The other day my dad kindly informed me that if I ever stood for politics I’d need to renounce my Malaysian citizenship. This, of course, occurred in the context of the dual citizenship debacle that has kept Australia entertained for the last few months. Now I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that my father thinks a political career is a real possibility … Continue reading Going for glocal
Is it just me or have I seen Vivid before? In Canberra. Continue reading A Canberran perspective on Vivid
4,000m above sea level and 400,000m from the closest shore of the Pacific Ocean, playing beach volleyball every Sunday afternoon in the park somehow became one of the defining elements of my life in La Paz.
Now, at sea level and right on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, playing beach volleyball every Monday evening in Manly is becoming an anchor, a touchpoint, to each week here in Sydney.
It’s funny, the unlikely things that make me feel at home. Continue reading What feels like home
“You’re not 25 anymore, y’know,” my sister says. She’s being gracious. After another year abroad, I re-enter my bedroom where the posters, postcards and photos plastered against the back wall are peeling off, the Blu-Tack tired of supporting them. This is interior decoration befitting a 16-year-old, and I am now (sigh) an almost-no-longer-twentysomething. But what does the bedroom of an almost-no-longer-twentysomething look like? Probably a … Continue reading Almost-no-longer-twentysomething
Thanks to the infamous Canberra winter, I think I have cold feet both physically and metaphorically. I’ve just come off the back of a week of talking quite a lot about my upcoming Bolivia trip (not to mention Russia next week). I did some planning and made reservations for accommodation. I had my first farewell (work) and have been discussing several other ‘last catch-ups’. It’s really … Continue reading Cold feet?
Converted introvert I surprised myself the other day. It was another one of those bizarre moments of self-awareness when the reality of my extroversion hit me afresh. It was a Wednesday night like any other; chilly but not as cold as you might expect for late June in Canberra. We were pitted against the top team in the division: first on the ladder vs second. I played … Continue reading Sport and spirit
Yesterday I was reminded that my hometown is a beautiful place. We (I) mock and moan, but when you stand at a place like the summit of Mount Coree, out past the Cotter, complaining about Canberra makes you feel like a spoilt child or even a downright ungrateful one. I got up a little after 6am and though we didn’t start the climb itself until around … Continue reading Highlights from home
So it’s 2014. I’ve only just realised that spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Canberra, my hometown, is quite a novelty for me. NYE was a quiet one – after seeing the 9pm local fireworks with my sister, we went to hang out with a few church friends. We watched the ABC telecast of the Sydney show, played board games, ate and shared a … Continue reading The “novelty” of a Christmas and NYE at home
Canberra, my love Today you are stunning warm even when you’re cold cool even with your sunny disposition and I get lost in your blue sky searching for the me in you and the you that’s reflected somewhere in my heart but I think it is buried deep and yet however far beneath the surface you lie, motionless, asleep even if I were blindfolded I’d … Continue reading two reflections on being home again
