Back in Adelaide

Flew off from Singapore on Saturday night, and arrived safely on Sunday afternoon, straight into Adelaide's summer, and back to more fishy labwork.

Reality hits. You know you're back in Adelaide when...

1) Fellow pedestrians give you a strange look everytime you overtake them on the footpath, and you have to mentally remind yourself to walk more slowly.

2) The water tastes strangely salty (because of the hard water in Adelaide. There's so much minerals in it, you'll probably need to take that into consideration when calculating daily nutritional values).

3) You need to slather a thick layer of lip balm, otherwise your lips crack when you grin (ouch).

4) You step out of the shower and your hair puffs out afro style (and dries really fast too), because of the dry air and hard water.

5) The temperature can be 35 degrees celsius in the afternoon, then 18 degrees at night the very same day.

6) During winter, the temperature hits 15 degrees celsius, and some of your classmates are walking around barefoot in a T-shirt and shorts (while you're wrapped up in long-sleeves or more than two layers of clothing)

7) You walk into the labs, and are immediately hit by the smell of fish guts (the 'unfortunate' raw material in our research projects...)

8) The term 'Chinatown' refers to a short stretch of road with a few shops and restaurants.

9) You can order a plate of 'Singapore noodles' (although the Singaporeans agree that you can't find that dish anywhere in Singapore).

10) You have to wait between half an hour to an hour for a bus (I don't complain about waiting for buses back home anymore).

11) The taxi-fare meter increases by one dollar every half a minute or so (and your heart soon jumps each time the meter jumps).

12) You step into the shopping centres at 6 pm, and the only shops that are open are the supermarkets and cinemas (and the occasional 24 hr McDonalds).

13) You call a doctor to make an appointment, are told that they are fully booked today, and that the next available time would be in the afternoon two days from now (by which time you'd either be much better or dead... )

14) You have to wait two months to get an appointment for a chest X-ray (and hope very hard in the meantime that it's nothing serious).

15) The tiler tells you he'll be coming in on Monday afternoon to fix the kitchen tiles, but only appears on Thursday morning...

But, you also know you're in Adelaide when...

1) You smile at the bus drivers, and they don't give you that skeptical 'what are you up to, crazy issit?! Hurry up and move to the back!' frown that you get back home. The Adelaide bus drivers smile back and greet you, or even initiate the greeting.

2) The elderly folk make friendly casual conversation with you at the bus stop while waiting for the buses to arrive.

3) You are greeted with a big smile and a chirpy "How are you today?" at the cashier counters.

4) In most companies, a typical work day starts at 9am and finishes at 5pm (in contrast to the typical work day of 8.30am to 6.30pm or later in Singapore).

5) You are given a half-hour 'morning tea break', one hour 'lunch break', and another half-hour 'afternoon tea break' everyday at work.

6) You are greeted with an exhuberant "How're you going?" when you walk past a colleague.

7) It's 'peak hour', but you're not shoved into or out of the train, nor jam-packed like sardines when making your way home (unlike taking the MRT during rush hour back home).


Each country has its own different appeal, and there are several areas that each can learn from the other. Adelaide is more relaxed and 'friendly', while Singapore is more 'lively', competitive, and 'happening'.
However, despite having spent 7 years in Australia (nearly 1/3 of my life... goodness...), Singapore still is and always will be home (but no, I don't think I'm a patriotic citizen either... :) Although I shuttle back and forth between both countries, and adapt to the different lifestyles in each, I think most importantly, deep down inside, I remain consistent in who I am, what I believe in, and what I do (while continuing to seek to improve myself).

Consistency in the face of change, and change in the midst of consistency.
I'm still the same yet different, wherever I may be
(which may be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Haha).

And one thing also seems to remain constant... I still need more sleep... :)