Singapore : My Thoughts Part I

This post might contain references that are deemed hurtful or insulting to certain parties. Please please take note because it's my honest opinion, typed spontaneously.

Singapore, I haven't been to that place for very long. It's this little island nation of 2m+ people. I used to remember the joke that if 28m Malaysians peed on Singapore, it'd sink. It's still a bit funny, come to think of it. The number of times I've been to Singapore, guess what, is so finite. If i recall it, it's 5 times.

The first time was when I was really small, my father used to study in Singapore for Secondary school, so he had lots of friends there and I first went to Singapore at time to visit my dad's old friends. To be honest, I really really like Singapore. It's so tranquil there, well at least in Tampines it is. I think that's the place I'm most familiar about. Tampines. I still remember the HDB flats that I used to go to, really quiet fronts, one thing unique about Singapore is, that it has lots of apartments. It looks nice as well, since KL doesn't have much condominiums and it's really really fun running around the pillars at ground floor with all the hawker stalls nearby. Think of it, where else would you get sundry shops, hawker stalls and everything else at the ground floor of your apartment? (maybe that was 10 years ago, I'm so old..)

It's so faint, the memory, but I remember taking the lift, that stopped on alternative floors. Haha, I still remember, when I was a small kid I read things out loud. Like when I saw a signboard I'd read out it's details like ,"Ma! Jo..hor Ba..lu.. 2 .. 0... 0 KM!" So I remember, I was really confused with the numbers. How come no number 1 and 3? So I kept asking my parents about this.

Why I remember Tampines is because the impression of it left an imprint on me, that I can remember until now, while I can still forget everywhere else that I visit like Suntec and those places nearby which I don't even recall the name. Ahhh, pleasant place. Roads were so narrow, Gardens had nice decorative trees, people were generally rich, it felt so happy to be there.

Then I can vaguely remember the next few times that I've been to Singapore. I still remember when I was around.. bah, 10-13 years old, we drove down to Singapore again, and it was more touristy this time. This was the time when I got the map of Singapore imprinted into my head, because I was the little navigator who read all the road maps! Hahaha, I remember driving to the Night Safari was such a nuisance, because of the number of highways and intersections that we have to change.

I must admit though, I don't know much about Singapore albeit it's political side. I've read about places like the MacRitchie Reservoir and stuff, but I've never been there, never been up the whatever hill for a jog, never been exploring Bugis for it's little places, never been in Orchard Rd before because of the toll. =P

It's this weird feeling of registering something new i think. I keep remembering the scenes when I first arrive at the Tuas Checkpoint, then going on past Tuas, past Jurong, via the Ayer Keroh Expressway, etc. Speaking of which, why do they call it an expressway? Cars drive on a freakin' speed of 70? km/h! To top it up, all the cars are moving on the same speed! It's as if nothing is moving 'cept the scenery.

What really turns me off is the state that JB is in compared to the modernity (is there even such a word?) of Singapore. Wa so different, makes me feel rather bad too, that JB is so comparatively unbuilt. No offense really, but I wish KL was put beside Singapore, then both of the cities can really really compete. Hahaha.

2nd Part : on Singaporeans, attitudes, food, language, politics, everything else Singapore. =D