When the prospect of moving to Australia first came up after my wedding, like any new bride and a girl who has never traveled outside India i was really happy and excited. We have all seen scenic foreign locations in our movies, breathtaking monuments and not to miss all those branded shops where one can spend all day just looking at clothes :) So from the get go i was really excited to visit Australia. As known initially it was supposed to be a 3-6 month stay and i was determined to make the most of it.

I was being sent off tearfully from the airport by my parents, my best friend and in laws, i was putting on a brave face and all smiles to them but i was sad and upset and also a little scared to travel alone for the next 12 -16 hours which included a transit at Malaysia. And to make matters worse i was time and again advised to be careful of thieves in Malaysian airport where reportedly ppl have lost cameras and laptop bags. So needless to say i sat clutching my bag in the airport, after a 4 hour flight of movie watching from India. I was well past my routine sleep cycle and was falling asleep even as I walked. I finally found the gate, got empty seats near it, put my bag as a headrest (also had an arm around it) and slept for an hour or so. Then got into the 8hr flight to Australia.

It has hence been 3.5yrs in this foreign land. Do i love it? Yes i do.. Do i miss India? Oh yes i do :( Living in a country which is clean, has a system in place for everything, where you don't know who stays in the same floor as you in an apartment complex has its pros and cons. as listed below:

PROS:

• The roads are so clean. Even if there is an event like a marathon on the main roads, once its completed within the next one hour the roads are spic and span with no trace of an event being conducted there in the first place.
• The council system in place for kids and the libraries that allow you to take any number of books and DVDs is a blessing !!
• Public transport system is good and clean, on time with free trams for visitors and free rides throughout on some public occasions.
• People are early to rise and late to bed :) Helps me in starting to work as i know i am not the only one and wont feel like everyone else gets to sleep.
• People always give you a smile when you pass by :)
• If the holidays fall during the weekend you get a substitute the same week.

CONS:

• There are very few public holidays :-/ 
• If you live in an apartment, you don't get to see who stays in your floor and if by chance you see someone on the same floor as you do, all they do is give you a smile and look down to avoid any conversation.
• You don't form a friends circle with anybody other than your work colleagues. Nothing wrong with that its just that the husbands all talk about work all the time
• You miss your hometown, you miss your family, mom's food, best friends
• Unlike USA, cost of living is actually high. Everything here is imported and anything produced locally is also costly. Shopping here is waste of money (but who does that stop from shopping)

Last week has been a crazy week at work. Since the time i joined i have never been this busy. Had taken up a new task along with my usual set of routine jobs so the new task has sprung up on me all of a sudden last week. So along with my regular work i now needed to do this new task as well. The end result being me on my ass all day long..  With the annual performance cycle coming up i hope they consider all this work that i have put it, considering i sat all day long from 8 - 4 on my seat, starting the day with breakfast, then going for a tea break in a matter of 2 hours, then lunch after another 1 hr and then tea break in the afternoon. By then its 3.30 pm and i start packing for the day. What work did i do is confidential (can be discussed only with higher mgmt). Now you know why i stressing so much on the fact that i had a crazy week last week. Cos I ACTUALLY HAD WORK TO DO ALL DAY !!!  

Had a good break on Tuesday night though when we met up DH's colleagues and their famililes for potluck dinner. There were 5 families altogether which included 7 kids in total. DD had so much fun being the littlest of them all. Everybody wanted to carry her, play with her and spend time with her including the adults. We just didnt feel like leaving after the dinner but then all of us had to work the next day and DD was already well past her bedtime.

Weekend was good. Did lotsa cooking on Sunday. Reasons being 1. Had to clear out fridge 2. Was full of energy and wanted to eat something tasty and healthy as we dont eat much during weekdays. DD and DH are doing good. With DD having a runny nose and sore throat over the weekend. We were warned of this at her 18 month vaccination so hoping its just a cold and that she feels better soon. 

This week has been good so far. Not so hectic but i have had some work to do. Have a team lunch tomo and then planning to take off on thursday just to relax and get some rest. Havent been sleeping properly at night due to DD's cold and sore throat and me leaving early in the morning when its 8 or 9 deg cold has taken a toll on my sinuses. Been having a heavy head feeling for the past 2 days continously. So hoping to take off on Thursday and get some rest. Hope i dont have any meetings or work on thursday.. 

I started blogging in 2010, for the sole purpose of getting the attention of this one guy in office on whom i had a massive crush. We had been chatting for a while now and though it was going good, i was ready to take it to the next level. So i started posting about my day-to-day stuff and also if i had anything interesting to post. I did give him my blog link but i had no idea if he was following them cos he never acknowledged my posts.. Grrr...
So here i was rambling on and about how my life has been and stuff and still getting no response from Mr. Smarty Pants i decided to do the right thing. Go let him know how i felt about him and to know what his thoughts were. Like in the movies, my friend went "Go get him girl" and i am happy that i did cos now i have GOT him forever for myself :)

Since then life has been really good. I did stop blogging due to family committments and work but occasionally when i decide to visit the blogging world there is one post i visit first before checking out any other post. This post always brings a smile to my face irrespective of how my mood is or if i have had a crappy day.

 Link to the post

So coming back to my present life, its autumn here and its getting chilly outside. Lucky me after all my shopping sprees i can now happily announce that i have 3 awesome jackets - one lightweight for the casual windy evenings, one heavy and pretty looking formal jacket and the last one a rainproof jacket. DH (Dear Husband) has never complained about my shopping sprees though it has become a habit out of boredom. But i am officially done for the year with buying new clothes. The only thing pending on my list is a pair long boots ('a girl can never have enough shoes you know') in a shade other than black. 

DD(dear daughter) has just finished a bout of cold, after lovingly sharing it will all of us at home. So the long weekend has been depressing but we have all recovered now and hoping to soldier on. Lets see how the coming weeks go.. 

Till i jot down the next post.. Cya...

Back after a long hiatus. Sitting at work during a training and am super sleepy. Writing this blog to keep myself awake and it seems to be working :)