I think one of my biggest flaws is that I become content with myself very easily. Being content means you are happy with the status quo. It means that you lose motivation and drive to further yourself and become someone better, and as a result you fail to reach higher places in your life.
You see, my problem isn't that I lack the intellectual capabilities to go further, or that I can't work hard when required. My problem is that whenever things start going my way, I take my foot off the accelerator. I stop working hard, I stop trying to find ways to get to a better place, I just do enough to get by and maintain the status quo, because my mind tells me: "hey Bobby, you're doing alright, you're doing better than a lot of people. Look at so and so. Don't be so hard on yourself, just chill out and enjoy life." As a result, people who continue to push themselves begin to surpass me.
Sometimes, I don't even do enough to maintain the status quo. That's when I start to fall behind the entire pack, finally culminating in the various major failures I've had in my last 23 years.
THAT is when I finally snap out of it and my motivation returns (how convenient). I would then work hard and push myself and start climbing up the ladder again, only to get close to somewhere reputable before my brain starts telling me again: "hey Bobby...hey...", and the vicious cycle starts again.
I feel like that's what's happening to me right now. These days, I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job. My internal thought process: "I've got a steady job, I work pretty hard, sometimes 10 or 11 hrs a day, I've been getting good feedback from my manager; bottom line: I am doing alright!"
Then I think about what another Wang is doing with her life, and everything doesn't seem so rosy. We both started out in the same school. We both started out in topstream. We both did all four accelerated subjects. Yet look how our lives vastly differ now.
This is the culmination of two very different mindsets at work over 10 years; one that contents easily, and one that hungers to continuously reach higher and higher places. The difference may be small at first, but one hour of study at a time, one book at a time, one extracurricular lesson at a time, she pulls ahead. While for me, each video game, each YouTube video, each hour spent at IC0, I fall further behind. Thus small differences snowball over time and bam, 10 years later we are living very different lives. I am living the mediocre life of a white collar. She is travelling the world and on her way to becoming one of the world's future leaders.
Some people might look at us and say: "yes both of you may have appeared to have started at the same starting line, but there was always a difference in capabilities and intelligence." Sure, that may be true to a certain extent, but would the gap have been as big had I had the same mindset and worked just as hard (although I have to point out that she also made a lot of sacrifices over the years which I failed to do)?
In the famous words of the Nutri-Grain ad I recently saw on TV: "the only limits are those that we place on ourselves". I think that one sentence perfectly embodies what I've been trying to say over the last 7 paragraphs. We are our biggest obstacles on the road to success. We are our greatest inhibitors. Everything is about mindset, and to be content is to condemn yourself to a life of mediocrity. (Just to clarify, don't confuse being discontent with YOURSELF with being discontent with what you HAVE or with those around you. What I'm advocating here is having a high expectation for yourself so that you can achieve better things, NOT being greedy and never satisfied with what you have or being an asshole and having unrealistic demands for those around you. Also, don't be so hard on yourself that it'll drive you to suicide. If you kill yourself in 5 years cause you're still not as rich as Bill Gates, you're missing the point! It's all about working within our means and success is subjective anyway).
I'm not saying a mediocre life is a bad thing; after all everyone have different pursuits in life . For me personally though (or at least the part of me that doesn't content easily), I want to get somewhere. I don't just want to be one of the pack. Therefore the first thing I must do is seek and destroy the part of me that contents easily (muahahahaha KILL IT WITH FIRE!!). Obviously mindset and hard work are only part of the formula. You also have to work smarter, take calculated risks and make sacrifices. None of these things are easy, but with the right mindset I believe I can get there. In the end, it's all about what you really want and what's important to you.
To conclude this post, I shall leave you with another famous Nutri-Grain quote (ah yes the all wise and sage Nutri-Grain marketing team, you are the source of my inspiration!):
"you only get out what you put in".
BW signing out.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Monday, 26 January 2015
I don't know why it's been so long since I last truly blogged...
It's not like I don't have anything to talk about. In fact, I have too much to talk about and often don't know where to begin. I don't know, maybe I've just been too busy living my life (not that it's all that exciting).
That's enough about work. During Christmas and New Years, I went back to China with Qz. She came to Melbourne a fews days prior to our departure, and we flew together to HK, our first stop. I've heard many good things about HK and built within my mind this image of a bustling ultramodern metropolis that still retained the excitement and colour and Chinese culture. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. Maybe I just had too many high expectations for HK, or maybe it was a few bad experiences with local people that turned me off, but I did not like HK as much as I thought I would. It was actually quite a small city, with narrow streets and tight alleyways, giving me an overall sense of claustrophobia. The people too, seemed like they had some sort of superiority complex over mainlanders, which really annoyed me. I had this one particularly bad experience where we went to a old restaurant and the service was absolutely appalling. The waiters there, who were mostly old men, seemed to almost loathe our presence there, which really pissed me off because the first ethic of working in the service industry is good service.
So that experience really dampened my first impression of HK, although it is undeniable that the city in many regards is very modern (e.g. the infrastructure and making everything contactless in public bathrooms). The rest of our stay there was relatively well but it was hard to erase that bitter taste at the back of my throat. However I still enjoyed our stay in HK overall. It was Qz and I's first Christmas together, which was really nice. We celebrated by going to the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant (thanks Nick for the recommendation!), and it was absolutely delicious and we only spent $20 AUD each (almost made up for the bad experience the first night).
So we stayed in HK for 2 days and 3 nights. On our third day, we took the ferry to Macau for a day trip. I quite enjoyed Macau, although the weather wasn't very good and it wasn't as flashy as I thought it would be. Despite the wealth that the casinos bring in, many parts of the city were still quite old and somewhat slummy. The disparity between rich and poor couldn't have been more apparent, with poor people living in old run-down apartments while priceless displays are exhibited everywhere in the casinos. I saw intricate carvings made out of whole mammoth tusks on display, and giant sculptures made out of gold. The pure display of wealth at the casino almost made me sick actually, to think how it is possible for someone to be this filthy rich. But despite that, Macau was a pleasant experience, as the mix of Portuguese and Chinese architecture gave the city a really nice vibe, especially with the Xmas decorations around.
Next stop, we travelled to Guangzhou. GZ, being the third largest and affluent city of China, was always on my list of places to visit, and it did not disappoint. We spent 3 nights there, where we stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton. It was our first time staying at a 5 star hotel, and I booked it because lets face it, you'll never find 5 star accomodation for $114 AUD a night anywhere else! So I thought I might as well take advantage of the cheap prices in China and live in luxury for once :P
As you would expect, the hotel room was amazing. It wasn't extremely big, but it was well decorated and furnished. The king sized bed which we slept on was the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on. Safe to say, we slept like royalty.
The city itself was also pretty amazing, but we were unable to take full advantage of our stay there as both of us were down with the cold. I caught it just the day before we left for GZ and Qz caught it pretty much the day after (such coincidence right?). But still, GZ city was as I expected - a large and ultramodern city. Two of my favourite experiences were taking a stroll on Shamian Island amongst all the European architecture and walking along the square in the 珠江新城 area, where high rises bordered both sides of a 'square' that extended as far as the eye could see.
After GZ, we headed to Qz's hometown, Changsha (which I think is also the hometown of someone I may know, but i don't remember who...). There I stayed with her mum and her mum's mum, so basically I was living in an apartment with three generations of women from the same side of the family and I was the only male, which was kind of scary at first. But luckily they made me feel very at home, it was like I was a part of the family. Changsha is quite a pretty city, especially when you're on Orange Island looking at the city skyline. However it is also a crazy city, where there are no traffic rules and pedestrians and motorists go whichever way they feel like! And holy crap, everything is so spicy! Even when you ask for no spices, it's still spicy, because Changsha people apparently do not know how to cook without chilli.
Overall I really enjoyed my stay, especially as I got to observe Qz in her 'natural' habitat (lol I sound like an environmental scientist...oh wait). I think I made a pretty good impression on her mum and grandma, but then again all I really need to impress is one woman ;)
After Changsha, Qz and I parted ways as I headed back to XiAn by myself. I was there for 6 days and mostly spent time with family. I did have a big night out with my uncle in law, where he took me to one of the most luxurious night clubs in Asia. I also met up with Eric, who happened to be in XiAn at the same time (you jelly Jeannie?). It was a pretty good night, and made me wish more of my friends could've been in XiAn, because it is one of the best Chinese cities to be in if you're a tourist.
After Xi An, I headed to Suzhou to see my uncle and visit my grandma's grave. It was the first time I was back in China since she passed away. I wasn't there when she passed away and I wasn't there at funeral, which are two things I will regret for the rest of my life. The visit itself was quite a heart renching experience. I guess I've finally experienced what it's like to lose someone close to you, it's just part of the things you have to deal with as an adult I guess.
My stay in Suzhou was brief, and my final stop in Shanghai was even shorter. I have been to SH many times and was only there to see my aunty. It was nice though to be able to take a stroll along the Bund again and lookout onto the PuDong skyline, and vice versa. On the way to SH, I had my first First Class Highspeed Rail experience. Hurtling along at 300km in a fully reclined seat in the empty First Class cabin felt really good. Watching the cityscape fly past my eyes, I had a feeling that I was somebody, and that I was going somewhere (lol you don't say Bobby!). But seriously, it felt really good!
The stopover in SH concluded my trip in China. In just under 3 weeks, I travelled to 7 different cities, 4 of which I visited for the first time. It was quite a fruitful trip and I have once again gained valuable new perspective on not only China, but life. I have come to the realisation more clearly than before that we are truly the inbetween generation, the Inbetweeners if you will - caught in between two cultures, never fully able to immerse in or feel accepted by one or the other. I guess that is just a sad reality I will have to live with, not that I regret anything as my multicultural upbringing has also given me a more international perspective on life.
Anyways, it's been five months since I last did a life update, so where do I even start?? Think I'm going to talk about my job first, seeing as that was the topic of my last proper post.
As you know, I found a new job in August last year at a large consulting company as an Environmental Scientist and as a result left my old job at Renex. It has always been my dream job to work as a environmental consultant, and this job hasn't disappointed so far. It's rare these days for young adults to be working in a role which fulfill all three of the following criteria: 1) they studied in this area; 2) they enjoy what they do; and 3) they make a decent living. I think I've been very lucky to be blessed with a job where in my own opinion fulfills all three. Sure, I'm not making the big bucks like some of my peers, but between passion, money and fulfillment, I think I've striked a pretty good balance. It's been 5 months since I've started this role now and there is still so much to learn. I think I would be happy to stay in this industry (and possibly this company) for the next several forseeable years.
Other perks of this job over my previous job is that I have many colleagues who are similar in age to me. We have formed a small circle of friends who eat lunch together everyday and have a chat from time to time and it makes the time go by a little bit quicker. Our business unit also moved into a new office in the CBD in November, which has dramatically improved our working environment and subsequently my mood. I even have my own desk!! (Yes I had to drift my desk to desk for the first two months at the old office). The best thing is, I'm surrounded by other environmental professionals and I feel like I've finally found a place where I belong (professionally that is).
The end of the year has also marked my very first full year as a working adult. I have to say, on some days I really do wish I could go back to the Uni life. However I guess we all just have to face up to the reality that this is our life. But don't despair; according to the latest Seek ad, we only spend 13 years of our life working. Given the current life expectancies, that's less than 1/6 of your time! If you think about it that way, it's not that bad...
The end of the year has also marked my very first full year as a working adult. I have to say, on some days I really do wish I could go back to the Uni life. However I guess we all just have to face up to the reality that this is our life. But don't despair; according to the latest Seek ad, we only spend 13 years of our life working. Given the current life expectancies, that's less than 1/6 of your time! If you think about it that way, it's not that bad...
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| My desk at work :D |
So that experience really dampened my first impression of HK, although it is undeniable that the city in many regards is very modern (e.g. the infrastructure and making everything contactless in public bathrooms). The rest of our stay there was relatively well but it was hard to erase that bitter taste at the back of my throat. However I still enjoyed our stay in HK overall. It was Qz and I's first Christmas together, which was really nice. We celebrated by going to the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant (thanks Nick for the recommendation!), and it was absolutely delicious and we only spent $20 AUD each (almost made up for the bad experience the first night).
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| In front of the iconic Bank of China Tower! |
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| lol @ photobombing couple |
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| Outside a temple (forgot the name) |
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| HK Island skyline |
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| 情深深雨蒙蒙 |
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| Me and my friend Ruben, who was also with us in HK and Macau. |
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| Trekking up to Guia Hill |
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| The view from the top: more breathtaking than it looks actually. |
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| Shot from the top with Grand Lisboa in the backdrop |
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In front of one of the mammoth tusk carvings. Must be worth tens of millions of dollars if not hundreds > < |
Next stop, we travelled to Guangzhou. GZ, being the third largest and affluent city of China, was always on my list of places to visit, and it did not disappoint. We spent 3 nights there, where we stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton. It was our first time staying at a 5 star hotel, and I booked it because lets face it, you'll never find 5 star accomodation for $114 AUD a night anywhere else! So I thought I might as well take advantage of the cheap prices in China and live in luxury for once :P
As you would expect, the hotel room was amazing. It wasn't extremely big, but it was well decorated and furnished. The king sized bed which we slept on was the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on. Safe to say, we slept like royalty.
The city itself was also pretty amazing, but we were unable to take full advantage of our stay there as both of us were down with the cold. I caught it just the day before we left for GZ and Qz caught it pretty much the day after (such coincidence right?). But still, GZ city was as I expected - a large and ultramodern city. Two of my favourite experiences were taking a stroll on Shamian Island amongst all the European architecture and walking along the square in the 珠江新城 area, where high rises bordered both sides of a 'square' that extended as far as the eye could see.
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| Our hotel room :D |
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| View from our room |
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| lol yes there's a window between the shower and the bedroom. |
Overall I really enjoyed my stay, especially as I got to observe Qz in her 'natural' habitat (lol I sound like an environmental scientist...oh wait). I think I made a pretty good impression on her mum and grandma, but then again all I really need to impress is one woman ;)
After Changsha, Qz and I parted ways as I headed back to XiAn by myself. I was there for 6 days and mostly spent time with family. I did have a big night out with my uncle in law, where he took me to one of the most luxurious night clubs in Asia. I also met up with Eric, who happened to be in XiAn at the same time (you jelly Jeannie?). It was a pretty good night, and made me wish more of my friends could've been in XiAn, because it is one of the best Chinese cities to be in if you're a tourist.
After Xi An, I headed to Suzhou to see my uncle and visit my grandma's grave. It was the first time I was back in China since she passed away. I wasn't there when she passed away and I wasn't there at funeral, which are two things I will regret for the rest of my life. The visit itself was quite a heart renching experience. I guess I've finally experienced what it's like to lose someone close to you, it's just part of the things you have to deal with as an adult I guess.
My stay in Suzhou was brief, and my final stop in Shanghai was even shorter. I have been to SH many times and was only there to see my aunty. It was nice though to be able to take a stroll along the Bund again and lookout onto the PuDong skyline, and vice versa. On the way to SH, I had my first First Class Highspeed Rail experience. Hurtling along at 300km in a fully reclined seat in the empty First Class cabin felt really good. Watching the cityscape fly past my eyes, I had a feeling that I was somebody, and that I was going somewhere (lol you don't say Bobby!). But seriously, it felt really good!
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| The new Shanghai Tower that is over 600m tall. |
Anyways its been almost two weeks since I've been back now and I've settled back into the rhythm of the routine work life again. However I do have one thing to look forward to: Qz is moving to Melbourne at the end of February. It will be pretty much exactly two years since I moved to Melbourne when she arrives, and our two-year long LDR will finally come to an end. There will definitely be challenges ahead as we move in together, but I believe if we've made it this far, we can go all the way.
That in a nutshell is pretty much my life for the past 6 months. Looking back on 2014, it's been a pretty good year. I've always wanted to flat with a friend, and Nick and I have had some good laughs together. I think I've also firmly established myself in Melbourne, and have made this city my home. I still really miss the people back in NZ, but it's nice that I've also found a good group of friends here.
Theres actually so much more stuff I want to say on this post, especially philosophical, cliched, sentimental things, but I'll spare you the agony. All I will say is that I am very looking forward to 2015 and all that it will bring.
Until next time my dear readers, this is BW signing out.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
I'm really hungry right now.
Even though I just ate half a tube of Pringles, original flavour.
I know I haven't really blogged much in the last 6 months, but I will endeavour to make up for it soon, soooo...
Watch this space!
I know I haven't really blogged much in the last 6 months, but I will endeavour to make up for it soon, soooo...
Watch this space!
Sunday, 5 October 2014
为你写的歌
常常责怪自己 当初不应该
常常后悔没有 自己留下来
为什么明明相爱 到最后还是要离开
是否我们的爱 是个错误的意外
谁知道如时和你 重次相遇在人海
命运如此安排 总叫人无奈
这些年过得不好不坏 只是身边少了一个人存在
让我渐渐明白 时间不变我对你的关怀
有多少爱 我如此感慨 有多少人 愿意等待
当你飘洋过海 只希望那份爱 会从新点燃
有多少爱 能让我明白 有多少人 值得等待
当世界已桑田沧海 我仍会勇敢地去爱
有多少爱 如此艰难 有多少人 愿意忍耐
当你飘洋过海 只希望那份爱 仍然会存在
有多少爱 能让我明白 有多少人 值得等待
当你我已桑田沧海 只希望我们 仍会情深似海
即世界已桑田沧海 也不会变我们的盟山誓海
我愿意为你等待
因为你值得等待
我相信我们的爱
不会被时间和距离打败。
常常后悔没有 自己留下来
为什么明明相爱 到最后还是要离开
是否我们的爱 是个错误的意外
谁知道如时和你 重次相遇在人海
命运如此安排 总叫人无奈
这些年过得不好不坏 只是身边少了一个人存在
让我渐渐明白 时间不变我对你的关怀
有多少爱 我如此感慨 有多少人 愿意等待
当你飘洋过海 只希望那份爱 会从新点燃
有多少爱 能让我明白 有多少人 值得等待
当世界已桑田沧海 我仍会勇敢地去爱
有多少爱 如此艰难 有多少人 愿意忍耐
当你飘洋过海 只希望那份爱 仍然会存在
有多少爱 能让我明白 有多少人 值得等待
当你我已桑田沧海 只希望我们 仍会情深似海
即世界已桑田沧海 也不会变我们的盟山誓海
我愿意为你等待
因为你值得等待
我相信我们的爱
不会被时间和距离打败。
Thursday, 21 August 2014
My turn
I love the Voice of China.
I love it for many reasons; the banter, the entertainment, the beautiful melodies, and of course, the beautiful contestants ;)
But what I love most is the feeling of seeing someone at their best. There are many styles of singing and everyone have their own tastes in music; but without a doubt, every person that comes on stage is extremely talented at what they do. That's what I love seeing the most - people being able to exhibit something that they excel at. Seemingly just normal people that you wouldn't look twice at if you were to pass them on the streets, when these contestants step on stage, for a few short minutes they are able to outshine the brightest of stars (no pun intended).
Watching them, their amazing talent makes me very aware of my lack thereof. But rather than feeling regretful, I feel motivated. As you already know, I don't have any particular talents. I'm not good at singing like some people, or good at an instrument or a sport. My best chance of ever being in the spot light in this lifetime is through my career (yea it's probably a bit late to pick up my electric guitar again, or acting). I don't think I'll ever be the hugely successful or wealthy, but I would like to be acknowledged by my peers one day as someone who was talented at something, even if it was something as boring as environmental science.
I've wanted to be many things in my life. An actor, a guitarist, a basketball player, a table tennis player, a chess player, a Starcraft player, a player (insert rimshot), a break-dancer, a skateboarder, a University professor, a mathematician, an army general, a Dragonball Z fighter, a Gundam pilot, and of course, a Pokemon trainer.
But now, this is my dream.
To be the very best.
Like no one ever was.
...in Environmental Science.
And with this dream in mind, I am leaving my current job and moving into an environmental scientist role at a consulting company. In fact, tomorrow is my last day at Renex.
It's been an amazing 7 month. My experiences have varied from getting up before 6am to bike to work in the rain to smoking cigars and drinking scotch with the Execs in my suit. My roles have ranged from giving advice to our CEO to shoveling contaminated sludge out of a pit with a shovel. My days have diversified from feeling like im on top of the world to wanting to kill myself. Such was the roller coaster ride I have been on for the last 7 months.
Now it's finally time for me to move on. Like they say, every job is a stepping stone to your dream career (or was it something about girls?). I believe I have finally found my ideal job.
After 50 job applications, 5 job interviews and 2 jobs, I have finally found the starting line for my dream career. Like a judge turning around in the blind auditions, this is only the beginning. But like the contestants, an opportunity was all I needed.
The rest ishistory future.
I love it for many reasons; the banter, the entertainment, the beautiful melodies, and of course, the beautiful contestants ;)
But what I love most is the feeling of seeing someone at their best. There are many styles of singing and everyone have their own tastes in music; but without a doubt, every person that comes on stage is extremely talented at what they do. That's what I love seeing the most - people being able to exhibit something that they excel at. Seemingly just normal people that you wouldn't look twice at if you were to pass them on the streets, when these contestants step on stage, for a few short minutes they are able to outshine the brightest of stars (no pun intended).
Watching them, their amazing talent makes me very aware of my lack thereof. But rather than feeling regretful, I feel motivated. As you already know, I don't have any particular talents. I'm not good at singing like some people, or good at an instrument or a sport. My best chance of ever being in the spot light in this lifetime is through my career (yea it's probably a bit late to pick up my electric guitar again, or acting). I don't think I'll ever be the hugely successful or wealthy, but I would like to be acknowledged by my peers one day as someone who was talented at something, even if it was something as boring as environmental science.
I've wanted to be many things in my life. An actor, a guitarist, a basketball player, a table tennis player, a chess player, a Starcraft player, a player (insert rimshot), a break-dancer, a skateboarder, a University professor, a mathematician, an army general, a Dragonball Z fighter, a Gundam pilot, and of course, a Pokemon trainer.
But now, this is my dream.
To be the very best.
Like no one ever was.
...in Environmental Science.
And with this dream in mind, I am leaving my current job and moving into an environmental scientist role at a consulting company. In fact, tomorrow is my last day at Renex.
It's been an amazing 7 month. My experiences have varied from getting up before 6am to bike to work in the rain to smoking cigars and drinking scotch with the Execs in my suit. My roles have ranged from giving advice to our CEO to shoveling contaminated sludge out of a pit with a shovel. My days have diversified from feeling like im on top of the world to wanting to kill myself. Such was the roller coaster ride I have been on for the last 7 months.
Now it's finally time for me to move on. Like they say, every job is a stepping stone to your dream career (or was it something about girls?). I believe I have finally found my ideal job.
After 50 job applications, 5 job interviews and 2 jobs, I have finally found the starting line for my dream career. Like a judge turning around in the blind auditions, this is only the beginning. But like the contestants, an opportunity was all I needed.
The rest is
Saturday, 5 July 2014
One step at a time
I took my first big step towards the adult life at the age of 21, on the day my other half decided to become a part of my life. Being with her opened up a whole new world to me and enabled me to become more emotionally mature.
My second big step towards becoming a fully fledged adult was when I moved out of home and came to Melbourne to live by myself. While I was not financially independent, having to manage and deal with everything by myself was definitely a challenging yet rewarding experience.
The third big step was when I finally graduated from university, and from the education system as a whole, and entered the workforce. I had already been working part time towards the end of my school year, but it wasn't till 3 months after I graduated that I became a full-time sky-blue-collar (what you get when you mix blue with white).
Yesterday, I took my fourth big step in my adult life; I bought my very first car: a 2009 VW Golf. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, as we all know the cool kids already had their owns cars in high school. But for me, it is monumental. They say 找车跟找老婆一样难. All I can say is at least my wife isn't going to break my bank account (or have I understood marriage completely wrong?).
Buying my first car has so far been a Clockwork-Orange-joy-ride that is as exciting as it is painful, stressful, tyre-ing, and terrifying. The amount of research, searching, looking, and bargaining that is involved is simply exhaust-ing (okay I'll stop with the car puns now). But I guess all this work is justified, because a car is the second most expensive thing you'll ever buy. I spent all of my savings (plus more) on this car, just so that I can drive to work so that I can make more money. Yes, the irony of it all has not escaped me.
On the bright side, getting to places will no longer be such a pain, and I can finally have the chance to explore more of Melbourne, Victoria, and even Australia. In the end, buying a car is the essential next big step in my life. It marks the day I am no longer a slave to the whims, antics and sadism of the public transport system. It marks the day I no longer have to deal creepy old men and cross-dressing cyclists, or even the usual 'friendly' Dandenong locals and commuters. It marks the day I no longer have to eye-joust with the person sitting opposite me on the train, or stare awkwardly out the window upon defeat. It marks the day I no longer have to cycle in the cold, wet, windy Melbournian winter. It marks the day I no longer have to cycle.
We all have our big moments in life. For me, this is one of them. I hope that I will be able to create some cherished memories with this car, and that it may accompany me through meaningful journeys in the years to come. Most of all, I just hope it doesn't break.....
......or get ambushed by trees. TROLOLOLOLOLOLOL. BW out.
Photos below!
My second big step towards becoming a fully fledged adult was when I moved out of home and came to Melbourne to live by myself. While I was not financially independent, having to manage and deal with everything by myself was definitely a challenging yet rewarding experience.
The third big step was when I finally graduated from university, and from the education system as a whole, and entered the workforce. I had already been working part time towards the end of my school year, but it wasn't till 3 months after I graduated that I became a full-time sky-blue-collar (what you get when you mix blue with white).
Yesterday, I took my fourth big step in my adult life; I bought my very first car: a 2009 VW Golf. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, as we all know the cool kids already had their owns cars in high school. But for me, it is monumental. They say 找车跟找老婆一样难. All I can say is at least my wife isn't going to break my bank account (or have I understood marriage completely wrong?).
Buying my first car has so far been a Clockwork-Orange-joy-ride that is as exciting as it is painful, stressful, tyre-ing, and terrifying. The amount of research, searching, looking, and bargaining that is involved is simply exhaust-ing (okay I'll stop with the car puns now). But I guess all this work is justified, because a car is the second most expensive thing you'll ever buy. I spent all of my savings (plus more) on this car, just so that I can drive to work so that I can make more money. Yes, the irony of it all has not escaped me.
On the bright side, getting to places will no longer be such a pain, and I can finally have the chance to explore more of Melbourne, Victoria, and even Australia. In the end, buying a car is the essential next big step in my life. It marks the day I am no longer a slave to the whims, antics and sadism of the public transport system. It marks the day I no longer have to deal creepy old men and cross-dressing cyclists, or even the usual 'friendly' Dandenong locals and commuters. It marks the day I no longer have to eye-joust with the person sitting opposite me on the train, or stare awkwardly out the window upon defeat. It marks the day I no longer have to cycle in the cold, wet, windy Melbournian winter. It marks the day I no longer have to cycle.
We all have our big moments in life. For me, this is one of them. I hope that I will be able to create some cherished memories with this car, and that it may accompany me through meaningful journeys in the years to come. Most of all, I just hope it doesn't break.....
......or get ambushed by trees. TROLOLOLOLOLOLOL. BW out.
Photos below!
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Another midnight musing session
当这里是深更半夜，
我静静凝视着电脑屏幕，
没有人能知道我有多想哭。
那些过去美好的记忆，
在我脑海里旋转，虚无方向。
抱紧我，
抱紧我，
直到我有一种温暖的感觉。
我真的需要你来爱护我，
像个孩子。
We've been together for nearly 1 year and 9 months now. Not a single day goes by without me thinking about you, missing you.
Long distance is hard, especially when the number of months we've actually been together can be counted on one hand, while the number of months we've been apart cannot be counted on even two. However despite how hard it has been, it's been an incredible journey so far. I hope with all my heart that we can make it to the very end. We're three quarters of the way there now, only one quarter of the way left.
One quarter. That doesn't sound a lot does it? Well, that's still another 6 months. That's 26 weeks. Or 182 days. Or 4368 hours. Or 262,080 minutes. Or 15,724,800 seconds. When you put it like that, it does sound like a lot.
But then again, time does fly. Can you believe that I've lived in Melbourne for 15 months now?? And that it's been a year since I've gone back to New Zealand?? It didn't feel that long ago when I was driving around the streets of Auckland in the middle of the night in our little Swift.
Has it really been a year since I saw my dad? It didn't feel like that long ago when our whole family went to Handa for buffet lunch.
Was it really a year ago that I last saw my friends? It didn't feel that long ago when me and the boys were eating and laughing at Hopes Way, or singing 天高地厚 with Simon at Jeannie's birthday.
Fuck. Where did the time go? The last two years just felt like a blur to me. I have memories in my head of things happening, yet I do not remember doing them. It's like I have been asleep the past two years, and someone has merely implanted memories within my head to trick me into believing I had been awake. One moment I'm still studying and living comfortably in Auckland surrounded by my friends and family, and the next I'm by myself in Melbourne working full time. It really scares me to think that this is going to become the rest of my life - working that is.
Each week, Im going to spend the weekdays working and the weeknights and weekends recuperating from work. Then rinse and repeat for 50 weeks of each year, for 40 years of the rest of my life. When I think about it like that, it really makes me question whether there is more to life than that. I mean I suppose in between all that working I will somehow manage to find the time to get married, have kids, buy a house, and raise my kids in it. But still, there's got to be more to it than that!
I know it's naive for me to think that, because all our lives we have been preparing for this point. All 18 or so years of education is to prepare us for a life of work. But just because this is the way it is, does it mean this is the way it has to be? Don't get me wrong, I still want to succeed and achieve great things in my life, and to be able to do that, I have to work.
But...
But...
But...there's got to be more to life that just what I have now. Beyond working, I don't know what to do with myself. I feel so empty inside these days, and so lost. I guess it's because she's not here. I think if she was here, I would feel a lot better. But that day is still 6 months away. So for now, the only company I will have on these lonely nights are the distant stars and the vacant smoke drifting from my cigarette.
我静静凝视着电脑屏幕，
没有人能知道我有多想哭。
那些过去美好的记忆，
在我脑海里旋转，虚无方向。
抱紧我，
抱紧我，
直到我有一种温暖的感觉。
我真的需要你来爱护我，
像个孩子。
We've been together for nearly 1 year and 9 months now. Not a single day goes by without me thinking about you, missing you.
Long distance is hard, especially when the number of months we've actually been together can be counted on one hand, while the number of months we've been apart cannot be counted on even two. However despite how hard it has been, it's been an incredible journey so far. I hope with all my heart that we can make it to the very end. We're three quarters of the way there now, only one quarter of the way left.
One quarter. That doesn't sound a lot does it? Well, that's still another 6 months. That's 26 weeks. Or 182 days. Or 4368 hours. Or 262,080 minutes. Or 15,724,800 seconds. When you put it like that, it does sound like a lot.
But then again, time does fly. Can you believe that I've lived in Melbourne for 15 months now?? And that it's been a year since I've gone back to New Zealand?? It didn't feel that long ago when I was driving around the streets of Auckland in the middle of the night in our little Swift.
Has it really been a year since I saw my dad? It didn't feel like that long ago when our whole family went to Handa for buffet lunch.
Was it really a year ago that I last saw my friends? It didn't feel that long ago when me and the boys were eating and laughing at Hopes Way, or singing 天高地厚 with Simon at Jeannie's birthday.
Fuck. Where did the time go? The last two years just felt like a blur to me. I have memories in my head of things happening, yet I do not remember doing them. It's like I have been asleep the past two years, and someone has merely implanted memories within my head to trick me into believing I had been awake. One moment I'm still studying and living comfortably in Auckland surrounded by my friends and family, and the next I'm by myself in Melbourne working full time. It really scares me to think that this is going to become the rest of my life - working that is.
Each week, Im going to spend the weekdays working and the weeknights and weekends recuperating from work. Then rinse and repeat for 50 weeks of each year, for 40 years of the rest of my life. When I think about it like that, it really makes me question whether there is more to life than that. I mean I suppose in between all that working I will somehow manage to find the time to get married, have kids, buy a house, and raise my kids in it. But still, there's got to be more to it than that!
I know it's naive for me to think that, because all our lives we have been preparing for this point. All 18 or so years of education is to prepare us for a life of work. But just because this is the way it is, does it mean this is the way it has to be? Don't get me wrong, I still want to succeed and achieve great things in my life, and to be able to do that, I have to work.
But...
But...
But...there's got to be more to life that just what I have now. Beyond working, I don't know what to do with myself. I feel so empty inside these days, and so lost. I guess it's because she's not here. I think if she was here, I would feel a lot better. But that day is still 6 months away. So for now, the only company I will have on these lonely nights are the distant stars and the vacant smoke drifting from my cigarette.
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