Australia Day

When you've lived in a country for a number of years, you have ties. Emotional and physical ties. I lived in Australia, Adelaide to be precise, for four years - one year of boarding school and three years at uni. After all these years, I still feel a bond. I have school friends whom I have reconnected with via Facebook. I have cousins in Adelaide and Melbourne, relatives in Sydney, good friends in Brisbane. Some clients even. To all of you, 'Happy Australia Day'!

I still remember taking my first Qantas flight to Adelaide (their ads are really engaging), my first tour of the city. I have fond memories of my year at Immanuel College. I have made some lifelong friends while at the Flinders University of South Australia.

I haven't visited in more than a decade but images of the Barossa Valley, Kangaroo Island and the like often come to mind. Once the Ringgit appreciates against the Australian Dollar, I'd very much like to head to Queensland or Western Australia for a holiday. There is still much to see and discover. And am happy I caught this on YouTube a couple of days back.

Photo of Year 12 boarding students at Immanuel College, Adelaide, Australia, courtesy of Thomas Brown.

To Reciprocate

To reciprocate is a practice that I hold in high regard. If people treat you well, then treat them well in return. A simple notion, isn’t it? I try to do this, though I don’t always succeed, but by and large, I think I do pretty well, putting others first, albeit only for those who are deserving.

It is on this premise that I made the effort to round up a few friends to celebrate Danny’s birthday over dinner 2 nights ago. The ‘Cesar Ritz’ gang – originally consisting of Danny, Phoebe, Patricia, Faizol and I; now including Sonya, Faizol’s other half – tries to celebrate one another’s birthday every year. We keep it intimate, just the few of us, probably because conversation flows much more freely among friends who share a common bond. The only one missing? Patricia who is now living in Brisbane. Still, we have a good time and include her in our thoughts.

Now, if only every one of our friends, if only everyone that we deal with at work, subscribed to the ideal of reciprocating. It would certainly make our lives so much more rewarding, so much less stressful and our relationships so much more gratifying. So, have you done a good deed for someone deserving lately?

Photo of (L to R) Phoebe, Wesley, Chloe, Sonya, Danny, Faizol and Kris at Alexis in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.