A Singaporean In Australia

One odd thing about blogging here was that it leads me to meet a trickle of  new people once in a while. The latest one would be Encik G. He is probably the same age as me or younger so it may be inappropriate to call him that. That nickname was given by Yoda, who linked Encik G up with me. Encik G is no blog reader of mine. He has better ways to spend his free time.

Since Mr Stephen invited Thusara's and my family for lunch at his house, I requested to bring along Encik G, who happened to in Perth for a short work stint. The Thngs said, "OK!" So I picked him up in the city and headed south. Along the way, I found out more about the job scope of Encik G as a dietitian. Most wouldn't be wrong to equate a dietitian to a nutritionist, only that a dietitian is a level higher being dietetics qualified unlike that counterparts. After the hellos exchange, we had lunch at Stephen and Joni's alfresco, as it was a pretty fine winter afternoon out there. The meal was good as usual but soon our attention was turned to Encik G.

Encik G was happy to tell his audience about life in Darwin. For a start, I quote his memorable opener of a Darwinian saying, "If you need to buy mangoes in Darwin, you have no friends." That told us two things. The weather in Darwin is tropical and the people are nice. I have no doubt that people get along better in Darwin. My logic is very simple. The higher the density of a settlement, the least friendly are the dwellers towards one another. It is common sense really. If you live in a region where you nearest neighbour is 3km away, you can bet that you'll be really glad whenever you see him. In a grossly overpopulated place such as Singapore, you often wish some of the people among the perpetual crowds wherever you go will just die. Hmm, ok maybe not you but me. With just 146,245 (wiki 2014) people living in metropolitian Darwin, it sounds like the next best place to head to when Perth starts spilling out. Among all the capital cities in Australia, Darwin will be the 2nd after Tasmania as the city I would like to visit. A short tour to Darwin remains a luxury for me at the moment but it will certainly happen when circumstances change.

Though Darwin has such a small population, there is actually a small Singaporean community there. To date, other than Encik G, I know Yoda Tan and Chiobu Kopimaid, though I have no recollection how I got to know the latter pair. These are a rather young bunch. According to Encik G, due to the transient nature, the population in Darwin remains rather young. Despite that, the city is growing gradually.

Singaporeans often write to me and tell me they are heading to the eastern states. If you ask me today, I'll head north if I worry about whether I can find a job. A growing city with a small population will always face labour shortage. While it may not be easy to find your ideal job (just like anywhere else), there should be enough casual jobs to go around for anyone with a pair of diligent hands. At the very least, you'll survive on mangoes. That is, if you have friends.