Chronicles of Down Under: Facts or Fiction

These observations are not done in any order. It is written as it enters my brain...

1. Generally rooms here don't have lock. Not even the toilets. Which is really odd. In fact at a particular house I visited, the master bedroom's bathroom does not even have a door!









2. Toilet papers are imprinted with some sort of design. It's not plain white. It's covered with quite design. Makes it harder to wipe your ass with it.










3. Pets here have higher priority in the sight of law than adult man and woman. Senior citizen and children are top in the list. Man are just last. Yea, I'm considered below pets here.









4. People here are simply crazy about the Australian Football League (AFL). Two days ago Geelong's "Cats" battled it out with Hawthorn's "Hawks" at the final level. And literally everyone was talking about it - between strangers even. Ad asks for the score as well. Geelong lost btw.





5. Trams are really big part of the city - a major form of public transportation. So much so that cars have to know the 'hook turn' (video in flickr later). That's when you keep left to turn right. This so to give way to the tram tracks. But imagine the frustration you'll give to people who kept left to turn left! And bicycles are given special lanes.




6. Strangers are polite to each other. They not only smile or greet, but starting a small chat is not uncommon. In fact every over-the-counter person asks you how you are doing or something like that. I guess people are less reserved here?

7. The air is so bitter cold and dry that you can't tell if your shirt is wet or just cold. After I wet my shoes on the beach, I had no idea if it had dry or was still wet but cold. Can you die from pneumonia from that? Your skin dries up and tingles because of the lack of moisture. Lotion is important to keep your skin alive.

8. Christina say people cook home a lot, make their own clothes and build their own house. You buy your raw materials and you make yourself. DIY is huger here. You buy your land, hirer your own contractor, choose your own design. Four months later after the house is up, you continue to build your own fence, garden, veranda and so on. And all these because service is so very expensive that you just had to learn to DIY.







9. Traffic laws are very very strict. There are cameras everywhere and summon comes within two weeks. Speed limit is way lower than Malaysia. Cars are installed with a thing to beep when you are above the set speed limit - to warn you. Most Malaysians would have failed their driving test here at least once.





10. Young children are expected to be put to bed by 8.30pm. After all, everything outside is dead after that time and TV is not for general viewing. Although Christina puts them in a little later than that for obvious reasons. And as much as canning children can be reported as abuse, Asian parents apparently still do.




11. Pizza has ham and bacon. That's pork! And the burgers and the meat platters. Yum!











12. Food stuff is kept in a closet like thing that I called larder (according to Enid Blyton's books) and I find it so cool to have one.




Note: I have pictures but since David wants to use his computer to work. I need to go off now and add them when I arrive in Brisbane on Wed/Thurs.



Next: Day Out in Melbourne
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