Short words

Use them.

They are often Anglo-Saxon rather than Latin in origin. They are easy to spell and easy to understand. Thus prefer about to approximately, after to following, let to permit, but to however, use to utilise, make to manufacture, plant to facility, take part to participate, set up to establish, enough to sufficient, show to demonstrate and so on. Underdeveloped countries are often better described as poor. Substantive often means real or big.

“Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all.” (Winston Churchill)

More random thoughs on perceptions

Why am I not surprised

Today I was searching for a paper reviewing an important, if not the most influential, Economic-climate model (DICE) and a search of the author took me to Wikipedia. Thinking this is a good place to start I consequently read the piece to find that this person, Duane Chapman, is a bounty hunter operating out of Hawaii, and not an influential energy economist (influential according to Cornell University). I was a bit miffed to find someone’s claim to pop culture was a TV show about bounty hunting.

Then again I should not be surprised. Having study a subject or two about economics I have come to realise demand is based on what people perceive to be valuable. Now energy economics is only interesting, hence demanded, by a small section of the population while bounty hunter insights would appeal to a rather large section of the population (presumptuous assumption relegated to the fine print). Hence the bounty hunter should be more famous than the economist.

Also, let us consider the role of advertising. I feel that its purpose is to create demand. How does it do this? I find it manipulates your perceptions. And how does it do this? Creates needs where there were none. I found I now have the desire to have a whole lot of things which I didn’t need or want a year ago. It has distorted my reality. I found an interesting case of distorted reality in this video. I will leave you with my current thoughts – what is beauty anyway?

One year on

It has been one year since I have started to document parts of my life here. In this year I have gone through many changes, in locations, emotionally, and physically. The only thing that hasn’t changed are the finances. It seems like I have hit a plateau here.

The location is first as it is easy from Long Xuyen to Rosedale to Melbourne. Definite changes in the way the world operates around me. Long Xuyen was great I found warm and friendly people everywhere. Rosedale was the same, except smaller – think 100 people at most. The big city seems stagnated, lots of motion yet I find no direction. I feel comfortable here because nothing seems to move or change.

Physically I have changed. I have been fortunate enough to watch my weight move around like a scrap paper caught in the wind. It appears to have moved up recently, and I will blame all the delicious foods I ate at X’mas. I don’t think I have eaten so much in such a short while. Exercise wise, I have definitely lost any bulk (real or perceived) that I had acquired. All the shirts I got made to measure in VN now seem to slip on the shoulders quite a bit. Need to address this issue with some gym work or something J. Maybe even beer, if I can afford new pants.

Emotionally I have been through the ups and downs. Moving back to Melbourne was a tough adjustment trying to get used to a new lifestyle and climate. Along with that I feel the death of my grandmother (who I was close to) and a back injury added to the toughness of the adjustment process. It has been a few months now and the optimism has grown with a variety of small victories. This coming year I expect will be better than the last 6 months.

Work life has been successful. My fish industry project was a success, as with SEEK employment projects (yet this seems to never end J), and the climate change projects have definitely been done well.

My goals over the next year include starting my phd, getting out more to travel, and holiday in VN.

Corporate world

Today I found was going through an art site to looking for pics and I was surprised by these more serious art pieces. I couldn't help feel that their really is such a focus on material possesions and super achievement, that people have forgotten what it means to live your life. One day we will all wake up like Lester and wonder what the hell happened. Maybe it is because I recently watched American Beauty and feel reflective. I don't know :)

Anyway here is some thought provoking art.

The Sweet Escape

Over the holiday break I made an escape up north to my hometown of Brisbane. I had felt that I had suffered the cold enough, well my thinking of cold at least, in the last 6 months that I was entitled to some days were moving was energy sapping and a shower required every other minute. To my amazement the opposite happened, I packed the miserable weather into my luggage and brought it with me while someone packed the furnace like weather and took it with them to Melbourne (30 plus temperatures). Such is life. Anyway, even though the weather was miserable, 20 degrees in my hometown was still a lot warmer than 20, maybe even 25, in Melbourne, when you include the humidity. I was happy that I brought the rain with me as most of the people I met enjoyed the fact that it was raining and windy as it was something that had been missing in the last couple of years.

Before Christmas I caught up with one of my closest friends and traded war stories from SEA as he had just returned from a trip to Malaysia. The way he described it made me want to visit there next time I go to SEA. Later we met some other friends and I realised that over the years I had drifted apart as the guys were just talking about their investments. I am happy for them, yet I was really bored listening to them.

For Christmas I met my (just about) in-laws for the first time, brother and his girlfriend, my parents, and their new kittens. I was taken aback by how small they were, thinking back to a picture of Buong sitting peacefully in Eric’s hand (before terrorist training), who is now a couple of kilos. The kittens were a real show stealer and I felt like it was not Christmas but the welcoming of a new family member. For lunch I tried a type of lobster called a Moreton Bay Bug. It kind of reminded me of crab with out the claws. Definitely would be good in a tamarind sauce.

Between Christmas and the New Year I tried to catch up with as many friends I could contact. As I was hinting at before, time apart does change things notably phone numbers. I had all sorts of trouble trying to “find” people and only resulted in catching up with a few. I was impressed that my friends and I got on just like we never separated, even though there were definite changes in their situations like kids and mortgages.

For New Year’s Eve, I went and did the traditional thing of going to South Bank to watch the fireworks. I was surprised to meet an old friend there and halfway through our catch up the countdown started. The fireworks went off with what I though was an amazing dazzling of colour and precision. The fireworks were tuned into music and even with all the speakers around you couldn’t really hear anything except the ooohhhs and aaaahhhhs as people, including myself, were mesmerised by the fireworks. Next time I will make sure that I remember my camera.

The tropical low off the coast decided that wind and rain should also be used in the celebration as a couple of minutes after the fireworks were over it started to rain. The next few days were rather lazy just helping out around the house by keeping the TV on as the people I had managed to contact were back at the grind. I returned to Melbourne without incident and prepared myself get back into the swing of things.

I am realising getting back into the swing of things is harder than I thought.