UQ Diaries

Age: 43
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Occupation: Lab technician
City / Town: Hervey Bay

Listening to people eat, crunching their food and slapping their lips together loudly. It just angers me for no reason and it makes mealtimes a nightmare.

Age: 33
Degree: Bachelor of Journalism
Occupation: Communications
City / Town: Brisbane

Pointless meetings! When you get a meeting invitation in outlook, there should be 3 options: Accept, Decline, and Pointless. Nothing brings out my inner-sociopath like turning up to a meeting that I knew would likely be pointless, to find that it is, indeed, a waste of everyone's time.

Age: 23
Degree: Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Science
Occupation: Post-graduate student
City / Town: Gold Coast

I hate when I go to a cafe / library and a single person is taking up a table for 6 people. Large tables should be for groups, but small tables should be for singles or couples. Like when one person takes a whole booth of 4 seats on a train then a group is forced to split up. Hate.

Age: 25
Degree: Bachelor of Psychology
Occupation: Administration officer
City / Town: Brisbane

When people have no spatial awareness! So many people block pathways, staircases, supermarket aisles, etc. because they don't spare a thought for the people around them.

Age: 40
Degree: Bachelor of Journalism / Bachelor of Sport and Recreation
Occupation: Editor
City / Town: Brisbane

You know what really grinds my gears? Self-serve checkouts at supermarkets. There's an unexpected item in the bagging area? Yeah, it's me – I shouldn't be here! Not only are self-serve checkouts incredibly frustrating due to constant malfunctioning, they are removing job opportunities. If we must have self-serve checkouts, they should be for 12 items or less only.

QR codes at bars and restaurants can also get in the bin. It's safe to interact with people now, so why are QR codes still a thing.

A healthy dose of human interaction is a good thing.

Age: 25
Degree: Master of Dietetics
Occupation: PhD candidate
City / Town: Brisbane

When people walk too slowly on walkways while simultaneously taking up the entire path. I 👏 have 👏 places 👏 to 👏 be 👏 .

But also, since you asked:

• When people change lanes without indicating.
• When shopping trolleys are left in car parks rather than being returned to trolley bays.
• Body odour on public transport.
• Inflation.
• People that push in front of queues.
• Crippling HECS debt.
• Fad diets and health influencers.
• People who play music on portable speakers in public – why not get headphones? No one wants to hear your mixtape, Brandon.

Age: 44
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Occupation: HR manager
City / Town: Brisbane

People who stand in long queues waiting to swipe on or off for bus / rail and wait until they get right to the front of the queue before they start ferreting around in their bag for their Go Cards to swipe, thereby holding up the queue behind them. It drives me absolutely bonkers that people don't have their cards out ready to swipe to keep the queue moving efficiently!

Age: 68
Degree: Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)
Occupation: Retired
City / Town: Campwin Beach

I like being addressed as Ms.

My husband and I have different surnames, and I hate it when people call me Mrs just because I am married. Men don’t have to designate whether they are married or not, why should women. I do not belong to him. I am not against women calling themselves Mrs if they want, but surely the correct address is Ms unless requested otherwise.

Age: 35
Degree: Bachelor of Arts / Social Science, Bachelor of Midwifery / Nursing
Occupation: Midwife
City / Town: Stafford Heights

Eating and drinking noises. Sometimes they make me just want to scream and burn everything to the ground. I have a whole body reaction to it.

That and my clothes getting caught on doorknobs / corners / handles etc. Instant rage.

Age: 28
Degree: Master of Educational Studies
Occupation: Administration officer
City / Town: Adelaide

Seeing dirty dishes lying in the sink after coming home from a whole day of tiring work. No dinner prepared would be even more irritating on top of that.

Age: 32
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Occupation: Scientist
City / Town: Cambridge

Being overly tired, or a couple of days before my period – basically anything can make me irrationally angry! From things as simple as my boyfriend leaving the water running while washing dishes, to the more complex, like losing at Wordle. And even though I tell myself I'm being unreasonable, it doesn't make me feel any less angry!

Age: 39
Degree: Bachelor of Engineering
Occupation: Engineer
City / Town: Brisbane

People thinking the rules don't apply to them, even seemingly minor rules. Because we don't always understand why certain rules exist, and don't always agree, but it's usually someone else that suffers.