scorcing thoughts

the australian summer makes you feel like a piece of turd. you are damp and sticky, and the flies follow you around all the time. its like they are playing tag on you ... there is always at least one fly wherever you go. you keep trying to get it away, but it never does. you keep trying to do something about it, like trying to swat the pesky buggers. that makes you a frantic piece of turd. but a piece of turd is still a piece of turd, whether still or moving about.
the locals "celebrate" the heat, soaking in the sun and then cooling down with a few cold ones (or more than a few during the festive period). as for me, i just try to keep cool, and get cooler every time i pop another one.
the question here is .. whom do we categorise as locals? the people who have lived on this land for many generations? the people who migrated here from a cold country far away a couple of generations ago? the people who came from neighbouring countries and have australian citizenship after the prerequisite years? the young blokes who came on a student visas and then assumed citizenship? or the people who only speak english?
as the country continues to open its door to migrants, it grapples with new and different ideologies, cultures, languages, habits. problems arise when someone "new" refuses to adopt the culture here, or when someone already here refuses to accept new cultures that plonk into the country. but there never seems to be a big problem, because everything will be made to look ok superficially. as long as everyone is polite. we can always bitch about things when we turn a corner.
lots to think about as we welcome 2010, at least for some of us who think things need to change a little...

lip service

"u okay mate?" that is all a person who accidently runs you over with his car has to say, and he is deemed polite. despite being a prick for running you over, people down under believe in being polite. if you, on the other hand, after being run over, decide to naturally vent your anger by swearing or cursing, you will be considered rude.
my rental agency is polite. they never sorted out any of my problems. but they always made false promises in a polite manner. i was rude, for raising my voice just slightly, kind of demanding when action will be taken to repair my leaky roof, faulty oven, and broken air conditioner. the agency - which collects my rental (paid on time) and does not comply to the rental agreement by getting their shit in order -is never rude. all they need to do is answer the phone politely and tell me things will be done. things are never done, but they are not rude.
welcome to australia. everything has to do with tone and manner here. nothing to do with what gets done - simply what is promised. delivery is secondary. while communications and team work is stressed upon like the choice of a good beer, it is in reality as rare as kevin rudd making sense.
but yet things get done, sometimes ... ok ... most of the time. sometimes at a speed which may astound many. dont know how this happens, but it does. thank god it does. otherwise, we will end up being simply polite, with nothing else to be thankful for.
did i say we?

aussie thoughts

australians basically, and generally, have very short attention spans, unless the topic of conversation is about themselves. they spare no details in exerting their own views, and do so quite eloquently, if you listen very closely. very little regard, however, is normally given to understand the other party involved.

they also take pride in their own identity, and fear that it is slowly eroding away. there is a saying here ... "when in australia, speak english". firstly, they dont actually speak english, so the statement doesnt actually qualify. but if we take it at face value, it is a feeble attempt to close themselves off from foreign thoughts, cultures and beliefs. they are achieving their targets, and in the process, are losing out at an opportunity to widen their minds and souls. especially so since a majority of their neighbours are immigrants. but to assimilate, they first need to cross the first hurdle, which is to accept the fact that "others" are equal, if not better, than them. of course we are forgetting the idiots that seem to pour in the country through weak immigration laws. these people actually give reason for the unfortunate shallow behaviour being discussed. but thats a different story.

life here should also be more than mere lip service. "gday", "greetings mate", "and do have a nice day" .. when these words are uttered, you can tell if the utterer really means it, from the tone and manner. those who say it as mere lip service should actually forever hold their tongue. otherwise, aussies may end up as a robotic society. they may even have to eventually change their name to singapore.

working in australia is similar to malaysia. you find the same idiots here. the ones who appear the busiest are actually the ones who do the least. apple polishing goes a long way here too. there is always a long winded way to do something, replacing the simple method of getting something done. the "pencil pushers" strive to justify their existence, at the expense of the rest.

but all in all, aussies are a blast. they know how to have a good time and they make great company, especially over a few drinks. life can be a blast too, if one takes advantage of the positive aspects of australia. lets see now .......