Polish Man in New World

The experience of entering the Polish House in Sydney does not differ from entering the Estonian one (Eesti Maja). It smells the same, like someone decided to collect all rusty antiquates from the past exactly here. There were paintings of Estonian landmarks displayed on the walls around. I recognized the national hero Kalevipoeg, Jaani church and other buildings from Tartu and Tallinn too. I could not remember the real explanation for Vastla Day. Before that day I was boasting around that I go for a party to celebrate some kind of less-known Estonian hero called Vastel. Me and Christina were treated with bear, with pea soup, sausages and of course Vastla sweet bread rolls. It was very yummy. In between the meals we were taught that this day is nothing but equivalent of English Ruby Tuesday and therefore strongly connected to Christian tradition. It was introduced into pagan Estonian society during the Swedish occupation. (something like “vastlamen” means in Swedish to fast). But this ...

I went to Perth. It is a nice slow motion city. I bought one book there. It turned out to be about Sydney: “…At the very word “philosophy” people in Sydney run away in droves, reach for revolver; the look down at their shoes, they smile indulgently, they go blank…” I do not write in English so often anymore. My friends from Switzerland employed software which translates everything into German. It hit me. Why to struggle and write in a foreign to me language then? I can’t find a good reason for it. It is probably about location. “…From being the most unphilosophical city in the world, Sydney has become the most psychological city in the world…” If you want to save money on psycho analysis please mix the book on “Pages” with movie on “Revolutionary Road” by Sam Mendes. It should shake you and awake you. It moved me yesterday night.. One asked me how is it to live in OZ land? It is first of all very easy – I answered. People here do not see it and at the same ...

There is a big discrepancy between how you see Australia from overseas and how you experience it from inside. Thanks to our uni we were able to “brake free” and go for a car trip. It was around 6000km of experience. Firstly we went via inland road to Adelaide and then along the coast back to Sydney. I was assisting in Christina’s project (more about it here: http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/dept/centres/pirel/christinabirnbaum.html ) The referendum in 1999 on being independent republic and Tony Abott thing show how difficult it is for so big country with so much potential to change. It is obsessive about its status quo. Quite like a spoiled child who wants to still consume a lot and at the same time stay under protective wing of Mother England. None of the European country is in possession of so much natural renewable resources. Unfortunately the wind farms we have seen in Toora and nearby Port Fairy are here still a rarity. Not to mention about solar panels and small engine cars. The seeds we...

If You go to one of my Polish post which is here: http://pawelwaustralii.blogspot.com/2009/11/podgrzewana-parapetowa.html you will see a picture from our house warming party. We tried to satisfy our quests with our national meals and aperitifs. We served Polish vodka, Estonian blood sausage, different salads, cucumbers, cabbage and mushrooms a la Eastern Europe and …. But The absolute number one was apple pie (in Polish SZARLOTKA). I’ve made it according to the recipe my mum usually uses. Many people asked me for a recipe after that so here it goes: WE NEED: 3 eggs (yolks only) 1 glass of wheat flour 1 glass of sugar 1 tea spoon of baking powder 50g of vanilla sugar 250g of margarine 1kg of apple 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon PREPARATION: Peel the apples and grate them or cut them into tiny tiny parts. Cut the margarine into the flour with knife until it will get well mixed. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, yolks (only) and form dough. Cut it into two halves. Use the first half as a bottom part w...

But I believe that Mark O’Connor is right. That truth is very inconvenient. There is too much of us in this world and politicians still push on population growth. More people, bigger demand – higher prices of goods. Business is business. Who cares about limited resources of our small planet? I recommend this book for everyone who does not want to be fooled anymore: A third century Christian author understands that already: “As our number and demands grow greater, our complaints against nature’s inadequacy are heard by all. The scourges of pestilence, famine, wars, and earthquakes have come to be regarded as blessing to overcrowded nations, since they serve to prune away the luxuriant growth of the human race” (page58)

In one of the MX Newspaper (the one handed out for free at the rail stations) Andrea Hamblin drew my full attention on issue of dating, saying: “it is like wrapping paper, is obviously an absolute waste of our time”. Yes, a “blow-up doll” has low chances to be your fiancee, especially when she shows you her face with no make-up on very next morning. There is one type of man though she might fit to. It is a plastic Ken. This is that sort of article which you usually enjoy on train and then you throw it to the bin. It is aggressive and out any logic but its form is capable to stir up your mind. It is always working on me negatively if someone put too much brain into soul things, too much of rationalism over empathy. One more thing happened on that day what kept on keeping me off the balance. I’ve listened to the lecture on population growth: Humans are bad. Pregnancy is bad. Contraception is good. No-people is good. Jesus! Let someone crucify me.

That was a long Tuesday meeting. We were discussing our future goals and past mistakes. I came to know many interesting things about my coworkers I sit nearby in our lab. But I came to know much about myself too: I am a philosophical type. If someone sends me to the moon in order to undergo investigation on its dust I want to know why I go there. What is the reason for humans to start populate new places? Is it a greed, curiosity or business? We do not know how to live on Earth. If we are capable to destroy our planet there is no need to go to the moon.