A Perfect Summer’s Day – Marco Asibal

A Perfect Summer’s Day 

Although winter is my favorite season summer is quite enjoyable as well. Like many other people who live in Australia, probably a large majority of the population, my idea of a perfect summer’s day is spent at the beach with the sun’s rays scorching the sand and warming the water. One of my favorite beaches is Torquey, about twenty-two kilometers south of Geelong, great beach, huge surf and is manned by life-guards. Once we get to the beach I usually just go around for swim, go body boarding, explore rock pools in search for aquatic life or just relax and chill on the sand, yep I’m as busy as a bee when I am at the beach. What I especially like about the beach are the many aspects of it which you can enjoy. For example, a particularly enjoyable audio perspective of the beach is the hypnotic yet relaxing roar of the waves. If you never heard that sound before it kind of goes like this; Whoosh, Whooosh, Whoooosh, Whooooosh, Whooosh, Whooosh, Whoosh, Whooosh, Whooosh, Whoosh, Whoosh, Who – well you get the idea. Visually, the beach is a like a brilliant piece of art; vibrant and alive. Another great aspect, this time from a more physical sense, is the cool yet salty ocean lapping at you feet as you wade into the surf. Finally, the sweet aroma of the salt completes the whole beach scene. These various aspects, by themselves are wonderful but when combined together it’s like paradise.

Every time I go to the beach I always bring three things with me. The first item is a pair of sunnies because without them, when you look up into the sky and see the sun happily smiling down at you it’s not exactly the healthiest thing ever.  The second thing is also health related; sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. Lastly and most importantly, I always bring my faithful water distiller with me because you know; free salt. That’s the reason why I go to the beach at all; the luxuries are just a bonus.

Journal Entry

Diary entry – The night before the grand final

“Gutless wonder! Gutless wonder!” That’s what the crowd’ll be chanting as we soberly walk of the field. As the losing team. And everyone will be blaming me. However their accusations hold no truth because it’s not my fault. Arks would be the person to blame for our team’s thrashing in the grand final as he stupidly made me first ruck knowing that I was hopeless and would let the team down. You also should blame Carol (our original first ruck and a bloody good one) for being disqualified from the team ultimately leading to our demise in the grand finale match. Well, if we’re playing the blame game, blame also my opponent Thumper for being 

a bloody tank on the field. How the hell am I supposed to go up against him?

Honestly, I shouldn’t even be in the footy team; my kick is horrendous, I can’t run (well, compared to Dumby) and I can’t even ruck to save my life. The only reason I made the team is, like I said, is because I’m 

pretty tall and I’m a Goonya. There are probably plenty of Noongas a lot better than me.

Deep down though, I desperately want to this win this match. I’m trying not to get my hopes up but I know everything counts on this game. To name a few there’s my name, which could stay Gary ‘Blacky’ Black or become Gary ‘Gutless Wonder’ Black, my relationship with the old man and of course Pickle’s sexual life. These things, no matter how small ultimately lead disaster in the future. There are just so many things to think about and not enough time...

God, I can’t get sleep; a combination of anxiety and excitement is keeping me from doing so. One of Mum’s pills should cure my insomnia, I‘ll go downstairs and get one now.

Gary

My Name

José Marco Asibal

My first name José comes from my father who was also named José and I was therefore named after. Coincidentally my father’s father was also called José. I suppose I should also name my kid José otherwise I would have broken this tradition. My middle name was chosen just because it sounded good with José and Asibal. However when I was a child when people said José it confused me, because I did not know whether they were referring to me or my father so eventually I just made my middle name my preferred name. Lastly Asibal, like all Filipino surnames, comes from Spain.

Deadly Unna? - Questions

1.      What picture do we get of Blacky in the first chapter? Consider, for example, his sense of humor.

From the chapter one we do not learn very much about Blacky’s life as the chapter mostly goes into the upcoming football grand final. However we do find some important points about Blacky’s life in this chapter. One he plays football, two he is second ruck, three he becomes first ruck after the person playing first ruck was disqualified and five he is suddenly the most important person in the town.

2.      In Chapter 4, Arks takes Blacky for some extra rucking practice. Before this Blacky has given the impression that he is always making fun of Arks. How does he feel towards Arks at the end of this chapter and why does he say to Arks, 'Don't worry, we're gonna win this one'?

Chapter four sees Blacky does some rucking practice with Arks. As the first ruck, Carol, was disqualified they had no time to find a new one so Blacky was appointed first ruck. However when Arks sees Blacky play he realizes how his hope of finally winning a grand final has been lost. Even Blacky recognizes this. “This was his big chance – the talk was that next year the Point would get organized, field its own team – and he’d lost Carol, his best player, his first ruck. All he had was me – Jam-Jar Black” (Page 19).

3.      We first meet Dumby Red in Chapter 5. What is your impression of him in this first meeting? What is Blacky's impression of him?

When we first read about Dumby Red we find that he cares greatly about his appearance, he is very athletic and the fact that he is extremely good at playing football. When Blacky first meets Dumby in the boys change room he thinks that Dumby is up himself and that he is stupid due to the fact he does not know what position he plays on the field. After seeing how skilled Dumby is, Blacky’s first impressions turn to jealousy as Dumby has it all, “This Dumby Red was trendy, he was talented, he was up himself, he wore Jezza’s number, and he had that smile” (Page 25).

4.      In Chapters 6, 7 and 8 we get a good view of Blacky's family life. How would you describe it? What sort of relationship does he have with his siblings and why is Best Team-man called Best Team-man?

Blacky’s family consists of eight children, four boys and four girls, and two parents. Due to the fact that there are so many children it makes their family life somewhat seem like a football team. “I reckon a family is like a football team. Perhaps it’s the original team” (Page 42). His relationship with his siblings is very predictable for a family of that size. From the brief description of his siblings (bar Team-man) in the book, barley a page, it suggests to me that to Blacky at that moment football was his main focus, not so much his brothers and sisters. Best Team-man, Blacky’s brother, was given a whole chapter that gives the origins of his nickname Best Team-man

5.      Why had Blacky never been to the Point? (Chapter 10)

Blacky has never been to the Point, though he has tried once, due to stories he has heard at the local pub that tells of wild Aborigines that attack people with their spears and boomerangs. “But then we started thinking about those stories they told in the front bar – wild Nungas with spears, boomerangs that came from nowhere and knock you senseless”(Page 57) .

Colloquial Language

Colloquial Language - Tennis

Being part of a tennis club I have quite a few friends who also play tennis. Some of my friends are hackers like me and others can play tennis exceptionally well. Take my friend Earl for example. He’s been playing for eight years. Whenever I play against him he handcuffs me, he puts away shots with ease, he can moon shoot the ball right into no-man’s land and occasionally he can even pull off a tweener. He is as fast as a cheetah on court, has strong fore-hands, his backhands have so much top-spin that the ball spins like a propeller in the air and when he serves the ball he does it so easily yet so accurately and lightning fast. Eventually after playing for around ten minutes he’s already got an insurance break on the match so I just end up tanking the game but sometimes if I’m do better than usual, I can get a couple points although not enough to win a game unfortunately. Hopefully after a few more lessons of tennis I can play the counterpuncher or the pusher and finally win a match, or if that’s too much to ask; a set.

 Seriously he’s like Roger Federer or something.

Mini Wiki/biography on an Aboriginal

Ernest ‘Ernie’ Ashley Dingo

Ernest ‘Ernie’ Dingo is a well known Aboriginal television presenter and actor and is especially known for his role in the popular Australian series “The Great Outdoors”.

Biography:     

Born at 7:10 AM on the 31^st of July, 1956 in a cattle station in remote Western Australia, he was given an English name; Ernest Ashley Dingo (After his grandfather, Jimmie Dingo) and a traditional Aboriginal name; Oondamooroo (“Oonda” meaning shield and “Mooroo” referring to the particular patterns on the shield). Ernie is from of the Yamajti tribe found in Murchison, a region of Western Australia and is able to speak his native language, Wadjarri.

After showing his skill in oral traditions of his tribe, Ernie was moved away from his family at the age of 12 to Mullewa where he attended Prospect Primary and then Geraldton High.  When he was 17 years old Ernie he began his apprenticeship as a sign writer. As time progressed Ernie joined a local basketball team and in 1978 his career in song and dance began as his team formed a Middar Aboriginal Dance Theatre. He soon discovered a liking for acting as he took on various roles in plays by Western Australia Aboriginal playwright Jack Davis, for example “The Dreamers”.

Ernie’s first appearance on television in 1985 in the miniseries “Cowra Breakout” (1984) and subsequently gained popularity in the comedy show “Fast Forward” (1989-1893). Some of his first major screen roles were in films – “Tudawali” (1985), Fringe Dweller (1986) and “State of Shock” (1989) – all of which sympathetically dealt with problems of racism. Ernie received his very first reward in 1988” at the Banff Television Festival in Canada. He was awarded the Special Jury Prize for his role in “Tudawali’ where he plays one of the first Aboriginal screen actors, Robert Tudawali.  

In 1993 Ernie became a reporter in the popular travel series “The Great Outdoors” and by 2001 Ernie became national celebrity. Ernie’s Aboriginal background has had a major effect on his acting aspect of his life.

“Dingo draws on traditional and contemporary aspects of his native culture to shape his work as an Aboriginal actor because such work frequently also requires him to be a consultant, cultural mediator, co-writer and translator. Although taking roles scripted specifically for an Aboriginal actor by white writers and directors while establishing his career, Dingo has since worked consistently to popularize Aboriginal perspectives on Australian life…… Dingo has since worked consistently to popularize Aboriginal perspectives on Australian life.” –

http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Dingo,_Ernie

Having raised mainstream awareness and understanding to Aboriginal culture he received his A.M. (Member of the Order of Australia) for his services to the Arts in 1991.

In 1989 he married Sally Butler, a sales representative from Tasmania, and they raised a quite extended family which has consisted of; Ernie (Father), Sally (Mother), Carllen (Ernie's oldest daughter whom he fathered when he was 18), Zoe (Also Ernie’s daughter. She was conceived in 1988 during a brief relationship), Jurra (Carllen’s son) and Willera (Adopted). Sally has written two books about her husband and their family; “Ernie Dingo: King of the Kids” and “Dingo, The Story of our Mob”.

In 2010 two women from New South Wales and Victoria claimed to have been in affairs with Ernie. It was reported that Ernie and Sally were living in an open marriage for the sake of their children however this statement was found to be false and was retracted. In August 2010 another scandal plagued Ernie as it was announced by W.A police that they had opened an investigation into reports of child abuse by Ernie Dingo. He was accused of slapping and verbally abusing an 11 year old boy at Carnarvon Primary School. Ernie denied the claims and stated:  "I deny it, but until there is an outcome I can't really talk about it." A trial held on the 3^rd of February, 2011 a trial was held in Carnarvon and on April the 18^th after a meditation session all charges against Ernie were dropped and the case was formally dismissed.