Burning The Midnight Oil
"No wonder why Australia has the second highest coffee consumption in the world. It's because we are all up late watching sport!!...The second is to bite your hand as hard as possible and you will find that you soon wake up!"
Australia is a truly great country to live in, or indeed visit. It has all the great elements of multiculturalism as well as that true 'ockerness' that can only be found in the rural areas. Indeed, it is possible to be soaking up the rays on a beach in the morning and then going for a late evening ski the same day! However, one factor that affects Australia is its geographical location. Or as our former PM Paul Keating said 'it's the a$%end of the world'. I think that Mr Keating was referring to the geographical location of Australia rather than anything else!
One of the biggest issues with living in the 'Land Down Under' is the fact that a large number, no vast majority of sporting events take place late at night or early in the morning. At the moment I have been watching the Ashes (cricket test series between England and Australia) on television and have found myself struggling to stay up to watch most of the game. As cricket aficionados would know it finishes at 3am.
Recently we have had Wimbledon, the FA Cup final, virtually every Formula 1 grand prix race and the Tour de France being shown late on television due to the time zone factor. No wonder why Australia has the second highest coffee consumption in the world. It's because we are all up late watching sport!!
Then there is the football World Cup and the Olympics to contend with every four years. I recall quite clearly that the last football World Cup had matches broadcast at midnight, 2am or 4am for us geographical outsiders. I remember going to work looking like a zombie while using matchsticks to keep my eyelids open.
There are a couple of rules of thumb to follow if you want to burn the midnight oil and watch sport here in Australia. The first is not to drink to much alcohol as it will make you sleepy. The second is to bite your hand as hard as possible and you will find that you soon wake up! As for the blood seeping down your fingers - well that's another story.
So here's hoping that Australia holds some international sporting events in its own backyard very soon. That way the rest of the world will get an idea of what us long suffering sports fans have to put up with.
Australia is a truly great country to live in, or indeed visit. It has all the great elements of multiculturalism as well as that true 'ockerness' that can only be found in the rural areas. Indeed, it is possible to be soaking up the rays on a beach in the morning and then going for a late evening ski the same day! However, one factor that affects Australia is its geographical location. Or as our former PM Paul Keating said 'it's the a$%end of the world'. I think that Mr Keating was referring to the geographical location of Australia rather than anything else!
One of the biggest issues with living in the 'Land Down Under' is the fact that a large number, no vast majority of sporting events take place late at night or early in the morning. At the moment I have been watching the Ashes (cricket test series between England and Australia) on television and have found myself struggling to stay up to watch most of the game. As cricket aficionados would know it finishes at 3am.
Recently we have had Wimbledon, the FA Cup final, virtually every Formula 1 grand prix race and the Tour de France being shown late on television due to the time zone factor. No wonder why Australia has the second highest coffee consumption in the world. It's because we are all up late watching sport!!
Then there is the football World Cup and the Olympics to contend with every four years. I recall quite clearly that the last football World Cup had matches broadcast at midnight, 2am or 4am for us geographical outsiders. I remember going to work looking like a zombie while using matchsticks to keep my eyelids open.
There are a couple of rules of thumb to follow if you want to burn the midnight oil and watch sport here in Australia. The first is not to drink to much alcohol as it will make you sleepy. The second is to bite your hand as hard as possible and you will find that you soon wake up! As for the blood seeping down your fingers - well that's another story.
So here's hoping that Australia holds some international sporting events in its own backyard very soon. That way the rest of the world will get an idea of what us long suffering sports fans have to put up with.
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