When I moved down from Heaven to the Earth- OK Lah!

-
Nee Hao (Hello) Singapore

So green you are, yet so hot
So many people, yet so clean
So much plastic around, yet so close to nature
So expensive, yet so laid back
So may fun events to attend, yet so little marketing
Nevertheless, waiting for that day when I give my heart completely to you


It has been close to 2 months in a new country and I get asked this question often. 

 "How different is Singapore when compared to Dubai?"

 My answer is "I feel like I moved from Heaven to the Earth. Period."

I am pinning down a few observations that I have made and experienced during my first couple of months in a country known as the "Red dot" on the world map.

A city where Ground Floor is a Myth

You know you are in S'pore when you get into the lift,  search for "G" to go to the Ground floor and can't find it. We like to start from 1.

 A city where the Rule on Escalators is to stand on the left and allow movement on the right

 Too lazy to climb? Stand on the right and be dragged.

 A city where Queuing is an integral part of life 

Queue to get into branded shops, queue to eat at restaurants, queue to board the escalator, queue to enter your home...LOL :D

 A city with interesting Vending machines

 Don't like the typical products found in vending machines? 
We do Oolong tea, Green tea, fresh orange juice, a pack of slice bread, you name it!

 A city where Good hair day is a dream

You can never have a good hair day. But hey wait! 
You can, IF YOU LIKE WIGS.

 A city with amazing, well connected public transport
Metros are very convenient and reliable with outstanding and clear instructions. However, buses are the same with absolutely NO announcements. 
If you fancy day-dreaming and missing your stop, hop on a bus ride in Singapore!


 Thirsty for a drink? 
Be prepared to pay more if you blurt out the words "Less ice" or "No ice".

 Craving for seafood?
It is exciting to find octopus, eel, shrimps and crabs dead and served on a  single plate

 Wanna learn Singlish quickly?
Master the art of saying CAN for yes and CAN-NOT for no.

 Do you have any Singaporean memories?

I simply CAN-NOT wait to hear them! 
Ok-Lah!
                                                                     

Location: Singapore

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did CORONA bring joy to our lives?

-
Image
The semi-lock down phase from April 7th - May 4, 2020 was in progress.  However, on April 20th, the PM made a sudden announcement that it will be extended until June 1, 2020. When it was expected to be PANIC mode, the people in our house responded in a matured and sensible way. Husband thinking................... "I will have another 30 days of low credit card bills?😲😲"  "Few more weeks of zero useless shopping and eating-out expenses?"  "God bless the COVID phase!😇" Wife thinking............................. "He can work from home for another month?"  "He can help me with the house chores and babysitting😀"  "How convenient!😇" Child's point of view..................... "I can wake up late and not dress up in school uniform for the next 30 days?!"  "I can have more screen time, which is officially allowed by the school and at home?" "Yay!😄" How did you respond t
Read more

Rija and Suru residence, Koramangala- 2009

-
Image
The probability of my uncle sending me a sms is very rare. So the sms came as a surprise, one fine day, when I was working late in office and was frustrated. He wanted to let me know that there is a guest at his home and the guest was longing to meet me. I begged him to tell me who it was, but he did not budge. I requested him to give me a clue and found that it was a special person. When I asked where the person was from, he replied ‘Persia’. Many things were going through my head. I even wondered if it were my parents giving me a surprise visit, which was far too much to hope for. I gave up and thought that it might be one of my relatives who must have travelled down from the Middle East. The next day was my off and I decided to go visit this special person. I called my aunt to let her know (Uncle was away at work). The conversation went like this: Me : Hi Aunty, I am coming over at 11 am. Aunt: Oh yeah, I was expecting your call. Uncle had told me that you would be here to me
Read more

Daughter and S.T.O.R.A.G.E

-
I remember those initial days which I had spent in my first company. I had no clue that a bachelors degree in engineering could land me in one of the hottest domains in the IT industry. My dad, who is a master degree holder in Economics, and my mom, who chose to provide service to her fellow human beings on earth, by practicing as a doctor, had absolutely no clue either. Since I knew that it would be difficult for me to explain the concept of ‘domain’ in the IT field and to let them know exactly how I serve my employer with the level of knowledge I have, I did not bother revealing the exact nature of my work. Instead I conveniently chose to inform them that my work revolves around S.T.O.R.A.G.E (which was the name of the domain I was in). When I went to pay them a visit, a few months later, i came to realize that I had made a terrible mistake. Our relatives and family friends seemed to know everything regarding my work! After the initial round of “vishesham parachil”, like we call it
Read more