Ye Olde Times

I have been living alone for the last month as my housemates have returned to Malaysia. Furthermore, with Rashid leaving his car in my care, I've been spending certain days driving around Melbourne...usually on official matters rather than leisure.

Eversince I moved to the City, my expenditures were somewhat erratic. Luckily my tenancy was not a year-long tenancy, so I still have the option of moving back to the inner suburbs where the cost of living is low.

With the advantage of a car in possession, I decided to do my groceries in various locations, usually being either Brunswick or Footscray. But most of the time I'd go to Footscray as I could get Asian stuffs there. Besides, everything was within reach; fruits and vegetables at Footscray Market, Halal butcheries at either Droop Street or Nicholson Street, and the Turkish restaurant where I would buy their fresh arm-length Turkish bread.

For items available in supermarkets, I'd just pop over to Highpoint Shopping Centre where the Safeway supermarket is located.

Hey, Footscray and neighbouring Maribyrnong was my hometown, and still is, seeing that my campus is situated within it.

This morning, I decided to do my weekly shopping. On my way to Highpoint Shopping Centre, I drove along Droop Street via the tram terminus. Without realising, I was driving down memory lane.

While driving at 30km/h (because a tram was in front of me, stopping frequently), I passed by a couple of landmarks. The first was the Footscray Motor Inn, where I stayed overnight upon arrival in Melbourne. While along Gordon Street, I noticed the landmarks I used to observe and knew by heart during the time when I commuted via bus or tram from campus to the Student Village, which was close to the shopping centre.

Thus I suddenly recalled my early days in Melbourne...which was 6 months back. It was those days when I was still trying to get used to the suburb's environment, learning to use the public transport, and finding out the destination of each bus that enters Footscray town.

Furthermore, I had no contact within the area during those trying times, being all alone in that Student Village, with my family being thousands of miles away. Wherever I go, I go alone. But in a way, it was fun and relaxing, as I was not bounded by any curfew restrictions, or following people to wherever it is that I do not intend to go to.

Now, look at me; a 'never die' chap who knows his way around Melbourne and its suburbs without having to carry a Greater Melbourne Street Directory around with him. Wherever I go, I know which train, tram, bus to take, which lane to drive on and how to avoid rush-hour congestions.

Time has truly gone by...