The slang of Oz

I just finished reading "Walking Shadows (Donald James) and "The Fields of Grief" (Giles Blunt). That was my weekend 'holiday'reads. Good sea-change but a wee bit heavy on the character background for the former (incest and all, ughs).

But anyways, haven't read for awhile but I naturally love whodunnits. Must be the insatiable need to figure things out and to ask "Why, why, why" :) The harder to reckon from the beginning just who the bad guy is the more I get the story. And the nicer the bad guy was in the beginning the more I get the bad guy.

Speaking of bad guys, I just realized that I'd dropped my 'bad guy' routine with Kimo of late. And yes, he's been pushing my buttons of late. My array of nonchalant stance and won't-stand-that attitudes comprise for instance, eye-rolling when Kimo tries to ham it up for the 10th time (often when he's buying for time from: washing up and packing away his toys). But of late, I've been negotiating and not desensitizing myself to his No-isms.

The thing is once he knows that I can renege on something, he locks in on that the next time and puts it to me with a vengeance. Kids; how consistency must be as cornstarchy and gluey as possible in order for rules to stick hard till they're 50 years or so! :)

Anyways!

Here are bits and pieces of Australian slang that has come our way. I'm sure we've not heard it all yet but it's nice to learn localese; helps give texture to the present life and to our host country :)

1. Brekky - short for 'breakfast'

2. Maccas - 'McDonalds'

3. 'pack away' - 'put something back where it was initially' or throw something out/in the bin [kind of the same slang of 'pitch' in the States]

4. 'muck around' - 'mess around', use positively to explain that you still want to 'play around' with your paper or ideas, etc.

5. 'you're alright' - you say this when a stranger says, "excuse me" and wants to gain access by you or something at the mall, or something like that... it's meant to okay the person's request.

6. 'no worries' - can be said in place for when someone say 'thanks'... in that case, you can say this quite often throughout the day.

7. 'good on you' - 'good for you'

8. 'tradesmen' - 'tradies' (workers in manual labour)

9. 'dig out' - 'leave' (a meeting)

TGIF and dino

Oh my gosh, but I am sooo pooped! It's been a non-stop writing process since 2 weeks ago? And it's not quite over yet, but I have finally climbed that steep hill and reached a nice plateau. The view is excruciatingly beautiful and I guess worth every step. Now, I shall take the whole weekend off cos my brain does hurt. But come next week, I believe I would have worked out a plan to meander down from my resting place and reach a clearing again.

Meantime, in my sleep-deprived days sometime in the past weeks, I had grabbed a handful of spinach from the fridge intending to chop it fine for Kimo's lunch. He still prefers cukes than leafy things in salads but love steamed broccoli and the mushy insides of tomatoes.

As I proceeded, I got a mini shock from seeing the mini dino on the chopping board. For a while I thought a real animal had come and died in our house (but in retrospect, I can't imagine what animal my mind thought of at the time - a rat?). Hence, the photo tribute above. I guess Kimo must have left it there in one of his observe-the-chef activities. Yes, he is into this togetherness in the kitchen, which is a little unnerving as that's being underfoot to the hilt. He is also insatiable in his curiousity. So, oh well, what can you do if you have a budding scientist at home? :)

Life was routinely of the mundane when I was in my down-time. It was also a matter of going by Wendell's shifts/schedule. When you're a couple doing this thing solo, I mean relocating to a new place with child-care needs, we needed to tag quite a bit to make our overall schedule worked. It's the most highlight-able item in the non-highlights of our lives.

So, scheduling was important yet adjustable. I also found myself mixing business and pleasure since school started, and man, but it is harder for me to do that sort of thing. As a game I think, it's the encroaching pangs of guilt that I had in 'taking out' my friend-turned-foe. So, practically, I had to ignore Kimo's "Mama sit down with me" to entertain the semi-white screen of the computer. Furiously punching away at the keys, I coaxed out my not-yet-matured ideas to fruition; hoping that the current version is the best-yet thoughts on the piece but knowing full well that the best is yet to come.

The days without center care for Kimo was once designated pure clean-up days and waffling away on Facebook, or on napping with Kimo, or on baking cookies and bread, or on reading a whodunnit, or on other things that do not deserve mention. With this inter-weaving of themes, child and study, in one single space, the temper does combust; the child does whine more; the house does fester in its grime. Basically, dino meets spinach at lunch time! :)

My one salvo (among many such help) has been godsend friends coming by to my office asking after me. Never failing to open up and to point out the haplessness that I am facing, these new schoolmates of mine have paid me no mind and have showered me with genuine care and concern. I just hope that I don't be a sink-hole to them, more than necessary! I'm certain of one thing at least in this plateauing down-slide: I know I have it in me to return the favours to my friends - will be there for them when they need me most; will listen to their problems and soothe away their fears by truly hearing what they have to say.

As for my family, yes, I am always 101% needed. I'm not always mentally there though, as in the case above. It's a struggle to keep plotting and plodding on, mixing and matching schedules to free up spaces where they can be freed; to look for time that is not 'on the clock', so to speak. I can't tell how many baths it has been that I am not engaging myself into. How can you possibly not want to relax in the nice warm suds of your bath? My mind is reaching new heights but oft-times, my spirit is down in the dumps because I am just so damn tired.

Yet, I am not the only guru of 'rescheduling' out there. I have before me, the women in my family who've done more juggling of home and work lives, and perfected their score. So, for that I am truly grateful and even as life is ebbing away, I am at my most resilient I think. At the end of the day, I count my blessings again and especially look hard at the ones that truly matter - my family and my friends.

Kimo's lack of quality-time with me has manifested in a lack of interest in the thought of going to school, and a regressed behaviour at waking up where he instantly wants to cry when I leave the room. This can't go on, obviously. But thank God I have the training, this is all telling of my lack of play with him since I've brought my writing home.

I look forward to this weekend cos I always make pancakes on the weekends. I got a smoochy kiss from Wendell last time. Apparently, after IHOP, I am the world's best pancake maker. Most definitely, the bringing Kimo down to an even keel will start with lots more cuddly love this weekend, not forgetting the pancakes and yes, the rhubarb I stewed into a sauce last weekend will be a kicker for them!