A snippet from a text conversation with Pam who is in Barcelona at the moment.
"How's Spain?"
"Beautiful, with beautiful (on the inside) people, but its wet and cold and I'm sick. How's your, uhm, life?"
"I spend most of my time on my computer in my room with a large amount of unfinished homework. Not to make you jealous of course. Any hot Spaniards?"
"Are you kidding? What part of 'beautiful on the inside' do you not get? They are all short, squat and stocky. But very nice and well-mannered,"
Its moments like these which make me miss my best friend.
I was just thinking, while laboriously washing the dishes, about how different Melbourne was from Perth and how I couldn't wait to get back there because I could actually orient myself around Melbourne and not feel like a misguided homing pigeon.
I feel that that's an oxymoron, but that's what I feel like.
Anyway.
As the soap suds starting foaming a little, I realised, actually realised, that I live in Australia.
No seriously folks;
If you haven't noticed, I live in Australia.
Well, you probably have, but its taken me over a year and a half to actually understand that yes, I live in Australia.
Here's the thing;
When I was younger, and still a little crabstick in Malaysia, I was always fantasising about moving away, to another country.
Namely Australia.
I had this whole movie in my head where I'd move to Australia, become incredibly pretty because it was the Malaysian humidity that was affecting my complexion, develop a fantastic fashion sense, attract an iron-hold group of amazing friends, graduate, and go on to live a perfect life.
Well.
It never happens the way you want it to.
Become incredibly pretty?
I wish I could confidently check this box off with that red sharpie.
I can't, because like every other average female on this planet, I do have gripes with the way I look.
But I can say that my self-esteem level has risen because of better skincare and clothing style.
Which brings us to;
Fantastic fashion sense?
Maybe not fantastic, but improved?
Certainly.
In fact, I'm far out embarrassed, thinking about how I used to dress in my pre-Australia period.
Check.
And I only have my cling-clang little group of misfits to thank;
And that reminds me of;
Group of amazing friends?
CHECKCHECKCHECK.
One of the things that make me balk at the idea of going back to Malaysia is losing my friends in Melbourne.
So maybe I didn't get everything I wanted exactly the way I wanted;
But when I think about it now.
Maybe I did.
