Boredom is defined, not as not having anything to do, but as the inability to latch onto anything to do.

Which makes sense. In our time and society, since when is there nothing to do?? As I type this on a Sunday morning, I can feel almost a sense of boredom, but in actuality, there are tons of stuff for me to do. I am typing this blog entry while listening/watching to MTV, I have a magazine waiting to be read, several more books and magazines in my room waiting to be read, a wardrobe to be cleaned out, and... and .... and.......... Aiyah you get it lah.

[Make a mental inventory next time you feel 'bored'. perchance there are stuff waiting to be done.]

But that doesn't help us much, does it? If there were stuff to be done, we shouldn't be feeling bored what. All we have to do is choose one, just one, and then get going to do it! Get our butts off that sofa and do it! [since I'm blogging, I have the luxury of keeping my butt on this sofa]

Herein comes the problem.

Let's take out the stuff that we have to do, but would much rather not. This includes laundry, wardrobe, and any other physically exerting domestic chores. For some of you, this might erase more than half the things on your things-to-do list. So what we are left with are stuff that we might want to do.

Might want to, but either didn't, or can't bring ourselves to. Why?

I blame this partly on our work lifestyle. By the time you come home from one wonderfully productive day at work [bleargh!] how much energy do you have left to do the stuff you want to do? Even for me, where I have the luxury of [sometimes] coming home before 5, I sometimes just don't have the energy to do anything other than plonk onto my bed and make up for having to wake up at 6 in the morning. [those who think my job is not as bad as theirs should try it first, before saying anything.]

We're exhausted. And by the end of the day, we don't want to do any creative, enriching, mind-stimulating activities. We want to collapse, recharge, and let our brains do mind-numbing TV-watching activities.

Then comes our modern lifestyle, with its myriad choices.

More choices good, right? Nowadays, you can either watch TV, surf the Net, listen to music, learn a new language, learn a musical instrument, connect with friends on Friendster, Facebook, Multiply, Maplestory, Second Life, watch a movie, go shopping, read, listen to music, get a massage, get a manicure, get a pedicure, watch a play, watch a concert, watch a film, watch a musical, set up a business, set up a blog, make a blog, make a video, make some pretty photographs, make a scrapbook......

Ok, try choosing from that. Writing that list alone already makes me want to give up, and vegetate in front of the TV with some Twisties. Choice is good. Too much choice gives you a headache.

That's why, sometimes I find myself staring at my laptop screen for moments, having to think of what to do. I know I want to create a new illustration. I know I want a new blog post. I know I want to do all this, despite the time and effort needed.

But I end up playing endless rounds of Sudoku instead. :p~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a strange kind of mental ennui. That given all the choice in the world, if you don't latch onto something quickly, your brain refuses to take in any more mental input and shuts itself down. Then you end up couchpotatoing on your sofa, pretending that this is what you want in life.

*Hai* Already I feel myself rambling on just to keep this blog post going so I don't have to do anything else. Ok, stopping blog post now,

Resuming rest of ordinary life.

*click*