Aug 15 was when I left Sharrock Pitman Legal. We had a breakfast, as a firm, on that morning. David can be a gracious employer at such times, and was. I must say I did not expect this in any way at all. Mid way through the breakfast (at the favourite SPL brekky haunt, Shine), he presented me with a very good bottle of red (a Penfolds 2001 St Henri’s Shiraz) and a weighty coffee table book, “Speeches That Shaped A Modern World” (with considerable Australian bent, of course). It is now just over a week since I left and I can still close my eyes and see, through the blinds of sharing window in my room, David lumbering along the corridors, from his room into the reception area where either Heidi or Lynette would be typing out his dictated work. Otherwise, I see Lynette outside my room, at the door, asking about this account or that file. Or, I could still hear Tim speaking patiently and interminably, on the telephone to some very unusual client (typically family law client). Or, Cordelia or Andre’s laugh. Liz has left less impression, but probably because I had worked with her for a shorter period of time.
One phase of my new life in Melbourne is now past. I cant say it is a phase I would like to return to but it was, nevertheless, a phase which had given me a rich experience.
Last night was my grandmother’s 88th birthday. What a grand old woman she is. I have written about her in this blog before and when I think of her, I realise what I have written is but a tiny representation of what a character she truly is. I often wish my father had taken on more of both of my grandparents’ traits.
On Saturday, kiddo had a “Tournament of the Minds” event at the Swinburne Tech Uni campus at Hawthorn. It started at 8.30 am so it was an earlier than usual start to a Saturday. It was one of several reasons why I am still here instead of being in Klang, and celebrating my grandmother’s birthday with everyone there. That’s one pain a migrant goes through – torn between the needs of the my own family here and those of my extended family in my hometown. It has been a busy week for both Theresa and kiddo and it was therefore a bad time for me to go away and leave them alone here.
We did have a great time yesterday though – after church in the morning, we took kiddo to a Malaysian diner where they served (on every 3rd Sunday of the month) great Hainanese Chicken Rice, which kiddo proclaimed a great dish. Theresa had her usual char koay teow and I had my “special laksa” (with yong tau foo). Usually after a full and late lunch like that we dont have dinner and yesterday was no different, a more-active-than-usual afternoon notwithstanding. After lunch, we headed for Jells Park as it was a gloriously sunny 19-degree afternoon. We walked quite a bit, had ice cream, then came home where I washed the car and Theresa did some gardening.
I now wonder what the next few weeks hold for me – if I should return to work sooner or if I would still get to visit mom and dad in Klang. Next few weeks would remain busy for kiddo and Theresa, so I would just leave things to God – am now learning to live in peace, leaving things in His mighty hands.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Ante 