Cross-Cultural Conversations

Observations by a Malaysian studying in Australia

Run Boy Run

I arrived in Melbourne from Geelong to get my airline ticket to Kuala Lumpur validated and also to meet up with a friend. Having arrived at 3.35 pm, my first agenda was to go to the Malaysia Airlines office in Nauru House before they close for the day. Being the overconfident person that I am, I didn't bother to note down the address of Nauru House, or bring a map of Melbourne's CBD, relying instead on my memory of visiting the place 6 months ago.

My overconfidence paid off as I found myself in Little Collins St, which means Collins St where Nauru House is situated, must be close by. I instead found myself in William St. No worries, I'm just passing through. The great thing about Melbourne is that, like New York, it's designed in a grid pattern, so a pedestrian like me can simply criss-cross one street to get to the other. As long as I stick with Little Collins St I'll eventually get to Collins St.

I found myself passing through Queen St, Elizabeth St, Swanston St and all the way to Exhibition St, and nowhere nearer to Nauru House, let alone Collins St. This grid system isn't that great after all. I didn't want to criss-cross from one street to the next anymore, I simply want to get to my destination.

Eventually, through pure luck, or perhaps my in-born global navigation sense was finally getting into gear, I found Collins St. I had to choose whether to go left or right, and my instinct told me to go right. Because it was already 4.15 pm, I decided to run. I felt like that red-haired German woman in Run Lola Run, running through the city while others went about doing their mundane daily business, although I like to think I ran faster and more importantly, am considerably handsome.

Having reached the end of Collins St, I was perplexed that Nauru House was still nowhere in sight. I asked a local bloke if he knew where it was. "It's at the other end mate".

posted by: Tembaga2 at 01:36 | link | comments (2) |

Comments:

#1  09 November 2003 - 03:07

 

*guffaws uncontrollably*

Anonymous

#2  11 November 2003 - 10:11

 

great instinct, nir... but at least you got to be the hot male version of "run Lola Run" twice. that's something, haha by the way, if you somehow still an't figure out who this is, kasa here

Anonymous

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