Showing posts with label houses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label houses. Show all posts

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

The Newspaper on the Tram


AM


Least: At 10:05am, I began the incredibly boring process of munching through 'Pasco 5' bread. It is far to thick to lend itself to an admirable meal - the toast affected layer is far too thin compared with the doughy, sugary and bland interior of massive GI. Despite rapidly depleting Vegemite supplies, I managed to mask some of the horrors of Japanese bread, but it wasn't quite enough. And to think Pasco is the best of a very bad bunch.

Most: Around 8:15am, I crept down the stairs to go on a long overdue stroll 'round the pond. In the many weeks since my last laps, the leaves had begun turning yellow, grass was crazily high, and some of the trees had been dealt some brutal pruning. As usual, there were tens of old men ambling around the path and a few people walking their over pampered dogs. For some reason, two police on bicycles were roaming the area, evidently looking for something or someone - they looked like tough characters despite the bikes. On my way home I noticed that the large white cube of a house (right) was progressing nicely, though the lift and the tiny third floor seem excessive. The owners will probably feel modest and cramped given the enormous size of the houses that stand next door.

PM

Least: By 4:50am, I was once again trapped in an impossibly small office listening to yet another sleazy teacher who seemed to think every woman or girl was at his feet. He met the usual profile of a balding nerd who, probably a geek in his home country and found himself an adonis in Japan. The appalling thing was that he thought enough of himself to bore anyone close bye. He reported with a straight face that no woman in Thailand was as hot as his Japanese girlfriend. Even more boring than the tissues I was packing.

Most: Not long after 9:35pm. I walked through Tennoji, passed several homeless guys sleeping in cardboard boxes and alighted the tram to Himematsu. Sitting on either side of me was a young woman who looked like she'd forgotton to wear pants and a man reading a sports-based newspaper. Peeking at the newspaper, I noticed that the man on my left was perusing the pornographic pages of the paper - numerous sets of breasts covered the page. Perhaps self conscious (but probably not), he flipped to a section that gave him tips about improving his golf swing then quickly fell asleep. Many of the local tabloid papers double as porno mags and men often reading them on public transport without shame. The girl sitting on my right texted on a phone with a toy hanging from it twice its' size.

Saturday, 15 August 2009

A Tram and Some Minty Houses


Friday August 14 2009


AM

Least: At about 11:45am, I was evaluating my feelings toward tram travel in Melbourne. On the vaguely interesting side is that they are 'so Melbourne' and a little quaint, however on the negative side there sits a grim litany. The tram from Bourke Street to Clifton Hill had a few major flaws. It was hopelessly indirect, weaving through and doubling up on other routes. It stopped at every possible point along the journey. It had an unidentifiable, but unpleasant and uninteresting smell. The bogan electronic voice told me that while I was speaking on my phone, I was not as alert as otherwise. Odd.


Most: The walk to Oakleigh station from about 11:00am until about 11:15am became interesting, if only for the number of weatherboard houses painted mint. All were of similar design and all were in similar states of decay. It was difficult to tell whether people had chosen slightly different shades of mint, or the sun had simply been more cruel to some.


PM

Least: Sometime after 5:30pm, I sat on a graffiti covered seat in a suburban train. The whole carriage in fact, looked like an over made up teenager after a big night on the tiles. Most of the tags were still slightly visible despite the best efforts of the hapless cleaners. White marker on electric blue fabric appears to be a most stubborn stain.

Most: Near enough to 3:00pm, Rosie and I stepped into the 'A Day in Pompeii' exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. The rooms were filled with incredible artifacts from Italy and packed with ooing and ahhing people. The most interesting and haunting pieces were the plaster casts of the victims of the vast pyroclastic flow that engulfed the town nearly 2000 years ago. Scientists think that Naples with be next.