What Mel Wants

Photo: Mel before a cup-a-coffee...  The Mental Health Break is real. It's officially a needed remedy. Doctors sometimes prescribe it. Even fancy CEOs recommend it. The Mental Health Organisation in Australia's Act recommends we give it a go.   Work now follows us wherever we go. Blackboards used to be on a wall in a classroom. Now they're on a tablet or phone, in our carry bags. Work used to be the thing you did at a desk. But emails are omnipresent. All that is extremely useful. And I will take my future work as seriously as anyone else. But we can only assist others (work, friends etc) by looking after ourselves. I got pretty busy after my previous temp work. Then doing a couple of months as a professional student, my life's mission was to prove I wasn't getting lazy. So I'd constantly keep busy. My idea of 'leisure' involved either researching a uni topic or preparing a speech. Both are great. But there needs to be an 'off button'

Image: Rate Your Music It's a month before The Seekers are visiting Sydney. In their honour, here are some versions of my favourite Seekers song: I'll Never Find Another You. The official video shows the recording process. Sadly, the it was sung for a farewell in the 60s. But it's ok. Because The Seekers returned in the 90s . Cue live performances of I'll Never Find Another You. Then people did some really great covers of the song. My hero Zooey Deschanel has mature taste in music. She performed a folksy cover of the classic. The Seekers toured throughout the 90s and early noughties. They never did find another you, they told us loyal fans. Andre Rieu wanted them to sing it for an encore. It's now been 50 years of The Seekers. 50 years of my favourite song, I'll Never Find Another You. That's loyalty. Thanks Judith, Athol, Keith & Bruce.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day . This global event celebrates a broad spectrum of mind-states. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a collection under a broad umbrella. Autism Speaks lists these types: "autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome ". This day is about people from all walks of life. But there are lots of consequences people want to have from the day. The group Autism Awareness wants more government funding for Autistic primary-school aged kids. I appreciate their efforts. Hopefully this is for low-functioning children. They need the time and money. But everyone is different. Some kids might need less help, and that is great. Assistance should be based on each individual's needs. Other people just want more widespread awareness of ASD. And to that, I say congrats. The Facebook page says the UN originally declared this day. That's

The long Easter weekend is almost over. Hopefully everyone did whatever makes them happy. This time of year is also the topic of powerful messages. Let's take a quick look at some highlights: SMH reported religious leaders united at UNSW for Easter.  The Washington Times says our new pope quoted, ‘I have heard the voice of witnesses.' The Prince Mangosuthu in Africa said in a press release , 'Christ is risen.'  The UK Telegraph quoted David Cameron in saying Easter is a time to give generously.  The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke, quoted in the Anglican Consultative Council , of 'love and forgiveness of one another.' This is what others were focused on during their Easter. Let's hope all people had a peaceful weekend.

  Easter is such a great time because it is the biggest reminder of forgiveness. Nobody in this world is perfect. We all make mistakes. It isn't easy to always get it right or find balance. But God loves us despite our flaws. Jesus set the example of ultimate selflessness. And He gave us more than we deserve - love. President Obama gave a warm Easter message . It is encouraging regardless of political persuasion. He spoke of hope over dispair, faith over doubt, and something bigger than ourselves.

Tony Attwood is like a Yoda of Asperger's. If this expert does a forward or recommendation for your book, you're all set. It's the Aspie version of getting suggested by Oprah's book club.   He's an ultra-qualified specialist in what he calls ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders), according to the official site .  A lot of his lessons are on Youtube. Topics include: Extreme emotional feelings  Aspie + non-aspie relationships and causes of Asperger's Aspie faulty logic (he says counter it with more logic, not emotion).