Thursday, March 16
AUSSIE OY!
the city is perpetually crowded, no PACKED. there're new lines drawn in blue paint all over the roads. traffic lights no longer function as per normal. tram routes and schedules are upside down. new road signs on every corner. electronic street directories. cameramen found along the most random streets. people in the official apparel. a select and privileged group with tags around their necks receive acknowledging nods of approval from strangers.
the games are in town & it's great!!
i'm not ecstatic that every sq inch of the city is occupied & that the trams are always packed. or that policemen stop traffic with aflick of a button. but i've grown attached to melbourne without even realizing it. it's sucha rush seeing how the place has been done up. it's wasnt an overnight change, construction started mths ago & nobody knew how it'd turn out, really. but when the invasion began & everything jus came together, it's bloody fantastic!! everyone's so happy doing their jobs! from the funky retirees on every street corner armed with their signature red vests & pouches filled with maps and highlighters, ready to direct the next tourist to any corner of the city..to the horse carriages looking extra gorgeous, decked out in the official colours. even the horseys know something's going on. :) it's awesome.
& im not really in a position to be, but im damn proud to be melbournian!! & i noe ive been aussie-fied cause when australia didn't win the men's 100m freestyle or 4x100m tonight, i got alittle emo. (those have always been Australia's no doubt about it. but thorpey ain't taking part this time round & it's quite depressing.) when Ben Kersten brought gold home in cycling, i was right there singing "advanceeee australia faiirrrrr!!!"
last night during the opening ceremony, i looked out of my balcony & saw the fireworks going off like crazy, right before my eyes. then i too joined the rest who were on their balconies & we screamed our lungs out. :)
all 71 countries participating has been adopted by a town/suburb in victoria (victoria's the 'older' name for melbourne. but the town part of melbourne is also called melbourne). im in ''melbourne'' & we've adopted INDIA. wah piang. im psyched about the games but not that psyched!! anyways, people living in that area welcome the sportspeople & show them around like visiting relatives. this west african team - sierra leone, arrived without uniforms and stuff & their adoptive town raised money to buy the team uniforms....
i dunno if the games will ever reach singapore. friends were cracking jokes that we'd sink if that many people landed on our island. i wonder what the atmosphere'll be like - would bus drivers be cranky no more. cabbies psycho no more. would shop assistants realize it's not a bad thing to smile on the job? would we greet every other tourist with a kind 'hello'?
im sooo psyched to be going for the singapore vs australia netball match. (ugly it will be but hey, tis all about gaining experience right :P) & the hockey finals..& hopefully, the netball finals!!
if i get tickets, i'll be there, in green & yellow.
aussie aussie aussie!!! oy oy oy!!!
¶ 6:20 PM
the games are in town & it's great!!
i'm not ecstatic that every sq inch of the city is occupied & that the trams are always packed. or that policemen stop traffic with aflick of a button. but i've grown attached to melbourne without even realizing it. it's sucha rush seeing how the place has been done up. it's wasnt an overnight change, construction started mths ago & nobody knew how it'd turn out, really. but when the invasion began & everything jus came together, it's bloody fantastic!! everyone's so happy doing their jobs! from the funky retirees on every street corner armed with their signature red vests & pouches filled with maps and highlighters, ready to direct the next tourist to any corner of the city..to the horse carriages looking extra gorgeous, decked out in the official colours. even the horseys know something's going on. :) it's awesome.
& im not really in a position to be, but im damn proud to be melbournian!! & i noe ive been aussie-fied cause when australia didn't win the men's 100m freestyle or 4x100m tonight, i got alittle emo. (those have always been Australia's no doubt about it. but thorpey ain't taking part this time round & it's quite depressing.) when Ben Kersten brought gold home in cycling, i was right there singing "advanceeee australia faiirrrrr!!!"
last night during the opening ceremony, i looked out of my balcony & saw the fireworks going off like crazy, right before my eyes. then i too joined the rest who were on their balconies & we screamed our lungs out. :)
all 71 countries participating has been adopted by a town/suburb in victoria (victoria's the 'older' name for melbourne. but the town part of melbourne is also called melbourne). im in ''melbourne'' & we've adopted INDIA. wah piang. im psyched about the games but not that psyched!! anyways, people living in that area welcome the sportspeople & show them around like visiting relatives. this west african team - sierra leone, arrived without uniforms and stuff & their adoptive town raised money to buy the team uniforms....
i dunno if the games will ever reach singapore. friends were cracking jokes that we'd sink if that many people landed on our island. i wonder what the atmosphere'll be like - would bus drivers be cranky no more. cabbies psycho no more. would shop assistants realize it's not a bad thing to smile on the job? would we greet every other tourist with a kind 'hello'?
im sooo psyched to be going for the singapore vs australia netball match. (ugly it will be but hey, tis all about gaining experience right :P) & the hockey finals..& hopefully, the netball finals!!
if i get tickets, i'll be there, in green & yellow.
aussie aussie aussie!!! oy oy oy!!!
¶ 6:20 PM
