Carbonara and Chopsticks

Friday 16th October 2009

AM

Least: At about 9:35am, I was again forces to rise because of garbage responibilities to find that it was already Friday. I found it difficult to believe, despite monitoring every day, that a full week had come and gone. I could almost understand the time-fly during a routine week, however the last seven days were odd with Rosie away and the flu lurking and should've dragged. The weeks are jetting by and turning into months. With the cold weather approaching, I sometimes get hints of the smells that greeted us on arrival in February - I think it's kerosine heating - and it feels like there's been no time in between.

Most: At close to 10:00am, I depostited the big bag of garbage on the road downstairs and noticied that as usual the housewives had been up early washing the road. As I looked up the street, I could clearly see that a large patch of road outside every house had been drenched in water. I remember one student telling me it was to cool the air, and another telling me that it was to subdue dusts - but I think it's probably another neurotic habit with little purpose. It is interesting for me, being from too-dry Victoria to see people just washing water down the drain with little reason, other than to satisfy some mysterious urge to clean. Looking at some of the housewives, reminds me of elderly people who have clearly run out of chores to do - watering the road is one solution.


PM

Least: Sometime around 2:00pm, I began playing a co-operative version of the Playstation game 'Resistance 2' with the guy next door. The game looked incredibly, with excellent graphics and fantastic blood splatter. The alarming thing though was the darkness of the game made my eyes spin in such a way to make me think that I was losing control of my brain. Many of the games actually have warnings about epilepsy and I wonder if today I experienced some of the side effects of staring at a quickly moving image on a big screen. Maybe a walk in the park is safer.

Most: Just after 7:30pm, we walked with our neighbours into a local Italian restaurant called Il Bigotto. The restaurant resembled most other Italian places, except for the menus in Japanaese and the lack of Parmasean cheese. I ordered a capriccosia pizza, which was very good but for a too-thin base and the others ordered pasta which admittedly gave me slight food envy. Our food came out very slowly, one dish after the other, and it wasn't until I studied the Japanese diners eating their meal that I realised why. As each small dish of pasta arrived at the table, the Japanese would take a small portion each, then proceed to eat the morsels. They would then wait patiently for the next bowl of pasta, or a pizza to arrive then go through the same process. It was very odd to see the ritual of Japansese eating going on in an Italian restaurant, and even stranger to see that some of the guests still insisted on using chopsticks. Japanese habits die hard.

The Traveller and the Attendant

Thursday 13 August 2009

AM

Least: By 10:20am, I was marvelling once again about the longness and straightness of the Hume Freeway. The land on either side is so flat and lacking in changing features that it often feels like the car is on some kind of treadmill. The McDonalds at Glenrowen was slow as usual. Also as usual was the over made-up bottle blonde chugging on a Muggacino. Amazingly, I saw her in the PM in an incredibly uninteresting shopping mall in Melbourne.

Most: Sometime close to 8:00am, I was being driven through on of the highest roads in Australia. Mt Hotham was covered in wet, dirty snow and cloaked by very thick cloud. Despite the incredible views of Mt Feathertop and Mt Buffalo being obscured, it is this part of the five hour drive from Omeo to Melbourne that makes it bearable. It is incredible to think of the contrast between this remote area and the vast sprawl of Melbourne.

PM

Least: At about 2:20pm, I overheard a woman at Oakleigh Station ask the attendant "Does the next train stop at Southern Cross station?" The attendant groaned back "I don't know". This brief is not in the least bit interesting because it probably happens every day. The customer is too lazy to look at the schedule and the attendant is bored witless by his job. It is also uninteresting to tut tut and compare Melbourne's and Osaka's public transport system so I will end here.

Most: Not too long after 6:30opm, I sat with friends and family at an excellent Italian 'straunt in Brunswick. The company and La Bussola delivered the goods. I had been thinking about this particular pizza and veal scallopini for a number of months. The veal was tender and the pizza outstanding. Well worth the long journey from Japan. It is surprising that not more people escape Japan simply to obtain acceptable Italian food. Pizza and pasta in Japan is often very strange and inexplicably covered in corn kernels. Something should be done.

July 23 2009

AM

Least: At about 8:15am I awoke with a distinct feeling of dehydration, a headache and a raging thirst. The day before I had eaten two suspicious foods - an onigiri and a spicy chicken rectangle from the Family Mart. At least one of these is ultimately to blame for my stomach upset and subsequent dryness.

Most: At 11:20am, Rosie and I began watching Revolutionary Road. It was fairly faithful to the book and well cast. The movie had less of the tension of the book and all of it's misery. Not a very interesting movie but, the most interesting part of my morning.

PM

Least: Between 8:00pm and 8:40pm I spoke to a guy who worked in the screens and filters industry. His company made screens and netting for industrial conveyor belts. His company had a massive drop in profits this year as the car parts industry lurched into catastrophe. Boring and depressing.

Most: Upon arriving home at about 9:30pm, I cooked a garlicky and basily pasta dish to go with the wedge of parmesan and the bottle of Italian wine in the fridge. The basil was from Rosie's balcony garden. The wine went straight to my head as we sat down to eat and to watch the spaghetti western, 'For A Few Dollars More'. The wine took me to bed with 20 minutes of the movie to go. I foresee that those 20minutes will become the most interesting events of my am tomorrow.