JUST AUSSIE...

Since 17 months of my stay here in my "new home".. I ve evolved from "Home-sick!!" stage to worsen to "I -desperately-need- to- go-home" stage to the current " I- am -kinda-OK- here"stage much to Ajay's utmost relief I suppose........( for information:Ajay insists on being called with the right pronunciation after 3 years of having a cut-short "Aj" for a name!! am I not glad?!!! Though it seems most of his Aussie acquaintances have managed to call him AAA-j still.. worth his efforts I feel!!)Anyway.. Before I start writing about this name thing...Let me come back to my original topic which has been drafted mentally long since my blog came into life again...
May be all the things I mention here are not very specific to this country, but since Its my first experience here.. it should be considered ok I am sure..

So PRESENTING THESE-ARE- 5 - OF- MY-FAVOURITE- THINGS (read this in the same tune as the song in "The sound of Music"with due respects)HERE IN AUSSIE LAND ...

The fifth position is taken by "Vegemite"
I know I know..All the non-aussies who ve tasted this will scream in unision "naaaaaaaaahhhhhhiiiiiiiiii"..
Though even I have just the same verdict after tasting this..(YUCK!!!)what amazes me is the sincerity of aussies towards this "unique" & probably one of the few edible things they can say "genuinly Australian" .
Coming from a country of such varied contrasting and countless cuisines..this is something I loved because its so different.

The 4 rth position is definetly held by Christmas in Summer..
Though I hail from coastal India where we hardly have any winters,It is pretty cold n pleasant there during Christmas I am sure..
But to have Christmas holidays during peak summers is like having a part of childhood back..
Eating sugared ice, going to beaches.. hot noons siesta …I re-lived my childhood in those 2 weeks of “summer holidays”

Which brings me to my 3 rd favourite thing here…
The cherries and strawberries in summer..I don’t know why but I love Berries!!
To actually see,eat n enjoy these in peak summer was definetly a blissful experience..

The 2 nd best thing here is actually silly..
When I first saw the all-time pedestrian crossings here in Australia I was amazed!!(These are crossing where all vehicles have to STOP as soon a pedestrian looks like they are going across..)and I was super-thrilled when I saw the one near my office..
The wicked thought of stopping huge trucks n expensive cars is just mind blowing ;)
Victory to pedestrians..

And the best thing I love is FOOTY(Australian football)
It took me the whole last footy season to just realize what this game means..
For an outsider it may look like a cross between rugby and soccer..
But believe me, after a year..
I was watching euro cup soccer n thought to myself.. “ aren’t these people a little too concerned about their clothes?!!!?!!!” check this link n u ll know... :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWXaujiReYA&feature=related