This post is not anti-Australian, and nor is it seeking to lay blame. It is simply wondering out loud about the direction of society after a horrific incident which terrorised the nation’s second largest city on Friday afternoon.
I had finished work and was walking home when I was stopped at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets by a crazed man doing burnouts in his car. It was clear that he was not in his senses – whether he was high on drugs or mentally disturbed was not clear, although we would later find out it was probably both. Groups of thugs roamed around the intersection, some in the roadway, some among the crowds, goading both the driver and the police for fun. At least one woman was apprehended at the scene for obstructing the police operation – standing in the middle of the street screaming at the police, and then finally telling a police officer to “suck my cock”. The woman in question can be seen cavorting in the intersection in a blue top at the 0.43 mark of the video below.
The crowd which had gathered wondered aloud if it was a drug deal that had gone wrong, but then mostly began to go back about their regular business. Later, we would find out that the deranged driver had ploughed his car into Bourke Street Mall, the city’s premier pedestrian street, killing three and maiming many more. Two more would die in hospital.
The front pages of Melbourne’s most popular newspapers the day after the attack. (Source: Twitter)
Then it emerged that the massacre was the culmination of a string of anti-social and violent behaviour that had begun almost a week earlier. The perpetrator had been released on bail the previous Saturday after being charged with violent offences. In the week that followed he;
assaulted his mother’s ex-partner, thrusting a burning Bible in his face and threatening to “gouge his eyes out” unless he handed over the keys to his car;
It appears that only after the stabbing incident did the police begin to pursue him again. My question in all of this is; is so much of what else happened considered normal? Consider that until he began driving over people in the mall;
the assault and car theft was thought of as a routine crime incident
smashing the tables of patrons at a bar was the typical “loutish” behaviour you might see at pubs
displays of erratic behaviour by the perpetrator on live television was written off as the normal idiotic stuff you might see whenever a news camera is rolling;
anti-social behaviour by bystanders at Flinders Street Station, baiting both the perpetrator and police and interfering with the ongoing police operation was “the usual stuff you see going on in that part of the city” and
the rest of the crowd at Flinders Street Station largely went back to their usual business, thinking that they had just seen “a drug deal gone wrong”.
When did such disturbed, anti-social behaviour become so normalised? Why was all of this not just normal, but common enough not to raise the attention of society? Indeed, when I saw the burnouts at Flinders Street Station I figured the situation was a notch above, but not completely out-of-character for that part of the city; I witness drunken violence, street side intimidation and/or public assaults on an almost daily basis, and life goes on because, well, what else are you supposed to do?
And it’s not just Melbourne. I’ve been assaulted twice in Sydney, and both times the general reaction from the police and wider society was more casual than I would have liked – “getting rolled” is not unusual, I was told. I don’t know what the solution to this is, because clearly alcohol, other drug use, psychological issues and family violence are so deeply ingrained in the national culture that Australia is clearly never going to become Japan or Singapore (where these people might be a danger to themselves, but social mores mostly keep their troubles from being played out in public – and that’s certainly not to downplay the tragedy of suicide and other mental issues). Nor is Australia about to become Iran or Saudi Arabia, where the law prohibits the consumption of alcohol and drugs such that anti-social behaviour would raise the eyebrows of not just passersby, but also the law.
Whether it should or shouldn’t, Australia will never become one of those countries, because it is Australia – that’s what makes it what it is. So the question how to fix a society which considers domestic violence, and loutish, anti-social behaviour normal.
News reports are retrospectively calling Dimitrious ‘Jimmy’ Gargasoulas’ actions before the carnage as “ominous” and “chilling”. These actions didn’t make news before the attack, and there are many more people out there who continue to behave in exactly the same way today. Should we be concerned about them too?
Postscript: an article published a few hours after this piece went online describes the “failure of mental health services” as responsible for the Bourke Street carnage. As it is in a similar vein to my article, I have decided to include a link to it here.
The beach has always been a part of my life, and living in other cities and countries has made me realise just how much of my heart it holds. It’s not that I’ve ever really been a “beach bum”, or even particularly taken by “beach culture“, the gamut of everything from bleached surfer hairstyles to distressed-wood home decor that seems to sweep Australian society from decade to decade. But it has just always been there, in summer, in winter, with friends or alone. One of my favourite bloggers, Renuka from Voyager for Life, recently wrote about why a beach holiday is always a winner – and she’s right! People go to the beach to swim, sunbake, hang out with friends, have a picnic, do exercise, swim at ocean baths (in some places), play cricket or volleyball, or simply bliss out on the sand and listen to their favourite RnB tunes while forgetting that the rest of the world exists. Or is that just me?
What my ideal summer afternoon looks like…
As I sit in Melbourne and write this on a 38 degree summers day, contemplating whether to go to the beach instead of simply writing about it, it dawns on me that I was lucky to have grown up in Sydney where beaches are beautiful and accessible. Beaches in Melbourne have recently been closed due to “unacceptably high levels of bacteria” as a result of storm water draining out into Port Phillip Bay. In plain words, shit – both proverbial and the real stuff (and most concerningly, the human variety) has been not floating, but actually dissolved into the water that beachgoers so look forward to. Gross.
Sunset over one of Melbourne’s beaches. See, they’re not always that bad!
It’s not just that the water at Melbourne’s beaches can be a bit dirty, it’s that they’re just not that inviting when compared to Sydney’s stunning golden crescents of sand. And perhaps as a result, most of the Melburnians I have met simply don’t get as excited (or even remotely as interested) as Sydneysiders do about going to the beach on a hot day – in fact most Melburnians I know start moaning about how prohibitively hot the weather is as soon as the mercury climbs over 25 degrees. It’s as if there’s no joy to be had in the warm weather!
It’s easy to see why Sydney is in love with its beaches – look at Whale Beach!
When I moved to Lahore, this was taken a step further; an entire city (if not country) that craves winter and the cold weather! It took me a while to really appreciate Lahore’s obsession with thanda mausum (chilly weather), but it’s all encompassing – people even have particular diets which they follow in a kind of celebration of the cold weather! Conversely, most Lahoris dislike the summer intensely – because they say you “can’t do anything in the summer”. Having lived in Melbourne already I began to understand this, but in Lahore it’s taken a step further because of the problem of loadshedding; rolling blackouts caused by a shortage in the power supply. Oh, and the nearest beach is at least 1,200 kilometres away. Apart from mangoes, what kind of joy could summer bring?
With chotta bhai at a Lahore tube well (good) and at Sunhera Beach (better!)
Of course, not all happiness is derived from the beach – but it was only in Melbourne and Lahore that I realised my love of summer, my whole idea of a “sunny summer disposition” – is so inextricably linked to having beautiful, tree-fringed lines of sand and refreshing, crystal clear ocean at close proximity. My chotta bhai (little bro) in Lahore thought it was simply hilarious that I actually looked forward to summer and the hot weather, despite subsisting with tube wells while in Lahore. A few months ago we travelled to Karachi, and took a trip out to Charna Island, cooling off from the intense heat of the Pakistani coastline in the turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea. We got out of the water, lay back on the boat’s deck and let the sun’s warm rays soak into our skin; it was almost energy-giving. “Ok, now I get it…” he said, turning to me with his eyes closed, temporarily blinded by the beautiful sun, sand and salt, “and we’re coming back again next summer.”
Do you love the beach? What do you do there? Comment below!
Along with the Boxing Day test match, the Australian Open, hot weather and White Night, a Melbourne summer simply isn’t complete without gelato. At the start of the Australian winter earlier this year I shared my suggestions for Melbourne’s best coffee spots, and with temperatures on the rise it’s time to see where you can find Melbourne’s best gelato!
1. Brunetti; 380 Lygon Street, Carlton; other locations including City Square
This place divides the critics, but its iconically Melbourne. The concrete tables and steels chairs aren’t that comfortable, so take a seat in the square. The chocolate flavour here is pretty intense.
2. Nitro Lab; 188 Bourke Street, Melbourne
This is not gelato in the strictest sense of the word, but it’s certainly fun watching the team of ‘scientists’ inject your black forest gelato cup with a syringe of cherry sauce. So much so that I’ve already reviewed Nitro Lab here.
3. Casa del Gelato; 163 Lygon Street, Carlton
Boasting up to 60 flavours and an old world ambience, this is where it apparently all started – come here to taste the same gelato that has been served up to adoring Melburnians since 1980.
4. Jocks Ice Creams and Sorbet; 43 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park
What this place lacks in glamour, it makes up for in panache. Date flavoured ice cream anyone? Violet Crumble, or Lamington specials on Australia Day? There’s even an Obama-inspired ice cream; peanut butter and jelly!
5. Gelato Messina; 237 Smith Street, Fitzroy; several other locations
This one is a Sydney-based import but it has been adopted by Melburnians with gusto. A seemingly endless rotating menu of creative, often off-the-wall flavours – some are so good, they fall into the “food porn” category. I’ve also reviewed this place before, it has been voted Australia’s best gelato, and the queues are testament to that fact.
6. Gelateria Primavera; 157 Spring Street, Melbourne
This inner city spot doesn’t offer the extensive range of Gelato Messina or Casa del Gelato, but it’s a worthy mention for its quality – the pistachio flavour in particular might just change your life.
7. Movenpick; QV Shopping Centre, corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, Melbourne; other locations
Yep, it’s an international chain, but it’s one of the best. The blueberry cheesecake flavour is everything you had hoped it would be, and the waffle cones are pretty good too. The only downside is the price – it’s not a place to come on a budget.
8. Trampoline; Southgate Shopping Centre, Southbank
Vibrant colours, screaming kids – this really is a family joint. But don’t be put off – take your cone over to the riverside and take in the city skyline with the Yarra lazing its way past. While the flavours are quality but mostly run-of-the-mill, there are a few interesting exceptions – caramel pear sorbet, anyone?
What’s your favourite gelato place? Have I missed anything? Comment below!
Over the past year I have been posting my favourite shots of my cities at night; Chennai, Melbourne, Sydney and finally Lahore. I’m quite proud of how the pictures turned out – I captured light trails, curious customs and spectacular scenes after sunset to show a side of these places that people often miss.
But what’s better than these photographs is turning them into works of art by running them through the Prisma app. Prisma is a phone application that allows you to turn regular photographs into artworks in the style of Van Gogh, Picasso and many more.
See the best of Chennai, Melbourne, Sydney and Lahore after dark, and as works of art, with the Nocturn: The Prisma Collection.
Have you used the Prisma app before? What do you think of it? Comment below!
Spring has sprung, and while some of us look forward to longer days and warmer weather, others dread the curse of hayfever that comes along with it.
For anyone who doesn’t suffer with it, imagine feeling like you have a really bad cold for a few weeks, or even months – runny nose, uncontrollable sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, sore throat, sinus headache and generally feeling unwell. Add to this all the extra, peripheral stuff – like feeling irritable, tired and anti-social – and it’s easy to see why hayfever is simply the pits.
Melbourne is said to be one of Australia’s worst cities for hayfever sufferers, a result of a dry and windy climate, and this year is predicted to be one of the worst. As someone who has suffered from hayfever for years, I’ve tried almost every trick in the book, to varying degrees of success. And here is what I recommend – and before we continue, I should mention that this article cannot replace qualified medical advice, it is simply my story of a lifetime of sneezing.
Environment
Plane trees in Melbourne (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
If you can fix your environment, do. Melbourne’s plane trees bring a European-style ambiance to the streets, but are notorious for being hayfever triggers. If you’re moving house, look at which trees are lining your street. If you’ve got one outside your house, don’t open the window in the morning, especially on a windy day. Additionally, check the pollen count each day, and arm yourself with any of the below solutions before you head out for the day.
Medication
So. Much. Medicine. I think Australia’s pharmaceutical industry could thrive off my antihistamine intake alone. I don’t like filling my body with medicine, but it does help a lot. Note that my comments on these are not prescriptive, as different people find different medicines more or less useful. Always use these according to the instructions in the packet, or a doctor’s advice.
Tablets – I use Telfast 180, but they also come in weaker “60” and “120” versions. They are the best I’ve found. Zyrtec is not bad, Aerius didn’t do much, and I found Claratyne to be a waste of money. But other people swear by it.
Eye drops – Polytears don’t stop the itching, but they do lubricate and immediately “flush” your eye of any dust particles – I always keep a bottle with me. Livostin are a good first-line anti-allergy option, and Zaditen is also good. When my eyes got out of control (like, weeping from irritation) my doctor proscribed my Patanol – it’s strong, and to remain effective it should be used sparingly, but it works. Stay away from Naphcon-A – initially it works really well, but eyes seem to become dependent on it, making them more itchy when you stop using it. To really soothe your eyes, keep your eye drops in the fridge!
Nasal sprays – All the major brands like Telfast and Zyrtec produce nasal sprays, as do Nasonex, Beconase and Flixonase, but I’ve has the most success with Rhinocort. It’s a preventative measure – it needs to be used regularly (like a therapy, not a treatment), but it seems to stop the worst of the sneezing.
Non-medical treatment
There’s a whole host of things you can do to help your hayfever without turning to medicine – some of them reduce the symptoms, while others simply provide welcome comfort.
Johar Joshanda – This Pakistani miracle herbal mix soothes the throat and clears the sinuses – add one sachet to a cup of hot tea and sip away! Find it in good Pakistani or Indian grocery stores.
Johar Joshanda (Image: Qarshi)
Peppermint tea – It won’t take away the irritation, but it’s soothing and aromatic – heaven when you’re stuck with the sniffles.
Soy milk coffee -They say you shouldn’t have dairy while you’re streaming mucous from your nose – and that may or may not be wise – but a hot soy latte perks you up and feels somehow more palatable than cow’s milk when you’re all blocked up.
Cool compress – When my eyes are irritated, they almost feel like they’re burning. Slouch down into a sofa, rest your head back, close your eyes and place moist compress over your eyes and brow and let your mind wander elsewhere for 10 minutes – it’s bliss.
Jal neti – This one is a bit hardcore, but if you’re game, it might just work. Another wonder from the subcontinent, Jal Neti is a traditional yogic technique to clear the sinuses. A small ‘neti pot’ with a spout is filled with lukewarm, slightly salty water. Breathe through your mouth, place the spout in your left nostril and lean your head slightly to the right and front. Gently tip the pot up and adjust the angle of your head until the water flows out of the pot, into your sinuses, then drains out of the opposite nostril! Repeat on the other side. Yes, it’s gross, but it sounds worse than it feels, and the relief you feel afterwards is remarkable. Neti pots are available from good health food, yoga and homeopathic stores, and the technique can be researched online and refined – it takes practice. And needless to say, do it in the shower where you can wash away the contents of your sinuses once your done.
My neti pot!
General comfort
Stay cool – It’s not called hay”fever” for nothing – all that itching and irritation can make you feel hot and bothered. Wear cool, comfortable clothes, especially if it’s warm.
Wear sunglasses – When there’s pollen in the air, sunglasses will deflect at least some of it.
Wash your face regularly – Especially if you are in a dusty or pollen-laden environment, keep your face clean to avoid the risk of rubbing dust into your eyes or nose.
Do you suffer from hayfever? Do you have any tips to beat hayfever this spring? Comment below!
