Sleepless in Singapore: Long Overdue

Jan 13, 2008

This entry has been overdue for a long time. I've been procrastinating this for a while now, and I have to write or else, I will be far behind on my travel documentations;) I'm currently on an exchange to the National University of Singapore and I plan to tour most of South-East Asia before I get back to Toronto.. Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and beautiful Bali. But that is in the future.. I've been here for exactly a week now and this city made a very good first impression on me. The rumours are true, Singapore is the cleanest city I've ever seen and you are fined for practically everything you do.. Jay-walking, Spitting, littering, and even chewing gum are punishable offenses and you are fined a heck of a lot of money if you get caught the first couple of times. The third time or so, you are possibly caned or imprisoned for a while.. And the caning isnt like a slap on the wrist with a ruler, like in Catholic or Indian schools.. Apparently they strip you down and get a big heavy guy to whip you until your flesh peels! The intention is to leave a permanent mark so you would never even think of repeating your offense.

The result: An almost ideal society where the Crime rate is practically nil, and everyone is incredibly law abiding. I would think due to all the rules and restrictions, there would be people trying to rebel against it, giving rise to a lot of underground things.. but in my first week here (which is definitely too early to judge), I haven't seen any traces of such things.. Sure, my dorm mates smoke and drink from time to time, but thats as far as they go.. People are pretty honest with money too.. There were often times when I paid too much at a restaurant or a store and people have been honest enough to return the extra money.. there is no tipping anywhere.. Restaurants, taxis.. because it is already included in the bill. I suppose it is a good system where there is no discrepancy in the amount of tip a customer may give and no obligations or formalities.

The system in place is not less than ideal. Public transport connects the entire city to incredible depths.. Sure, the country is only about 40 kms wide, but the entire city can be reached through the Mass rapid transit and buses. The system is such that you buy a prepaid public transport card and you tap at a transponder when you get in (either Bus or MRT) and tap once you get out and it automatically calculates the distance traveled and deducts the appropriate amount. The transponders are soo sensitive that you don't even have to take it out of your wallet or bag. You simply place your bag near it and it reads your card.. It is incredibly quick.. none of that fumbling with change and tickets or fighting with the bus driver about the amount of change put in or whatever. And the pricing is based on distance, which is another thing that the Toronto Transit should consider. I should perhaps elaborate on each of things a bit more later, but for now, the first impressions will do :P

The customs are also pretty interesting.. Apparently you cant point with your fingers.. the right way to do it is make a fist with your thumb on top, then point your thumb in the appropriate direction.. I found this pretty weird because it looks like youre shaking your fist at someone! However, I guess pointing is considered rude in a lot of cultures and Singaporean is no exception.
When giving or receiving money, especially notes, it is best to hand it to people with both hands. Same goes with business cards or any other documents of importance. This is an interesting custom that shows the people's respect towards documents of importance.
The custom of addressing random peoples as Uncles and Aunties is also here in Singapore.. But, I simply cannot make out who is old enough to be an uncle or aunty.. People in their 30s and even 40s look incredibly young and could pass as teenagers.. Its an amazing gift that the asians have and I for one am envious.. I am already getting wrinkles around my eyes for gods sake! Yea, the asians are pretty small and still have some childish features... kinda cutsey.. It's pretty great in my opinion.

Food is available in soo much abundance that I cant believe how no one here is fat. Every single building you go to, there is a Food court or as the locals call it, Hawker Centers where you get all kinds of variety including Chinese, Vegetarian, Muslim and Indian.. It is amazing how cheap the food is and the quantity that you get.. One can survive eating luxurious food in great abundance with about $10 a day! The only thing expensive is the drinks.. any sort of soft drink, juices, etc cost almost as much as the food.. I dont know why, but all kinds of exotic drinks are available.. I've been living on Watermelon Milkshakes, Jackfruit Juices and other juices made of random fruits.. There is a drink called Milo which is really popular. It is available in every vending machine, cold and sometimes even hot.. It is a milk based drink that is supposed to be really nutritious.. It is a great alternative to coke.. and pretty cheap too.. you can get it in vending machines for 80 Singaporean cents... Last night, I drank this drink called a Horlicks dinosaur (Horlicks is another drink that is milk based). Get this.. it was warm milk.. then loads of ice.. (I dont know why they use warm milk).. Then Horlicks powder sprinkled on top like a mountain... Horlicks powder is AMAZING to eat.. and the drink is really good too.. so this dinosaur thing is some sort of evolved hybrid combination of the two and it was pretty excellent, I must say.

I cannot talk about food enough.. Yesterday, I ate cheese, potato and egg parata, which was pretty amazing.. I've been eating all kinds of things.. sometimes not knowing what it is, but its all been good.. The dorm food is horrible though... who eats oily noodles at 8 in the morning??

All the guys here have to do compulsory service in the army right after high school so they are all mostly pretty fit and have strong adaptability and immunity to eating random things.. They seem pretty nice, but apparently they are pretty self conscious and shy.. they didnt really approach me the first couple of days after moving in.. then a few of them said hello and talked for a bit, and slowly they are being friendly.. They seem like a lively bunch.. I think I will really enjoy the next couple of months living with the Singaporeans..

The girls.. OH my GOD!.. they're really pretty.. I may be getting biased due to the growth of my overall likeness for the country, but Singapore has really pretty girls.. but they are also really self conscious and shy and dont talk to strangers at all.. At this cultural seminar which was organized for all exchange students, they said they are very well protected here... any advances and if they cry for molest, it is straight imprisonment! So, I better watch myself.. This is a place to see and to be seen, but nothing more than that.. but I wouldnt mind befriending a few of them if they dont mind ;).. then again, its only my first week here and I suppose they will come about soon..

The first week has been pretty amazing so far and I cant wait to see whats next.. Coming up in my next entries: NUS, Places Visited, Other exchange students and IITians, Singapore: The strongest resource.