The Good

Baby’s day out!!

My friend had called me on the third day to inform that her senior was offering to show us around the city and would I like to join them. It was literally a baby’s day out that day!! The experience of boarding a Tram was thrilling enough to keep up an excited expression on my face as I was peering out through the windows having a great view of the city. Being an avid cricket fan, my joy knew no bounds when the tram passed through the MCG. It was the Mecca of Cricket for me. I happily gave poses alongside it and the Yarra River ran by peacefully at my side. The tall skyscrapers made me crane my neck to have a good view of them and I vowed to myself that one day I would work in one of these offices.

Huh!! So you are a veggie…

Food is a funny thing here. On my second day in Melbourne, I was hunting the area around my friend’s place for a cheapo hotel or an eatery but found none to my despair. At last I came across a KFC and went straight in. Now, I being a veggie made matters even worst. I asked the staff if they would have anything on their menu which would be remotely vegetarian. The blonde haired beauty was ecstatic and replied immediately that they had several varieties of Fish burgers. I was stumped and asked a proper clarification from her. She happily explained to me that fish is considered vegetarian in Australia. I felt like slapping my head, but nodded my head as if I had understood it and settled down for a stupid cold veggie salad which I could hardly eat a morsel….It seems that being a veggie is a crime in foreign countries where the maximum help they can do, is to give you a scornful look and a pathetic sigh…God help the poor veggies!!!

Hooray!!! I got my haircut…That was a close shave J

The Hunt

My first haircut in Melbourne is an experience which I would never forget in a lifetime. My hair was overgrown and I was almost on the verge of becoming an animal. Haircut is expensive here and I had almost exhausted my list of contacts by asking people here, the location of a cheap saloon. Not a saloon was offering less than 10$ in the vicinity. Fed up, I logged on to the internet to search for the cheapest saloon in Melbourne. I couldn’t stop laughing at myself that the day had dawned when Internet had to suggest a cheap place for a haircut in this city. Way back in Chennai, it used to be a matter of 40 bucks in an A/C saloon and you could find them in every area. Well, you could argue that the “alpa buddhi” (cheapskate mentality) has still not left me; but believe me it would be really heartburning to pay the equivalent of 400 Rs just for your stupid haircut. God answered my prayers and I hit on a saloon which offered hair “services” for free!!! I was overjoyed and immediately called that saloon to book an “appointment” to cut my hair.

The Experiment

All the way to my saloon I was wondering how they could provide a free service. I got my answer when I reached there. It was a hairdressing institute and there were students who would “learn” haircutting on your head!! Deeply disappointed, I was about to head back home, but then I realized that the students who would be learning this were girls. My heart skipped a beat and screamed “WOW!!!” I was prepared to become the Lab rat for once… I did a double check with the girl just before she tied the apron around my neck, enquiring again whether the whole cutting service is for free…She nodded slowly and gave me a smile which made me really blush…She might have as well guessed, ‘Ah! Another one of those cheapo students’… Then the chick, err...the student approached me with a pair of cutting scissors and a comb and began staring at my head for 2 minutes. I asked what the issue was and she replied that she was studying the “model” of my head and was devising a method to approach the cut. She sounded as if she was preparing me for a cardiac by-pass surgery dammit!!! A big lump formed in my throat and I said my prayers…

She began by gingerly taking each strand of my hair and cutting it as carefully as if it were some piece of tailoring silk. She would do all the damage on one side and call her superior for her “expert” opinion. God bless her superior as she knew how to cut the hair and hence, I meekly surrendered to this lunacy. Then it became a set pattern…this girl would show off her worst skills on my head and her superior would come and do the repair work… By the time they both were done with their fancy little game, it was 2 and half hours. The girl, deeply satisfied by her “work” showed me the mirror with a full 360 degree view and her 24 inch smile. To say that I was amazed would be an understatement; as I had already resigned to the worst fate possible to my head. At the end, I was definitely worth looking, though it was not my usual style way back in Chennai. I profusely thanked both, the student and the master for putting up such a good show and saving my ears and eyebrows, and in the process making me a human again!!!

 I came out from the saloon and had a hearty laugh at myself and then headed straight to my University as my classes were scheduled in the evening. This was a first for me as in Chennai I headed straight back to home for a cleansing bath; otherwise all hell would be let loose by my mom. My Indian friends had all commented well on my haircut and were really jumping all over the place when I told them that an Aussie chick had cut my hair… Phew….So much for a haircut!!

What a Commitment….Gives me the goose bumps!!

Another thing which I admire here is the courtesy manners which the people have. Old people are very helpful and have a great sense of humor. The professionalism and dedication to follow the rules have left me ashamed many a time. The following incident had moved me lot and had increased my respect towards bus drivers to a whole new level. It was a late night when I and my friends had just alighted from the bus and were waiting at the signal for the crossing lights to turn green. After it was green, we crossed the road and it changed back to red again. The bus driver was confused as he had to take the bus to the other side of the road, but he couldn’t do so without getting a green for him. He then did a strange thing. He got down from the bus and fixed the signal so that the green lights would come again and he could drive the bus. There was no red light camera in the area to catch him jumping a signal, but then his commitment to the rules had us stumped and we were left pondering about the pathetic attitude of the bus drivers in Chennai where he would be ready to drive the bus over you at the slightest pretext.

There were plenty of other good experiences which have made my stay worthwhile here. May be I’ll discuss them specifically in my next blog …