Isn't it annoying how time just sneaks up on you? I've taken to measuring time with rent i.e. when rent needs to be paid, which, unfortunately, happens to be this weekend! Rent is paid every fortnight and so, PHWOAR another fortnight has already gone!

The exact moment when my Life became defined by Rent is unclear. I mean, this is the 5th year I've been living on my own and, technically, I've been paying rent ever since. But I don't think my life has been dictated as such from the beginning. Rent has always been a part of my Life, sure, but I didn't think it played such an enormous role! Perhaps Rent started taking a hold on me when I returned from Antarctica for the 2nd time and realised how liberating the 6 months I spent there was, when I didn't need to pay Rent apart from the monthly storage fees, which were quite measly when compared to my previous monthly Rent fees.

I am waffling.

Anyway, this Idea that I'm living my Life centred around Rent is quite dismaying. As much as it is a necessity, I still wish it wasn't so. However, Utopia does not exist hence this cycle we are all in.

I read in an article about squatters and the ideals behind squatting, and it was quite an eye-opener. Apparently, there are thousands of livable properties in Sydney that are abandoned. They are perfectly livable, but there just isn't any access to it. Enter the squatters, who refer to themselves by the more glamorous term, Property-sitters. Their principle is that, rather than overcrowding and causing over-competition in the already-stricken rental and property market of Sydney, why not ease the situation by finding accommodation in these abandoned buildings? Not only are they delaying rent-hikes, but they're providing a human presence to abandoned buildings.

What struck a chord with me was this statement from one of the squatters interviewed, "Why should the fruits of my toil and labour go towards paying someone else's mortgage?".

So very Utopic indeed. But upon further reflection, I guess that is the current price to pay for stability. It is all very well to squat, but the threat of eviction will always be there. Also, I might resent paying for someone's mortgage, but I hate the idea of having my own mortgage more. Perhaps cycling my Life around Rent is the best for now.

Did you just waste your time reading 6 paragraphs and 1 line just to find that there's no grand resolve over my Rent issue? Yup. Shit happens.