Yesterday, I was trimming grass. The smell of freshly-cut grass can be really therapeutic. Cutting grass made me think about having a picnic amidst trees and flowers and waters. Then it made me think about my trip to Australia, and of the idiom, "The grass is greener on the other side". Then it made me think about this blog and how I'm overdue in posting.

Before I knew it, I've been back in Malaysia for a bit. Time does fly when you're having fun. We didn't do much sightseeing, seeing how we've done quite a bit before. But we did do a lot of shopping! I've gone to Australia three times in four years, and I'll say this - When there are sales, the sales are seriously crazy. Leather boots for AUD 10, denim capris for AUD 5, a Cotton On bag for AUD 2. Is it a wonder why I end up getting most of my clothes there?

There are no perfect countries, but there are certainly things one cannot help comparing when traveling. So besides the shopping, here are three other things I enjoyed in Melbourne.

1) The nature
Lots of it, and well maintained. Yes, Australia has bigger land and fewer people than Malaysia, but Australia's culture is really such that people go outdoors a lot, snapping up every bit of sunshine they can. Melbourne is dotted with parks, beautiful country and coastal towns, and offers various activities to do outside. You can ask my little brother, who came home to find our playgrounds lacking after the, what, 20 playgrounds he played at in Melbourne. I enjoy picnics and walks, and Melbourne had ample greenery to serve those delights. When we went to the coast for a few days, I remember how my dad used to take my family to the beach often. It was one of the good things of living in a coastal town. But now, with all the reclamation and developments, a good beach is getting further and further away.

2) The service industry
Efficient, courteous, obliging. It's not that there were no bad service there, nor is there no good service here. But one cannot help acknowledging that good service in Melbourne is the rule rather than the exception. For one, we're given freedom to browse, rather than having a salesgirl invading personal space and breathing down your neck with an expectant "Yesss?" And I like how the sales people help you as much as possible rather than just shrugging, "Don't know. Don't have. Cannot. It's like this, wan."

I also noticed the practice of cashiers stating the bill, payment and change. Like, "It's 25.50. That's 30, and here's 4.50 change." That seems like an excellent habit of accountability.

Once I left a shopping bag behind in a shop. When I discovered my mistake, we had already gone home. With 15 minutes left to closing time, we hurried back to the mall, hoping that Australia's good testimony will pull through this time. I ran to the store and found the shop girl closing the store up. When I mentioned the bag, she took it from under the counter where it was kept and passed it to me as though returning lost shopping bags was part of her everyday routine, with just a smile at my repeated thank-yous. Another time, my brother's hat left in a restaurant was carefully kept too. It's times like these, when you're struck by a person's simple honesty, that you realize how skeptical you've become of the tidak apa service industry back home.

3) The driving
Simple and patient. There are no motorcycles riding against traffic, no impatient driver cutting across three lanes, and little fear when crossing the road as a pedestrian. When a car is turning off the road or parking, the driver behind would wait patiently instead of trying to squeeze past as soon as possible. Again, it's not perfect: I witnessed a taxi driver who was annoyed at the car ahead for stopping for pedestrians. But overall, one is definitely less stressed when driving in Australia - or at least Melbourne.

Through rose-colored glasses - Port Phillip / Charmain Sim 2014

I'm not going to go on a tirade complaining why Malaysia can't be this, or that, or every other better thing. I know enough that problems and solutions are never straightforward, but tied up in a lot of bureaucracy, corruption, culture, and apathy.

But it doesn't hurt to recognize the good when you see it. So here's to a good holiday.

And now, I shall have to get myself ready to go out and tackle the streets of Malacca - which, quite frankly, scares even non-Malaccan Malaysians.