My Singapore Dream that I forgot

It is one week to polling day and I am counting down to watch polling day action online through Channel News Asia.

During polling day in 2006, I was away from Singapore for work and did not vote. This year, as India is not a designated overseas voting station, I will again not be able to vote.

However, I have stronger feelings now about not being able to vote as compared to five years ago. Then, I even thought that being away was a good thing as it would save me from queuing under the sun for hours.

This year, I am convinced that every vote counts and have been urging people around to think seriously about where their vote is going.

Why the change in my attitude?

The answer became clearer as I spent time thinking about it. It is because I once had my Singapore Dream.

While growing up, I truly believed that one day we will be a “tropical Switzerland” where people will be cultured and Singapore will be a country where foreigners will no longer think that it is a place in China.

Campaigns were something I took seriously as a kid because I felt then that it must be the way to becoming a country of Switzerland standard. Not that I had visited Switzerland then but I believed what I was told. Do this and you will get that.


Remember the Clean and Green Campaign lead by Captain Frog? Good citizens do not litter, we must keep our street clean.

Of course, there was Singa the Courtesy Lion who would help turn us into a gracious society where we will be cultured citizens just like the developed countries.




Fast forward 20 years and I realize that my then simplistic dream as a kid would not be materialized.

I have been well trained to throw litter only in dustbins but people around me are not doing the same. These days, it’s impossible to find dustbins in MRT stations and the rubbish have evolved from tissue paper to food packaging. What happened to obeying rules and showing basic civic mindedness? It has definitely gone for a toss.

Forget about courtesy when it is about public transport. There is no queue system at bus stops and if you do not push to get on the feeder bus, you can wait another 15-20 mins to get to the train station and be late for work. After a work day in the CBD area, forget about getting on a crowded train during peak period unless there is shoving involved.

Welcome to my world as an adult.

This was not what I had envisioned while growing up. I had played my part in preparing to be the gracious citizen but there is no “tropical Switzerland” waiting for me.

It is disappointing to see that my dream had not made it to reality and I dare to say that it is by no fault of mine.

So what have changed and why?

As a 11-year old, I will always remember the trip to Los Angeles where locals are impressed with my English ability and ask where we are visiting from. Proudly, I will tell them Singapore but very often I will need to explain that it is not in China but we are a small island south of Malaysia.

Now, it is no longer necessary to give that small geographical explanation as most people now know Singapore but I have lost that pride in telling them that I am Singaporean.

By and large I believe that Singaporeans are still gracious people but the influx of foreigners (not all of them) had brought with them their civic mindedness at a level where we were 20 years ago.

Also, when infrastructure is unable to cope, people are forced to do what is needed to get by and it is often not a gracious side.

This election reminded me that I had a Singapore dream which I had buried and forgotten but with change, maybe there is still a chance of it becoming reality.

Suzie's Eulogy

Hubby’s Version
*or rather what I think he would have written

She started appearing about two to three months ago. I hardly noticed her at first but as time passed and as we bumped into each other more often, there was a sense of familiarity. Though we never talked, it seemed like we had acknowledged each other’s presence. I gave her a name – Suzie.

Most things are generally okay until the wife notices and reached her threshold of tolerance. That day came last week and I had to put this to an end.

It's true that in the next day or two, I couldn’t help thinking about where she is now. However, that tinge of attachment that I felt during our infrequent sightings was probably imagined as I didn’t miss Suzie at all after.

To Suzie: Wherever you are now, I hope you are well.


My Version

The hubby noticed her before I did and seem to do so more frequently than me. Some call it affinity, I call it coincidence.

Soon, I established her routine of appearing in the evenings. Sometimes, I would see her from the corner of my eyes but there are days when I would not spot her. Many things around us form our environment and that was what she was to me. Until, she decided to become a threat.

Around last week, she broke her routine and started appearing more frequently. Not only that, she had also started to stop and stare at me too. This went on for a few days until I decided to ask the hubby to take action.

So, in order for me not to be harmed, we went on the offensive. We gave her poison and when it didn’t seem to be enough, we plunged her four floors below.

Till today, we cannot be sure if she died as she is not human like us. We had not seen the corpse of this dead lizard but neither has she come back to haunt me.

Dear Suzie, things could have remained status quo but by breaking your routine, you broke the rules of engagement.

Bus (no) Stop

A few things I observed about bus transportation when we got here:
1. There are plenty of buses on the roads but where are the bus stops?
2. Most traffic deaths in the newspaper seem to involve buses. School bus, public bus, etc.

And my conclusion:
1. Try to avoid buses on the roads
2. NEVER cross the road near a bus

Well, I will not know for sure if buses could be the statistically highest killer on the roads here but I think I have found out why there are no bus stops.

Reason being: The buses generally do not stop!

I am not trying to be funny here. Serious.
Let me help you set your imagination straight here first before I continue. The buses here are not air-conditioned. Both the front and back doors are always kept open. There is definitely black exhaust coming out from the exhuast pipe.

What I have observed is that when you see a large group of people gathering beside the road, they are waiting for the bus. When the bus approaches, keep your eyes glued to the doors because that is when the magic happens. Without the bus stopping, people are getting on and off the bus.

How? Before approaching the group of people, the bus will slow down about 3-5m before and people will start jumping off the bus.
As the bus approaches the group waiting, people will start running alongside the bus, trying to get the right speed and then jump up through the doors. Just like comrades, those on the bus extends a hand to pull the new passenger up.

Though this is the usual scene that I see, there are also those rare moments where I see the buses stopping. But till now, I still have not quite figured out if they are required to stop at certain places.

I would love to put a video up for viewing but it is quite difficult though I am still looking out for opportunities to record it. In the meantime, you can put your visualisation skills to good use.

Oh, by the way, bus stops are actually called bus shelters here.

Visiting Lumbini Park

We were planning on a quiet Sunday and thought that we should go check out this mall called Prasad along Necklace Road that houses the only IMAX theatre in Hyderabad.

Sad to say, the mall had nothing to retain our attention so we decided to head off after grabbing some lunch. The question of where to go next came up and since we were so near the floating Buddha Statue at Hussain Sagar Lake, we decided to visit it impromptu. This is one of the tourist attractions that was on our list to visit anyway. 

What we didn't know is that we needed to get into Lumbini Park to go see the statue.  The Hubby was not happy that he didn't have his camera with him and though my LX-5 was with me, I had left the memory card in my lappy!

But the LX-5 never fails me including today because it has its own internal memory!

There was an entrance fee of Rs10 (SGD 0.30) into the garden which is really affordable for the locals and the boat ride to the floating Buddha will cost another Rs30 (SGD 0.90) person.

Don't be fooled into thinking that this is a natural lake because it is not! This 24 sq km lake is entire man made eons long ago in 1562. I have no idea however how long did it take!

We enjoyed the trip as the park was not overcrowded and its a change to be surrounded by greenery. Am not sure if we will revisit again but for anyone visiting Hyderabad, you definitely should drop by.

Welcome to Lumbini Park

Woman selling corn at park entrance

Another street vendor

Children cooling off in the heat

Favourite past time here

Front view of the the 18m statue

Upclose in its original colour

A ride in the park that will give you a vantage view

India - Champions of Cricket World Cup 2011

India last won the Cricket World Cup in 1983. Hence, you can imagine the excitement that has been building up since their win over Pakistan during the semi finals.
Today the hubby and myself decided to watch our first cricket match at Hard Rock Cafe. I mean what are the odds to be in a country where the home team could win the world cup in just another 4 hours?

We were there at around 7pm, about 5 hours after the match started but it didn't matter. When we stepped in, we knew that it was the right place to be. Some waiters decked their heads with the India flags and others wearing the India jersey.

It was obvious which players were crowd favourites and who were public enemies. There was this Sri Lankan player whom I call Goldilocks that was booed everytime he came out to throw.

When the advertisements were played or when India batted beautifully, there were roaring shouts of "India, India!" Trust me, that patriotism is super infectious.

Of course, I am not going to give you a commentary of how the match played out but I must say that the winning hit was just brilliant!
I think in cricket terminology, they call it a six widget. It is what a home run is in a baseball game and it was that shot that led India to clinch the victory.

People jumped from their seats, started hugging each other, giving hi-fives and running all over the place chanting "India, India!". We suddenly realised that we were the only people still sitting on chairs but that didn't last long.

Guys from the next table came over, hi-fived us and pulled my hubby out of his chair wanting to give a celebratory hug. Soon, we were up on our feet taking pictures and joining the crowd in celebration.

En route home, you could see people on bikes holding the India flag zooming down the road shouting "India" at the top of their voice. Groups were walking down the road shouting and celebrating the win. Drivers on the road also added to the noise by honking. Along the road, people were lighting fire crackers and fireworks. Suddenly, it was like Diwali all over again.

Sports can really bond a nation. For that few hours, because of a common goal, differences are set aside for another day. All that matters now is to enjoy that cup that has eluded India for 28 years.

For myself, I am going shopping tomorrow for a India jersey to keep as a momento.

Where all the action is

Drinking out of plastic cup because no glasses allowed for today!

Watching the match

The India team after winning the game

A fan celebrating the win

Celebrating India's win

India! India!

India flag paraded on the road by bikers