Tales of Asia - Part 9 - Lost in Melbourne (again)

Sunday the 30th of July 2006 found my wonderful daughter Alana arriving in Hong Kong to spend a week with me. Alana had previously come to Hong Kong with me last December but had returned home soon after because her grandfather was sick at that time. Alana returned to have a weeks holiday with me and do things that we missed out doing the time before.

During the week that Alana was here we were able to have a look around Hong Kong, go up to the China mainland to Shenzhen and have body and foot massages for three hours and then go shopping afterwards. We went to Macau on a high-speed ferry and then returned on the ferry during a Typhoon Signal 3 warning whilst many people were calling for Ralph in paper bags. We had a great time enjoying our time together as dad and daughter.

When the week was over, on the 6th of August, Alana and I both boarded a plane and flew off in the direction of Australia. We had been under the impression we were going to Melbourne so when the plane landed in Adelaide we were a little perplexed. Things were okay though and soon we were on the same plane again hopping over to Melbourne. We hadn't been made aware that the plane goes in a Hong Kong-Adelaide-Melbourne-Hong Kong circle. Alana's mum Sue came to meet her at the airport and graciously offered me a lift home which I gratefully accepted.

A word in passing on ex-partners. I know a lot of people who are either separated or divorced and hold resentment, anger or blame towards their ex-partner. Whenever these people talk about their ex-partner it seems that they talk about them with disdain and negativity. I have been privileged to be in a situation where Sue and I have been divorced for some years now and both wish each other well. I don't think that my divorced relationship with my ex-wife could be any better than that currently is. Thanks Sue.

Anyway, after Sue gave me a lift home and I had an emotional reunion with my cat Stussy the Incredibly Amazing Wondercat, I unpacked my bags, got squared away and got prepared for my two weeks in Melbourne. What a two-week period it was going to turn out to be!

During the next two weeks I was able to meet with members of my staff at my office in Melbourne. I must say that there is a deep sense of satisfaction when a person can come back to a business after being away for some time to find that the business is performing exactly as it should be performing. This consistency is directly attributable to the wonderful people who work in my business and who are so loyal and dedicated, hard-working and conscientious. Thanks everyone.

Musically, I played in the three bands that I perform with when I am living in Melbourne. The three bands are Loose Connections (a three-piece acoustic outfit), The Screaming Teabags (a blues/jazz/funk outfit) and Kool Change (formerly Audio Assassins who are a rock covers band). It was great to catch up with all of my friends again and to be able to play music with them. Although we are all amateurs in the sense that we have other jobs and do not rely on music for a livelihood, the sound and the attitudes are always professional. In particular, it was great to see the growth of the band Kool Change who I joined for their performance at a private function at the Point Cook Air Force Base on the middle Saturday night of my stay.

I was also able to attend a couple of other musical events, one being to go and see my mate Wayne Trethowan perform in his band Oz Rock Revolution at the Bayswater Hotel. The band was really great performing covers of classic Australian rock songs and the sticky carpet at "The Baysy" well..thats another story. Wayne is the general manager of a multinational company in the same area of endeavour that I am in and is affectionately nicknamed "Poosey Bear". Each year Wayne hosts an day long outdoor rock concert in Eltham called "Bearstock" (after "Poosey Bear" and Woodstock). Bands play throughout the day and there is a hippy theme where guests come dressed in 60's and 70's gear and look as hip as possible. Its a great day.

The other music event I attended was a Weekend Warrior concert held on Sunday afternoon at the Croxton Park Hotel. The Weekend Warrior organisation helps get mature aged musicians (regardless of skill level) back out in public and playing music in concerts. As the inaugral President for two years of the Weekend Warrior music association in Victoria it was my pleasure to go along and see more musicians being presented to the public for the first time in many years. Well done to everyone, organisers, musicians, supporters and families.

Socially, I was able to catch up with many of my friends but unfortunately I was not able to catch out with everyone that I would have liked to. I had purposely made this trip two weeks in duration so that I could do everything I wanted to do and catch up with everybody I wanted to see, but time just got away from me. Next time I might have to stay in Melbourne for longer. As it was, I didn't even get to spend one evening relaxing in my own house as I will always be out seeing people and getting home late in the night.

A couple of highlights for me personally this time was having lunch with my good friend Mark Navin (he's the guy I wrote about after my last trip to Melbourne). Mark is a great guy, one of those really decent and wholesome human beings that you come across from time to time and you just feel like it like to be friends with forever. Having dinner with Greg and his partner Halia at their house in Eltham the night before I went home was also another highlight. Greg is the percussionist/backing vocalist for Loose Connections and his house is set in a bushland setting in Eltham. I was accompanied on the night by my close friend Melissa Ding and drove out to Greg and Halia's house in Melissa's Porsche Boxster. It was raining so letterbox signs or house signs were difficult to see. In the end Melissa and I were driving up and down the road for about 30 minutes trying to find Greg and Halia's house until I had to ring them up on the phone to ask for their assistance. As it turns out we were parked directly opposite their house but would never have known.

A major highlight of my trip back to Melbourne this time was to check out my son Dylan's new business PSX Playstation Extreme. The business provides Playstation and Xbox repairs, upgrades, accessories and software. It was wonderful to see Dylan in his business which although in its early days of operation showed signs of being very successful. Dylan has had to qualify himself in game console repairs, learn how to run a business and then start a new business all from an idea he had a little while ago. I was very proud as his father to see him making his way in life and ensuring a way of being self-supporting through his own contributions. Well done mate.

All too soon my trip to Melbourne was over and on the 19th of August 2006 I boarded a plane again and came back to Hong Kong. It was interesting for me to note my own thoughts that, when leaving Hong Kong, I felt like I was leaving home to go somewhere. When I was in Australia and leaving to come back to Hong Kong and the feeling was leaving home to go home. So it's a bit weird.

While in Melbourne they also came to the realisation that I have a fantastic life in Melbourne while at the same time having a fantastic life in Hong Kong. The quality problem that I have from this realisation is I have a fantastic life overall. How lucky am I.

Until next time, this is the intrepid traveller signing off and wishing you all well.