Fancy meeting Tom and Greg one beautiful morning, on the way to the office. It should not be that of a surprise to me, as they have known each other for a long time, do work with each other and I have bumped into them before. However, the delight of seeing them shook me off the hanging cloudy air of lack of care I experienced from the few same individuals at my work place.Greg, Tom and I engaged in small talk and then on some catch-up topics and more. A meet up per chance, a definite pick-me-up to me in engaging with them, better than coffee and giving me a spring in my step.
Mid-morning, and I was thrilled getting two pieces of Saints Day cakes from Ves. I understand that Ves was involved in making a total of 17 cakes the day before. She was understandably fatigued, but she did have the look of an inner satisfaction in her face as well, that of doing somehting substantial for the family and her heritage. The Serbian creations were tasty, prettily presented and showed attention to detail. We chatted briefly of the importance of practising one's mother tongue and unique culture in a rather cosmopolitan society.
One evening, Happy came to the office with me, up the staircase and without a word - instinctively she grasped my hand and walked like an adult in unison, even is she is not quite 3 years old. She knew she was walking into the unknown - an office she had not visited before - but she kept her cool and composure, carried on as a matter of fact and kept herself busy drawing on the meeting table in my quarters. She politely articulated and pronounced every name of my my colleagues she was introduced to, like Dylan, Diane or Shelley, looking up at them in awe and with discretion. Happy's cutness was infectious on the people she came across.
On another evening, Karl dropped by as a constable officer - he had graduated before Christmas and showed me the passing out ceremony photos from the Goulburn Academy. His big eyes sttod out as usual in any pose and countenance - and accentuated under the police officer's cap. His good mate Jake had compiled the images from that special day on a disc. We talked like yesterday, but time has marched on - he has commenced duty in a part of Sydney and I would like to think I am more realistic about things more important than I had thought before. Karl looked wistful and contemplative in the pictures from his graduation. Those who know him well are so glad of his achievement and moving on to another stage of life.
A night out with Adam and his Dad, and we had dinner. A summery evening and the food was hot and spicy. I liked the barbie chicken though, done Thai style with marinade of some spices and herbs, distinctively different from the Hong Kong shops or those roasts from Oporto or Chickos. Being a Tuesday night, it looked as if we had the whole palce to ourselves. Adam had a big birthday bash coming up. Adam liked the pad thai whilst his Dad had a penchant for the Panang curry. They had driven their car and picked me up in the village we shared. The conversation flowed easily - like watching the movie Avatar, I was not conscious of the time at the dining table and only realised we had made a good night out when we left the restaurant. It was good to talk of the future with Adam, to talk of the present with his Dad and for me to fondly recall the frist time when I met and worked with Adam.
It was a rainy arvo in Berry, New South Wales, with two of the Ong sisters visiting from Penang Island. May Wah and Lin had been good fellow travellers with me, covering the Grand Pacific Drive just south of Sydney for the whole day, having sufficient curiosity, sense of adventure and patience on the long road trip, all on a single Sunday. Berry Village was the southern most stop, we drank chocolate, bought lollies and otherwise window shopped at an easy pace to wind up the drive. We did not let passing showers and blowing winds bother us. After an Italian meal at Il Nido in my village, we stopped by the Third Rock Cafe in the southern Sydney suburb of Beverly Hills. We wanted to visit a mutual friend in Earlwood earlier but had to wait for him to come back home from dinner out. Then we hit Sydney CBD and crossed the Harbour Bridge near midnite before going home.
Having lunch with Olivia, Courtney and Liana from the office was good and refreshing for me. We had met roadblocks from unexpected quarters as we arranged for this day. What I appreciated, and respected, was the cool attitude from the three of them in overcoming those unrequited and undeserving blockages from some people at work. Even getting the fresh food cooked took around 40 minutes in town and the three did not batter an eyelid waiting, although I felt so bad for all this delay. The most important thing, they remarked, was that we all made this lunch a reality, despite what others may throw as obstacles.
Hmmn, I thought, taking it further, whilst I wait for so-called dreams to materialise, I must not forget that I am already enjoying what I have.
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