Lana, Melbourne, Australia

“ Its funny cause I did not have a lot of goals when I was 20 and probably had more when I was 10!”

Name :  Lana Rajsic

Gender :  Female

DoB :  07.09.1982

City of Birth : Zagreb Croatia

Status :  Single

Family :  1 sister 41yo

Hometown :  Melbourne, Australia

Education : Bachelor of Applied science / Master of HE

Job :  Senior HR consultant

Religion :  –

Politics :  Left of center

As a child… How would you picture yourself at 30?

JOB – How did you decide to do this job?

I thought I would either be an archeologist or a teacher.
Archeologist because I was fascinated by Egypt (and still am!). And teacher… Well I don’t really know why… maybe because I just like to tell people what to do!

“I am a grown up now”, I have a mortgage ☺! I cried a lot that day… I bought it at an auction I felt like it was the biggest mistake of my life…

HOME / PLACE OF LIVING – Where you thought we would be living by now?

I was born in Zagreb, and stayed there until I was 9 yo, so tough I would still be living there.
Then the war started and we moved to Serbia (Belgrade) for a year and we realized that the war was not going to end and we moved to New Zealand, stayed there for 8 years and then moved to Melbourne when I was 18.

Lana lives in this apartment north of Melbourne.

Lana having some salad in one of her favorite restaurants.

Striking and memorable events…

IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE – What are the most memorable event of your personal life?  A negative one would be getting an ultimatum from my parents about 5 years ago, about someone I was seeing and I had to choose my family or him (because he was much older, was divorced, had two daughters). He wasn’t what they imagined for me… So I had to make a choice… And I chose family…
A Positive one would be buying my apartment… “I am a grown up now”, I have a mortgage ☺! I cried a lot that day… I bought it at an auction I felt like it was the biggest mistake of my life…
Another would be finishing my masters… never though it would happen! Was so painful cause I hate studying and especelly because my mum got of hospitable the day I graduated.

IN THE WORLD – What are the main events that stroke the world you are living in? The war back home… because it just changed the life I could have had… My family’s life… I do remember a lot of things of that time…. Was so hard and painful…. And lately I even understand more because at the time my parents were hiding me the truth and I was a bit too young to understand.

BEST MEMORY – What is your best memory? Buying my apartment because it was such a great achievement!

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT – I am proud of the level at work that I have achieved at such a young aged because usually people at my level are much older than me.

Looking back / Reviewing expectations

10 YEARS AGO, I was not really think about the future when I was 20. I was just having fun ☺ When I was much younger, I tough that I would be married with kids by 28 and then I got to my 20’s and I realized I did not really like kids very much.
Its funny cause I did not have a lot of goals when I was 20 and probably had more when I was 10!
Even when it comes to job I did not know because all jobs I got happened by accident!
Clearly my 20’s were not planned at all!

TODAY, like I said, I am really happy with the level I have achieved on a professional ground. And on the sentimental ground, I am not in a relationship but don not particularly feel the need to be.

Maria choose 3 objetcs : 1) Her bike that she loves to ride. 2) An instax camera to share pictures with your friends. 3) A book about cats because she just loves cats

Lana at home browsing on her computer.

30 years old, a turning point?

WHAT’S NEW? – Did you notice some changes since you are 30 YO?

I have to say no… Actually all my friends freaked out when they were reaching the 30’s about getting old and so on. But I never got that kind of feeling! I was excited about the round number, telling myself this is good!

I guess It’s only after, because I am 32 now that I start thinking that I will not be young forever… But I still think I have time!

Actually all my friends freaked out when they were reaching the 30’s about getting old and so on. But I never got that kind of feeling! I was excited about the round number, telling myself this is good!

You don’t realize you are getting old cause you still feel like you are 18 but when you start to see some slights changes: grey hair, small wrinkles, something starts hurting where it never used to…
I still feel the same as I do when I was 20, until you meet the 20 year old young and you tell myself… oh no I am definitely 30! Was I really that obnoxious?? The ignorance of youth…

OLD OR YOUNG? – Do you feel « old » or « still young »? Depends which day you ask… If I had a big night out… I would say I am so old!!! But otherwise no… I actually tough I would be more grown up in my head as a 32 yo. My apartment was my first responsibility, but with my cat, hat’s the extent my responsibility… I am not married and do not have children…I still feel free and young!

CHANGES OR REGRETS? What are the things you would like to change?
If we could change it, I guess we would change it… But since we cannot change it, we just have to learn from it…
If I had possibility, I would travel back t my early 20’s, slap myself and say “Think about your future!!” Cause your life has it is now is fun but won’t last! You should try to find someone. Everyone has done it and you feel a bit left behind, as if you missed something…
And actually when it comes to my relationship with my ex, I have to admit that I ask myself how it would my life be if we still were together.

My Values

My Typical day

And tomorrow?

YOUR STORY IN 10 YEARS – What is the story you want to tell within 10 years?

Today I like to plan ahead… which is very different from 10y ago, what would that be in 10y??
So… My cat will be 10 years older ☺ I will still be in Australia, Melbourne or Sydney, depending on  my parents, cause they are in their 70’s and my sister and I will have to look after them. Since she has a family in Sydney, it may be easier for me to move there. I would like to say I will be with someone, maybe own a dog or 2 ☺ The biological clock may also kick at some point…Who knows! And on professional ground I think I will be an HR Director somewhere…

THE WORLD IN 10 YEARS – How do you imagine the world you will be living in within 10 years?

World :  I think the majority of the changes will be technological for good of evil. Artificial Intelligence will evolve so much… I think it is kind of scary, especially when people like Steven Hawking says it… When we will reach that point when AI will supersede human intelligence…. And I don’t think we are too far from it… some small things just on our Iphone, just scare me sometimes.

Australia : Hopefully Tony Abbot (current PM) is gone, I think about him as our George W Bush…
What he said about his major achievement as Minster of Women; which was abolishing the carbon tax; really shocked me because was very sexist…
Hopefully Australia has a wiser immigration policy, the way “boat people” asking for political asylum are treated is appalling, they are isolated in some island, in some kind of detention center cause they came illegally.

I also hope, that worldwide, and in Australia of course, that Gays and Lesbians have more rights, including marriage.

Fears and Dreams…

FEARS – What are you afraid of?  I am afraid of dying alone… It encompasses everything…

ACHIEVEMENTS – What are the things you want to achieve? Make the life of people around me better… Look after my parents until they pass away… Be a good friend, a good partner. Just achieve pure happiness.

DREAMS – What is your craziest dreams?  Win the lottery and go travelling forever!! THE END! (But I don’t play!!! But I should start buying tickets)

More pictures…