I’ve been spending more time in Singapore and I’m curious like what are the little things or places that make you think, “yeah, this is the real Singapore”? Like a quiet spot, a food stall, or just something everyday that tourists usually miss. Would love to hear what makes it feel like home for you.
Being able to go downstairs at any point in the night for a walk or cycle and 1) feel safe alone, 2) be able to find some food and 3) can leave my shit on the table without worry of theft.
Dude casually shitting on tables
Our government’s desire to make every pavement safe, well-lit and walkable. Let me give you an example I recently noticed that I feel amazed by: There is a pavement behind my block that is between a drain and the fencing of the Ngee Ann Poly’s old staff quarters compound. It’s a shortcut from the residential area to the main road. It used to be that the pavement was cracked, uneven and dishevelled in places, and if you walked that path during night time, you had to light your way using your mobile phone torchlight. Because Ngee Ann stopped using the staff quarters for staff, the area was closed off and became dilapidated. Tree branches would grow out overhead across the path and when it was raining, some of the plants’ branches would sag with rainwater, so to continue walking on the pavement, you had to bend down a little to get past the branches. Then one fine day, I don’t know if someone complained, but there were workers there paving the whole stretch of pavement with new concrete. Fencing along the drain was also replaced with new fences. And then a few months later… There was a team that installed lighting along the whole stretch of pavement! I tend to think Singapore as a very cost-sensitive place, but somehow someone actually decided to install lights for night walkers along that pathway. And i am quite sure it’s not commonly used in the dark, but despite that, someone decided to install lighting… And I think the lighting installation and maintenance isn’t cheap: because the pathway is between a drain and the Ngee Ann staff quarters compound, they couldn’t install lamp posts. Instead, they had to resort to installing flood lighting at the edge of the residential estate to project light across the pathway. So they clearly put a lot of thought and money into the renovated pathway. And I think this kind of thing will only happen in Singapore loh… I think for other places, it will just be “it’s just a pavement, can walk can already”.
The captain's message when flying SQ - "... and to all Singaporeans, welcome home." 💕
The unspoken rule of choping seats with tissue packets.
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