I'm Baaaaack!!!

I was reading over this blog and realised how much I miss writing. It was amazing reading the entries from 2006 and 2007 in Canberra and realising, actually, that life was pretty good back then. It's probably always been pretty good.

Where are we now? I am a competition lawyer, I have a 22.5 month old amazing son, I love Melbourne, I'm almost 30, I know myself a lot better than I used to, and my husband and I are trying to be great parents at the same time as forging ahead with our respective careers.

Max has changed my life in ways I hardly expected. I totally adore him. Not all the time, but maybe 75% of the time, I genuinely dote on him. He has caught me off guard. I didn't expect him to blossom into this gorgeous toddler who has the sweetest voice and face and loves his mum so so much. I never thought that hearing him laugh or just watching him sleep - in bed, in the car, in my arms - would have a melting effect.

I think I am more smitten and protective than I expected - but I didn't expect much. The first year of Max's life were a struggle for me. By nature toddlers are much more engaging and interactive but because I'd never dealt with one before, it was hard for me to imagine how the little movements and gradual development of a baby were merely the prelude to the glorious toddler years!

Anyway enough about that. I'm going to just blog generally about my life when I get time and hope that someone reads it and finds it entertaining.

Welcome to Melbourne

I agree that it's a bit ridiculously that I haven't posted for over three months. It is hard when you're in a transition period to think of what you would like to capture, or to stop and take stock of what your frame of mind actually is. Let alone blogging!

It has been a real learning curve and melting pot of different experiences coming to Melbourne. I thought I had done the whole cities thing before, and that if anything, this move should be easier than the one from Perth to Canberra, which was my first time out of home, my first time entering the work force, not really knowing anyone in the city I was moving to, which was also on the other side of the country. You would think that moving to Melbourne, which is a one-hour (sometimes $10 return) flight from Canberra with the man who has loved and supported me (hopefully this was reciprocated) over the past 8 years, where we had relatives and friends paving the way before us wouldn't be that hard. I would be working in a law firm - a change indeed - but wouldn't need to get used to wearing a suit, staying perky for the whole 9-5 show, staring at a computer screen all day, acting 'professional' and responsible and credible. The deal was that I had learned all of that at Treasury, so if anything the transition to my second job should have been easier.

Six weeks in, in some ways maybe it has been easier. I certainly didn't struggle with wearing work attire and I was at least trying to act professional, though limited by lack of knowledge in some areas. But I think when you go in at a higher level, you miss out on all the wonderful, love-giving, spoon-feeding, hand-holding exercises that graduates and articled clerks have bestowed on them. And the nature of the work being so different - the depth, the willingness to go the extra mile or hundred miles as it may be, the structure, the brains. I am sure at law firms they achieve so much because they are just there for so much longer. Sit anyone at a desk for that many hours in a day (night) and the end product has got to be better. And more expensive.

Anyway, it has all provided much enlightenment and then some entertainment.

Stay tuned... for the next installment in ... 3 months time ...

Where have I been?

My life is slipping away from me, it really is! I don't know where the time goes these days, or why I haven't blogged. I blame being married. Or the Facebook phenomenon. One or the other.

What random words would I use to describe married life so far? Fun, relaxing, never lonely, supportive, grounding, teamwork, synergies, stable, happy. But we're still in a weird limbo situation where we haven't really settled into our official Home yet - because we're moving again soon.



After the madness of July-September, I came back to stillness at work, and in the post-election environment and new world of K-Rudd, this hasn't changed a lot yet. It has meant more time than usual for marriage-y domestic duties like cooking breakfast and shopping at ALDI. If I ever enter the commercial world this cannot go on.



We went to Sydney on the weekend, had lunch with Yen & Ro in Cabramatta and caught up with my cousins Li Ping & Ken and their new baby Nathan. One of the saving graces of Canberra as a city has been its 3-hour-close proximity to Sydney and therefore cheap Asian food and endless shopping. I spent far far too much money - such a weakness for Alannah Hill!

Three weddings and a honeymoon

After months of preparation, hundreds of phone calls and emails, constant running around, planning, outsourcing, hypothesising - we made it to the wedding day.

Neither of us was sleeping well in the week leading up to the wedding when we were back in Perth. There was so much to do. Lots of last minute preparation, and then of course all the people to see and catch up with while we were back. During that last week, we just couldn't wait for the wedding day to come and be over with!

The day itself was something else - we had a ball. I don't think either of us expected to enjoy it as much as we did. Then again, neither of us was expecting perfection. We went in with fairly low expectations - let's try to get through the day and smile at as many flashing cameras as we can, shake as many hands as possible, say our thank yous, do the bridal waltz, cut the cake etc. But we had such a great time. And we were so happy that people enjoyed themselves. It felt so special to have all our friends together in one place, and that people were happy for us and sharing the day with us. I'm so thankful for all the people who helped with different things, and the people who flew all the way from interstate or overseas to be there.

I don't have many photos yet... so if you took any please send them to us!! I was so determined to be normal and just talk to whoever I was talking to, that we didn't make the rounds of all the tables or take photos with each table at the reception.












































The day after the wedding we flew out of Perth for a 10-day honeymoon in Thailand. We spent 3 nights in Bangkok and 7 nights in Phuket and it was so needed!

We then had two more celebrations with the relatives & family friends on Michael's side, in Hong Kong and China.

It is nice to be back in the Capital - though we are living in my sharehouse, still kettleless and now crusading against the moths of Canberra, we're married and I'm relishing not having to say goodbye to Michael every evening anymore.

Hammered

I am so excited because I have tomorrow morning off work, on study leave. So happy. I can sit quietly, breathe, eat slowly, drink water, walk around, look out the window, not talk, wear unstructured clothes and slouch for half a day. I haven't had a weekend in weeks.

More APEC

Inside one of the ambassadors' villas where the finance ministers stayed

Rooftop of the ambassadors' villa - this is as close as we get!

Scenic grounds of the Hyatt Regency Resort Coolum

Heads of delegation official photograph

Liaison officers official photograph

APEC Finance Ministers Meeting - Coolum Beach, Queensland

Yesterday I returned to Canberra after spending 7 nights at the Sunshine Coast looking after the Malaysian head of delegation at the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting at Coolum Beach, which was hosted by Australia. It was eye-opening, challenging, luxurious, exciting.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency resort which is entirely self contained and spans over 35 hectares. We had buffet breakfasts (when we could make it), 3 course dinners, endless supplies of snacks, beautiful big villas with huge bathrooms, king sized bed, kitchenettes and views of the resort's golf course and water... but we also worked hard! There were days I was run off my feet, days when I was in seemingly impossible situations, 13-hour days without breaks, days of trying to remember 20 things at once and having my phone ring every 10 minutes.













































It was interesting learning to deal with media, airports, ministers, managers, egos. Event management is a massive challenge and so many resources are involved. Some of the functions seriously felt like a wedding - it made me realise how easy it is for things to go wrong and how much you rely on people to do a good job!

Almost 30 of us Treasury people went as Liaison officers, looking after a particular economy's head of delegation. There was also a massive Taskforce run out of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Not to mention the drivers, airport protocol officers, policy officers, transport team, security officers. I have never seem so many police officers in my life! Every 20 metres or so!

I got to know so many people and we had so much fun in between the work. The Treasurer put on an after party for us and everyone let loose because despite being surrounded by expensive wine all week we had never been allowed to drink at any of the functions because we were on duty!



























































It was also enlightening to see that ministers from all over the world and their advisers really do try to translate theory into reality, and they do aim for good policy rather than purely political point scoring. The preparation, negotiation, brainstorming and drafting of a communique all consumed long hours of each delegation's time and I was impressed at how much work they got done! It was not a junket - but the amazing setting definitely helped!