Day 138 - Parliamentary Approval

Legacy Luke

August 23st, 2015

I’ve been slacking. Aside form short-hand notes, I haven't done any writing since the last time at the state library. While attempting to write, I half-listen to the conversation in the kitchen. They usually speak mandarin, but for some reason they’ve started imitating heavy Beijinger accents in English. what-uh ahh yuu coo-king-ah? They each have their own accents, which range in difficulty to understand, though Shimou and Luke both are pretty good.

On our way to the immigration office on Thursday, Shimou and I had taken some wrong turns and ended up walking through a back alley. On that alley was a quaint cafe and an alley full of art. Never would have discovered it if we hadn’t ventured off the main track. Today, we return to revisit that area with Luke.

Quaint Little Rogue Cafe

Luke and I are getting more comfortable, though I still don’t know how to read him well. He’s very dry, sarcastic, and gives a hard time for fun. Perfect for me to tease and bother as a joke. Luke, you’re so handsome! Luke, do a dance for us! which he replies with a Chinese mannerism huh huh huh huh. I think it would be spelled out he he he with the E’s being pronounced as the french say the letter. Sometimes he uses it in circumstances I don’t really get, but make sense to Shimou.

On top of the Wooooooorld!

We capture the artwork of the alleyway, and I discover yet another small restaurant tucked away among the street art, just past the dumpsters. I don’t know if there’s a front entrance, but I wandered in to find the landing room empty. I’ll pass for now. We check out Little Rogue cafe. It’s becoming a regular occurrence that I’m the only non-asian person in the room, which would have been great training if I was still en route to China. What a bitch. God continues laughing as my plans former plans crumble and morph.

I’ve decided that it’s best for me to go back to Canada and sort out what the hell is going on with my visa. I had replied to the school, asking if it would be alright for me to go back to Canada, get the visa, and return late October after my best friend's wedding. I said this because they told me that I have to decide what to do with regards to returning to Canada. It seems like this may have just been a false gesture that they hoped I would turn down. I think this because they responded by telling me they were going to give away my position. They also made it seem like it was my fault for this falling apart because I went to Australia, though they had told me earlier that I could work it out from Australia. Disappointing, but I’ll figure something out. I will not be dissuaded this easily.

Some pseudo-paper roll type of deal

Yet people are treating it as if it's over. For some reason, the sentiment that the adventure is done, and that China won't happen, or is somehow in the past, has been subtly surfacing from the murk of people’s comments. Maybe this kind of setback would normally be more like a momentum-stopping, morale-killer, but I will be going there. I’ll probably put the brakes on the blog, publishing once or twice a week, reestablish the job, and sort things out. In some ways this is good because I can test some theories/directions I developed while here, and - best of all - I can make it to the bachelor party and wedding, no question about it. Just like what got me here, the more resistance or discouraging comments I get, the angrier and more decided I am that I can and will do it. As Walter Bagehot said, “the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

After the cafe, we walk a handful of blocks to Parliament, snap some photos there, and the small park nearby, while I deal with the follow-up e-mail from the school. I don’t know why, but it felt more like a punch in the gut than the e-mail that confirmed the necessity of returning home. This one was the confirmation that my job was given away, so it was entirely back to square one.

We hitch up to the train to get back to Melbourne Central, and grab a bite to eat at the real Don Don. This one actually has don, and is only 6 or 7 bucks a meal. Much better than the fake one,* and more accessible!

Hella Ugly Art

Luke, still hungry, leads us to Taiwanese Fried Chicken, and while I grab a Matcha/Redbean Bubble Tea. I’m in a daze - dehydrated, food still processing, and thinking about what to do in the immediate-to-middle future. Remember, two-factor theory of emotion? My physiological state is messed up, which may attribute to the turmoil already felt from the e-mail. Shimou and Luke aren’t helping, because they’re interpreting it that way, too. Hell, it might be because of that. I’m not too certain either way. Taiwanese fried chicken is damn good, by the way.

We wander down to South Bank. It’s a strip that you can walk with a great view of the city and lots of fancy restaurants, including one that’s been built on the support under one of the food bridges. We hang there, catch the train home, and finish Ted 2 after relaxing the night away. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to the State Library again, where I will catch up on the work that I’ve been slacking on. As I’ve pointed out before, getting some work done actually make you feel better, despite really not being in the mood. Continuing to slack and not working will ultimately make you feel worse. The hard part is simply starting - momentum will carry you from there.

Editing Music: La Belle Mixtape by La Belle Musique

*This Face