I really believe that my interest in politics, and especially Australian politics, has increased since i have moved overseas. At first i thought this was super strange and did not stack up but i think as you broaden your perspective a little bit more and you are able to see how things are done elsewhere, it is only normal to work out where you can improve your homeland and what can be done better.
Something else which has increased since i have moved here is my love of folky, hippy music. From exposure to more artists at Coachella, to the emergence of Nahko supporting Xavier Rudd, to my avid (almost fanatical) cycle of Fat Freddy's Drop's album, i have been exposed to their messages and ideas and embraced many of these.
Thee can be times where i think there is no real place for these two to intersect - especially with some of the more folky, alternative stuff i may listen to. Watched a Dustin Thomas gig last week and thought he made some excellent points regarding the need to unite the left and the right but then he lost me when he essentially said political opinions were for dummies. As much as i love the messages spread by these artists. Ones of love, acceptance, equality and tolerance. There is no way that what they preach is possible unless it is with the assistance of a political front.
It does not suck, it is just a fact of life. You need things to be organised and you need to know exactly what you want - from a long term perspective. Unfortunately, some of these people, although spreading love and happiness through their words and sounds, are also helping by spreading disillusionment towards politics and political parties. Living in a democracy, by not voting you really have no right to put your opinion to someone else. You missed that opportunity. From Australia's recent election, i saw many "joke" votes for neither party posted online and it really is disappointing. And is part of the problem. This disenfranchised mentality, an uninterested mind, means that what is best for the country, and for everyone, may not be getting through.
Generally speaking, ask a right wing voter what they think of Coachella or, to a greater extent, Burning Man and you are probably going to get some superior scoff and a mutter of "stupid hippies". In the same vein, ask a lefty what they think of a corporation or capitalism and they will mutter about men in suits. But something which i have found in common with both these sides is the word "revolution". And frankly, i do not get it. Every time i hear, overhear or read someone mentioning that they think a "revolution" is coming to the world, their country or their area i really feel as though i need clarification. What do they think a revolution entails, why now and what is going to be the result? Is it an uprising against the government, an overhaul of social progression or perhaps an alignment of the planets resulting in public panic?
A great mate of mine gave me a wonderful album because he did not need it any more. John Butler Trio live at Red Rocks. One of my favourite tracks is called Revolution and John Butler introduces it by saying something along the lines of. "I think some people are waiting for the revolution to come and i don't think it's ever going to start. And i don't think it is ever going to end. I think revolution is always taking place. It's like evolution, baby. What gives me faith is that you can't stop it, it's just painfully slow. But it's always there."
This is the idea i have. Either i am missing the memos or facebook invites to revolution brainstorming events or people are believing that other people are attending without them. Revolution is about the world finding it's feet, finding what works and what is best for the future. It may not always happen quickly and it may take mistakes to get to the right result. But, as painfully slow as that might be, it is still a revolution taking place. If anyone would like to have a mature, respectful conversation with me as to why they think revolution is going to be an event that is coming soon (to a theatre near you perhaps?) then i would only be too happy to have a listen and broaden my own mind. Until then though, for me it is about running through the fire, running though the flame, running through the hatred, running through the blame, running through the hopelessness and shame. Revolution already underway.
Monday, 9 December 2013
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
So... what am I celebrating here?
Thanksgiving is perhaps the most American thing in the world. It is even more American than the "World" Series! People here are surprised that it is my first Thanksgiving and it is, again, one of those things that America seems to think is far reaching although it is not.
A massive interest of mine has been what Thanksgiving is all about in reality and what started it. There is a lot of confusion and supposed misconceptions about Thanksgiving and, I will admit, a lot of people i have spoken to are not 100% certain of what it is really about. It has lead to me asking more people and also doing a bit more searching on the internet as to what has caused this from becoming as big as Christmas. It sounds a bit crazy to say it is as big as Christmas but i have had several "new" Americans telling me that this is exactly how it is. And it is amazing. And according to the way the shopping centres have been acting, probably true.
The things i have seen on the internet are very interesting and seemingly subjective depending on what your views are on other things. Some say it began for Religious reasons as the Pilgrims on the Mayflower wrote a pact to allow freedom of religious beliefs (Christians only!) and that the first Thanksgiving was giving thanks to the Lord for producing a good harvest.
Perhaps it signifies the breaking of bread between the pilgrims and the Native Americans at Plymouth Rock (a relationship which seemed to diminish quickly) or, as other have said, to celebrate the colonialisation of the Native Americans.
Now this blog is not being written to stir up debate or solve an answer. In fact i think it is probably always going to be better if the real answer is never too clear.
In typical American, positive manner, they have made it a celebration of family. Perhaps the die-hard Christians think this is not appropriate but any Celebration which makes people sit around and think about how much they love and appreciate the people seated around them is the kind of thing which will lead to wildly positive things in almost every case. And the sort of thing i want to be a part of. I will not be so naive to ignore that this sort of thing can lead to as many family breakdowns as Monopoly has (how do those Hasbro Bros sleep at night?) but in almost every case it is only going to bring people closer together.
People get a week off work (just about), travel great distances to be with people they love, share delicious food, drinks and consider their own happiness and how blessed they are. Happy, good natured people will only find this to be a joyous event. I am very much looking forward to my first Thanksgiving and seeing all of the fuss and eating most of the stuffing (seasoning). Is it over the top and a bit ridiculous? Perhaps. But this sort of happy atmosphere appears intoxicating and i can not deny the fact that i have already given thought to how lucky i am and how wonderful my family have been to me.
A massive interest of mine has been what Thanksgiving is all about in reality and what started it. There is a lot of confusion and supposed misconceptions about Thanksgiving and, I will admit, a lot of people i have spoken to are not 100% certain of what it is really about. It has lead to me asking more people and also doing a bit more searching on the internet as to what has caused this from becoming as big as Christmas. It sounds a bit crazy to say it is as big as Christmas but i have had several "new" Americans telling me that this is exactly how it is. And it is amazing. And according to the way the shopping centres have been acting, probably true.
The things i have seen on the internet are very interesting and seemingly subjective depending on what your views are on other things. Some say it began for Religious reasons as the Pilgrims on the Mayflower wrote a pact to allow freedom of religious beliefs (Christians only!) and that the first Thanksgiving was giving thanks to the Lord for producing a good harvest.
Perhaps it signifies the breaking of bread between the pilgrims and the Native Americans at Plymouth Rock (a relationship which seemed to diminish quickly) or, as other have said, to celebrate the colonialisation of the Native Americans.
Now this blog is not being written to stir up debate or solve an answer. In fact i think it is probably always going to be better if the real answer is never too clear.
In typical American, positive manner, they have made it a celebration of family. Perhaps the die-hard Christians think this is not appropriate but any Celebration which makes people sit around and think about how much they love and appreciate the people seated around them is the kind of thing which will lead to wildly positive things in almost every case. And the sort of thing i want to be a part of. I will not be so naive to ignore that this sort of thing can lead to as many family breakdowns as Monopoly has (how do those Hasbro Bros sleep at night?) but in almost every case it is only going to bring people closer together.
People get a week off work (just about), travel great distances to be with people they love, share delicious food, drinks and consider their own happiness and how blessed they are. Happy, good natured people will only find this to be a joyous event. I am very much looking forward to my first Thanksgiving and seeing all of the fuss and eating most of the stuffing (seasoning). Is it over the top and a bit ridiculous? Perhaps. But this sort of happy atmosphere appears intoxicating and i can not deny the fact that i have already given thought to how lucky i am and how wonderful my family have been to me.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Listen, i don't even like Clarkey but...
It is a troubling situation when i am not a fan of the Australian cricket captain. It is not that i am hard to please or non-compliant but this guy... he is not Allan Border. He does not have that piss against the wind positivity or the Steve Waugh, fuck this huge West Indian guy i am winning the game or even the Ricky Ponting i am the prettiest guy to flick the ball to the leg side so do what i say.
Michael Clarke is a hard man to love but perhaps he has got it. If he wins this series history will be much kinder to him than he probably deserves. The passive aggressive captaincy matched with a fantastic innings. It is what we have missed and something that England may not be able to match us with. Alastair Cook is an accomplished man. From what i have heard he got a scholarship at school for about 16 different reasons. Intelligent, sporty, musically gifted and ferociously good looking (if i do say so myself) he still lacks that killer instinct captaincy which Clarke has. And uses, admirably.
I have no issue with the "you ready for a broken arm?" jibe. The papers have jumped to it... i blame the Abbott government... but in reality this is Clarke talking of what his fast bowler is capable of. And that kind of fear is something we need to instill in England if we expect, or want, to win the series. I was batting once, at Parker Street Oval and the man at point threatened to stab me. This was playing park cricket. In a fairly useless game where we were doing alright. That man was going to stab me. May i say i got 50 and we won it. And yet we are kicking up a fuss about Clarkey saying something along the along the line of .... "hey Anderson mate. Johnno is worked up and is sending down some firebolts. I would be careful, you get your set up wrong and you could hurt yourself."
Why does no one see what Clarkey said as a warning to what was ahead? I do not think he is a great captain but i am stoked to see him (finally) come to the fore and telling England that we are not going to be submissive any longer. Tremlett, Jones, Anderson and Flintoff were great aggressive bowlers but Australia refused to match it. Now we have the bowlers to top that... even our second stringers top that.. so it is no reason to be soft. In fact the opposite.
Clarke is in a position to salvage his reputation. For everyone to forget the mistakes he made (i.e Symonds and the wonderful Simon Katich) and revel in the fact that he won us back the Ashes.
It is not a hard recipe. Runs at the top of the order and support to the lightning flinging, crack hitting bowlers at Clarkey's disposal.. A great batsman and perhaps not a leader of men but, a leader against the motherland. Someone who can win back the Urn built simply and satisfy the fan appeal and the urgency of a million backyard barbecuers and blind (in the drunk sense) cover drivers.
Michael Clarke is a hard man to love but perhaps he has got it. If he wins this series history will be much kinder to him than he probably deserves. The passive aggressive captaincy matched with a fantastic innings. It is what we have missed and something that England may not be able to match us with. Alastair Cook is an accomplished man. From what i have heard he got a scholarship at school for about 16 different reasons. Intelligent, sporty, musically gifted and ferociously good looking (if i do say so myself) he still lacks that killer instinct captaincy which Clarke has. And uses, admirably.
I have no issue with the "you ready for a broken arm?" jibe. The papers have jumped to it... i blame the Abbott government... but in reality this is Clarke talking of what his fast bowler is capable of. And that kind of fear is something we need to instill in England if we expect, or want, to win the series. I was batting once, at Parker Street Oval and the man at point threatened to stab me. This was playing park cricket. In a fairly useless game where we were doing alright. That man was going to stab me. May i say i got 50 and we won it. And yet we are kicking up a fuss about Clarkey saying something along the along the line of .... "hey Anderson mate. Johnno is worked up and is sending down some firebolts. I would be careful, you get your set up wrong and you could hurt yourself."
Why does no one see what Clarkey said as a warning to what was ahead? I do not think he is a great captain but i am stoked to see him (finally) come to the fore and telling England that we are not going to be submissive any longer. Tremlett, Jones, Anderson and Flintoff were great aggressive bowlers but Australia refused to match it. Now we have the bowlers to top that... even our second stringers top that.. so it is no reason to be soft. In fact the opposite.
Clarke is in a position to salvage his reputation. For everyone to forget the mistakes he made (i.e Symonds and the wonderful Simon Katich) and revel in the fact that he won us back the Ashes.
It is not a hard recipe. Runs at the top of the order and support to the lightning flinging, crack hitting bowlers at Clarkey's disposal.. A great batsman and perhaps not a leader of men but, a leader against the motherland. Someone who can win back the Urn built simply and satisfy the fan appeal and the urgency of a million backyard barbecuers and blind (in the drunk sense) cover drivers.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
America and Australia ain't so different after all!
I thought it was about time that i started a series showing how close America and Australia really were. Because the truth is, we are almost the same country. Heck, even inhabitants of America are so similar to those you find in Australia that you may wonder if they are, in fact, that same person.
For the sake of leaving 'em happy, which is what i am all about. I am going to start with the negatives and then finish with the positives. No one likes finishing on a bad note so i think this is the best course of action. My ending note here is an absolute cracker and is quite topical considering it is Summer down under so i hope it makes up for the people i am about to bring up.
Numbers 1 and 2. Rush Limbaugh and Alan Jones
Ughhhhh. If these two repulsive individuals were not so similar i would talk about something more pleasant. Like Japanese whaling or something... but here we are. Although the Pacific Ocean separates them, they are almost the same person. Conservative, aggressive radio-casters who do not give their opposition the opportunity to give their point of view across (especially if they are university accredited).
Both of these peddlers of conservative, political agendas are the beneficiaries of talkback AM radio which has netted them mega salaries whilst, at the same time, sticking up for the little guy who they supposedly represent. Both have run into trouble for inciting hatred towards ethnic minorities and also are quite outspoken on the issue of climate change. This comes as somewhat of a surprise seeing as neither of them have any sort of qualification in climatology and rely on "scientific" evidence which appears to be refuted by every other scientist in the field. The claims by each of these disc jockeys seem to support a certain political agenda while they reject all other evidence and accuse it of being political propaganda.
Both Rush Limbaugh and Alan Jones have made a career out of hatred, fear and paranoia. Relying on racist, aged callers to back up their agendas and boost their ratings to justify their massive pay packets. Perhaps a juke box playing Top 40 Nonsense would draw a similar audience - it would definitely be more eloquent - but the stations appear hesitant to take such a risk.
I promised a more positive ending and by golly do i have it here! but let's take time out of this announcement to talk about Nathan's hotdogs mmmm mmm!! This is the sort of segue American baseball lovers are used to. Especially if they are LA Dodgers fans. The cash for comments may be more reminiscent of the first two people but Vin Scully has been doing it for years and he does it with class and refinement. That old voice (which has always seemed old), knowing aura and dry wit... There is no way anybody could watch an Australian cricket match and a Dodgers baseball broadcast and not see the similarities between Richie Benaud and Vin Scully.
Both are totally synonymous with their sports and both bring a certain wry, humour to their broadcast. They are also always impeccably dressed. Benaud in his bone jacket and Scully in whatever suit he grabs from his rack that day (let's face it, those Dodgers have a big budget!). I could not help but see that people in America feel that Scully is the voice of baseball. Much in the same way that Benaud is the voice of Summer cricket in Australia. If you hear their voices you know exactly what time it is. It is time to see Gonzalez and Puig at the top of the mark... or Clarke and Watson standing at the crease. A sharp wit and an ability to paint a descriptive picture has meant that these commentators are still in the business.. despite them both being over 80 years old.
Long story short these two men are national treasures. There will be no replacements. Ever. And we are lucky to live in an era where we get to hear their mellifluous voices calling the games we love. Hearing either of them call a game is the best way to take part in each sport and, years down the line, when you hear ex players and supposed experts giving their two cents, you will tell your grandchildren of the good old days of Richie Benaud (or Vin Scully). You will realise you have turned into your parents. Realise that you are old now. That tequila don't go down so easy. That you should have gone to Cinque Terra when you had the chance. That you should have invested in a tattoo removal service and that every commentator to ever follow will have the highest of standards to uphold.
For the sake of leaving 'em happy, which is what i am all about. I am going to start with the negatives and then finish with the positives. No one likes finishing on a bad note so i think this is the best course of action. My ending note here is an absolute cracker and is quite topical considering it is Summer down under so i hope it makes up for the people i am about to bring up.
Numbers 1 and 2. Rush Limbaugh and Alan Jones
Ughhhhh. If these two repulsive individuals were not so similar i would talk about something more pleasant. Like Japanese whaling or something... but here we are. Although the Pacific Ocean separates them, they are almost the same person. Conservative, aggressive radio-casters who do not give their opposition the opportunity to give their point of view across (especially if they are university accredited).
Both of these peddlers of conservative, political agendas are the beneficiaries of talkback AM radio which has netted them mega salaries whilst, at the same time, sticking up for the little guy who they supposedly represent. Both have run into trouble for inciting hatred towards ethnic minorities and also are quite outspoken on the issue of climate change. This comes as somewhat of a surprise seeing as neither of them have any sort of qualification in climatology and rely on "scientific" evidence which appears to be refuted by every other scientist in the field. The claims by each of these disc jockeys seem to support a certain political agenda while they reject all other evidence and accuse it of being political propaganda.
Both Rush Limbaugh and Alan Jones have made a career out of hatred, fear and paranoia. Relying on racist, aged callers to back up their agendas and boost their ratings to justify their massive pay packets. Perhaps a juke box playing Top 40 Nonsense would draw a similar audience - it would definitely be more eloquent - but the stations appear hesitant to take such a risk.
I promised a more positive ending and by golly do i have it here! but let's take time out of this announcement to talk about Nathan's hotdogs mmmm mmm!! This is the sort of segue American baseball lovers are used to. Especially if they are LA Dodgers fans. The cash for comments may be more reminiscent of the first two people but Vin Scully has been doing it for years and he does it with class and refinement. That old voice (which has always seemed old), knowing aura and dry wit... There is no way anybody could watch an Australian cricket match and a Dodgers baseball broadcast and not see the similarities between Richie Benaud and Vin Scully.
Both are totally synonymous with their sports and both bring a certain wry, humour to their broadcast. They are also always impeccably dressed. Benaud in his bone jacket and Scully in whatever suit he grabs from his rack that day (let's face it, those Dodgers have a big budget!). I could not help but see that people in America feel that Scully is the voice of baseball. Much in the same way that Benaud is the voice of Summer cricket in Australia. If you hear their voices you know exactly what time it is. It is time to see Gonzalez and Puig at the top of the mark... or Clarke and Watson standing at the crease. A sharp wit and an ability to paint a descriptive picture has meant that these commentators are still in the business.. despite them both being over 80 years old.
Long story short these two men are national treasures. There will be no replacements. Ever. And we are lucky to live in an era where we get to hear their mellifluous voices calling the games we love. Hearing either of them call a game is the best way to take part in each sport and, years down the line, when you hear ex players and supposed experts giving their two cents, you will tell your grandchildren of the good old days of Richie Benaud (or Vin Scully). You will realise you have turned into your parents. Realise that you are old now. That tequila don't go down so easy. That you should have gone to Cinque Terra when you had the chance. That you should have invested in a tattoo removal service and that every commentator to ever follow will have the highest of standards to uphold.
Monday, 18 November 2013
San Francisco's stock continues to rise.
My brother, not unusually, gave me a lot to ponder answering a seemingly simple question. I asked him a couple of years ago his favourite city in the world and he refused to answer it. He said it was a stupid question. Now i am understanding more and more what he meant. It is naive to put one city above the rest. How can you line up Sydney Harbour with the Pyramids? Or the Eiffel Tower with Amazon? Some man-made, some native, some old, some young.
If you think there is one city better than all the rest you probably should travel more. Maybe you got sick in one city and refuse to acknowledge how great it is. Maybe you did not get perfect weather or maybe you thought the queue was too long (my most hated excuse for not liking a city or site!). Due to the above i refuse to call anything my very favourite city in the world. However San Francisco continues to come to the front of mind when i think of the next place i would like to visit.
There is a certain vibe to that city which i have found numerous times in my travels and immediately fallen in love with it. Florence, when i thought it was the history. Madrid, when i thought it was the art. Melbourne, when i thought it was the culture. Lucerne, when i thought it was the cleanliness. Amsterdam, when i thought it was the...well, yeah.
It is more than any of these things though. It has to do with the people, surely. Each person who lives in these cities seems to leave a mark of friendliness, happiness and acceptance on everything they touch. This good vibe resonates in the buildings and explodes with an aura of positivity and fun throughout the city.
I fell in love with San Francisco the first time i drove in. The big, wide streets seemed to speak to me and the cool breeze seemed to blow sweet kisses towards me from the Golden Gate Bridge. Being able to spend more time there was a magical experience. The crowds at the baseball games were good natured and friendly, the vendors in stores were outgoing and proud of their home. People were in parks eating pastries (or drinking rum from coconuts!), doing free outdoor yoga lessons, eating brunch on a patio and wandering their streets. Making the most of their surrounding and not losing sight of the fact that they are lucky to live in such a place! I find myself liking the city more as i am apart from it (everything seems nice when you remember it) and the story to come out of last week only reiterates my thoughts about the people who inhabit it.
Last week, a young boy with cancer had his wish come true thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation in the Bay Area. The cute kid loved Batman and wanted to be a superhero. 12,000 people volunteered to turn his dream into a reality and he did things like rescue a damsel in distress from the tram lines, apprehend the Riddler and put a stop to the Penguin's evil plans. I mean seriously? Where in the world could this happen? I can not imagine Sydney coming together for this... Los Angeles? Forget about it! 12,000 people (who perhaps should have been at work) all worked together to make one small, special, brave stranger-boy be given a memory he will never forget. This is the kind of things the vibe i speak of can conjure up. The positivity and the happiness which runs through these people is embodied in the city itself.
San Francisco's stock rises again. If anyone out there is not touched by this i am prepared to say you are not made of stone. It is something harder than that - there is no hope for you.
If you think there is one city better than all the rest you probably should travel more. Maybe you got sick in one city and refuse to acknowledge how great it is. Maybe you did not get perfect weather or maybe you thought the queue was too long (my most hated excuse for not liking a city or site!). Due to the above i refuse to call anything my very favourite city in the world. However San Francisco continues to come to the front of mind when i think of the next place i would like to visit.
There is a certain vibe to that city which i have found numerous times in my travels and immediately fallen in love with it. Florence, when i thought it was the history. Madrid, when i thought it was the art. Melbourne, when i thought it was the culture. Lucerne, when i thought it was the cleanliness. Amsterdam, when i thought it was the...well, yeah.
It is more than any of these things though. It has to do with the people, surely. Each person who lives in these cities seems to leave a mark of friendliness, happiness and acceptance on everything they touch. This good vibe resonates in the buildings and explodes with an aura of positivity and fun throughout the city.
I fell in love with San Francisco the first time i drove in. The big, wide streets seemed to speak to me and the cool breeze seemed to blow sweet kisses towards me from the Golden Gate Bridge. Being able to spend more time there was a magical experience. The crowds at the baseball games were good natured and friendly, the vendors in stores were outgoing and proud of their home. People were in parks eating pastries (or drinking rum from coconuts!), doing free outdoor yoga lessons, eating brunch on a patio and wandering their streets. Making the most of their surrounding and not losing sight of the fact that they are lucky to live in such a place! I find myself liking the city more as i am apart from it (everything seems nice when you remember it) and the story to come out of last week only reiterates my thoughts about the people who inhabit it.
Last week, a young boy with cancer had his wish come true thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation in the Bay Area. The cute kid loved Batman and wanted to be a superhero. 12,000 people volunteered to turn his dream into a reality and he did things like rescue a damsel in distress from the tram lines, apprehend the Riddler and put a stop to the Penguin's evil plans. I mean seriously? Where in the world could this happen? I can not imagine Sydney coming together for this... Los Angeles? Forget about it! 12,000 people (who perhaps should have been at work) all worked together to make one small, special, brave stranger-boy be given a memory he will never forget. This is the kind of things the vibe i speak of can conjure up. The positivity and the happiness which runs through these people is embodied in the city itself.
San Francisco's stock rises again. If anyone out there is not touched by this i am prepared to say you are not made of stone. It is something harder than that - there is no hope for you.
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
When loneliness is not desired, recommended or healthy.
Well the Melbourne Cup has been run and won but it was a very different race for me to previous years. It was different as i had to spend the day on my own.
Up until that morning i thought it was going to be the second year since 1994 that i did not watch the Cup (knowingly, because from all reports, i watched 1990-1993 as well). In 2007, Earth & Environmental Science had an HSC exam on the first Tuesday in November. I protested, i waved my arms, i asked them if they knew who i was, but all to no avail. The main exam attendant was a woman i have known since birth. Without even asking her to, she walked in at 3:15 and wrote the results on the blackboard. Surely this was against protocol and it may have affected my mark. I had backed Purple Moon... which was second to Efficient.
Yesterday i was in another country and sadly, spent much of the day on my own. Watching the race on a channel i found by chance and betting online through Tom Waterhouse (it is true. He will take bets from anyone! Even when other agencies insist that taking bets from people in America are against protocol!!). I was not too sure how i would react to being alone for it but it was a bit lonely and sad. I skyped Mum on five separate occasions and tried valiantly to imagine i was there sipping champagne and eating sour cream and chives pringles. Alas, it was not reality.
The whole experience reminded me of two things. A book i read called "What makes us tick?" (by Hugh Mackay) and an experience when visiting a church in Florence. The book states that, when we see something or experience something fun, happy or surprising, it is human instinct to want to share this with other people.
In Florence, years before i read the book, i was visiting San Minato el Monte (a short walk out of town), near Piazza le Michelangelo when an older Canadian man came up to me and broke the sombre mood. "Isn't this just incredible?" He said, rather than asked. "The ornate details, the colour, the patterns. Every tile is done so magnificently, so perfectly. Why are there not more people here?" We were both solo travellers and neither of us wanted more people there. His words struck a chord with me though and highlighted an issue about travelling solo, especially if you like art. Who do you talk with about it later? And at the time? It is human nature to want to debrief and analyse things which are spectacular or hard to believe. When you are on your own, some of the gloss can be lost (can, not necessarily will) in these situations.
It just goes to show that we are meant to share our life. Our happiness, our sadness too. I am not talking about marriage or official things like that but relationships and communities and groups. Being apart of these helps to broaden your mind, see the other side of situations, enjoy things more thoroughly and truly appreciate things. I know that man got a kick out of me saying "i have never seen anything like this before." I was still a naive, young, first time traveller, but the justification of his thoughts were all that he wanted.
Getting dinner the other day we had a similar experience. El Amigo, in Glendora, has a drive thru option but the window is on the right hand side of the car. No problem if you are in Australia. But we are not. The restaurant obviously encourages people to go get Mexican food with other people. Perhaps they do not want to be seen as the restaurant which caters to singles but it could certainly be embarrassing having to get out of the car to collect your food in the drive thru. It is almost like it is forcing people to be social and have dinner with friends - which could never be a bad thing.
not everyone wants to do everything with other people and i respect that but, there are very few experiences in life, very few sights to see, which would not be enhanced if you did not see it with some other like minded, open people as well. I suppose the message of my story is, whether you are watching the races, climbing the hill to San Minato el Monte in Florence or you are getting Mexican food from El Amigo, you are going to have a better time if you have someone special there to share it with.
Up until that morning i thought it was going to be the second year since 1994 that i did not watch the Cup (knowingly, because from all reports, i watched 1990-1993 as well). In 2007, Earth & Environmental Science had an HSC exam on the first Tuesday in November. I protested, i waved my arms, i asked them if they knew who i was, but all to no avail. The main exam attendant was a woman i have known since birth. Without even asking her to, she walked in at 3:15 and wrote the results on the blackboard. Surely this was against protocol and it may have affected my mark. I had backed Purple Moon... which was second to Efficient.
Yesterday i was in another country and sadly, spent much of the day on my own. Watching the race on a channel i found by chance and betting online through Tom Waterhouse (it is true. He will take bets from anyone! Even when other agencies insist that taking bets from people in America are against protocol!!). I was not too sure how i would react to being alone for it but it was a bit lonely and sad. I skyped Mum on five separate occasions and tried valiantly to imagine i was there sipping champagne and eating sour cream and chives pringles. Alas, it was not reality.
The whole experience reminded me of two things. A book i read called "What makes us tick?" (by Hugh Mackay) and an experience when visiting a church in Florence. The book states that, when we see something or experience something fun, happy or surprising, it is human instinct to want to share this with other people.
In Florence, years before i read the book, i was visiting San Minato el Monte (a short walk out of town), near Piazza le Michelangelo when an older Canadian man came up to me and broke the sombre mood. "Isn't this just incredible?" He said, rather than asked. "The ornate details, the colour, the patterns. Every tile is done so magnificently, so perfectly. Why are there not more people here?" We were both solo travellers and neither of us wanted more people there. His words struck a chord with me though and highlighted an issue about travelling solo, especially if you like art. Who do you talk with about it later? And at the time? It is human nature to want to debrief and analyse things which are spectacular or hard to believe. When you are on your own, some of the gloss can be lost (can, not necessarily will) in these situations.
It just goes to show that we are meant to share our life. Our happiness, our sadness too. I am not talking about marriage or official things like that but relationships and communities and groups. Being apart of these helps to broaden your mind, see the other side of situations, enjoy things more thoroughly and truly appreciate things. I know that man got a kick out of me saying "i have never seen anything like this before." I was still a naive, young, first time traveller, but the justification of his thoughts were all that he wanted.
Getting dinner the other day we had a similar experience. El Amigo, in Glendora, has a drive thru option but the window is on the right hand side of the car. No problem if you are in Australia. But we are not. The restaurant obviously encourages people to go get Mexican food with other people. Perhaps they do not want to be seen as the restaurant which caters to singles but it could certainly be embarrassing having to get out of the car to collect your food in the drive thru. It is almost like it is forcing people to be social and have dinner with friends - which could never be a bad thing.
not everyone wants to do everything with other people and i respect that but, there are very few experiences in life, very few sights to see, which would not be enhanced if you did not see it with some other like minded, open people as well. I suppose the message of my story is, whether you are watching the races, climbing the hill to San Minato el Monte in Florence or you are getting Mexican food from El Amigo, you are going to have a better time if you have someone special there to share it with.
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Face Cards and Parrot Heads
I know that ever since i arrived in the USA I have either been planning a trip to Vegas or preparing one. Now, after this last weekend, it looks like i will not be returning to Vegas on this trip so i am very happy to be able to say that i went out with a bang!
We arrived early on the Friday and checked out Fremont Street - the Old Town Vegas. It was very, very interesting with a lot less glamour than the Vegas i know. Nonetheless, it was another place to lose some money. I am glad i checked it out but it was a bit dirty in more way than one.
It was straight on to the Mirage next for check in and to get ourselves used to the surroundings. Naturally, it was not too long until we found the tables and we got into the formulas and maths of single deck blackjack! Laura seemed to have the lucky touch and we had a really good time with the other people playing. Next stop was a trip up the strip to my favourite casinos such as the Cosmopolitan. We gambled, got drinks and laughed as our fortunes fluctuated.
There was a possibility of going to a show that night. Cirque de Soleil, Beatles and even Kanye West! We decided against any of these in the end. Upon searching for Kanye tickets we realised we would be sitting right up in the nosebleeds ("Can we get much higher? So high...") so we gave them all a miss and just wandered about, continuing to try our luck. To continue with the theme, Laura was killing it. My cards were varying but we had a bit of trouble with the dealers. They were generally drawing well and, irrespective of the cards we got, we had to push or still lost! On the walk home, i dropped the rest of the money into a Grease machine, purely for sentimental reasons and was lucky enough to recoup some of my losses!
We woke on Saturday nursing only slight hangovers (a change of pace) and went to the buffet for unlimited food and mimosas - always the best start to the day! Then we headed to the dolphin and tiger show, which we got free tickets for!! It was a lot of fun and an unexpected adventure into the jungle!
That night was the next of the different experiences - The Jimmy Buffett concert! I had never followed his music too closely but i knew what to expect. The sort of sun soaked, sand scratched, surfboard swerving beachy music which all of us can relate to at some stage and to a certain degree. I was really looking forward to it! Fans of Jimmy Buffett are quite fanatical and he has a big cult following. These people refer to themselves as "parrot heads". We met people who were going to their 46th show of his and others who had followed him across the country and were in Reno two days earlier. When i used the rest room, the urinal looked like a mug shot from a Hawaiian bachelor party.
The crowd that was building was unlike anything i have ever seen or known. Lor was winning more blackjack (the old, obese man next to her said he was hoping to get lei'd after the gig...or maybe he said laid. I think it was the latter) and i just watched people walk past me. Old men with coconut bikinis and grass skirts, people with parrots on their shirts, shoulder and heads. A young woman, heavily pregnant, had "Future Parrot Head" painted on her exposed midriff! This was an invasion. Drinks in hand, smiling loudly and proud of the brand often emblazoned on their apparel. This was parrot head central and we were a part of it!
The show was great fun. He came out in an unassuming manner, barefoot and board shorts and just jumped straight into it. His backdrop was a powerpoint presentation of sailing boats and Hawaiian sunsets. It could have been done by a 10 year old but i suppose he played to what the audience wanted and they lapped it up! His main songs, 'Fins' and 'Margaritaville' were a huge hit and left the whole crowd buzzing and ringing. He did not overplay his hand but delivered what was expected of him. All in all, he played for about two hours and i can honestly say it was a new, fun experience and well worth the money! The people watching alone was worth it.
Following the show, more drinks were definitely required. We found ourselves surrounded by cowboys (the rodeo was in town!) and we met up with Amanda who broke hearts and taught me how to line dance. I swung Laura across the dance floor with pizzaz but could not hide the fact that i was lacking some knowledge regarding the correct steps. Now it was time to gamble some more. I am a big fan of the get out of jail stakes but the stakes were quite high here and i did not want to bite off more than i could chew and leave myself unable to afford food for the next week. Blackjack was going well at a gimmicky spot where i had hoped to play with a dealer dressed as Lady Gaga but, when she took her break, i sat with Brett Michaels. Was he a wrestler or something? Either way he was quiet and dealt some decent cards. I found myself up and my eyes becoming heavy so put down my biggest bet of the weekend. I got two face cards and he got a number so i doubled down. This was make or break. I had 19 and 20 come up and had really started counting my chickens when he drew another number...and another...and it came to 21. Sort of summed up my gambling weekend! Still, breaking even at the table was better then what a lot of people can say when they come to Vegas!
We headed home, at some un-godly hour. stopping for a foot long hot dog and another quick, impulse gamble before sleeping like people who had spent their entire weekend drinking, laughing, dancing, gambling and exploring the fantabulous, unbelievable anomaly which is Las Vegas.
We arrived early on the Friday and checked out Fremont Street - the Old Town Vegas. It was very, very interesting with a lot less glamour than the Vegas i know. Nonetheless, it was another place to lose some money. I am glad i checked it out but it was a bit dirty in more way than one.
It was straight on to the Mirage next for check in and to get ourselves used to the surroundings. Naturally, it was not too long until we found the tables and we got into the formulas and maths of single deck blackjack! Laura seemed to have the lucky touch and we had a really good time with the other people playing. Next stop was a trip up the strip to my favourite casinos such as the Cosmopolitan. We gambled, got drinks and laughed as our fortunes fluctuated.
There was a possibility of going to a show that night. Cirque de Soleil, Beatles and even Kanye West! We decided against any of these in the end. Upon searching for Kanye tickets we realised we would be sitting right up in the nosebleeds ("Can we get much higher? So high...") so we gave them all a miss and just wandered about, continuing to try our luck. To continue with the theme, Laura was killing it. My cards were varying but we had a bit of trouble with the dealers. They were generally drawing well and, irrespective of the cards we got, we had to push or still lost! On the walk home, i dropped the rest of the money into a Grease machine, purely for sentimental reasons and was lucky enough to recoup some of my losses!
We woke on Saturday nursing only slight hangovers (a change of pace) and went to the buffet for unlimited food and mimosas - always the best start to the day! Then we headed to the dolphin and tiger show, which we got free tickets for!! It was a lot of fun and an unexpected adventure into the jungle!
That night was the next of the different experiences - The Jimmy Buffett concert! I had never followed his music too closely but i knew what to expect. The sort of sun soaked, sand scratched, surfboard swerving beachy music which all of us can relate to at some stage and to a certain degree. I was really looking forward to it! Fans of Jimmy Buffett are quite fanatical and he has a big cult following. These people refer to themselves as "parrot heads". We met people who were going to their 46th show of his and others who had followed him across the country and were in Reno two days earlier. When i used the rest room, the urinal looked like a mug shot from a Hawaiian bachelor party.
The crowd that was building was unlike anything i have ever seen or known. Lor was winning more blackjack (the old, obese man next to her said he was hoping to get lei'd after the gig...or maybe he said laid. I think it was the latter) and i just watched people walk past me. Old men with coconut bikinis and grass skirts, people with parrots on their shirts, shoulder and heads. A young woman, heavily pregnant, had "Future Parrot Head" painted on her exposed midriff! This was an invasion. Drinks in hand, smiling loudly and proud of the brand often emblazoned on their apparel. This was parrot head central and we were a part of it!
The show was great fun. He came out in an unassuming manner, barefoot and board shorts and just jumped straight into it. His backdrop was a powerpoint presentation of sailing boats and Hawaiian sunsets. It could have been done by a 10 year old but i suppose he played to what the audience wanted and they lapped it up! His main songs, 'Fins' and 'Margaritaville' were a huge hit and left the whole crowd buzzing and ringing. He did not overplay his hand but delivered what was expected of him. All in all, he played for about two hours and i can honestly say it was a new, fun experience and well worth the money! The people watching alone was worth it.
Following the show, more drinks were definitely required. We found ourselves surrounded by cowboys (the rodeo was in town!) and we met up with Amanda who broke hearts and taught me how to line dance. I swung Laura across the dance floor with pizzaz but could not hide the fact that i was lacking some knowledge regarding the correct steps. Now it was time to gamble some more. I am a big fan of the get out of jail stakes but the stakes were quite high here and i did not want to bite off more than i could chew and leave myself unable to afford food for the next week. Blackjack was going well at a gimmicky spot where i had hoped to play with a dealer dressed as Lady Gaga but, when she took her break, i sat with Brett Michaels. Was he a wrestler or something? Either way he was quiet and dealt some decent cards. I found myself up and my eyes becoming heavy so put down my biggest bet of the weekend. I got two face cards and he got a number so i doubled down. This was make or break. I had 19 and 20 come up and had really started counting my chickens when he drew another number...and another...and it came to 21. Sort of summed up my gambling weekend! Still, breaking even at the table was better then what a lot of people can say when they come to Vegas!
We headed home, at some un-godly hour. stopping for a foot long hot dog and another quick, impulse gamble before sleeping like people who had spent their entire weekend drinking, laughing, dancing, gambling and exploring the fantabulous, unbelievable anomaly which is Las Vegas.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Sailing into History
Laura's grandfather often says that watching sailing races is as exciting as watching paint dry. As a cricket enthusiast I am used to that description but, like cricket, sailing is a very exciting event to be a part of.
We got down to Los Angeles Yacht Club bright and early on Saturday morning to prepare our steed, 'Picante' to coast outside of the port and to the finish line at Catalina Island. It would be about a three hour ride and we would stay the night. Then the next morning we would have another race back to LA Yacht Club. I met my fellow crew Russ, an older man with a knowing look and Charlie, a younger, energetic son of a son of a sailor. Along with Laura and her dad, Tom, we readied ourselves for whatever perils lay before us.
When all was in readiness we went out towards the starting line to be met by a huge cloud of fog which was almost impossible to see from ashore. I had only seen a gorgeous day so this was a surprise. And it never really burnt through! Nonetheless the crew discussed which sails to use, given the wind, and got them prepared. The start of a sailing race is a lot of fun. Obviously a standing start is impossible so you need to time your jump just right. There is a ten minute warning and a four minute warning and then the next thing you hear is the starter's gun. We looked at the best angle to begin from and circled a couple of times, looking at the other two yachts in our class, and trying to gain any psychological edge possible. Sure enough we timed it nicely and were off and racing, getting a nice start and off into the fog and unknown.
Mine and Laura's role was mostly to provide weight on the side of the boat so we will travel faster. This role is referred to as "rail meat". I think an endearing term really. We did our best for that and helped adjust lines and things like that when it was safe and not too pressing! I was learning so much and we had only just started the race!
Despite the fog, it turned out to be a very easy sail over. I was able to get comfortable on the side of the boat and lean out and ponder life, the sea and everyone who had done that throughout history. Hemingway, Dickens...some of my favourites. Authors, poets and artists have always found inspiration from the sea and it was pretty easy to see why.
We headed out into the fog,
Five sailors sly and cunning.
The salty mist hitting our lips
As the waves carry the boat.
The sail hoisted,
high and tall,
Spinnaker at the ready.
Poseidon lifted us a’ front
and sprayed us from the side
Working with the Anemoi
To add peril to our journey.
Made it through the whitecaps
And rigged the sails right
To a land rarely travelled a’ fore
Of warmth and natural beauty.
See that? All I did was repeat exactly what happened, recounted the facts. and it sounded so poetic and smart and incredible. You just change some words around, add an apostrophe and recount your tale.
It was quite a fun, easy sail across and, due to our crew's supreme knowledge and skill, we were able to finish first past the post. On handicap we were relegated to second but it was quite a close call. At no stage did I even feel queasy and, as we came closer, the island radiated untouched and radiated beauty. Unfortunately, at about this stage, with the danger falling, I hit my head hard on the boom... it was not as bad as it could be but boy that could have gone terribly!
The night was fun and filled with rum and chat with other salty sailors. On a deserted beach with a BBQ and a full moon providing a stairway to heaven. It really was an idyllic scene and we had so much fun without overdoing it, given the trip home the next day.
The next race was much tougher given the conditions but our crew really showed their class and took a slight risk, ending up going the complete opposite direction to our rivals. It resulted in us finishing about 20 minutes before our nearest competitor! It was a ride with less wind and more strategy, more reliance on being able to read the situation. We came up trumps. With no help from me whatsoever!
After the boat was cleaned up and out, we went up to the club for a drink and we were given our winner's trophy! Something that will stand proudly on our mantle in Sydney! My first sailing experience was definitely a very fun one and I really learnt so much and had some excitement. The trip reiterated what we saw in the recent America's Cup, that every American yacht crew needs an Australian on board and hopefully I can add to my trophies sometime in the future!
Thursday, 17 October 2013
"Greed is the root of all evil."
My Mum often said this to me growing up. When it came to issues concerning family breakdowns, public issues, politics, economics and sometimes for reasons i still do not understand. I am still learning that it applies to almost everything and how far it really goes in explaining what is wrong with our world.
In high school i was forced to read Chaucer's "Pardoner's Tale" and i found out my Mum's quote was somewhat borrowed from that. In the story, avarice is blamed for causing destruction and it should be avoided at all costs. As long ago as this was written, it is still relevant. Funny how human nature changes...very little.
My sporadic, flirtatious journey studying economics taught me about the significance of the Bretton Woods Conference, post World War II, and the implications it still has today. I am a big supporter of Keynesian economics. The stuff is fucking spot on. It is real world economics. It is applicable and assisted Australia in diverting the largest effects of the global financial crisis. Unfortunately, Keynes was British and, post World War II, that did not give him much sway. His proposal of an International Clearing Union was refuted by Henry White, an American with self interest and a lot of power at the time, and the worst kind of Capitalism was able to take hold of the world. Debts were almost impossible to be paid off, global development was unable to be feasible and all encompassing and the whole notion of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer made a lot more sense.
This happened because America was the world's biggest creditor and it would have taken longer for them to be paid back under the ICU...well, couldn't America use that cash now? Other nations would be more advanced in terms of economy, infrastructure and development. Global competition would keep costs down and debt would not be an issue. More importantly, the standard of living would be increased throughout the world. I know it may be a long bow but issues of religion, ethnicity, etc are exacerbated due to poverty. I know there were inherent differences between to Hutus and Tootsies in Rwanda but there were also extreme economic issues and people were losing money, land and business due to mismanagement. Same with Syria. The growth and development promised by Bashar has not come to life and people got frustrated and it has caused a division through the population. And now who knows what it will lead to?
I have no hesitation in saying that greed is still the most evil factor.
America is the biggest example of the division between the have and have-nots. Division is such a big part of American life. Do you go for the Lakers or the Clippers? The Yankees or the Mets? Are you Republican or Democrat? Cities are divided, people are divided.
I do not understand the government shut down. Will not try and play the moral high ground route as i know Australia has had similar issues due to supply bills not being passed in parliament but this is a bigger issue. This is holding the country to ransom because you can already afford healthcare, so why can't everyone else? The issue grew larger than Obamacare and turned into the control big business has on the Republican party and the growing interest in the Tea Party movement for several senators. I was watching Fox News (for a laugh) the other day and Bill O'Reilly (not the ex-Aussie cricketer) said, and i paraphrase "and where does our increased tax money go to... to the poor people." now correct me if i am wrong but are they not the people who should get it? We pay taxes to aid our country and the people who are doing it tough. Not everyone is able to get employment, provide for their families and save cash. If you have more than you need, why should you not be taxed a little more to help someone else? Everyone has a right to affordable healthcare. One thing that makes Australia so great. Obamacare has some kinks but it has not even been fully implemented yet...when it does it will save lives and assist a lot of Americans.
The growing Tea Party movement in Australia scares the hell out of me. Already changes are being made to the NDIS... something that everyone agreed on months ago. Disability care and pensions should already be well and truly sorted. But now government are going to tamper with it and change it. Hopefully it will not be harder to access. Again, Keynesian economics... Australia and America can not fight their debts by shutting up shop... that is how we fall into recession. Spending is needed for growth and development and something like education will be a building block to recovery. This is in danger. We keep cutting spending and there will be fewer opportunities. The economy will not recover organically or sustainably. It may result in some taxes but people who complain about being taxed to "breaking point" really ought to take a good look at themselves. In Australia, the first $18,000 you earn is tax free!
My rantings, somewhat piecey and erratic are coming to a close but i want to finish with a common thought of mine. Respect for our fellow man. Asylum seekers, refugees, those with little or nothing. The conditions they are put through, the efforts they go to protect their families... this is stuff we will never understand. We need to have more compassion and respect.
It horrifies me when i hear people say that we should cut foreign aid because "we need to worry about our own country first." It was a common war cry of bogans and the clueless, effluent-affluent in Australia and i now am hearing it in America. People want more so they think they should stop giving first and keep providing for themselves. People do it tough in developed countries but a whole lot more struggle in Africa and Asia. Our aid is, sometimes, a matter of life or death. It can give people hope and a chance at life. If you want to forget that and have cash to buy some more beers or, i don't know, an ipad or something, you epitomise greed and the evil it embodies.
In high school i was forced to read Chaucer's "Pardoner's Tale" and i found out my Mum's quote was somewhat borrowed from that. In the story, avarice is blamed for causing destruction and it should be avoided at all costs. As long ago as this was written, it is still relevant. Funny how human nature changes...very little.
My sporadic, flirtatious journey studying economics taught me about the significance of the Bretton Woods Conference, post World War II, and the implications it still has today. I am a big supporter of Keynesian economics. The stuff is fucking spot on. It is real world economics. It is applicable and assisted Australia in diverting the largest effects of the global financial crisis. Unfortunately, Keynes was British and, post World War II, that did not give him much sway. His proposal of an International Clearing Union was refuted by Henry White, an American with self interest and a lot of power at the time, and the worst kind of Capitalism was able to take hold of the world. Debts were almost impossible to be paid off, global development was unable to be feasible and all encompassing and the whole notion of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer made a lot more sense.
This happened because America was the world's biggest creditor and it would have taken longer for them to be paid back under the ICU...well, couldn't America use that cash now? Other nations would be more advanced in terms of economy, infrastructure and development. Global competition would keep costs down and debt would not be an issue. More importantly, the standard of living would be increased throughout the world. I know it may be a long bow but issues of religion, ethnicity, etc are exacerbated due to poverty. I know there were inherent differences between to Hutus and Tootsies in Rwanda but there were also extreme economic issues and people were losing money, land and business due to mismanagement. Same with Syria. The growth and development promised by Bashar has not come to life and people got frustrated and it has caused a division through the population. And now who knows what it will lead to?
I have no hesitation in saying that greed is still the most evil factor.
America is the biggest example of the division between the have and have-nots. Division is such a big part of American life. Do you go for the Lakers or the Clippers? The Yankees or the Mets? Are you Republican or Democrat? Cities are divided, people are divided.
I do not understand the government shut down. Will not try and play the moral high ground route as i know Australia has had similar issues due to supply bills not being passed in parliament but this is a bigger issue. This is holding the country to ransom because you can already afford healthcare, so why can't everyone else? The issue grew larger than Obamacare and turned into the control big business has on the Republican party and the growing interest in the Tea Party movement for several senators. I was watching Fox News (for a laugh) the other day and Bill O'Reilly (not the ex-Aussie cricketer) said, and i paraphrase "and where does our increased tax money go to... to the poor people." now correct me if i am wrong but are they not the people who should get it? We pay taxes to aid our country and the people who are doing it tough. Not everyone is able to get employment, provide for their families and save cash. If you have more than you need, why should you not be taxed a little more to help someone else? Everyone has a right to affordable healthcare. One thing that makes Australia so great. Obamacare has some kinks but it has not even been fully implemented yet...when it does it will save lives and assist a lot of Americans.
The growing Tea Party movement in Australia scares the hell out of me. Already changes are being made to the NDIS... something that everyone agreed on months ago. Disability care and pensions should already be well and truly sorted. But now government are going to tamper with it and change it. Hopefully it will not be harder to access. Again, Keynesian economics... Australia and America can not fight their debts by shutting up shop... that is how we fall into recession. Spending is needed for growth and development and something like education will be a building block to recovery. This is in danger. We keep cutting spending and there will be fewer opportunities. The economy will not recover organically or sustainably. It may result in some taxes but people who complain about being taxed to "breaking point" really ought to take a good look at themselves. In Australia, the first $18,000 you earn is tax free!
My rantings, somewhat piecey and erratic are coming to a close but i want to finish with a common thought of mine. Respect for our fellow man. Asylum seekers, refugees, those with little or nothing. The conditions they are put through, the efforts they go to protect their families... this is stuff we will never understand. We need to have more compassion and respect.
It horrifies me when i hear people say that we should cut foreign aid because "we need to worry about our own country first." It was a common war cry of bogans and the clueless, effluent-affluent in Australia and i now am hearing it in America. People want more so they think they should stop giving first and keep providing for themselves. People do it tough in developed countries but a whole lot more struggle in Africa and Asia. Our aid is, sometimes, a matter of life or death. It can give people hope and a chance at life. If you want to forget that and have cash to buy some more beers or, i don't know, an ipad or something, you epitomise greed and the evil it embodies.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Fixing America - Part Three: The Obesity Pandemic
I use the word pandemic here specifically. Although it started as an epidemic, probably in America, it has spread across the world to such an extent that other nations are literally biting at the heels of America (i hear bogan chants of "aussie aussie aussie!" and "we can do it fellas" from here).
Consumerism can be a great thing but when it comes to food we are just consuming too much of generally what we should not be. The whole idea of something being always within reach or available stems from the American business and culture model and it has caused the loosening of belts and explosion in "one size fits all" pants across the world. I feel that if you fix the cause, the beginning, then we will be able to trickle this down through to the rest of the world (although the trickle down effect is largely refuted in economics - for good reason).
So what has caused this abundance of supplies and growth in girth? To be honest, it is not too hard to see how America won the mantle of World's Fattest. Everything is convenient. Everything is bigger. You use the drive through to do your banking, buy your food, buy groceries and even receive law advice (this really happened!). With this sort of convenience and also removing the necessity of exerting any physical effort, people are obviously becoming more lazy and consuming more while exercising less. My advice, lose the drive thrus unless you are a fast food restaurant!
The mention of fast food must also raise a poignant factor for Americans. There are so many fast food joints here that i never knew existed. And they are everywhere. You cannot go down four streets without running into a McDonald's, Del Taco or Red Robin. The proliferation of these, and their convenience, makes them popular at all hours of the day and night. As many of these are open 24 hours, there is no escaping them. The prices for burgers and burritos are also frightfully cheap. If you are living on a big budget, it may be cheaper for you to go and get some double-double's for the kids rather than cook your own thing. In comparison, fresh food - fruits and vegetables - are a very similar price in America to what they are back home. So the cheaper, easier, greasier option is often the one you will go for. Do not get me wrong. I love my fast food. And i love my American fast food. Tonight i had El Pollo Loco for dinner and it was freaking scrumptious. But too much is not a good thing.
I am quickly learning how important portion size is to overall well being. Much of this comes down to what you put on your plate but, when eating out, portion sizes are bigger and juicier. Just look at the whole point of the tv show Man Vs Food. Many places have food challenges or just things bigger than normal for the more extreme eaters. Add to that the plentiful sides of "fries" (chips) and you have yourself a huge meal to get through. No one wins from overeating but in eating contests you may win the respect of equally fat people. If you are lucky, they will muster up the energy but do not hold your breath - it may be your death.
The common thread here seems to be laziness. Walk around the shops, take the time to cook your own food and know what is going in to your body. Exercise helps too but, if you are serious about staying thin, you can do it by simply eating less and healthier.
Consumerism can be a great thing but when it comes to food we are just consuming too much of generally what we should not be. The whole idea of something being always within reach or available stems from the American business and culture model and it has caused the loosening of belts and explosion in "one size fits all" pants across the world. I feel that if you fix the cause, the beginning, then we will be able to trickle this down through to the rest of the world (although the trickle down effect is largely refuted in economics - for good reason).
So what has caused this abundance of supplies and growth in girth? To be honest, it is not too hard to see how America won the mantle of World's Fattest. Everything is convenient. Everything is bigger. You use the drive through to do your banking, buy your food, buy groceries and even receive law advice (this really happened!). With this sort of convenience and also removing the necessity of exerting any physical effort, people are obviously becoming more lazy and consuming more while exercising less. My advice, lose the drive thrus unless you are a fast food restaurant!
The mention of fast food must also raise a poignant factor for Americans. There are so many fast food joints here that i never knew existed. And they are everywhere. You cannot go down four streets without running into a McDonald's, Del Taco or Red Robin. The proliferation of these, and their convenience, makes them popular at all hours of the day and night. As many of these are open 24 hours, there is no escaping them. The prices for burgers and burritos are also frightfully cheap. If you are living on a big budget, it may be cheaper for you to go and get some double-double's for the kids rather than cook your own thing. In comparison, fresh food - fruits and vegetables - are a very similar price in America to what they are back home. So the cheaper, easier, greasier option is often the one you will go for. Do not get me wrong. I love my fast food. And i love my American fast food. Tonight i had El Pollo Loco for dinner and it was freaking scrumptious. But too much is not a good thing.
I am quickly learning how important portion size is to overall well being. Much of this comes down to what you put on your plate but, when eating out, portion sizes are bigger and juicier. Just look at the whole point of the tv show Man Vs Food. Many places have food challenges or just things bigger than normal for the more extreme eaters. Add to that the plentiful sides of "fries" (chips) and you have yourself a huge meal to get through. No one wins from overeating but in eating contests you may win the respect of equally fat people. If you are lucky, they will muster up the energy but do not hold your breath - it may be your death.
The common thread here seems to be laziness. Walk around the shops, take the time to cook your own food and know what is going in to your body. Exercise helps too but, if you are serious about staying thin, you can do it by simply eating less and healthier.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Fixing America: Part Two - Gunning for Change
My girlfriend, Laura, often tells me that i focus too many of my negative thoughts about America on guns. Whether this point is to let me know that my views are not 100% accurate, that my wishes can never come true or whether i am missing so many more issues is still yet to be discovered!
I thought about this, long and hard, about why gun control means so much to me when there are so many other problems in the world. I guess it comes down to knowing something different and knowing that it works. Knowing that needless deaths can be avoided and awful situations, that should never be thought about, will not have to haunt families.
This morning a man shot dead a dozen people in Washington DC. No real motive, no real reasoning. He had access to a gun and he used it. He used it to kill people with friends, families, acquaintances and people who saw them every day on the bus and appreciated their smile. Death casts such a wide net and affects so many people. When this could be avoided, in so many situations, why has nothing been done yet?
In the wake of Sandy Hook, news reports of a similar occurrence in China came to notice. This man was armed with a knife, not a gun, and no one died. Sure, people were injured, but no one died. Tell me that guns do not kill people.
Having lived here for five months though i realised that America is still not ready for enough of a reformation that will make sense to the rest of the world. Still clinging to an amendment which was based around the English Bill of Rights of 1689, America simply is not prepared to give up their hand held freedom. This is where, instead of complaining, sticking to my guns (pardon the pun) and losing, I think it is required to change tact a little bit. When people are dying needlessly, something needs to be done. It is a classic move in negotiation. Once the opposition believes they have won, you snowball some slight changes to them and, often, get under their guard.
An American people, yet to understand that Obama's attempts at reforms have nothing to do with taking power away from the people, or turning America into 1930's Germany ("Hitler did this too" says the conservatives), Anti-gun lobbyists may need to aim a little lower at the moment. The things that i believe should be able to be done and can be done are all things which i have read or heard about and i do not think would infringe on anybody's freedom. basically, i feel all law abiding gun owners should not feel they are getting a raw deal from this. But they are a bloody hard mob to please.
Firstly, all assault weapons should not be available to ordinary citizens. Why do people need them? Seriously. I think at shooting rages people should only be able to shoot at targets and not ones that are in the shape of another human being. Again, why do you want to be able to train yourself to shoot a person between the eyes? I think ammunition should be very limited and any purchases out of the ordinary should be investigated. This is whether there is a spike in sales on one day, over a month, etc. If you are buying weapons, it should be traceable. People should not be able to purchase weapons without it being recorded.
I think this is something which could be effective. If you buy a weapon initially from a gun store, it should be coded and the purchaser then becomes responsible for that weapon. When it is lawfully sold this is changed. It is the same when people buy and sell cars so why can't it work with guns? Then, if something were to happen and a weapon was used in a shooting, the owner would also have to accept some of the responsibility. This would mean owners would be less likely to not keep their guns locked up and/or loaded around their children. Although they would not get the same charge as the perpetrator, some blame must be pointed on the owner of the gun. I would hope these measures would be the motivation to take care of guns and ensure they did not fall into the wrong hands.
Naturally, this is a huge step back for the gun laws i think should be introduced. I mean, sure Australia might be headed toward peril economically, educationally and in terms of human rights, but none of this is due to the fact that guns are harder to come by. Those who think America is a totally different kettle of fish have less respect for the Australian people than they should.
America needs to address its paranoia. I think doing this would be a step forward for the entire world. But that is a longer, more vague, potentially painful blog for perhaps a never day. Just keep your fingers off the trigger. It would save so much heartache.
I thought about this, long and hard, about why gun control means so much to me when there are so many other problems in the world. I guess it comes down to knowing something different and knowing that it works. Knowing that needless deaths can be avoided and awful situations, that should never be thought about, will not have to haunt families.
This morning a man shot dead a dozen people in Washington DC. No real motive, no real reasoning. He had access to a gun and he used it. He used it to kill people with friends, families, acquaintances and people who saw them every day on the bus and appreciated their smile. Death casts such a wide net and affects so many people. When this could be avoided, in so many situations, why has nothing been done yet?
In the wake of Sandy Hook, news reports of a similar occurrence in China came to notice. This man was armed with a knife, not a gun, and no one died. Sure, people were injured, but no one died. Tell me that guns do not kill people.
Having lived here for five months though i realised that America is still not ready for enough of a reformation that will make sense to the rest of the world. Still clinging to an amendment which was based around the English Bill of Rights of 1689, America simply is not prepared to give up their hand held freedom. This is where, instead of complaining, sticking to my guns (pardon the pun) and losing, I think it is required to change tact a little bit. When people are dying needlessly, something needs to be done. It is a classic move in negotiation. Once the opposition believes they have won, you snowball some slight changes to them and, often, get under their guard.
An American people, yet to understand that Obama's attempts at reforms have nothing to do with taking power away from the people, or turning America into 1930's Germany ("Hitler did this too" says the conservatives), Anti-gun lobbyists may need to aim a little lower at the moment. The things that i believe should be able to be done and can be done are all things which i have read or heard about and i do not think would infringe on anybody's freedom. basically, i feel all law abiding gun owners should not feel they are getting a raw deal from this. But they are a bloody hard mob to please.
Firstly, all assault weapons should not be available to ordinary citizens. Why do people need them? Seriously. I think at shooting rages people should only be able to shoot at targets and not ones that are in the shape of another human being. Again, why do you want to be able to train yourself to shoot a person between the eyes? I think ammunition should be very limited and any purchases out of the ordinary should be investigated. This is whether there is a spike in sales on one day, over a month, etc. If you are buying weapons, it should be traceable. People should not be able to purchase weapons without it being recorded.
I think this is something which could be effective. If you buy a weapon initially from a gun store, it should be coded and the purchaser then becomes responsible for that weapon. When it is lawfully sold this is changed. It is the same when people buy and sell cars so why can't it work with guns? Then, if something were to happen and a weapon was used in a shooting, the owner would also have to accept some of the responsibility. This would mean owners would be less likely to not keep their guns locked up and/or loaded around their children. Although they would not get the same charge as the perpetrator, some blame must be pointed on the owner of the gun. I would hope these measures would be the motivation to take care of guns and ensure they did not fall into the wrong hands.
Naturally, this is a huge step back for the gun laws i think should be introduced. I mean, sure Australia might be headed toward peril economically, educationally and in terms of human rights, but none of this is due to the fact that guns are harder to come by. Those who think America is a totally different kettle of fish have less respect for the Australian people than they should.
America needs to address its paranoia. I think doing this would be a step forward for the entire world. But that is a longer, more vague, potentially painful blog for perhaps a never day. Just keep your fingers off the trigger. It would save so much heartache.
Fixing America Part 1 - Americonomy
My understanding of economics is definitely dumbed down due to my lack of motivation to take much notice in the frightfully boring core units which i was forced to study in university. My major in Political Economy can be summed up by the fact that i know that the teacher who says "Bueller. Bueller. Bueller" in the movie is trying to teach them about the Hawley Smoot Tariff when the students are all falling asleep on him. This tariff was, in fact, entirely counter productive and the large taxes applied to imported goods actually may have made the Great Depression even worse!
Nonetheless, i did pass every subject in my major and i believe that it has helped me to work something out with the American economy. I believe that there is a huge efficiency problem in America. Productivity and efficiency is easy enough to bluff. You rush around, tell people how busy you are and ensure your superior knows all about the inept subordinate who is making your job even harder. Just ask George Costanza. But when it gets to the number crunching it is a bit easier to see where money and resources are being wasted.
I feel that America want to give the impression that they are being efficient. Examples i have seen is the complete lack of respect given to people applying for jobs and going to interviews. I have been to plenty but they all have resulted in me being clumped in with other people or the interviewee admitting that my resume has not even been read. There is nothing efficient about interviewing twelve people at a time. It just increases the likelihood that you are getting the wrong, incorrect or useless information and, hence, will not hire the right person. By doing this, a manager probably thinks that the are saving time but, in the long run, it will cause a loss of time, money and resources. And probably a bad employee.
Also, i have noticed that some government offices close at 3pm each day and on Wednesday's closes at noon. This leads to queues. Lots of people simply like waiting in queues and use it as a way to pass the time. However, with the hours stunted and shortened, i found the employees to be quite on the ball, fast and easy to deal with. They knew that they had to make up the time when the office was not open. The government simply cannot afford the wages and this is why the office has strange hours. But it does save cash!
On the flip side, car dealerships, food stores and just about any other business seem to pride themselves on their accessibility and availability. In short, they are almost always open! Who is going to buy a car at 7am? Or at 8pm on a Sunday for that matter?? All this is doing is driving profits lower, increasing expenses for wages, power, supplies and decreasing their productivity.
Youth unemployment seems to be a serious issue which i can tie in to an aging workforce. People do not seem to have the desire, or wealth, to retire and as a result work for too long. Thus keeping a younger prospect out of a job. I mean, even some guys play baseball until they are in their late thirties! This is partly due to an inefficient retirement plan (401K) and also the wage rate. There is no doubt that the rich have no problem in retiring but, when you live week to week given the pittance you are paid, there is really not much room to scrimp and save for retirement. Another thing i think which would help would be to raise the minimum wage around the country. The multiplier effect would possibly result in much of this "extra" wage being put back into the economy but would also allow for more saving. Which is never, ever a bad thing.
Again, my knowledge of economics is far from exceptional and, naturally, there are many more issues that could be raised which would play a part. If you think you are the love child of Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, or believe in Hockeynomics, rather than attempt to rip me and this piece to shreds, please just see it as satire. But in my sleep deprived, queasy state, I do believe that this small solution would probably save the world.
And employing these tactics would create what? Anyone? Anyone? A stronger. A stronger what? A stronger economy.
Nonetheless, i did pass every subject in my major and i believe that it has helped me to work something out with the American economy. I believe that there is a huge efficiency problem in America. Productivity and efficiency is easy enough to bluff. You rush around, tell people how busy you are and ensure your superior knows all about the inept subordinate who is making your job even harder. Just ask George Costanza. But when it gets to the number crunching it is a bit easier to see where money and resources are being wasted.
I feel that America want to give the impression that they are being efficient. Examples i have seen is the complete lack of respect given to people applying for jobs and going to interviews. I have been to plenty but they all have resulted in me being clumped in with other people or the interviewee admitting that my resume has not even been read. There is nothing efficient about interviewing twelve people at a time. It just increases the likelihood that you are getting the wrong, incorrect or useless information and, hence, will not hire the right person. By doing this, a manager probably thinks that the are saving time but, in the long run, it will cause a loss of time, money and resources. And probably a bad employee.
Also, i have noticed that some government offices close at 3pm each day and on Wednesday's closes at noon. This leads to queues. Lots of people simply like waiting in queues and use it as a way to pass the time. However, with the hours stunted and shortened, i found the employees to be quite on the ball, fast and easy to deal with. They knew that they had to make up the time when the office was not open. The government simply cannot afford the wages and this is why the office has strange hours. But it does save cash!
On the flip side, car dealerships, food stores and just about any other business seem to pride themselves on their accessibility and availability. In short, they are almost always open! Who is going to buy a car at 7am? Or at 8pm on a Sunday for that matter?? All this is doing is driving profits lower, increasing expenses for wages, power, supplies and decreasing their productivity.
Youth unemployment seems to be a serious issue which i can tie in to an aging workforce. People do not seem to have the desire, or wealth, to retire and as a result work for too long. Thus keeping a younger prospect out of a job. I mean, even some guys play baseball until they are in their late thirties! This is partly due to an inefficient retirement plan (401K) and also the wage rate. There is no doubt that the rich have no problem in retiring but, when you live week to week given the pittance you are paid, there is really not much room to scrimp and save for retirement. Another thing i think which would help would be to raise the minimum wage around the country. The multiplier effect would possibly result in much of this "extra" wage being put back into the economy but would also allow for more saving. Which is never, ever a bad thing.
Again, my knowledge of economics is far from exceptional and, naturally, there are many more issues that could be raised which would play a part. If you think you are the love child of Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, or believe in Hockeynomics, rather than attempt to rip me and this piece to shreds, please just see it as satire. But in my sleep deprived, queasy state, I do believe that this small solution would probably save the world.
And employing these tactics would create what? Anyone? Anyone? A stronger. A stronger what? A stronger economy.
Friday, 6 September 2013
An Aussie in the States - my election experience
After returning from my little holiday, i realised there were only three more days of me being able to vote. There was only one location in Los Angeles which i could go to and, due to work, there was only one real day where i could turn up. Friday before 4pm had to be it so i let my supervisor know that my country would be needing me and prepared for the journey.
Los Angeles is not far from Glendora - as the crow flies. Unfortunately i would not be flying on the crow's back. Rather, i would be driving on the I-10 or the 680 or the CA60 or a combination of all three to reach my destination which was, naturally, about as far away as could be while still in an LA post code.
I took off from work at about eleven after some touching up for the week and, donning my Aussie soccer shirt and feeling very patriotic, took off to do my bit for the democracy. The traffic stood in the way. I was just thinking to myself how well i was doing until i hit it. Surely this back up was caused by an accident. Alas, it was just traffic for the sake of traffic. At one stage i was wondering why on earth the car in front and behind had their hazard lights on after merging into their lane. Then i saw a sticker on a window saying "Funeral" and a hearse a bit further up. Surely this is bad luck or a curse on your family or something like that to be in the middle of a procession so i swerved out post haste and almost took a smart car with me.
After some late lane changing, turns down streets i had never heard of and searching for a parking lot, i found myself outside the building which housed the Australian Consulate. Thank you, Siri baby for the directions. It had taken about an hour and a half but, thankfully, i have excellent taste in music.
I felt proud. I am proud to call Australia home. Proud to be able to vote despite being so far away and very proud to feel as though my voice is being heard.
Upon entering the Suite for the consulate, i found myself in a room with a whole bunch of other Australians. ABC was being streamed on the big tv and there was a general chatter. A young, beautiful girl sat at the desk with a distinctly Australian look. I still call Australia home. All of the voting was just off to the side but still visible. There was a bit of a wait and no way of dealing with it but the Aussies handled it in the relaxed, efficient manner i knew they would. I found a seat any old place and the guy next to me said "we are just keeping track of the order. That man over there (he pointed to a young guy in an LA Clippers hat) was last before you came so you will be after him." Many people entered after me and someone always gave that same instruction and everyone smiled, laughed at the simplistic way we were handling it and joined the chatter.
After a little while it became my turn to vote. I knew the drill and required no instruction from the attendant. Just filled out my form and off i went. Up until i got to the booth i planned to vote below the line. Simply because it had been quite an effort to get here and i thought i ought to make the most of it. As i unfurled the paper for the Senate i changed my mind quickly. It just kept unfurling. I could not be that bothered to go through 1-110.
I waved goodbye and left the room happy to have done my duty but not looking forward to the drive ahead. LA traffic was a bitch but, as a good friend put it, at least i did not have to contend with mortars, blackmail, gun fire or any other difficulties to vote.
And so that was it. Until next election, double dissolution or whatever comes, my voice had been heard for Federal Politics. It is something we should be proud of. Something which we respect and something that we do not take for granted. We are responsible for who runs this country and by not voting, voting informally (because donkey voting is not what you think it is) or not taking it seriously, you show contempt and disdain for your country and how it is run.
Los Angeles is not far from Glendora - as the crow flies. Unfortunately i would not be flying on the crow's back. Rather, i would be driving on the I-10 or the 680 or the CA60 or a combination of all three to reach my destination which was, naturally, about as far away as could be while still in an LA post code.
I took off from work at about eleven after some touching up for the week and, donning my Aussie soccer shirt and feeling very patriotic, took off to do my bit for the democracy. The traffic stood in the way. I was just thinking to myself how well i was doing until i hit it. Surely this back up was caused by an accident. Alas, it was just traffic for the sake of traffic. At one stage i was wondering why on earth the car in front and behind had their hazard lights on after merging into their lane. Then i saw a sticker on a window saying "Funeral" and a hearse a bit further up. Surely this is bad luck or a curse on your family or something like that to be in the middle of a procession so i swerved out post haste and almost took a smart car with me.
After some late lane changing, turns down streets i had never heard of and searching for a parking lot, i found myself outside the building which housed the Australian Consulate. Thank you, Siri baby for the directions. It had taken about an hour and a half but, thankfully, i have excellent taste in music.
I felt proud. I am proud to call Australia home. Proud to be able to vote despite being so far away and very proud to feel as though my voice is being heard.
Upon entering the Suite for the consulate, i found myself in a room with a whole bunch of other Australians. ABC was being streamed on the big tv and there was a general chatter. A young, beautiful girl sat at the desk with a distinctly Australian look. I still call Australia home. All of the voting was just off to the side but still visible. There was a bit of a wait and no way of dealing with it but the Aussies handled it in the relaxed, efficient manner i knew they would. I found a seat any old place and the guy next to me said "we are just keeping track of the order. That man over there (he pointed to a young guy in an LA Clippers hat) was last before you came so you will be after him." Many people entered after me and someone always gave that same instruction and everyone smiled, laughed at the simplistic way we were handling it and joined the chatter.
After a little while it became my turn to vote. I knew the drill and required no instruction from the attendant. Just filled out my form and off i went. Up until i got to the booth i planned to vote below the line. Simply because it had been quite an effort to get here and i thought i ought to make the most of it. As i unfurled the paper for the Senate i changed my mind quickly. It just kept unfurling. I could not be that bothered to go through 1-110.
I waved goodbye and left the room happy to have done my duty but not looking forward to the drive ahead. LA traffic was a bitch but, as a good friend put it, at least i did not have to contend with mortars, blackmail, gun fire or any other difficulties to vote.
And so that was it. Until next election, double dissolution or whatever comes, my voice had been heard for Federal Politics. It is something we should be proud of. Something which we respect and something that we do not take for granted. We are responsible for who runs this country and by not voting, voting informally (because donkey voting is not what you think it is) or not taking it seriously, you show contempt and disdain for your country and how it is run.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Seattle!
Having to wake up at three in the morning in order to get there, Seattle had a lot to do to make me feel as though it had been worth the trouble! Excited to get to a new state (especially one which is much cooler) and see what the fuss is all about. Needless to say, having been up late the night before and then the early morning rise, i did my best to resist references to a certain movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
We made it to Sea-Tac airport and made our way down to the waterside. Here there were more homeless people than i expected as well as your usual port restaurants and cafes. Past the Sea Shepherd Gallery and up many stairs we found Pike Place Markets and walked along, sampling different foods and marveling at the flowers, seafood and knick-knacks. Deciding against the use of taxis or public transport, we traversed on foot towards the middle of town with the Space Needle to be our destination.
It was pleasant weather, sunny but not too hot, and we picked out places to see along the way and bars to stop into on our way back. The Space Needle was built for a World's Fair in 1962. The plan was to rival the Eiffel Tower or Pyramids of Giza. Although it was a gallant effort (sort of), the whole point of it was lost on me. It is not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as the Eiffel Tower (in fact they are in different weight classes) and the surrounding area is hardly the Champ deMars. Comparing the Eiffel Tower to the Space Needle is a bit unfair but just saying... Upon reaching the top we had a look at the view all the way around and tried to find the bar but it was closed.
We went back down and saw Part Two of our ticket which was the Chihuly Gardens. I had this recommended to me but knew next to nothing about it. We bought the double ticket simply because we were there. Who knew when we would be back! This turned out to be a winning move. The Gardens were made of glass that had been blown using traditional methods. Chihuly was a revolutionary influence on the art form and his use of colour and different shapes were incredible! We walked into rooms of bright oranges, purples, blues and reds with the glass forming seascapes or other shapes. It turned out to be the highlight of Seattle and something you can not miss given the opportunity.
There were plenty of shops, cafes and bars to explore in the area and we did our best to see as many as possible. One thing that blindsided me was the amazing shopping in Seattle. I suppose it is a major city and a tourist town but, being so small and hardly the forefront of fashion, i did not have high hopes for picking anything up. Due to this, you can imagine my surprise when i bought myself probably the nicest jumper (they call it sweater) in the world. Only problem is that my Winters seem to be very short lived! Nonetheless i can not wait to model it.
Seattle was a sweet town. It is well worth a visit although is probably best for a couple of days en route to somewhere else. There is enough to see, enough to eat and enough to buy to give you happy memories and a lovely time.
We made it to Sea-Tac airport and made our way down to the waterside. Here there were more homeless people than i expected as well as your usual port restaurants and cafes. Past the Sea Shepherd Gallery and up many stairs we found Pike Place Markets and walked along, sampling different foods and marveling at the flowers, seafood and knick-knacks. Deciding against the use of taxis or public transport, we traversed on foot towards the middle of town with the Space Needle to be our destination.
It was pleasant weather, sunny but not too hot, and we picked out places to see along the way and bars to stop into on our way back. The Space Needle was built for a World's Fair in 1962. The plan was to rival the Eiffel Tower or Pyramids of Giza. Although it was a gallant effort (sort of), the whole point of it was lost on me. It is not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as the Eiffel Tower (in fact they are in different weight classes) and the surrounding area is hardly the Champ deMars. Comparing the Eiffel Tower to the Space Needle is a bit unfair but just saying... Upon reaching the top we had a look at the view all the way around and tried to find the bar but it was closed.
We went back down and saw Part Two of our ticket which was the Chihuly Gardens. I had this recommended to me but knew next to nothing about it. We bought the double ticket simply because we were there. Who knew when we would be back! This turned out to be a winning move. The Gardens were made of glass that had been blown using traditional methods. Chihuly was a revolutionary influence on the art form and his use of colour and different shapes were incredible! We walked into rooms of bright oranges, purples, blues and reds with the glass forming seascapes or other shapes. It turned out to be the highlight of Seattle and something you can not miss given the opportunity.
There were plenty of shops, cafes and bars to explore in the area and we did our best to see as many as possible. One thing that blindsided me was the amazing shopping in Seattle. I suppose it is a major city and a tourist town but, being so small and hardly the forefront of fashion, i did not have high hopes for picking anything up. Due to this, you can imagine my surprise when i bought myself probably the nicest jumper (they call it sweater) in the world. Only problem is that my Winters seem to be very short lived! Nonetheless i can not wait to model it.
Seattle was a sweet town. It is well worth a visit although is probably best for a couple of days en route to somewhere else. There is enough to see, enough to eat and enough to buy to give you happy memories and a lovely time.
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
The People I Can Not Stand the Most.
There is a single group of people amongst the most hateful, bigoted and closed minded in the world. This has nothing to do with religion, ethnicity, location or gender. The people i am referring to are people who trawl through news websites and leave comments when given an opportunity.
These appear to be the same people no matter the topic. Preaching their hate and supporting their own agenda - even if it has nothing to do with the subject at hand. A story on cricket will collapse into a discussion on federal politics and, in America, a story about a funeral will descend into a debate on gun rights in freedom. Lately, the conflict in Syria has given ample opportunities for people to reveal their vast knowledge on the subject. Somehow, Pete from Panania believes he knows more than those in government throughout the world and would be able to solve all of the problems.
Often these people are referred to as trolls. I do not like this as it dehumanises them. you take away their human aspect and then you begin to make excuses for their words. These are people. Real people. Albeit ones that have the time to comment on stories throughout the day - probably at their employer's expense.
Recently there was a double homicide in Glendora with two homeless men stabbed late at night in a car wash. I read with interest and it was a big story in a sleepy town. It shocked me that the first four comments were all jokes. today i read an article about the poor Australian shot in Oklahoma. At the bottom, the comments quickly descended into a left versus right debate on racism and gun laws. I was sickened. Where was the respect? People bringing up the Trayvon Martin-Zimmerman case and very few paying tribute to a life cut tragically short.
There are a few different kinds of these people: those who peddle hate believing they are right and making a difference; people spruiking supposed intellectual superiority; people sucked in and who end up being aggressive and personal when others are not reasonable; and those simply stirring the pot. Neither of these are any better than any others. They are all clumped in the same bottom of the barrel, group.
Henry Rollins said something memorable and en pointe when i saw him in Sydney. He said that these people only speak on account of their anonymity. They have avatars such as Patriot_03 or TruBluAussie and say offensive things about subjects they know very little. The kind of stuff they would not dare say if they were accountable or needed to leave appropriate sources.
Who is to blame and how do we fix it? The news websites do need to shoulder some blame here. You will not find the comment option below bland stories without minority groups or political input. The media outlets blow the dog whistle and, as the readers can remain anonymous, they respond resoundingly.
The people themselves may be beyond help. The fact that they have time to leave comments all through the days speaks volumes. The existence of conspiracy theories and that you can kind a fundamentalist group for everything online provides the views. These news sites are the outlets.
Cut off the outlet, cut off the power. If only the news websites had the moral fibres...
Do me and yourself a big favour. When it comes to commenting on news websites, please, just say no.
These appear to be the same people no matter the topic. Preaching their hate and supporting their own agenda - even if it has nothing to do with the subject at hand. A story on cricket will collapse into a discussion on federal politics and, in America, a story about a funeral will descend into a debate on gun rights in freedom. Lately, the conflict in Syria has given ample opportunities for people to reveal their vast knowledge on the subject. Somehow, Pete from Panania believes he knows more than those in government throughout the world and would be able to solve all of the problems.
Often these people are referred to as trolls. I do not like this as it dehumanises them. you take away their human aspect and then you begin to make excuses for their words. These are people. Real people. Albeit ones that have the time to comment on stories throughout the day - probably at their employer's expense.
Recently there was a double homicide in Glendora with two homeless men stabbed late at night in a car wash. I read with interest and it was a big story in a sleepy town. It shocked me that the first four comments were all jokes. today i read an article about the poor Australian shot in Oklahoma. At the bottom, the comments quickly descended into a left versus right debate on racism and gun laws. I was sickened. Where was the respect? People bringing up the Trayvon Martin-Zimmerman case and very few paying tribute to a life cut tragically short.
There are a few different kinds of these people: those who peddle hate believing they are right and making a difference; people spruiking supposed intellectual superiority; people sucked in and who end up being aggressive and personal when others are not reasonable; and those simply stirring the pot. Neither of these are any better than any others. They are all clumped in the same bottom of the barrel, group.
Henry Rollins said something memorable and en pointe when i saw him in Sydney. He said that these people only speak on account of their anonymity. They have avatars such as Patriot_03 or TruBluAussie and say offensive things about subjects they know very little. The kind of stuff they would not dare say if they were accountable or needed to leave appropriate sources.
Who is to blame and how do we fix it? The news websites do need to shoulder some blame here. You will not find the comment option below bland stories without minority groups or political input. The media outlets blow the dog whistle and, as the readers can remain anonymous, they respond resoundingly.
The people themselves may be beyond help. The fact that they have time to leave comments all through the days speaks volumes. The existence of conspiracy theories and that you can kind a fundamentalist group for everything online provides the views. These news sites are the outlets.
Cut off the outlet, cut off the power. If only the news websites had the moral fibres...
Do me and yourself a big favour. When it comes to commenting on news websites, please, just say no.
Friday, 16 August 2013
Glendora, my new home.
I have found myself in a quaint, queer location to live for the next five months or so. Glendora, the town where Laura grew up, refers to itself as the pride of the foothills. Located about 30 - 200 minutes from LA (depending on traffic), smack bang in the bible belt of California and with the mountains to the north, it is somewhat similar to the town of Spectre in the movie Big Fish. People are happy and friendly and the little town is perfect. Why would anyone ever want to leave?
My final sentences are said with the same sort of sentiment Donald Horne used when he referred to Australia as "the lucky country". Glendora is very nice but there is a whole world out there that seems to be passed by and many appear content to not journey outside of the Orange County. It also appears to be the town that the Democrats forgot. From speaking to people to seeing bumper stickers, there is a lot more NObama going on than PrObama. Yesterday i saw a car with an "OMG" (Obama must go) sticker beside another which was peeling and clearly someone had tried to pull off. The remnants read "Romney 2012" and i saw this as a nice metaphor of the difficulty it is to take away the stain of the Conservative parties once you let it stick to you once.
The people are friendly, very friendly, and it is often a happy experience to go for a drive, go to the shops or stop off anywhere in general as someone is likely to strike up a conversation and just be downright pleasant. There is a clear style, at least with the boys. There is a big emphasis on trucks and guns with beer and women probably coming a close third and fourth. The So-Cal goatee is ever present and you are likely to find tattoos on people although not of the neck variety (which i often came across in San Jose). Most of all, a Dodgers hat or shirt is assured.
Driving can be a real treat and not just because of the wide, open streets and lack of roundabouts. In the last week, i know two people who have seen bears when they are out driving. And not up in the mountains or something but both on roads which i have to use every day to get to work. Why, more often than not over the past two weeks i have gone past peacocks when driving to work! The cute little downtown section (which consists of a single street) is also a very nice area to drive down, have lunch or have a lot of beers at T Phillips. The quaintness is often reiterated in small ways by things you do not expect to see. Driving along near where we are staying, we have found lemonade stalls on weekends run by little girls with help from their parents. 50cents for a cup with free re-fills they tell us. This kind of old school charm is irresistible to me and naturally, we left a little tip.
Glendora is somewhat well known for several reasons. These are the things that i find queer. It is a bit more than a simple, small town and it is interesting that such a small, quiet town can have numerous claims to fame. Firstly, Route 66 dissects the town. The famous West to East freeway which no doubt brings in tourists, business and provides names for businesses (from bars to car washes to discount stores!). On this famous Route lies an equally famous store called Donut Man. It is a small, delicious establishment with famous donuts containing peaches and strawberries. It is claimed that Elvis frequented the store (or at least his minders) and it probably assisted in his downfall.
There is also a castle in Glendora. A crazed man apparently resides there and always wanted to live in a castle. So, when he came into enough money, that is exactly what he built for himself. It takes up a huge block of a corner and school children supposedly go on "field trips" (excursions) there. As mentioned earlier, Glendora is in the bible belt of California and there are many, many churches and places of worship found throughout the area. As well as this, there are a lot of schools given the relatively small area.
Speaking of schools... as i mentioned, Glendora is dissected by Route 66 which is also a bit of a socio-economic dissection with (generally) the nicer part of town to one side. There are many rich areas and a lot of money floating around. So much so that most all of the 16 year old school kids drive around in BMWs, Audis or other cars which i could only dream about getting behind the wheel of as a teenager! A privileged life, that is for sure!
Something which i find pretty astonishing is that, no matter what time of day you leave your house, you are bound to find heaps of people exercising. People running, biking, walking.. .they are everywhere! And it makes me feel like people are often self conscious but also healthy, i suppose. Surely a pro outweighing a con. The exercise apparel stores must make an absolute killing in the area and although i have not gone to a gym, i can only imagine most people have two or three memberships.
Glendora has been good to me and i hope it continues to be. The people are great although i can see a tendency of people getting "stuck". However i suppose this is similar everywhere else in the world. People can definitely make a life for themselves here but it is not something i see myself doing down the track. The people, events and weather make it enjoyable to be here. Without Laura i would definitely not have stayed here as my penchant for bigger cities is an insatiable beast of desire, but i am glad i did. It is good to get new perspectives, meet new friends and understand what makes these places tick.
To Glendora, on a temporary basis, i give a big tick.
My final sentences are said with the same sort of sentiment Donald Horne used when he referred to Australia as "the lucky country". Glendora is very nice but there is a whole world out there that seems to be passed by and many appear content to not journey outside of the Orange County. It also appears to be the town that the Democrats forgot. From speaking to people to seeing bumper stickers, there is a lot more NObama going on than PrObama. Yesterday i saw a car with an "OMG" (Obama must go) sticker beside another which was peeling and clearly someone had tried to pull off. The remnants read "Romney 2012" and i saw this as a nice metaphor of the difficulty it is to take away the stain of the Conservative parties once you let it stick to you once.
The people are friendly, very friendly, and it is often a happy experience to go for a drive, go to the shops or stop off anywhere in general as someone is likely to strike up a conversation and just be downright pleasant. There is a clear style, at least with the boys. There is a big emphasis on trucks and guns with beer and women probably coming a close third and fourth. The So-Cal goatee is ever present and you are likely to find tattoos on people although not of the neck variety (which i often came across in San Jose). Most of all, a Dodgers hat or shirt is assured.
Driving can be a real treat and not just because of the wide, open streets and lack of roundabouts. In the last week, i know two people who have seen bears when they are out driving. And not up in the mountains or something but both on roads which i have to use every day to get to work. Why, more often than not over the past two weeks i have gone past peacocks when driving to work! The cute little downtown section (which consists of a single street) is also a very nice area to drive down, have lunch or have a lot of beers at T Phillips. The quaintness is often reiterated in small ways by things you do not expect to see. Driving along near where we are staying, we have found lemonade stalls on weekends run by little girls with help from their parents. 50cents for a cup with free re-fills they tell us. This kind of old school charm is irresistible to me and naturally, we left a little tip.
Glendora is somewhat well known for several reasons. These are the things that i find queer. It is a bit more than a simple, small town and it is interesting that such a small, quiet town can have numerous claims to fame. Firstly, Route 66 dissects the town. The famous West to East freeway which no doubt brings in tourists, business and provides names for businesses (from bars to car washes to discount stores!). On this famous Route lies an equally famous store called Donut Man. It is a small, delicious establishment with famous donuts containing peaches and strawberries. It is claimed that Elvis frequented the store (or at least his minders) and it probably assisted in his downfall.
There is also a castle in Glendora. A crazed man apparently resides there and always wanted to live in a castle. So, when he came into enough money, that is exactly what he built for himself. It takes up a huge block of a corner and school children supposedly go on "field trips" (excursions) there. As mentioned earlier, Glendora is in the bible belt of California and there are many, many churches and places of worship found throughout the area. As well as this, there are a lot of schools given the relatively small area.
Speaking of schools... as i mentioned, Glendora is dissected by Route 66 which is also a bit of a socio-economic dissection with (generally) the nicer part of town to one side. There are many rich areas and a lot of money floating around. So much so that most all of the 16 year old school kids drive around in BMWs, Audis or other cars which i could only dream about getting behind the wheel of as a teenager! A privileged life, that is for sure!
Something which i find pretty astonishing is that, no matter what time of day you leave your house, you are bound to find heaps of people exercising. People running, biking, walking.. .they are everywhere! And it makes me feel like people are often self conscious but also healthy, i suppose. Surely a pro outweighing a con. The exercise apparel stores must make an absolute killing in the area and although i have not gone to a gym, i can only imagine most people have two or three memberships.
Glendora has been good to me and i hope it continues to be. The people are great although i can see a tendency of people getting "stuck". However i suppose this is similar everywhere else in the world. People can definitely make a life for themselves here but it is not something i see myself doing down the track. The people, events and weather make it enjoyable to be here. Without Laura i would definitely not have stayed here as my penchant for bigger cities is an insatiable beast of desire, but i am glad i did. It is good to get new perspectives, meet new friends and understand what makes these places tick.
To Glendora, on a temporary basis, i give a big tick.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Music is the language of us all!
Over the past three weeks I have had the ridiculously incredible opportunity to see three of my all time favourite acts in three different venues throughout California. At every one of these gigs I had several reality checks. The fact that I was seeing the show. The fact that I was in California. And the fact that I was able to share these with Laura.
First cab off the rank was The Cat Empire at the Avalon in Hollywood. We walked over some of the stars and took in the amazing juxtaposition of homelessness and fabulousness staring each other in the eyes. The night marked the two year anniversary of me and the cricket boys meeting Laura and Amanda (who was accompanying us!) in Hawaii. True to form, we started the night with a tequila shot. The lead up act, That1Guy was the kind of curious, out of this world experience I have come to expect with Cat Empire lead ups. A young fella playing a large pipe which may have had a past life involving a loofah and shampoo. His lyricism and sound had to be seen to be believed.
As great as he was, the Cat Empire were what we had come to see. Their mix of brass, keys, drums, bass and baritone is always the perfect recipe for a dance party and feel good vibes. They preached fun, happiness, equality, soul and rhythm. We left jumping, smiling and rejoicing at what we had just seen. They just put you in the mood to enjoy everything and really reinforced that music IS the language of us all.
The following week we drove out to the OC State Fair to see the Flaming Lips in an amphitheater show. It had been four years since I had caught up with them and my adoration has grown a great deal since. I checked them out, on spec, at splendour in the grass after reading how brilliant their live shows were. I have not stopped talking about them since and they did not let us down. Wayne Coyne walked past us to check out the fair as we were walking in. He looked like he had been dressed by Lady Gaga with big hair, shimmering blue suit and glitter mixed in his face makeup. They sang those sad sounding songs which find a way to be uplifting and inherently positive, all the while playing tight music and giving us a laser and light show that would rival the Sydney New Years fireworks. They told us that we realized. They spoke about tolerance, acceptance, happiness and overall love. Obviously the most important thing. They flew in on their little spaceship, reminded us to live for the now and make the most of it. Also, I have to make mention of the Growlers. The opening act who mixed their clearly marijuana induced, surfy tendencies with alternative music and fun props.
Last night was a performance I have been very excited to go to. Getting to see Xavier Rudd in California was mind boggling. The way i talked about going felt like i was just heading to the pub to catch up with a mate. A small, intimate venue and the chance to share one of my heroes with Laura. We arrived to find table seating and asked to have a meal there, which meant we got preferential seating. We found ourselves three and four back from the stage just to the right of centre. It was worth the chicken teriyaki I partly choked down. The opener was Nahko and Medicine for the People who I had heard great things about and was looking forward to seeing. The biggest compliment I could give is that I can understand why Xavier chose them to tour with him. His words were inspiring and his voice is one which you can not ignore. They sang of similar themes to Xavier - saving the earth, harmony, love and making the most of your life.
Xavier finally came on to his war chest of guitars, drums and didgeridoos. It is quite imposing to see one man in front of so many instruments but it is an entirely different experience to see him play them all at once! It was a quiet, chilled little venue and the mix of ages spoke volumes about how transcendent his music can be. There is no target audience except for humanity. He played for two hours solid and played with the crowd, got people on stage to dance and whipped up a frenzy. His voice, his message and his sound gave me goosebumps for just about the entire performance and I felt lucky to be able to experience it.
The obvious question is "who was the best?" but there isn't a clear answer. I think, with "do you realize??" and "messages", I probably heard my two all time favourite songs. Then you have "sly" and "in my pocket" from the cat empire too. It was a group of wise, content and passionate people. People I would like to see collaborate. Not necessarily musically. Just get them together, let them do something, let them live. We will all be better due to whatever they end up with.
Live music gets me every time. It gives me a rush, it makes me feel creative and it makes me so happy. These past three weeks have made me want to be a better person, a better friend, a better boyfriend and leave this earth with no mark. To keep it pure. The group contains some of the most inspirational, fun and cool people I know. It is no secret that I want to be like them. Everyone should strive to - the world would be a better place.
First cab off the rank was The Cat Empire at the Avalon in Hollywood. We walked over some of the stars and took in the amazing juxtaposition of homelessness and fabulousness staring each other in the eyes. The night marked the two year anniversary of me and the cricket boys meeting Laura and Amanda (who was accompanying us!) in Hawaii. True to form, we started the night with a tequila shot. The lead up act, That1Guy was the kind of curious, out of this world experience I have come to expect with Cat Empire lead ups. A young fella playing a large pipe which may have had a past life involving a loofah and shampoo. His lyricism and sound had to be seen to be believed.
As great as he was, the Cat Empire were what we had come to see. Their mix of brass, keys, drums, bass and baritone is always the perfect recipe for a dance party and feel good vibes. They preached fun, happiness, equality, soul and rhythm. We left jumping, smiling and rejoicing at what we had just seen. They just put you in the mood to enjoy everything and really reinforced that music IS the language of us all.
The following week we drove out to the OC State Fair to see the Flaming Lips in an amphitheater show. It had been four years since I had caught up with them and my adoration has grown a great deal since. I checked them out, on spec, at splendour in the grass after reading how brilliant their live shows were. I have not stopped talking about them since and they did not let us down. Wayne Coyne walked past us to check out the fair as we were walking in. He looked like he had been dressed by Lady Gaga with big hair, shimmering blue suit and glitter mixed in his face makeup. They sang those sad sounding songs which find a way to be uplifting and inherently positive, all the while playing tight music and giving us a laser and light show that would rival the Sydney New Years fireworks. They told us that we realized. They spoke about tolerance, acceptance, happiness and overall love. Obviously the most important thing. They flew in on their little spaceship, reminded us to live for the now and make the most of it. Also, I have to make mention of the Growlers. The opening act who mixed their clearly marijuana induced, surfy tendencies with alternative music and fun props.
Last night was a performance I have been very excited to go to. Getting to see Xavier Rudd in California was mind boggling. The way i talked about going felt like i was just heading to the pub to catch up with a mate. A small, intimate venue and the chance to share one of my heroes with Laura. We arrived to find table seating and asked to have a meal there, which meant we got preferential seating. We found ourselves three and four back from the stage just to the right of centre. It was worth the chicken teriyaki I partly choked down. The opener was Nahko and Medicine for the People who I had heard great things about and was looking forward to seeing. The biggest compliment I could give is that I can understand why Xavier chose them to tour with him. His words were inspiring and his voice is one which you can not ignore. They sang of similar themes to Xavier - saving the earth, harmony, love and making the most of your life.
Xavier finally came on to his war chest of guitars, drums and didgeridoos. It is quite imposing to see one man in front of so many instruments but it is an entirely different experience to see him play them all at once! It was a quiet, chilled little venue and the mix of ages spoke volumes about how transcendent his music can be. There is no target audience except for humanity. He played for two hours solid and played with the crowd, got people on stage to dance and whipped up a frenzy. His voice, his message and his sound gave me goosebumps for just about the entire performance and I felt lucky to be able to experience it.
The obvious question is "who was the best?" but there isn't a clear answer. I think, with "do you realize??" and "messages", I probably heard my two all time favourite songs. Then you have "sly" and "in my pocket" from the cat empire too. It was a group of wise, content and passionate people. People I would like to see collaborate. Not necessarily musically. Just get them together, let them do something, let them live. We will all be better due to whatever they end up with.
Live music gets me every time. It gives me a rush, it makes me feel creative and it makes me so happy. These past three weeks have made me want to be a better person, a better friend, a better boyfriend and leave this earth with no mark. To keep it pure. The group contains some of the most inspirational, fun and cool people I know. It is no secret that I want to be like them. Everyone should strive to - the world would be a better place.
Saturday, 3 August 2013
Four Months Departed
Unbelievably to me, I am fast approaching the four month mark away from home. This is the longest period i have ever spent away from home and it is bewildering to think how quickly the weeks have passed me by.
Only now has life fallen into some sort of routine. I do not know if routine is the right word for this actually. Last weekend i was in Las Vegas, on Wednesday i was at a gig at the OC State Fair and on Monday i am going to another gig. That is some sort of routine... Pretty much, i just still feel like i am on holidays as long as i am not at work. Frequently i am going out mid-week, having a few drinks, seeing some sights and almost being a tourist. Work is enjoyable though. The actual tasks as much as keeping busy and having a use.
The three months prior presented a massive opportunity for me. As I was not working and had no real engagements at all, there was a lot of time i had to delegate. In this time I could have written my piece de resistance, gotten super fit and desirable, taught myself to play guitar, become and excellent chef... the options were limitless. The only limit, the sky.
Alas, I did not do any of these things. Instead I watched baseball, ate too much, drank too much, spent too much and had trouble getting to sleep before 3am. Was it laziness? Jet lag? Homesickness?Lack of motivation? A combination of them all?! Who knows! Do i regret this time seemingly wasted when Laura was working or studying, Australia was sleeping and the Giants were not playing? Short answer yes but i am going to try and justify it!
I have worked out at least two things about myself due to this time and these are both aspects of me which i am okay with. Firstly, I am chill enough to cope with downtime. I am absolutely able to relax and, come the right time, I will be the best damn retiree around. At this point my mindset will change from "there is nothing i can not do!" to the more realistic "there is nothing to do!" and i will be fine with that. My body will cope.
Secondly, my new life has been 5,000x busier since beginning work. I exercise, i write, i cook, i socialise, i play. Maybe it is me desperately trying to regain hours lost to work but either way i do a lot more and want to do more. by doing things, i am motivated to do even more again. Perhaps this is not just me but something in human nature thing (not the Motown group) but either way it is a promising development for me getting the most out of my remaining time in the United States.
I suppose self discovery is one thing but putting things into action is another. Hopefully i would not waste such an opportunity in the future when it comes to spare time. I think the ball just needs to be set into motion. And as the immortal Mick Jagger has proven, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Life finally becomes a working holiday...
As i lamented and you may have discovered, i was unemployed for much longer than i had planned. After being offered two jobs shortly after my arrival i was, perhaps, a bit too confident. Issues with social security cards did not help and my temporary intentions also did not assist. Nonetheless, i have now been working for four weeks and have something to share from my initial weeks.
There are always pressures when beginning a new job. Although I might handle it better than most, I am definitely not immune to it. There was also an added pressure seeing as my new boss was also my landlord and father of my girlfriend.
First off, before you begin laughing, yes, my position is in accounts. The industry which i promised myself i would never, under any circumstances, re-enter except to let some neat, clean-cut accountant with jelly beans on his desk assist me with my bulging finances due to future successes! At least, in this position, I am not taking care of other people's business or rude clients. Yet.
I was introduced to my supervisor, who fit the stereotype of accountant with aplomb and then given a tour of the factory. - half of which was off-site. It soon became apparent that my boss/landlord/father of my girlfriend had to go elsewhere to a meeting and i would be trust to drive his car back. I acted cool, put on a brave face. But this was make or break. I had driven a bit but was not overly confident in the land of the free right hand turn. We had not travelled far but i was not too sure how to get back...
As per the stereotype, everything in America is bigger and fatter. Cars are no exception. Depending how well you know me, you may recall that my previous car was a often described as "cute". It was a zippy little Rav4 and i could see the back and the front.
I jumped in the old, long, wide car and sank into the seat. I felt like a kid in his Dad's suit. Slowly, carefully, i crawled in reverse so as to not hit the cars on either side or the tree behind me. Hopefully this would just go quickly and without incident. It was the middle of the day so why would anyone be on the road?
I wanted to be cautious but Mum's words rang in my head. "The quick and the dead". She had received that instruction from her father when learning to drive and, essentially, it meant you need to make a decision and stick to it. Do not hesitate. I saw an opening and went for it. With ample time. The road was fraught with danger in the form of bikes, cars and trains so I kept a wide berth with my boat-like car and made sure to be smooth and slow. After five minutes that felt like an eternity, I made it back and parked with some success.
In my opinion, automatics are more difficult to drive. I do not ever feel in control and it feels like i am not doing anything at all. There is definitely more controlled practice required!
The job itself is a means to an end at the moment but hopefully grows into something I take more ownership with. Accounts does put me off (and to sleep). It is monotonous and methodical and leaves very little to creativity or the imagination. Irrespective, it feels great to be working, learning new skills and being paid! I am determined to not slack off, to do my best and ensure all my duties are performed to an exceptional level. After all, i am not just trying to impress my boss but the owner of the car i am driving, my landlord and my girlfriend's father as well!
There are always pressures when beginning a new job. Although I might handle it better than most, I am definitely not immune to it. There was also an added pressure seeing as my new boss was also my landlord and father of my girlfriend.
First off, before you begin laughing, yes, my position is in accounts. The industry which i promised myself i would never, under any circumstances, re-enter except to let some neat, clean-cut accountant with jelly beans on his desk assist me with my bulging finances due to future successes! At least, in this position, I am not taking care of other people's business or rude clients. Yet.
I was introduced to my supervisor, who fit the stereotype of accountant with aplomb and then given a tour of the factory. - half of which was off-site. It soon became apparent that my boss/landlord/father of my girlfriend had to go elsewhere to a meeting and i would be trust to drive his car back. I acted cool, put on a brave face. But this was make or break. I had driven a bit but was not overly confident in the land of the free right hand turn. We had not travelled far but i was not too sure how to get back...
As per the stereotype, everything in America is bigger and fatter. Cars are no exception. Depending how well you know me, you may recall that my previous car was a often described as "cute". It was a zippy little Rav4 and i could see the back and the front.
I jumped in the old, long, wide car and sank into the seat. I felt like a kid in his Dad's suit. Slowly, carefully, i crawled in reverse so as to not hit the cars on either side or the tree behind me. Hopefully this would just go quickly and without incident. It was the middle of the day so why would anyone be on the road?
I wanted to be cautious but Mum's words rang in my head. "The quick and the dead". She had received that instruction from her father when learning to drive and, essentially, it meant you need to make a decision and stick to it. Do not hesitate. I saw an opening and went for it. With ample time. The road was fraught with danger in the form of bikes, cars and trains so I kept a wide berth with my boat-like car and made sure to be smooth and slow. After five minutes that felt like an eternity, I made it back and parked with some success.
In my opinion, automatics are more difficult to drive. I do not ever feel in control and it feels like i am not doing anything at all. There is definitely more controlled practice required!
The job itself is a means to an end at the moment but hopefully grows into something I take more ownership with. Accounts does put me off (and to sleep). It is monotonous and methodical and leaves very little to creativity or the imagination. Irrespective, it feels great to be working, learning new skills and being paid! I am determined to not slack off, to do my best and ensure all my duties are performed to an exceptional level. After all, i am not just trying to impress my boss but the owner of the car i am driving, my landlord and my girlfriend's father as well!
Friday, 12 July 2013
Gratuitous Service
Due to the US slave wage labour laws, gratuity is understandably a big deal. In the service industry, there is potential to earn a substantial amount of money in tips to complement the pittance of a wage. Such a pittance that it really only covers the taxes.
Accordingly, i have experienced very good service and have more easily noticed bad service. One customer has the potential to give you more than an hours pay simply because you were bubbly, passionate or smiling. Back home, we would probably say it was for doing your job. With this 'bonus' earning possibility, I cannot fathom how anyone would not provide spritely, sweet service in every situation. Amazingly this is not the case. I have experienced poor to awful service numerous times and i just do not know why. Depending on the industry, I will probably tip, at least a small amount, all the time. However, I refuse to reward rude employees or sour servers. Tips need to be a reward for going above and beyond and a lack of tips should be indicator that your work is not top shelf or that your moxie lacks a punch.
Whilst checking in to an airport, I noticed a "gratuities accepted" sign near the line up. It was an express line outside of the actual airport but the usual check-in was still an option. This seems awfully gratuitous to me for who, in their right mind, would refuse tips if they were offered? In the USA, this type of sign is akin to a homeless person with a sign saying "will accept change". I also believe that the proclamation places added pressure on the employee. In my case, I would tip if the service was acceptable. Heck it should be exceptional for gratuities to be suggested with such an easy job.
Alas, the man really did nothing to deserve it. There was limited eye contact, no small talk and he asked me "give me your ID" in an aggressive manner. The only small talk made was not with me but rather his colleague, complaining about their jobs. No doubt this would have been enough to put anyone off even considering tipping.
I understand the importance of tipping in America but do not believe that it should be treated as a given. Rather a reward for spreading happiness and doing a decent job. Treating every customer with respect and enthusiasm will ensure that karma congratulates you somewhere down the track. You may even luck out and be spoilt by a tequila soaked Australian cricket team on an end of season trip...
Accordingly, i have experienced very good service and have more easily noticed bad service. One customer has the potential to give you more than an hours pay simply because you were bubbly, passionate or smiling. Back home, we would probably say it was for doing your job. With this 'bonus' earning possibility, I cannot fathom how anyone would not provide spritely, sweet service in every situation. Amazingly this is not the case. I have experienced poor to awful service numerous times and i just do not know why. Depending on the industry, I will probably tip, at least a small amount, all the time. However, I refuse to reward rude employees or sour servers. Tips need to be a reward for going above and beyond and a lack of tips should be indicator that your work is not top shelf or that your moxie lacks a punch.
Whilst checking in to an airport, I noticed a "gratuities accepted" sign near the line up. It was an express line outside of the actual airport but the usual check-in was still an option. This seems awfully gratuitous to me for who, in their right mind, would refuse tips if they were offered? In the USA, this type of sign is akin to a homeless person with a sign saying "will accept change". I also believe that the proclamation places added pressure on the employee. In my case, I would tip if the service was acceptable. Heck it should be exceptional for gratuities to be suggested with such an easy job.
Alas, the man really did nothing to deserve it. There was limited eye contact, no small talk and he asked me "give me your ID" in an aggressive manner. The only small talk made was not with me but rather his colleague, complaining about their jobs. No doubt this would have been enough to put anyone off even considering tipping.
I understand the importance of tipping in America but do not believe that it should be treated as a given. Rather a reward for spreading happiness and doing a decent job. Treating every customer with respect and enthusiasm will ensure that karma congratulates you somewhere down the track. You may even luck out and be spoilt by a tequila soaked Australian cricket team on an end of season trip...
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Are You Being Served?
Well, no actually. Unfortunately, there was no Mr Humphries or Captain Peacock to keep me entertained as i tried to acquire a social security card but i suppose i should have predicted the troubles at US Citizen & Immigration Services given the experiences i had at the various other offices and departments of redundancy which i had visited.
I am not one to generalise but staff in these departments are unfriendly, petty and authoritarian. Why can we not have mobile phones on? It is not like we are going to fall out of the sky. Self important looking people in ties and lanyards wander aimlessly saying hello to each other and security. Without a doubt there would be a coffee machine involved there somewhere too.
Waiting in a large room with phones off limits and no form of entertainment, you find yourself almost aggressively people watching. Alas, there is nothing to watch as everyone is in the same situation as you. Eyes flickering from side to side searching for movement, color or something out of the ordinary. Please! Please!! Anything out of the ordinary!
The security guards are not overly impressive. Especially when compared to the rough Pacific Islanders stationed outside of Justin Hemmes' establishments back home. These guys are smaller, not muscly and quite old. To be frank, you wonder how much use they would be in any sort of security breach. Then you remember. Guns. These people would be trigger-trained, trigger-happy and champing at the bit to be able to brandish their second amendment rights. No, i will not be making any smart alec responses to their cold, unsympathetic statements. The only tish to follow the boom from my joke would be from the sound of my lifeless body hitting the floor.
Finally mu number flashed up on the screen. It is certainly inefficient to have such a big waiting room, beginning to fill up, and only two windows in operation. Unfortunately waiting goes hand in hand with government departments everywhere in the world. The man serving me confirmed my worries that he could not fix my issue in any way, shape or form but he did give me the name of a new department to make an appointment with. He repeatedly asked me if i was sure i was here on a work visa. He asked me enough times that i almost wanted to change my answer and say "No, i just like waiting in lines." But i am afraid he would have shot me.
This epic journey to acquire a social security number is beginning to be a bit too much for me. Perhaps if i went straight to the top of the food chain and sent an email to the POTUS, stating my case, he would rectify things and maybe even come out for a beer. "Dear Barry Obama..."
**Writer's Note: Since this blog was drafted, i visited another department which was not very friendly, but a little helpful. They gave me a private government number which i was lambasted for calling and then finally i just applied again for my number with my new entry card. And it arrived within a week. Simple as that... there you go.
I am not one to generalise but staff in these departments are unfriendly, petty and authoritarian. Why can we not have mobile phones on? It is not like we are going to fall out of the sky. Self important looking people in ties and lanyards wander aimlessly saying hello to each other and security. Without a doubt there would be a coffee machine involved there somewhere too.
Waiting in a large room with phones off limits and no form of entertainment, you find yourself almost aggressively people watching. Alas, there is nothing to watch as everyone is in the same situation as you. Eyes flickering from side to side searching for movement, color or something out of the ordinary. Please! Please!! Anything out of the ordinary!
The security guards are not overly impressive. Especially when compared to the rough Pacific Islanders stationed outside of Justin Hemmes' establishments back home. These guys are smaller, not muscly and quite old. To be frank, you wonder how much use they would be in any sort of security breach. Then you remember. Guns. These people would be trigger-trained, trigger-happy and champing at the bit to be able to brandish their second amendment rights. No, i will not be making any smart alec responses to their cold, unsympathetic statements. The only tish to follow the boom from my joke would be from the sound of my lifeless body hitting the floor.
Finally mu number flashed up on the screen. It is certainly inefficient to have such a big waiting room, beginning to fill up, and only two windows in operation. Unfortunately waiting goes hand in hand with government departments everywhere in the world. The man serving me confirmed my worries that he could not fix my issue in any way, shape or form but he did give me the name of a new department to make an appointment with. He repeatedly asked me if i was sure i was here on a work visa. He asked me enough times that i almost wanted to change my answer and say "No, i just like waiting in lines." But i am afraid he would have shot me.
This epic journey to acquire a social security number is beginning to be a bit too much for me. Perhaps if i went straight to the top of the food chain and sent an email to the POTUS, stating my case, he would rectify things and maybe even come out for a beer. "Dear Barry Obama..."
**Writer's Note: Since this blog was drafted, i visited another department which was not very friendly, but a little helpful. They gave me a private government number which i was lambasted for calling and then finally i just applied again for my number with my new entry card. And it arrived within a week. Simple as that... there you go.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
American Driving!
Today marked the first time i got behind the wheel in the USA. When you add the fact that i sold my car a few weeks before i left and that Mum, for some reason, did not want me driving the camry (a luxury automobile), it had been about 3 months since i had been in control! And i was very keen to get that back!
All in all, i did a pretty good job. Adjusted to being on the other side of the road (although at times wanted to keep using the right lane marker as the guide), only put the windscreen wipers on instead of the blinkers twice and only partially mounted the curve parking the first time. Being on the left side of the car is weird!!
Being a passenger for so long though, especially on some rather long car trips, has allowed me to make several observations regarding Californian roads and drivers. And let me tell you, it ain't all pretty. Best Coast said it best. Well they showed us in a video clip. "I love California (but i hate the traffic)"
Californians are obsessed about driving. The SNL skit was not lying! Back home, people will go to the shops or something when they are bored. I think in California they just go for a drive. Not necessarily to go anywhere in particular or with any destination in mind. It is just to have something to do. One night i was on the way home from a baseball game in LA and it was bumper to bumper at 11pm. I have no idea where they wanted to go or where they came from. But the road was chockers! Didn't people have work tomorrow?
City driving is hilarious. Californian drivers are so susceptible to weather changes. California's climate is pretty right on. Warm all year round and little rainfall. But, given a light shower in the city people will lose all dexterity. They will mainly refuse to drive at all but when they do they will swerve and struggle and eventually just run off the road. The same applies if the temperature goes just a little bit above what is normal...
Roads are a huge problem here too. Bottlenecks everywhere and traffic comes to a standstill on the regular basis. Sydney drivers who complain about the M4, M5, M7 etc! would not be able to cope. And that is something which makes me smile. There is no road rage apparent when we go down the 101 or the 80 or anywhere else! It is very heartening.
I have learnt that a "California roll" is what people do at a stop sign. My thinking is that, as there is no one around, it is understood that there is no reason to entirely stop. Also, there are no roundabouts, only stop signs. And it is quite systematic that each direction goes one at a time. What order! It is also apparent that there is an accepted rule whereby the speed limit is just a sort of... a suggestion. 5-10 miles per hour over is completely reasonable and expected. I suppose when you are so used to being in traffic, you ought to take advantage of any free driving space as possible!
All in all, i did a pretty good job. Adjusted to being on the other side of the road (although at times wanted to keep using the right lane marker as the guide), only put the windscreen wipers on instead of the blinkers twice and only partially mounted the curve parking the first time. Being on the left side of the car is weird!!
Being a passenger for so long though, especially on some rather long car trips, has allowed me to make several observations regarding Californian roads and drivers. And let me tell you, it ain't all pretty. Best Coast said it best. Well they showed us in a video clip. "I love California (but i hate the traffic)"
Californians are obsessed about driving. The SNL skit was not lying! Back home, people will go to the shops or something when they are bored. I think in California they just go for a drive. Not necessarily to go anywhere in particular or with any destination in mind. It is just to have something to do. One night i was on the way home from a baseball game in LA and it was bumper to bumper at 11pm. I have no idea where they wanted to go or where they came from. But the road was chockers! Didn't people have work tomorrow?
City driving is hilarious. Californian drivers are so susceptible to weather changes. California's climate is pretty right on. Warm all year round and little rainfall. But, given a light shower in the city people will lose all dexterity. They will mainly refuse to drive at all but when they do they will swerve and struggle and eventually just run off the road. The same applies if the temperature goes just a little bit above what is normal...
Roads are a huge problem here too. Bottlenecks everywhere and traffic comes to a standstill on the regular basis. Sydney drivers who complain about the M4, M5, M7 etc! would not be able to cope. And that is something which makes me smile. There is no road rage apparent when we go down the 101 or the 80 or anywhere else! It is very heartening.
I have learnt that a "California roll" is what people do at a stop sign. My thinking is that, as there is no one around, it is understood that there is no reason to entirely stop. Also, there are no roundabouts, only stop signs. And it is quite systematic that each direction goes one at a time. What order! It is also apparent that there is an accepted rule whereby the speed limit is just a sort of... a suggestion. 5-10 miles per hour over is completely reasonable and expected. I suppose when you are so used to being in traffic, you ought to take advantage of any free driving space as possible!
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
What Australia can learn from America (and vice-versa!)
I have hit the two month barrier. To say I have smashed through it would probably be a lie but, with some very exciting news in the pipeline and opportunities aplenty, I really do not think there will be too many more blog entries where I am unemployed! In my time here I believe I have made enough observations to make both my home country and the country i am currently in, better places. This can be done by taking aspects from one and placing it inside the other. Pretty simple stuff really.
First things first. The easiest one. Australia needs a Disneyland. Imagine the hullabaloo and craziness which would be "Disneyland DownUnder!" It is not called the happiest place on Earth for no reason and I think it would really allow some of the characters like Jasmine, Aladdin and Nemo a chance to shine in a more appropriate climate. I won't be too much of a dreamer. This will not come quickly or cheaply. I think a perfect spot for it could be the current construction area which is "Wet N Wild Sydney" because, let's face it, it is going to head down the gurgler just like Wonderland as soon as people realise that they have already been there once. Disneyland DownUnder would make the Rooty Hill RSL like downtown Disney and bring tourists and smiling people to Western Sydney. Not to mention employment. Every Westie wanted to grow up and be a Disney Princess!
Another thing which thrives in America but is seldom seen in the Great Southern Land is brunch. And don't tell me about the brunch you went to in Surry Hills last weekend where you went to Bill's Cafe at 10am, had avocado, tomato, turkey and cheese on sourdough bread, an espresso and then left. You only think you did brunch. Brunch in America is done properly and consists of getting to the cafe at 11am. Ordering more pancakes or egg benedict or bacon and eggs than you could possibly eat and then paying an extra $15 for bottomless mimosas. Four hours later you stumble out of the establishment, giggling, and scour the city for a bar that has a patio area because you're outdoorsy like that. Then you get home with just enough time to be sober for dinner. Happy Sunday!
Another simple change, that could liven up Japanese restaurants, is the art of Sake (sah-kee) Bombing. In essence, you order a beer and shots of sake (sah-kee) and pour half of your glass and a shot glass. You then take your chopsticks and place them over the half filled glass, enough apart to place the shot glass on top of this. You and your friends (because I would not encourage someone to do this alone) then bang the table with your fists until your shot falls into your glass. Once this happens you drink all of the beer. Including the sake (sah-kee) inside. The last time i did this, the waitress got involved and did enough screaming to get the whole restaurant involved. We were the only table at the restaurant doing this and, although obnoxious, it almost felt like a performance.
Lastly on this topic. I think Australians need to back themselves a bit more. Americans are a friendly bunch. Lots of hellos. Lots of unnecessary conversations at check outs, bars, etc. Sometimes this is unwanted but I think the good well and truly outweighs the bad. Australians could be friendlier and America is winning that race.
I won't pretend, there are many, many changes i would bring to America to improve it and leave a drop of Australiana. I will make this quick, painless and a figment of my imagination. Better mental health facilities, universal healthcare, Tim Tams, replace Z's with S's (e.g. realise. And stop saying "Zee") and the metric system!! I don't understand the American passion for pounds and miles. It just makes things harder for the entire world. In the Olympics, we could call the event the 5km run but it has to be called the 5,000m because America refuses to relent on this subject. While the final is on at Rio 2016 (see you there?), you will hear some American say, "Oh, 5,000m? They mean 3.125 miles." See my point? It is simply easier! Finally, whilst gig tickets are cheaper and amazing. Tickets for sporting events are through the roof. Generally over $100 for a hockey or baseball game. Which, somehow, are always sell outs. I know supply and demand probably dictates this but it does not make sense that it is $12 to get into Penrith Park and they get 5,000 fans in but it is $100 to go to AT&T Park and the SF Giants get 45,000!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly. Gun control. Why it so much easier to see the issue more clearly from the outside?
First things first. The easiest one. Australia needs a Disneyland. Imagine the hullabaloo and craziness which would be "Disneyland DownUnder!" It is not called the happiest place on Earth for no reason and I think it would really allow some of the characters like Jasmine, Aladdin and Nemo a chance to shine in a more appropriate climate. I won't be too much of a dreamer. This will not come quickly or cheaply. I think a perfect spot for it could be the current construction area which is "Wet N Wild Sydney" because, let's face it, it is going to head down the gurgler just like Wonderland as soon as people realise that they have already been there once. Disneyland DownUnder would make the Rooty Hill RSL like downtown Disney and bring tourists and smiling people to Western Sydney. Not to mention employment. Every Westie wanted to grow up and be a Disney Princess!
Another thing which thrives in America but is seldom seen in the Great Southern Land is brunch. And don't tell me about the brunch you went to in Surry Hills last weekend where you went to Bill's Cafe at 10am, had avocado, tomato, turkey and cheese on sourdough bread, an espresso and then left. You only think you did brunch. Brunch in America is done properly and consists of getting to the cafe at 11am. Ordering more pancakes or egg benedict or bacon and eggs than you could possibly eat and then paying an extra $15 for bottomless mimosas. Four hours later you stumble out of the establishment, giggling, and scour the city for a bar that has a patio area because you're outdoorsy like that. Then you get home with just enough time to be sober for dinner. Happy Sunday!
Another simple change, that could liven up Japanese restaurants, is the art of Sake (sah-kee) Bombing. In essence, you order a beer and shots of sake (sah-kee) and pour half of your glass and a shot glass. You then take your chopsticks and place them over the half filled glass, enough apart to place the shot glass on top of this. You and your friends (because I would not encourage someone to do this alone) then bang the table with your fists until your shot falls into your glass. Once this happens you drink all of the beer. Including the sake (sah-kee) inside. The last time i did this, the waitress got involved and did enough screaming to get the whole restaurant involved. We were the only table at the restaurant doing this and, although obnoxious, it almost felt like a performance.
Lastly on this topic. I think Australians need to back themselves a bit more. Americans are a friendly bunch. Lots of hellos. Lots of unnecessary conversations at check outs, bars, etc. Sometimes this is unwanted but I think the good well and truly outweighs the bad. Australians could be friendlier and America is winning that race.
I won't pretend, there are many, many changes i would bring to America to improve it and leave a drop of Australiana. I will make this quick, painless and a figment of my imagination. Better mental health facilities, universal healthcare, Tim Tams, replace Z's with S's (e.g. realise. And stop saying "Zee") and the metric system!! I don't understand the American passion for pounds and miles. It just makes things harder for the entire world. In the Olympics, we could call the event the 5km run but it has to be called the 5,000m because America refuses to relent on this subject. While the final is on at Rio 2016 (see you there?), you will hear some American say, "Oh, 5,000m? They mean 3.125 miles." See my point? It is simply easier! Finally, whilst gig tickets are cheaper and amazing. Tickets for sporting events are through the roof. Generally over $100 for a hockey or baseball game. Which, somehow, are always sell outs. I know supply and demand probably dictates this but it does not make sense that it is $12 to get into Penrith Park and they get 5,000 fans in but it is $100 to go to AT&T Park and the SF Giants get 45,000!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly. Gun control. Why it so much easier to see the issue more clearly from the outside?
Monday, 3 June 2013
A Grand Don't Come for Free.
"Today i've achieved absolutely nought
In just being out of the house, i've lost out
If i wanted to end up with more now
I should've just stayed in bed, like i know how"
Anyone close enough to me would understand that I have a liking for quick witted, English, white boy rappers. There's something about that cockney accent, use of slang and predictable wardrobe which makes me want to buy an album and shoot a bootlegger.
However, never did i ever believe that something would happen to me which would make me relate to Mike Skinner (of The Streets fame). I suppose we have both worked out that a grand don't come for free. But it was supposed to be easy.
In a nutshell. It was supposed to be so easy. I had sorted the visa, boarded my flight. Scored an aisle seat but with limited sleep. Fat Freddy's Drop on repeat (not addicted). Someone pulled up their window cover. Blinded by the light. Made it through customs and thought i could well be in. Had to get a social security number to work legitimately and thought i wouldn't have it any other way. Homeland Security and Social Security have different records of what Visa i have in my possession. No one has said "get out of my house" and i hope i am not deported. Can't work for most companies now, sitting around the house. lucky my girlfriend is so fit and you know it. Call homeland security and the rude receptionist is such a twat. Wondering what is he thinking? Realise that i need to sort this out. Have to dry my eyes and get on with living and working out how to land a legit job. Otherwise i will just be surrounded by an ever growing amount of empty cans. It was supposed to be so easy.
Essentially, Homeland Security think i came here to study. I am not sure why as all of the information and papers I had to sign, fill out, agree to, etc specified that i could not study. As an overseas student i would not be eligible to work. Hence, they are not letting me have a social security number. This hold up has probably cost me a month's wages. Turns out a grand don't come for free. I bought a scratchie today. Desperate times.
I spent over an hour waiting in line to get in the Social Security Building six weeks ago but i will need to make a return visit after an appointment with Homeland Security this week. It all sounds so serious!! Fingers crossed it is a very easy thing to rectify and i am out making cash before too long. It is not that i don't like sitting around but, when bed is always an option in your day, you need to sort out priorities. There is a time and place for being in bed. Currently it sings to me like a siren of the seas all day every day.
There is frustration at the fact that most of my job hunting has been fruitless but i would not have been able to work without the Social Security Number anyway. In terms of employment, so far i have achieved nought. In terms of life experience, love and fun. The past 7 weeks have been swimming pools of rainbows which i have been able to dive into headfirst and bathe in their colourful goodness. I don't really think there are any real complaints from me yet.
The problem has been identified. A remedy prescribed. Time to speed up the dosage and save enough cash for an extravagant Vegas adventure in the not too distant future!
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
The Star Spangled Banner
oh say! Can you see by the dawn's early light. American culture is an incredible thing. I have been unable to put my finger on exactly what causes the patriotism. Exactly what it is about their military, flag and teams that makes them tick so much. It has to be something which is passed through generations and instilled in youngsters at a very tender age.
I mean it to be no sleight to American people when i see there is almost a juvenile love for their country and teams. I reiterate teams because the support, pride and passion that people show for their teams over here is on the same route (still pronounced "root" for me, not "rout") as they do for their entire nation.
For example, the four main teams which people from San Jose follow are the San Jose Sharks (hockey), San Francisco Giants (baseball), San Francisco 49ers (football) and Golden State Warriors (basketball). If i go for a walk outside of the apartment complex, i am almost certain to see at least one person wearing some paraphernalia for each of these teams. Given they are World Series (sic) champs in the baseball, there is so many Giants hats and shirts everywhere that you would think every day is game day (which is almost true) and that the stadium was right around the corner (not the truth!). As well as this, i am likely to find something or someone with an American flag on it.
Going to a game is a whole different story. This is where i make my point about a juvenile affection and love for their team and country. I grew out of my seriously involved fan days in about 2011. I still like watching my Penrith Panthers play and now understand that a win usually means three losses to follow but there is no growing out of this at all in America. At a ball game this week we sat next to a young family who had a 20 month old child with them. The child had apparently been to lots of games already and was yelling "Go giants!" all the time. You see grown men going to games with gloves, hoping to catch a home run from their favourite player or a foul ball from the opposition so they can be seen on the big screen throwing it back. This bit still does something with me. Grown men walking into stadiums and sitting down, punching their glove and waiting for their chance. It seems such a juvenile thing to do but this is their passion. This is their team! And of course, losing is not an option. Every game is there to be won.
The same goes with hockey. Ice Hockey is a weird sport. Three periods of 20 minutes and fifteen minute breaks between each period. i suppose this gives ample time to use bathrooms, buy more weak beer and eat more fattening foods. They will play music and try to get people pumped/interested in this time and you will inevitably find some older gent see himself on the big screen and lift up his shirt and dance wildly. Wanting to get the crowd going and behind him. Don't get me wrong. The AFL have their grannies, NRL has it's bogans, Union has it's graduates and A-League has its rioters but for each sport in America, there is no specific demographic. There is an even, widespread fan base split across ages, socio-economic groups and ethnicities. It is incredible.
I believe that this is definitely linked to the feelings that Americans have for their nation. Maybe it is because they see the world as a competitive event. The passion in terms of positivity, optimism and belief is astounding. Fans believe that their team can do nothing wrong. And there is definitely an undertone of that when they speak of their nation as well.
Their players are their troops. Their team, their nation. The respect and optimism is something that can not be taught. And don't get the impression that i am being negative in anything i have said here. It is admirable. It is remarkable. I have been moved witnessing the cheering and singing during their national anthem. The honour given to returned troops and military personnel (especially around Memorial Day). this is something which will take generations to build. The solidarity, the unity. There is the optimism that anything is possible. That they can do anything and achieve anything. It gives proof to the world that their flag is still there.
I mean it to be no sleight to American people when i see there is almost a juvenile love for their country and teams. I reiterate teams because the support, pride and passion that people show for their teams over here is on the same route (still pronounced "root" for me, not "rout") as they do for their entire nation.
For example, the four main teams which people from San Jose follow are the San Jose Sharks (hockey), San Francisco Giants (baseball), San Francisco 49ers (football) and Golden State Warriors (basketball). If i go for a walk outside of the apartment complex, i am almost certain to see at least one person wearing some paraphernalia for each of these teams. Given they are World Series (sic) champs in the baseball, there is so many Giants hats and shirts everywhere that you would think every day is game day (which is almost true) and that the stadium was right around the corner (not the truth!). As well as this, i am likely to find something or someone with an American flag on it.
Going to a game is a whole different story. This is where i make my point about a juvenile affection and love for their team and country. I grew out of my seriously involved fan days in about 2011. I still like watching my Penrith Panthers play and now understand that a win usually means three losses to follow but there is no growing out of this at all in America. At a ball game this week we sat next to a young family who had a 20 month old child with them. The child had apparently been to lots of games already and was yelling "Go giants!" all the time. You see grown men going to games with gloves, hoping to catch a home run from their favourite player or a foul ball from the opposition so they can be seen on the big screen throwing it back. This bit still does something with me. Grown men walking into stadiums and sitting down, punching their glove and waiting for their chance. It seems such a juvenile thing to do but this is their passion. This is their team! And of course, losing is not an option. Every game is there to be won.
The same goes with hockey. Ice Hockey is a weird sport. Three periods of 20 minutes and fifteen minute breaks between each period. i suppose this gives ample time to use bathrooms, buy more weak beer and eat more fattening foods. They will play music and try to get people pumped/interested in this time and you will inevitably find some older gent see himself on the big screen and lift up his shirt and dance wildly. Wanting to get the crowd going and behind him. Don't get me wrong. The AFL have their grannies, NRL has it's bogans, Union has it's graduates and A-League has its rioters but for each sport in America, there is no specific demographic. There is an even, widespread fan base split across ages, socio-economic groups and ethnicities. It is incredible.
I believe that this is definitely linked to the feelings that Americans have for their nation. Maybe it is because they see the world as a competitive event. The passion in terms of positivity, optimism and belief is astounding. Fans believe that their team can do nothing wrong. And there is definitely an undertone of that when they speak of their nation as well.
Their players are their troops. Their team, their nation. The respect and optimism is something that can not be taught. And don't get the impression that i am being negative in anything i have said here. It is admirable. It is remarkable. I have been moved witnessing the cheering and singing during their national anthem. The honour given to returned troops and military personnel (especially around Memorial Day). this is something which will take generations to build. The solidarity, the unity. There is the optimism that anything is possible. That they can do anything and achieve anything. It gives proof to the world that their flag is still there.
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