I hate seeing beggars in any country because I don’t know how to deal with it. I can’t give every man a fish and I have no time when travelling to teach even one to fish. I feel it’s better to ignore them so they’ll find a way to deal with their own problem, and… Continue reading Poor
Wedding
Being Catholic, Colin and Geeta’s wedding followed the usual protocol for western weddings. He in a suit and she in a white bridal gown and veil, church wedding and later reception. There were differences, however. Firstly, most women were in saris, all gorgeous with the bright colours and decorative weavings. It was a feast for… Continue reading Wedding
Obscene Behaviour
An article on the front page of the paper this morning condemned the Mumbai police force for not taking a molestation case seriously. Two couples were ac costed when leaving a show on New Year’s morning, a gang fondling the women and tearing their clothes. The police didn’t try to file charges and claim the… Continue reading Obscene Behaviour
Roce
The Roce is apparently a Catholic ceremony from the Bangalore region. In typical Indian style, it turns into a party for hundreds of wedding guests, but the focus and raison d’etre is for guests to bless the couple with sacred oils. Guests take turns holding a saucer full of the white oil and walk down… Continue reading Roce
I Am Legend
Kuala Lumpur seems to me one of the more run down Japanese cities, Saga perhaps. On the one hand, there are buildings like the twin towers that look 20 years ahead of their time and, at over 500m tall, high enough to cause altitude sickness from taking the lift. On the other, the streets are… Continue reading I Am Legend
Smells like Christmas
Christmas decorations started going up at work on Friday, but it didn’t really feel like christmas until I went shopping on saturday and caught the scent of peaches, apricots and cherries, all with a background hint of pine. It’s a uniquely southern hemisphere joy – tropical fruit and christmas holidays together.
Howard’s Out
I was away for almost all of John Howard’s 12 years as Prime Minister, but I saw the Australian economy boom under his leadership and believed he was doing a good job. Unfortunately, he refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, sent soldiers into Afghanistan and made a farce of the Republic referendum against the wishes… Continue reading Howard’s Out
Schoolies Week
The Higher School Certificate exams have finished and today marks the beginning of the reward for school leavers. Twenty thousand NSW students will spend time in the next month on the Gold Coast drinking, lying on the beach, flirting and enjoying the results of the last. A report on the radio today said that an… Continue reading Schoolies Week
Melbourne Cup
The first Tuesday in November is the Melbourne Cup. Australia’s premiere sporting event. It was in doubt this year following an epidemic of equine flu, but all was right on the day. Sydney weather was sludgy, but sun shone inside the office when the traditional sweepstake opened for business. I placed my $5 and drew… Continue reading Melbourne Cup
Smoke Free
I went to see the Cat Empire at the Metro last night. The venue was a favourite in my uni days and that alone made it a pleasure to be there. But the Cat Empire were everything that a live performance should be – a bunch of blokes (it doesn’t have to be blokes, but… Continue reading Smoke Free