ekseseyez 28

Lately i've been overhearing a lot of conversations.
Not intentionally eavesdropping, I might add.
It's just 'the summer effect'.
Windows are left open, people have more discussions outdoors, on their balconies, on the street; we hang out more in public places.

As a result i now know that my neighbours are planning to open a new cafe; a couple of my colleagues are flabbergasted by the working practices of a partner company overseas; a certain bar in the city can be hired out for 21sts but the minimum spend is a whopping $3000; a dark and atmospheric restaurant somewhere has individually lit tables so you feel you're the only diners there, and if you're cold the staff bring you blankets; for one girl it was a really BIG thing to get her own credit card and caused problems with a certain "he" - partner? father? financial adviser? who knows. That's the fun of overheards.

The most notable learning, however, was from a young guy talking to his mates on the beach.
It's a good place for overheards.
He was talking about a mutual female friend who'd started dating a Brazilian guy, and was happy for her, explaining that Brazilians make really good partners: all that hot blooded, passion "and they get heaps jealous and stuff. Australian girls are hopeless. They're like "yeah whatever"."

Which flies in the face everything i was taught.
Fits of jealous rage and any kind of possessiveness were a guarantee to scare a man right off. You had to play it cool, play hard to get, use an open palm rather than a closed fist etc. All those cliches.
The saying "you're damned if you do, damned if you don't" comes to mind.
Not jealous enough and they complain that you don't care.
Too passionate, and they're suffocated.

But it's probably more a case of "each to their own".
What's claustrophobic to one person is interesting and exciting to another.

Vive la différence as they say.

Hyde Park, Night.
Sydney Festival Opening Party.





Sydney, 5 Jan 2008

ecsersyse 27

I know i said that communication is all that matters, but there is a limit.
There are depths below which i cannot find acceptance.
Here's a transcript from a sign in a public swimming pool change room.
I would have taken a photo if i could (and there would have been a poetic kind of circularity if i had).

- - - - - - - -
Public Notice

Mobile's/Camera's must be turned off at all
times when in the changerooms, The privacy act
states that all mobile's/Cameras whilst in
changerooms, lockers or showers shall be
turned of and not in use this rule was
developed in the safety and privacy of
all patrons using the changerooms.

Thank you for your co-operation.
- - - - - - - -

• 3 rogue apostrophes - and not even used consistently
• 4 spelling errors (or 1 depending on your acceptance of changerooms as one word)
• 1 comma used instead of a full stop
• 1 missing full stop
• 5 capitalisation errors
• one grammatical error ( developed for not developed in)
• general structural sloppiness etc

And as for this so called Privacy Act - or privacy act - which act? Which state, which year?

This was not a hastily prepared, hand written sign.
They'd taken the trouble to have it professionally manufactured (Tho' obviously not professionally proofed).

I worry that kids who see this will see yet another example of bad english, grammar and punctuation. Coupled with their repeated exposure to more of the same on the internet, and other random signage, they will lose a sense of what's right ...... of what's even half-right.

Sure, enforcing some rules in English are just a way for the purists to separate themselves from what they regard as the 'ignorant masses', but at some point, we have to keep a certain level of standard so that ease of communication is maintained.
My brain tripped up repeatedly as it read this sign. It was almost painful.

In conversation, sms, and other informal communications - yes sometimes even blogging - Rafferty's rules can reign; as long as the people involved can still understand each other.
But in formal, printed language - books, newspapers, public signage - can't we at least retain a decent, respectful version of our language?

All that aside, however, of course i applaud the sentiment. Not only for the obvious privacy reasons. Mobile phones in general are too omnipresent and it's annoying to take a moment out of a busy life for a bit of quiet recreation - a few laps and a nice hot shower - only to have it interrupted by someone blabbing loudly on their mobile.

Sydney Street, Jan 4, 2008

ecksesiez 26

Huzzah!
Thanks to Steven Pinker, I can stop being annoyed when people start a sentence with 'Hopefully'. The language purists had me believing this was grammatically illogical or downright incorrect and should be avoided.

But in fact, like others of its ilk - sentence adverbs including curiously, admittedly, basically and ideally - it's not.
Just another sign of our constantly evolving language.
Wikipedia says "it is unclear why hopefully has been singled out for deprecation" but there's an explanation and nice summary of arguments for and against it here.

Frankly, i'm all for it..... now.
Honestly, when one starts a sentence with 'Hopefully' we all know exactly what they mean - and isn't communication all that matters?

ecsersyze 25

Hurrah! Smoking's going out of fashion. Thanks to scary advertising campaigns, smoking bans in restaurants, gory photos on cigarette packs and the rest. Gradually our society is coming to agree that it's a really bad thing to do to your body.
So when i see someone now with a fag in their hands, or hanging out of their mouth, i have to take a second look. It's a strange, unnatural and rare sight.
Australian consumption is on the decline.

But the new millennium has a new addict. You see them clutching it in their hands as they drive, steer the pram, walk along the beach, go to meetings, arrive at dance class, walk the dog......you name it.
And to what do they cling?
Coffee.
Takeaway, cardboard cups of coffee are seen in hands everywhere, in places coffee was previously rare or non-existent. Like so many other things, Coffee has become portable. It's now possible to get your latte-cappucino-espresso-machiato-chocolate-sprinkled-low-foam-double-shot caffeine hit anywhere, any time. And it seems the more available it is, the less people can possibly live without it.
Are they seriously unable to even stroll down to the beach and take a short walk along the water without these cardboard, caffeine filled security blankets?

A survey showed that the 3 most important things to people - that they would not leave home without - are keys, wallet and mobile phone.
I am sure that with those 3 things they then head straight for the nearest coffee shop and grab a takeaway - the 4th essential item.
I see them walking the streets. People who are travelling light - no bags - obviously just out of the house for a stroll, or walking the dog, probably wallet keys and mobile phone in pocket; and in every hand is that signature takeaway cup.
Like it's THE fashion accessory of the year.

I watched - or rather smelled - one such addict pass me as i sat at the seaside. At the point she was directly downwind, a sickly sweet smell of chocolate and sugar hit me. When she passed, the relief of the return to the scent of salt, salt and ocean.

The trouble is that these addicts have become as litter-prone as those smokers who discard their butts any damned place they like.
Last week i watched a smoker flick their butt into the gutter, 30 cm from a public ashtray.
No respect.

Now it's empty takeaway coffee cups littering public places everywhere: stoops, steps, parking lot corners, kerbs, gutters, doorways, benches..... They're bloody everywhere.

Aren't we supposed to be reducing our disposable waste, trying to preserve trees, reducing our carbon footprint? And those plastic clip-on lids will become permanent landfill.

There's a simple solution.
All caffeine addicts should be made to carry their own cup with them at all times. They can have it refilled at any coffee station the moment a craving strikes. It's hygienic, simple, cost effective. Get a cup with handle and you can strap it conveniently to your belt and key ring. In fact, coffee shops could start encouraging this eco-friendly behaviour by offering a discount to byo-cuppers. I just might go and speak to my local purveyor today.

"I've always felt nervous around large quantities of coffee." Anon

Yearly Roundup - part 2

I squeezed in a couple of new things juuuust before 2007 came to its timely end:

- Swam out in the almost open ocean
- Saw Groove Armada live (against the very scenic backdrop of a gorgeous sunny bondi evening)

Welcome 2008.
And a whole new list.