Dear me. Thanks to the Wayback Machine I have been looking around my August 2000 and August 2001 “diaries” – yes, I have been blogging far too long. The scary part is that now and again I don’t quite recall just what incident I was alluding to!
2000
Monday, August 7
I thought people might find this amusing and interesting. It is a report I have written for our school newsletter:
Chinese students
Last Saturday the visiting students from Hangzhou returned to China. On Friday morning at a morning tea in their honour all five students spoke eloquently (in English) of the kindness they had experienced with their host families and here at our school. Two indeed wrote poems in English for the occasion; as these are to be published elsewhere I cannot use them here. In keeping with the multicultural nature of the occasion, I congratulated their teacher, Mr Xu, in very brief and halting Mandarin, on the students’ skill in English. Here are some more examples of the students’ writing.
“Differences between Australian culture and Chinese culture
“1. The Chinese don’t show their feelings to others. There are no kissing or hugging. For example, a Chinese boy will do lots of things for his girlfriend, but he won’t say ‘I love you.’
“The Australian people are quite different. When you see an Australian people, you can know his feeling, happy or unhappy. It’s very easy. When someone disagree an idea, an Australian will say: ‘You are wrong.’ A Chinese will say, ‘Maybe you are right, but I have another idea.’
“Family is important to Chinese. A Chinese can do everything for family, even to die. The most familiar people is his wife, son, then his friend.
“I think the most important thing for an Australian is himself. When he is 18 years old, his father is his friend, not a father again. I find there are a lot of people have pet, a dog or a cat. That may be because he don’t have a child. The pet is his child.
“In all, there are many differences between the two cultures.”
–Duri“2. (Australians) think if you like it, you should say. And if you hate it, you should let him know. But people in China do something different. For example, a guest wouldn’t say any of the meal is terrible, though it really is. He would force himself to eat it and try not to show his embarrassment. Because he think it is the custom.
“Second, Australians respect a people’s ideas more than people in China do. Parents wouldn’t let children to decisions to their own business. But in China parents would do more decisions for children, no matter if their children like. If you have a choice, the Australian would let you make it yourself, but Chinese people would give you more suggestions and even decide for you.”
— Robert
Wednesday, August 9
Just back from the dentist–not too bad.
Yesterday a Singaporean-Australian student I taught a few years ago at my school brought me a copy of an anthology entitled Shades of Grey in which he has a piece published. In a very flattering inscription addressed to “one of the best teachers I had” he outlines the purpose of the collection: “to encourage a greater understanding of ehthnic Australians and the community, and share and raise awareness of the thoughts and feelings of ethnic Australians,” especially the youth. This is directed to all Australians, but also to Asian youth in relating to the older generation and their cultures. It is a splendid little book with poems, essays, memoirs and stories by a range of young men and women, particularly Vietnamese, but also Greek, ABC (Australian-born Chinese), and Chinese from various countries…
Sunday, August 20
Yumcha lived up to expectations. The Golden Harbour proved to be indeed better than the Silver Spring in many respects–the portions were more generous, fresher, and piping hot. It may have been a little more expensive at $15 per head, but we had only five people (myself, Ian Smith, J***s, PK, Rhodesia D–who is having terrible trouble trying to extract his birth certificate from the Mugabe government). There is definitely an economy of scale in yumcha.
Mitchell’s site continues to attract many visitors and I am beginning to get jealous 😉 Fresh pages are promised. Hope all his Legal Studies training will guide him if he continues with the promised expose page.
I have just finished yet another murder story–I seem to need them at the moment. Could this be displacement activity? This one is set on a university campus in Michigan and is by a gay Jewish writer, Lev Raphael. What seems like a serial killing proves to be not quite that, as gay English lecturer/amateur sleuth Nick Hoffman discovers. His relationship with his serious but commercially unsuccessful novelist partner, Stefan, is well drawn. The novel bristles with literary and pop culture allusions, usually apposite. It is witty if sometimes a little too arch perhaps. Some splendid satirical sketches of academia and modern American culture. On the lighter side, and really only moderately suspenseful, but I do recommend it as a rather intelligent entertainment.
X here this weekend–pleasant Sunday.
2001
16 Aug 2001 Troublesome day…but an oasis at Cafe Max
I managed to get all my numbers (NESB students–see yesterday) to add up 🙂 And I should mention that ICQ came back, and lunch was duly arranged. The proprietor greeted us like guests in her home, and the lobster ravioli was apparently filling. The chicken club sandwich certainly was. Obviously the place is sound from a diet viewpoint, as my doctor (who worries about my cholesterol) was also dining there.
The company could not have been bettered.
And I got to meet someone who had hitherto been just a website. Not entirely what I expected, but my impressions are favourable.
19 Aug 2001 Good Yum Cha…but somewhat nasty news…
First, the mid-month Yum Cha took place at the Golden Harbour this time. We found the food good, indeed the beef on skewers at the end was to die for. However, it is a bit chaotic there, and the next one (first Sunday in September) will be back at the Emperor’s Garden. Clive, I am glad to say, is well and out of hospital, although he wasn’t at Yum Cha. It was in fact a very small Yum Cha, just the Empress, Malcolm and myself. Good as always though.
I have been writing limericks just lately, but not for here 🙂 One popped into my head as I was walking back from Yum Cha. A good one too!
Xerts Restaurant has its first birthday party tonight and M went off in rather fetching black vinyl trousers. Hard to believe he has been working there eleven months.
The somewhat nasty news was in the Star Observer, in the form of a letter from Lance Leopard, whom I have known on and off since he was a teenager, what–1987? He had been bashed on Oxford Street recently, resulting in his having his jaw wired up–he jokes himself that that would seem poetic justice to some! He warns us all to get behind the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, and remarks on the irony of the fact his last public engagement before being bashed was to present that group with a large cheque from a fund-raiser he had done.
Mindless and/or homophobic violence always distresses and mystifies me. I have been pretty lucky thus far, but as Lance said, we should all develop eyes in the back of our heads when we are out.
23 Aug 2001 Tiring day…but not without interest.
I spent the morning traipsing around government offices in the city, and the State Revenue Office was as I had been told–alienating! I have an appointment to see John Marsden (himself–yes, that one, NSW readers) next Wednesday afternoon to see whether recent legislation on same-sex couples affects the business I am engaged in. I am working to have that business concluded as soon as possible.
A quiet coffee at Cafe Max helped, then home to rest, and off again at 1.30.
I went to UTS Library to continue reading an HSC text, Cloudstreet by Western Australian writer Tim Winton (1991) which I must finish soon so I can earn a little more marking Trial answers. It is a good book, quite magic-realist and very Australian. I am making good progress, but having been challenged to write an epic I felt one coming on; it turned out as a kind of Chaucer/Browning/Auden pastiche, but somehow says some of what I want to say. Again, not for here though: I hope it goes as well with its ideal reader as the others have. I haven’t written so much poetry–well, some of it is almost poetry–for over fifteen years, maybe twenty! I need to be suitably motivated, either by some really bad happening in my life or some really good one.
I then continued my reading in the Chinese Garden, then went coaching.
Not a bad day, but other Thursdays have been better.
Neil's Commonplace Book 