My new goal in life is to be continually humbled. It's only when you think you know everything that you stop learning and once you believe there's nothing left to learn then what's the point of living? Okay lah you could live to teach others, but I think that's crap.
Anyway I used to be one of those people who was convinced that Singapore is boring and that there's nothing new here and all there is to do is shop and eat blah blah blah not like the US where everything is SO DIFFERENT and SO INTERESTING and even the UK where it's all SO OLD and SO QUAINT.
In the last few days I've had to eat my words several times over.
A friend came down from LA and I brought him to Chinatown and Little India. It was his first time there so he was quite intrigued, but I was quite intrigued too because it was also my first time there! Well, Little India, at least. Yes I know where have I been man. I'd never before stepped into Mustafa or walked down Serangoon Road. The whole place reminded me strongly of Beijing, not because it looked anything alike (especially not the people there, haha) but because I felt the same battling of awe and disgust. It's amazing how self-sufficient a community of people can be but at the same time it's so different from my white bread world that I can't bring myself to feel like anything but a tourist.
And then yesterday I went to Ann Siang Hill and Kadalakumajdafh Road or something equally unpronounceable, although J did give it a hilarious try. And the place is AWESOME. The Scarlet Hotel, all the Anthropologie-esque shops, the restaurants and clubs and pubs, and the acutely adorable bistro-type thing we ended up at with wine and cheese and pate - how have I never discovered this place before?? J says I'm a baby, and it's true. I think I'm all jaded and cynical and seen-it-all but there are so many parts of Singapore that are complete gems that I don't even know about. Hell, I've been around Europe and lived in the US and China and I've never stepped into my own backyard - apart from Malaysia I'm a Southeast Asia virgin. Whoever says that Singapore has nothing to offer is stupid and insular and blind like me.
So once Wednesday rolls around and I have someone to tour Singapore with, that's just what I'm going to do. I must go and buy that CityScoops book for ideas. People who are less sheltered and (rightly) hate Orchard Road/City Hall/Sentosa/etc, where do you go for fun?
posted by zyn ::
11:51 AM ::
5 Comments ::
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