the little things

Some things never change. The satisfaction derived from dunking Tim Tams into a cup of tea after arriving home from work (and now that I'm living in England, the satisfaction of doing that doubles automatically). Enjoying a walk in the cold air listening to music.

And new pleasures. Watching the Thames from my bedroom window. Choosing which museum to go on the weekend. Last weekend it was the Victoria and Albert Museum - a powerhouse in the breadth and depth of its design collections. Writing in my blog and thinking back to what I've done and where I've been. Playing pool with my cousin in Chinatown and giving puzzled looks to Chinese gang-sta boys running around with British accents. And receiving puzzled looks when these British Chinese boys hear our Australian accents. Sadly, my ability in ensuring the cue hits the little white ball at the correct velocity and angle has been found wanting. David 2. Taffy 0.

Of course, when you move to a new city everything isn't always beer and skittles. There are the days when I just want to close my eyes and wait for the blackness to recede. But the end of the blackness only shows you that there's no other option but to push on. As my mum said to me before I left: breathe. smile. relax.

In my darkest days there is the joy of having friends so close, yet so far away. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I would ever survive without technologies such as skype and messenger. Maybe Telstra was a force for good after all.

Of course, the thing that has changed the least has been my appetite for politics. I was insatiable in devouring news of the election. For the first time in many years I missed watching the ABC and the count, but had to make do with a radio broadcast on the internet.

Vale the Australian Democrats. Your scrutiny of legislation in the Senate will be missed by the Australian people. But it's time to open a new chapter for progressive politics in Australia.

It's time for the sun to come out.