Thoughts of a Migrant

There was an article on 26 March at The Age entitled "Victoria's population growth fastest in nation". Basically it reported that amongst all the state in Australia, Victioria has the highest absolute population growth (of 117,900) in the year to September, 70% of which is from overseas migration. What's more intesting are the comments that followed. Most compalined about the pressure on resources due to the population boom, like health care, transport and also on housing prices. However one fellow "Grumpy" wrote: "Cheer up! Melbourne is still on the list of the 'World's most liveable cities', although it's starting to feel like Singapore now." LOL.

I cannot help but feel a tad bit conscious that my family of four are probably one of those immigrants that has arrived and contributed to the "squeeze". Ironically, it was partly the "squeeze" back in Singapore that propelled us here. Just like how some Singaporeans see the foreign immigrants as taking away their ricebowls, school places, HBD flats etc, I perfectly understand how these Australians feel.

It's interesting to note the parallels between Australia and Singapore. Both nations were built with the help of immigrants. Most of the whites in Australia had their ancestors from Europe. In Singapore, our forefathers came to Nanyang from China. As the nation develops and the economy grows, more migrants are needed for the workforce. Whether we like it or not, excessive immigration change the geography of the society and put pressure on resources, especially if the government has not made proper plans for the population expansion.

You might ask, while Singapore is already busting at its seams, Australia is a much bigger land, so why the grumblings about too many immigrants? Well, though there is much land, most of it are not yet developed. With the housing developments, roads, railways and basic infrastructures also need to be built to keep up with demand. Unfortunately, many Australians are feeling that the roads are getting more congested, the trains are more and more crowded, the queues at the hospitals are getting longer and the prices of houses are getting too high. Fingers are naturally pointing to the government's relaxed immigration policies and poor planning.


It is perhaps easier to count our blessings. As least, both countries still has control over the kind of immigrants that comes, more or less. I'm thinking about Tibet and how they are also a society with an influx of Chinese immigrants, only they have no choice. With the Chinese occupation in 1950 and the invasion of all things Chinese since then, their culture, language and the Tibetan race itself are at a risk of severe dilution.

At least, Australia and Singapore are still considered attractive to immigrants. Don't want to have any foreigners in your country? Try being a citizen in Cambodia or North Korea.

We may be two generations apart but my migration is no different from that of my grandfather when he came to Singapore many years ago from China. We are all in search of a better life.

A New Oven

My modest kitchen

My misfortune with the oven in our new home came to a peak when 5 days after we moved in, I decided to try using it to bake some fries and fish. The oven is a gas operated one and must have been at least 15 years old. It was extremely dirty when we took over the house. Some of the knobs were missing and the digital display wasn't working. So was the light bulb. It could be lighted but I found a metal backing of the oven on the floor of the oven and it couldn't be attached back, so I seriously doubt its effectiveness. The grill couldn't stay on, as soon as I took my fingers off the ON knob, the flames go off. I was so frustrated I called the agency and the landlord came over to take a look. He was quite apologetic about it and promised to do something about it. I think I must have sounded so pathetic that I succeeded in convincing him the condition of the oven is beyond repair as he called that evening to inform he's bought a new one.

As for dinner that night, the fish got cooked, but the fries, after about an hour with the temperature set at 200c, continued to be soggy in the center but burnt at the ends.

All's well now. A brand new oven came the next day and it was the most beautiful machine in the world at that moment. Still gas operated, but I've tested that it works as well as an electric one. Previously I was so devastated that I couldn't cook any more grilled chicken wings and bake all my cakes but now I'm at peace again.

From this old thing.....

...to this cool thing.

Today's dinner, including the dessert, was successfully cooked by using the oven and grill completely.

Menu: Grilled rosemary & garlic lamb cutlets, scotch fillet steak, foccacia bread and rich chocolate cupcake

Happiness is....

Our baby chilli weathered the storm

I sort of vaguely remember this comic cartoon long ago called "Happiness is...". It shows a boy and girl holding hands and everytime there'll be a different continuation to the sentence.

These days for me, happiness is...
....watering my capsicum and chilli plants in the backyard and watching if they'd grown a little.
....a brand new oven from the landlord and lovely cupcakes baking inside for the first time.
....watching cantonese Hong Kong serial and discussing the plot afterwards with my husband.
....a cup of homemade coffee or tea in the morning.
....picking up XX from childcare and peeping to see what he's doing.
....a slow morning walk to school with KK.

Packing

We're in the final stages of packing and I really don't have time for blogging now but I just want to say that moving house is 10 times worse than getting married. Yes, the preparations for the wedding started months before but I seriously don't remember the last two weeks before the big day as being as tiring and as intensive as shifting home.

I'd told myself that we've made the biggest move ever moving from Singapore, moving from house to house can't be worse. Even so, the packing is never ending and exhausting. Over the last weeks, since we got possession of the keys, we've been moving our stuff over everyday by the car load. We've only been here for less than two years, but the amount of stuff we possess, occupying the depths of the cabinets, wardrobes, is frightening me.

We started with a little over 200kg of personal belongings. Over time, silently and slowly, one little purchase at a time, we've added to our collection furniture, plates, cups, saucepans, baking tins, plastic storage boxes, electronics, jackets, pyjamas, pants, shoes, toys.....the list goes on. Most of these purchases are neccessary for everday living and I'm well known to be prudent as a shopper. Plus there's always my CFO other half to counter check. Still, at moments like these, we regret 50% of our shopping extravagance.

Nevertheless, I feel I've done a pretty good job so far. I just have to press on and keep on packing. Everything will be cleared soon. Then begins the unpacking at the other side.

My Butterfly

A little miracle happened today. A butterfly is born.

Well, butterflies are born everyday, no big deal, but this butterfly is born not on a twig nor on a leaf but right inside our house. What is more amazing is this butterfly's cocoon (called chrysalis) was right on the kitchen island where I prepare food day in day out. Besides the fact that I have absolutely no idea how the pupa got there and attached itself onto the side of a wooden decorative tray, I'm totally amazed that no one had noticed it, myself included, over the many days it takes for it to mature. If I had seen it any earlier, in its caterpillar or pupa stage, I'm pretty sure I'll freak out and it will end up in the bin. Now you know why I can't be a Buddhist.

So really, it's a miracle of sort that this butterfly survived all it's four stages of transformation unharmed, with the most crucial stage perched in an extremely dangerous environment somemore, under the nose of a merciless pest killer. Today it finally emerged from its chrysalis, light green wings all fully formed.

At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I blinked and stared for a few seconds to confirm my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. "How did the butterfly get here?" were my first thoughts. Then I gently prodded the tiny translucent pouch next to it with a stick. It felt empty and I saw a little crack. This must be where the butterfly had crawled out from. Too bad I didn't witness the moment. With the wings fully extended now, it didn't look like that little sac could have fitted it inside at all. It didn't fly away so I caught the butterfly in a jar, thinking to show it to Hubby later, and got on with preparing dinner.

While the pasta was cooking, something in me decided to return this little creature to its natural habitat. I've come to appreciate butterflies as very important creatures in the garden. Like the bees and other insects, they help to pollinate the flowers needed to produce the fruits. The glass jar is no home for a baby butterfly. Maybe it needed some food? So I trodded to the backyard and released the fella in front of some flowers. It hopped out and attached itself to one but it does not fly away for a long time. Maybe it doesn't know how to yet? Perhaps its wings are still new and weak. I walked into the house to stir the pasta and take my camera and it was still there.

With an unexplained tenderness and afinity for the butterfly, I watched it for a while, waiting for it to fly away. Once again, I'm amazed by the miracle of life.

Moving On

The chicken wings, marinated earlier in the day, are grilling in the oven and we're gonna bring it over to a friend's place later for dinner where the adults will be having beef curry. Boy, after a busy day, am I hungry!

These first 2 days of March have been significant, busy and we know the coming weeks will get busier. KK started his first day at a new school on Monday and on the same day, we also took over the keys to our new house. Our new place is in fact an older house and slightly smaller, a far cry from our current place. Yet we are willing to give up a modern and spacious townhouse, a wonderful landlord and good neighbours and go through the hassle of moving house, all in the name of education.

To cut a long story short, we have not been satisfied that KK is reaching his fullest potential in his current school and the move to a better school is neccesary for the future of our child. I believe I've fallen into this category know as "kiasu parents" but I don't think I have a choice. In Singapore, MOE assigns all the teachers, sets a very clear syllabus for all schools to follow and set an academic standard so high that even the worst school cannot go very wrong if they follow MOE guidelines. Here in Australia, teachers are recruited by the principals and schools have a much freer hand in the curriculum, so standards can vary greatly between schools. In the past, no one knows where each school stands as there are no rankings nor a central source of information on their academic performance. There is however a standardised test that all Australian kids take at Year 3 and 5 called the NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) test and this year, the results of all schools were published on a centralised website set up by the Federal Government. The published results allow parents to compare how well the schools did among other schools of similar profiles. There is a common belief that private schools are better than public ones but with this website, we can see that this is not the case all the time. In any case, this publication proves what we have known all along and confirms the necessity to shift. The early signals that we have made a wise move are encouraging. KK has reported after 2 days that he finds this school more interesting and has declared he likes this school better.

As for the house, I believe that as soon as we settled in, we'll get used to it soon. With some furnishings and decorations, an old place can look pretty cosy too. Most importantly, it's the family and not the house that makes a home.

But gosh, I'm gonna miss my dishwasher and electric oven!!