I've been standing here for hours

[ithika]

You know, I really love Australia.
By saying this, I'm not really saying that Australia is better than anywhere else - if I had actually been to any other countries perhaps I would - (Guys, guys, everyone knows Tasmania doesn't count) although Australia is my favourite country, out of that blind kind of childish loyalty. Like when you're six years old and your friend is saying "My Mum/Dad is the greatest mum/dad in the whole world" and even though you've never met your friends parent, you feel compelled to say "No, my mum/dad is the greatest mum/dad in the whole world", because you know you're right. It's the same sort of thing, I think, saying that the country you're from is the best, or your favourite. It's interesting. Of all the countries' histories that I know anything about, I can categorically say that Australia's would be among my least favourite. Collonialism has so been done, you know, and not to sound racist but I really don't find the culture of Indigenous Australia all that compelling - purely because Nomadic culture doesn't captivate me in the way that empirical culture does. But I wouldn't actually say that, because obviously I have to love my country's history the best. That said though, I'm very fond of our recent history - although you could say that ALL of Australia's history (as "Australia", that is) is recent. I mean, 200 years of Federation makes it very recent, and I think the first recorded/confirmed European landing was in something like 1650ish. Which really, is totally not that long ago. That's after 4,000 years of Egypt, One Thousand five hundred ish years of Rome, Two thousand years of Greece, One thousand years of Catholicism, after Feudalism, after the Crusades (ha!) after *scans brain for architectural knowledge* Gothic, after Byzantine, after the Renaissance. It was during Baroque, but that's the latest architectural movement that I have studied/cared about. I suppose you could say that we started off on a good footing - we already had all this culture and european history established. Meh! Civil wars and movements make things interesting. I mean, the closest we came to a civil war is the Eureka Stockade - and that lasted for a day, between about 40 men, with 9 casualties and about 13 injuries. I suppose I should say that this is the best kind of war - minimal death and all that, but interesting history it does not make.
But I was just thinking, as I sat in my room and stared out my window, summer breeze wafting though (because all summer breeze does is waft), seeing the roses underneath my window reaching up, then in the distance our little blackboy (I refuse to call them grass trees, there's already something else called a grass tree anyway and blackboy is a much better name), it's spear all covered in it's flower reaching high up, and the broad reach of the old gum tree on the other side of the road, and in the background a clear blue sky. I mean, its just so damn picturesque, and I live in suburbia!

Does anyone know how blackboys actually grow? Am I right in thinking that in order for them to get taller, they have to actually be burnt? I'm just curious. Because we've had ours for about 6 years, we've never burnt it, and it's still 100% on the ground. Of course, I realise that these plants are around 300years old rather than 6 before they start to get nice and tall, but still... I wonder.

But anyway, this entry is just my little bout of patriotism. I'm very proud to be Australian. And while I'm angry that we didn't sign the Kiyoto (sp?) agreement, that's about all I'm unhappy about. Because that ridiculous "trench of magik watah from Perth to the Kimberlies" plan was never gone through with. And apparently we're friendly! Apparently everone loves Aussies. But yes. I think everyone should be proud of the country they're from/were raised in.

On that note, what determines whether you say you're an "whereyoulive-ian" or a "whereyourancestorscomefrom-ian"? Because if I were to introduce myself, I would say that I'm Australian, if it were to come up. However, most of my family comes from Ireland. Sometimes I would tell people "I'm Irish", most of the time if I'm making a joke about getting sunburnt, but I would 99% of the time say I'm Australian. Is this because I'm not really in touch with my Irish side culturally? For example, most Italian people I know say that they're Italian, or Italian-Australian. Why is that? Is that because Italian people seem to have very strong Italian cultural ties? Or is it because all the Italian people I know have come from Italy much more recently? (My family have been in Australia for... a long time) I'm just curious, it's something that hasn't occurred to me before.

Also! If dogs could talk, I can't see them without Australian accents. Except for Schnauzers (sp?) and Poodles.

And that is all!!

Comments

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that blackboys don't have to be burnt to grow tall. If they aren't burn, the old "grass" just dies underneath. So it ends up with a brown skirt. If they are burnt, you can see the black "trunk" underneath. That's the only difference, I think. They do take *forever* to grow, though.

Do you see poodles as having french accents?

[marmot-pie.livejournal.com]

Burning makes them grow better, but all it really does is clear the way for new growth. You can just chop of the 'skirt'. Doesn't look at cool though, by golly those things burn.
Also, other alternatives are balga and xanthorea.
I think this is the third time John Howard's said 'Nuh!' to the Kyoto Agreement, I'm less peeved now (expectations are lower I guess).
But yes, Australia is great.

I think people in Australia associated themselves with their heritage is partly because Australia doesn't really have one yet. We've only been around for a short time.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. The brown skirt. Did you know that some people call the black-OMG Pink Cadilac just drove past my window -boys with one spear blackboys, and the ones that have more than one spear blackgirls?

Oh yes. Oh, god yes. And little doggy berets.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. Hm. I wouldn't chop it away unless I was living in pheer of fire, I think. Haha! BURNINATION!!
Balga, really? This surprises me. I thought that was some other plant.

Hm. Ah well. They can only keep trying or something, and I can take solace in the fact that at least Australia is relatively smalll... *pouts*

It's so hilarious that the government (state) has decided to introduce a "trial" DST thing because they knew that if they did another referendum it'd just be turned down. Democracy - HA HA HA

Yes!

Probably true. But then why don't I??? HMM??
Sorry, I'm in an allcaps mood.

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did. Blackboys have a large stick called a "yakka", and the girls have little tiny flowery spears, in my experience. I think one might be the sporophyte generation, and the other the gametophyte.

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

I also really love Australia.

Why? Milkshakes and iced chocolate.

[elaran.livejournal.com]

When I first came here, I said I was Indian. Now in my head I'm more inclined to think of myself as Indian-Australian. But if someone asked me, I'd just automatically say I was Indian.

I like Australia. It's pretty. The people could do with some work but it could be worse.

[louisthefly.livejournal.com]

my comment is thus
"sarah, won't you tell me your name"


Stupidest lyrics ever.without exception. ever!

[voyaging-moon.livejournal.com]

"It is commonly believed that the Xanthorrhoea grow at a rate of about an inch (2½ cm) per century. Xanthorrhoea do grow very slowly, but this is a gross underestimate: after an initial establishment phase the average rate of growth varies for each species but can be as high as about 2½ cm per year. Thus a 5 metre tall member of one of the fastest growing Xanthorrhoea would be about 200 years old."

i'm pretty sure they don't need fire to grow, but i learnt in biology that fire often stimulates them to flower, so that's why people link it as being important. Without fire, they probably wouldn't produce so many offspring.

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

(That's why we don't see many natives in nurseries: they are harder to encourage to flower! Some native seeds need to be soaked in smoky water before you plant them, too.)

I am 100% joking at the moment

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

You are both racist for saying "blackboy" rather than grass tree.

Oh my god I just said "we" in the context of the Liberal party. Oh my god.

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

Well I bet John Howard is damn glad his nearest competition is woefully incompetent, it's why we can get away with things like the Kyoto protocol.

Are you ever <100% Joking?

[auntpol.livejournal.com]

sure, sure.

Only when I'm not saying I'm really friends with Fripp, ho ho burn

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

In other news, the media should be run by the government. Oh god I hate the media.
The government or some benevolent partisan group that doesn't particularly like money.

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

I had both of those things today. TWICE.

[http://users.livejournal.com/drayke_/]

Neverending Story.

[louisthefly.livejournal.com]

oh, I know what you mean

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

Sarah's obviously the name he gave her after stalking her for several months but being unable to catch her actual name in conversation or via her diary.

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

THEY DON'T HAVE THEM IN ENGLAND.

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

Ownededed

[louisthefly.livejournal.com]

or it's her livejournal/myspace user name

[louisthefly.livejournal.com]

I love/hate any phrase that begins with "I'm not racist but..."
they can range from the worryingly true (for instance "chinese people don't seem to have heard about the environment" which is true when they buy a can of tuna and ask for it double bagged) to the absurdly false (ie. "all wars were started by jews" and "all muslims are smelly terrorists")

I don't know what conclusion I come to here. But I actually learnt a lot about aboriginal culture from a japanese exchange student who visitted here who had an interest in Australian Aboriginal culture.
I also felt the same way about Australian literature until I studied it. You know I hadn't read any of KSP's work until this semester? And it's good...Well, her modernist era work was good anyway

Re: Only when I'm not saying I'm really friends with Fripp, ho ho burn

[marmot-pie.livejournal.com]

People who don't like money... Buddhists?

Re: Only when I'm not saying I'm really friends with Fripp, ho ho burn

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

Buddhists should run the media.
This is the best idea I've heard all day.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Haha, yes. I actually do too, I just feel the burning need to justify/protect (insure? haha) my psuedo-racist/able to be construed as racist statements with "I'm not racist, but..." maybe it's a secret unconcious thing. Or something.
That's an interesting point. I agree. How oculd you say "I'm not racist, but all wars were started by Jews, oh and all Muslims are smelly terrorists?" I suppose you could be ignorant or something. Or hillariously biased by the media. Haha!

I saw a book in Bunbury the other week called "Where's Bin Laden?" It was a "Where's Wally" style book. It amused me.

! Unlikely locations.

To be honest, I haven't read any of KSP's stuff either. I probably should, I suppose. But Judith Wright's work (with some exceptions) and also Tim Winton's (excepting cloudstreet) have kind of scared me away from Australian Literature. Also that awful "Border Line" I had to read in year 9. It was so awful. But I suppose most teen "O! Look! Morals!" stories are like that. Deadly, Una? was good though. I think. It has a movie, yes. Called.. something. else.

!

Re: Oh my god I just said "we" in the context of the Liberal party. Oh my god.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

lactose intollerance *sob*

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were actually from Far Far Away! Oo. I have to ask you my Burning India Question: what is the actual official language of India? Because a lot of the time it seems like it might be English, but this makes me suspicious and feel ignorant. Perhaps you can enlighten me? *bats eyelids*

Yay for pretties ^_^

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

It makes me laugh. :P I find "I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair" to be a more stupid lyric, though :D

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

That is still very slow.

Ah, I see. Hoom. They're prettyyyy. Mine seems to flower fine, but then it's a nursery-plant, so it's probably been... hormoneified or something O_o

[elaran.livejournal.com]

Hindi is the official language India. Probably because when the Poms took over they mainly settled in middle-India/the areas where Hindi is the mother tongue. But official language kinda implies to me that everyone can speak it so for me, India doesn't really have an official language. That's where the whole sub-continent thing comes in. Every state in India is like a separate country in terms of culture and language. So yeah.