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“Well the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone..” 

Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh had popped out on my playlist. I couldn’t help but stop and listen. 

The song reminded me of student days in Melbourne, of carefree collegiate moments and sunshine. It’s been two years since I left Australia, and memories are slowly blurring into a watercolour of wonderful moments and nostalgia. 

Every so often, someone will ask me, “Why did you leave?” 

I loved Australia. I loved Melbourne. I loved the student life, the freedom, the food, the culture – Melbourne will always be the place where I grew up and found my independence. It was where I became who I was. 

Melbourne would always carry the memories of my first love – of romantic walks by the beach and sipping hot chocolate on cold winter nights. It would always be about the cosy hidden restaurants down the lanes and turning points. It would always be a time where I experimented, experiences some of the worst losses of my life, and met some of the most interesting people I know. 

Not a day passes by where I don’t miss it just that little bit. 

But it wasn’t home. 

Being back home is different. Adjusting to the routines, the traffic and everything else was just another thing that I had to go through. Getting used to the politics and the poor work-life balance was something else. But for all its flaws, Malaysia was still home.

For every day that passes by, I do miss Melbourne but home will always be home. My heart is here, where my family and friends are, and for all that matters, I cannot see myself separated from them for too long.