National Day

the view from esplanade during one of my sunday walks

re-discovering my love for oyster omelette

Singapore is growing on me.

It's the most bashed country, consistenly and continuously -- at least from my circle of fil-chi friends. It's small, there's nothing to do except shop and eat, the people are not attractive, it's boring (for the singaporeans reading, sorry!), the energy is flat...

Maybe they're (we're) all just jealous. Because Singapore is a first world country surrounded by countries wannabe first world.

Since it's National Day here, I guess it's time to raise the red and white flag as a proud 3-month old Employment Pass Holder.

Actually, I've always loved the city-state since I first visited for work last 2004. I love order and neatness and Singapore is all about that. I love Orchard road -- 2 specific moments: walking at night last December 2006 with the twinkling lights strung on the trees and shopping with the throngs of people clutching a Dior & Prada paper bag last Great Singapore Sale. Felt so "Sex and the City" then although my purchases were paid for at 40% off! I love the food - here the high and low is all good. The high with the fabulous interiors and chi-chi plating combined with the popular hawker centers churning out local favorites (chicken rice, char kway teow, carrot cake and oyster egg). I love the discovery of new places to eat and now, I can't live without Singapore made Kopi-C paired with kaya toast. The breakfast (or in my case, the afternoon snack) of champions!

Okay so all I've done so far is prove that Singapore is all about shopping and eating with the paragraph above.

Let's go beyond that...

Moving here has been smooth. Everything works like clockwork (I apply for a credit card and get it in the afternoon!). It's easy to use the public transportation (even for a newbie to the public transport system like myself). People in general speak English -- arguably, not good English and English wherein I have to slow down and enunciate the words more clearly. There's no racism because at any time you will see a Chinese, Caucasian, Indian, Malay riding the train together. It's safe -- I don't feel fearful walking at night.

Singapore creates little pockets of events to make the city-state busier - arts festival, singfest music festival, garden festival, food festival, and wonder of wonders, beer festival come this october!! There was a Louvre exhibit and currently a Vietnam showing plus continuous concerts at the Esplanade. F1 is coming soon as well (and to prove Singapore effiency, they are already setting up all the lights in the streets as we speak). They have tourist sights albeit manufactured ones - night safari, sentosa - okay artificial, but hey, they try and it works!
There's also a lot of new developments- Dempsey, Rochester Park, Wesssex - wherein old places are turned into something new and hip again. Reconstruction: an old church to a restaurant, old army barracks to a cocktail bar. Plus the bars here are really cool - nice ambience, original & extensive cocktails (but pricey!), international names in party-ing (hed kandi bar, ministry of sound) and lots of local clubs (if only I were single...!). It's party-ing but never over the edge - can't be bad here, they take it very seriously!
Shopping yields American brands plus the European brands mixed in with the local brands and Japanese/ Korean funky imports. Housing is clean and well-maintained. The city is green and you feel healthier walking versus choking on air pollution. Even the botanical gardens is so lah lah happy with free concerts at the park that I envision myself jogging there (haven't done so far but soon!).

Let's not forget about the amazing Changi airport which is the one airport I look forward to visiting and the extraordinary Singapore airlines which is the one airline I look forward to flying.

I like to think of Singapore as "Stepford" country.