quicko: (un)countable nouns

Lego.  Countable to Americans; uncountable to Australians.  (i.e., "He built a castle made out of Legos," sounds strange to an Australian, but not an American.)

Ice cream.  Countable to Australians; uncountable to Americans.  (i.e., "We'd like two ice creams," sounds strange to an American, but not an Australian.)

quicko: the gift of who?

So I have actually mentioned this before, but it's come up again (in the third edition of New Headway Elementary this time ...) that Australians don't know the story of "The Gift of the Magi."  Now I recognize that many Americans also don't know of it (though a fair few who don't know the title I suspect would recognize the story), but the thing is it's the literary Australians (such as other ESL teachers) who I would have expected to have been versed in such classics who aren't familiar with it.  Go figure!

quicko: 30 second rule

This one has nothing to do with food or floors, unfortunately, but rather missing buses (specifically, the M30).  It does not matter when I get to my bus stop, I will consistently miss the M30 by 30 seconds -- that is, I can see it, I can see it stopped, I can see it waiting, but I am on the other side of the traffic lights and there is no possible way I can catch it in time.  I'd so much rather not see it having just been there and remain in blissful ignorance that the bus that would take me directly to work has just passed me by.  For the fifth time this week.

Seriously, it doesn't matter when I get there, if I'm on time, if I'm a minute (gasp!) early, if I'm six minutes late, whatever.  I am always 30 seconds too late.

quicko: zara extraordinaire

My only friend that I've seen on three different continents!!  I was so excited to see her again after 5 years!!  Now on kind of my home turf which was kind of her home turf which was simultaneously incredibly fun and surreal.  Did I mention I LOVE visitors from home?!

update: further things that can go wrong on a bus

School children.  Need I say more?

quicko: cooee

The Australian bush call.  If one finds oneself in the wilderness, one evidently is entitled to shout COOEE to the wind and see who answers.  Useful for distress, friend finding or general amusement with echoes.

photos: working from maroubra beach today