Tan Family Blog

Our latest round of home renovations is complete, with some basic landscaping and fencing as pictured here. The children are enjoying the extra space in the new backyard, running around and kicking balls, although their favourite new game is running around trying to hit one another with the ball (I am to blame for that, just as well the balls are soft).

The final round of renovations has yet to be decided on, but will likely involve a minimal facelift to the downstairs living area. The current setup is rather an eyesore, not to mention a safety hazard due to worn and lifting carpet. We have procrastinated on this not only because of a lack of a firm idea how to renovate, but also because it has defaulted to a storage area that would need to be cleared before renovations could start. Consequently, the final stage may not commence until 2011.

Liling and I eventually tired of living in seedy North Melbourne, so we sought not to extend our lease after 2 years, and instead seek accommodation a little further out of town. We have signed up for 12 months in a brand new apartment in Ascot Vale, close to public transport so I can still manage without a car. Liling is looking forward to more peaceful nights as the new location is not immediately adjacent to a main road, while I am looking forward to easier garbage disposal that does not involve fiddly locks on wheelie bins. The new apartment has more space in the living area and bathrooms, less in the bedrooms and is on a single level, so overall I expect that the configuration will be more liveable.

My responsibilities at The Royal Melbourne Hospital have expanded to include more direct involvement in the education of basic physician trainees rotating through neurology, most of whom are not looking to pursue neurology as a long-term career. This fits well with my interest in medical education, but of course does not attract any additional remuneration! Still, it is an indication of the department's commitment to education that I find admirable.

Although I have been back to Brisbane almost every weekend for the last 3 months, this month I shall be spending two weekends in Melbourne. The consolation is that I have tickets to watch the Wallabies twice this month, once in Brisbane and once in Melbourne.