signs of gayness

I recently saw a video of myself giving a public lecture. It's an interesting experience, watching yourself talk. There is the voice that is not immediately recognisable as my own. And there are idiosyncratic physical gestures too...the smile, the posture, the tilt of the head, and...the flamboyant hand movements. Man, am I really that gay? Scientists have shown that there are, indeed, behavioural differences between gay and straight men in the way that we gesture. I guess non-scientists who pick up on those cues call it gaydar. There are important morphological differences as well. The most intriguing is the difference in the so called 'second-to-fourth-digit' ratio between gay and straight men. Imagine my horror a few years back (when I was not yet out of the closet) when a colleague asked to see my hand. After inspecting it thoughtfully, she declared "you're gay". Don't believe that a man's hand can reveal his sexuality? If you're a bloke, do the test yourself. Lay your hand on a flat surface with the fingers close together. Which is longer? The second digit (i.e. index finger) or the fourth? Compared to a straight man, the index finger on a gay man should be longer than the fourth digit. Not quite sure how this would work for men that sit somewhere in the middle of the Kinsey scale.

bones

This is my most recent art acquisition – a collection of 30 bones wrapped in red velvet. The artist, who is from Western Australia, scours the country side for road kill. She takes the animals, boils them down and extracts their bones. She then sews them up individually in velvet. I think they are beautiful. Nathan reckons they are creepy (as, I suspect, will most of my readers). In fact, Nathan initially refused to have them in the apartment and suggested I bring them into work and hang them in the office instead. However, when he finally saw them, he conceded that they were not as bad as what he had originally thought...so the bones are now hanging in a discreet location behind the stairs to the bedroom.

return to sender

I am having postal issues. It seems that our postie doesn't give a shit or is simply incompetent. For a few months now, I've been finding other people's mail in my mail box and vice versa. And I don't think it's because I'm living in an apartment complex (where one might expect the odd mix up with unit numbers) because I've been getting mail that is not even addressed to the right street name. More recently, mum had sent me something from Canberra that ended up being returned to her even though the address on the envelope was correct. My experiences with Australia Post in the last few months is a far cry from my parents' experience back in Canberra. They've had the same postie delivering their mail for decades. I remember a few years ago, a bloke with an impressive moustache walking into the family restaurant for take away. After placing his order he asked me if I knew who he was. I said "No". He then pressed both hands against his cheek (to simulate the look of someone wearing a motorcycle helmet) and proudly declared "I'm your postie".

early morning blogging

I am awake and cannot get back to sleep...a perfect opportunity to post a few blog entries. Nathan had to wake up super early this morning to catch a flight to Perth. He is visiting his friend Penny to celebrate her son's first birthday. Penny got impregnated by an Indian chef when she was living in Melbourne (we think she has a thing for black men). Penny decided to head back to WA to raise the baby on her own because the father of the child isn't interested in being in the baby's life (and hasn't even bothered to tell his family). It's his loss really because the baby is absolutely adorable. The baby's a boy and his name is Alex. He has beautiful long eye lashes and will no doubt grow up to be an extremely handsome adult. Pity he won't really get to know his Indian roots.

the conference

Just got back from a conference. I think I'm getting old. I used to be much more social at these events...going out for dinner with large groups of grad students/colleagues and maybe even going dancing at a bar afterwards. This time around, I opted for quiet dinners with the colleague with whom I was staying. I better lift my game for the big international conference in Europe in August. Start banking sleep now so I can have the stamina to dance the night away.

Fad food

I will never forget the first time I visited Mexico. Everything was a revelation: the people, the culture, and above all, the cuisine. Mexican food in Mexico was like nothing I had tasted before, from the tamale I bought from a vendor while waiting at a bus stop to the stewed pork and rice I ate in the family kitchen of a 'restaurant' in the village where I was working. Authentic Mexican cuisine absolutely trumps the stuff that is passed off as Mexican food outside of Mexico. So...it was with absolute anticipation that I set off from work on Friday with plans to join Nathan, my sis and brother in law for dinner at Mamasita in the city. Everyone, it seems, has been raving about this place...including Mexicans. But alas...dinner at Mamasita never eventuated. It seems that the rest of Melbourne (in its typical faddish way) has also discovered the delights of authentic Mexican...and Mamasita in particular. Even at 5.30pm, the place was absolutely packed and there was a 2.5 hour wait for a table (I love real mexican but i don't love it that much). And it's not like we didn't try to book a table beforehand but the place is so popular that they have a very strict reservation policy (reservations for groups of 8-10 only and even then, the conditions are stricter than Australia's mandatory detention policy). Alas, authentic Mexican will have to wait another night.

Very slow cooked lamb shoulder

I've had lamb shoulder on the mind ever since our last visit to Cumulus Inc. So...when I saw lamb shoulders at the local woolies yesterday, I grabbed one with the intention of slow cooking it for lunch today. The preparations began last night. I had no idea how many hours I had to cook it for (should really have checked the internet for such things BEFORE I start cooking). Anyhoo...a whole two hours into the cooking process, I decide to check the lamb. The thing was still stone cold. Bloody fan forced option on the oven is not working. Panic. Fortunately, I realise that the 'bake option is still working fine so problem solved. A few more hours later, I go off to bed and switch the oven off. It is back on again this morning. The lamb bloody better be 'melt in the mouth' by lunch.

Serendipity

I can't believe my luck. Yesterday, when I was on my way to meet a friend for lunch, I decided to drop into the Chapel Street Bazaar. Lo and behold, I see a pair of orange vinyl dining chairs that look identical to the ones I have at home...except you can actually SIT on them! Of the four I have at home, one has a broken leg, and two have broken backs. For quite a while I've thought about tossing my old chairs out and buying new ones but ever since the photo shoot for The Age (and all the positive feedback from friends and strangers alike), I've been reluctant to let them go. Now, I have the possibility of buying two replacements and to send two of the broken chairs into storage (until such time that I can get them restored). Hmmm...I just hope I haven't tempted fate by not buying them right away (just had to confirm that they were, in fact, identical).

snooze

I attended a public lecture last night, along with a bunch of other scientists. It never ceases to amaze me just how bad some scientists communicate. A few simple tips would most certainly prevent the audience from falling asleep. First, don't use crazy big words (and if you must use them, explain what they mean!). Second, make sure you keep to the allocated time limit (a ten minute talk shouldn't go for 20 minutes...it's bad form). Third, don't say things for the sake of trying to sound like you have something intelligent to contribute to the debate (because it makes you look stupid).

Eurovision

I have been emailing my friends and colleagues in Scandinavia. It seems that Swedes are very happy...that Norway came last.

The pretty italian

I went out for dinner with Nathan and a bunch of friends last night on Lygon Street. The manager of the restaurant had the most amazing physique of any man I have ever seen in real life. We are not talking about subjective perceptions of beauty here. He was scientifically beautiful...a strong jaw line, a high forebrow ridge, a v-shaped body. He was almost too beautiful. I couldn't stop gawping. It didn't help that he wore a very tight shirt with the top buttons undone, thus accentuating his sizeable pecs. The only downside was his habit of constantly reaching his hands right down his trousers to make sure his shirt was tucked into his pants....dinner service at a restaurant (no matter how sexy you may be) is definitely not the time nor the place to have your hands down your pants.

Albury

Nathan and I went to Albury for the weekend. I must admit that, prior to this trip, I had never really thought about Albury as a tourist destination in its own right. It was always a place to stop during the long trips between Canberra and Melbourne (either to eat, stretch legs, swap drivers, go to the loo, or all of the aforementioned). We decided to go to Albury on this occasion to attend a friend's brother's 30th. We went by train (or at least that was the plan). Nathan booked us first class tickets, which were only $20 more than economy. However, when we arrived at Southern Cross on Saturday morning, the train was replaced by a bus instead. The excuse we were given was that the train was defective (though the cynic in me noticed that there weren't many of us going to Albury so maybe a bus was more economical). Albury itself was much nicer than I remembered (i.e. when used as a toilet stop). The cafes were pleasant and we even did some shopping though, in total, we spent just a little under 24 hours in the city itself (had to get back to Melbourne to do some work stuff). I must check out the nearby town next time though.

Taking ownership

This morning, I read an article in The Age about a girl who is suing her former school because she didn't get into the course she wanted to at uni. I wonder if it is a symptom of this generation (i.e. If you fail at something, it must be someone else's fault). In my job, I frequently have contact with students who don't hand in their work or neglect to read the instructions on their assignments and then complain why they were awarded a low grade or mark. Earlier this year, I met a student who had failed multiple subjects. Rather than taking an introspective look at her own behaviour, she blamed the university system, her teachers and even the subject itself (mathematics) and claimed that her high school teachers told her that she was 'brilliant'. Maybe it's the way we treat young kids nowadays.... Everybody wins a prize....Everybody is brilliant. Propping up self-belief is one thing but delusions of grandeur is not a desirable outcome.

buffet

My sister Joanne turned 30 on Wednesday. Last night, a bunch of cousins and some of Joanne's closest friends came down from Sydney and Canberra for a celebratory dinner. We went to Melba, which has an amazing buffet. I gorged almost exclusively on sashimi and roast duck. As an aside, this is what I would look like if I had a claw for a hand...

Scandinavia x 3

Looks like I'll be visiting Scandinavia quite a bit this year. Having already visited Sweden earlier this year, I'll be there again for a conference in a couple of months. Then, out of the blue, I got contacted by a colleague from Norway asking me to be the 'opponent' on his student's PhD thesis defense at the end of the year. I've never been to Norway before and, even though it will be cold at that time of year, I am very tempted. I would want to make a stop over in Oslo so I can visit my Norwegian friend (a girl I met on the train when she was working here in Melbourne). I know it is not politically correct but I am also intrigued about the possibility of eating some whale (still undecided on that). Apparently hunting whales in Norway is very tightly regulated and is actually a sustainable fishery so I harbour less guilt about eating it there than say, eating tuna, here.

out and about

Apologies for my absence. I've been out in the wilderness collecting fish with one of my students. It was quite the road trip. A few notable highlights/lessons: 1. Driving the 4WD. I'm pretty much crap at driving anything other than an automatic. 2. Dingoes. Here is an important lesson for camping...dingoes like to dig up (and consume) human poo. 3. Adelaide. What a quaint little city (We saw advertisements warning drivers to watch out for 'drunk walkers'). 4. Vegetarianism. The concept doesn't exist in rural Australia. This was not a problem for me but it did bother my student. 5. Flies. They breed 'em small and mean in the bush. A fly net really helps. 6. Baby wipes. Not only good for wiping baby's arses. 7. Man skills. It helps if one can do manly things like (b) strap a jerrycan securely onto the top of the hilux, (b) put up a tent, (c) light a camp fire, and (d) not squeal like a girl every time a road train comes flying past in the opposite direction.

Initiative

To the student who wrote me an email on the weekend asking if he/she should write out the answers to the assignment in pen or type it out on their computer, please use your initiative. You are not a child anymore. You are at university now and are expected to exercise some initiative.

My gosh

My very last metcard finally ran out on the weekend while I was in Canberra.

Today will be my first day back at work after the weekend and I'm going to have to use my myki.

Although I got a myki card over a year ago, I have resisted using it because of all the problems that have beleaguered the electronic ticketing system. I hope it doesn't fail me today.

I've used 'smart cards' for public transport in other cities. In Helsinki, commuters are assumed to be honest and public transport authorities have abandoned gates at stations and do not require people to 'touch off' at their destination.

I think similar initiatives here would stop bottlenecks like this:

Ripponlea estate

We took some friends to the Ripponlea mansion the other day. The building was donated to the national trust in the 1970s and is quite spectacular. Unsurprisingly, it is frequently used in films and is a popular wedding venue.

We went on a tour of the mansion itself. It seems that the last owner made a lot of changes...but not necessarily for the better. She painted over the original gold-leaf wall paper and the marble columns, removed the french doors, and knocked down adjoining structures to put in a pool. Some of the other people on the tour were quite critical.

My friend Pete

My friend Pete went to a gay sex on premises venue. He is doing research for his second novel. It was his first time. He tried to get me to go with him the last time I was in Canberra but I told him it wasn't my thing. He tells me it was quite a confronting experience and that he felt very uncomfortable (not surprisingly). I can't help but wonder what his girlfriend thinks about it all.

coincidences

About 2 years ago, I got a friend request on facebook from a guy I didn't know. This happens from time to time (mostly undergraduate students who want to be my friend...a definite no no). But this guy was different – even though I had no idea who he was, we had several friends in common (plus, he looks like Hugh Jackman). What confused me most was that our mutual friends bridge several of my existing friendship circles. Who the hell was this guy? I decided I would ignore his friend request.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. I am on my way back to Canberra (from Melbourne via Sydney) to deal with the leaky fish tank. I am sitting in the aisle seat in the emergency row. Another passenger needs to get to the window seat and as he does, looks at me with surprise and calls out to me by name. Turns out it was the facebook guy (I still didn't know who the hell he was).

Anyhow, we start chatting and it turns out that he had just arrived back to Oz from Europe and was on his way back to Canberra for a week. So let's look at the series of coincidental events that led to this unusual meeting....

ME:
1. Aquarium in Canberra springs a leak. Decided at the last minute to go back to fix it.
2. Only available flight using frequent flyer points has me flying to Canberra via Sydney.
3. Asked for (and was granted) exit row seat (seat 11D).

FACEBOOK GUY:
1. Invited to a wedding in Canberra.
2. Decides to go to Australia for a week.
3. Gets seat 11F (no one sits in 11E so we get to chat).

Same flight, same day, same row. Coincidence?

Flying...again

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pilot. In fact, I still remember going to the Australian High Commission in Singapore (a pre-six year old memory) and being interviewed by an Australian woman who asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told her I wanted to be a pilot. And she suggested maybe I could fly for Qantas one day. I didn't say anything (I didn't know what Qantas was).

I obviously didn't end up as a pilot. But, as a biologist, I nevertheless get to do a fair bit of travelling: travelling to conferences; travelling to field sites; travelling for work shops. I've been doing so much travelling of late that, quite frankly, I think I'm over it.

So...just when I thought I would be done with travelling for a while, it turns out I'll be flying out of Melbourne over the weekend.... to Canberra. My aquarium at my folk's place has sprung a leak. Dad has managed to construct a device to channel the drips back into the filter system but I'm worried the drips might turn into a torrent if I don't do anything about it.

Fortunately, with all the travelling I've been doing of late, I've earned enough frequent flyer points to go home (minus the $100 credit card payment for 'charges and taxes').

The flights are not great though (they never are when you book on frequent flyer points three days before the day of departure). I'll be flying to Canberra via Sydney! Yep. I'll be flying over Canberra on my plane towards Sydney and then, after an hour at Sydney airport, I'll be zipping back south on another plane to Canberra. I'll get in at 9.15am. And less than 24 hours later, I'll be on my way back to Melbourne – a direct flight this time (I don't think I can do the CBR-SYD-MEL thing on a Sunday).

On the plus side, all the recent travelling has finally earned me enough status points to elevate me to Silver membership on my frequent flyers so I'll get to enjoy the Qantas lounge.

home sweet home

I'm back in Oz. I flew from Helsinki to Melbourne via Singapore. Changi is impressive. The last time I was there, it was still undergoing refurbishments. I went for a walk to see the butterfly house. I then sat myself in front of a huge TV monitor to kill time...it was showing Air Crash Investigation (not sure if it was really such a great program to be showing at an airport).

Got back to Melbourne early on Thursday morning. Pretty much went straight to sleep, woke up for lunch and dinner, and then slept straight through 'til 5am. The unprecedented bout of sleep seemed to have killed the jet lag. Went back to work on Friday and didn't feel tired at all.

Tampere

Caught the train from Turku to Tampere yesterday to visit my friend's parents. This is the beautiful view from their house...

And this is the beautiful rhubarb pie we ate...

Sauna

I just had a sauna in my friend's apartment. Yes, my friend has a sauna in his one bedroom apartment (that's how obsessed Finns are about their saunas). Anyhow, I'm not complaining. It's a great way to start the day. Very relaxing. I'm now ready to go out and face the snow.

Finland

Arrived in Finland last night. The first landing attempt on the way into Helsinki was suddenly aborted due to another plane on the runway. I've never experienced an aborted landing before (though I have experienced an aborted take-off...also in Helsinki...hmmm..).

Anyhow, I didn't spend much time in Helsinki. I got to the city centre and immediately boarded a train to Turku. Tomorrow, I'll be going to Tampere. All up, I am only spending four days in Fniland and it looks like I will be spending it in three different cities. Should be fun.

Festmiddag

The swedes really know how to put on a feast. To celebrate the final night of the student workshop, we had a traditional 'festmiddag' comprising mountains of shrimp, crabs and scampi prawns accompanied by creamy garlic dipping sauce, fresh bread, and cheese. I don't think I have ever peeled or eaten so many crustaceans in my entire life.

a beautiful cold day...

This is the view from my room this morning.

Everything was covered with a fine powder of snow.

As you can see from the next image, by late afternoon, a lot of it has melted away.

Snow

Yep. It's snowing outside. This is the view from the room where I am staying.

We earlier went on a long walk with the students to a neighbouring village. Once we got to the village, it was straight onto a boat for a cruise around the fjord. There were hot beverages at hand, along with delicious cinnamon rolls for afternoon tea.

This graduate workshop is feeling more like a nice little vacation than work. Oh....I did have to deliver a 40 minute seminar to the students this morning (I don't want to make it sound like a complete junket).

Piranhas, Picasso and plants

I spent Sunday visiting a bunch of museums around Gothenburg.

First up was the Universeum, a giant indoor rainforest science centre replete with small monkeys, poison arrowfrogs, parrots and a pool teeming with red bellied piranhas (hmmm...I wonder if monkeys or small children ever accidentally fall in?). More amusing was the anaconda display, separated by a pane of glass from the kids indoor play area....I reckon it must be torture for the snake.

After my Amazonian encounter, I decided to head over to the art museum for a bit of culture (they had some very nice paintings by Picasso) followed by a visit to the natural history museum to check out the infamous giant stuffed whale. Visitors used to be able to go inside the whale – apparently it was a popular rendezvous point for amorous young couples. I'm not sure why because it smells kinda bad (in a nasty, chemically, carcinogenic kinda way).

After an hour looking at stuffed animals, I decided I needed to go to the botanical gardens to look at plants (yes, I am such a science geek). The Gothenburg botanic gardens has quite an impressive collection, including a glasshouse planted with native Australian plants, and another full of tropical orchids and insect-eating plants.

Fish, art and exotic plants...a near perfect day for me.

The apartment photo shoot was published in The Sun Herald and The Sunday Age while I was away...

Jet lagged in Gothenburg

It's bang on midnight here in Gothenburg and I have just woken up (and I know I won't be getting back to sleep again anytime soon). Ahh..,the joys of air travel.

I checked the status of my 'lost' bag and it seems that it has now arrived at the airport here in Gothenburg so hopefully I will receive it sometime today (which would be a huge relief seeing as I'm suppose to be travelling first thing Monday morning to a research station for a workshop).

This means, of course, that I won't be needing to go to the local H&M anymore to but a new wardrobe. The swedish clothing giant has just done a new collection of underwear featuring the sporting megastar David Beckham. Check out the pretty pictures here. Alas, I might go in for a browse anyway (no harm window shopping, right?)

I'm looking forward to exploring the city later this morning (i.e. when the sun come out). The temperature yesterday reminds me of Canberra in the winter...cold, crisp and sunny. From what I've seen so far, Gothenburg is a very beautiful city, with lots of hills and parks. There are trams here too....very pretty light-blue ones. I don't do holiday snaps but here is a photo I found on the web for Andrew:


I already had my scandinavian shrimp sandwich after arriving in the city yesterday. Today, I think I'll try to get hold of some hot smoked salmon.

Greetings from Sweden

I finally arrived in Gothenburg. The flight over was a nightmare. The plane was delayed almost 3 hours out of Melbourne due to a mechanical issue (the A380 seems to have a lot of those).

This meant I missed my original connection from Heathrow to Gothenburg. I was put on an alternative flight – which I nearly missed because the security checks at Heathrow take so bloody long.

And when I arrived at Gothenburg, I waited at the carousel only to find that my luggage didn't make it onto the flight (surprise, surprise). Now, I'm feeling just a wee bit anxious that my bag (and all my clothes) is lost somewhere in the Heathrow luggage system, never to be seen again.

I'm not looking forward to wearing the same pair of undies the whole week.

Fortunately, the guy at the lost baggage counter felt sorry for me and gave me an overnight toiletries bag so I can at least have a shower.

keeping cool

The air conditioning unit decided to pack it in at the most inconvenient of times – i.e. this weekend. Nathan cooled off by making a v-line straight to the country and the comfort of his mum's place (which has air conditioning). I stupidly decided to stay in Melbourne (being the last weekend before the trip). By saturday arvo, the heat had become too unbearable (and one can only loiter at the NGV until 5pm). So... I decided to turn to Metro. Yes, I actually went to Flinders Street, found myself a train, and went for a ride for the hell of it. I caught the train to Sandringham and enjoyed the cooler temps afforded by the train carriage for 1.5 hours before having to make my way back to the apartment where I sweltered for the rest of the night. Oh well, at least I had a brief respite from the heat.

Slow week

I'm very happy that it is actually friday today. It has been an incredibly slow week for me. In fact, it was such a slow week that I woke up on Wednesday thinking it was Friday (I've never hated a wednesday so much).

I'm not sure why my perception of time has been so out of whack this week. Maybe it's because Nathan has been in Asia on holiday and I have been missing him. Or maybe it's the body's coping mechanism...too many things going on before my own trip and I have a lot to do before then. Anyhow, with Nathan due back today, it'll be interesting to see how quickly time flies next week in the lead up to Europe.

The call of the Swedes

Am off to Sweden for a workshop next week. It's a pretty sweet deal...all expenses paid in return for a 40 minute talk. The hosts have promised a good time and I'm sure they will deliver. And I'll be flying on an A380 for the first time too.

The temperatures in Sweden at this time of year might be a bit of a shock though (especially considering I'll be coming from Summer here in Melbourne and then heading back out to Central Australia immediately after my return from Europe).

Photo shoot

A photographer and stylist came to our apartment this morning to photograph the interior for a newspaper's lifestyle magazine. It was a really fun process in which to be involved.

The stylist played around with some of the furnishings....she moved the dining table a few inches towards the centre of the room, swapped a cushion on a chair, perked the flowers I had bought for the dining table (water lilies) and shifted a floor lamp ever so slightly so that it was in view. For the most part, she kept things pretty much as they were.

The photographer took heaps of shots, playing around with the back lighting (with a bed sheet) to get rid of the reflections that were obscuring some of the paintings on the wall. He will manipulate the images later, picking the best elements from each photo to get the 'perfect' shot. In my mind, however, every shot already looked amazing. In fact, because of the way the picture is framed, the photos look better than the reality!

Two hours later, it was over. Am looking forward to seeing the finished product when it comes out.

fancy dinner

Went to a fancy black tie fund-raiser last night. It is not the kind of thing I do often and it feels surreal to be in a room with corporate and political types (including an ex-prime minster, current and past Victorian premiers, and the opposition leader) and to be part of a crowd being serenaded by Kate Cebrano (who was a highlight by the way).

The dinner honoured two amazing Australians and their journeys to success were inspiring, especially in light of their humble beginnings. One, a high school drop out, ended up heading Australia’s largest trucking company. The other, the son of migrants, became CEO of a major car company and is now head of one of Australia’s most iconic mining companies. Both appear to be extremely decent and down to earth people. Yes, it was surreal but it was also a very special night.

Blogger get together

Caught up yesterday with fellow bloggers Tim and Dr Nic who drove all the way out to uni to meet me for lunch. It was a very nice meeting and we had a lot to chat about...they are both very intelligent and funny. And it only occurred to me afterwards that they are also the very first gaysian couple I've ever met! Unfortunately, the lunch ended too quickly and I had to get back to work. Am looking forward to seeing them again, next time with Nathan. I'm particularly keen to check out Nic's balcony garden and Tim's photo art.

baaa zarre...

I was on my way to the ever delectable laksa king for lunch yesterday when, all of a sudden, a goat runs across the road near Royal Park. It was being chased by a man and a woman.

I have no idea where the goat came from (the zoo?) or where it was going but I hope it go there.

Mistaken identity

For a split second, I thought this was a photo of George Calombaris from Masterchef looking resplendent in army gear and holding a machine gun. But 'no', on reading the caption accompanying the news article, it turned out to be a photo of a Syrian army defector.

Yet another wedding

I headed up to Sydney for the second wedding up there this month. This time it was my cousin's....an Asian wedding.

There are a lot of rituals attached to a big chinese wedding, like the tea ceremony, which involves the bride and groom kneeling in front of senior family members offering them tea in return for red packets and jewellery. And like all chinese weddings, there was drama...in this case, the maid of honour unfortunately fell over during the post wedding photo shoot somewhere at the Botanical Gardens, necessitating a trip to the Emergency room.

The wedding reception was in Bankstown. It was like a scene out of Ang Lee's film, the wedding banquet (though, in this case, the groom is straight). The banquet dishes featured the body parts of endangered species (e.g. sharkfin soup); the fathers of the bride and groom got way too drunk; there were people falling over on the dance floor (is it appropriate to play kung fu fighting at a chinese banquet?); and one of my cousin's threw up on himself on the bus ride home.

Of all the weddings I have been to in the last three months (and boy were there many), this was by far the craziest. I had a great time though!

Australia Day

I thought I'd do something different this year and go to a citizenship ceremony. I wish I could say the ceremony was fantastic and that it was filled with emotion but it was actually quite boring. Sorry. Is that being un-Australian? The whole thing went way too long, the speeches (by the politicians) were self-serving, and the audience talked through the whole thing. We left before the ceremony concluded.

In celebration of Australia's multiculturalism, however, I ended up going to an Indian restaurant and gorged on butter chicken.

Island photo

Last month I published a post about my experiences on a tropical island. Here is a picture of me near the end of a seriously intense walking trail just after clearing the tree line. [Note to self: next time wear a more appropriate shirt for hiking].

yummy...

Last night, a slightly sunburnt Nathan (he spent the whole day at the tennis), my Norwegian friend and I had the most delectable and unexpected dinner. What started off as a late afternoon catch up over drinks ended up with us devouring one of these (slow roasted lamb shoulder)...

...with a side of this...

....here...

Pity the poor inspector

Yesterday, I found myself feeling sorry for the undercover ticket inspector on the 96 tram. She could have booked a whole bunch of people but missed out on the opportunity.

An elderly woman at one of the tram stops was wanting to get to the museum with her three grandkids but wasn't sure if she was on the right tram. The inspector, who had not revealed her identity at that stage, helped the old lady on board.

A few moments later, the inspector asked to see everyones tickets. The old woman feigned ignorance – in the way that only elderly people can do and still get away with it ("How much does it cost?", "Can I buy the tickets from you?").

The inspector fell for it and instead of booking the woman, tried to be helpful and pointed the old lady towards the coin machine.

The inspector then proceeded to ask the next set of passengers nearby for their ticket. Having witnessed what had gone on moments earlier, they, too, feigned ignorance ("Oh, we're from Adelaide? How do we buy tickets?").

And having set a precedent, the inspector had no option but to offer the interstate fare invaders the same opportunities to redeem themselves though you could see, by now, the inspector was getting frustrated..."what is going on today?", I heard her muttering under her breath.

Masculine beauty

Scientists have spent a lot of time thinking about what makes a man attractive. This is what we know about what women like (in no particular order):

1. symmetrical faces

2. masculine faces - high fore brow ridge and strong jaw line (but only during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle)

3. v-shaped trunk

4. no trunk hair

5. a deep voice

6. height (tall is sexy)

7. large penis


I think it would be interesting to see if the same features that make men attractive to straight women are similar to what gay men would find attractive. I suspect there would be considerable overlap (maybe with the exception of trunk hair??).

Melbourne vs Canberra

I've had a string of visitors visiting me over the past two months. When it comes to overseas guests, I always feel very strongly about giving them a positive impression of the city where I grew up (Canberra) and the city I now call home (Melbourne). I guess it's because I'm emotionally attached to both cities. However, I've noticed that it is a lot easier to convince people about the virtues of Melbourne than it is of Canberra. Why do people dislike Canberra so? I've heard people describe it as sterile. What does that mean though?

Getting a life

Over the Christmas break (Christmas eve to be exact), I received an email from the copy-editor of my new book. She had a list of editorial corrections she wanted addressed. I decided to hold off from passing on the email to the other authors until AFTER the new year.

Today I got an email reminder saying that she needs it by next week. I politely emailed her back reminding her that it was CHRISTMAS and that many people were on leave.

The copy editor's email got me thinking about work expectations. Most people think that university lecturers have a cushy job. I often get asked whether I have holidays when the students have holidays. The answer is 'no'. Teaching is only a small part of my job and I spend quite a bit of my time doing research (and a bunch of admin stuff too).

A few years ago, I came across this short article published in arguably the most prestigious journal in the field. It cleverly highlights a growing problem and the need for a better work-life balance among scientists.

wrestling

The never-ending barrage of weddings continues for me. Nathan and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Sydney to attend a wedding last night here. The groom is a surgeon and we were seated at a table with a couple of doctors (among others).

Somehow the topic of greco-roman wrestling came up. One of the doctors, a very nice Canadian guy, started telling us about his days on the school wrestling team and his deflating experiences of wearing tight-fitting outfits and being tossed into the air in front of the girl he was trying to impress.

It turned out that the other doctor at our table, a Finn, had also been a wrestler. We thought the Finn's experiences would be very similar to that of the Canadian. We were wrong. The Finn actually competed at World Championships and represented Finland at two Olympic Games! The contrast in skill and achievement made us all laugh.

Postscript: I just found a youtube video of the doctor in action. OMG.

An awkward conversation

A friend and I were chatting to a woman at a party recently. The woman, noticing my friend's sari, asked her where she was from. I thought it was a reasonable question but my friend was shocked by the question. Eventually, after a period of silence, she told the woman that she was Australian. Trying to smooth out the awkwardness, I added "she's from Western Australia."

mushroom misgivings

Over the Christmas break in Canberra, I was walking through the pine forests near my parents' house and noticed heaps of mushrooms sprouting everywhere along the walking trail. Having been an avid harvester of edible mushrooms in Europe when I was living there, the thought did cross my mind as to whether these local forest mushies were edible or not (especially as I have seen european ladies harvesting mushrooms in the same forest many years ago). After reading this, I'm glad I left those mushrooms alone.

How I kept my cool

Morning:


Noon:


Afternoon:

Transition

I think Nathan is transitioning into a bear. He already has a hairy chest, beer gut, and man boobs. Then, two days ago, he started to grow a goatee. Yes, a g.o.a.t.e.e.

There once was a time when I was persistently pestering Nate to grow facial hair because I was curious how he would look.

Some men look good with facial hair (see example below).

Nathan doesn't. And given that some of the hairs he has sprouted are actually ginger (GINGER!), I am trying desperately to convince him to shave it off.

Anal leakage?

So I was half-preparing NYE dinner/half watching the news when a story came on about closure of beaches in Port Phillip because (to quote the news reporter) "sewage had leaked out of a man hole". Nice.

Buggered

Just got back from a fishing trip – for work. I'm absolutely exhausted. Apart from the long drive and the intense day of sampling, I also had to process the specimens back at the lab and worked through the night to process them. I got home at 6am. Yep...I did an all-nighter at uni (thought those days were well and truly behind me).

Anyhow, it was 'interesting' working at the field site yesterday, which also happens to be a camp ground next to a big lake. I have been there twice before but the grounds have always been deserted. It was absolutely packed this time, mostly by young people with tattoos and/or facial piercings who are extremely eloquent and use words like 'fuck' and 'cunt' and 'youse'. These same people also have very young children who like to splash around where scientists are trying to collect fish. I was surprised to see that one of these young children (Dakota, age 4ish) can already say Jim Beam (no kidding). Clearly, if a creationist was serious about refuting natural selection, this camp ground (teaming with people who have bred who really shouldn't be passing on their genes) would have provided said creationist with lots of examples (and painted God as having quite a warped sense of humour).

Home sweet home

Got back late last night from Canberra. After reading about Victor's delays at the airport, I was pleasantly surprised that (1) my Qantas plane left on time and (2) landed in Melbourne 15 minutes early!

Notable highlights of my trip back to Canberra:

1. Seeing family and friends
2. The Treasures exhibition at the National Library of Australia
3. Waking up in the mornings to the sound of chirping birds (I don't mind the screeching trams outside my Melbourne apartment but I much prefer the chirping birds).

Things to do now I am back in Melbourne:

1. Start working on my grant proposal
2. Plan a field trip to collect more fish
3. Begin post-Christmas diet
4. Think about plans for new year's eve (currently, sitting at home in front of air-con is on top of the list).

An afternoon with...

While the siblings hit the boxing day sales, I spent a peaceful afternoon at the NGA with Rothko, Bacon and Hockney (among others).

Season's greetings

Merry Christmas every body. Be sure to enjoy the turkey/ham/seafood responsibly.

Costco

It seems that Costco has become a new family favourite. I am not a fan. The store just oozes the very worst of America to me. Big warehouse. Big trolleys. Big packaging. Big crowds. Big people. Everything is big, big, big.

Canberra

Am back in Canberra for Christmas. This afternoon, I went out to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve with some European visitors to show them some kangaroos.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be quite a nostalgic trip for me and brought up memories of visiting the reserve when I was a kid and being traumatised by the emus (which were extremely bold in stealing food from children). This time 'round, the emus seemed much more subdued and left us alone. The highlight though was seeing a platypus, which was the first one I had ever encountered in the wild.

Swedish Christmas market

Nathan and I met up with my Norwegian friend a couple of weekends ago at the Swedish Church for the annual Swedish Christmas market.

I must admit I thought it was going to be really lame but was pleasantly surprised. There were heaps of stalls selling all things scandinavian and there was even a petting zoo for the kids. If you're a fan of ikea, you're bound to love the Christmas market.

My friend texted me to let us know that she was sitting near the stall selling Norwegian waffles. We walked towards her but were temporarily sidetracked when we saw the swedish shrimp sandwiches (Nathan's favourite) and had to stop to buy a couple of serves (This was followed by a danish hotdog each and then some Norwegian waffles).

During lunch, I asked my Norwegian friend if she could tell, by appearance alone, if a scandinavian was from Norway, Denmark or Sweden. She said she could and proceeded with an example....

"See that woman taking money for the Danish hot dogs? She is a typical looking Dane."

I glance over and see an ugly, obese woman with squinty eyes.

the generic brunette

I am TERRIBLE with recognising people at the best of times but I have come to realise that there is a particular phenotype that get's me muddled more than any other...the average brunette with shoulder length hair. This realisation came in the form of a very embarrassing incident on tropical island no. 2 last week, where I was supervising students on marine biology projects. Ten minutes after meeting with my group, I was in the dining hall and decided to sit next to a bunch of students. We struck up a conversation and I asked one of them what project she was doing. She looked at me with a horrified look and said "I'm in your group"!

Hot, hot, hot

"Very hot", was what I told the waitress when she asked me how I'd like my pork noodle soup. Big mistake. The burn in the mouth wasn't too bad but I could feel the pain in my stomach almost immediately as I slurped down the delicious stock. I tried to temper the heat with an ice cream afterwards (black sesame seed + durian) but it is now just a waiting game to see what happens at the other end...

Back from paradise

Got back from Queensland late last night. It would have been nice to take a day off but, alas, I had a staff meeting.

The weather on Tropical island no.2 was mixed. The boat trip out was quite rough and many of the students suffered terrible motion sickness. I took a tablet and closed my eyes for much of the trip. Since I had the earphones on, I had no idea that people had been vomiting all around me until I opened my eyes 20 minutes before arriving. One of the students was so ill that she had to be carried off the boat.

The trip back to the mainland was a lot calmer. The flight from Brisbane and Melbourne wasn't very comfortable though. Despite getting an exit row seat, I was next to a rather large gentleman and I think we were both cramped for space. I am always worried about getting extra leg room that I overlook the potential drawbacks of being squeezed into a middle seat. The situation was resolved when I decided that I would use his arm as something cushiony that I could lean against.

Paradise (part 2)

Am about to head off to another tropical island, this time for teaching. Two tropical islands in two weeks. More sun. More warmth. More snorkelling. If the current cold start to Summer here in Melbourne is any indication, looks like my trip up north is timely.

Paradise (part 1)

I've been away these past few days, working on a remote sub-tropical island off the coast of NSW. Actually, the formal work part of the trip took all of 30 minutes (an inspection of research facilities followed by a report). The rest of the time was spent hiking around the island and snorkelling. I wouldn't call it a junket though...it was more of a reconnaissance mission to see if I can come up with some clever research projects. The only thing I didn't like about the island was the spiders. There were orb weavers in the forest and huntsmans living in the bed room of the research station. I have no problems with crocs, sharks and snakes but am not a fan of spiders.

pork knuckle, crown princess and glebe

My family came up to Sydney from Canberra yesterday and we met them for lunch at the Lowenbrau at the Rocks. Of course, I ordered the pork knuckle (Schweinshaxn) and it was delicious.

The family drove back after lunch. Nathan decided to do some photography around circular quay, while I headed off to the Botanic Gardens. I noticed barricades at Customs House and a gathering crowd of people carrying Danish flags so I figured that Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary would soon be making an appearance so I scuttled away as quickly as I could. Later on, when I gave Nathan a call to see what he was up to, he told me excitedly that he had seen the royal couple at Customs House. The photos Nathan took were amazing. I was suggesting he should sell them to New Idea or the Woman's Weekly.

We went to Glebe for dinner last night at a Lebanese restaurant. I hadn't been to Glebe before and was impressed by the diversity of restaurants. Must definitely go back in future.

We are heading back to Melbourne this arvo. The holiday was way too short.

Sydney

Nathan and I are in Sydney for a break. The main purpose for our visit is to attend a friend's house warming party on Saturday night. It's a themed party...Hawaii. I'm not a big fan of dress up parties. I thought about buying a Hawaiian shirt but couldn't justify paying for something that I would never wear again (I've done that before). I thought about making something clever out of cardboard and going as either a pineapple or tropical fish but I'm not that clever and, frankly, couldn't be bothered doing craft in the hotel room. So today, I bought a pair of pyjama shorts with a Hawaiian print. I'm not sure I've thought this through properly (i.e. wearing pyjamas to a party). Nevertheless, I bought them because I figure I can always wear them over summer.

Nathan and I actually arrived in Sydney yesterday. We saw the new Picasso exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. Although I was really keen to see the exhibition, I'm not one who spends hours inside an exhibition. We were in and out in 20 minutes. I thought it was excellent though.

Today we headed off to the fish market and gorged on tuna, salmon and kingfish sashimi, followed by some grilled blue eye, salt and pepper king prawns, and half a dozen oysters. I would have eaten more but Nathan insisted that I had eaten enough and dragged me off to the new Adriano Zumbo store at Star. We also visited the top of the sydney tower. I'm not sure if I've ever been up there before (might have done so as a child). The view was amazing.

A sunday outing

I made a new friend on the train two weeks ago. I started chatting to her after noticing her marimekko handbag (yes, very gay). I actually thought she might have been Finnish but it turns out she's Norwegian and is here in Melbourne for six months doing graduate research. We hit it off right away...it's nice to have a regular train buddy again.

We made plans to catch up for lunch today. I took her out to Victoria Street for yum cha. She said she was an adventurous eater so I ordered tripe and chicken feet (nathan's favourite), as well as the usual assortment of (innocuous) steamed dumplings. I think she enjoyed it all, even the chicken feet.

Afterwards, we took the tram down to Chapel Street for a hot beverage, followed by a visit to the Chapel Street Bazaar. Nathan ended up buying two old box cameras (he is really getting into all things photography at the moment).

I was tempted by the skull of a male black casqued hornbill. Here is a similar example from the net:


I'm not not sure what I'd do with a hornbill skull (or where I would keep it) but isn't it cool? My new Norwegian friend thought so (she is a biologist too). Nathan thought it was macabre; he doesn't like the idea of dead animals lying around the home so that was that. Oh well.

Weddings galore

Nathan and I are attending an unprecedented number of weddings this Spring. We have already gone to two weddings in two weeks and have another two to go. The next one is this afternoon.

I was a bit surprised that someone would choose a Friday for tying the knot. From the guests' perspective, it is certainly more of a hassle to have to take the day off. Initially I thought it was a decision based on cost but then I found out today that a lot of couples are getting married because of this.

Gay stereotypes

My straight friend, P, is working on his next novel. It centres on two gay characters, one of whom shares the same name as me. But that's where the similarities end.

P is really serious about doing research for his novel to make sure that the characters and story line are believable. He has been interviewing older gay men and seems to be familiar now with terms that make me blush.

Still, every now and then, he would send me an email to ask me about things, expecting me to provide the answers. And most of the times I cannot.

Recently, he asked me a question about beats and the signals that men use with each other. Somehow he thinks all gay men would know the answer to such things. "How the hell would I know?" was my response. But still, the questions keep coming.

The most recent text from P asked me to suggest a password gay guys might use. I though for a moment and, thinking back to a complete innocuous post by High Riser, I replied 'snow plough'.

sore and sleepless

I went on a field trip yesterday to collect fish for an experiment. I must be getting old. After a day of fieldwork, I was an absolute wreck....tired and sore all over. I feel like I have been battered by a baseball bat. It never use to be this way.

And to think that I was actually planning to go to the gym yesterday after the field trip. Common sense prevailed and I told my gym buddy that I would have to cancel. It felt like I already had a substantial work out wading through the water, scooping up fish and carting water-filled eskies back and forth.

I ended up going to bed super early and then woke up super early (3.30am). Oh well, might as well catch up on blogging. I've decided to take it easy today and mark exams.

Fat in Frankston

Nathan's dad was admitted to Frankston hospital a couple of weeks ago. He seems to be making a good recovery.

I had not spent much time in Frankston before but recent visits have been a bit of an eye opener. People there seem to be quite a bit less healthy that those living in the inner city. There were a lot of overweight people around.

The food was terrible. We ate at the food court of the shopping centre twice. Both times, the food was really salty. Yesterday, we went to a charcoal chicken place and the food there was heavily laden with salt as well (almost to the point of being inedible).

As I sat there chewing on my chicken, I was wondering if there are higher incidences of heart disease, blood pressure etc in that part of the city?

All the pretty ones pashing on the dance floor

Took my Canberra visitor to the Greyhound last night. I wanted to show him the transformation.

He was shocked. He made similar observations to the ones I made after my first visit to the venue after refurbishment.

It looks amazing but has lost some of the soul. The people on the dance floor were less diverse (far more attractive looking but less nice somehow). There was only one drag queen performing last night – and she was most definitely an after thought, playing second fiddle to the beautiful girls and hunky guys who did most of the miming and dancing around (the shows were short too).

Anyhow, I don't want to sound like I am complaining because I still had a great night. And I am not blind to commercial realities either. Reinvention is often necessary for survival. Perhaps I am just getting old and sentimental.

Yummy dumplings

Went out for dinner last night at the Hu tong Dumpling Bar. I've heard people ranting and raving about this place for quite some time now (from food critic Matt Preston to the guy I see everyday on the train). This restaurant's reputation is well deserved....the 'xiao long bao' were absolutely amazing (the best I've ever tasted).

I had a very nice catch up with my former PhD student and his co-supervisors. It was funny leaving the restaurant though. All four of us are extremely tall and I heard one waiter make a comment about our heights to another (in mandarin). And as we were leaving, I noticed a lot of the customers staring at us. I must say it is refreshing to be surrounded by people that are the same height...I feel less freakish that way.

The visitor

I have someone staying with me this week. He is in Melbourne working with me on an experiment. It has been an eye-opening experience. He doesn't seem terribly motivated and appears to be more concerned about having lunch than doing the experiments (even though it is his experiment). Sigh.

The mould, the mould

The builder came. He is what I would describe as a typical 'wog' (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). Shaved head, athletic build, tight designer shirt and jeans, nicely perfumed, and wearing lots of heavy gold jewellery. He prized off the skirting board and I was amazed to see the assortment of fungi growing on the wood. My damp problems is a mycologist's dream. "Definitely a damp problem", said the builder. He cleaned out the mess and said he's going to get back to me in a couple of days.

Kitchen issues

My apartment was built in 2005 and I moved in very soon after it was completed. Almost immediately, I started noticing a funky damp smell. I told the builders when they came in to fix up the apartment defects but they assured me it was just the dishwasher (which I have never used).

Since that time, the skirting near the sink has been deteriorating. The paint bubbled and the wood is expanding and then mould started to grow. Things came to a head last year when an overseas friend came to stay. I found him the next morning sleeping on the balcony. Apparently he had suffered an adverse reaction to the mould and spent the rest of his time in Melbourne staying with other people. I felt terrible.

Anyhow, I told our onsite manager earlier this year. He inspected the damage and suggested that there was definitely a leak under the kitchen bench somewhere. He said he would contact the builder.

Six months passed and then, last night, the builder gives me a call. He will check it out this morning. I hope he can identify and fix the problem.

The xenophobic homophobe (part 2)

In a city of 4 million, what are the chances of crossing paths with the same bigot in just over a month? 'Pretty good' it seems.The woman who was making racist and homophobic remarks at Nathan and I at Prahran station a few weeks ago hopped onto my train this afternoon at Flinders Street. I recognised her two jack russells. So it seems that she is just generally a crotchety person. As she walked through the carriage, she made nasty comments at several commuters.

Why do I bother?

Students nowadays seem to have very selective hearing. Maybe they have gone deaf from listening to their iPods all day.

EXAMPLE....

Student # 1 (before the start of the lecture yesterday): "Are these lectures examinable?"

Me: "Yes".

Me (to the rest of the class): "Just a reminder, as I have said before, these lectures are examinable".

Student #2 (at the end of the lecture): "Is this lecture examinable?"

Me: "Yes".

The car accident

A car literally flipped onto its side and screeched to a halt right in front of me on my way to the train station this morning.

I immediately ran up to the vehicle. The airbags had been deployed, the front windscreen was smashed, and the driver was trapped because because the driver's side of the vehicle was laying against the road. Someone opened the front passenger door (now facing the sky) to ask the passenger if she (I think it was a woman) was ok.

I noticed a crumpled bike lying on the road a few meters behind the car. I didn't see a bike rider so hopefully it wasn't a collision and that the rider wasn't squashed under the car.

A man asked if someone could go find a fire extinguisher (just in case) so I ran to a nearby cafe and got one. I placed it next to the car.

By now, several people were on the phone to triple 0 and a sizeable crowd had gathered. I had a lecture to deliver, so I continued on my way to the station.

What a way to start the morning.

Legitimate excuses?

A barrage of emails have appeared in my inbox over the last few days. There was an assignment due last week and students are contacting me with all kinds of reasons why they shouldn't be penalised for not handing in their work on time.

I received a couple of emails with the stock-standard excuses.... illness or bereavement due to the unfortunate passing of beloved family members (grandparents seem to have a nasty habit of dying at this time of year).

But this year, I've also had a few new excuses I have not encountered before. These include:

(1) being dumped by a boyfriend/girlfriend (x 1)
(2) death of family pet (x 1)
(3) "I handed in the wrong version of my assignment" excuse (x 2)

Evidently, I'm a bit of a softy when it comes to giving students the benefit of the doubt but I'm starting to get a bit suspicious.

Separation anxiety

My book is almost ready and I am having separation issues. The publisher has set up a site for my coeditor and I to upload the chapters and I am procrastinating. I should just do it. In truth, I think it will be a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. It's been a three year long process from inception of idea, to writing the proposal, to getting scientists to contribute chapters, and finally putting the whole mammoth thing together. I don't think I'll do another one for a while. It was a lot of work. Ok, better get to it...

Mystery lithograph

Nathan and I bought this lithograph last week. We have no idea who the artist might be or whether it is even Australian. The work bears the letters EA on the bottom left corner and a signature – but we can't make out the letters. This is going to be a difficult one to resolve.

Early paintings from the western desert

The recently opened exhibition of early aboriginal paintings at NGV Australia is a must see.

The exhibition showcases 200 or so of the earliest works produced from the western desert. These early paintings are significant for giving rise to the western desert art movement. The works themselves (most of which were painted on board) are absolutely breathtaking.

There is a great sense of power and spirituality in these paintings that set them apart from the more commercial works in the decades to follow. Intriguingly, several of the works were held in a special room separated from the rest and came with a sign warning that they may not be suitable for general viewing due to cultural sensitivities.

I know I am biased (given my interest in aboriginal art) but this is really something special. Click here for a video about the exhibition.

Blogger catch up

A definite highlight of my day off yesterday was catching with fellow bloggers Victor and Evol Kween for lunch.

Victor and I had previously discussed meeting up for pho in Sydney but seeing as he was in town, we decided to go for pho here instead.

I had a restaurant in mind but as is typical with my bad sense of direction, it not where I had thought it was. Fortunately EK had a better sense of direction, knew exactly which restaurant I was trying to find, and got us there.

I must say that it was terrific to finally catch up and meet people whose blogs I had been following for years. Importantly, they were both super nice and the conversation flowed freely....it was like catching up with old friends.

Sadly, EK had to get back to work, but Victor and I ended up extending our catch up a bit longer over scones at the NGV. We said goodbye 4 hours later.

Am already looking forward to the next outing...

Misspelt obscenity

Was on the train today and noticed someone had scrawled "Fuck big coke" on the seat next to me. An accompanying picture of a penis suggested that 'coke' was meant to be 'cock'.

I really worry about the state of literacy in this country when young people can't even spell obscenities correctly.

Weird dreams

I have been taking Fridays off. It seems that having a three day weekend is bad for my dreams. For the last few weeks, I have been having nightmares on the Monday morning (is it a sign that I don't actually want to go into work?). The other week, I dreamt I was being chased by dinosaurs. This morning, I had a dream I was stuck on scaffolding very high up from the ground and had to jump to the main building – but was too scared to do so. I'm not sure what happened to the pleasant flying dreams I used to have... other than the fact I don't seem to have them anymore ;-(

The xenophobic homophobe

Nathan and I were waiting for the train at (of all places) Prahran when we were subjected to a racist homophobic rant from a woman with two jack russells. She wasn't technically ranting at us but having a loud conversation with her dogs about us. I've been subjected to the occasional racist jibe from time to time (in Queensland and Western Australia) but never been at the receiving end of any overt homophobic remarks. I don't think I am particularly camp (if at all) and neither Nathan nor I 'flaunt' our sexuality (not that any of that should matter). The filth that came out of her mouth made me blush (though, technically, calling us cock suckers is probably a bit hypocritical).

Is he or isn't he

I was watching the late news earlier this week about a helicopter rescue in Queensland. A crew member on the rescue helicopter was interviewed and I recognised his name as someone I had gone to school with. For a moment, I was sure it was him but now I am not so sure. I have terrible facial recognition. I guess it's been quite a while since I finished high school and people change in appearance. Anyhow, I looked the guy up and there is a photo of him but I still can't tell.

My lunch party

In an effort to be more social and to foster team bonding, I decided to host a lunch at my place yesterday for all of my grad students. I didn't plan it very well. I ambitiously agreed to go to two work meetings in the morning and got back to the apartment 30 minutes before the arrival of the guests (I forgot to factor in the travel time...oops).

I literally ran into the apartment, had a pee, and began frantically cooking (yes, I washed my hands).

There were several dishes going at once...microwave was on full blast, fried rice was being tossed around in a wok, chicken wings were roasting in the oven. It was chaos. And then the guests arrived. Shit! I managed to chat, cook and show them around the apartment. Thank God for an open plan apartment ("this is the apartment, here is your drink, go on a self-guided tour").

The lunch actually went very well. Too much food; though I've learnt that students can eat...a lot. Nathan got back from the country and helped wash all the dishes that were piled in the sink.

There was one bizarre interaction though...mid way through my lunch party, someone (whom I can only presume was a neighbour on my floor but can't be sure because people are always moving in and out of the complex) came to the door to ask for a pair of pliers. I said I didn't have pliers. He then wanted to see my tool box (raised eye brow) because he needed something to dismantle a bed. I lent him my spanner. He said he'll bring it right back. I haven't seen him or my spanner since.

Stuff white people like

A recent post from Andrew over at High Riser got me thinking and I decided to come up with a list of 'chinese' things that many of my white friends like but I (and many chinese people) find perplexing (in no particular order)...

1. Kylie Kwong.
2. The dim sim at the South Melbourne market.
3. The Flower Drum.

And to be fair, many of my white friends find a lot of chinese things rather perplexing too. As I recently learnt at yum cha, the consumption of chicken feet probably rates very highly on that list.

Weird coincidences

So after nearly bumping into an actor from Winners and Losers the other day, I just received an email telling us that Channel seven is going to be filming a scene for the show at my work this week (right outside my office window in fact). Luckily I will be out of the office that day so I won't be tempted to stare out my window all morning watching the filming.