quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: "quality of life" ... people assume Australians have this enviable lifestyle. Is it mainly the weather?
I lived in Australia for 18 months in my early 20s, and if by 'quality of life' she means nice weather, easily obtained slabs of beer, good food, and a blind eye being turned to sickies on a Friday afternoon, then yes, off you pop.
I found these plus points to be heavily outweighed by the fact that Australian men live up to their stereotype, many people are hideously and openly racist, no-one wants to talk about anything other than the above mentioned weather, and sport, that nothing's more than 200 years old, the telly's shit, I couldn't get a bar job in Perth as I wasn't willing to do it topless, and people make jokes about poms and soap the whole time. The question 'is this it?' raised itself in my mind many times. Maybe it was because I was young and idealistic, but I didn't want to settle down there.
This 'quality of life' question vexes me. Surely moving somewhere quiet and dull gives you a different sort of life, not necessarily a better one.
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quote:Originally posted by ben: Also: what exactly are the Finns so fucking upset about? Bad vibes from all the trees? Psyched out by elks? Pathetic.
Is Finland the country where really terrible yet unintentionally comedic metal bands are incredibly popular? Don't they have a band whose frontman dresses and lives as a troll? Hasn't said troll been implicated in the burning of churches and the killing of rival band members?
Oh hang on...troll...perhaps I mean Norway...
I was at a wedding once where one of the guests was Finnish and was accompanied by his rather big boned boyfriend. The father of the groom pointed at them and whispered to me "He's Finnish.....and he's fattish."
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quote:Originally posted by Boy Racer: The point Louche would be that my Grandmother died at 92, not of a single chronic illness, but of a systematic failure of most of the organs of her body. Or in other words, old age.
B-but I'm not disputing this, nor am I disputing that people die of old age. In fact, you could have gleaned this from the bit where I said 'a remark made to me with which I don't actually agree'. I was anecdotally relaying something what someone once said to me and don't quite understand why you've taken this to be representative of what I think.
Because it followed, and seemed, at least to me, to be there to back up, the quite reasonable statement that what ends up killing (the vast majority) of people in the UK are individual chronic illnesses. I would have thought that individual chronic illnesses, whilst diseases of old age, are distinct from old age itself.
I'm sorry if I read that, and consequentiallly you, wrong, it seems we agree again.
What's going on!
[ 14.09.2004, 07:58: Message edited by: Boy Racer ]
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quote:Originally posted by Sidney: "He's Finnish.....and he's fattish."
That's miles better than Jimmy Carr's Fattest/Fattist 'joke' that he's making such a fuss about at the moment.
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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quote:Originally posted by Boy Racer: Because it followed, and seemed, at least to me, to be there to back up, the quite reasonable statement that what ends up killing (the vast majority) of people in the UK are individual chronic illnesses. I would have thought that individual chronic illnesses, whilst diseases of old age, are distinct from old age itself.
Yes, yes and yes. Obviously, my 'this doctor once said something to me' comment should have probably read 'this doctor once said something to me, flippantly'. This misunderstanding only goes to show the potential damage which can be wreaked by people failing to put 'flippantly' into their posts where a 'flippantly' is desperately required.
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quote:Originally posted by kovacs: Your pal may of course be dull in any case, but you suggest the third term comes as inevitable consequence to the first and/or second.
Tee hee, I did wonder who'd be most sensitive about that. She is definitely duller in that her circle of friends is notably smaller and I rarely hear from her and haven't seen her since the wedding. So she is definitely a less good friend.
It was the kind of conversation where the person has pretty much made up their mind and just wants you to confirm their thoughts. Every negative I came up with, based on my admittedly limited experience as a backpacker, was countered with "well it's different when you have kids to think of". This is of course true, which was why I was pointing out things like their growing up with access to theatres and galleries and decent newspapers and the BBC and stuff that should be just as important as nice weather. Which isn't that nice in Queensland anyway, where the sun is sometimes so fierce it's actively unpleasant to sit out in your garden.
The main gist of her poor current quality of life seemed to be that her young daughter isn't guaranteed to get into the good school that her older son is at. I wonder why moving into the school's catchment area, instead of the other side of the world, isn't a possibility.
It's interesting that I wouldn't be nearly so negative if she'd suggested New Zealand though.
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quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: Tee hee, I did wonder who'd be most sensitive about that. She is definitely duller in that her circle of friends is notably smaller and I rarely hear from her and haven't seen her since the wedding. So she is definitely a less good friend.
Perhaps she has less time, being a mother, and perhaps even loves her child and husband more than she loves you.
Hard to imagine, I know, but try to think of it as a possibility.
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Did your mummy love her friends more than you, Too-watt?
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quote:Originally posted by Louche: Obviously, my 'this doctor once said something to me' comment should have probably read 'this doctor once said something to me, flippantly'. This misunderstanding only goes to show the potential damage which can be wreaked by people failing to put 'flippantly' into their posts where a 'flippantly' is desperately required.
Lol
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quote:Originally posted by Boy Racer: Ben, watch some Aki Kaurismaki, or the Finnish section from Night on Earth, and you'll get the rough idea about Finland.
Naah! Lenigrad Cowboys Go America tells you everything you need to know about Finland... though I see that Sidney has already pointed this out (I added this after reading more of the thread; Damn you, Sidney! )
When I was teacher-training, we did an exchange with the University of Jyväskylä, in Suomi, about 62 degrees latitude and I have to say I really liked the place - although I wasn't there in winter. Autumn in Jyväskylä was beautiful; I'd go again.
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quote:Originally posted by mart: Avoid ... Leeds 17
Evreh-bodeh! Evreh-bodeh in t'house of loov!
And can I just have a momnetary gripe? This double o for hard northern u thing really pisses me off. It seemed to start when the London music press picked up on The Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. Now maybe they thought that their average southern reader needed help working out that Brown, Ryder, Squire, Bez et al didn't punctuate their sentences with the word fackin'. But fookin'? What's with that? Now it's gone full-circle and you can actually hear southerners up north using fooking, rhyming it with the Scouse looking, cooking etc.
Not having a pop at you, Omikin; you're a love. Or loove. As you were.
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do not move to new zealand. it is shite on toast.
there may or may not be emotional baggage attached with this feeling, but it is dull. and dubious.
move to Nashville. Yes Nashville. It's not all country and western you know.
eta: they're all at it now stevie. everyone is. its nme's easy guide to being a northerner.
i remember there being all sorts of hassles when they first printed fooking instead of facking. i think they even defended it. southern facking mahnkeys.
No idea. Dunno about the Luton thing either...I cant remember anyone getting excited about Luton, but everyone I have met that has been to Malmo or lives there seems very keen. They have a festival!
quote:Originally posted by Boy Racer: Ben, watch some Aki Kaurismaki, or the Finnish section from Night on Earth, and you'll get the rough idea about Finland.
Naah! Lenigrad Cowboys Go America tells you everything you need to know about Finland... though I see that Sidney has already pointed this out (I added this after reading more of the thread; Damn you, Sidney! )
Erm, are you agreeing or disagreeing with me here Stevie? Leningrad Cowboys... is by Kaurismaki.
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Fair cop, guv'! I don't really know directors and stuff like that (apart from Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch), so I suppose that I'm agreeing with you on Akiwotsisface, but not entirely agreeing on Night On Earth.
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New Zealand's 'knowledge' economy is going to shit. All the reaons us lovely tourists like the country, are reaons why professional kiwis flee for sydney and london.
still, a great place to be ages birth-18 and 50-death.
I'd quite like to live in Scandinavia for a bit. Do you need to know languages? In Finnland, yes, I am sure, but what about Norway? What about ICELAND?
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Did you know that the Leningrad Cowboys have their own beer, at least they used to, I assume it still exists. I went out with a Finnish girl at uni and her father brought some over for me once as it was his favourite beer. Useless trivia for you there...
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Leningrad Cowboys... is excellent though, I have it on VHS.
Crivens. Is it really thirteen years since Night On Earth.
I have it all arse about tit, see BR, having seen NoE probably 3, maybe 4, years before Lenigrad Cowboys.... If I had spent my early 20's in a soberer and more together state and watched these films the other way round, Matti Pellonpää would probably have jogged the old memory circuits a bit harder.
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quote:Originally posted by omikin: and as someone who was born in leeds and has lived 70% of his life in north yorkshire, i definitely do not want to be confused with a "southerner".
can some one help me determine (without the aid of a comedy web quiz) whether i am northern or southern.
i wasn't born in england, i've lived all over. the longest spots are east midlands and manchester. help. i have the feeling i'm an anonymous east midlander wanting to be from the north.
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quote:Originally posted by Louche: Ally, I think you're unutterably wrong about Northern cities on a number of levels (apart from the football thing) but I also hope you have a mucho relaxing cup of tea and that bloke is alright.
I'm not wrong. It's more that you don't agree with me. Relativity - doncha love it? FWIW I lived in Newcastle for twenty years, so I've got some experience of the area I'm talking about.
The tea was a good idea. I'm pretty certain Al will be fine, but confirmation from someone medically qualified and with greater emotional distance from the situation than me would help a lot.
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quote:Originally posted by damo: i wasn't born in england, i've lived all over. the longest spots are east midlands and manchester. help. i have the feeling i'm an anonymous east midlander wanting to be from the north.
It's so hard to tell. To the untrained observer, it can seem that "the north" is defined as anything North of Letchworth.
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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quote:Originally posted by ally: I'm not wrong. It's more that you don't agree with me.
The clue was in the I think indicating opinion rather than stated fact, mate.
Also, Damo if you weren't born up here you don't belong, tright? After all, isn't that what insular Northern cities are all about?
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Long Eaton. Half way between Derby and Nottingham.
louche, but i've spent 10 years there. 3 of them in salford ffs. then i did the burnage thing, i only lived in west didsbury for a year. i've been in proper manchester (christ even trafford). if i'm not an honorary manc after that i think i'll move to stockport. they'll take anyone.
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I once thought that Stockholm might be a pleasant place to live, but given that half of TMO would consider moving over there I've changed my mind somewhat.
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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quote:Originally posted by damo: louche, but i've spent 10 years there. 3 of them in salford ffs. then i did the burnage thing, i only lived in west didsbury for a year. i've been in proper manchester (christ even trafford). if i'm not an honorary manc after that i think i'll move to stockport. they'll take anyone.
Sorry, Damo, I was only being a bit silly. But Salford is not part of Manchester. Grrr. Is it's own city in it's own right. However, if the question is whether you're northern or southern, treat it like it has as much fluidity as class. You may as well be whichever one you want to be. And living in Burnage even for only a month qualifies anyone to state that they're Mancunian.
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