About Bloody time!

I told people I would do a blog and here it is finally. It's been 8 and half months since I have been in Australia. Being here for that time period I have formulated some thoughts and ideas about being down under. A pros and cons list, so here they are:

Pros:

• Great restaurants and cafes in Melbourne.
• The lane ways - filled with restaurants and cafes, it's like finding a hidden city
• Lots of bike paths and parks - a great city for outdoor activities
• A river running through the city - great to be able to walk or bike along the river
• Federation Square - a big open area where many social/cultural/music events are held
• Free digital SD and HD TV. There are 5 channels you can get in digital format for free, just need to buy a digital box. All the major US shows are shown, along with British programming and of course Aussie programs (Spicks and Specks! - Rocks)
• Prices include taxes, so never have to wonder what the total will be with taxes
• No pennies, prices are rounded up or down - 2cents or less down, 3 cent or higher up
• Tipping not mandatory

Cons:

• Public Transit service - not the best. Trains not only service the city but outer suburbs. Not enough trains, times when trains are cancelled. During off peak times you have to wait 20-30mins for trains
• Local shops - like Fish and Chips, Chicken and Pizza places close way too early, 8pm or 10pm for the Pizza shops
• Expensive Broadband (mainly due to location and infrastructure)
• Shortening names or creating nicknames for people/places/things - sometimes it's endearing but really it's because they are lazy. The little girl called Pumpkin is a great example
• Public transit officials not very accommodating! Had to run for a bus for 800 meters thinking it would stop at the corner to pick me up.
• People drive to fast, lots of accidents and deaths from driving
• Melbourne thinks it's a multicultural city because they have lot's of African (refugees), Asian(Indian and Oriental) and European (Italian, Greek, Eastern European). But it's not really, compared to places like Toronto, New York or London. Just grab a train at the end of the work day and 80% of the people are white. There are lots of people from all over the world here, but it doesn't feel, act or look like a multicultural society.

Well after 8 months here that's my first blog entry. I will be commenting about my time here Down Under and other musings on life.

Cheers,
Navin