Moving the Cheese

It was not hard to tell that Perth has developed faster than I could imagine when my Garmin-led vehicle just zoom-passed an empty space rather than along a clearly defined route on the map. Even driving with an old map, My Garmin proved very reliable as I managed to return home back in one whole piece safe and sound! Still, my Garmin map definitely needs updating to get ready for the next adventure.

With Lau Hui Woo

For this trip, there were of course catch-up to do and exchange of stories with old friends who left KK many years ago. In fact, this friend of mine was so desperate to meet up once I called him that he wanted to drive at once to where I made the call and pick me up. The impression I had was that he was really in need of someone to talk to and "to kill time". That really caused a stir in my mind to imagine what it is like to be in "retirement".

That experience also caused me to recall a not-so-recent unexpected meeting at a coffee shop with an Ex-JKR senior staff who has retired for a couple of years. When asked "What's up?". The reply though jokingly in Hakka "chor mak kai, dian si lo!" (what to do, just waiting to die la!).

For almost a whole day spent with him. The following were repeatedly being emphasized by this friend of mine:

*He has no regret of moving to this land down under. In fact he said that he should have moved earlier.

*Real estate in Perth appreciates 3 times over 7 years while only 1 time in KK.

*It makes economic sense for young people to earn a living in this land down under compared with someone who stays back in Sabah.

He is typical of those who spent great amount of time in real estate investment. Of course, his conclusion would not command complete agreement among many people.

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With Jimmy Tsen

There are also some who still chose to continue working, may be in slightly different capacity. After all, there is no retirement age in Australia.

In fact, we were told, there are plenty of jobs around if one is not choosy: supermarket, factory, delivery, truck driver...... Nobody gives a damn to what you do there!

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With James Cheah Yue Chiang

While there are people who advocated emigration to a greener pasture, there is at least one I know of who after staying there for over 10 years is keen to move back to Malaysia. Somehow, he finds it difficult to integrate and he also has difficulty adjusting to the cold weather. He also thinks the education system stinks! The sad part is that the husband wants to move while the wife wants to stay put.