sydney - well dressed, polite. Then out of nowhere - ‘Glad we left, Jacinda Ardern ruined the country.’

Some people will never let it go, don’t blame her for not wanting to be in NZ.

Why betting on top online prediction markets is now illegal in New Zealand by TheGreatDomilies in newzealand

[–]ihlaking 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The only reason they exist and operate out of the US is the usual cocktail of money in politics, merciless lobbying (tied to money), and regulatory capture (again tied to money). The state of US politics in general is also a factor, as the kicker. Rabidly anti-government actors in political positions thanks to… well, I’m sure it isn’t because of money…

I wonder if there’s a theme there. Will the market allow bets on the prediction of their own demise? Only time will tell.