Four Seasons in Australia

I have now experienced what it is like to have the 4 seasons! That's one wish fulfilled.

3 more days and it will be exactly 1 year from the day we moved to Melbourne. I still remember bidding a tearful farewell to my family and relatives at the Changi airport and then arriving Melbourne airport the next Sunday morning with 100kg of luggage.

Looking back, it was a year of many firsts for my family and personally. It's the first time I DON'T earn any money and depend totally on my husband's income. It's the first time I have to look after the children and cook every single meal for them without any outside help. I have shared my many other small "first times" in this blog - like baking bread, making soya milk, apple pie, jiaozi, sewing a quilt etc etc. I don't think I would have done all these if I was still back in Singapore.

Yes, it does feel strange at first, like losing a part of your identity, not having a profession to belong to. I'm no longer a 'trainer' or 'AO' or 'consultant', just KK and XX's mum and Hubby's wife. Well I do admit feeling that tiny bit envious of my friends travelling around for work and making big progress in their careers. BUT as my friend Gladys has reminded me, there's no looking back and it is a choice I'd made very consciously. The choice to spend more time with my children in their childhood years.

Nowadays, life is much simpler. I'm responsible only to my family and what keeps me awake at nights are thoughts of what to cook for tomorrow's dinner, how to use up that cream in the fridge, when do I need to go KFL and why meringues weep...:)

And I really love watching my children grow. Waking up each morning to XX's smiling face at me, waiting for him to fall asleep, watching him eat toast with jam, listening to his attempts at singing, teaching him to jump, hop, sommersault.... Seeing KK come home from school each day with dust on his knees and sometimes a bruise or two, listening to his nonsensical improvised songs, watching him do silly dances in front of the TV..... Yes, these 2 boys keep me very busy and happy at the same time.

So what's the verdict? Do we like it here and are we gonna stay here permanently?

There are many things here that makes my blood boil, like Telstra's unfair and uncompetitive pricing, the Rudd governement's stupid distribution of cash policy and the shameful Brimbank council...just to name a few. But there are many many wonderful and refreshing things that we love here too. The wide open supermarket aisles, the cooler and drier climate, the big houses and backyard gardens, growing our own herbs and vegetables, driving to the countryside on weekends, cheaper and fresher meat, fruits and dairy products, large and well-equipped parents room in shopping centers, free carparks, BIG BIG specialty shops, juicy MacDonald's cheeseburgers...and so much more.

This one year away has made me appreciate Singapore's goodness in many ways and realise how important it is to preserve our Chinese roots. Ironically, I have never emphasized so much on the Chinese language and customs until we come here. At the same time, we also realise that there are some things we want that Singapore can never provide. I've always tell people, at the end of the day, there is no perfect place on earth. Every country and place will have its shortcomings and own set of problems. It really depends on what you want and if you can overlook the bad things for the good ones.

Honestly, we still have yet to decide if Melbourne is THE place we want to settle in the long term. Currently, we are still looking for the right suburb to be in. But we are in no hurry to make that decision. One thing is for sure, we will not give up this opportunity to have a 2nd option. And we thank God that we have this option.