Sweating It Out On New Year's Eve

I spent the New Year's Eve of 2006 at the local hospital with Joanne, who was down with contact dermititis on both her feet. It was an agonising evening for both of us. Last night was yet another agonising New Year's Eve for us.

No, we didn't usher in the new year at the hospital this time. We were at home, but we might as well had been in a furnace. Dear God, it was HOT! It was hot all day with the temperature soaring past 41 degrees Celcius. It was so bad that at one point, the local authorities were considering banning the annual New Year's Eve firework display in the city. Luckily for the revellers waiting to see the big show, the firework display was allowed to go on.

I couldn't help wondering how those revellers took the heat. The crowd must have been overwhelming. Even in the so-called comfort of our home, the sweltering heat was unbearable. Unlike our Cheras home, which is fitted with 4 air-conditioning units, there is none in our rented home here Doncaster. We have 2 standing fans and a mobile cooler, which is totally useless in hot temperatures.

So we all sweated like pigs on New Year's Eve. I couldn't even watch the TV in the living room because the mobile cooler had been moved to the bedroom. You can imagine what a boring New Year's Eve that was.

We all went to bed early, trying to sleep. I couldn't. I woke up several times to open the windows to see if there were any cool changes. There was none. The air outside was still. There was hardly any breeze at all. So I did what I could to cool down.

I splashed cold water on my face. I sprayed water all over me. I stuffed my little pillow in the freezer for a while so that it would be cool to the touch when I took it out. I even stuck my own head in the freezer a few times!

Luckily the kids have a better fan in their room. Otherwise, they would be wailing too.

Morning came and the temperature was only slightly better. Now, as I'm writing this, the temperature has shot up to 36 degrees and it's not even 11am yet. Guess it's going to be another HOT HOT day.

I really dread summer sometimes ... Thank goodness there are cool changes now and then.

It's Christmas Time

Well, Christmas sure is a big thing here. KLCC Suria may have the biggest Christmas tree I'd ever seen but there are lots more Christmas-related ornaments, decorations and activities here in Melbourne than KL.

We were here during Christmas last year. But since we were busy starting our new lives here, we didn't explore the shopping malls all that much. This year, however, we've gone around and seen a lot more. It started way back in October when the first Christmas ornaments made their appearances. I first saw those in Myer.

They are not only Christmas trees, reindeer, stocking, angels, etc. They actually come in so many interesting forms. Some of them depict mini villages, playgrounds, hot air balloons and fun fair. And Santa is not always on his sleigh. He can be on a motorbike, climbing a ladder or fixing some lights. Quaint and quite a sight to behold.

And now, with Christmas just a week ago, you can see even more Christmassy stuff. You can even write a letter to Santa Claus and post it and receive a reply from the jolly old man himself. Of course, at scheduled times, you get to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you wish for Christmas.

Naturally, you can also find Christmas cards, gift wraps, gift bags, ribbons, gift tags, gift boxes in virtually every shop and supermarket. And gift ideas - you can find them everywhere. Shopping malls everywhere are having sales too, enticing everyone to spend more.

Yes, Christmas is commercialised but the good thing is, the folks here haven't completely lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas plays and carols are conducted at parks, schools, community halls, etc. And kids get to enjoy lots of free train rides and free passes to here and there.

Well, we may not have white Christmases here, but the Christmas here sure beats the Christmas in KL.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Anniversary

Today marks my very first anniversary in Melbourne. Unbelievable. It's been one whole year and it seems like just yesterday when I flew here with Joshua and Joanne.

Nothing much has happened. I haven't even seen much of Melbourne and only attended my very first "formal" dinner 3 nights ago - Alex's company-cum-Christmas dinner. Well, that was quite something - to be surrounded, hugged and pecked on the cheek by people I barely knew. And the dinner dragged on for hours until after midnight. No joke. If you think Chinese dinners are bad, this Gwai Loh style dinner is even more long-winded. Still, it was good fun, and the food was glorious. Plus, we were entertained by Hot Stuff the clown-cum-magician.

Well, that was pretty much the highlight of my ENTIRE year here. But at least we are enjoying a better quality of life here. Water restrictions and costly charges from tradesmen notwithstanding, everything else is great. Cleaner air, less traffic, fantastic schools, excellent healthcare services, efficient public services, helpful civil servants, friendly people, safe environments, the list goes on. No complaints there, really.

And the kids love it here too. They've adapted to life here so well I don't think they can survive life in KL anymore. Even I would find going back to KL difficult. The atrocious public service in Malaysia is enough to serve as a deterrent for me! Not to mention some other unmentionables back in Malaysia. Sad but true.

Yep, I'll stick around here. With both kids at school next year, I'll have more time to myself. Maybe I'll be able to explore Melbourne on my own in my free time. That should be fun. Can't wait.

I Cannot Survive!

The above three words were repeatedly uttered by my six-year-old as he clutched his head with both hands as a terrible headache ripped through his head. These three words and others with similar effects such as "How can I live like this?" and "Is the pain ever going to go away?".

Well, I must say Joshua is a bit of a drama king. And since he has a rather low threshold on pain, he tends to whine excessively when he's in pain. What's a 5 on a scale of 10 for most people is probably a 9 to him. So when he developed a bad headache a couple of days ago, he sounded as if he needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Which was exactly what his grandfather thought. You see, on Tuesday, just five minutes before the last school bell went off, he started screaming in pain in his classroom. I wasn't aware of that though I was already at his school with his grandparents (who are here for a long visit) and his sister Joanne. I saw his teacher Miss McDonald coming out from the classroom quite frantically but didn't know she was looking for me. She didn't see me and went back into the class.

I only realised Joshua's predicament when Rosemary - Joshua's best friend Alexander's mum - saw me and quickly told me about the situation. Naturally, I rushed to his classroom and found him being comforted by both Miss McDonalds and Mrs Powells, the teacher from the next class. He was crying incessantly, worrying both the teachers.

I know my son. It was probably not as bad as he appeared to be. So I did my best to comfort him and carried him back to the car. At that point, I knew there would be some problems with the grandparents. Joshua is their favourite grandchild and one of them would insist on my doing something extra.

Back in my mind, I knew some Panadol, lots of water and a good rest would do the trick. But no, grandpa kept saying we had to send Joshua to the clinic. I didn't oblige. It was 4pm and you could only get to see a doctor by appointment. By then, I doubt there was any slot left for me for the day as the clinic closed at 5pm. The clinic would, at best, arrange an appointment the next morning. The other option is the Emergency Department of the Box Hill Hospital, an option I found totally ridiculous because you would have to wait for at least 3 hours before any doctor could see you.

So I ignored the old man and drove straight home. Of course, Joshua kept wailing and screaming as if he was on the brink of death. I knew someone wasn't happy with me but I called the shots here. Thankfully, my mother-in-law was here 2 weeks earlier and she'd seen how appointments needed to be made at clinics and how whiny Joshua was when he was down with gastroenteritis. So she backed me up although she was very concerned as well.

Finally we got home (the journey was less than 10 minutes thouth it felt like like 1 hour with all the screaming at the back seat). I got Joshua to swallow a spoonful of Panadol and lots of water. Then I gave him a head rub with some minyak angin. He fell asleep in less than 10 minutes. And he was out for almost 2 hours after that.

By 6.30pm, he woke up and was okay. Good as new. Boy I was glad I didn't kow-tow to some stupid demand. Rushing a kid to a hospital because of a headache? That would be really too much ...

Teachers On Strike

Today, thousands of Victorian public school teachers didn't turn up for work. Instead, they staged a big protest demanding higher pay, better working conditions and smaller class sizes. Yep, the teachers had gone on a strike.

It's totally unheard of in Malaysia. Malaysian teachers generally get paid peanuts (and some deserving teachers never get the promotion or increment that should be theirs though some other lazy ones get triple promotions simply because they have the right skin colour), work throughout school holidays and handle classes with more than 45 kids each.

Big difference? You bet. But nothing is ever good enough for the Aussies. Nurses, airline employees, factory workers and even police officers stage what they term as "Stop Work Action" activities from time to time. I suppose to them the action is justifiable. I haven't been here long enough to pass any good judgement but I guess as they have their reasons. And if it's for the good of all eventually, why not? Very often, whenever the demands by certain unions are met, they perform a lot better. So it's cool.

That said, these strikes are also very disruptive. Some parents were understandbly upset because they were given too short a notice. Many working parents even had to bring their kids to work today because they couldn't find anyone to take care of their kids.

Joshua's class was not affected. So he went to school as usual. But more than half the school's kids were not there today because their teachers had refused to show up. And these "defiant" teachers have vowed to continue "industrial actions" until their demands are met. Which means we can expect more strikes in the near future.

A day or two of strikes are okay. I just hope they don't go on strike for 2 weeks every day consecutively. That would be disastrous!

Invasion Of The Flies

Gosh, I detest flies! And there are so many of them around these days. For the uninitiated, flies abound here during prolonged hot seasons. And since it's almost summer and the temperature has been soaring way past 30 degrees of late, flies thrive, making a nuisance of themselves.

They are real pests with a penchant of making pit stops at various points of your face, notably the eyes, nose and mouth. Disgusting! Sometimes I feel like a corpse with those tiny buggers hovering and buzzing around me.

Back in Malaysia, we always joke that if flies buzz around you, that means you stink, literally. Well, you don't have to stink here to attract flies during summer. Apparently, the flies attach themselves to humans and other animals because they are drawn to the moisture in the eye, nose and mouth. No wonder they don't follow the food crumbs I toss about to stop them from harrassing me!

And guess what? There are 10,000 to 30,000 types of flies in Australia during summer. 30,000! What a staggering number of pests. And some of them feast on blood too. Gross! And how do you tell them apart? Apparently, according to one fly expert, they have "different lifestyles". Duh? Flies have lifestyles?? Don't they just breed and cause trouble wherever they go? I can't imagine flies having different lifestyles. It's just too odd.

In the meantime, I'm going to invest in some fly swats. No creature a million times smaller than I is going to bug me without my hitting back.

28 Weeks Later

Okay, first thing first. This movie - 28 Weeks Later - was not my idea at all. Alex rented it, so I watched it with him while I was doing some ironing. Multitasking is my speciality after all. But gosh, what a horrid and stupid movie it was.

Never had my intelligence been repeatedly insulted so much during the course of a movie. And this one was flawed through and through. The thing is, it actually did fairly well in the box office. I wonder why. Are moviegoers so gullible they'll just gobble up whatever that's offered to them?

I remember avoiding watching it because I read a review in which the reviewer stated "Don't worry. Everyone in this movie was so stupid they all deserved to die!" And he was right, 100%.

Here are some examples of the movie's stupidity.

1. Why would people return to a country devasted by a deadly virus so soon even though it was declared safe? Shouldn't they wait at least 10 years instead of 28 weeks?

2. How could two kids slip out of a restricted zone so easily? The zone was closely guarded by highly trained soldiers.

3. The kids' escape was noted but the authorities took hours to locate them (after they happily cruised around London before going back to their old home). How could that be?

4. How could their mother survive so long and how on earth did she find her way home after being bitten by one of those infected by the rage virus?

5. How could their father have such an easy access to their mother's restricted chamber (after she was completely decontaminated and disinfected and restrained) even though he was a caretaker of the building? Where were the guards? Where were the surveilance cameras? Don't they have these sorts of things when they keep people with crucial information or special abilities (The doctor taking care of her believed that she was a carrier of the rage virus who might be able to help produce a vaccine for the disease)?

6. Why did the kids' father have to kiss his wife knowing that she was definitely infected with the rage virus? That was the stupidest thing anyone could've done! The virus spreads through saliva and blood. So bingo! After the kiss, he turned into one of those rage monsters and started a killing spree.

7. Why wasn't the chamber occupied by the survivor/wife/mother monitored at all?? Surely after the man turned violent and started banging things and killing his wife, something would've triggered something to alert the authorities. But no, they had to wait until he got out and started spreading the rage virus that they took action - of course, it was too late by then.

I stopped watching by then, because I had finished my ironing chores. I just knew that the two stupid kids who started the whole thing actually survived the ordeal. They ought to be shot.

Anyway, it's just a stupid movie. Glad I got some chores done while "watching" it. I heard there may be a sequel called 28 Months Later. You can count on me not watching it.

Where West Meets East

Oops, I did it again! Once more, I failed to dress Joshua up for a particular special day - this time the last day of the "Where West Meets East Art Festival". You see, Joshua's school had devoted the entire week to this festival, holding exhibitions and a host of activites based on the West Meets East theme. And today, the kids and teachers were supposed to dress up in Asian costumes for a little street parade.

I knew about the festival and the street parade but somehow the part about asking parents to dress up their kids ala Asian style escaped me. I read everything attentioned to parents but somehow missed that part. I only found out about it yesterday.

Too late. I didn't bring Joshua's old Chinese New Year costume to Melbourne. So he went to school in his uniform. No big deal. He wasn't too concerned. Still, I had a suspicion he was going to stick up like a sorethumb in the midst of colourful Asian attire.

True enough, we saw all the little Gwai Lohs and Gwai Muis dressed like little Chinamen and China dolls here and there. There were those in kimonos and saris as well. Boy, these Aussies really take this sort of thing seriously. Only a handful of the kids came in their uniform. And the weirdest thing was, half of those "unadorned" kids were Asian!

Ha ha. Such irony. Joshua wasn't that alone after all! I guess we Asians have seen all this cultural thing and are just not that fascinated with it. Which begs the question - are we losing our touch as Asians?

Probably. Which is quite sad, actually. As is it, both Joshua and Joanne are showing signs of becoming real banana people. They speak Mandarin and Hakka (when they do decide to speak at al and this is becoming rare these days) with a funny accent.

I guess I'd better send them to Mandarin classes next year before they completely lose touch with their mother tongue and origin.

I'll Be Darned!

"Who farted??! It's so smelly!"

"Oh no! Not an old bus again!"

"Hey, that's the same bus driver we had yesterday!"

"That woman with a fat tummy isn't really fat because she is having a baby!"

"That car is so ugly and old!"

I have to endure listening to my 2 kids babbling loudly like this between themselves while riding on the bus. Kids being kids, and we all know how downright painfully honest they can be sometimes, they just blurt out whatever that's on their mind without thinking.

Of course, I do my best to hush them, telling them to keep their voices down while talking in public. Naturally, they don't get it most of the time. They just make any passing comments whenver they stumble on something that deserves some kind of mention, usually the more unflattering kind.

One of my biggest fears is to hear them commenting loudly about somebody's disabilities. Disabaled people in Australia are very independent and frequently move about and board public transport on their own. Many of them have cerebal palsy or severe obesity and therefore physically look unusual.

I'm so worried the kids would say someone looking ugly or stupid. But thankfully, they haven't embarrassed me like that, yet. Maybe they instinctively know it's not right to comment about others' misfortune and disabilities. If so, maybe the kids aren't so clueless about life after all.

Until we have the car back, I'll have to hope Joshua and Joanne will lower their voices when making commentaries on the bus, and pray they NEVER, EVER say someone is ugly because of one reason or another. I don't fancy getting killer stares from strangers!

Blown Away

While the rain here in Melbourne is kind of wimpy - I've only heard thunder rumbling twice during my 10 and a half months here and that for only a few seconds each time - the wind here sure pack a punch. And gosh, it has been extremely windy the past couple of days.

The wind doesn't blow from any one particular direction. It blows from anywhere and everywhere! And if you're not careful with your kids while they are outdoors and a gush of strong wind happens to come your way, your kids may get blown away, not unlike what you see on cartoons!

Yesterday, we went to the city centre. And boy, the wind was certainly putting up a big show. There were little twisters here and there - not the life-threatening kind but they certainly made a big sweep of things around them. As we were walking along the streets, we saw women in skirts desperately holding their hems down lest they became overly exposed. I suppose if a lady was interested in doing a Marilyn Monroe skirt-blown-up stunt, that would be a good time.

Also, we learnt that if you want to do up your hair at the hair saloon, make sure you check the wind condition first. Otherwise, your nicely coiffured top will become an entangled mess after the wind is through with you. We know. That's what happened to Alex's hair yesterday, moments after he stepped out of the hair saloon.

Understandably, we all went home with dusty hair, face, skin and clothes. It wasn't so bad, as long as nothing fell on the car or us. And yes, the kids were smart enough to hold on to our hands tightly as we walked. So they are still with us ...

Cyber Grandma

At the grand old age of 62, Mum has finally joined the cyberworld. Thanks to my sister Hui Yin's kind donation of an old but still usable computer, my mother can now communicate with my sisters and me via email.

Understandably, there were a few hiccups when Mum started her "lessons" with my youngest sister Wei Wei. But soon, she got the hang of it. She can access her email and reply us. Things will certainly be easier. I can send pictures of us here in Melbourne to her quickly. We told her about chatting online but Mum isn't too keen. Chatting requires fast typing and her fingers are kind of stiff these days. Well, fret no. Emails are just as good.

Her access to the Internet also means she can read my blogs anytime she wants. Fabulous. Now I don't have to repeat myself when I speak to her on the phone. Of course, there's ONE major drawback - it also means I have to be extra careful with my language while posting my blogs. No more swear words - not that I swear that much - but that's a small price to pay. As long as Mum can easily read about my life in Melbourne here, that's good enough for me.

And you blokes out there who use colourful languages while commenting on my blogs, well, try not to go overboard! Though I think my mother has the sense of humour to appreciate those ... err as long as they don't come from me, I think.

That's just a start. I remember how backward I was too 10 years ago. Now I can't imagine life without the Internet and email. I'm sure Mum will agree with me soon. Since she has quite a lot of time on her hands (when my littlest nephew JJ isn't there to spice up her life, that is), she can start prowling the cyberworld soon. Who knows, she may soon start downloading Golden Oldies tunes from YouTube!

Now, if only we can get Dad to show the same enthusiasm ...

Pokemon Rule

These days, Joshua lives, breathes, eats, drinks, sleeps and dreams of nothing but Pokemon. Apparently, he and some of his school chums had formed their own Pokemon Club too. That's fine with me. Kids love to have fun after all.

But what drives me bonkers is Joshua's incessant need to "battle" with Joanne. This is some Pokemon exercise in which Pokemon trainers try to capture a wild Pokemon or compete with another Pokemon trainer.

Sometimes, Joanne amuses Joshua by playing along. Other times, she is not keen. That's when Joshua will start a shouting match with his sister. Beats me but he is pretty bossy and demands that Joanne plays Pokemon with him when she'd rather play with her girly toys.

That's not all. Joshua has also started "creating" his own Pokemon. Now these new creations of his have their own names and their special abilities. He can even describe how they look like or what they are going to evolve into (It seems that evolution among Pokemon is the norm). Fine, as long as he's happy with his own kind of Pokemon.

But no. Our friend was not happy with that. Last week, he insisted that I create some Pokemon of my own too (slapping hand on forehead)! And he wouldn't leave me alone until I'd created a few of those pocket monsters. And of course, naming them alone wasn't good enough. I had to describe how they looked like and what special abilities they had.

I've forgotten most of the gibberish stuff I churned out to silence Joshua. But I remember one that I named Tarantulo. You've guessed it. It looked like a spider and was armed with poison. Joshua was apparently pleased with Tarantulo.

See what having kids can turn you into? Now I'm supposedly a Pokemon fan too, according to my son ...

Fun With The Bus

Frankly, taking the bus isn't so bad here. In fact, it can be quite an adventure. Besides, the buses are always on time and most bus drivers are helpful and friendly, particularly when you are travelling with young kids.

And today, I boarded a bus driven by a Malaysian. Chatty fellow. This uncle was a teacher back in Malaysia and has been living in Australia for 26 years. He's from Butterworth and actually knows some of my teachers in Jit Sin! Small world. I sat on the first passenger seat with Joanne (after we dropped Joshua off at school) and this uncle just kept talking and talking. Quite interesting. He related to me how some of the kids of his friends had helped Doncaster East High School become one of the top schools in East Melbourne. Apparently five out of six of them became doctors! It's hardly surprising. Most of the much sought-after schools here have very high Asian migrant population!

When we went to pick up Joshua from school, we took a bus to Box Hill and had some snacks and McDonald's there. Then instead of taking the usual bus home, we decided to take another bus that serviced another route. A change of scenery might be fun, I though. Well, new sights, of course, but it took us half an hour to reach Westfield Shoppingtown, which is about 2 minutes by car from my house.

The kids wanted to walk from Shoppingtown. So we did. It was quite a long walk but they had fun along the way. They picked flowers, saw a small bird picking a fight with a big black crow and best of all, played with a big fat fluffy friendly cat. After the little playtime with their new feline friend, the kids say they want to walk back from Shoppingtown again!

As for me, at least I don't have to worry about wrecking the car the next couple of weeks. And no parking woes! Life isn't so bad without a car.

Lessons

I survived the crash. The optimist in me would like to think that it happened for a good reason. Maybe I'm not meant to drive the car the next few weeks. Who knows? Something much worse might happen if I drove around.

Alex, of course, insists that there's a lesson to be learnt here. He's right, of course. I have no excuse for what happened. I was careless and a little absent-minded when the car slid down and crashed through the garage door. Here's what we've learnt following the accident.

Lesson 1: Always check the gear status! I obviously forgot to put the gear in reverse when I wanted to back the car up a bit. It was still in drive mode. So the minute I released the brake, it went forward.

Lesson 2: Ask the right questions when dealing with tradesmen. We made some calls to garage door specialists to come to the house and give us a quote to fix the garage. We forgot to ask if the measure and quote was done free and was charged AUD110 just for one guy to come and have a look! If possible, call up the guys who provide free quotes.

Lesson 3: Check with the insurance agent what really is covered. Apparently we can claim for the damage done to the garage door too. It's now considered a third party claim. Luckily Alex had the good sense to bombard his insurance agents with all kinds of questions.

Lesson 4: Don't buy a big powerful car for the wife who can't drive properly! I doubt Alex will see the sense of this, though. He insists I should be grateful for having such a nice car. Indeed it is a nice car, probably too nice for a clueless driver like me. An old bomb with automatic gear will do just fine. At least I won't be under such pressure driving it. You listening, Alex??

Meantime, it's back to the buses ...

What A Day

Hooray! Crash! Sob ...

That about summed up my day yesterday. It was supposed to be a happy day for Joanne. It was her first Prep Orientation Day at Greythorn Primary School and she had looked forward to it for days. She even willed herself to recover from her tummy upset (bouts of diarrhoea the night before) so that she wouldn't miss her "big day". I was so glad because she was so much easier compared to Joshua.

It was a good day for her. I picked her up from the school and everything was fine until I, for some inexplicable reason, engaged the wrong gear and crashed out car through our garage door when we got home. I had moved the car too close to the door and tried to reverse it back further. Instead I put the gear into "drive" and literally went through the door.

The windscreen cracked but thankfully didn't shatter. I panicked and frantically searched the phone to call Alex at work, knowing that he would be furious. Oh boy, he was beyond furious and immedately headed home.

Joanne was so cool. She nonchalantly said, "Oh no. How are we going to pick up Joshua later?" Trust the kid to be so unconcerned. She wasn't even shaken, unlike me.

I was both relieved and terrified when Alex got home. He took one look at the damage - the car was halfway through the garage entrance with the door on top of the hood and roof of his precious Mazda CX-7 - and a torrent of very angry words came out of his mouth. I suppose I deserved it, for not being careful enough. But he pissed me off too. He never even asked if Joanne was okay. Blast him! (He probably didn't find that important since I already told him no one was hurt.)

After making several calls to his car dealer, the insurance company and some of his friends, Alex drove the badly dented car to the workshop. I had to drag Joanne along to catch a bus to pick up Joshua later. Well, looks like we will be doing that for a couple of weeks.

And the damage was BIG. AUD10K just to fix the car. And the garage door, of course. That was really bad.

And to complete a really bad day, Joanne's stomach ache came back later in the day. She made so many trips to the toilet in the middle of the night and kept whimpering in pain that we both didn't get much sleep. She seems better today. Thank God for small mercies.

What a day! I hope I won't have any of its equivalent any time in the future.

Of Safety And Cleanliness

Back in KL, I detested passing by construction sites. And there were (still are, I bet) scores of them everywhere. In my neighbourhood alone, there are a few here and there. And all of them are messy, filthy and dusty with all sorts fo building materials, equipment and tools strewn all over the construction sites. Some of them are not even working properly. And the makeshift "houses' occupied by the workers are such an eye sore. Worse, the mud and dirt accumulated and blocking the drainage systems frequently result in flash floods.

The only thing you can expect at a construction site in Malaysia is total mess and possibly hazards. Also, half of the workes don't wear proper safety attire. Well, you could see safety signs at the sites but I think they were put up just to pacify the authorities.

Before I came to Melbourne, I thought this is how construction sites everywhere look like. I was wrong. Construction sites here can and are supposed to be clean and tidy. I was stunned and impressed the first time I saw a construction site here. There's a huge restoration exercise and extensive renovation going on at a shopping mall near my current residence here and wow, it's amazingly clean and free of chaos.

It all boils down to the importance of work safety. And it's pretty simple actually, come to think of it. Everyone wants to go home in one piece at the end of the day. And the surest way to do that is by making sure everything is where it should be. When things are tidy and organised, it is less likely to cause accidents. Workers can also move in and out with ease.

Work safety is serious business here. More so because people here are more aware of their rights as workers and are more prepared to take legal actions if they suffer injuries while at work. You can see the same safety precautions and cleanliness at factories and vehicle workshops as well.

I guess Malaysia is in for a long wait to see that happen, not when so many construction workers don't even have valid working visas. No visas, no rights. No rights, no safety necessary. Enough said.

Summer And Winter In Spring

The weather here in Melbourne is like a bad joke. You never know what to expect. Officially it's now spring but there are days when it feels like something else.

Yesterday definitely felt like summer. The weatherman had forecast a temperature high of 24 degrees but it soared to 30 degrees, apparently the highest since April this year. It was so warm we could wear our usual Malaysian clothes. And for the first time in months, I wore my slippers when I went to pick up Joshua from school. The warmth persisted till late at night. A cool change only occured sometime before dawn I think.

The temperature dipped this morning. It was only 12 degrees when we left for Joshua's school. The kids had to wear their jacket again to fend the cold, very much like what they did during the winter months. There was even a slight drizzle to complete the winter picture.

By mid morning, the sun made a few appearances. There were moments when it felt like spring. It was rather windy though and before long, the sun went into hiding again. Dark, heavy clouds began to loom across the sky. But every now and then, the sun would peek out from behind the dark clouds.

In the afternoon, the sky finally opened and it rained quite heavily for about 20 minutes. It was chilly, of course. Thankfully we were sitting comfortably at a McDonald's restaurant not far from our house.

See how unpredictable the weather is? I won't be surprised if we are hit by hail stones tomorrow. That's why everyone watches the weather forecast closely. You never know when you need to bring an extra jacket or wear thicker or thinner clothing.

No More Paradise

A couple of days ago I overheard two women of Chinese descent at the grocery shop talking about visiting other countries. I missed the earlier part of their conversation but caught the part about countries not to visit.

One of them said Thailand should be avoided because of some unrest in the southern part of the country. She then added that Malaysia wasn't a good place to visit as well. "Too chaotic and not safe," she said in Cantonese.

I nearly jumped and came to Malaysia's defense, proclaiming that my country of origin was one of the safest countries in the world. Then I stopped myself before I made an utter fool of myself.

After all, Malaysia has not been a safe haven for quite some time. It's true there are no unrest or riots (not that I'm aware of or these are not reported in the papers) there but the crime rates have escalated at alarming speeds lately. I keep hearing stories of petty crimes being committed even in small towns like my hometown in Bukit Mertajam.

And in Cheras, where my inlaws are still living, the situation has gone so bad the residents there feel like they are sitting on a time bomb, each wondering when someone would break into their homes. In fact, their neighbour 2 houses away just fell prey to some intruders last week.

Visitors may shy away from Malaysia thinking it's not safe because of terror threat or political unrest. But they have no idea what wise move it is to bypass Malaysia. They probably would have gone home much poorer if they are unfortunate enough to have their pockets picked.

It's sad but true. Malaysia is no longer the paradise it used to be.

What's With Festivities Anyway?

For the first time in my 38 years, I didn't hear any Raya songs; seen any Raya decorations; read about some kid blowing off his fingers while attempting to enliven the Raya mood with homemade crackers; or eat any kuih Raya, lemang, ketupat and rendang. Understandably, the last item on the list is the one that I miss most ...

And of course, there is no news on mass exodus from KL to other parts of the country, leaving the capital city a virtual ghost town for a few days. Also, no updates on the death toll due to road accidents during the balik kampung rush. And certainly, there is no info on open houses hosted by VIPs.

To be honest, I didn't even know the past few weeks were Puasa month until my sisters mentioned about fasting in one of our email exchanges. Malaysia might as well have been in Jupiter or something.

I do miss the Raya mood but frankly, Raya the last few years has not been the same as it was when I was a kid. Raya, like other major festivities in Malaysia such as Chinese New Year and Christmas, is a tad too commercialised these days.

I grew up in predominantly rural Malay areas. So there was no shortage of homemade Raya goodies during the festivity. The hospitality, the sense of community (though my family usually seemed like the odd one then), the sparklers and the kids donning their newest baju raya to collect duit raya from door to door, etc. I can still remember these things quite vividly.

I suppose the same can be said of the Chinese New Year in recent years. Well, people still celebrate it. It's just that the mood seems to be disappearing more and more each year, even in small towns like my hometown in Bukit Mertajam. It's not that fun anymore.

However, CNY is still celebrated in a big way in Melbourne, thanks to the big Chinese community here. I'm not sure but it appears that some of the events are held for the benefit of the uninitiated, namely the ang mohs who find this sort of cultural things fascinating.

I guess nothing beats the Raya or CNY moods we had when we were kids all those years ago.

Play Time

It's been a good week for Joshua. He's been to his best friend, Alexander's house twice after school just to play. The first time was on Wednesday and yes, that was his very first outing to a friend's (his own friend, I mean, not kids of his father's friends) house.

He was having so much fun performing Pokemon battles with his pal that he didn't want to come home with me when I went to pick him up 2 hours later. I didn't want to impose on Alexander's mum, Rosemary. So I insisted that he gather his things and leave.

But Rosemary kindly offered to let them play for a few more minutes. So while we waited for the kids to stop playing, we had a nice chat between us. To be honest, I haven't exactly been a social butterfly since arriving here. It's usually hi and bye for me whenever I see the other mums at Joshua's school. But Joshua's hanging out with Alexander after school at the latter's house had given me the chance to at least get to know another parent better.

I found out that Rosemary actually lived in Butterworth as a child. Her father was with the Royal Australian Air Force and was posted at their base there more than 30 years ago. Interesting. She also loves cats (she has 2 of them) - something in common with me.

But the best thing is - she has asked me to bring Joanne along (which is what I did today) to play with the boys. I was hesitant at first because I didn't think it would be nice to make her "babysit" my kids for 2 hours. After all, I didn't know her that well. Still she insisted, saying that it was actually quite alright because the kids don't usually bother her when they are that preoccupied with their own games. Which is quite true. I can relate to that too because whenever my nephew Andrew comes for a visit, I actually manage to finish more work! So I left my 2 kids in her care for 2 hours today.

What bliss! Ha ha. Maybe I should socialise more with the other mums too. Play time after school for the kids turns out to be a great thing for both the kids and me.