It was exactly a year ago today that I arrived in Sydney, ready to start a new phase in my life. I remember arriving in the morning on a Qantas flight. The night before a good friend in Hong Kong sent me off at the airport. I remember my eyes turning moist as the plane took off; I was saying goodbye to a life I had known for seven years. I was saying goodbye to a city I love.

It was one of those bittersweet moments. Hong Kong was like a partner I loved but could no longer be with. It’s like one of those relationships where you would be miserable staying together even though you loved one another. Like a man I couldn’t be with because we were going in different directions in life and not because we were treating each other badly, such was the case with Hong Kong.

I was looking to buy my first home before I got too old and not be eligible for any bank loans. I couldn’t afford anything in Hong Kong and so I decided I had to move. So off to Sydney I went.

One year on, I’m still enjoying Sydney and what the city has to offer. True, it’s much more expensive, public transport is crap, and the amount of tax I pay absolutely sucks big time. But I guess that is the price one has to pay for bigger spaces, cleaner sky, bluer skies, and better quality of life in general. And I have bought a place which I will hopefully be moving into in a couple of months.

I do miss Asia and I wouldn’t rule out returning to Singapore and/or Hong Kong. I want to design a life where I can spend time in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Still working on that!

Anyhow, one year on, I think I’m doing ok in Sydney. Still trying to build a social network but that takes time. But for the most part, all’s good. 🙂