Melbourne vs Brisbane

Boy. A month plus of living here in Melbourne sure has passed by but not with a blur. The first two weeks were pretty much about cleaning up the place, unpacking what we could with whatever space we have to fill up followed with my falling sick and emo-ing which you can read all about HERE, HERE and HERE, if you missed it.

Melbourne is pretty different from Brisbane (Brisbane will be henceforth known as Brissie) in many ways.

#1 The weather [Melbourne vs Brissie 1-0]

Bread left out in Brissie tends to get moldy within few days where else bread left out of the fridge even PAST it's best before date, is still fresh, edible and free from mold!

It's supposedly more erratic than Brissie. Weather is colder and I am liking it! I definitely prefer the cold over the heat anytime! If it was too hot, like in Brissie, it would be a struggle to sleep. Even here in Melbourne, it gets hot at times and that's why thank God, we have heating and air conditioning in this house! =)

Autumn is like the perfect weather - the air is cold like winter but not as cold and yet, the sun comes out to play, shining like summer. What could possibly be a better combination than that?!

#2 The food [Melbourne vs Brissie 2-0]

There are more Malaysian food here and at times, it taste just as good as the ones back home! The Asian Grocers here also sell food exactly like the ones you can get from home. So, it's really easy to buy and cook Malaysian dishes at home if one misses food from home.

#3 The people [Melbourne vs Brissie 2-1]

Mr. C and I find that Brissie people are friendlier and more courteous. If we go for walks in the park, anyone who passes us by always says 'hello' or 'good day'. In the mall or at shops, they always greet you with a smile and the same 'hello' and 'good day' routine or rather they ask 'how are you' and at times, they even strike a conversation with you if you're just as chatty and friendly back!

Where else here in Melbourne, those that work at retail shops can be rather sour faced and abrupt or not so helpful. In the parks or around the neighbourhood, they sometimes walk past looking at us suspiciously.

I am not saying that ALL Melbourne people aren't friendly. They do have their fair share of smiley people but just not as many. I guess that's a setback of living in a bigger city where people are always rushing somewhere and are busy!

#4 Events [Melbourne vs Brissie 3-1]

Brissie has many events but in Melbourne, there are more cultural events. There's musical every so often such as Doctor Zhivago, Mary Poppins or concerts after concerts and even exhibitions like the current famous King Tutankhamen one. Now, Cirque de Soleil is back. However, the downside is that one really needs to have $$ to enjoy all these events as they can easily cost close to AUD100 for a ticket or more depending on the seating arrangements!

#5 Friends [Melbourne vs Brissie 4-1]

I have an aunt - my mother's sister- in Brissie and an uncle - mother's brother - in Melbourne. So, family wise, it's pretty much balance. However, in Brissie, I don't have any of my own friends. Most of them are Mr. C's uni friends or friends from work.

Here in Melbourne, I have at least a handful of them- pen friends, uni friends and even ex-colleagues! But to go out week after week is not really easy on the pockets. Hence, Mr. C and I try to meet them once a fortnight! =)

#6 Others [Melbourne vs Brissie 4-2]

There are just TOO many Asians here. Yes. I know I am one too but here, almost everywhere you go, there's Malaysians or Singaporeans. In Brissie, it's mostly Koreans. You rarely see any Malaysians about. Here, they're everywhere. Maybe it's the place Mr. C and I go to. =p I guess, we would like to see more of other races and their culture.

And that's my take so far on Melbourne and Brissie. Each has it's pros and cons but as you can see from the above, Melbourne is winning in terms of points. However, Mr. C and I still like living in Brissie.

People here have mentioned that Brissie is back wards and not developed when I mentioned that Melbourners drive fast and slightly insane (it's like back in KL just not as bad yet). But Mr. C and I feel that people are friendlier, life may be slow past but it's good sometimes to take things slow and easy, to savour the moment than always be on the rush.

We're not sure if we'll ever move back to Brissie. I guess once we settle down here and get to know people and places, and once we're used to Melbourne, we most likely wouldn't move back to Brissie.