I have been performing my duties of a husband faithfully..err..i.e showing absolutely no interest in what she is talking, glued to the lap top all the time ignoring her, spending more time in reading books and watching movies and of course leaving her and flying to Australia.
Yes, am in Ozland. I am supposed to be helping out the clients in specing some requirements and also doing some enhancements. But in truth I dunno what I am doing here. All those could have been accomplished from offshore itself. But I am not in the habit of looking in the mouth of a gift horse (or any horse for that matter!).
Before leaving, I had to undergo a mandatory cross cultural workshop which explained how one should behave in Australia, what to expect when interacting with Australians and Do's and Dont's etc. So I was geared up and ready for some Aussie style slangs and fun. But who ever designed that workshop couldn't be more misinformed !. In my office I have seen Asians, Indians (no they are not Asians. Asians refer to Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Indonesians etc), Americans, Brits, Europeans. Trues blue Aussies are a rare breed and my hope of learning a few colourful Aussie slang still remains a hope..
Of all the times, I land here in the middle of winter which I must say is not the ideal time to visit. I mean its cold, overcast and rainy. How could one expect to hit the beaches ..err..work..in this weather?
The other thing is most of the attractions in Sydney are in the outdoors and winter isn't the right time to see them. There are beaches and one cant expect bikini clad babes cavorting in the sun at this time of the year. But hope (and plain lechery) makes one do strange things and I did go to a couple of beaches only to be welcomed at one of them by a fat bellied gentleman trying to work on his abs, the sight of which I hope will not scar me for life.
Apart from beaches, I visited a zoo, couple of aquariums, a wild life world which I must say was quite good. Fishes,snakes, Lizards, sharks, sting rays and of course Crocs, Kangaroos, Koalas. I have seen quite a lot of them now. One of the aquariums were also offering to put me in the shark tank along with a few sharks and sting rays just for the fun of it and for a payment of few dollars. Now I knew Australians were a crazy lot and I admire that. But they cant ask me to pay for becoming shark food. No Sir!
The other thing I did was watch Inception. Yes the latest creation from the brain of Christopher Nolan which has been making people to get in to vicious debates (often starting with questioning the intellectual capacity of one another and invariably leading to the ancestral traits) in online forums. I thought it was a very clever movie and one which made the audience to think and involve. If you already don't know, its about dreams and a bunch of people who steal or implant ideas in human brain through dreams. Though there is enough action, chases and explosions to satiate the need of an average move goer, its a movie which makes one think about the possibilities of human mind.
More than the movie, I am intrigued by the notion of one entering another's dream and planting ideas. I could make use of such a technology. Apart from making my wife think that I am the ideal husband ever and worship me, I can probably make my clients to offer me more on site trips and also get in to my manager's brain to ...well that's impossible, nothing can grow in vacuum..not even ideas...
I have been writing this for quite some days now... haven't been able to publish it till now....Meanwhile visited the sunshine state of Australia, Queensland and got a taste of the gold coast and what it offers. Visited the Australia Zoo and crikey ! they are doing a fabulous job of carrying on the legacy of the croc hunter.
Also visited the Blue Mountains, which is a great place- only if you are a strapping young lad and not a geriatric like me. Must have walked at least 8-10km exploring the forests, nature trails and of course proved that I am still deficient in the grey matter by climbing a steep stairway of about 900 steps cut in to the side of the cliff (often at the edge) and spending the next couple of days hobbling around with pain.
As my stay at down under is nearing an end, I am in the look out for the obvious souvenirs which is taking me to a lot of different places. Apart from the usual trinkets and whatnot's, here's one which will surely be a conversation piece if you display it in your living room. Any takers?
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