A much aniticpated arrival

The Inventor's handphone (that's what we call mobiles now) rang just as we sat down to lunch- a dubious concoction of Tesco BBQ chicken and bread rolls that were so sweet, in Australia they'd be labelled “buns”. It was Harry. The relief was palpable- he had arrived at the lab in Kuala Dipang with a computer sent from the office in KL. We were also desperately hoping, though not brash enough to ask, if he had brought some cash as requested from the gentleman accountant. I am uncertain whether it is the Inventor's relaxed demeanour or his hesitance to offend, but he seems incapable of carrying urgency in any request. Even his demands for overdue rent are perceived as polite requests to be ignored, so I was unsure what result an actual polite request for cash reimbursement might bring. A little cash goes a long way in Malaysia, but when we noticed supplies dwindling, we had taken our cards to the ATM to retrieve some more. To my initial dismay, then annoyance, and finally horror, we discovered that neither of the two cards that we used to withdraw cash on our last overseas trip were working. After some confusion, phone calls and disconnections, we discovered that NAB had chosen to cancel our Visa debit card, and until the replacement card arrives, we must continue as we have, with a small but now replenished bundle of cash supplementing a busy Visa credit card. It's not an easy way of life in a largely cash society.

We pray that the arrival of the working, albeit old, computer will at least herald some consistency in the Inventor's workplace, a reliable constant that will boost the workflow from the current trickle to a steady stream of work and achievements. Hopefully his days will no longer be punctuated with setting up our personal netbook, borrowing equipment and jumping between tasks as equipment allows. For me, it means I will have my little netbook back to use, instead of waiting till we get back from dinner, late into the evening. We are also hoping that Harry will find some time in his busy schedule to go to Telecom Malaysia with us and help to order our fixed telephone and internet line. Harry has been busy this week, visiting sites all over Malaysia, but I doubt anyone has anticipated his arrival as eagerly as we have.

I heard someone yelling in a townhouse nearby. They yelled in Chinese, and I felt alien. Yesterday I talked on the phone to my daughter for more than half an hour, and I realised how far we are from her. The monetary cost is little more than to visit her from Cairns, but it will take most of a day to drive to KL, catch a plane to the Gold Coast then get to Brisbane. Our son is even further away, and he is barely an adult. I am thankful to have independent and capable offspring, because we are relying so much on them to look after themselves while we devote the next few yeas to our new “baby”, this creation that started as a seed only last year, and now sprouts forth into a new and unknown existence. When I think about it, the distance to Australia seems huge,but by the miracle of modern telecommunication, her cheerful voice is clear and close. We are together. We both eagerly anticipate her visit, and we started to make plans, even though the big man's big 5-0 isn't until February.

In these early stages, the celebration already assumes the guise of something huge. My 48^th, my father's 80^th and the Inventor's half-century all fall on the Chinese New Year long weekend. It calls for a big celebration, and hopefully as the Year of the Dragon draws to a close, we will have business achievements to applaud as well.

As far as the Inventor's creation goes, we are confident. It is a little disconcerting, however, that D talks of “when”, not “if”, and his timelines are frightening. He likes to talk, and he likes to talk big- his business is big, his finances are big, and his ideas are big. When I listen to him talk, I see a man for whom a brick wall is merely the opportunity to bring in a bigger truck. He would know, of course, from his many successful years in business, that science is plasticine and timelines are elastic. He is an astute and worldly man, and what he really expects, I can only wonder, but I feel a sense of obligation to him to achieve something big.

So far, everything has been new and exciting, and we've been quite happy and contented with all that has come our way. I know this will not last. Soon, this will cease to be an adventure and will transform into our everyday existence. The differences that we relish today may well become the frustrations of tomorrow. The honeymoon phase cannot last, so what then follows? I hope and pray that whatever does follow, hits gently and treats us kindly.

We are already being tested with some of the frustrations that will probably be part and parcel of living in Malaysia. Having no access to cash has been the first. Had we planned a little better (or had we planned at all), we might have avoided this, but in the rush of leaving Australia we failed to check a few important details. Money juggling will continue until we can open an account here. The company were organised at the outset with the ordering of equipment, but language difficulties and cultural differences have made it a long and arduous process to get the right equipment in. Everyday life is a challenge, too. Every little thing that is done differently, we have to comprehend. How does one get garbage collected? Where do we buy a plug for the sink? What is the etiquette for using mobile phones? Do you use English or Malay for speaking to Indians? Chinese? How do you apply for a Tesco card? How do you set up a kitchen and where do you buy the cabinets? I am grateful that I am not working for now, as it has given us breathing space to get settled into this new and wonderful place. We have landed in the next phase of life, now we work to make sense from the turmoil.