Life in the office

I really don't think I'm office material. I'm just seating around in the office practically doing nothing! Nothing! Well at least I FB and Twitter and check e-mails but other than that, I don't really do much! I feel somewhat bad cause everyone SEEMS to be busy or at least thats what they appear to be. And while they are compiling data, I'm that noob guy who is reading the newspaper and playing the computer.

Now its not that I slack or what. I really do try! Honest! I go around asking "What is this?" "Whats that for?" "What does this do?" "Why do you do this?" etc to try and learn but in the end theres really so much "W" questions u can ask. Besides the 5 "Ws" cannot be applied here (Who, What, Where, When, Why). That was something my mum used to ask me everytime I went out during Secondary school haha!

In the end I have to do this job scope of hunting around for things to do. So I typically (when I can actually find something to do) just wash stuff. How exciting right? Studied 5 years in Melbourne to do washing hahaha! T_T

Tram inspectors

Has there ever been a time when u wanted to carry something out but in the end you chickened out or changed your mind? Yes, by the title of this post its quite obvious that I wanted to do something regarding tram inspectors, brilliant deduction sherlock holmes! Ever had this funny feeling? Whenever you do not have something, you do not want something to happen but when you do, you would want something to happen? Just like whenever you have an umbrella you want it to rain in order to make carrying the umbrella "worth it" while when you are not carrying one, you never want it to rain? Some thing for the tram inspectors. Whenever I do not have a tram ticket, I always wish: "damn those inspectors, don't come up don't come up!!" and keep a major lookout for them so I can do my ninja escape from them. Of course this is one of the major ways to differentiate between a person who bought a ticket and another who didn't. Well in the 2nd semester of my final year in Melbourne, I had to do extensive travelling for research purposes and thus I had a tram ticket with me all the time. Yes, call me bad all you want but I always wished to see a tram inspector coming up to catch people without tickets (and make them PAY!!!! MUAHAHAHA) cause they take up space and they are cheating the law for not paying for it!

So what I've always wanted to do is to play possum with those tram inspectors. For those who have never been to Melbourne, Australia or never met a tram inspector, this is how it goes. Bascially the inspector would say (in a typically robotic voice) "Ticket" and in the most rarest of occasions "Ticket pls". Yes, they do not say "Pls" normally because they are not well mannered and that is a topic I will not be delving into. Anyways, so if you do have, they will just move out and find their next victim. If you do not possess a ticket then thats when the drama starts, they would ask you to leave the tram and go down the stop and ask tell you some mundane information and ask some questions and later call someone you know with their handphones to verfiy your address.

What I've always wanted to do was to always pretend I didn't have a ticket and pretend to search my whole wallet for it while they wait (and presume that I do not have one). And I'll create the whole thing about I bought it already but I can't find it and I'm in a rush etc and finally pull out my ticket triumphantly and wave it in front of their noses and walk off. But sadly this has never happened as I chickened out all the time. Sure, call me big chicken but its really intimidating when a group of gorillas and baboons surround you and ask you for your ticket. Not to mention there is peer pressure as everyone else always hands in their ticket for those thugs to inspect. Perhaps if I ever go back to Melbourne, I'll act as a tourist. Wait a min, I will be a tourist. But anyways, I'll just pretend I do not know anything and just communicate to them in Chinese or something since they cannot understand it hee hee (and get off scott free!).

-p.s. WHOEVER is reading this blog. Do NOT carry out that plan too often as if there are too many "Chinese speaking" people, I'm very sure they will be hiring Chinese speaking inspectors very soon and my plan would fall apart.

Culture difference

A common question that I've been asked whenever I tell someone that I used to study in Australia is "Can u fit in there?" or "Is there a big culture difference?" etc. And honestly, because I pretty much hanged out with 99% asians and not ang mohs (Yes I still use the word Ang Moh to represent caucasians. But its still better than using guai lo) thus Australia was a mini-asian town to me with insanely high prices and a quaint lifestyle. I pretty much could fit into most of the "Australian culture" which is to me being laid back (or another word is lazy but lets not go there), drink beer in the afternoon (a stereotype) and a whole lot of other stuff. But of course if you do know me, I do not do any of the above (with the possible exception of the laid back part though not as bad as them). Its not that I cannot understand nor get used to it but rather I rather stick to my own culture's way of life (and at the same time have a mild musing over the funny things they do and later on complain). Well this could be also considered as culture difference (and of course it is) but its not really like that big culture shock peoplel assume I might have.

However there is one thing that really shocked me. I only found this out when I was communicating with my Australian (sort of) friends online whom I met on the MMORPG game WoW. They were telling me how they had no money and how the money was sucked into paying rent. Obviously for any Singaporean or Malaysian or pretty much any asian, I think paying rent means living out on your own. However in Australia, at the age of 18 onwards, it is expected for you to either move out or to pay rent for staying in your parents house. Some of you smart alexs may go "yeah I know that already" or "Didn't you know that?" or "so?". Stuff you! This is pretty much the only culture shock I had regarding Australians.

Though it is far more seldom now, I think it is still normal for children to stay with their parents even when they are older. It is afterall their duty to take care of their parents. Of course later on in life, parents may move into the child's house etc. But whatever the case, paying for rent to stay in your house or your parent's house? Oh please come on. Like at least 90% of Singaporeans only move out when they get married or after 22 or 23 at least. Afterall we are still studying haha. But yes, not going to debate whether paying rent is the right thing to do but its honestly the greatest culture shock (and pretty much the only one I have for Australia)