We all have those things that really irk us, some people more than others but social media and just the way our society is allows us to complain about those things and some of these views have become accepted as the norm, and as such we adhere to them like sheep. Because I’m me- I’m going to tell you why these views are wrong. So there.

1. Public Transport Terror

See, "The Best Ways To Survive Transperth"

So we live in Perth, a city that has a massive urban and rural sprawl, and takes up probably more room than it needs. Greedy Perth. Now because we are Aussies, and as such constantly drunk, we didn’t think about how such a huge mess of living would challenge how effectively a public transport service could be provided to our people. Huh. Transperth operates 11,200 timetabled bus services, 1,000 train services and around about 400 school bus services on your average weekday, covering about 66 million service kilometres every year- and that number is growing! Now I get pissed off when my bus is late, just like everyone else, and I hate paying my train fare, I wish they’d just let me ride for free, ALL THE TIME. But honestly- they run a train out to bloody Mandurah! Come on guys- that place is the middle of nowhere, and I should know- I used to live there. It’s really really hard to run such an extensive public transport map. I can’t even begin to think about that poor guy whose job it is to map every little street in Maida Vale and make sure a bus driver is scheduled on to get there at 6am every morning just so good old Mrs Potts can get to work on time. Do you think they like it when the trains break down? Trust me, those replacement bus drivers want to get home too. Interesting point of information- Perth is the only place in the entirety of Australia that has a working railcard (Smartrider) system. The only place you can conveniently tag on to public transport without removing the card from your wallet. That’s pretty cool! Okay. It’s not that cool. But it is really handy and has stopped me from missing a lot of trains. Because I don’t run. Ever. So make sure you thank your local bus driver next time- because they are people too. ;)

2. Downloading Diabolical-ness

I love stock images, I'm 100% sure this is from Today Tonight — I love stock images, I'm 100% sure this is from *Today Tonight*

Okay so I know this is going to annoy a lot of people but HEAR ME OUT! Everyone downloads stuff. You’re probably downloading the new Game of Thrones right now. Aren’t you, you cheeky devils?! It’s become a necessity in today's society, because we’re all so poor, and entertainment is expensive. Now the bit that hurts me the most is music piracy. Here at Isolated Nation we love our music. (And film and TV too- we love you guys but this isn’t about you- stay out of it!) We love hearing that brand new track, that classic old album, or discovering a new band. And now I’m not saying don’t download- but if you do (and you will, heck, I will!) also make sure you’re supporting the band that made that music. As someone who has been on both sides of the glass in multiple recording studios and has friends in studios as I type this, also recording their songs, I can tell you that sweat, blood, tears, and a crapload of money that we don’t have- goes into those tracks. That music is someones life- and it really hurts musicians hearts and pockets to know that people are stealing their music a la pirate and enjoying it for nothing. Now as a local musician, and speaking for all the others out there, obviously it’s going to be a little different for massive massive bands. But if you can, go to a show. Whether the band is big, or little- they need your support to be great. If you like the CD- buy a hard copy and get the chill little booklet that comes with it. Go buy a T-shirt and help some other poor lost soul discover them too! We need to take back what’s ours and we need to do it by downloading the crap out of bands we hate on free wi-fi we steal from our neighbours and never listening to it and by supporting the bands we do like! Fight the power and all that, yo.

3. The toilet seat debacle

So this is my favourite one that really annoys me for no real reason. For those of you that don’t know, I am in fact, a female, and it shits me to tears when other members of my gender complain about males leaving the seat up. Now I have had two different sets of male housemates over a course of four years, and yes- they sometimes leave the seat up, and I’ve found the odd cup of coffee or bottle of beer on the top of the toilet. No big deal. But to some women- it is the cause of massive blow outs and I have heard of the odd relationship becoming torn apart by this silly argument! Whenever one of my friends starts whining about this, my favourite thing to do is to point out that they close the door every time they use the water closet, right? Of course, the company I tend to keep is of a high standard (hahahahaha) and so they definitely close the door when they do their thing. After all, no one needs to see that! Now here is the kicker. Toilets are usually (with some exceptions, I must admit) in small rooms, and it is possible-if you can multitask- to close the door, AND flip down the seat in one fluid movement! This allows you to turn around and plant yourself on a nice, cool, freshly turned down toilet throne top, without complaining to me or anyone else about the seat being left up. You never hear men complaining that we leave the seat down! Suck it up ladies!!

Let us know what you think! Is there something that really annoys you? Leave a response in the comments or tweet us! @isolatednation and @perthsoundchic will keep you in the loop. Until next time!

Emma Bradstock