First 2009 post!

._. It's not that I abandoned this blog.

... Okay, maybe I did. So, lessee, where shall I start?

Perhaps I should start on February 16th? The day when I fly to Perth, Australia?

It seemed like yesterday when I board the MAS plane to Perth. The flight departed at around 8am, and I remember making some last-minute calls to a few good friends. That feeling of nervousness, which was quickly defeated by thrill and excitement... I felt like a proud soldier going for war.

The trip was quite smooth. There was a bit turbulence that killed my appetite for lunch, but I still managed to down a bun and juice. I remember spending the first hour or two sleeping, and the rest of the time on my Nintendo DS. My DS helped me get my mind off the turbulence and nausea. Still, I managed to keep calm.

After reaching there, I felt a bit giddy from the flight ride... but still very brave. There was no reason to be afraid. After all, I know what I must do. I've been following my parents to various countries, so I know what's next. Getting my passport checked, obtaining my luggage and going through the customs. No big deal.

Transportation wasn't a problem; Uncle Richard and Auntie Fong (along with their daughter, Laura) fetched me from the airport. They brought me to Ipoh Restaurant for lunch.

Uncle and auntie are friends of my parents. Originally from Malaysia, they migrated to Australia years ago and established a restaurant in Perth. And yes, Ipoh Restaurant is the restaurant they opened.

After lunch, Uncle Richard and his daughters brought me to Vickery House, a university accommodation. As it was weekends, all housing staffs are off. Housing assistants (students) were my guides. They gave me my documents and such, and led me to my unit and room. Uncle Richard and his daughters followed closely, with uncle being as alert as a hawk and the girls being excited.

As for me, well, my emotions were conflicted...

After Uncle and daughters left, I unpacked my luggage and looked at the room which was half the size of my bedroom in Malaysia. I imagined how my life would be from then on, and suddenly, I felt afraid.

I was afraid, because I thought of how things would change. Have changed.

My thought flow went something like this: 'I am no longer in Malaysia, sheltered under my parents' wings. I will be independent, and my horizons will broaden. I will be living here for 2 years, separated from my friends in Malaysia and Adelaide... What am I doing here? Why am I in Perth? Why did I pick Perth and not Adelaide? At least I will have friends in Adelaide, but Perth...? WTF? Can I really do that? Can I really survive here?'

The thoughts were so... overwhelming. Everything was so new and daunting.

'I find you brave. You dare to pursue your studies overseas, and alone too!' was what Xiao Li said, in a phone call, that morning. If only she knew how I felt that time: The courage I felt in the airport was gone, replaced with fear.

Still, fear didn't last; it was banished, two days later, by my parents who came to Oz with the rest of my luggage. In the end, I learned to adapt... and I started to like Perth.

On my next post, I'll talk about my first impressions of my housemates. In the beginning, it didn't seem much. I thought we'd be mere acquaintances and nothing more.

... Never would I have imagined that in those upcoming days, my housemates would play an important role in my life, and that my unit would become so 'warm' that I'd almost call it "home".

But that is another story.