Olympus vs canon: your advice

[abstraction]

My favourite SLR was an olympus half frame. My first digital was an Olympus C1010, which i loved, but just died. I loved the versatility- but now to replace i'm wanting better lenses & DSLR capabilities.

However, i've been thinking about Canons because of bigger sensors. Disadvantage - they are big, and in travelling something smaller is easier in handluggage.

I'm buying a new DSLR and despite many hours reading before posting this I've realised that i hardly know anything about cameras. I'm really interested in different perspectives here because you are likely to raise things i haven't considered.

I have limited budget of c.$1400. I'm thinking it's best to invest in a least 1 lens better than the kit lens since digital cameras can just die in a few years with no parts to repair them, and lenses play such an important role.

HOW I USE MY CAMERA
* Portrait. I want that crisp focus on eyes. I'm thinking the Canon 50mm F1.8 might be a cost-effective investment to achieve this. One of the reasons I want DSLR is to minimise that dreaded shutter delay from my photography of children.
* Low light - I do a LOT of low light photography, particularly portraits in chiascurro. I'm often in a hut or dingy classroom in my travels and dislike flash. I also just like any unusual light - late, night, whatever. My recent reading suggests this is about decent ISO, lens speed and available aperture. Bracketing sounds like a nice feature too.
* Landscape. My old olympus c1010 had wide angle at the infinite setting, which was nice, but not essential.
* Macro - i love small things. I also love to take something small crisply focused in the foreground but still be able to observe the background, even very distant. I was able to do this with settings on my old olympus c1010.
* Zoom/telephoto - Not so much. I used to carry a decent tele/zoom with my old film SLR but hardly ever used it. My Olympus had only small amount of zoom, and that really worked for me. So I'm thinking of going for a smaller zoom lens now, and maybe in the future saving for a really nice larger zoom.

CAMERA
So i'm thinking either -
EOS550D - Cheaper than 600d (can invest in a better lens) The 600d has no bracketing (I've never used it but seems like a great feature for low light). =OR=
EOS600D (shutter lag is much better on 600D 0.1 vs 0.2!!! + Flip out screen - i often put my camera on the ground + Face detection (never used it, no idea, but might help when my eyesight isn't up to the lighting levels) + Wireless flash control (i don't currently use so no big deal)
(The 60D is available body only for under $1000 at quikshop.com.au. If this is for real, it seems like a pretty amazing option to consider too).

LENSES
I know very little about lenses. I'm thinking portrait is where i need to invest beyond the stock lenses, particularly since i like low light.

* 50mm F1.8 for portraits. (Cheap way to get a good portrait lens that can handle relatively low light conditions).
* Another general purpose lens with moderate zoom. Larger zoom I can purchase later. Maybe the stock lens or lenses will cover my needs here.

I travel a lot, so i can purchase overseas, but i understand canon don't honour overseas warranties(?)

What would you do for your $1400?

Appreciate any help. i'm learning heaps - enjoying the journey