I completed the final component of my marketing audit today - the presentation. Our group got 4/5 four it and I got all excellent ticks for my part of the speech! Woo! Go public speaking Melissa!
Anyway, I now have sweet bugger all to do tomorrow until I go to work at four pm, so I figured I would tackle another five questions while I had the chance.
This set of five questions comes from Elonortrund, who will be getting a link in my sidebar following this post (if I don't fall asleep).
Okay...
1. You are single and like to date different people. How can you tell the difference between someone who is fun to be with for now, vs. a man who has potential for a lasting relationship, or would be a good father for your children (if you want kids!)?
Jeez, you're not to shy with the heavy hitters are you? Hrm...
I found this question interesting because I honestly think (to the point where "know" might be a better word) that one of my problems in the dating and relationship games is that I tend to think all of them have the potential for a lasting relationship. (Not so sure about father to my children part, I really haven't thought that far down the track yet, I'm still working on having one I can pin down for more than a few months!).
I have a funny feeling for most people "the one" starts out as someone who would be fun to be with for now. Then in six months time, a year, two years, they're still fun to be with for now. Eventually you realise that all along, without you really thinking about it too much, they ARE that long term relationship you were originally looking for. It's just that things like that (the important things in life) always revolve around time, and things that evolve around time always creep up on us so quietly that one day you just wake up in the morning and realise you're there.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a dead sucker for romance, and the thought of meeting the love of your life in the supermarket one day and after ten minutes of chatting just thinking "yes, I see houses, I see babies, I see white picket fences!" is awesome, and there was a time when, although I wouldn't admit it, I probably thought that could happen. I've since learned that it's more a matter of patience, of realising that time is the one thing that consolidate the potential that is there. Also understanding that life can get in the way and there's nothing you can do about it.
It's a rather dull and unromantic analogy, but it's like anything that you want really badly - to save money, to build a business, anything that involves a goal at the end of the tunnel. You have to let the success creep on you gradually I think.
I also think women have a weird tendency to have that "wake up one morning and find" experience faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar earlier than the men ever do. I think men wake up one morning with "the one" stamped on their partners forhead and dont notice it, grunt, scratch their ass, haul themselves out of bed and start stuffing their face with cereal. They then rinse and repeat for the next five years, or until their partner starts making violent ultimatums.
2. You are Australian, and I believe you've also lived in Denmark. What is your impression of the United States?
Okay, having never been to the United States, I have had three major phases in my life where America had a distinct image in my head.
Before I travelled - America was Utopia. I really badly wanted to go to an American High School, play on the school basketball team, go on "dates" (we really don't do that here, I just do it because I'm strange), pick fights with other kids on New York streets, and go to Degrassi Junior High (this is when I didn't know Canada existed - to this day, the accents sound the same to me). I wanted to meet celebrities, I wanted to live in the big upper middle class houses and drive a convertible to school, I wanted the trendy, young hip "Mom". America to a primary school or early high schooler seemed awesome.
When I went overseas I got a different perspective. Rotary Youth Exchange was a great program but I found because the program involved your parents pretty much paying for everything, and that it was for teenagers, that I met a lot of Americans who I found quite shocking in their attitudes. There were a lot of suburban princesses who really did fit the cheesy stereotypes - the slutty cheerleaders, the bitchy princesses, the jocks. In short, pretty much all the ones I personally would have collected en masse from high school and sent to live on an island somewhere if given the chance. I found most of them to be spoilt, I found their "don't mess with me attitude" intimidating and more often than not, selfish and unjustified, none of them seemed to be very independent and have much of an idea of striking out on your own, and most of them got up to things that would turn their mother's hair grey (I wasn't perfect, but I just got drunk a lot). That was mostly the ones from the bigger cities, and I think most of them had attitudes like that because in a big city I'm guessing if you want to survive you learn to bite and not let yourself get trampled on by countless others. I found it was the ones from the south or the rural areas that I related to the most, the shy Iowa farm boys and the friendly Texans - I guess because I was the Australian version of the same.
First year at a boarding college on returning to Australia and I met Bec (HI BEC!), Ben and Emily. These three are seriously on my huge list of cool foreigners that I have to go and visit someday. Each of them still manages to bring a grin to my face on a regular basis. They are humble, they are happy, they are diverse, they are well grounded, they are opinionated, they share affection, they are awesome to talk to, and they are just plain cool. I love them to death. I want to go to America because of these people.
I plan to go to the States one day, I really do want to part of my degree there, studying Marketing. Where else to learn how to be a marketer than the capitalist capital of the world? I look forward to seeing every bit that beautiful and diverse country has to offer, with it's huge range of cultures.
Oh and Canada sounds cool too.
3. I've heard about the "Tall Poppy" syndrome in Australia. Do you think it exists, and if so, has it affected your life?
Yes tall poppy syndrome exists in Australia. Generally, in my experience, it applies to the Australian public or population. Australians have a very strong idea of what an "Australian" way to behave is. In my experience, the gist of it is that if you are Australian, you do not divert from what is considered Australian. You stick to the unwritten rules of mateship, loyalty, patriotism, and there's a very strong pressure not to "sell out", especially to American codes of behaviour, which are (sorry any Americans) often considered money grabbing and elitist. Those who make it big internationally are often (I think incorrectly) deemed to have gotten to their high status because they have done things that are considered un-Australian. They've sold their soul to American capitalism, they've indulged too much in a European fan base (Kylie Minogue has copped that one more than once, lucky for her the gay community won't let anyone tear her down), they've altered their product to meet a mass-market... The fact that they're Australian and they've reached that pinnacle doesn't seem to come into it - the perfect Australian is an aussie battler, who struggled to get where they are today and had to fight tooth and nail to achieve it. Those who seem to have flown from strength to strength go against this Australian ideal I feel, and so there is a tendency to tear them down, make them work for their success. They are constantly made to justify themselves. We are not a nation of people that builds its ambitions on something as idealistic as the American Dream. We are a nation that values the fight for success more than the success itself in many respects. (Australians reading this, do you agree or disagree?)
In terms of it affecting me... hrm. Nothing significant, maybe in slight ways. I was a very ambitious during high school and I don't think some (not all) of my school mates saw eye to eye with that, then again, the question below on being a stay at home Mum probably demonstrates I didn't see eye to eye with what a lot of the people in my home town had in mind for themselves either (my hometown was, and still is, the teenage pregnancy capital of Australia, with a lot of teenage girls choosing to become mothers at that young age. That was NOT something I had in mind for myself in light of the career paths I wanted to follow).
I get the wind knocked out of my sails by other people from time to time, but I wouldn't say that's to do with them being Australian, I think people all over the world do that. It's a self-preservation thing. If the people around you start getting too self-confident they start achieving too many goals and get too successful, then who's the one who feels they look a fool? There's always that nagging feeling in everyone that they should be doing just as well as the group standard. Everybody does it (girls are especially good at doing it, in very subtle ways too! Don't think I haven't done it).
4. Do you think you will have several careers throughout your life, or will stick to one? If you become a mother, would you consider staying home with children or not?
There are a number of careers I can see myself doing. Originally I wanted to be a journalist, and my arts degree does actually major in media so it is a path I could very well follow. I can actually see myself working in radio or print journalism, and as is evident from the fact that I run a blog, I would love to be a writer. I seriously don't think I have the discipline for those at the moment though. Many people who meet me often mention that I should head in a corporate direction, before they even hear me mention that I'm interested in marketing. I've also considered studying law before but I really don't see myself doing that, it really is such a cynical and jaded profession. I'm too much of an idealist to be a lawyer.
I have thought about the issue of motherhood and it is an interesting quandry. I've always valued my independence and I think I'm actually already shaping up to be a bit of a work a holic. I am never going to be the sort of person who is content with doing nothing. However as long as I see importance in the work that I am doing, I will be addicted to it. Whenever I see myself in ten, fifteen years time, I do see myself having kids, and me being an awesome Mum to them. I like to think I'd be the understanding Mum who always takes the time to explan things properly and help out with any problem and talks loudly but doesn't yell a lot.
People would be surprised to hear this but I genuinely would consider it. Being a stay home Mum I mean. When I was younger I couldn't fathom the thought of it - my Mum was a management executive and she was always at work the same time we were at school, on business trips, and home tired at 6pm, and she enjoyed the challenges of her work, as do i. I couldn't imagine being in an empty house all day doing laundry and cleaning dishes - to me that always felt subservant to the man, that it just wasn't what I was made for. The fact that I'm hardly housekeeping material myself bares a strong leaning on the matter as well.
The last year or so though in the back of my mind I've been lulling it over and I guess, the main reason I work, or do degrees, or travel, or do anything really, is to prove to myself that I can do it. Maybe at that stage in my life I won't feel I have to prove anything to myself anymore.
5. What is the healthcare system like in Australia? Is it national healthcare? Do you think it is high quality?
I never get sick. I actually have absolutely no idea. I went to the doctor when I was 17 to get a medical check before I went overseas and he couldn't find any notes on me because I hadn't been since early primary school. I just don't get so sick that I need to go to a doctor.
Last year though I had bouts of anxiety and spent six weeks in hospital. It was a pretty difficult time, having never been that sick before. I found the nurses were great, the ambulance was RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE and it took me months to pay off the cost, the doctors were kind and understanding, and that my hospital accommodation was excellent.
That said, I was the first patient to get stashed into a new wing and I think they wanted to make a good impression.
I had some pretty turbulent experiences in hospital due to some accidentally mis-diagnosed medication, after that cock up (they were trying to get funding for yet another wing if this one went successfully, wouldn't have looked good if the first patient in filed suit), I was treated like a queen. I don't think anyone else quite got the same level of "care". The experience left me pretty jaded to say the least.
Sorry I'm really not the best person to ask about that. All I know is when I was a kid if I ever wanted a doctor, I got one, that no one in my family has ever gone without, that there is a huge shortage of nurses, and that there are a large number of hospitals that should just be avoided like the plague in an emergency (The Royal Adelaide is the one to avoid here in Adelaide).
Well that's another five questions answered! I'll have to post that link in the morning I am tired........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toodles!
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
5 questions to me
This week's (am I doing this as a weekly thing??!) blog post comes from fellow blogger John Iveson, whose blog can be read at http:://www.wapentake.blogspot.com . He's a pretty cool and switched on dude, most certainly not native to Canada, and he asked me five questions. If you want me to ask YOU five questions, leave the URL to your blog and the text "interview me" in the comments section.
1. How do you think the world sees ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Australia? And how accurate is that?
I have experienced a wide variation of how the world views Australia, most of it really positive. We have a very rich family lifestyle, often filled with beaches, swimming, barbecues, holidays and picnics, which is not something that I would ever argue with.
Currently in Australia we have the highest unemployment rate we've ever had, so most people are in a good (or at least average) position, and really, with our (annoying - I've bitched about Centrelink in this blog before) social welfare system in place it's generally found that people who are poor or completely homeless are so by hopelessness or choice (although I've experienced better - Denmark has one of the best social welfare systems in the world).
I found that the majority of foreigners when talking about Australia focussed on this beach lifestyle as the centrepoint, which I think is pretty accurate. We swim a lot, a lot of people who live near the beach surf, yes there ARE sharks in the water, and we love a good barbecue.
The conversation would generally then get a little hairier after that, with questions of kangaroos as pets, where abouts my farm was located, don't I get thirsty living in the desert (what happened to the beaches??!), and some really outdated ideas on how aboriginal people must live coming to the forefront.
While I think it's great that they know the Australian beach lifestyle is the only one (which I think is something the media would have foreigners think in order to boost tourism), I find it amusing that the idea of a suburban Australian lifestyle to a lot of foreigners in incomprehensible.
The majority of Australians live in a country town or suburban community (thanks primarily to the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Menzies in the 1950's who built a suburban dream to combat the threats of communism). They go to school (on a bus not in a kangaroo's pouch), they vote for their leaders, they live in houses (one girl in Denmark thought I lived in a tent and that I didn't know what a bus stop or a stand up comedian was). The young people, my age, are the same everywhere. There are language differences, and slight cultural differences, but at the end of the day all of them just want to complete their schooling and take the world on in the best way they know how.
It's funny though, we do the same thing to other nations. Canadians go to school on polar bears, Africans go to school in a jeep waving hello to the tigers and the monkeys. Apparently. Then you meet them en masse, like I did when I travelled, and you realise they really are just like you (maybe a little bit kinkier).
I can only put down such conceptions to a couple of things - the media plugging the assets of a nation for everything its worth until they become the only things foreigners associate with it, and the fact that, when thinking about a country's lifestyle, no one ever really sits down and thinks about it from a logical point of view.
2. What are the best places to live in Australia if you are: a child, a student, working and have no kids, raising young kids, working when kids are older, retired?
Okay... It has to be said here that I grew up in a country town and have only ever lived in Adelaide besides my stint overseas and aforementioned country town. I've been to Melbourne a few times and Sydney once and that is about the extend of my Australian travel. So don't quote me on any of this.
A child - I found growing up in a coastal country town worked a treat. It was very cost efficient and you grew up in a very familiar, close knit community. When you went away for the summer holidays you went to the same place the parents of the other kids went to, so you had consolidated friendships, and a lot of safety and security. The only thing I really regret about growing up there was that I didn't get to experience much of the outside world at a young age so a few things came as a shock when I got older.
If you're a student I actually do think Adelaide is the way to go. It's not so small that you know everyone you walk past at the local supermarket (and you accidentally date your cousin) but it's small enough for you to keep contact with people and have a good group of friends nearby that you can rely on. The university's are very well respected, it's not a particularly expensive place to live, it's not particularly well known for it but it is actually quite a beautiful place, and there's always something happening in the student life.
Working and have no kids - Melbourne is probably the place. It's got a lot of tradition and finery associated with it, and it has a very strong business sector. If you want to experience culture and high class society while you're working with no children, Melbourne is probably the place to be, with its very strong culture of cafes and restaurants. Unfortunately it IS located in Victoria, and people from Victoria DO tend to be wankers towards South Australians like me. So I'm going to pull the plug on plugging Melbourne right now. (Although I nearly went a few months ago when their comedy festival was on - the headline acts alone make me recommend it even though I'm yet to go).
If you're raising young kids and want to have a city lifestyle I'd suggest Sydney. It's the oldest city we've got and my experience of it (ten days about five years ago, plus a lot of press coverage on tv) is that it is genuinely a city for everyone. It's got fun family activities (we really enjoyed boating around the harbour etc on our holiday), it's got good schools, it's got good job opportunities when your children get older. The only thing I can see a problem with is the issue of real estate (it's pricey of course, depending on where you live), and it depends on whether you want to raise your kids in the place that probably has the most crime per capita in Australia (don't quote me on that either). If the city thing isn't your thing there's always somewhere on the central coast, within a stone throw of the city if you should ever want to go there.
In my family if you want to retire, you go to Victor Harbour. My Uncle used to joke about it, calling it "God's waiting room". Then his nagged him into buying some property there, and well, I guess now he's in the waiting room.
3. If someone says "I have no regrets", how, if at all, does this change your view of the person?
Hrm, I'm not really sure how to answer that question. I've got a few regrets already! Although I enjoyed my time overseas I think my timing was bad and that I shouldn't have gone when I was so young, especially not when I was fresh out of a very sheltered lifestyle in a tight nit community. I also regret that I fucked around a bit at my first year of uni and now I'm paying the price because everyone else is graduating soon, if they haven't already, and I was already a year behind because of my travels.
However, I look back on these things as life experiences, lessons I wouldn't have been able to learn any other way. I daresay if I hadn't gone overseas I wouldn't be anywhere near as cautious or analytical of my (or any) environments, because my eyes wouldn't have been opened up to what the world is capable of (I mean that in the sense of seeing poverty like poor children begging in the streets, concentration camps, etc). I wouldn't have been as insightful I guess. So I guess if you look at it in this way I don't really have any regrets at all.
That said, whenever someone tends to say to me "I have no regrets", I'll admit I'm a little skeptical. When I think of the poem "The road less travelled" where taking that less travelled road "has made all the difference", I tend to think of that "difference" as a positive thing, no matter the outcome. I am the black sheep in a lot of cliques, because I'm not a sheep at all (I'm probably a donkey!)
I'll admit I have a tendency to think the reason someone has no regrets is because they've taken the road most travelled. Having no regrets at all within the vast expanse of opportunities we as human beings are faced with during our lifetimes suggests to me a lack of drive to do something different from the norm. I guess this is just something I value.
That said, someone who says "I have no regrets" obviously has a very positive outlook and values each of their experiences individually in some way, which is something I try to do myself. A positive outlook is something I also value.
4. What would your friends name as your best (and if you're feeling brave), your worst characteristics?
BEST:
loyal - i'm the first to stick up for anybody and the first to tell them when i think they're wrong. usually.
friendly - i like people in general, and as long as they're responsive to meeting someone new, i generally get along well with most people i meet. even if we're quite different as people.
always ready to talk about anything. i've got a pretty opinionated, probably seemingly black and white exterior, so some people get a shock when one day they're having a bad day and i actually empathise, and even more shockingly, respond to their problem
generous with the hugs (i love hugs. i don't get enough hugs. will you hug me?)
funny (sometimes, and usually inadvertantly. You may have noticed from a few blogs that I've got a very colourful way of describing even the most mundane things - I do that in real conversation too and people often find it amusing. Scarily half the time I'm not joking).
forthright
honest - I don't steal, I don't lie (my facial expressions just give it away anyway), I always at least try to do the best by people, i admit my faults (maybe not always outloud in front of other people, but at least to myself), and in a team i'm quite likely to be the most reliable person on the team.
look for the best in people (this has proven to be a big mistake on a few occassions but I still try to do it, you can't write the whole tree off just because of a few bad apples)
genuine
pour my heart and soul into whatever i put my mind to (people, ideas, missions, myspace... oh god I'm a geek...)
well intentioned
intuitive - i read people pretty well.
WORST
can be insulting in an attempt to be funny (i've called a few people "geeks" or "nerds" a few too many times for even my own liking - sorry guys)
don't always listen to things i need to hear - "Mel, you should read this book, it's called 'HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU'".
a bit of a conversation control freak (actually a bit of an everything control freak) - if i'm in a group i delegate tasks. If there's a debate happening I've always got my ten cents thrown in there. If other people aren't towing the line in some way it really grinds on my nerves.
i'm ambitious and ridiculously impatient and want all good things i want to come to me NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW and get annoyed when it doesnt happen (my degree being one of them)
i don't manage my money very well so whenever people ask me to do things i'm always broke
i'm really loud, sometimes unbareably so, and some of the opinions that come spouting out of my mouth, not even I believe in ("Mel can you turn the volume down a bit...?")
i have an obsessive streak which means i pour everything i've got into it and then one day just get bored and move onto something else (this year alone I've been through an art phase, a family history phase, a gym phase, now i'm in the myspace phase, next i can see myself in a cooking phase... mmm...)
i'm lazy and a chronic procstinator and it sometimes drives people nuts - not because it affects them in some way but because it's frustrating for them to see someone who's more than capable to do the work just plain NOT doing the work and suffering for it (i'm getting over that now though)
i'm really not the most sensitive person in the world, if something frustrates me i find it difficult to hide it/not to say something (although weirdly there are some people i just can't say anything to)
i actually have no fashion sense. despite all the talk of shoes and shopping in this blog, i still arrive to pick my sister up in the morning looking like i got dressed in the dark. it's been known to cause epileptic fits. believe me it's a bad trait.
if someone uses a commanding or superior tone in conversation it pushes all the wrong buttons and I find myself arguing with them when i don't even care about the essence of the conversation - the other day at work it was about whether or not this celebrity babies kid's father was in its life, just because the girl i was talking to implied i was a bit silly for thinking it was (i mean WHO CARES?!?!?!)
finally, when it comes to guys i feel i know them pretty well (i really do have a good sense of character judgement though, ask anyone who knows me, i'm pretty clued in on people) and so i want to jump the gun a bit in the relationship when they still feel like they don't know me all that well - that's when the my issues with impatience come into play
5. Are there any songs that you associate with turning points in your life? Which and why?
There is an entire soundtrack to my life. I seriously can't think of any of them right now except for Leaving on a Jet Plane by Bjork and Jewel, for obvious reasons. There are a few songs that make me go mushy inside though:
Alanis Morrisette's "Everything"
The Goo Goo Dolls - "Slide" "Irish" "Black Balloon" "Name"
Rob Thomas "Little wonders"
Disneyland After Dark (DAD) - nineteenhundredandyesterday
Plus about a million others, most of them too daggy to mention here!!! I actually listen to a lot of dance stuff these days so nothing too up to date and with meaning has entered my personal sphere recently.
Well, hope that answers your questions John!
PS. everyone (anyone?) reading this, I'm happy to do this "submit five questions" thing again, I thought it was pretty fun!
1. How do you think the world sees ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Australia? And how accurate is that?
I have experienced a wide variation of how the world views Australia, most of it really positive. We have a very rich family lifestyle, often filled with beaches, swimming, barbecues, holidays and picnics, which is not something that I would ever argue with.
Currently in Australia we have the highest unemployment rate we've ever had, so most people are in a good (or at least average) position, and really, with our (annoying - I've bitched about Centrelink in this blog before) social welfare system in place it's generally found that people who are poor or completely homeless are so by hopelessness or choice (although I've experienced better - Denmark has one of the best social welfare systems in the world).
I found that the majority of foreigners when talking about Australia focussed on this beach lifestyle as the centrepoint, which I think is pretty accurate. We swim a lot, a lot of people who live near the beach surf, yes there ARE sharks in the water, and we love a good barbecue.
The conversation would generally then get a little hairier after that, with questions of kangaroos as pets, where abouts my farm was located, don't I get thirsty living in the desert (what happened to the beaches??!), and some really outdated ideas on how aboriginal people must live coming to the forefront.
While I think it's great that they know the Australian beach lifestyle is the only one (which I think is something the media would have foreigners think in order to boost tourism), I find it amusing that the idea of a suburban Australian lifestyle to a lot of foreigners in incomprehensible.
The majority of Australians live in a country town or suburban community (thanks primarily to the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Menzies in the 1950's who built a suburban dream to combat the threats of communism). They go to school (on a bus not in a kangaroo's pouch), they vote for their leaders, they live in houses (one girl in Denmark thought I lived in a tent and that I didn't know what a bus stop or a stand up comedian was). The young people, my age, are the same everywhere. There are language differences, and slight cultural differences, but at the end of the day all of them just want to complete their schooling and take the world on in the best way they know how.
It's funny though, we do the same thing to other nations. Canadians go to school on polar bears, Africans go to school in a jeep waving hello to the tigers and the monkeys. Apparently. Then you meet them en masse, like I did when I travelled, and you realise they really are just like you (maybe a little bit kinkier).
I can only put down such conceptions to a couple of things - the media plugging the assets of a nation for everything its worth until they become the only things foreigners associate with it, and the fact that, when thinking about a country's lifestyle, no one ever really sits down and thinks about it from a logical point of view.
2. What are the best places to live in Australia if you are: a child, a student, working and have no kids, raising young kids, working when kids are older, retired?
Okay... It has to be said here that I grew up in a country town and have only ever lived in Adelaide besides my stint overseas and aforementioned country town. I've been to Melbourne a few times and Sydney once and that is about the extend of my Australian travel. So don't quote me on any of this.
A child - I found growing up in a coastal country town worked a treat. It was very cost efficient and you grew up in a very familiar, close knit community. When you went away for the summer holidays you went to the same place the parents of the other kids went to, so you had consolidated friendships, and a lot of safety and security. The only thing I really regret about growing up there was that I didn't get to experience much of the outside world at a young age so a few things came as a shock when I got older.
If you're a student I actually do think Adelaide is the way to go. It's not so small that you know everyone you walk past at the local supermarket (and you accidentally date your cousin) but it's small enough for you to keep contact with people and have a good group of friends nearby that you can rely on. The university's are very well respected, it's not a particularly expensive place to live, it's not particularly well known for it but it is actually quite a beautiful place, and there's always something happening in the student life.
Working and have no kids - Melbourne is probably the place. It's got a lot of tradition and finery associated with it, and it has a very strong business sector. If you want to experience culture and high class society while you're working with no children, Melbourne is probably the place to be, with its very strong culture of cafes and restaurants. Unfortunately it IS located in Victoria, and people from Victoria DO tend to be wankers towards South Australians like me. So I'm going to pull the plug on plugging Melbourne right now. (Although I nearly went a few months ago when their comedy festival was on - the headline acts alone make me recommend it even though I'm yet to go).
If you're raising young kids and want to have a city lifestyle I'd suggest Sydney. It's the oldest city we've got and my experience of it (ten days about five years ago, plus a lot of press coverage on tv) is that it is genuinely a city for everyone. It's got fun family activities (we really enjoyed boating around the harbour etc on our holiday), it's got good schools, it's got good job opportunities when your children get older. The only thing I can see a problem with is the issue of real estate (it's pricey of course, depending on where you live), and it depends on whether you want to raise your kids in the place that probably has the most crime per capita in Australia (don't quote me on that either). If the city thing isn't your thing there's always somewhere on the central coast, within a stone throw of the city if you should ever want to go there.
In my family if you want to retire, you go to Victor Harbour. My Uncle used to joke about it, calling it "God's waiting room". Then his nagged him into buying some property there, and well, I guess now he's in the waiting room.
3. If someone says "I have no regrets", how, if at all, does this change your view of the person?
Hrm, I'm not really sure how to answer that question. I've got a few regrets already! Although I enjoyed my time overseas I think my timing was bad and that I shouldn't have gone when I was so young, especially not when I was fresh out of a very sheltered lifestyle in a tight nit community. I also regret that I fucked around a bit at my first year of uni and now I'm paying the price because everyone else is graduating soon, if they haven't already, and I was already a year behind because of my travels.
However, I look back on these things as life experiences, lessons I wouldn't have been able to learn any other way. I daresay if I hadn't gone overseas I wouldn't be anywhere near as cautious or analytical of my (or any) environments, because my eyes wouldn't have been opened up to what the world is capable of (I mean that in the sense of seeing poverty like poor children begging in the streets, concentration camps, etc). I wouldn't have been as insightful I guess. So I guess if you look at it in this way I don't really have any regrets at all.
That said, whenever someone tends to say to me "I have no regrets", I'll admit I'm a little skeptical. When I think of the poem "The road less travelled" where taking that less travelled road "has made all the difference", I tend to think of that "difference" as a positive thing, no matter the outcome. I am the black sheep in a lot of cliques, because I'm not a sheep at all (I'm probably a donkey!)
I'll admit I have a tendency to think the reason someone has no regrets is because they've taken the road most travelled. Having no regrets at all within the vast expanse of opportunities we as human beings are faced with during our lifetimes suggests to me a lack of drive to do something different from the norm. I guess this is just something I value.
That said, someone who says "I have no regrets" obviously has a very positive outlook and values each of their experiences individually in some way, which is something I try to do myself. A positive outlook is something I also value.
4. What would your friends name as your best (and if you're feeling brave), your worst characteristics?
BEST:
loyal - i'm the first to stick up for anybody and the first to tell them when i think they're wrong. usually.
friendly - i like people in general, and as long as they're responsive to meeting someone new, i generally get along well with most people i meet. even if we're quite different as people.
always ready to talk about anything. i've got a pretty opinionated, probably seemingly black and white exterior, so some people get a shock when one day they're having a bad day and i actually empathise, and even more shockingly, respond to their problem
generous with the hugs (i love hugs. i don't get enough hugs. will you hug me?)
funny (sometimes, and usually inadvertantly. You may have noticed from a few blogs that I've got a very colourful way of describing even the most mundane things - I do that in real conversation too and people often find it amusing. Scarily half the time I'm not joking).
forthright
honest - I don't steal, I don't lie (my facial expressions just give it away anyway), I always at least try to do the best by people, i admit my faults (maybe not always outloud in front of other people, but at least to myself), and in a team i'm quite likely to be the most reliable person on the team.
look for the best in people (this has proven to be a big mistake on a few occassions but I still try to do it, you can't write the whole tree off just because of a few bad apples)
genuine
pour my heart and soul into whatever i put my mind to (people, ideas, missions, myspace... oh god I'm a geek...)
well intentioned
intuitive - i read people pretty well.
WORST
can be insulting in an attempt to be funny (i've called a few people "geeks" or "nerds" a few too many times for even my own liking - sorry guys)
don't always listen to things i need to hear - "Mel, you should read this book, it's called 'HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU'".
a bit of a conversation control freak (actually a bit of an everything control freak) - if i'm in a group i delegate tasks. If there's a debate happening I've always got my ten cents thrown in there. If other people aren't towing the line in some way it really grinds on my nerves.
i'm ambitious and ridiculously impatient and want all good things i want to come to me NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW and get annoyed when it doesnt happen (my degree being one of them)
i don't manage my money very well so whenever people ask me to do things i'm always broke
i'm really loud, sometimes unbareably so, and some of the opinions that come spouting out of my mouth, not even I believe in ("Mel can you turn the volume down a bit...?")
i have an obsessive streak which means i pour everything i've got into it and then one day just get bored and move onto something else (this year alone I've been through an art phase, a family history phase, a gym phase, now i'm in the myspace phase, next i can see myself in a cooking phase... mmm...)
i'm lazy and a chronic procstinator and it sometimes drives people nuts - not because it affects them in some way but because it's frustrating for them to see someone who's more than capable to do the work just plain NOT doing the work and suffering for it (i'm getting over that now though)
i'm really not the most sensitive person in the world, if something frustrates me i find it difficult to hide it/not to say something (although weirdly there are some people i just can't say anything to)
i actually have no fashion sense. despite all the talk of shoes and shopping in this blog, i still arrive to pick my sister up in the morning looking like i got dressed in the dark. it's been known to cause epileptic fits. believe me it's a bad trait.
if someone uses a commanding or superior tone in conversation it pushes all the wrong buttons and I find myself arguing with them when i don't even care about the essence of the conversation - the other day at work it was about whether or not this celebrity babies kid's father was in its life, just because the girl i was talking to implied i was a bit silly for thinking it was (i mean WHO CARES?!?!?!)
finally, when it comes to guys i feel i know them pretty well (i really do have a good sense of character judgement though, ask anyone who knows me, i'm pretty clued in on people) and so i want to jump the gun a bit in the relationship when they still feel like they don't know me all that well - that's when the my issues with impatience come into play
5. Are there any songs that you associate with turning points in your life? Which and why?
There is an entire soundtrack to my life. I seriously can't think of any of them right now except for Leaving on a Jet Plane by Bjork and Jewel, for obvious reasons. There are a few songs that make me go mushy inside though:
Alanis Morrisette's "Everything"
The Goo Goo Dolls - "Slide" "Irish" "Black Balloon" "Name"
Rob Thomas "Little wonders"
Disneyland After Dark (DAD) - nineteenhundredandyesterday
Plus about a million others, most of them too daggy to mention here!!! I actually listen to a lot of dance stuff these days so nothing too up to date and with meaning has entered my personal sphere recently.
Well, hope that answers your questions John!
PS. everyone (anyone?) reading this, I'm happy to do this "submit five questions" thing again, I thought it was pretty fun!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Another amusing incident
I just noticed that my google adsense has started to click in. Clearly the people at google liked my whingeing about the bus system in Adelaide so much that they started to advertise bus travel in the UK.
*Snigger*.
*Snigger*.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
How you know when you're in the right
SHORT ANSWER - When you get smacked in the forhead for your troubles.
Those of you who may remember fondly (and I know there are a lot of you, I got a lot of emails) the "BUS DRIVERS IN ADELAIDE MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" incident will understand why this post comes under Religion and Philosophy (that's just how passionate I am about this topic), and will appreciate this post. (For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I've reposted it here from MySpace as the very first entry in this blog).
Today I had business in town and my sister had our car. It had been raining and mud was afood. Pride, following the previous (aforementioned) incident, dictated that I should not catch the bus.
That said my shoes are pretty. So I bit the bullet and toddled along to the scene of the previous crime (ie. the bus stop near my house).
Once there I got chatting (as I do, I'm a friendly person) to the lady next to me at the bus stop. She mentioned that she ived the area and caught the bus regularly. I informed her that I do not catch the bus regularly as some evil devil's spawn Hitleresque bus driver tried to run me over and then fine me for it the first time I ventured out of my flat.
"What did he look like?" the lady queried. I described him to her (as you can imagine, very descriptively with a lot of similes and metaphors pertaining to Satanism).
"Yep, he sounds like the one!" she said.
My ears pricked up like scooby-doo at this tone of recognition. Could it be....?
It was. (The same dude I mean). What followed was a tale of rudeness and insensitivity that left me shocked and appalled.
APPARENTLY this lady caught the bus with this very driver one day and was first in line to get off near the automatic doors. QUite by chance, a bottle had fallen in the grooves of the door rail. At one stop, the button was pushed and the driver opened the doors. The bottle caused them to slam shut without anyone being given the chance to get off. Not paying any attention, the driver failed to notice no one had gotten off and kept moving. The members of the line called for him to stop, and he did, showing clear annoyance as he did so.
In a bid to prevent the door incident happening again the woman (telling me the story) bent over to remove the bottle. The bus driver pushed the lever to open the doors.
She ended up sprawled on the floor with a cut on her forhead and luckily not missing an eye because she'd been wearing sunglasses.
There was a rush to help her to her feet.
Not so the bus driver! The bus driver stormed own the aisle to view the damage and bellowed "What id you think you were doing you silly cow?" (not sure if this is the exact wording, this is just what the woman told me).
The bus as a collective (by that I mean the people on it) was outraged. The driver's anger was only assuaged as people began giving the woman their phone numbers, volunteering to be a witness if "need be". A prominent local solicitor, big on writing big letters to big people in big places offered her services.
HOW LONG must the bus patrons of St Peter's suffer? Will we allow this mad man to domineer us and bully us into tax-paying submission forever? Will our cheap mode of transport be tainted forever by this man's wretchful hold on us all?
I hope not. I don't think so. He hasn't driven a bus of mine since our encounter.
In conclusion - bus drivers in Adelaide are on crack. I've worked some really shit jobs before but I've never yelled at anyone for getting smacked in the forehead.
Those of you who may remember fondly (and I know there are a lot of you, I got a lot of emails) the "BUS DRIVERS IN ADELAIDE MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" incident will understand why this post comes under Religion and Philosophy (that's just how passionate I am about this topic), and will appreciate this post. (For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I've reposted it here from MySpace as the very first entry in this blog).
Today I had business in town and my sister had our car. It had been raining and mud was afood. Pride, following the previous (aforementioned) incident, dictated that I should not catch the bus.
That said my shoes are pretty. So I bit the bullet and toddled along to the scene of the previous crime (ie. the bus stop near my house).
Once there I got chatting (as I do, I'm a friendly person) to the lady next to me at the bus stop. She mentioned that she ived the area and caught the bus regularly. I informed her that I do not catch the bus regularly as some evil devil's spawn Hitleresque bus driver tried to run me over and then fine me for it the first time I ventured out of my flat.
"What did he look like?" the lady queried. I described him to her (as you can imagine, very descriptively with a lot of similes and metaphors pertaining to Satanism).
"Yep, he sounds like the one!" she said.
My ears pricked up like scooby-doo at this tone of recognition. Could it be....?
It was. (The same dude I mean). What followed was a tale of rudeness and insensitivity that left me shocked and appalled.
APPARENTLY this lady caught the bus with this very driver one day and was first in line to get off near the automatic doors. QUite by chance, a bottle had fallen in the grooves of the door rail. At one stop, the button was pushed and the driver opened the doors. The bottle caused them to slam shut without anyone being given the chance to get off. Not paying any attention, the driver failed to notice no one had gotten off and kept moving. The members of the line called for him to stop, and he did, showing clear annoyance as he did so.
In a bid to prevent the door incident happening again the woman (telling me the story) bent over to remove the bottle. The bus driver pushed the lever to open the doors.
She ended up sprawled on the floor with a cut on her forhead and luckily not missing an eye because she'd been wearing sunglasses.
There was a rush to help her to her feet.
Not so the bus driver! The bus driver stormed own the aisle to view the damage and bellowed "What id you think you were doing you silly cow?" (not sure if this is the exact wording, this is just what the woman told me).
The bus as a collective (by that I mean the people on it) was outraged. The driver's anger was only assuaged as people began giving the woman their phone numbers, volunteering to be a witness if "need be". A prominent local solicitor, big on writing big letters to big people in big places offered her services.
HOW LONG must the bus patrons of St Peter's suffer? Will we allow this mad man to domineer us and bully us into tax-paying submission forever? Will our cheap mode of transport be tainted forever by this man's wretchful hold on us all?
I hope not. I don't think so. He hasn't driven a bus of mine since our encounter.
In conclusion - bus drivers in Adelaide are on crack. I've worked some really shit jobs before but I've never yelled at anyone for getting smacked in the forehead.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
The post I mentioned.
BUS DRIVERS IN ADELAIDE MUST DIE!!!!! Current mood: grumpy Category: Religion and Philosophy
RIGHT. I WAS THINKING LAST NIGHT THAT WHEN I START MY NEW BLOG I WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T RANT TOO MUCH AND WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE ENTRIES THAT WERE AT LEAST MODERATELY INSIGHTFUL AND NOT FUELLED BY ANGER.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAD A RUN IN THIS MORNING (ALMOST LITERALLY, READ ON) THAT HAS FORCED ME TO ABANDON THIS CONCEPT AND UNLEASH THE ANGER IN VERBAL FORM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN OR ELSE MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE!!!!
Okay, I will stop writing in caps locks now because it's really annoying but just take the anger it represents and apply it to the following and that will more accurately represent how I feel, okay?
Right, so I had a really relaxing morning. I got up fairly early. My fridge was full, my cupboard was full, my breakfast was yum, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was naughty and didn't go to the gym (for which my leg muscles will probably thank me for later). Everything was relaxed as I walked in the glittering sunlight towards THE BUS STOP.
As I approached THE BUS STOP, but was still on the other side of the street, I happened to notice that the BUS WAS COMING and that if I did not RUN TO HAIL it, I would MISS IT. So I ran across the road, to THE BUS STOP, because I don't like making an entire bus sit and wait for me to cross the road. Upon approaching the curb in front of THE BUS STOP I was very nearly clipped by THE BUS. I was somewhat affronted by this as there was ample time to BREAK and AVOID squashing me like a MUSHY BANANA but I figured it was just a bit of an oversteer on the part of THE BUS DRIVER.
So I got on THE BUS, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello there! Can I buy a student ticket please?"THE BUS DRIVER: "Show me your student pass. Now." (The tone was very deadpan, with a pretty strong undertone that would be represented best verbally with a collection of curse words). Me: "Oh. Sure, okay". My hands were full, I was carrying a heavy backpack and my wallet was at the bottom of it, but okay, that's a fair enough question. I'll admit I should have thought of that, but it's hard to exercise that sort of forsight when you're SPRINTING to avoid missing THE BUS. I produced the item demanded cheerfully (no really, I did). THE BUS DRIVER: "THAT'S EXPIRED. YOU HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE".
Now, this is something I can bare to be told. Hell I don't care if I have to pay the extra $1.50 or whatever it is. But the TONE this guy used made it sound like I like to kill puppies and actively seek to break the law with my holier than thou uni student intellectualism. Or something like that. So...
Me: "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I don't feel I need to be spoken with in that attitude. (I was actually really tempted to add "and you can address me as 'Miss' thankyou very much", but then realised I was channeling my mother). I'm actually on my way to update my card, just so you know". THE BUS DRIVER: "WELL THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. I'M PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER, THE GOVERNMENT MAKES THE RULES AND IMPLEMENTS THE FINES AND I AM MERELY PROTECTING YOU FROM BEING SUBJECTED TO A $500 FINE."
Me: (Visibly annoyed but not really in the mood to argue, which those who know me personally will know is a mood that doesn't come along very often). "Okay then. Here is four dollars to pay for the full price adult fare. I'm sorry about that."
THE BUS DRIVER: "IT'S ONLY THREE DOLLARS, YOU TAKE THAT EXTRA ONE DOLLAR COIN BACK!!!!!!!!" (read that last bit as though Gollum from Lord of the Rings was saying "My Precioussssssssssssssssssssss" - as if I am miraculously supposed to know how much the adult fare is, obviously usually obtaining THE STUDENT FARE).
Me: (Trying best I can not to fully cut sick at this person's ridiculous attitude, and thinking the fact that no one else on the bus was listening in and sticking up for me must mean I should probably just go along with it, even if I do think it's stupid). Okay, look, what was your name? Michael is it?
THE BUS DRIVER: "YES MY NAME IS MICHAEL, I DRIVE BUS NUMBER (whatever it was) AND THE TIME IS NOW 10.30" (he threw the time in because it was obvious I was thinking of making a complaint to his supervisors).
Me: Okay I'll be remembering that. (I go to sit down).
THE BUS DRIVER: "YOU HAVE NOT VALIDATED YOUR TICKET, THAT IS A $500 FINE, THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA MAKES THESE RULES TO PROTECT SOCIETY FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER" (okay that's not an exact quote but you get the gist).
Me: (gets up to validate the ticket, and mutters under my breath) "Protecting my arse" at which point I am given a rather poignant glare and the strong impression that if I mutter under my breath like that again I will be off this bus young lady.
This incident fucked me off for a number of reasons:
a) I made a mistake but I didn't actively mean to do anything wrong. I wasn't aware my card had expired yet. I also didn't know how much the adult fare was and I couldn't get a word in to ask because he was lecturing me on how he's enforcing the government's rights.
b) He just assumed I knew how the fuck the Adelaide bus system worked, that I caught that line often (which I don't having only recently moved to that suburb, and usually drive) and should know exactly when it arrives (somewhere in the conversation he also threw in that he wasn't supposed to stop for me at all because I hailed the bus stop about two meters before reaching the bus stop, having sprinted there to make sure I made it when it arrived). I could have been a little old lady who never leaves the house, a new immigrant to Australia, or someone who wears a business suit and whose limo had just broken down that morning, and my treatment would have been the same - apparently, if I had been any of these people, I would have been a complete idiot because I did not know exactly what time the bus arrived, and deserved to be left rotting by the side of the road.
c) I didn't get a chance to explain myself.
d) The guy completely skimped on the fact that the bus is a public service and that the government created the service to help people to get to the city in the morning, not to yell at them and ruin their morning and make them wonder what the heck their taxes are doing being spent paying rude losers like him.
e) No one on the bus said anything to stick up with me, and I don't think it's because I really did anything wrong but because Adelaide bus drivers are known for being pricks. The fact that that's accepted without anyone bothering to argue against it is just stupid. What happened to the everyday faces of Adelaide being friendly and showing the city sights and making Adelaide seem like a nice place that isn't filled with anal retentive pseudo-intellectuals?
f) I'm 21, and was spoken to as if I was five, which is just plain insulting. I don't like to kill puppies and this guy was insinuating that I take the food from starving children by inadvertantly asking for a student ticket when my card was invalid.
f) It ruined my morning, as well as the morning of the girl at the Adelaide Metro office who had to listen to me rant about this to her when I rang up to complain. (They said they'd get back to me in the next ten days, which is good).
In short - God bless my new car. Screw fossil fuels, screw global warming, screw congested traffic, screw expensive parking fees. I'll drive the 7 minutes or so to the city any day.
RIGHT. I WAS THINKING LAST NIGHT THAT WHEN I START MY NEW BLOG I WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T RANT TOO MUCH AND WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE ENTRIES THAT WERE AT LEAST MODERATELY INSIGHTFUL AND NOT FUELLED BY ANGER.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAD A RUN IN THIS MORNING (ALMOST LITERALLY, READ ON) THAT HAS FORCED ME TO ABANDON THIS CONCEPT AND UNLEASH THE ANGER IN VERBAL FORM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN OR ELSE MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE!!!!
Okay, I will stop writing in caps locks now because it's really annoying but just take the anger it represents and apply it to the following and that will more accurately represent how I feel, okay?
Right, so I had a really relaxing morning. I got up fairly early. My fridge was full, my cupboard was full, my breakfast was yum, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was naughty and didn't go to the gym (for which my leg muscles will probably thank me for later). Everything was relaxed as I walked in the glittering sunlight towards THE BUS STOP.
As I approached THE BUS STOP, but was still on the other side of the street, I happened to notice that the BUS WAS COMING and that if I did not RUN TO HAIL it, I would MISS IT. So I ran across the road, to THE BUS STOP, because I don't like making an entire bus sit and wait for me to cross the road. Upon approaching the curb in front of THE BUS STOP I was very nearly clipped by THE BUS. I was somewhat affronted by this as there was ample time to BREAK and AVOID squashing me like a MUSHY BANANA but I figured it was just a bit of an oversteer on the part of THE BUS DRIVER.
So I got on THE BUS, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello there! Can I buy a student ticket please?"THE BUS DRIVER: "Show me your student pass. Now." (The tone was very deadpan, with a pretty strong undertone that would be represented best verbally with a collection of curse words). Me: "Oh. Sure, okay". My hands were full, I was carrying a heavy backpack and my wallet was at the bottom of it, but okay, that's a fair enough question. I'll admit I should have thought of that, but it's hard to exercise that sort of forsight when you're SPRINTING to avoid missing THE BUS. I produced the item demanded cheerfully (no really, I did). THE BUS DRIVER: "THAT'S EXPIRED. YOU HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE".
Now, this is something I can bare to be told. Hell I don't care if I have to pay the extra $1.50 or whatever it is. But the TONE this guy used made it sound like I like to kill puppies and actively seek to break the law with my holier than thou uni student intellectualism. Or something like that. So...
Me: "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I don't feel I need to be spoken with in that attitude. (I was actually really tempted to add "and you can address me as 'Miss' thankyou very much", but then realised I was channeling my mother). I'm actually on my way to update my card, just so you know". THE BUS DRIVER: "WELL THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. I'M PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER, THE GOVERNMENT MAKES THE RULES AND IMPLEMENTS THE FINES AND I AM MERELY PROTECTING YOU FROM BEING SUBJECTED TO A $500 FINE."
Me: (Visibly annoyed but not really in the mood to argue, which those who know me personally will know is a mood that doesn't come along very often). "Okay then. Here is four dollars to pay for the full price adult fare. I'm sorry about that."
THE BUS DRIVER: "IT'S ONLY THREE DOLLARS, YOU TAKE THAT EXTRA ONE DOLLAR COIN BACK!!!!!!!!" (read that last bit as though Gollum from Lord of the Rings was saying "My Precioussssssssssssssssssssss" - as if I am miraculously supposed to know how much the adult fare is, obviously usually obtaining THE STUDENT FARE).
Me: (Trying best I can not to fully cut sick at this person's ridiculous attitude, and thinking the fact that no one else on the bus was listening in and sticking up for me must mean I should probably just go along with it, even if I do think it's stupid). Okay, look, what was your name? Michael is it?
THE BUS DRIVER: "YES MY NAME IS MICHAEL, I DRIVE BUS NUMBER (whatever it was) AND THE TIME IS NOW 10.30" (he threw the time in because it was obvious I was thinking of making a complaint to his supervisors).
Me: Okay I'll be remembering that. (I go to sit down).
THE BUS DRIVER: "YOU HAVE NOT VALIDATED YOUR TICKET, THAT IS A $500 FINE, THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA MAKES THESE RULES TO PROTECT SOCIETY FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER" (okay that's not an exact quote but you get the gist).
Me: (gets up to validate the ticket, and mutters under my breath) "Protecting my arse" at which point I am given a rather poignant glare and the strong impression that if I mutter under my breath like that again I will be off this bus young lady.
This incident fucked me off for a number of reasons:
a) I made a mistake but I didn't actively mean to do anything wrong. I wasn't aware my card had expired yet. I also didn't know how much the adult fare was and I couldn't get a word in to ask because he was lecturing me on how he's enforcing the government's rights.
b) He just assumed I knew how the fuck the Adelaide bus system worked, that I caught that line often (which I don't having only recently moved to that suburb, and usually drive) and should know exactly when it arrives (somewhere in the conversation he also threw in that he wasn't supposed to stop for me at all because I hailed the bus stop about two meters before reaching the bus stop, having sprinted there to make sure I made it when it arrived). I could have been a little old lady who never leaves the house, a new immigrant to Australia, or someone who wears a business suit and whose limo had just broken down that morning, and my treatment would have been the same - apparently, if I had been any of these people, I would have been a complete idiot because I did not know exactly what time the bus arrived, and deserved to be left rotting by the side of the road.
c) I didn't get a chance to explain myself.
d) The guy completely skimped on the fact that the bus is a public service and that the government created the service to help people to get to the city in the morning, not to yell at them and ruin their morning and make them wonder what the heck their taxes are doing being spent paying rude losers like him.
e) No one on the bus said anything to stick up with me, and I don't think it's because I really did anything wrong but because Adelaide bus drivers are known for being pricks. The fact that that's accepted without anyone bothering to argue against it is just stupid. What happened to the everyday faces of Adelaide being friendly and showing the city sights and making Adelaide seem like a nice place that isn't filled with anal retentive pseudo-intellectuals?
f) I'm 21, and was spoken to as if I was five, which is just plain insulting. I don't like to kill puppies and this guy was insinuating that I take the food from starving children by inadvertantly asking for a student ticket when my card was invalid.
f) It ruined my morning, as well as the morning of the girl at the Adelaide Metro office who had to listen to me rant about this to her when I rang up to complain. (They said they'd get back to me in the next ten days, which is good).
In short - God bless my new car. Screw fossil fuels, screw global warming, screw congested traffic, screw expensive parking fees. I'll drive the 7 minutes or so to the city any day.
The post I mentioned.
BUS DRIVERS IN ADELAIDE MUST DIE!!!!! Current mood: grumpy Category: Religion and Philosophy
RIGHT. I WAS THINKING LAST NIGHT THAT WHEN I START MY NEW BLOG I WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T RANT TOO MUCH AND WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE ENTRIES THAT WERE AT LEAST MODERATELY INSIGHTFUL AND NOT FUELLED BY ANGER.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAD A RUN IN THIS MORNING (ALMOST LITERALLY, READ ON) THAT HAS FORCED ME TO ABANDON THIS CONCEPT AND UNLEASH THE ANGER IN VERBAL FORM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN OR ELSE MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE!!!!
Okay, I will stop writing in caps locks now because it's really annoying but just take the anger it represents and apply it to the following and that will more accurately represent how I feel, okay?
Right, so I had a really relaxing morning. I got up fairly early. My fridge was full, my cupboard was full, my breakfast was yum, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was naughty and didn't go to the gym (for which my leg muscles will probably thank me for later). Everything was relaxed as I walked in the glittering sunlight towards THE BUS STOP.
As I approached THE BUS STOP, but was still on the other side of the street, I happened to notice that the BUS WAS COMING and that if I did not RUN TO HAIL it, I would MISS IT. So I ran across the road, to THE BUS STOP, because I don't like making an entire bus sit and wait for me to cross the road. Upon approaching the curb in front of THE BUS STOP I was very nearly clipped by THE BUS. I was somewhat affronted by this as there was ample time to BREAK and AVOID squashing me like a MUSHY BANANA but I figured it was just a bit of an oversteer on the part of THE BUS DRIVER.
So I got on THE BUS, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello there! Can I buy a student ticket please?"THE BUS DRIVER: "Show me your student pass. Now." (The tone was very deadpan, with a pretty strong undertone that would be represented best verbally with a collection of curse words). Me: "Oh. Sure, okay". My hands were full, I was carrying a heavy backpack and my wallet was at the bottom of it, but okay, that's a fair enough question. I'll admit I should have thought of that, but it's hard to exercise that sort of forsight when you're SPRINTING to avoid missing THE BUS. I produced the item demanded cheerfully (no really, I did). THE BUS DRIVER: "THAT'S EXPIRED. YOU HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE".
Now, this is something I can bare to be told. Hell I don't care if I have to pay the extra $1.50 or whatever it is. But the TONE this guy used made it sound like I like to kill puppies and actively seek to break the law with my holier than thou uni student intellectualism. Or something like that. So...
Me: "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I don't feel I need to be spoken with in that attitude. (I was actually really tempted to add "and you can address me as 'Miss' thankyou very much", but then realised I was channeling my mother). I'm actually on my way to update my card, just so you know". THE BUS DRIVER: "WELL THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. I'M PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER, THE GOVERNMENT MAKES THE RULES AND IMPLEMENTS THE FINES AND I AM MERELY PROTECTING YOU FROM BEING SUBJECTED TO A $500 FINE."
Me: (Visibly annoyed but not really in the mood to argue, which those who know me personally will know is a mood that doesn't come along very often). "Okay then. Here is four dollars to pay for the full price adult fare. I'm sorry about that."
THE BUS DRIVER: "IT'S ONLY THREE DOLLARS, YOU TAKE THAT EXTRA ONE DOLLAR COIN BACK!!!!!!!!" (read that last bit as though Gollum from Lord of the Rings was saying "My Precioussssssssssssssssssssss" - as if I am miraculously supposed to know how much the adult fare is, obviously usually obtaining THE STUDENT FARE).
Me: (Trying best I can not to fully cut sick at this person's ridiculous attitude, and thinking the fact that no one else on the bus was listening in and sticking up for me must mean I should probably just go along with it, even if I do think it's stupid). Okay, look, what was your name? Michael is it?
THE BUS DRIVER: "YES MY NAME IS MICHAEL, I DRIVE BUS NUMBER (whatever it was) AND THE TIME IS NOW 10.30" (he threw the time in because it was obvious I was thinking of making a complaint to his supervisors).
Me: Okay I'll be remembering that. (I go to sit down).
THE BUS DRIVER: "YOU HAVE NOT VALIDATED YOUR TICKET, THAT IS A $500 FINE, THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA MAKES THESE RULES TO PROTECT SOCIETY FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER" (okay that's not an exact quote but you get the gist).
Me: (gets up to validate the ticket, and mutters under my breath) "Protecting my arse" at which point I am given a rather poignant glare and the strong impression that if I mutter under my breath like that again I will be off this bus young lady.
This incident fucked me off for a number of reasons:
a) I made a mistake but I didn't actively mean to do anything wrong. I wasn't aware my card had expired yet. I also didn't know how much the adult fare was and I couldn't get a word in to ask because he was lecturing me on how he's enforcing the government's rights.
b) He just assumed I knew how the fuck the Adelaide bus system worked, that I caught that line often (which I don't having only recently moved to that suburb, and usually drive) and should know exactly when it arrives (somewhere in the conversation he also threw in that he wasn't supposed to stop for me at all because I hailed the bus stop about two meters before reaching the bus stop, having sprinted there to make sure I made it when it arrived). I could have been a little old lady who never leaves the house, a new immigrant to Australia, or someone who wears a business suit and whose limo had just broken down that morning, and my treatment would have been the same - apparently, if I had been any of these people, I would have been a complete idiot because I did not know exactly what time the bus arrived, and deserved to be left rotting by the side of the road.
c) I didn't get a chance to explain myself.
d) The guy completely skimped on the fact that the bus is a public service and that the government created the service to help people to get to the city in the morning, not to yell at them and ruin their morning and make them wonder what the heck their taxes are doing being spent paying rude losers like him.
e) No one on the bus said anything to stick up with me, and I don't think it's because I really did anything wrong but because Adelaide bus drivers are known for being pricks. The fact that that's accepted without anyone bothering to argue against it is just stupid. What happened to the everyday faces of Adelaide being friendly and showing the city sights and making Adelaide seem like a nice place that isn't filled with anal retentive pseudo-intellectuals?
f) I'm 21, and was spoken to as if I was five, which is just plain insulting. I don't like to kill puppies and this guy was insinuating that I take the food from starving children by inadvertantly asking for a student ticket when my card was invalid.
f) It ruined my morning, as well as the morning of the girl at the Adelaide Metro office who had to listen to me rant about this to her when I rang up to complain. (They said they'd get back to me in the next ten days, which is good).
In short - God bless my new car. Screw fossil fuels, screw global warming, screw congested traffic, screw expensive parking fees. I'll drive the 7 minutes or so to the city any day.
RIGHT. I WAS THINKING LAST NIGHT THAT WHEN I START MY NEW BLOG I WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T RANT TOO MUCH AND WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE ENTRIES THAT WERE AT LEAST MODERATELY INSIGHTFUL AND NOT FUELLED BY ANGER.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAD A RUN IN THIS MORNING (ALMOST LITERALLY, READ ON) THAT HAS FORCED ME TO ABANDON THIS CONCEPT AND UNLEASH THE ANGER IN VERBAL FORM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN OR ELSE MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE!!!!
Okay, I will stop writing in caps locks now because it's really annoying but just take the anger it represents and apply it to the following and that will more accurately represent how I feel, okay?
Right, so I had a really relaxing morning. I got up fairly early. My fridge was full, my cupboard was full, my breakfast was yum, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was naughty and didn't go to the gym (for which my leg muscles will probably thank me for later). Everything was relaxed as I walked in the glittering sunlight towards THE BUS STOP.
As I approached THE BUS STOP, but was still on the other side of the street, I happened to notice that the BUS WAS COMING and that if I did not RUN TO HAIL it, I would MISS IT. So I ran across the road, to THE BUS STOP, because I don't like making an entire bus sit and wait for me to cross the road. Upon approaching the curb in front of THE BUS STOP I was very nearly clipped by THE BUS. I was somewhat affronted by this as there was ample time to BREAK and AVOID squashing me like a MUSHY BANANA but I figured it was just a bit of an oversteer on the part of THE BUS DRIVER.
So I got on THE BUS, and this is how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello there! Can I buy a student ticket please?"THE BUS DRIVER: "Show me your student pass. Now." (The tone was very deadpan, with a pretty strong undertone that would be represented best verbally with a collection of curse words). Me: "Oh. Sure, okay". My hands were full, I was carrying a heavy backpack and my wallet was at the bottom of it, but okay, that's a fair enough question. I'll admit I should have thought of that, but it's hard to exercise that sort of forsight when you're SPRINTING to avoid missing THE BUS. I produced the item demanded cheerfully (no really, I did). THE BUS DRIVER: "THAT'S EXPIRED. YOU HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE".
Now, this is something I can bare to be told. Hell I don't care if I have to pay the extra $1.50 or whatever it is. But the TONE this guy used made it sound like I like to kill puppies and actively seek to break the law with my holier than thou uni student intellectualism. Or something like that. So...
Me: "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I don't feel I need to be spoken with in that attitude. (I was actually really tempted to add "and you can address me as 'Miss' thankyou very much", but then realised I was channeling my mother). I'm actually on my way to update my card, just so you know". THE BUS DRIVER: "WELL THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. I'M PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER, THE GOVERNMENT MAKES THE RULES AND IMPLEMENTS THE FINES AND I AM MERELY PROTECTING YOU FROM BEING SUBJECTED TO A $500 FINE."
Me: (Visibly annoyed but not really in the mood to argue, which those who know me personally will know is a mood that doesn't come along very often). "Okay then. Here is four dollars to pay for the full price adult fare. I'm sorry about that."
THE BUS DRIVER: "IT'S ONLY THREE DOLLARS, YOU TAKE THAT EXTRA ONE DOLLAR COIN BACK!!!!!!!!" (read that last bit as though Gollum from Lord of the Rings was saying "My Precioussssssssssssssssssssss" - as if I am miraculously supposed to know how much the adult fare is, obviously usually obtaining THE STUDENT FARE).
Me: (Trying best I can not to fully cut sick at this person's ridiculous attitude, and thinking the fact that no one else on the bus was listening in and sticking up for me must mean I should probably just go along with it, even if I do think it's stupid). Okay, look, what was your name? Michael is it?
THE BUS DRIVER: "YES MY NAME IS MICHAEL, I DRIVE BUS NUMBER (whatever it was) AND THE TIME IS NOW 10.30" (he threw the time in because it was obvious I was thinking of making a complaint to his supervisors).
Me: Okay I'll be remembering that. (I go to sit down).
THE BUS DRIVER: "YOU HAVE NOT VALIDATED YOUR TICKET, THAT IS A $500 FINE, THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA MAKES THESE RULES TO PROTECT SOCIETY FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER" (okay that's not an exact quote but you get the gist).
Me: (gets up to validate the ticket, and mutters under my breath) "Protecting my arse" at which point I am given a rather poignant glare and the strong impression that if I mutter under my breath like that again I will be off this bus young lady.
This incident fucked me off for a number of reasons:
a) I made a mistake but I didn't actively mean to do anything wrong. I wasn't aware my card had expired yet. I also didn't know how much the adult fare was and I couldn't get a word in to ask because he was lecturing me on how he's enforcing the government's rights.
b) He just assumed I knew how the fuck the Adelaide bus system worked, that I caught that line often (which I don't having only recently moved to that suburb, and usually drive) and should know exactly when it arrives (somewhere in the conversation he also threw in that he wasn't supposed to stop for me at all because I hailed the bus stop about two meters before reaching the bus stop, having sprinted there to make sure I made it when it arrived). I could have been a little old lady who never leaves the house, a new immigrant to Australia, or someone who wears a business suit and whose limo had just broken down that morning, and my treatment would have been the same - apparently, if I had been any of these people, I would have been a complete idiot because I did not know exactly what time the bus arrived, and deserved to be left rotting by the side of the road.
c) I didn't get a chance to explain myself.
d) The guy completely skimped on the fact that the bus is a public service and that the government created the service to help people to get to the city in the morning, not to yell at them and ruin their morning and make them wonder what the heck their taxes are doing being spent paying rude losers like him.
e) No one on the bus said anything to stick up with me, and I don't think it's because I really did anything wrong but because Adelaide bus drivers are known for being pricks. The fact that that's accepted without anyone bothering to argue against it is just stupid. What happened to the everyday faces of Adelaide being friendly and showing the city sights and making Adelaide seem like a nice place that isn't filled with anal retentive pseudo-intellectuals?
f) I'm 21, and was spoken to as if I was five, which is just plain insulting. I don't like to kill puppies and this guy was insinuating that I take the food from starving children by inadvertantly asking for a student ticket when my card was invalid.
f) It ruined my morning, as well as the morning of the girl at the Adelaide Metro office who had to listen to me rant about this to her when I rang up to complain. (They said they'd get back to me in the next ten days, which is good).
In short - God bless my new car. Screw fossil fuels, screw global warming, screw congested traffic, screw expensive parking fees. I'll drive the 7 minutes or so to the city any day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
