Tan Family Blog

For the second time in a year, I destroyed the blog accidentally. This time, I felt that it was not worthwhile spending 1-2 hours restoring old content from 2008 and earlier. Instead, I have decided to start afresh with a new Drupal platform: the old Joomla! installation had become rather messy and I could not resist the opportunity to tinker with something new.

Since my last post in August 2008, much has happened although little has changed.

I am still working at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, enjoying it thoroughly. I hope to receive a more formal/permanent appointment as a consultant soon, but medical administration at RMH are not renowned for moving quickly on contract matters, so "soon" is likely to be a long time yet. The neurology department here is very collegial, not to suggest that my previous workplaces were less friendly, but here I feel a strong sense of belonging and of making a real contribution. I have taken a particular interest and additional responsibility in medical education at all levels, including convening the hospital's Medical Grand Rounds this year.

Anne and the children remain in Brisbane and I have continued to visit three weekends a month on average. Thus, I have achieved the dubious honour of Platinum Frequent Flyer status on the back of the most heavily discounted airfares available. I prefer not to calculate precisely how many thousands of my dollars have gone into the Qantas coffers, but I think of it as my contribution to keeping the Australian economy strong.

Our house in Carseldine – the house I grew up in, then purchased from my parents in 2001 – has undergone extensive renovation since we returned from the United States. Eighteen months and one hundred thousand dollars later, we have a new bathroom and toilet, upstairs carpet and polished timber floorboards, wardrobes, windows and a timber deck. Ducted air conditioning is half-done (waiting for Energex to upgrade the power supply) and landscaping is next.

Oscar (turning 5 in April) and Adeline (just turned 3) are maturing faster than I can keep up. Oscar will be attending St Paul's School in Bald Hills for prep beginning later this month, while Adeline will remain at day care until we employ a full-time nanny. We are fortunate that they take care of one another and play together very well. They enjoy spending time with my parents, with their Uncle Hau and Auntie Liling (visiting occasionally from Melbourne). They met their two first cousins (Anne's brother's children) in August, but they have not yet met their other grandparents. They are taking weekly swimming classes and extra dips in the grandparents' pool at every opportunity

The children thoroughly enjoyed Christmas and received far too many presents. Their gifts to me were plush toys, a completely unselfish choice I am sure. This has led to a very nice arrangement: I ask them to look after the toys whenever I leave to go back to Melbourne. Oscar's gift was Mango the dog, Adeline's was Yo-Yo the tiny pink teddy bear.