Do you ever..?

Today marks the last day of my first semester here in Uni Melb. Can I just say that time really flies this year? Somehow or other, June's coming, which meant that almost of the year has zoomed past without me really realizing.

Lots happened while I was here in Melbourne, and while there are certainly dramas and things that happened that made me really sad, I'm just glad that I came here. Among all the things that I've learnt during my short stay here, the most valuable thing that I've taken away from this stay is that:

One must never, ever take things for granted.

People usually only come to treasure things when they lost it, or can't have it. It's true isn't it? Things that I usually take for granted back in Singapore, are not available here in Melbourne and it makes me treasure my life back in Singapore even more. Including the people I've left behind.

I was out running errands yesterday, and of all the things I need to get, I have to get uniball pens for my exams as the current ones I have are running out of ink. So I was rummaging through every bookstore or stationary shop that I can find, and they just don't stock the kind of pens I want. You know the usual 0.38 pens that so many of us are using? Yeap they don't have it. The closest I found was a 0.7 one which costs me AUD3.50, which is about.. SGD4.80?

And then there are things like food. You can't find fish soup or carrot cake like you did in hawker centers. Even if you can find a good plate of chicken rice, it'll be about AUD9 - AUD12. Portion is big yes, but I can't even finish it! Haha and then there'll be times where you'll feel so hungry in the middle of the night, but there isn't anywhere where you can just pop by and have supper like Bedok 85 and Punggol Nasi Lemak. Movies here can costs up to a whopping AUD20, and 3D glasses are not free, you have to buy them! Oh and street lamps. The streets here are not as well lit as back in Singapore, so I usually avoid going out at night. When you go grocery shopping, don't expect to be able to find things in the market that you do back in Singapore. Like when I was looking for lotus roots, they're only available in frozen packs in the Asian grocery store. & simple things like B&J ice creams are not available in supermarkets, only some shops which has the B&J fridge. Same goes for Haagen Daaz ice creams. When shopping for eggs in Melbourne, be sure to open up the box and check if they're broken. High chance is you'll find some cracks here and there, or only half an egg looking back at you.

You won't be able to find cosmetics brands like Laneige, Ettusias and all, so I've gotta stock up everytime before I come. Pads here can cost up to AUD9 a pack, so yea you get the drift.

It's the little things like these that I've experienced, that made me treasure Singapore so much more. I often hear people complaining how boring Singapore is. Well, true to an extent but isn't the quality of time spent what people always emphasized? You can always go on a short trip, miss home and come back.

Nothing will beat being back at home, trust me.

Then I thought of how I took my friends for granted too. They're always just a phone call away for supper or for clubbing, or just to watch a movie or shopping in town. You can always expect them to say okay let's go! While I'm here in Melb, I miss my friends truckloads although I do have friends here too. But it's just different. It's more of how you grew up with your friends back in sec school or poly that makes it so much different. People here are nice too, but once your tut is over, you'll just say goodbye and meet the next week. Some hang out with you and all, but the ones who stay and make you feel comfortable are usually those that you know back in sec school or before you came to uni. I guess it's the same back in Singapore, just that your friends are always within reach or just a phone call away.

We take things for granted, ALL THE TIME. It might be so with your boy/girlfriend, or with your family. Truth is, we're all living in too much comfort back in Singapore. Start opening your eyes wide and look around, to see if you'll actually miss anything when you leave this small island for say a few months.

You'll be surprised. ;)