And so tomorrow is Australia Day, my first in 7 years. Well last year didn’t count cos I was trying to finish off my thesis so I didn’t even think about celebrating it. But yes, it is my first Australia Day in 7 years and I’m excited (well a little) because I don’t have to work, I would say this is also one of the very rare public holidays that I actually get off. Nonetheless, I celebrate tomorrow with mixed feelings. Well obviously, I am not Australian by birth, neither am I by nationality. But as the years go by, I think I’m starting to lose a little bit of Singapore and gaining more of the Australian ways.
In some ways, I feel that I am Singaporean by nationality only, well to a certain extent. I know I definately have a different concept to marraige than most Singaporean girls (no offence girls, I still don’t understand the house before ring part). I know I look at the value of things differently from AU to SG people. I guess also mainly, Singapore changes so fast each year that I am starting to lose track of who I really am. I no longer rush to doors, ie rushing to train doors, lift doors, bus doors, I would rather miss the train than run a whole escalator after the one train when the next is only arriving 3 mins later. But yet, people I catch up with lament that the trains don’t come often enough. I realise one thing as well, I always feel the pressure to be prepare my EZ Link card way before I get to the top of the station as everyone seems to be rushing out of the train station. Maybe over here we have to walk up to the top, therefore allowing for more time in between to prepare your card.
These are just small things I suppose, but very much integrated in our everyday life that makes who we are. I’m not sure if I’ll be proud to say I am Australian. I know I am Singaporean by birthright. And then it hits, I’ve been one of those half-f*cks as I so affectionately call them in my younger days. Asian who doesn’t quite understand their roots anymore.
Oh wells, happy Australia Day everyone. =)
Life\'s No Storybook 