Programming types would say, "Hello world!"

Several months ago, I made the decision to give up looking for a job in Australia and return to Malaya. Working in Australia had its benefits- high purchasing power, excellent working hours, the possibility of relying on public transport and maybe easy access to good coffee.

The key word in the above sentence is ‘working’. For a good half year, I was as good as jobless, relying on a reasonably well-paying* freelance contract to keep me occupied and my finances in the black. The field in which I was experienced was small and slow moving at that time, and it was surprisingly difficult to find employment.

Being jobless can be rather unsettling, the most obvious reason being the lack of secure income. Also, one ends up with too much time on one’s hands. I did try to occupy myself, but things still do slip after a while. There was no drama with emotional instability, I would like to think, but I think I did have too little to do with my time.

The situation did not look like it was improving in the near term but the clock kept ticking. If I continue bumming for much longer my employability will decay and I might just end up in some dead end alley.


So here I am, back in sunny Malaya and employed within a month of returning. The pay is nothing to shout home about, the cost of living seems to get scarier as I learn more about living, the traffic can be a total tosser and good cheap coffee is rare. But it’s not all doom and gloom; on the contrary I’m quite glad I’m home. The family is here, the extended family is within arm’s length, the close friends are still here, good affordable food is easily available, the pace of life is more interesting and I have a promising job.

Now and then, I’d wonder how would things have turned out if I managed to find decent work in Australia. IF.

I might be living in a smallish apartment near the city centre, working rather civilised hours and accumulating some savings. In the end I’d still return to Malaya, so the only difference is a few more years Australian lifestyle and a little heap of accumulated savings.


Things didn’t turn out as I’d have liked them to, but it’s not the end of the world. Here, it’s much easier to plan and coordinate our wedding.


* this contract was with a Malaysia company, so what was originally lucrative became less substantial once converted to Australia Dollars.