a year down under

the 3rd of january is more significant to me than most because exactly a year ago, i left malaysia for australia. i guess i can call this my anniversary with aussyland and gosh we’ve grown to know each other so much, or more like i have :) i know all 8 states of the country and i know a little about the court hierarchy and legal system. i really emphasize on little. i’m still unable to sing the national anthem and for about 6 months i thought the last line Advance Australia fair was in fact Rejoice Australia Day :P i’ve learnt to drive smoothly along the hilly roads i complained about upon arrival. street names aren’t so foreign to me anymore, some pretty familiar

joa this is for you x)

dead silent shopping malls at 7pm don’t surprise me anymore. i know exactly where new zealand natural is in southbanks and the best comfy scenic spot to sit at whilst eating said ice cream. i have yet to meet another malaysian from school, where are all of you guys! >( i’ve grown used to the usual “oh, so do you speak malaysian?” question that follows right after i say where i’m from. i guess i don’t blame them, i remember sarah telling me about her dad being norwegian and me going (prize winning moment ahead),

“oh so he’s from norwegia?”
and then she goes… “norway”

*hides in a hole, hopefully with an atlas.

i remember asking what a true australian dish would be, i mean back in malaysia we’ve got roti canais, nasi lemak, bak kut teh, satays (all of which i miss so much!!!) but they were momentarily stumped by my question. helpfully i went, “kangaroo meat?” which is available in supermarkets i’m not kidding. i’m also not kidding when i say never ever ever try consuming it, it’s horrible x.x but no, a true australian dish ain’t no kangaroo meat. it is in fact, the very famous… meat pie. the kind that they sell frozen in supermarkets and you dump into the microwave for about 4 minutes. i was not impressed >( the only number i can remember is my own mobile, not even my house phone because i hate remembering phone numbers all over again. i’ve still got 3 home numbers keyed into my phone. i love the 2 dollar coin! because of it’s size. i also love eb games and jb for the awesome selection of cds and psp games :D okay this is getting random.

i guess what i’m trying to say is that i’m honestly, really doing alright here. i do miss malaysia alot but it isn’t exactly in a desperate homesick way. that said, i still really hope i’ll be able to visit sometime soon. inevitably, i’ve lost touch with some… but i’ve come to know many new friends from the likes of korea to germany and some true blue queenslanders ;) i’m not one for new year resolutions, i think there were ups and downs in my 2008 but i regret none of it (well, maybe with the exception of that norwegia comment). i spent the last few days of 2008 watching the day the earth stood still and armegaddon, coincidentally apocalyptic-themed o.O keanu has got the be the stiffest hot actor out there. lookin’ forward to a brand new year, hope you guys have a great one :)