Melbourne is no longer livable?

Frankly, the first time i really got to know about the name of the place - Melbourne, was some when in high school, because of my idol singer Stephanie Sun Yan zi. She mentioned this was her most favorite place.

Melbourne, was a lovely place, to live and travel. Melbourne, is now still lovely, to travel but maybe not quite for living in.


Nowadays, what i feel about Melbourne, is not something too negative, but something potentially bad. All is about my personal feels. But i think they are pretty right. I dont know if the locals have been feeling the similar.

Three years ago, i was great to tell that i was in a very livable city. I still could recall some early moments when i came to this city. Some people did smile to me when passing by even if we were just strangers to one another. The city was pretty ambient with some activities and crowds. The pace of people on the street was relaxing.

Now, i feel like Melbourne is a container. It is trying to contain a lot of things but it is nearly bursting. It has been too many people on the streets in the city. It has been harder to walk through the crowds in lunch time. It has been longer queue to get my food. It has been many many more people competing to rent apartments or houses. It has been extra harder to get your application approved. It has been much more higher with the rents. It has been slower and slower for immigration office to process the permanent residency applications. It has been more crowded in trams and trains. It has been getting wilder with the climates.

Melbourne is just not catching up the demand with its supply. Overwhelming immigration and population has been causing too much pressure on the housing supply and public transportation. Things are going slightly off balance. Melbourne is no longer livable as it was unless the issues and problems are otherwise be addressed and solved asap. At least, that is how i feel. Nevertheless, it is still a very good place compared to many corners in the world.

I just prefer old things maybe. Weird huh..

春天

冬天。过去了。

在 Melbourne。四季里。我最爱春天和秋天。因为气温并不太极端。
可 Melbourne 的天气。像是女生的脾气。善变的淘气。有时一天里会有四季的天气。

我不爱冬天。因为夜长日短。常乌云挂天。

我爱春天万物更新的感觉。爱春天开始呈蓝的天空。爱青青嫩芽迫不及待地端在树枝上。爱花卉丛中含苞待放的兴奋。春天。是见证生命力的时候。是最难让人郁闷的时候。是横冲直撞了一年里头康复的时间。爱春天。也因为爱看女生穿得很漂亮。穿得少。却不太少。有飘纱的感觉。夏天。热情的背后。其实有更多的慵懒。

却没有想到。今年的春天。我大部分的时间。放在工作上。找房子更让我耗神耗力。这春天。让我很累。在这他人的土地上。找房子。让我偶尔想起那很烂又很好的马来西亚。想念我的好友。当然有好多到新加坡了。虽然那里没有春天。却记忆了我最多笑容的日子。有很好朋友的朋友。有时不太喜欢这里。因为没有归属感。每年搬家。我厌倦了找房子。厌倦了搬家。厌倦了凑人数。厌倦了跟不是很朋友的朋友有的无的说天气。我忘了。最后谈心的是哪一天。似乎。在这南方大岛上。我没有什么谈心的时候。没有什么笑到落泪的时候。这岛上。有许多很好很好的东西。可我并没笑得更多。或许。只是我突然现在很蓝。BLUE。

今年的春天。还爆发了经济萧条金融风暴。这里许多建筑公司裁员。扑开的画纸。像砧板。纸上绚丽的线条。像砧板上被宰的鱼流下的血痕。最后还是要被洗掉。再BLUE。又蓝又红。成紫。毒的颜色。晕。春天不能是紫色。不伦不类。坏。

嗯。反正明天要早到公司。我应该现在马上去睡。睡个漂亮的明天出来。明天。春天。

Fragrance. Hygiene.

I think sometimes i have quite a sensitive sense of scents. I used to post a blog about fragrance. Apparently i dont know much about perfume. But i do like it, if it is used nicely and appropriately. The fragrance is something beyond the pure smell from the bottle, it is some sort of evaporation that reveals someone's taste, gesture, character as well as the chemical myth that work out the coordination of finest workmanship, technology and users characters.

Sometimes, i am attracted by someone just because of her fragrance. Lightly. Decently. And sometimes i will be feeling very good while walking on the grass with the breeze of flowers fragrance. All these little details do surprisingly contribute to a 'good day'. Do you know why fragrance is important? Guess you all have always heard this phrase "romance is in the air". SO, we smell the romance!

Fragrant, does not mean clean. Smelly, however means bothering to the slightest; annoying or disgusting to a tougher degree. Since i have been working for months here, i started to notice the importance of oral hygiene. So far, to my experience in communicating in the work field, most bosses dont have problem with oral hygiene. Sometimes i only smelled the coffee scent when they speak. On the other hand, i found it really annoying when a colleague talked to me with bad oral odor. According to some statistical analysis, oral hygiene does help in improving human relationship, in work, and also among couples. I do really feel a bit reluctant to kiss a girl if she has really bad oral hygiene. Imagine how much extents of romance could it kill, while whispering in the ears, kissing, or having sex... When it comes to such seemingly meaningless detail, i am surprised by how deeply it influence or recall memories of mind. I can even remember so far in my life, i have encountered a few special girls. It was as if, i could smell their fragrance while they spoke. It was like.. i could hear the words from their mouth, but also i could smell the words. Come to think of it... smell the words... how weird. I have to say, fragrance, could form a picture, a painting, or a film.

Well, i personally dont know if i have bad odor or not, because i have troublesome wisdom teeth. However i do always try my best to keep my mouth clean. I use brush, mouthwash everyday, and dental frosts sometimes. At times, friends do comment that i am pretty slow while brushing my teeth. Well, it cant be bothered, because i just could not simply rush it even if i am late. Oral hygiene also plays an important role to keep one's health in good hand. Oral bacteria could influence one's heart in long term.

Personally, i think it is also common and important to keep armpit and feet clean. Appropriate use of deodorant is good too. But never too much. And i am quite supportive about armpit hygiene. I think hairless armpit is good. It may not be scientific but many could tell from experience. About feet, i once went to watch a movie with my friends. One of them took off his shoes in the cinema and the whole atmosphere became smelly and unbearable. With this kind of friends, i would definitely not go to any Thai or Korean or Japanese restaurant that requires sitting on the floor cushions and shoes-off at the entrance racks. I would go somewhere else. Of course, friends, are friends still. It is just the matter of getting along together in daily life, especially for close friends, housemates or couples.

I could sound a bit too picky and fussy. I used to have a girlfriend who embraces clean and hygiene quite exaggeratedly and funnily. She has even tried 'enforcing' her hygiene habit on me. Well, i guess many things in the past participated in shaping the ME today.

(Photo: The Kiss- by Chasing Twilight from Flickr)

Growth

(Reminded by m.yin, i browsed back the pictures of my Cameron Highland trip early this year which recalled sweet and sour memory of mine. Nevertheless, i found this picture i took on the fields of Watercress plantation.)

When you do micro-observation to your surrounding environment, you will be amazed by how the living organism in the world strives to survive the tough situations. Here, i am impressed by how the plants and micro organism surviving for their good in the water and on the move. They possess the sense of belonging amazingly in such unstable condition. You would question my observation about the micro organism that i couldnt see with my bare eyes. But, i studied biology before, and here, simply looking at the color combination revealed from the picture. You would agree that lives are inside! They enhanced the colors of life. The moving water here serves as the tough challenge for them to hold a place of micro ecology, yet, it plays the role as the interface of bringing nutrition.

The dualism of water, and the strong will to survive of those organism, bring up a picture of growth from extremes.

在新生代漫画改篇的日剧《交响情人梦》中，有一句话：
“在历史上留名的音乐家
都不但只是有才华
也有和各种重要的珍贵的人相遇”
所以，伯乐与千里马之间，是不可缺一的。有慧眼的人，更加不能眼看有才华却错过的事情发生。
至少，为了发挥，千里马要有一个宽阔无际的草原和跨出第一步奔腾的勇气；为了栽培，伯乐要有豁达大度的内涵和无羁的胸怀。

近来，突然想起朋友说过‘助养小孩’的事情。结果，我就参与了 Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org.au/index.html。There is another popular similar program- World Vision. But what bother a bit to me from World Vision is that it sounds more about Christianity and even the permanent staffs are all Christians only. I do not have any bias position to any religions. But my very intention about helping the children, should be something very neutral, regardless of races, politics, religions etc.

Therefore, spontaneously i have joined Save the Children. I dont know i will be a Child Guardian of who. But just hope every little help given will be sufficient enough to ease them from their struggling difficulty and provide a Performance Stage for them to grow, to learn and to explore more. I hope many kids are nurtured in better environments. Kids are adorable. They are to sustain the future.

Age and Aging

How old am i? 24?

To my parents, i am always young. Without the need of doing anything, I am always their son that calls for their concerns, draws their attention, and asks for love. I am never old enough for them not to worry about me.

In my field of expertise- Architecture, i am also young. I am far too young to be able to master the arts of communication and coordination in between consultants and clients; and not mature enough to handle any advanced construction, structural integrity, innovative detailing, as well as appropriate architectural language in complex urbanity and society background. But, in this field, i am young enough to have wild imagination and the willingness of going-beyond. I hope such benefits of mine can stay tuned and be sharpen into a sword for me in this generally sense-petrifying field. I don't want to get numb and robotic-'mechanical' in everyday life under the pathetic norm of capitalism.


Among my friends, i could be quite young too. Some of my friends are even married and having their kids. I think they are truly great, especially parenting their kids. I wish them sincerely for their bright future. Some of my friends have very mature kind of thinking that always takes two steps ahead and just simply foresees third step into accounts. But not simple, for me. Meanwhile, i also have friends who don't think or analyze things too much in their life. A few of them could be even simply annoyed or couldn't be bothered when i just tried analyzing something. To my surprise, actually now no more surprise, quite a lot of them are females. Some girls do prefer sweet words to speech. Well, i don't object about that. Guess that girls are gifted to be entitled fully to enjoy that. Nevertheless, some people who don't analyze their life do live their lives happily than anyone else. Somewhat am i to be envious of. Because, i hardly think nothing for something. In fact, there are times i think something for nothing. It could be a sin.

In love, i am quite naive. I could be not single otherwise. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone who is single. Right, i am single. I should RSVP for love maybe. lol..
Surviving, i am far too young to be, if by my own. Financially and mentally, i am not mature enough to just survive the tough society by myself. Recently, i have been busy looking for houses because i have to move out soon from my current place. It is a real pain for a foreigner like me here to seek for accommodation. In 4 years time, i have moved 4 times into different places. And now, i am looking for the Fifth.



The rent in Melbourne** is incredibly high compared to Kuala Lumpur due to the incredibly high demand from overwhelming immigration and insufficient supply of housing to accommodate the new population. Lower than 1% vacancy in Melbourne renting properties proves the rent on the rise. If i am going to move out and rent a place by myself, i could end up paying the rent that could actually be the salary of a graduate architect in Malaysia. Such pain graved with the inconvenience of me having to move house every year eventually forced me to come across with the idea of purchasing a house here, Melbourne. Right, ridiculous, but could be reasonably advantageous in long term pay back. I don't have strong and promising financial income as "architects are cheap labors" is not a wrong phrase. Having said that, i started to think and study about property market here lately. (That's why i have been quite busy lately and didn't blog often). This diverting thinking from renting into buying consideration suddenly put me into a state of mind that i have not been stepping in. I suddenly feel aging.

Aging, and i see different things. Maybe it is not so good. Now, advertisements about property sales, news about Australian properties market, even empty land or construction sites, flooded into my sight. Speaking of which, only recently i got to know some basic stuffs about Stamp Duty Cost, Body Corporate Fee, Repayment, Rent Guarantee, Capital Gain, etc this kind of terms. I used to only see beauty, fashion, brand, etc. I think my eyes now are more tired, because i see more. And i see aging. Sudden accelerating aging. This actually made me feel a bit worrisome that i suddenly turn into a old capitalist. Nevertheless, i still love all fun lifestyles things, beauties, fashions, shirts, pants, ties, dress, singlet, skirt, bra, lingerie, fragrance, food, comics, anime, toys and everything. Just that i am a bit tired. Guess i do need more rest.

Sleep now, and so i will be energetic and see things more clearly. Because i need to see things in the possible storm of economic slump. Well, i don't freaking know what is going to happen about that, from that, of that. But there is a good phrase in Chinese. Risk and Opportunity come in juxtaposing bundle. Seek and develop opportunity from within or otherwise take the risk to fall into. 危机。危与机，掌握与错失在于一线间。我看到了什么。

Aging- Picture source:
Pic 1 (modified by me after) . Pic 2.

** Melbourne is one of the most livable cities in the world. I think it is too good for that to have then driven such crazy immigration from both overseas and inter-states in Australia. Many side-effects caused by such phenomenon also contributes to imbalance of gentrification and inflation of many things, including increasing rent! Overwhelming population is now posing a possible threat to the affordability, public transportation, etc to the extent of very livability...