Siiiiigh.
So here I am back again in the office.
All nicely dressed up (despite the pain I still get from my stomach illness; price of being an adult I guess) and ready for a new work year.
For the past 3 weeks I was given the best holiday I had for over a year. I felt like a child with no responsibilities again. Just enjoying my time, having fun, having a good time. There were of course moments when I needed to be the adult again but they were few.
I love to be back home. There was a sort of peace that I never truly found here in Brisbane. A sense that everything will work out fine. It's almost like God knows who I am there and takes special care of me when I am there. It's as if there is a magnifying glass that focuses on me when I am home. I loved it in Singapore; I loved being home.
It's different.
In Brisbane, I got my own little 'family' here as well, but it really is different back there. It is a place where I grew up, a place where my memories are, a place that defines me. I had my first crush there, my first moment of glory, my first heartbreak. Nothing can ever change that.
I now have this constant yearning for something that has been torn out of my heart again. Sitting here in my office, among the people I have grown to like and work with, I feel something missing. A sense of nonsensical bond betweem them and myself. I don't believe I can ever call myself Aussie. I am Singaporean; I call myself Singaporean, and that's what sets us apart.
This is a place where I work, where I live, where I spend most of my time, but it can never be home.(?)
Monday, January 15, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year!
It's the new year, so I figured this is a good time as any to make my first post. Ever.
It was my first year celebrating NYE in Brisbane. I've always been in Singapore for the festivities, but this year I wanted to see how Brisbane parties. I must say it was pretty crowded in the city. Damien and I avoided the entire SouthBank area and beyond at first because the crowds were just massive. Our original NYE plans fell through and our friends were all over the place, so we decided to do our own thing and came up with our new basic plan: dinner, drinks, fireworks. Sounds good to me.
We went to the Valley for dinner. Wagamama at the Emporium was our choice. That end of the Valley was a little quiet and the restaurants were all closing early. The Brunswick Street end of the Valley was a different story. All the clubs seemed to be open and there were lots of people milling around by the time we were making a move back to the City.
The City was full of people, probably people who would eventually end up at South Bank to see fireworks. We went to the Casino first and it was bursting with people. After seeing the crowd and deciding there was no way we'd make it to the bar in the next year, we went to Jorge on George for some drinks. It was the best idea we had all night. Good cocktails, great music and lots of (but not too many) people all guzzied up for a night of partying.
At about 11.40pm, we made our way to South Bank to scope out a nice spot to stand. There were masses of people, but it wasn't as packed as I had anticipated. Maybe South Bank itself would have been crowded, but we found a spot on the Victoria Bridge.
And then at midnight, the fireworks lit up the sky.
It was so pretty...
So that's the story of my first NYE in Brisbane. No horror stories. No nasty surprises. All I can say, is that the best plan is a basic one and the best company is of the special kind. Happy New Year!
It was my first year celebrating NYE in Brisbane. I've always been in Singapore for the festivities, but this year I wanted to see how Brisbane parties. I must say it was pretty crowded in the city. Damien and I avoided the entire SouthBank area and beyond at first because the crowds were just massive. Our original NYE plans fell through and our friends were all over the place, so we decided to do our own thing and came up with our new basic plan: dinner, drinks, fireworks. Sounds good to me.
We went to the Valley for dinner. Wagamama at the Emporium was our choice. That end of the Valley was a little quiet and the restaurants were all closing early. The Brunswick Street end of the Valley was a different story. All the clubs seemed to be open and there were lots of people milling around by the time we were making a move back to the City.
The City was full of people, probably people who would eventually end up at South Bank to see fireworks. We went to the Casino first and it was bursting with people. After seeing the crowd and deciding there was no way we'd make it to the bar in the next year, we went to Jorge on George for some drinks. It was the best idea we had all night. Good cocktails, great music and lots of (but not too many) people all guzzied up for a night of partying.
At about 11.40pm, we made our way to South Bank to scope out a nice spot to stand. There were masses of people, but it wasn't as packed as I had anticipated. Maybe South Bank itself would have been crowded, but we found a spot on the Victoria Bridge.
And then at midnight, the fireworks lit up the sky.
It was so pretty...
So that's the story of my first NYE in Brisbane. No horror stories. No nasty surprises. All I can say, is that the best plan is a basic one and the best company is of the special kind. Happy New Year!
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