review: the book thief

As I neared the end of The Book Thief, I was afraid it could be one of those books that is perfect right up to the end, at which point the author jerks it precariously around, causing it to lose its footing entirely and crash into a frustrating heap of an ending.

I am happy to report it is not.

That's not to say I wouldn't have been bawling my eyes out had I not been reading in public.  As it was, I still couldn't stop a handful of tears escaping.

Don't worry, I'm not spoiling it for you -- the narrator does that halfway through, anyway.

And frankly, any book set in Nazi Germany that doesn't make you cry really doesn't deserve to be read.

This one does.

I only read The Book Thief because it was a present.  I'd never have picked it up on my own accord.  I expected to tolerate it, but not necessary like it.

Sometimes I love being wrong.

I won't say it's my new favorite -- it's not -- but it deserves to be read.

Written by Australian author Markus Zusak, it's a relatively recent title that was getting all the press a little while back.  It's the story of Liesel, a young German girl, as seen through the eyes of Death.

I could rave to you about the character development and the writing style -- both are truly exceptional -- but I'd rather you read The Book Thief yourself, without too much pomp and circumstance.

Like I said, it deserves to be read.

And I don't give that compliment lightly.

quicko: present pricing

Yesterday I finally managed to articulate something that had been stewing in the back of my brain, but I never had actually put completely together:  among my American friends and family members, $20 is a pretty reasonable sum for a present (Mothers' Day, birthdays, Christmas, etc.).  However, among my Australian friends, $50 is a pretty reasonably sum for a present.

It's taken me ages to actually work this out -- and I've been continually perplexed at why I'm being asked to contribute more to a fund for a casual pal than I'd normally spend on my mom.  But this is it!  The "reasonable" figure is just a bit different.

Or maybe I'm just cheap?  Oh no ...!

quicko: matty put the kettle on ...

... we'll have a cup of tea!  Preferably at noon on Friday :)

I think I've mentioned before that tea kettles are omnipresent in Australia, but virtually unknown in their electronic form in America.  Here are the photos, complete with sexy model:

quicko: incoming!

FYI, flights leaving the west coast of the United States and coming into Sydney arrive in the morning -- early in the morning -- but at least it's easy to get through customs and out of the airport and into the world at that time of day.  Unless of course you hit rush hour ...

quicko: cop tuck

I don't know if this is their worldwide policy or not, but in Australia police officers all get free food at McDonalds.

Courtesy Matt, cop-in-the-coming.

quicko: not so casual friday

I know it's only Monday, but I'm already thinking about Friday.  So sue me.

I just have observed that casual Friday is not quite so common in Australia as it is in America.

Well, let me rephrase.  I actually have no idea how common it really is in America, seeing as I've actually hardly worked there.  My Australian workplaces are 50-50 on the issue.  And, (this is the crowning glory of my research) the other Friday I watched people getting off buses in the morning rush (er, peak) hour and not many of them were wearing jeans.

Hence, Australians are not so casual on Fridays.

I rest my case.

the pros and cons of thai food

This was not a topic I ever thought I'd think about, let alone address publicly.  But it seems the time has come.

Sydneysiders, as I've mentioned, are crazy about Thai food.  This adoration is particularly rampant on the Lower North Shore, where you can find more Thai restaurants than you can shake a stick at.  Not that anyone in the Lower North Shore shakes sticks at anything, but should you try, you'd most certainly fail.

And then give up and go have Thai food.

Now let me just say right out:

(PRO)

I like Thai food.  I really do.  I never had it growing up, except when my friend's mother (who was Thai) cooked for me.  I really don't remember what she cooked (said friend's brother making pancakes for breakfast seems to stick out more in my mind), but it was delicious.  And it's delicious here, too.  It's just that

(CON)

it's so very filling.  It's great for lunch, but everyone always wants to have it for dinner, and it is just so heavy it leaves me feeling very overly stuffed.  I enjoy the stuffing, but not the rest of the evening.  However, on the plus side,

(PRO)

it is reasonably priced.  Which is very good when you're very broke and all your friends are continually engaging in food-related activities wherein you're expected to eat a full meal and looked at sideways every time you try to just order an appetizer because, at $7, it's the cheapest thing you can find on the menu.  At least you get your money's worth -- and quite possibly lunch tomorrow -- at a Thai place.  The problem just comes in when

(CON)

your friends want to share.  Thai food is the sharing food.  Everyone orders something different and passes it all around and you, having ordered the cheapest dish on the menu thinking it's what you'd be paying for, are suddenly sharing all manner of dishes and forking out for the average price, plus the alcohol everyone else is drinking.  And not getting to eat any of the dish you ordered because you liked it because taking too much of it is rude.  Thankfully

(PRO)

the food does almost always come quite quickly.  Wherever you are, you rarely have to wait for long.  Unfortunately,

(CON)

the plethora of pros of Thai food mean that everyone else loves it and is continually eating it and socially forcing you to do the same.  As I said, I like it, just not at every social occasion.  It's really just done a bit too much.  The frequency of visits, though, does mean that

(PRO)

you generally have a pretty good idea of what it's going to be like.  There aren't too many surprises, except as regards what you actually ordered

(CON)

because most of the wait staff are not exactly fluent and often misinterpret your requests entirely.  However,

(PRO)

there are Thai restaurants nearly everywhere so if you are in the mood for Thai, you shouldn't have to go more than 50 yards to whet your appetite.  They might have

(CON)

dimmed lighting, but at least there's usually a

(PRO)

great pun in their name.

And really, what more do you want from a restaurant?