I'm into my 5th month in Melbourne already and I've come to
realise that the folks here can be loosely categorised into three
groups when it comes to interactions with Asians :
1 - Those who don't know much about Asia and have not ventured far
outside Australia and even if they have toured in Asia, they
probably never tried to immerse themselves in the diverse culture
and they return with Australia none the wiser;
2 - Those who know / don't know about Asia but don't give a hoot
anyways because they generally have a negative opinion of Asians.
Doesn't matter if it's just one nationality / group of people, as
long as you're not 'one of them', you're not kewl. 
3 - Those who have travelled / worked in Asia and have Asian
friends and made an attempt to reach out to people who are
different and thus broaden their horizons.
After encountering too many from Categories 1 and 2, it was
refreshing recently to meet Aussies who are accepting of cultural
differences. This morning, I had a patient and her husband play a
guessing game when I stepped out of their room and when I returned,
they asked, "Are you from Singapore / Malaysia?" and I was
surprised they could tell so I said, "Singapore! How did you
guess?" And they said, "Well, your English is good! You can't be
from China!" 
And how about another couple who have travelled extensively in
Asia, including Singapore, and the minute they found out where I'm
from, they exclaimed, "You must miss the food and the shopping back
home! It's so clean and pretty and safe in your country!"
It's really interesting to meet lots of folks and gather from their
vibes what they think about people of your kind. 
I don't mind having honest talks with the
folks I know, to explain cultural nuances to them. I mean, at
least, they are interested. What I find challenging, is when
someone speaks to me slowly and loudly, assuming that I have a low
English language ability, or when they make assumptions based on
your skin colour. 
The world is getting smaller, what with air-travel and the internet
breaking down barriers. It's frightening to see how myopic some big
nations can be! I mean, before you can play a "big brother" role
(with absolutely no references to that crappy show, excuse me!),
shouldn't you at least get to know your 'li'l brothers' well
enough?
Anyways, this is just me, sharing one of my observations here.
