After traveling around the world in the beginning of the year – from Singapore – Japan – New York – Washington – Los Angeles – New Zealand – Australia, visiting overly industrialized cities that looked like they are out of a science fiction movie, I decided Melbourne is the best place for writers to be. Here are the top 10 reasons why I love this city:
1. Melbourne is a City of Literature
2. The coffee in ANY cafe BEATS Starbucks in America, anytime. (In New York, I was deprived of my usual cup of latte in an European cafe. The only places for coffee is no other than Starbucks, located in every block. There are probably a few hundred of them in Manhattan alone. And they suck.
3. Cafe Culture + Good Coffee = Better Writers
(Notice that Edinburgh (another city of literature, also the home ground of J.K Rowling) also boosts a vibrant cafe culture)
4. Friendly, nice people with social encounters everyday.
(see my previous entries with the cafe owner)
5. Relaxed pace of life, and “no worries” mentality
6. Cafes tie up with local poets and offer them free coffee to be their in house cafe poet.
7. Road kill, kangaroo and emu meat fuels a writer’s diet. (ok I was not serious)
8. Multiculturalism, unlike the Americans, a typical Australian would know that Singapore is NOT part of China, but is located in South East Asia.
9. General acceptance of individualism (and being different from the rest), an encouraging community that support the literature scene with writer’s groups, writer’s networking sessions, writer’s courses, newsletters… too many to name a few!
10. Freedom to Write whatever without being sued, repressed or told what to do.
(I am officially SICK of having a limited freedom of expression in my own repressive homeland and our basic human right is the freedom of expression.)
And also, for personal reasons, to escape from the traditional backward Asian mentality that is overly conformist, suppressive, limiting, and the myopic mindset of being in a tiny island. An overemphasis on material possessions and superficial beauty. It is precisely the nemesis of everything I am not.
Not to forget, my very supportive and encouraging partner who tells me to write more “I eat men for breakfast” vampy stories.
These are the reasons on why I have not been writing in my blog as often as before because most of my writings are done in cafes in notebooks. This gives me an excuse to stay off my computer screen and go out of my home. I might or might not choose to display my writings. They have took on a wild raging force that stems out of my pen out of truth and honesty.