*kiss kiss* You've got the swine

I don't believe this. It has been more than a year since I've first came here and there are still things that I didn't mention about the Aussies. Alright, I'm going to jump straight into it. It's the way they greet each other. It bothers me. Let me tell you what happened to me one time.

I had a house party some time ago and my housemate had her friends over for dinner. I was naturally invited (cos I'm living here and it will be awkward not to attend). And so I did attend and when I was introduced to one of the female guest, she stuck out her hand. I took it. That's normal, you might say but then she pulled me closer and stuck her face and neck towards me. I pulled back slightly, not used to this form of greeting, then almost instantly, I leaned forward and placed my cheek against hers.

"Oh but that's no big deal. People do more than just touching the cheeks in other countries," my friend told me. And yeah, maybe I'm making a fuss out of nothing. That's why I held my peace until now even though the house party was held weeks before. But I have to say it now. Now more than ever. This has to stop. What do you mean you don't understand me? Well understand this, the swine flu is here, whether you like it or not.

They're coming

Swine Flu. You've heard it. It's here. Right at our doorstep. The new and improved strain of the influenza virus is coming at us at a rate faster than you can imagine. With the effects of H5N1 still fresh in the minds of many, it is easy to understand why some people are washing their hands more frequently. At a global level, many countries have stepped up their border surveillance. The Australians too are fast to react. As of midnight 1st May, anyone coming from high risk countries and running a fever, will be quarantined.

And the situation is made worst by the flu season. So now if someone beside you on the bus sneezes, you cannot tell if he has the swine flu or just a stuffy nose. Speaking of the flu season, it is so cold now that you'd literally freeze your ass out when you go to the bathroom.

On a separate but equally important issue. Plastic bags will be banned in major supermarkets starting tomorrow. Any shops caught giving plastic bags to customers will be severely dealt with (this means I dunno what the authorities would do but its not anything good). This is bad news because the question now is, what am I going to use to hold my rubbish? With plastic bags now out of the picture, they are now looking to replacing plastic packaging.

So the take home message is, don't come to Australia now. It's a bad idea. But if you must come, bring some plastic bags for me.