Something meant to be shared 真水无香

          I am so thrilled to be appointed as the Emcee at Cyn Cyn’s wedding dinner in coming Oct. Hope my body will be back to shape by then!! Cyn Cyn, I will be join you in the Gym again, soon!

          I only started to really appreciated Melbourne in the last few days there. Wandering on the street in the city center at night, experience its café and pub culture, countless street performances, Comedy fest, the hidden alleys with full of treasure and surprises – the city just has so much to offer! Too much to drink it all in at one time…

          The last day in Australia was effortlessly beautiful too! Chee Mun, Joanne and Kiat drove up to Gold Coast to meet up with us and head to Byron Bay for a day trip. It was a perfect day. We had a great fun and I feel so blessed with such wonderful company.

          In fact, I feel so blessed the whole trip, all my friends were treating me and Al with so much kindness and thoughtfulness, it almost close to pampering.

          So, did I have fun? I bet lot of my friends in KL will ask me this question when I get back. I’d say, it doesn’t fit in my usual ‘standards’ of fun holiday, but it was bloody good fun for a most 7 months pregnant woman!

p.s I didn’t manage to experience the clubbing life in Australia eventually, I know, I know, pretty upset about it..but hey, that leaves something for me to do the next visit! Plus the skydiving of course!!

          I have seen quite a bit of Melbourne now, it a certainly a city  that has so much to offer. It is mixture of old and new, fast and slow, beaches and city, east and west…..
          We drove down to east coast of Port Phillip for a day trip, it was gorgeous. It is so lucky to have these beautiful coasts just an hour drive away from city! Not to mention all these trendy and chic cafes that hiding just next the corner. Melbourne is committed to a total lifestyle.
          However, in some ways, I feel it is almost too big, too sophisticated to handle. I feel insignificant, somehow diminished in the crowd. Cities like KL, maybe is because I’ve lived there for almost 10 years, I know where I stand, and I have my connections, I know people, I have my circle of friends. If I need to do something, I know how to get it done with a lot more confidence. I can make an impact there, or almost. Whereas, Melbourne is just… too big.
          Of course, from a different perceptive, I should see Melbourne from a completely different attitude – KL, or most of Asia society is about having the ‘connection’, I don’t necessarily need this here! I can/should focus on myself more, everything is more individualized. If this is true, I quite like that too, and I think I should be able to adapt to it easily.
          Anyway, I am having a coffee with Hamish tomorrow, the Regional Director of Towers Perrin. Looking forward to that!    

          OMG! It is soooo hot! It is like 40 degrees when we are arrived Melbourne, and it looks like the heat will stay for another few days.

          We are staying with Stella, my friend who I met in Milan 2 years ago. She offered her place when she found out that Al’s brother just had a young baby. It is such cozy place and she is a great host!

          We spent half day did some shopping for Al. Poor Al, it was my bad that I told him it is quite chillin’ out here (it was, in Brisbane and Sun Shine Coast, at least!), so he only brought a pair of shorts and two t-shirts, the rest are all the winter/autumn clothes! After he got off from all his smelly clothes and felt all good again, we spent another half day on St. Kilda beach.

          It is one of these few beaches that not only offer a gorgeous view but a lifestyle. It has filled up with countless chic cafes and boutique shops, not to mention all the good looking young people topping up their sun tan on the beach!

To be continued…

          I’ve finished my book, Neither Here Nor There, by Bill Bryson. It is about his travel experiences in Europe. The ironic thing  is, ‘neither here nor there’ was how he describes Europe or himself or his experiences in Europe, but I feel it is rather a good fit how I would describe Australia.

          Is Australia a western country? I’d say ‘na’. It doesn’t have the depth of heritage to stay a line with Europe or UK; not arrogant enough to call brothers with America. Then, is Australia a part of Asia, I’d say ‘na’ neither, though there are almost too many Asians migrated to here. So, to me, Australia is like where it locals – neither here nor there (let’s forget about New Zealand for now!) It is a complete a new world by itself.

          When I say ‘new’ I am not define it with a new definition, ‘new’ means less baggage from its past, easier to manage and adept to the better systems, focus on the ‘present’ and ‘future’ rather than the past (like most of Europe countries and China). 

         ‘New’ also means young. The country is full of energy and enthusiasm. This shows through not only from their physical activities, but also the general attitudes.

          It is because there isn’t much of complication in their past and presence. People here stayed simple and straight forward. I like how Michelle, Judy’s girl friend, put it, “Australia is a bizarre place, what you see is what you get!” I absolutely agreed. People here are generally honest, they like you or dislike you, they are not shy to show; they are friendly to you or they can’t be bothered, they do what they like, they are not afraid to hurt your feelings (unlike British, or Chinese, or Japanese for that matter).

          Australia is a tolerant country, apart from its cultural diversity, they almost made everyone equal, this is VERY different from the ‘tolerance’ in States, I think. I am sure States is just as diverse as Australia, or more. But one diversity is created by seeking for a lifestyle, the other is forced by intention of hunting for more gold (don’t give me ‘seeking for freedom’ sorta crap, please).

          Ok, the question now is, do I like Australia and can I see myself live here… yes and no. Yes, it is a good place to rise up children and for retirement, it has good social wealth system and all. You have a very stable environment and you will be paid based on how hard you’ve tried, easily. Life should be quite easy out here.

          No and maybe, because of its ‘neither here nor there’. The uncertainty leads me to think – will I be able to continually grow at a good pace in this environment? Will I find a good job that will nurture my talent, potential and existing experiences? Will I fit (I think it is easier for Al)?

          (Note: although here has no much of concept for status in what kinda job you do, a worker at café can make a good living out it. No one judge what you do but what you have achieved. To me, I’d like to find a job I can gain and feed my huger for knowledge. I am sure I can find a job in a café or shopping mall quite easily, but that’s going way backward, I can’t take that.)

          The bottom line is, do I want a ‘tasteful’ life in Asia or do I want a simple life in Australia’s outback yard.

           Benefited from chat openly and honestly, I started to know Judy, Tim and their lovely family better even only after spending few days with them. I have to say I really admire them (note: I don’t usually admire peolpe easily), their family and their life on the coast.

          Judy and Tim have been married 33 years, since their school years, they loved and supported each other. They said it’s not easy,  "marriage is something you need to always to work on, the moment you stop working on it, it is the moment the love is gone." I agreed. They actually have a lot of differences in interests and personalities, which also added flavors and colors in their life – Tim loves and very good at sports, whereas, Judy was the goodie-teacher’s favorite-top-student; Judy attracted to Tim’s ‘bad-boy’ attitudes and his strong and toned arms, Tim admired Judy’s smartness and ambitiousness in self-achievements. In Tim’s eyes, Judy is a perfect lady, she helped him to focus on what he want to achieve, at same time, she inspired him, motivated him to be a better person in his life; in Judy’s eyes, Tim is a real man, full of energy, strong yet sensitive, she feels totally protected and respected. A perfect match. (I don’t believe in ‘perfect’, but I just can’t find any other word that I can describe how good they are to each other!)   

          Another thing I must mention is how they treat and interact with their children. They are the most sensible, supportive and understanding parents that I’ve ever known, no judgments, no forced expectations. They loved and protected their kids’ nature and talent since the day they had them. They give their kid so much space and freedom, almost as if there is no much of parenting involve, but turns out so well. I guess lifestyle and general environment in Queensland helped as well. The point is they’ve made parenting looked so easy and natural. Their kids are absolutely wonderful! Both Jess and Hayden are wiser beyond their years and super self-efficient. Love has been expressed so straight forward and real in this family.

          Their lifestyle is something I fancy the most! They have well passed the years of hard work; it came to a time their started to re-focus on themselves and family. However, I am not talking about the lifestyle at this very stage of their life; I am referring to their lifestyle in general. They truly understand how to enjoy and appreciate what life offers them and embrace it. They are into sports, that keeps them health and active; they love to travel, no matter just two of them or the whole family, they never stop discover the rest of the world with enthusiasm; they don’t watch much of TV, instead, they create quality times and romance even when they are at busiest, a weekend away, camp in the van on the coast with wine and a surf board and books, they call it weekend recharge; they know true art of balance between work, socializing or dealing with reality. They don’t really interfere with their children’s life, respect and support their own choice in life, yet they manage to keep the family bond tight. They love their kids as much as they love themselves; they love their life just as much as they love to enjoy it, no matter good and bad.   

          Judy and Tim are a good team. They are not richest compare to some of Al’s friends (he may say), but they are living in such rich life. Looking at them, it makes think of me and Al, we are just started building a life together, where we are leading our future to, how we can improve our quality of life with our own pace and abilities, what kind of family we will create….and how we will be like after 33 years of marriage… I wondered.

          Sunshine coast is exactly like its name – full of energy. Surfing, jogging, cycling, all of this seemed not just their personal interest but part of everyone’s daily routines. Therefore, you will find more good looking people here than anywhere else in Australia!

          Judy and Tim get up at 5am every morning; Judy will go for a run while Tim surfs. I was so impressed when I heard that, firstly, I will never be able to get up at 5am everyday, and secondly, can you imagine how cold the water will be at that time of day, I don’t think I can even dip my toes in it! Respect, I said.

          I woke up when they’ve finished all that, plus some housework, prepare breakfast and finish reading the morning newspapers. Quickly got myself ready, we drove to another town where hosted this Weekend market. It is something like our ‘night market’ in KL; a good place to get a sense what locals up to. It has had almost everything, from food to household stuff, etc.. it is also a good place for local artists to promote their latest work. It was cool.

          Surfers Club is.. err.. how should I put it – it is a quite exclusive club, yet a real mix – young & trend, singles and couples, families… it is definitely the place for locals to socialize. I met up with Judy’s girl friends, and yes, they are all over 50s. I have to say  it was strange and funny experience - talking to them is not a problem, talking to them on my holiday, not what I exactly needed. The good thing is they are very open and fun girls, and they were so eager to share their experience in the Gay Mardi Gras fest they went few days ago in Sydney. Looking at them and listen to their conversations, I thought, ‘Will I be just like them in other 30 years?’ Oh dear, I need a beer.

          Meeting Jess is like having a breath of fresh air, just what I needed. She is another ’serious’ traveler, even more adventurous than me I think. She backpacked almost the whole Europe when she was only 19! And it’s so easy to tell people who travel, they are just so optimistic and open minded. I loved her instantly. Whereas, Judy and Tim’s son, Hayden, I found a little quieter and reserved. I met him and his wife (they both so young!) at dinner in an Indian restaurant. It was so sweet of them to bring me out for some Asian food, they think I eat too little and home-sorta-food will give me a better appetite! The truth is – it did help!

          Two days seemed too short, Judy and Tim agreed, so I decided to stay another 2 more days on the coast, it will give me some space for myself and some quiet time on the beach. I like that.

          I was close to desperate to meet Judy and Tim, I had too little contact with the ‘real Australians’ in my trip so far. My tummy is making such big of statement, it is just not easy for me to approach anyone or been approached (like it used to be)! See, my traveling motto is to mix with the locals and you will gain the local perceptive quite easily. So, I needed this just as much as I needed some beer.

          I met Judy and Tim on the plane to Frankfurt 2 years ago, we spent 10 hours in between the transit, and we hired a car to explore few German villages it’s near by the airport. I adored them then. They are these sorts of couples that you can feel the love between them so strongly… a look, a touch, a smile… yet, rest left unspoken. We chatted and chatted, it was so easy to make a conversation with them, open, comfortable and honest – I almost forgot that they were almost 30 years older than me! We shared a great time in these beautiful German towns and we kept in touch since then.  

          They picked me up from train station and headed straight home, dinner was prepared. What a gorgeous beach house, even at night! It was only 3 min walk to the famous Mooloolaba beach, and woo, check out inside of the house – super stylish and inviting! Nice~~I likie, it is my kinda taste..hehe

          Everything looks even better the next morning. Judy and Tim have already planned few things for me – Sunday market, an afternoon coffee at a trend café on the beach, early evening cocktails in an exclusive club called Surfers Club, meet up with Jess and Hayden, their daughter and son for dinner, and if the weather is good, I’ll get to see Tim surf etc…. woo hoo~~ can’t wait! Bring it on baby!

          I’ve been a ‘housewife’ these two days (not Desperate tho!)  cooking for Joanne, myself and Kiat, hanging around the house, doing laundry, etc. It was quiet, nicely quiet. Joanne’s garden was so nice that I can even do my sun bathing on the grass at backyard. I loved it. It was very relaxing, and I was thinking I would do this every day if I live here!

          At night, we drove up to Mt. Coot-Tha, where a popular place to see the city at night on the top of a hill. It was as nice as I would imagine, but I was more attracted to the stars, the sky is so clear here that I can even see the ‘Milky way’ perfectly! That was a treat! I wished Al was there to hug me tight at that moment…

          I am leaving to Sun Shine coast tomorrow to stay with Judy and Tim for a weekend, I met them on the road to Italy two years ago. Let’s see what that is gonna bring me…!

          A city without water is like without a soul.

          Brisbane is just as lucky as some other pretty cities, wrapped by a long and sparkled river. So, today, my plan is to see the city on the river by the city ferry called – City Cat. The national museum and modern art gallery are just next to the port, I decided to give them a quick look too.

          First of all, both museum and art gallery are for free, this is what I always believed, all the museums, art galleries, parks, and liberaies should be all for free! It makes the society a better place! People (especially the kids) who live there would hang around these places more rather than just the tourists.

          To be honest, I am not museum sorta person, it didn’t keep me for long even I did discover some interesting stuff. I moved on to somewhere else has more of ‘present’ feel rather than the ‘past’ and ‘future’… And I found this artificial beach right next to the river, it is this little oasis someone carefully created, people and all different kind of birds are swim together. It was such unique scene, so restful. There is even a beach! Cool!

          Jump onto the City Cat, I finally decided to pay University of Queensland (UQ) a visit, where is the last stop of one end. The visit will bring up too many memories which I wasn’t sure I could deal with. I suppose to finish my last year of university in UQ, but I messed up at that time…all that memories…it is not regrets; it is just ‘what ifs’…..

          I guess it’s not very common to see a young, attractive, healthy and pregnant mama in a university.  Everyone was literally staring at my tummy, measure me up with kinda wondering, confusing, to the extend, shocking look. I feel I am just like “Juno” at that moment. Ok, let’s move. UQ was a nice Uni. I’d love to study there.

          Heading back to the city, it was a perfect timing – the city glow in the golden and reddish sunset! All these Chinese, Koreans and Japanese tourists started their photos wars (they do chop off each other’s head, shoulders, etc, as part of background for their photos), it made me feel shy and self conscious to take my camera out, I didn’t like seeing myself as part of this ‘war’ or become someone’s background. Instead, I started to wander around boat while the front platform is crowded with noise and flashes. The other half crowd on boat was local working professionals who are on their way back home - relaxed, reading books or doing something quietly, most of them dressed very smart, and they all looked very used to all these shows right in front of them. I started to image if I would become one of them…. I think they are very lucky.   

           Here goes my perfect day. Now, I can very confidently say Brisbane is a very simple city. Everything about it is just so clear and straight forward - the city’s infrastructure, the rules and regulations, the people…  there is one more thing I like to check it out, the night life.

P.s. The bus was for free this morning again! At first I thought it must be some special national day for pregnant mums, but it was for everyone! And best part is everyone had that surprised look when they found out they don’t have to buy the ticket. There, I saved another RM 20! Woo hoo~