3www.magazineonline.com

ARE U readyfor adventure?

the happyscientist

how to snaplike a pro

the moodie foodie

ISSUE 01

A look into the sneaky ways we wastemoney without even realising it

talks with Nick Rushworth about just how powerful, and fragile, our brains really are

The Travel Bug experiences one of life’s hidden pleasures and dives into a wild adventure, literally!

decoding THE money matrix

Just Better

LIVING

Ocean photographer Joel Coleman shares seven tips on the art of taking great photos

takes a trip to Redfern and collides with some smashed beans and avocado

the boom! report 6 things you should never share on social media

intro/

Mick Mooneyeditor & creative director

Hey everyone, welcome to the first edition of Just Better Living!

Just Better Living Magazine is an initiative of Just Better Care, Aus-tralia’s leading provider of in-home support. The team behind this project originally came up with this wild idea of creating a fun, en-tertaining and enlightening lifestyle magazine while brainstorm-ing what kind of society we want to live in.

Why a lifestyle magazine? It’s simple. We believe it’s important to view every individual as an equal. This is not a magazine for a certain type of person. It’s for everyone, regardless of age, ability, condition, or any other reason. People are people. We all have our opinions, our choices and preferences, and have the right to exer-cise them.

What we definitely do want to achieve is encourage everyone who picks up our magazine to live their best life possible. To entertain, inspire, and engage with our readers on a variety of topics relating to our everyday lives.

We also want to leverage off our position as a nationally distributed magazine to give our readers the chance to share their thoughts and art all over Australia. We’ve got opportunities for writers and photographers (details in the mag) and we’re open to suggestions on how we can showcase other creative expressions that our read-ers want to share.

Basically, we want to have a whole lot of fun, and we want to do it together with you and all our readers. We’re all about seeing each other as equals in society. We also believe we have the power to shape our society in a positive and inclusive way that encourages everyone to participate within our communities and believe in the dreams in their hearts.

So enjoy the maiden voyage of Just Better Living. Don’t forget to check out our online home, too (www.justbetterliving.com.au). You can get a digital copy of all our present and future magazines there, meet and connect with other readers, and also go in the run-ning to win some great prizes that will get you out of your comfort zone and active in some wild adventures.

Blue skies,

Mick Mooneyeditor & creative director

Just Better

LIVING/justbetterliving Don’t settle for the status quo.

Life is better than that.

You’re never too young to start dreaming. You’re never too old to dream new dreams.

dream on.dream big.

Because our goal is to encourage people to live theirbest life possible, we give a lot of fun stuff away to our facebook friends. Join us on facebook and be part of a communitywho aren’t settling for the status quo.

live & learn/ The Travel BugOur travel and adventure section. Each edition we plan on sending our resident Travel Bug to a different location around Australia. In this edition, he goes wild underwater somewhere in Sydney.

What is Social Inclusion?Social inclusion is something all of us should be excited about supporting. CEO Trish Noakes shares her thoughts on why.

The Moody FoodieThis edition’s guest Moodie Foodiereviews a tasty local restaurant situated on the edge of Sydney’s inner city.

The Happy ScientistIn every edition, the Happy Scientist interviews an expert in their chosen field. This month it’s Nick Rushworth from Brain Injuries Australia.

Take Pics Like a ProJoel Coleman, one of Australia’s leadingphotographers, shares some tips on getting the best shots possible.

Got a Story Worth Telling? Are you a writer? Want to get published? Here’s your chance.

The Money MatrixHow to navigate the money matrix, save like a legend, and avoid wasting money.

Are You Snap Happy? If you have thousands of images on your computer due to your obsessive photography habit, we want to to connect with you.

The Boom! ReportTips and tricks regarding all things online. This edition we look at what you shouldn’t share online and why.

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To get to my secret location, I first have to travel across sydney’s deep blueharbour waters. destination: manly wharf.

Today I’m embarking on one of life’s purest pleasures. Some-thing everyone should do on a regular basis. Best of all, it’s a wild adventure that is free—or close enough to free that any-one can do it. To get to my launch destination I first have to do a James Bond style escape from Australia’s Big Apple. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sydney’s CBD with its looming skyscrap-ers alongside the hustle and bustle of corporate commuters entangled with wide-eyed tourists.

the travel bug/Sydney is my home town, but there is more to Sydney than the walls of concrete and the drawcard of Darling Harbour. In fact, there are escape destinations even within escape destinations within Sydney. Sounds a bit like the movie Inception, doesn’t it? Well, maybe that’s a good description of my adventure. Today, I’m going into a dream, and that magical place is only about 30 minutes away from the insanely loud noises of high rise con-struction and non-stop traffic that is the standard soundtrack of downtown Sydney.

I have to remind myselfthat the journeyis thedestination

To get to my secret location, I first have to travel across Syd-ney’s deep blue harbour waters. Destination: Manly Wharf. I decide to spend the extra $2 and go for the fast-and-the-furious version of Manly ferry. The fast ferry. It’s smaller, quicker, cooler, and offers better photo opportunities. I line up for my ticket. I still have ten minutes till take off and I’m next in line. No problem, except the person in front of me is taking ages. It feels like the ticket seller is explaining the en-tire history of Australia to the curious tourist. Isn’t it always the way! Eight minutes later I get my ticket and bolt for the ferry, commando roll under the gate and make haste up to the viewing deck.

When you are on a ferry leaving Sydney, the towering sky-scrapers stare back at you like a row of hardened detectives watching helplessly as a prisoner escapes. I like that. Hasta la vista, baby!

The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, on the other hand, seem pleased enough to let me go. They’re just happy to see I’m having a good time. I have to say, my day has got-ten off to a magical start. In many ways the ferry ride itself is a worthy mini-adventure. You get to see Sydney’s iconic landmarks from a unique angle, as well as see the coastline and all the nature reserves that line this particular stretch of coast.

I’m snapping away like a mad tourist, and realise I’ve spent more time looking through my viewfinder than simply let-ting my eyes take in the views naturally. I decide to put the camera away and enjoy the moment, but with so many pho-to opportunities it’s hard to stick to it! (If you’re a photo bug too, don’t forget to check out Joel Coleman’s tips on page 20)

Photo by Philip Calodoukas

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Rumourhas it that

manly ischock full

of great littlecafes

The ferry arrives at Manly. I check my watch. In an hour I’m set to rendezvous with the Duke (Aka. Philip Calodoukas, a local water photog-rapher and the guy who shot all the great wa-ter shots splashed around this article). In the meantime, I figure I should see how well the locals brew. Not beer (although perhaps later!) I’m talking about my first love: coffee.

Rumour has it that Manly is chock full of great little cafes. I take a right at the wharf, decid-ing to take a side street instead of the main corso. From experience I’ve discovered the best cafes are always just off the beaten track. My instinct served me well. Just around the bend The Barefoot Coffee Traders serve up an exceptionally delicious latte. Sweet caffeine matched with water views. It’s not a hard sell to sit down and enjoy the moment.

Fifteen minutes later I continue on my way towards the beach, but decide again to take a pit stop at another cafe I stumble upon called Pure Whole Foods. Hearing my stomach rum-ble, I decide it’s in my best interest to grab a free range bacon and egg brekkie roll.

Again, I was not disappointed. In fact, I think I might come back for lunch and give one of their burgers a shot.

While chowing down on my brekkie, I pick up the local guidebook and am happy to see how accessible Manly is for prams, bikes and wheelchairs. They even have an easy to read map that outlines all the wheelchair access ar-eas and how to best get around.

On a side note, when I was researching what to do in Manly, I met the staff at Hello Manly, the local information centre near the wharf, who were all extremely helpful to answer my questions on how socially inclusive Manly is. They showed me a range of fun activities that local operators run that include options for the elderly and mobile restricted individuals. It’s encouraging to listen to their enthusiasm, which seemed genuine to me. In fact Manly, as a whole, has a positive and inclusive vibe to it; no matter who wants to have a good time here, there are plenty of options available.

i feel like I’m in

another world.

and truthbe told,

i am

Truth be told, I just about fall asleep (talk about pure relaxation!) when the Duke arrives (with his dog in tow; ap-parently it loves Shelly beach, too) so my potential nap time is vetoed. I need to get ready for our dip.

The Duke pulls out his snorkelling gear and camera and I put on the gear I got from the local rental shop located liter-ally on Manly beach. Snorkel? Check. Goggles? Check. Flippers? Check. That’s all I need.

We meet a fellow snorkeler coming out of the water as we are entering, and she informs us there are plenty of fish out there. As soon as I put my head under water, I feel like I’m in another world. And truth be told, I am. This is the beauty of snorkelling: you step into a new world that has always been just below the surface.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any stingrays (I was too busy trying to join schools of colourful fish) but the Duke managed to take a great shot of one (pictured below). It looks a bit daunting, but the Duke assures me they’re relatively harmless, just don’t go out of your way to pick a fight with them.

My brekkie is finished and time is tick-ing, so I continue on my way. My secret destination, that is tucked away at the far end of Manly beach, is Shelly beach. A tiny piece of the coast famous for be-ing a premium snorkelling spot. And that is just what my adventure is today. I’ve been told I’ll be coming face to face with sting rays, massive gropers, and a multitude of multi-coloured fish.

The walk to Shelly beach is amazing. When you get to Manly beach, you just start walking right. The path will swing left and right, around a cliff face with its mansions on top, past a cozy cafe or two, past a beautiful rock pool, and then you’re there. The walkway is nice and wide, and the view—no mat-ter where you look—is inspiring. I walk slowly, taking in the moment, remind-ing myself the journey is the destina-tion.

Despite my lazy pace, I still get there a bit early so I decide to lay on my tow-el and catch a few rays. Not sting ray, they’re for later. I’m talking about sun-rays. Oh yeah.

Under water, I feel like I’m experienc-ing what it’s like to fly; the limitations of gravity no longer apply. The fish don’t mind me visiting their home, either. They swim within arms length without a bother. Smaller schools of multi-coloured fish pass by gracefully. Meanwhile, the Duke is snapping away. He turns to me and points down. Deep below a massive groper, a lazy looking beast of a fish, is chilling out under the coral.

We surface and have a chat while swimming casually on our backs to another spot about 40 metres to our left. Rumour has it there’s an old mo-torcycle down there somewhere. We meet a group of teenagers looking for the same wreckage, laughing and car-rying on. An older gentleman swims by. Looks like he’s doing laps along the whole beach. What a legend.

We submerge again, and allow the world above to drift away for a while. It’s so peaceful when you’re under-water. So calm. I like this world, and I promise myself I won’t wait ten years to try snorkelling again. It’s an experi-ence that is available for anyone to do. It’s safe. The enjoyment factor is hard to beat.

Before we end our little adventure, I ask the Duke if we can take one more dip below to get a few happy snaps of me; after all, it’s not everyday you have an underwater cameraman hanging out with you.

When we surface and get back to solid ground, it takes a long time to wipe the smile off my face. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m still smiling. Give snorkelling a go. It may seem a simple adventure, but I promise you once you get close to the fish and tune into the relaxed way of underwater life, you’ll realise just how wild and enjoyable it really is.

Phot

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Phi

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Photo by Philip Calodoukas

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I asked the Duke if he could send me his personal favourite photo. This is what I got back. Nice, huh?

If you would like to see it hanging on your wall don’t forget to like our facebook page. One lucky reader will win a 30x45cm acylic print. All facebook friends automatically go in the run-ning. The winner will be announced via facebook.facebook.com/justbetterliving

Photo by Philip Calodoukas

View more of the Duke’s images at: www.emeraldpictures.com.au

Philip Calodoukas is a photographer and videographer with over 15 years in the field. He has travelled extensively within Australia, Europe and Africa capturing photographic images and video of a wide range of subjects from landscapes, seascapes, culture, and wildlife.

WIN THIS PIC

For example, are our local communi-ties that we live in really structured in a way to be meaningful for all members of society, particularly those who have historically been marginalized? Do our local communities regard all its mem-bers as equal, valuable and demon-strate that philosophy in their actions and not just words? In a world where beauty and youth are sought after and idolized…are the older members of our communities minimalised or dis-counted?

Simply, the most effective way to drive social inclusion is to believe in social inclusion…the community you live in will change when social attitudes change and we recognise and value people…all people.

So who is responsible for driving this type of social change? If this is the type of society we want to live in then we can’t expect or wait around for Government to take the reigns. It’s a grass roots issue not one of policy. It is the community that needs to respond and open it’s doors. It’s me, it’s you, it’s all of us.

The community is everyone. The teacher. The librarian. The coffee baris-ta. The shop assistant. The priest. The electrician. The nurse. The dog walker. We are all the fabric of our community. We can ignore the issue and turn our back or contribute to a belief system that is bigger than ourselves.

At the end of the day, an important question that we should ask ourselves is this: What kind of society do I want to live in?Why wait? Let’s create it now.

Who is thecommunity?

It’s all of us.you and I.

The communityis everyone

Simple obstacles can prevent people from being able to access and be a part of their local community – but whilst bricks and buildings can be taken down, put up or re-built, social perceptions are far harder to infiltrate, change and impact on positively. As isolation encroaches into someone’s life their confidence diminishes, their contact with people drops and they increasingly withdraw into a smaller and smaller world and existence – a virtual cycle of social exclusion with tragic effects.

This growing social issue will degen-erate as our population ages, we live longer lives and people with a disabil-ity are forced to navigate through so-ciety’s diluted fabric of equality. Our fast moving world will further hinder open access to active participation in community life further reducing what was the historical social lifeblood of cultures. This dynamic of social ex-clusion must end and in its place the powerful creeds of social inclusion be-come intertwined into how we live…and think.

Simple barriers can be addressed, buildings with inaccessible steps and no lifts; uneven footpaths without suitable crossings; public transport that is limited and limiting; venues without accessible toilets.

These examples of a few physical ob-stacles are more palatable to consider fixing – but at a deeper level there are the social obstacles, too.

what is socialinclusion?/‘Happiness’ is a highly debated topic these days with much research and discussion going into exploring what truly makes a person happy. Ideals and differing viewpoints abound with the search to understand what is the recipe for a happy life.

Whilst some view fulfilment as key – a life made meaningful through valued relationships and engagement with others and activities – others sense it is about a life full of giving and con-tribution as opposed to self seeking, actualisation and entitlement …and yet another diversionary view is that creativity, spontaneity and expression form the pillars of contentment. So whilst it is clear there is no single universal answer on the question, there is on the other side of the spec-trum one prime factor that has been identified around what makes people ‘unhappy’ and that it is embedded in loneliness; social isolation and boredom – fundamentally the prevail-ing big issues people face when their access to community or community is restricted, refuted or reduced.

Community life is about accessing things that are in abundance in our day to day lives. Being able to get in and out of buildings…easily…being able to be employed…without preju-dice…to shop, to go to and partici-pate in clubs and sporting activities, to get to and from places. Without these everyday opportunities, a per-son is essentially left on the outskirts of life…a lonely and isolated place.

Trish NoakesTrish Noakes is the founder and CEO of Just Better Care.Australia’s leading In-Home Support provider specialising in senior services, disability support & dementia support. For more information visit: www.justbettercare.com

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We care about individual freedom.

We care about social inclusion for everyone.

We care about facilitating great adventures.

We care about your quality of life.

We’re not interested in maintaining the status quo.

We’re better than that.

www.justbettercare.com

Because it’s just plain wrong to be up so early on a Saturday morning (waking up at 6:30am thanks to one’s weekday’s body clock is no fun), a warm beverage must be had. I didn’t get my usual latte, but a chai latte will do this time around. I generally prefer chai much stronger (spicier) than usual (otherwise, why drink it); the chai at Three Williams didn’t re-ally do it for me. It’s the perfect cup for someone out there though!

Being an avid supporter of avocado on toast, The Lady’s choice to get the smashed beans w/avocado on charred toast w/two poached eggs is a no-brainer. Avo on toast probably has a longer history than that of Australia. You can’t really go wrong with it.

Personally, smashed beans on avo does work, but only for awhile – the dish admittedly gets boring after awhile, which is a downside of a dish where the toast and what’s on it be-comes the sole focus. Solution? Share!

Three Williams is known for its naan bread “sandwiches” called “narnies”. These are actually quite similar to Chinese flatbread sandwiches (e.g. Rou Jia Mo). Surprisingly, Three Williams is the first cafe I’ve been to that serves anything like this. I feel like such a simple concept should have been ex-plored sooner, but alas, there is always a first.

A newer narnie addition on the menu, the coconut & lime marinated chicken narnie comprises a huge circle of naan (I should say, these narnies are a lot bigger than the pictures make them out to be), enclosing a “no-regrets” amount of fragrant coconut chicken. The filling doesn’t hold back – the juices will flow no matter how you dig into this one. It’s deli-cious, and good luck finishing this plus much more.

While the narnie is great, I have to note that its major struc-tural failing is at best inconvenient, and at worst, a disaster. As naan isn’t an absorbent bread type (unless you slice hori-zontally through it – narnies aren’t), any sauces/juices/ingre-dients sandwiched in the naan’s folds doesn’t seep into the bread, and thus is free to flow about. Let’s just say we had a pool of sauce on the plate, and I had to go wash my hands after demolishing these.

Be prepared for a messy eat.

Assuredly, there are (at least) three guys who work at Three Williams. But no, their names are not “William”, fore or patro-nymic. Glen is the name of the owner (ex Grounds of Alex-andria) and the head chef’s name is Tim (ex Aria/Chiswick).

Ok, so the cafe isn’t named after the head honchos. What’s up? Did you know that the Chippendale and Redfern sub-urbs are so-named after – you guessed it – Williams? William Chippendale & William Redfern, to be exact. The third – Wil-liam Hutchinson, didn’t get a suburb of his own, but at least he got included as part of the Three Williams.

That’s still pretty cool, given the great rap that the cafe has been receiving since its opening late last year. There’s a num-ber of boxes this place ticks, and ticks well. Read on to see why the William trio would have been proud.

the moody foodie/

The rule of three is a common literary device where things that are expressed as a trio are inherently more appealing. The oft-used line “good things come in threes” comes to fore here. The name – Three Williams – itself is a great start.

The sign is totally chic, and you just know this is Three Wil-liams without thinking too much – there’s no other banner that lets you know, so this sign has to do its job, and do it well. We arrived at a decently-timed 8:30am, and yet the cafe is already this packed. Looks like things are going quite well with the triplet cafe here. Luckily, there are more than three tables. If you arrive later, say at 9am, you will be sub-jected to a waiting period. You have been warned!

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Review of the Three Williams Cafe.Address: 613a Elizabeth St Redfern, NSW 2016

Last on the list is the fish croquettes. These are absolutely delicious. Seri-ously, loved these. The buttery fish within a perfectly fried exterior didn’t even need the aioli that came with it. Of course, I still made prodigious use of it, because it’s aioli. That’s a good enough reason, right?

Order the croquettes if you’re here.

I can see myself going to Three Williams again. I can’t imagine when that would happen, but the William boys should be proud that Redfern has added a cafe of this calibre to the area. It should only go up from here.

The newest addition to the narnie menu is the bibimbap pulled pork & chilli kimchi narnie. The Korean influence makes its mark here alright. This narnie tasted great to me, mainly because there was just so much gosh-darned pork in there. In fact, probably a bit too much. If you eat too much of the pulled pork at once without eating much else it’s going to start tasting a bit much. Eat evenly.

Mmmmm, pulled pork….

Crunchy veggies add in the texture, for a package that’s just as messy as the coconut chicken narnie, but one that tastes just as good. Nay, better.

The Merchant is a well-presented puzzle that I can’t quite make sense of. Is it a glorified bacon & egg muffin? A large slider? A small burger (and one without a patty of meat)? Buns that hap-pen to have ingredients on top/in between?

I’m not sure. Being an avid burger monster, I unconsciously ex-pected The Merchant to deliver that sensation that only a thick, juicy patty of meat can give. The Merchant couldn’t give me that, and instead I got bits of bacon here and there, an admittedly great egg, and some zingy slaw to try and pick up the slack.

It’s not for me, but I can see its appeal.

This edition of the Moody Foodie was written by Michael Shen, a regular foodieblogger. You can check out hisblog and be entertainedby his regular restaurantand cafe reviews at:www.imstillhungry.net

Want to be the next guestMoodie Foodie reporter?For more details, check out:justbetterliving.com.au/moodyfoodieAwesome:

* Narnies are wicked cool* Food is overall very high quality

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Food photos by Michael Shen

next stopHamilton Island/

Just to give you the heads up, for our next edition we’re sending our Travel Bug to Hamilton Island to get himself into another wild adventure; even though Hamilton Island is famous for relaxation, we’ve made it clear we want him to report on some serious action! We’d also like to hear from our readers as to where to send him after that. Should we send him deep into the desert, in the centre of Australia, perhaps? Do you know of any secret locations that offer the chance to experience something new? Let us know your tips.Write to us at: editor@justbetterliving.com.au

Just Better

LIVINGwww.justbetterliving.com.au

the happy scientist/For this edition of the Happy Scientist, I interviewed Nick Rushworth. Nick is Executive Officer of Brain Injury Australia - the national peak acquired brain injury (ABI) advocacy organisation representing the needs of people with an ABI, their families and carers. He was also President of the Brain Injury Association of New South Wales between 2004 and 2008. Before joining Brain Injury Australia, Nick worked for the Northern Territory Government setting up their new “Office of Disability”. Formerly a producer with the Nine Television Network’s “Sunday” program and ABC Radio National, Nick’s journalism has won a number of awards, including a Silver World Medal at the New York Festival, a National Press Club and TV Week Logie Awards.

Nick RushworthExecutive Officer of Brain Injury Australia

Nick was one of the lucky ones, in that his father is a brain surgeon, his mother and sister are doctors, and his work relationships provided further connections to key surgeons and therapists to help with his immediate surgery and subsequent rehab. “I tell people that as soon as I hit the turf, everything that could have gone right for me, did. I was extremely fortunate, but the vast majority of people who experience brain injury aren’t in the position I was in. For most, they were already disadvantaged in society before their accident. They are the people I am working with on a daily basis. Trying to help them process their injury and work towards recovery.” I asked Nick what the most common cause of traumatic brain injury - or head injury - is and was surprised that his answer was concussion. According to Nick, almost every-one experiences a concussion at least once in their life. The good news is if the brain is allowed to rest then most of the time a full recovery takes place within 7 to 10 days. The bad news is that due to the lack of awareness of the dangers of concussions, many sports stars and young school athletes alike are being put back into the game too early, sometimes back into the same game. This can result in serious, perma-nent brain damage. It’s crucial for parents and coaches to understand how crucial it is to allow the brain adequate time to recover. Just because you can’t see the injury, does not mean it has already gone away. Another notable cause of brain injury is what’s known as shaken baby syndrome. A parent, sleep-deprived with a screaming baby who refuses to sleep, gets up and in a brief moment of frustration shakes the baby. The result of these one off shakes can and do result in severe brain damage. A babies brain is extremely fragile and must be handles with absolute care. For any new parents, please remember this: No matter how much a baby cries or won’t sleep, never, ever shake a baby. It can have a devastating result that may af-fect the child and parents entire life. Our conversation shifts to other often overlooked areas of society where brain injury is prevelant. “Did you know that as many as 60% of inmates in our adult prisons screen positively for brain injury?” Nick asks. Again, I have to plead ignorance. “Unfortunately, the root issue of brain injury is mostly ignored, and so we have repeat offenders and almost a revolving door in our criminal justice system. To address brain injury is hard work and costly. But what is the cost of not taking this situation seriously?” Nick also explains that approximately 30% of people using homeless services screen positively for brain injury. It is easy to view someone who is homeless, or drug dependant and blame their poor choices. How often do we think it may ac-tually be due to a brain injury that they have no support to treat? “It’s complicated, I know. But brain injury in society is a serious issue, and public awareness of brain injury is about 20 years behind that of other injuries. As a society, we still are not educated about what brain injury is, how it effects those injured, and how we can successfully rehabilitate it. That’s my job: to raise awareness. To not only help individu-als affected by brain injury, but also play a part in helping all Australians learn more about brain injury as well as how we can prevent brain injury.”

“Did you know the brain has a similar consistency to but-ter?” Nick asks me. I have to admit, I didn’t. To be honest, I’m not even entirely sure what I thought it was like. Perhaps more like rubber? Thinking of my brain as butter makes me somewhat nervous, but Nick assures me that the brain, although fragile, has some of the same capability of healing itself as a torn hamstring. Thankfully, it’s a resilient organ. As Nick puts it, “It’s the global controller for every aspect of human function.” Nick is not just the Executive Officer of Brain Injury Austra-lia, he also has a personal history with brain injury. In 1996, armed with a bicycle, Nick attacked two cars. The cars won, but Nick’s recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury was exceptional. He now spends his days raising awareness about brain injury. He is also passionate about helping individuals and their loved ones who have been directly affected by a brain injury. Brain injury is sometimes referred to as the invisible injury. It’s not quite as obvious as a broken leg. The results of brain injury can often be misunderstood by the passing public and friends alike. Someone who was previously calm and collected may become volatile and restless; a previously quiet mannered person can become loud and abrupt, as a result of damage to those parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions, behaviour. It is common for someone who is afflicted with brain injury to lose a great deal of their friends. For those who stick by their side, it can be a difficult relationship, one that is vastly different than their pre-injury relationship. “Imagine you were in your late teens, ready to leave home and start a career, with the world at your fingertips, and then a split second of not paying attention on the road, or brushing up against someone at the pub the wrong way, and suddenly the resulting accident or violence leaves you with a brain injury. Imagine the frustration you would feel internally, knowing your future is not going to be what you had hoped for, and knowing that instead of independence you would return to a child-like dependency on your parents. On top of this, you also have to deal with and come to terms with the damage from the brain injury itself.” Nick paints a pretty clear picture of what is often a prime-of-life disability and why someone with a brain injury may have increased levels of anger or frustration in their life. But there is hope. Accord-ing to Nick, it’s the most important thing anyone affected by brain injury can hold onto. To hope. “But it has to be held together with realism,” Nick adds. “Recovery is possible, and a great life full of love and joy and freedom is possible, but it takes hard work. Recovery from brain injury is a marathon not a sprint.”

recovery from braininjury is a marathonnot a sprint

For more information check out:www.braininjuryaustralia.org.auYou can also call toll-free:1-800 BRAIN1 (1-800 272 461)

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How to take pics like a pro7 TIPS from Joel ColemanJoel Coleman is one of Australia’s leading oceanic photographers, recognisedglobally for, in part, his signature fast shutter speed photography. Joel is a surfer,a mentor, a teacher, a published author, videographer and an exquisite oceanphotographer. He is based in Sydney, Australia, and photographs worldwide.Check out more of Joel’s images at: www.saltmotion.com Ph

oto

by Jo

el C

olem

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If you are starting to use the manual mode of your camera and trying to get some action shots, start with the ‘Tv’ setting. This stands for ‘Time Value’ and refers to the shutter speed, or the amount of time the shutter is open, al-lowing light to reach the sensor. Fast shutter speeds will stop action, such as waves at the beach or a bird flying. Slow shutter speeds will show move-ment which can make things look blur-ry, but once mastered can help bring life to moving images like waterfalls or night time scenes with moving lights.

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Nothing screams ‘amateur photogra-pher’ like a skewed horizon. Most cam-eras will have an option to turn a grid reference on through the viewfinder. This will give you a good visual refer-ence when composing your photo-graph. Some modern digital SLR cam-eras even have a digital spirit level that will display on screen which is great when using a tripod. If none of these options are available to you, just do your best to keep the horizon straight and you can use a basic editing pack-age like ‘iPhoto’ to correct in post pro-duction.

Use a fill flash when photographing portraits into the sun or bright light. If you have ever tried to get a good image of someone with a nice sunrise or sun-set as the background then you have probably come across the issue of the sunrise being correctly exposed but the people being in shadow or silhouetted against the background. To fix this you can pop-up the flash on the camera and use it as a ‘fill flash’ it wont effect any-thing more than a few feet from the camera so it will fill in those deep shad-ows nicely without ruining the colours of the background.

Use a ‘fill flash’Straight horizons Using shutter speeds

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If you carry too much photographic equipment with you it will simply weigh you down, not to mention the stress of having a super expensive kit that you never want to let out of your sight. Figure out what you need, get a protective case that it fits in and get moving. You are better off being free and versatile than lugging around a heavy backpack just for your camera gear. Of course this is a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ scenario as I am often carrying large cases of equipment across the globe, but hey, it’s my job!

Morning light is usually the best. The first and last hours of daylight are usually the best for pho-tography. So get your butt out of bed and get to a good location well before the sun comes up. I know this may sound hard for some but the results will be worth it when you have a collection of epic sunrise photos from your travels. Sunset is also a good time so plan your day around being somewhere with a view to watch the sun go down. Just remember that even in warm climates the hour before dawn can be pretty chilly so dress appropriately and enjoy the tranquillity of a time of day when most are still in bed.

Pack light, pack right

Get up early

It’s no good getting up early to pho-tograph a sunrise only to find out you have trekked to the wrong side of a headland and everything is in the shad-ows. Get out and scout your locations, decide in your mind what will make a good photograph ahead of time, then put yourself there at the right time of day to get that photograph. Some se-rious landscape photographers might camp out for months in one spot wait-ing for the perfect light to get an im-age. Whilst that is a little extreme for most, a little forethought, planning and preparation can make your photo-graphs that much better.

6Scout your locations

Don’t shoot everything from eye level. Squat down, lie down, hold the camera above your head, put the camera on the ground, dangle off the edge of a cliff! You get the idea! Don’t fall into the trap of photographing everything from eye level. You need to move around, get some different angles, move the ho-rizon up or down in your images. It is amazing what a huge impact even a few feet of difference in height can make to the creative look of your images. So get out there and look for the angles that others are missing!

Change your angle

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Do you like Joel’s incredible beach shot on the previous page? We do, too. So much, in fact, we bought a 3 dimensional, 6 x 4 inch acrylic block showcasing his photo that will look absolutely perfect on your desk or coffee table.

Like our facebook page to automatically go in the running to win it. The winner will be notified via facebook. facebook.com/justbetterliving

Phot

o by

Joel

Col

eman

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Got a story worthtelling?/

We believe you do. More than that, we want to help share it with a national audi-ence. Our magazine is distributed all over Australia and as the goal of our magazine is to encourage people to live their best life possible, we’d also like to help budding writers share their creativity, too.

We plan on starting a new section in our next edition that showcases a short story from one of our readers. So, if you’ve got that creative bug known as fiction writing, or you’ve got a true to life story you believe is worth sharing, send your short story to: editor@justbetterliving.com.au

We’ll share some of the stories submitted as guest posts on our website (justbetterliv-ing.com.au) and let our readers help decide which story should be printed in the next edition of our magazine.

For submission guidelines andprize details check out:www.justbetterliving.com.au/gotastory

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A good wayto learn howto save is tofirst check howyou mightbe wastingyour money

the money matrix/Budgeting is an important aspect to financialindependence, but even the most responsible budgeter can develop holes in their plan. These small leaks within a budget can add up to ma-jor costs quickly, so it is important to know how to identify them. By learning about some of the easiest ways to waste your money, you can take the steps needed to avoid these situations and to break the cycle of paycheck-to-paycheck living. 

Certainunhealthy habits can be a major

waste of your hard-earned

money.

Have you ever bought something that you’ve only used a couple of times? If so, you are likely wasting a lot of mon-ey by buying things that you could borrow. If you love to read, consider checking out books from your local li-brary rather than purchasing them or investing in a pricey e-reader. If you en-joy movies, rent them from your local video store instead of buying the DVD.

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Do you really take advantage of your magazine or pay TV subscriptions? Do you actually watch the extra cable channels that you purchase? If you find that you aren’t fully using certain prod-ucts and services, you are likely wasting money on them. Examine what your family is using, and trim the excess ac-cordingly. Complete a household bud-get in order to track all of your expens-es, as this can help you identify where you are spending money regularly on things that you don’t use.

Paying for Services You Don’t Actually Use

Paying ATM Fees Buying Instead ofBorrowing

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Forgetting to pay your bills, ignoring tax deductions, and lost receipts can result in hundreds of dollars of need-less spending each year. Stay organ-ised by setting up automatic bill pay-ing options so that you can eliminate postage costs and late fees. Then, start a file system to organise your tax docu-ments, insurance policies, and other important papers.

Not Staying Organised

When making a purchase online with a major retailer, you will likely encoun-ter an area to enter coupon or promo codes. While many people skip over this section, it is important to do an In-ternet search to determine if the store is offering sales that you might not know about. Using a search engine can help you to find any possible discounts, and these could range from free ship-ping to a percentage off of your pur-chase total.

6Missing Promos

It is difficult to make financially smart meal choices when you are rushing at home or work, and by failing to make a weekly plan, you are at risk of wasting money on fast food or at the grocery store. If you make a menu of meals that are easy to prepare, you won’t run the risk of overspending at the store on items that you don’t need.

Failing to Plan a Weekly Menu

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Each time you use an ATM that is out of your bank’s network, you can expect to pay up to $4.00 per transaction. This is because you’ll be forced to pay the ATM surcharge, and some banks will also charge a fee for using a non-network ATM. Instead, consider switching to a bank that reimburses your ATM fees, or find locations that offer free ATMs. If you need cash and there are no ATM options nearby, get cash back at the grocery store or pharmacy the next time you need to make a purchase.

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Certain unhealthy habits can be a ma-jor waste of your hard-earned money. Smoking is one of the biggest culprits, as the average price for a pack of ciga-rettes in Australia is over $20. For peo-ple who smoke a pack of cigarettes per day, this can add up to over $7,000 in costs for an entire year. The health im-pact of smoking can also lead to high medical costs.

Not Kicking Unhealthy Habits

While it is understandable that you may feel loyal to a service provider that you know and trust, it is important to note that over time that provider may no longer offer the best deal. Smart con-sumers will always be on the lookout for the best bargains, whether those bargains are a new mobile phone plan or a bank with a higher interest rate.  Despite your best efforts to stay on a budget, you still may be wasting your money in some small way. By identify-ing some of the easiest ways to waste your money, you can avoid these activi-ties and keep more cash in your pocket. 8

Failing to Price Shop

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are you asnap happyphotographer?/

Yep, we are too.

In fact, we want every edition of our Just Better Living magazine to be more than interesting ar-ticles to read. We want it to be an experience for the eyes, too. So, if you’re a budding photogra-pher and would like to see one of your pics in a national magazine, now is your chance.

Moving forward, we plan on showcasing readers’ photos in each edition of Just Better Living. So, if you’re snap happy and want to see one of your best pics launch out of the zillions of other pics stored on your computer and come to life in our magazine, here’s your chance.

For submission guidelines andprize details check out:www.justbetterliving.com.au/snaphappy

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the BOOM! report/ It might be cool to get birthday wishes from all your Facebook friends, but you should not share your exact birth date. Posting the month and date you were born is fine, but adding the year could help those with nefarious inten-tions steal your identity.

Telling the world you will be away from home for the next two weeks is like throw-ing your doors open and asking people to rip you off. It is fine to share your favourite vacation photos with  your social media cir-cle; just do so after you return.

2. Your home address

1. Your exact birth date

but here are 6 things you should never share on social media.

If you own your own business and set up a business page, you may want to give custom-ers the address of your office or store. If your page is purely personal, however, there is no reason to share your home address. Sharing your home address via social media could be extremely dangerous and even be an invita-tion to criminals.

While most of us have posted pictures of our kids on Facebook and other social me-dia platforms, many security experts advise against it. Posting pictures of your children in a public forum could expose them to pe-dophiles, kidnappers and other dangerous individuals. If you must post pics of the kids, check your privacy settings carefully and make sure you know exactly who has access to those images.

4. Pictures of your kids

5. Financial informationSharing financial information on an open fo-rum like public media is very dangerous and could be an invitation to identity theft and other crimes. Your Facebook friends do not need to know about your bank balance or in-vestment philosophy.

3. Your vacation plans

Sometimes it is the inadvertent sharing that gets us in trouble. You probably know bet-ter than to share your password on social media, but if your password contains your child’s name or the name of a favourite pet, you could be giving away some valuable information. Never post anything on social media that you plan to use as part of your password or other security measures.

6. Anything that’s in yourpassword

There are plenty of greatthings worth sharing withyour online friends...

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Don’t settle for the status quo/

STAY IN TOUCH FOR FREEGet your free digital copy ofeach Just Better Living edition(4 times a year) direct in your inbox.

For more info visit our website:www.justbetterliving.com.au

Life is better than that.

Just Better

LIVING

You don’t need wings to fly.You don’t need words to communicate powerfully.You don’t need two hands to take hold of your dreams.You don’t need eyesight to see the world in unique ways.

We all have the right to believe we’re capable of great things.As a society, we all have the responsibility to support this right.

What skills do you want to learn?What kind of life do you want to live?What great adventures do you want to set out on?

You’re able. The dreams in your heart are there for a reason.Don’t settle for the status quo.

/justbetterliving

Just Better Care leads Australia in the provision of in-home support, en-abling people to live independently at home, maintain their personal and social connections and enjoy a better quality of life.

Every Just Better Care office is owned and operated locally, part of a network of local businesses, organisations, services and groups that work together to the advantage of our customers.

Just Better Care is not about labels. We don’t believe in categorising people by age, ability, condition, or any other reason. People are people. We all have our opinions, choices and preferences, and the right to exercise them.

Our support professionals are skilled, experienced, compassionate, under-standing and willing to go the extra mile, always.

Live your life. Your way. Contact us on 1300 587 823 for more information on how we can tailor services to meet your needs.

Our services are available throughout Australia. Call us, anytime.

1300 587 823

Live your life. Your way.

Australia’sleading in-homesupport provider

www.justbettercare.com