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I think the 2 things I would find difficult living in Australia is that it is close to nothing else. You really are totally isolated from the rest of the planet when in Australia. NZ is probably the only other country that is even more isolated.
This would be made even worse by my second difficulty with Australia..........the sameness of the country. The country's architecture is basically the same from one region to the next. The history and founding cultures are the same across the country and even the landscape itself is not as diverse.
Melbourne and Sydney maybe rivals but similar to what NYC & Boston are opposed to Tor/Mon which are more rivals the way London and Paris are. Quebec has a unique history in NA but then Atlantic Canada is very distinct as well. Then from the communal Prairies to Rugged Alberta, and to BC which is socially very different from the rest of the West. The housing and architecture in Ont is very different from anything in Quebec, the Atlantic or the West. the North is completely unique.
Socially and culturally Australia doesn't offer much diversity. It would be like going from L.A. to SF. .........there are certainly different and unique in their own way but the overall society and norms are the same.
Canada, for just 35 million, is amongst the most socially and culturally diverse countries in the world with different languages, architecture, values, politics, culture, history, and outlook. It makes Canada a very hard country to govern but it also makes it a very interesting one.
In Canada going from one area of the country to the other offers a completely different lifestyle whereas in Australia, while there are small regional differences, you pretty well know what you are getting.
This would be made even worse by my second difficulty with Australia..........the sameness of the country. The country's architecture is basically the same from one region to the next. The history and founding cultures are the same across the country and even the landscape itself is not as diverse.
Seriously, have you ever been to Australia? And if you did, did you actually see much of it?
Aw, come on Fussy, ( pronounced FEWSY ) I didn't get that from Chevy. I took it to mean that IF that were to happen, it's more likely to happen in Toronto, and that his experiences did confirm the stereotype.
I don't think Chevy is silly enough to believe everyone in Toronto has the exact same experience.
Chevy is intelligent enough to know that not all experiences are his.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fusion2
I'm sure there are some people like that but probably the slim minority who are workaholics and obsessed with money and status to this extent. He even further made it look as though someone like myself who is 9-5 is an outlier - which is not the case at all. Most people have 9-5 jobs and that how it really is....
You didn't work in high-tech in the 1980s, did you? In those days, you worked, because you were told to, and because everybody else did, and so you did too. Ninety hours a week? Yes, you worked that, because you were told to. We had the next biggest mousetrap, and if you did not believe so, you were letting the team down, you were shirking, you just might be next on the chopping block. Get i the office on weekends, arrive before hours on weekdays, and stay after hours on weekdays, and we will be the next Apple, the next Microsoft, the next IBM.
Quote:
I can't imagine anyone who has actually lived in T.O undercoring such a characterization without stating that these 80 hour workaholics would be relegated to a very few - unless Chevy had a very small niche group he spent time working with.. Perhaps Chevy is the closet workaholic and would never admit such and why he attracted said group
You doubt me? Oh, friend, do not do so. Listen.
I was told I'd lose my job if I did not show up on weekends. Unpaid, of course. I was told that regular weekday office hours were 0700 to 2100 hours--extra hours over 44 per week unpaid, of course. After all, I believed in the product, didn't I? Wanting time off or regular office hours meant that I didn't believe such. And we truly believed that we were the next Apple, the next Microsoft, the next IBM, the next Blackberry. Weren't we? (Like hell, but in order to keep our jobs, we repeated the party line.)
And most galling--I was told that, as I was unmarried, without children, I had no excuse for not being at work before hours, after hours, and weekends. My co-workers with children got the time; I did not. Yeah, I'm still pissed.
I'm talking about the 1980s. Long before companies learned that they had to obey employment legislation, that they had to learn human rights legislation, and long before companies learned that they couldn't breach such legislation any more. Shouldn't be a surprise, but I now practice in this area, and I make sure that companies tow the line.
Fusion. the reason that you and your co-workers don't have to go through what I did (and indeed, doubt what I went through) is because of my efforts, and those of my colleagues, thirty years ago. You can at least say "thank you."
Chevy is intelligent enough to know that not all experiences are his.
You didn't work in high-tech in the 1980s, did you? In those days, you worked, because you were told to, and because everybody else did, and so you did too. Ninety hours a week? Yes, you worked that, because you were told to. We had the next biggest mousetrap, and if you did not believe so, you were letting the team down, you were shirking, you just might be next on the chopping block. Get i the office on weekends, arrive before hours on weekdays, and stay after hours on weekdays, and we will be the next Apple, the next Microsoft, the next IBM.
You doubt me? Oh, friend, do not do so. Listen.
I was told I'd lose my job if I did not show up on weekends. Unpaid, of course. I was told that regular weekday office hours were 0700 to 2100 hours--extra hours over 44 per week unpaid, of course. After all, I believed in the product, didn't I? Wanting time off or regular office hours meant that I didn't believe such. And we truly believed that we were the next Apple, the next Microsoft, the next IBM, the next Blackberry. Weren't we? (Like hell, but in order to keep our jobs, we repeated the party line.)
And most galling--I was told that, as I was unmarried, without children, I had no excuse for not being at work before hours, after hours, and weekends. My co-workers with children got the time; I did not. Yeah, I'm still pissed.
I'm talking about the 1980s. Long before companies learned that they had to obey employment legislation, that they had to learn human rights legislation, and long before companies learned that they couldn't breach such legislation any more. Shouldn't be a surprise, but I now practice in this area, and I make sure that companies tow the line.
Fusion. the reason that you and your co-workers don't have to go through what I did (and indeed, doubt what I went through) is because of my efforts, and those of my colleagues, thirty years ago. You can at least say "thank you."
Just wondering Chevy... you mentioned in another post that you moved to Alberta where you found a better work-life balance. Would you say that's related to your particular situation or Alberta in general?
Because although it's not seen as being as go-go-go as Toronto, Alberta is probably a sold second on most people's lists for a "work-focused" part of Canada.
I think the 2 things I would find difficult living in Australia is that it is close to nothing else. You really are totally isolated from the rest of the planet when in Australia. NZ is probably the only other country that is even more isolated.
This would be made even worse by my second difficulty with Australia..........the sameness of the country. The country's architecture is basically the same from one region to the next. The history and founding cultures are the same across the country and even the landscape itself is not as diverse.
Melbourne and Sydney maybe rivals but similar to what NYC & Boston are opposed to Tor/Mon which are more rivals the way London and Paris are. Quebec has a unique history in NA but then Atlantic Canada is very distinct as well. Then from the communal Prairies to Rugged Alberta, and to BC which is socially very different from the rest of the West. The housing and architecture in Ont is very different from anything in Quebec, the Atlantic or the West. the North is completely unique.
Socially and culturally Australia doesn't offer much diversity. It would be like going from L.A. to SF. .........there are certainly different and unique in their own way but the overall society and norms are the same.
Canada, for just 35 million, is amongst the most socially and culturally diverse countries in the world with different languages, architecture, values, politics, culture, history, and outlook. It makes Canada a very hard country to govern but it also makes it a very interesting one.
In Canada going from one area of the country to the other offers a completely different lifestyle whereas in Australia, while there are small regional differences, you pretty well know what you are getting.
I think the 2 things I would find difficult living in Australia is that it is close to nothing else. You really are totally isolated from the rest of the planet when in Australia. NZ is probably the only other country that is even more isolated.
You need to check out places like New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, or Tonga. They may be off radar for Canadians, but they're as distinct from each other as they are from Australia. Perhaps Canadians view "the world" as North America and Europe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mooguy
Melbourne and Sydney maybe rivals but similar to what NYC & Boston are opposed to Tor/Mon which are more rivals the way London and Paris are. Quebec has a unique history in NA but then Atlantic Canada is very distinct as well. Then from the communal Prairies to Rugged Alberta, and to BC which is socially very different from the rest of the West. The housing and architecture in Ont is very different from anything in Quebec, the Atlantic or the West. the North is completely unique.
Socially and culturally Australia doesn't offer much diversity. It would be like going from L.A. to SF. .........there are certainly different and unique in their own way but the overall society and norms are the same.
Places like Darwin (NT), Melbourne (Vic), regional NSW and Qld, and Hobart are all very different places, offering different lifestyles, career options, social environments and population mixes. Add to that Australia's higher proportion of migrants in its population base.
Australia may lack the English/French divide of Canada and its spillover into politics, and hasn't experienced the degree of conflict with its first inhabitants that Canada has in recent history, but they're not the only markers of diversity. But I would agree that Australia seems more cohesive in terms of its sense national identity and is more at ease in being "Australian" than Canada seems to be in being "Canadian".
Last edited by Richard1098; 11-28-2014 at 01:44 PM..
You need to check out places like New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, or Tonga. They may be off radar for Canadians, but they're as distinct from each other as they are from Australia. Perhaps Canadians view "the world" as North America and Europe?
Places like Darwin (NT), Melbourne (Vic), regional NSW and Qld, and Hobart are all very different places, offering different lifestyles, career options, social environments and population mixes. Add to that Australia's higher proportion of migrants in its population base.
Australia may lack the English/French divide of Canada and its spillover into politics, and hasn't experienced the degree of conflict with its first inhabitants that Canada has in recent history, but they're not the only markers of diversity. But I would agree that Australia seems more cohesive in terms of its sense national identity and is more at ease in being "Australian" than Canada seems to be in being "Canadian".
Have you been to New Caledonia before? If so, how was it? Always seemed pretty interesting to me.
You need to check out places like New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, or Tonga. They may be off radar for Canadians, but they're as distinct from each other as they are from Australia. Perhaps Canadians view "the world" as North America and Europe?
Places like Darwin (NT), Melbourne (Vic), regional NSW and Qld, and Hobart are all very different places, offering different lifestyles, career options, social environments and population mixes. Add to that Australia's higher proportion of migrants in its population base.
Australia may lack the English/French divide of Canada and its spillover into politics, and hasn't experienced the degree of conflict with its first inhabitants that Canada has in recent history, but they're not the only markers of diversity. But I would agree that Australia seems more cohesive in terms of its sense national identity and is more at ease in being "Australian" than Canada seems to be in being "Canadian".
I would say New Calendonia, Vanuatu and Tonga would be off the radar for most Canadians.
Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are not. Not as popular I would suspect as Europe, but I know several people who have travelled to these places.
Have you been to New Caledonia before? If so, how was it? Always seemed pretty interesting to me.
My knowledge of New Caledonia and Tonga is largely based on what I've been told by friends and family who've been there. They all found their lack of proficiency in French really limited their ability to experience and understand New Caledonia beyond the "Aussie tourist experience". As a follow-on none of them thought they gained much of an insight into the Kanak - French dynamic.
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