My Life in Mono...

Top 10 Reasons to Love Perth

 

"A City isn't so unlike a person, 

They both have marks to show, they have many stories to tell, they see many faces, they tear things down and make new again."

-Rasmenia Massoud

 

I currently live in Perth, Western Australia. It is known to be the second most isolated state capital in the world.  The nearest state capital to Perth is Adelaide, which is 2,139km away.  Flying to Adelaide and flying to Bali, Indonesia takes roughly the same amount of time.   It is closer to fly to Bali, Indonesia than to fly to Melbourne or Sydney. It is also, sometimes, cheaper to fly to Singapore than it is to fly to Melbourne or Sydney.  

I love Perth.  I know a few people that would love to complain about this wonderful city but I am going to give them 10 reasons not to and I hope, they would be thankful to be living in this beautiful city. I enlisted my Perth friends and asked what they like about living in Perth and these are the answers I got :) 

 

TOP 10 REASONS TO LOVE PERTH

The Beaches - The closest beach is at least 30 minutes away from where ever you might live.  The white sands and the clear blue water. Need I say more. The beach is always open even in Winter! Still perfect beach weather!  Our favourite beach is Rockingham Beach. The water there is calm and shallow.  

The weather - We all heard the term, "Melbourne has 4 seasons in 1 day".  Not in Perth.  In Perth, when it is Summer, the sun is out almost all summer.  You will get the occasional rain summer storm here and there but nothing as drastic as 4 seasons in 1 day.  One of my friend mentioned that there is almost no humidity here, you get one or two days out of the year but you are not constantly dripping in sweat as you walk out your home or office. The air in Perth is always fresh and crisp especially when you step out the door in the morning. 

Laid Back - I can't get over how laid back everyone is in Perth.  The colloquial term "No Worries" really mean No Worries.  Perth is a city that is never too busy.  No one is in a Rat Race and you can still find people smiling at each other on the streets.   A lot of my friends mentioned that you can balance work and life so well in Perth.  

The Parks - There are at least 4 parks or parklets within a kilometre radius of my home.  FOUR! Every single one of them within 2-5 minutes walking distance.  You almost do not need a big backyard for the kids to play because of that.  Some have playgrounds some are just big huge open spaces.  Perfect for exercising your dogs and children. :) 

The Wineries -  Because we are so isolated with the rest of the country, we had to make our own wines. At least that is what I'd like to think. HAH! You can either take a 30 minutes to an hour's drive outside Perth to get to the closest wine region or you can drive 3 hours down south and make it a weekend trip.  

The Community - Perth is small.  When one community gets into trouble, you can almost depend on the rest of Perth to rise up to the occasion and help.  With the huge bush fires happening South of Perth, the Yarloop and Waroona community lost almost everything!  The people of Perth got together and help the Yarloop and Waroona community.  I have got friends baking and cooking food.  I have friends collecting school supplies, as school starts in 2 weeks, and the best of all I have seen businesses donating goods and money to help these 2 communities get back on their feet. 

The Traffic - Even in peak hour the traffic is still moving.  Very rare that it gets so bad that we are at a standstill.  The longest I have been stuck in Traffic is 2 hours and that was because of a bush fire happening right next to the road and the road was closed.  That is nothing compared to almost 4 hours that I have heard from major cities like Jakarta or Bangkok.  You can fly to Melbourne quicker. 

Great food - Despite what people say, I do feel like we now have more variety of food choices here in Perth compared to 10 years ago. New restaurants and bars are popping up like mushrooms and I can not wait to try them all! Speaking of great food, M and I tried out this new restaurant on Saturday for our 12 Dates and will be posting a review sometime this week. 

Enough - We have enough of what we need.  We have a few major shopping centres or malls to cater to what we need at the moment. :) What we don't have we can always order on-line.  

The River - Yep. I am grateful for the Swan River and all small rivers that flows to it.  It is because of these rivers, we have beautiful bush lands along with the animals that live in it.  Snakes and all.  

 

Why do I love Perth so much?  

I love it because I have made my family here.

I love it because I can get away from the hustle and bustle of the city in 30 minutes.  

I love it because life is so much easier here.

I love it because I have found my Tribe here.  People who share the same ideals and values.  

I love it because I feel safe and accomplished here. 

And most of all, I love it because it is my home. 

 

Highlights of the week

1. Attended a Happiness workshop at my favourite store and was given a freebie Happiness Journal.
2. Having wonderful colleagues at work.  I love coming to work because of this. 
3. Beauty the Greyhound that I am dogsitting is so laid back I almost forgot that she was even in the house.  

Community: CARE Australia

I believe it takes a village to raise a child.  I believe that we all need human companionship regardless of whether we like it or not.  I believe that everyone has the right to be accepted in a community. I believe that we should give back to these communities when we can.  I believe in CARE Australia because of the work that they are doing by giving opportunities and empowering women and girls in their communities who failed to care for them.

Did you know that in some countries, it only cost $69 a year to educate a young girl in her community? $69 a year!  We spend more than that as a family for one Friday Dinner.  I think one day, I would suggest to M and say, "Hey, let's eat at home this Friday and donate the money that we would have spent to CARE Australia."  :)  I am not sure how that will go down but M is a pretty reasonable guy and he would most probably agree with me.

It's tax time for Australians and it is the perfect time to give generously. CARE Australia has made it easy with thier handy dandy Tax Calculator for Australians to see how much they would be getting back from the Tax Man for making a donation with them.  By donating to CARE Australia,you will not only be assisting someone in need, but will be boosting your tax return at the same time. 

With cuts to the Foreign Aid budget, a whole $7.6 billion over the next 5 years,  by the Australian government this year, there couldn't be a better time to donate to charity.  So give with an open heart and give as much as you can because what might not be significant for you, would be a huge significance to another.