Coming from sunny Singapore where I was used to, ironically, not seeing the sun when I knock off from work, this was a nice discovery about Australians and the way they view and value their time. To them, time is better spent away from work and with loved ones.
Lovers of life, lovers of the sun
I guess it’s what you can call an open secret about Aussie living. Whether they like it or not, they are known for their relaxed outlook on life. When I first shared news that we were moving to Melbourne, the common response would often be along the lines of, “Good choice, you will enjoy a slower pace of life than that in Singapore. ”
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A slower pace of life: fishing at Mornington
From the checkout cashiers at the supermarkets who would take time to chat with our local mechanic who once gruffly barked at us for wanting to bring in our car after 4 p.m. (his knock-off time) to most shops closing at 5 p.m., we learnt that the Aussie way of life is truly about the saying: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
And what better way for this fact to hit home than on Australia Day, which fell on January 26 this year.
On this public holiday, we decided on the spur of the moment to head to a park for some fresh air and fried rice. In our haste, we forgot to bring spoons for our picnic at the park. We contemplated going commando-style with the rice but with two pre-schoolers with the attention span of five minutes (minus two minutes considering the presence of a major distraction: the playground) and one put-everything-in-mouth toddler – going spoonless is not such a good idea after all.
While driving there, the hub confidently said that we should be able to buy some disposable spoons from a supermarket along the way. It shouldn’t be too difficult, I thought, surely some shops would be open. I was wrong.
After making two stops at two different suburban malls which were both (not surprisingly) closed, we found luck at a small mall which had a cafe open for business. Or so we thought.
I waited in the car while hub went into the mall. Five minutes later, he walked out empty and gestured to me that nothing is open in the mall. He then went into the open cafe and finally he emerged victorious with two tiny plastic spoons in his hand.
“So you managed to get the spoons from the waiter?” I asked, with the mental picture of my hub telling our sob, spoonless story to a kind sympathetic waiter quickly forming in my head.
The hub broke into a sheepish grin and in a hushed voice, said: “Oh, I nicked it from the counter as there wasn’t anyone there.
At first thought, this picture of my hubby having to steal plastic spoons just because there weren’t any shops willing to open for business seemed all so wrong.
Indignantly I wondered aloud to the hub as to why people aren’t willing to work on public holidays. He said matter-of-factly in his signature coffeeshop Ah-Beng tone: You want to rest, other people also want to rest what.”
Hmm, I'd better finish all the fried rice since Dad had a hard time getting this spoon for me
Back home in Singapore, public holidays would mean big businesses for retail shops. Suburban malls and Orchard Road would be teeming with people hard at our nation’s favourite pastime: shopping.
Apart from the city, why aren’t businesses in suburban areas in Australia willing to open if there are people like us who might want to do a spot of holiday shopping? After all, we did see a few disappointed faces walking out from the closed mall. Demand should spur on supply, shouldn't it?
On second thought, there are other things to explore and do in Melbourne besides shopping. Why hit the malls when you can bring the kids out to different parks, farms, scour flea markets or simply ask friends over for a potluck or a barbeque?
When I recalled what I used to do back in Singapore come weekends and public holidays, I realised that much of it revolved around shopping, the movies and eating out.
Sure, there are parks like Bishan and East Coast. But with the heat and humidity, we much prefer the comfort of free air-conditioning at the malls.
It’s little wonder people in the service industry have to work in order for other Singaporeans to play during holidays.
In Melbourne, big open spaces and pottering around in your own backyards are good alternatives to shopping as an activity I guess. At the very least, it is mostly free entertainment (unless you are entertaining guests at home) and you wouldn’t fall prey to impulse buying.
Grass-rolling: a favorite pastime amongst my kids
As we contemplate getting a barbeque pit (a heavily-considered buy, we swear), it becomes clear to me that shopping is less attractive for me here than in Singapore. Our weekends are spent lazing around at home with the kids, hanging out at parks and playgrounds, having friends over for a meal and drinks or going over to theirs for the same.
With the new barbeque pit, it’s a foregone conclusion where we’ll be come weekends.
Simple pleasures: enjoying a splash with daddy
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