Boring Perth


I don't mean to be rude. Do you want to know what I think about people who find Perth boring? They are boring people in the first place. That is why they find Perth not vibrant enough, not exciting enough.


You see, boring people needs entertainment like everyone else does but their problem is that they need a medium to suppress their boredom such as certain facilities, amenities and activities. Without these they could not but feel, bored. Boredom is serious business. You read about stories what deeds people commit in the name of boredom. In my opinion, a person who often feel bored lack the self-control to be at peace with one self.


Back to the notion of 'boring Perth', you often hear people, particularly Singaporeans, stating that there is 'nothing to do in Perth'. Thus boring. I think these people should get their heads checked. These are the very same people who will pack their Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan trips to the maximum activities so much so they must catch that train and what not to move on to the next item on the itinerary on time. Must pack lah, must make the trip worthwhile. Must buy maximum load. Must see this, see that. The only thing we must do in life is to die. Sometimes, we Singaporeans should learn how to calm down. For between now and death, we should live and not merely exist.


Ironically, Singaporeans lament the Great Leader's idea of 'no retirement'. Why do we want to retire anyway? What does retirement means to you? There are only so many tours you can go with our limited positive cash flow, assuming you are an average low wage earner like me. What do you want to do with the rest of the time if you don't have money? That's when life starts to become 'boring' for most of us.


Not me though.


If I do not have family responsibilities, I could stare at a tree or observe the waves of the ocean all day. It is tough for me to feel bored and I find myself always looking out for more time to spend than more activities to do. It will be nice if bored people could channel their time to me. Apparently, watching the waves at the ocean is not considered 'doing something' to these boring people. Heh.


In that case, doing nothing is bliss. Sometimes we need to examine why do we have the idea that we must be 'doing something' all the time and whether this thinking is rational.  I quote Alvin's reply to his friends when probe him about what he does in Perth as a retiree;

"On weekdays, I do nothing. On weekends, I rest."

17 comments:

  1. And this, precisely, is why I want to get out of the rat race in Singapore, and move to Perth.

    To live.

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  2. I have plans to better my golf, run a marathon, climb a mountain, learn to ski, make a movie etc..there are so many things to do in life other than work till you die

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  3. I WANT TO LIVE!!! ;) M

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  4. Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ :)

    I concur with your thoughts.

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  5. its all relative. ppl who hate their jobs want to retire early. ppl who love their job wants to work forever...

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  6. Still very early days for you la! Like u, didn't feel boring in my first two years here too - so much fresh air, space and natural surroundings to admire and big and little things to explore, capture and talk/blog about. Even the seasonal changes were beautiful to behold and look forward too. Well, that's not to say that u'll definitely feel different after a few years though!

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    1. We are talking about Australia ... it's nearly the biggest country on earth ... if you get bored in Perth, you just up and drive anywhere to look for interesting things... no need for a passport.

      People in Singapore paid hundreds and thousands of dollars every long weekend to get away from the country and travel.

      In Oz, you are ALREADY IN the place that people from Singapore and elsewhere come to, to visit and enjoy!

      It's ironic to say that one can get bored in Oz!

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  7. a few years down the road sg will b host to 7,000,000 ppl... dunno how many percent locals...

    i dun think u'll feel different enuf to wanna come back.

    maybe the occasional visit to frighten urself. haha.

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  8. I feel bored one summer two years ago and I decided to drive from Perth to Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and all the way to Brisbane and then back to Perth again. The journey took slightly over 3 months and my wife and I enjoyed it. We lived in our van that a mate and myself managed to put a queen size bed in after removing the rear seats. We stayed mostly in caravan parks during our travels. For those with a young family in Australia, try camping over a long weekend in a caravan park. But buy a good quality tent. Your family will like the experience. (Please don't go camping during winter; you will freeze in the tent)

    When I feel bored again, I know what I'll be doing next. Drive round Australia - The Big One, the Aussies called. But this time round, will be towing a caravan and the journey will take very much longer.

    See you will never be bored in Perth! Doubt that I'll have that much fun in SGP. SGP is still my country, but I have been calling Perth my home for the last 23 years or so.

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    1. cannot lah, most Singaporeans will rather kill themselves if there is no aircon shopping centre, no movies, no 24 hour macdonalds :P

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  9. I wonder if I would ever get bored..... i guess its really about the personality of each. I am the sort who will find things to do. To entertain my kids, nurture them towards creative thinking etc, having some spare time for gardening is a LUXURY! Hubby ways of relaxing would be comics and movies, where his soul will be temporary released somewhere.

    However, he worked so hard in SGP, he had little time to enjoy the sort of leisure. And for me?...even the basic of bonding with my 5 & 7yr old girls is stressful.

    Kids must live to the 'standard' to compete with FT and therefore, parents becomes kiasu. Sad to say there is no room for simple life if we like to choose to be one because of the influx of immigrants.

    I believe...in Perth, there will be time for individual ability to strive for a work life balance.

    However, I think my chance of moving to Perth is slim with more and more Singaporean are trying to move out.

    I am currently working and doing my PT degree. Hopefully by next year when I graduate, I can work on persuading hubby to agree on the move and we start to engage an immigration agent to help us on FUTURE life plan....Judy Wong

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    1. Judy, a bit of advice. The immigration process is a very long and arduous one. The rules are constantly changing, and usually entry criteria gets tougher. Factor's like applicant's age also play a part.

      Thus, if you are considering at all, then it is advisable to start your research as early possible. Sometimes, it may take years between the application date and final visa approval.

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  10. Thank you for this blog post!

    I identify greatly with this article because I get the same flak from family & friends - except for a select group, many of them go for holidays with the "we-paid-a-lot-for-this-so-we-must-make-full-use" mentality. So any destination without the prospect of cheap shopping or countless night markets is considered boring.

    Then when we're back, there's not even time to recuperate, it's "go back to work" straightaway to "recuperate your losses". And "rest" seems to be equated to "lazy". Pfft.

    I have a good amount of friends who speak greatly about places like Perth and Adelaide and their natural beauty and balance between the city and country - it's the sense of peace and balance many seem to overlook?

    Then I tell the family about my plans and they go, "Why do you want to go there? Nothing to do! Waste your time and money only!"

    Right.

    ~ Joelyn Alexandra

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  11. Reminds me of a sinkie friend who went to goldcoast but didn't visit the beach ...

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  12. Maybe boredom is the term of the very rich i.e. shopping centre opnening 24hours, karaoke, etc. I don't think Australian cities lack exitement. Yes shopping centre in most capital cities closed at 5pm but your life is not all anout shopping. Australia has so much activity to offer like hiking, biking, surfing, beautiful country towns, winery, parks etc. This are fortunate for those who stay in the cities. Sometime during my work, I get stuck in mining camp or mining town working 12 hours day in the middle of no where. For the very rich, sure they will not experience that.

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  13. I think you're right up to a point...... but I think Perth still has that small town mentality that making me want to leave

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