Singapore

After my failed attempt to escape from Melaka the first time, I impulsively decided to take a detour into Singapore to try to connect with some family long overdue for a meeting [both mine and others].

Since visiting Singapore was a spur-of-the-moment decision, I didn't know what to expect but I'm pretty surprised at the place. This is not a backpacker's paradise but rather a shopper's paradise. Shopping, shopping, everywhere. If you're not in a mall, you're probably in an air-conditioned underpass that not only connects two malls but looks like a mall. If you happen to be outside, it only takes a few seconds to realized that you're staring at a high-rise mall.

That being said, I was kind of bored in Singapore. If you have the right budget, I'm sure Singapore would be a lot more interesting but I'm not even sure if that's the reason I was bored. It was just so easy. Perhaps, it's the burgeoning psychopath in me, but I've grown used to a bit of chaos; the law, order and automation of Singapore threw me off a little bit.

I recently arrived from a country where under the "No Smoking" sign on a bus, the bus driver is casually puffing away. Human interaction (and usually the necessary language skills) are needed for any sort of transaction and crossing a street is an art form. Suddenly, I don't even have to talk to anyone. Press a button, ticket pops out. No need to play human Frogger because there are designated crosswalks and most of all, signs actually mean something. I do find the abundance of rules rather amusing. On the MRT trains, there's a sign that says "No drinking or eating" and "No Smoking" and "No Flammables" and "No Durian".
(I didn't know you couldn't drink on the MRT. Didn't get caught but I did attract a lot of horrified stares from other passengers when I took a sip from my water bottle - it almost felt like I was drinking a bottle of vodka in the middle of a bus filled with my Arab neighbors.)

I'm pretty grateful for having hosts there (otherwise, I probably would have turned around after a day due to boredom and bankruptcy). It's pretty expensive here and shopping is pretty much the main activity on the island for tourists (and locals) but now having a few days outside of Singapore, I've developed an appreciation for it. After getting uncertain responses from locals regarding boat departures in Malaysia or standing on a street corner trying to understand exactly the public bus system, you tend to appreciate the efficiency and order of Singapore. You might be lost in a seizure-inducing labyrinth of consumerism but signs and arrows are always there to guide you out.

The highlight of my impromptu trip was getting to know family. There was almost this sense of dread leaving Singapore because it was sort of like knowing a home for a few days.