How Was Your First Day of High School?

[Dameon]

The key to navigating in Canberra is to READ THE DARN SIGNS. I cannot stress this enough, people!

Heaps of people come to Canberra and see a sign saying, for eg, "Airport Left" but they know the airport is on the right, so they turn right, and then they tuesday because they don't get to the airport.

Canberra has an excellent system of well sign-posted streets. Just follow the signs, and you can't go wrong. You have to switch off your inner know-it-all.

That's why Canberra drivers often find it so frustrating driving in other cities. Sydney and Melbourne aren't signposted nearly as well and we're not used to that.

KSL

[Cat-Eyes]

And Melbourne at least is straight forward. If it's on the left, turn left. If it's on the right, turn right. We don't NEED to be that well sign-posted because we use common sense!

Cat

[Dameon]

Ah yes, but if you don't LIVE in Melbourne, you don't KNOW what is on the left and right.

A good sign or two will help out.

This is the major cultural difference between Canberra and the rest of the country, I think. Canberrans like signage, the rest of the country prefers to use their own initiative.

The Canberran way would be better for tourists, except that tourists don't want to do it our way.

Our differences are, sadly, irreconcilable.

KSL

[Cat-Eyes]

There are signs in melbourne for people who don't live here! We just don't start the signs to IMAX until you're within a certain distance from IMAX. For instance, there are no signs where I live that say 'IMAX - lots' or 'Fed Square - keep going' there are just 'Melbourne - insert number of kms here'

Besides which, we have a grid! It's very helpful! And if you're really stuck, GET A MAP!

Tourists don't like being told where to go because they think the signs will lie to them.

Cat

[Dameon]

See, irreconcilable cultural differences!

Where's Flit anyway? FLIT!!!

Why would the signs lie? That's just silly, why would they do that?

And in Melbourne and Sydney the signage is not consistent. In Canberra, we put all our signs BEFORE the street. (in the city anyway) But in Sydney and Melbourne, it's sometimes before, and sometimes on the street. It doesn't make any sense!

KSL

[eLsa___xX]

Whoaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!
[glow=green,2,340]CANBERRA VS MELBOURNE[/glow]
:(who will win?

SYDNEY!!!!!!!

[Cat-Eyes]

*sigh* How can Sydney (a hole, but not as big as Adelaide) win a contest it's not even in, ESPECiALLY when Melbourne IS in the contest, and melbourne is so much amazingly better?



Anyway Kayt, who takes busses across cities? We have trains and more to the point, trams. Busses don't ever really run in the city. There are busses that run into the city and out from it, but mostly there are trams. And four train stations. And trams. And it's a grid, so walking isn't even hard. And there are trams. I like my trams. Well, they're not really MY trams... As far as I know i don't own any tram companies... But still. Trams. I can say trams in Chinese. Trams.

Cat

^{WHY is it only Tuesday? Why can't it be Friday?!? I make so mcuh more sense on Fridays!*}



_{*probably not true}

[Natally]

oooo! cat! you smarty you
umm... well i take the train to school. tis awful. they stink

[Cat-Eyes]

Yes, I take the train to school too...

[eLsa___xX]

Whoa!
Now that i need to correct you....
i'm Chinese and that isn't how you say 'trams'

by the way, did anyone notice that it's Chinese new Year today??

[Cat-Eyes]

I know that isn't how you say trams*. In fact, I really only know how to say tram, but either it's a word without a plural, or it would have 'men' if you wanted plural, but I'm fairly sure it's a word where you don't bother with plural-ising it.

... No, I don't think that made sense either.


_{*I was waiting for someone to go ' 'Trams' isn't how you say trams in Chinese...' but no one seemed to pick up on it...}

[eLsa___xX]

ofcourse it doesn't......

by the way, when you say Chinese, what kind of Chinese??? eg-Mandrin
-Cantonese
-Other

[Dameon]

I catch buses across the city. It would be stupid to have a train in a city this size.

It's not even a city, it's a town, which makes it better.

(I HATE big cities)

KSL

[eLsa___xX]

ok.........

[Timm]

Elsa...chances are it's Mandarin. There's actually only 2 types, Mandarin or Cantonese, but lots of little dialects.

Most people speak Mandarin or some dialect of it. Hong Kong and the south speak Cantonese.

[~Dani~]

And you write in Kanji. Ick

[Cat-Eyes]

Characters aren't that hard. What am i talking about, I HATE WRITING THIS DAMN CHARACTER! *breathes* Just having a bit of a thing... And there's this other character which is the first one in the word that mean 'like' (eg, I like swimming) and it's a tall character and it's really hard fitting it into the box...

I learn Mandarin. As Timm said, there are really only two languages but HEAPS of dialects. No one would really teach a particular dialect in a school in Aus though, you'd learn one of the languages and most people learn Mandarin.

However, saying for instance 'I learn Mandarin' people think you have some weird obsession with fruit...

;D

Cat

[eLsa___xX]

i speak cantonese........... you see, i was born in hong kong........that place is small with a huge population....... that's why land is expensive there.......only rich people own houses, most people live in flats and the building my aunt lives in now has 60 levels (she lives in level 2 only, 'cos if the power goes out, it's a d**n long walk to 60)......

i know a bit of Mandrin though...cos they make you learn it in hong kong 'cos Mandrin is still the national language......

[eLsa___xX]

oh for those who are not chinese, this is the Chinese Zodiac Chart......(in this order)

Mouse
Ox
tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Goat
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Pig

Zodiac Birth Year(going backwards for last 3 decades)

Rooster- 2005
Monkey- 2004
goat- 2003
horse- 2002
snake- 2001
Dragon- 2000
Rabbit- 1999
tiger- 1998
ox- 1997
Mouse- 1996

Pig- 1995
Dog- 1994
Rooster- 1993
Monkey- 1992
Goat- 1991
horse- 1990
snake- 1989
Dragon- 1988
Rabbit- 1987
tiger- 1986
ox- 1985
mouse- 1984

pig- 1983
dog- 1982
rooster- 1981
monkey- 1980
goat- 1979
horse- 1978
snake- 1977
Dragon- 1976
rabbit- 1975

etc, etc,etc.......u should see the pattern.....
i luv the monkey year 'cos that's my year!!!!!!

Note: Although Monkey's my year (this year is rooster) it's suppose to be unlucky to be the same again...

eg. monkey- 1992.......twelve yrs later, 2004 is an unluck year as is 2016 and so on.........

[TeganGood]

my school learns manderin ;D

[~Dani~]

I am a sheep

[eLsa___xX]

cool......so how old are u? and do u mean 'goat' when u said 'sheep'? in Chinese, we call sheep & goat by the same name....

[Cat-Eyes]

I'm a snake. The thing you also have to remember is it's from Chinese NY to Chinese NY, so if you're born in January you're really the Western year before.

We did so much character writing today in Chinese... was so sick of it by the end. It was writing out one character like a million times and then another like another million times and then another and the last few were looking so dodgy. ;D

Cat

[eLsa___xX]

oh, by the way, ancient Chinese call u one year old once you're born......

so when you're 20 years old, in their calender they call u 21 years old

but this doesn't affect your zodiac 'cos you're still born that year......

[talisha]

*beams* I'm a Dragon
I love the idea of being born in the year of the Dragon