Innholdsfortegnelse for TAK2336 i Take 5

Reading our tips page this week, one in particular made me smile, and then shudder at a memory I’ve tried to block out these past few weeks! The useful tip was to always carry a pen when you’re flying internationally so you can fill out the forms on your flight. I always do this so I don’t have to queue for one. But on my most recent flight, this almost ended in disaster. I was so badly delayed, the whole journey took 40 hours. Seriously sleep deprived, I filled in the incoming passenger card declaring that I had no contraband items. But pulled randomly for an inspection at the exit, the sniffer dog went crazy over my carry-on and found a little packet of cheese and crackers from the flight…

Tehmeena Afzal-Quintana, 41. Opening the photo my friend had just sent me, I stared in disbelief. It was of a beefy guy at a nightclub with his hands on the waist of a young lady. Your man, the message read. It can’t be, I responded. He wouldn’t do that. Bryant and I had met three years earlier at the high-end car dealership where we worked. “Watch out for him,” colleagues warned. “He’s got a reputation.” Bryant was my dream man so I chose to ignore them, and anyone else who told me he was unfaithful. But now I’d received this… “Are you cheating on me?” I asked Bryant, showing him. “That’s a set-up,” he said. “People are trying to tear us apart because they’re jealous.” Choosing to trust him, I…

Jennifer*, 42, Adelaide, SA. Picking up my cup of tea and novel, I walked out the back door into the garden. “I’m reading my book outside, Jayden,” I called to my son. “Okay!” he yelled back. I’m a single mum to Jayden, nine, and we were house and cat-sitting for my friend Kim while she was overseas. Kim is a lawyer and has a beautiful house on the outskirts of town. We’d been friends since school. Jayden and I lived in a tiny apartment so we were lapping up the luxury of staying in a big house with a garden for a change. Kim had no kids, and her house was filled with trinkets and art. It was also surrounded by bush, and occasionally she’d spotted wombats and echidnas. I…

VIRGO Aug 24 – Sept 23 You have a ton of lessons to learn when it comes to dealing with people. Essentially, those you love are your best teachers but (and here’s the rub) so are the people who annoy you! ★ Look for the lessons in every little upset. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 – Dec 22 Sagittarians always love to travel, but right now, if you can get away, it could be better than usual. Especially if you go with someone/a lover you haven’t been getting on with too well. A trip away could help fix that. ★ Even a little mini-break could relight your fire. PISCES Feb 20 – Mar 20 We are told that in this Instagram age, narcissism is rife. And maybe it is. But right now,…

TIP Before making a doctor’s appointment, find out if there are any fees involved and ask what they are so you won’t be surprised when you show up on the day. And don’t be embarrassed to ask if they bulk bill. It could save you hundreds of dollars! There’s no denying that healthcare has become expensive lately. With fewer GPs subsidising fees than ever before, it’s become unaffordable for many. Medicare is a mess, and with the cost of living rising, many people are saving money wherever they can. Worryingly, medical appointments have fallen significantly, with people struggling to cover the rising costs of GP visits. But if you’re among those who feel economical healthcare is a thing of the past, there is still hope. Many prescription medications are still…

Eloise Tomkins, 39, Melbourne, Vic. Prince Harry’s face flashed across my TV screen. “Unfortunately, London’s a trigger for me,” he said to Oprah, who was interviewing him. On the TV show, The Me You Can’t See, he went on to explain how he’d undergone something called EMDR therapy, also known as rapid eye movement therapy. “Interesting,” I said out loud, as my Italian greyhound Zeke nuzzled his nose into me. It was June 2021, and for years I’d come across EMDR therapy in my work as a psychologist. The therapist moved their hands in front of a client’s face, in what is known as bilateral stimulation. This helped them to process trauma that had previously not been dealt with and had become blocked in their body. Harry said that EMDR…

Lauren, 31. Gazing out at the view of the ocean, my boyfriend, Rob, suddenly dropped to one knee. “Lauren, will you marry me?” he asked, pulling out a sparkling ring. “Yes!” I cried. It was May 2018, and I was 27. Rob, 33, and I had been together for three years and had bought our own home. The timing of his proposal felt perfect: I was six weeks’ pregnant and couldn’t wait to start a family with him. But after we welcomed a daughter, our relationship grew strained, and it became clear there wasn’t going to be a wedding. “It’s just not working,” I told Rob, who agreed. We decided to keep living in the same house until we could sell it. One night, while Rob watched our daughter, I…

Sharyn Washington, 40, Mareeba, Qld. A searing sensation in my right breast jolted me awake. What was that? I thought, looking at the clock, which read 3am. As quickly as the pain came, it was gone and eventually, I nodded off. It was January 2021, and as a librarian and avid reader of real-life magazines, I knew that any changes or pain in your breast could be a sign of something more serious. A year earlier, I’d visited the doctor about my itchy right nipple. “Use this cream and it should clear up,” he said. Sure enough, the itching went away and I didn’t think any more of it. That is, until the excruciating pain came back the next day while I was in the shower. Touching my breasts, my…

Heidi Jones-Asay, 57. I was just drifting off to sleep when my mum, Loretta, opened my bedroom door. “Don’t come out here,” she said, in a whisper. It was 1970, and I was four, so I did as I was told. The next morning, I got out of bed and peered through the keyhole of my door. I saw my mum’s lifeless body on the floor. Her beautiful face was covered in blood. Terrified, I ran out of the house and saw my nine-year-old neighbour playing in his garden. “My mummy’s dead!” I shouted out to him. He peered inside our house and his face turned white. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing my hand. He took me to his house and his mum called the police. They discovered my…

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Little problem-solver My five-year-old granddaughter, Penelope, was showing me some cute and funny cat videos on YouTube Kids when she confided how much she’d really love to have a cat of her own. “You know, your dad is very allergic to cats and it would make him sick being in the same house with one,” I explained. “Dad loves doing stuff in the shed, we can just let him live out there!” Penelope replied, proud that she’d come up with the perfect solution! Jodi Everett, Leopold, Vic. Art imitating life My son, Jacob, 17, and I have a weekly ‘date’ to watch movies from my childhood. So far, I’ve made him sit through The Lost Boys, The Breakfast Club, Say Anything, Top Gun, St Elmo’s Fire and Footloose. He says…