I arrived in Singapore accompanied by a mad Canadian woman, she attached herself to my hip at Bkk airport and chatted in my ear incesantly from that moment on, she was like Michelle on speed! She claimed to also be an English teacher and be working in Chang Mai I quickly discovered she is the most neurotic whinger, I have ever met (oh yes all you English folk take heart. I am really not sure how much of her story was true and how much fabricated in her mind, (she tells me, she really is being stalked by her exhusband 40 years on??? At least in her mind). She seemed ridiculously old to be so untogether, scatty is a word that I am reluctant to use, it seems too mild and cute, an insult to scatty folk the world over to have to share a category. She had arrived in Singapore with barely any money what so ever and ended up borrowing off me to be able to afford to eat, she whinged about her health and her back and I ended up having to hall her stupid suitcase on wheels up stairs for her.
After we had visited the embassy the next morning I managed to wrest her from my side and head off for some peaceful exploring, she appeared surprised at my desire for some respite from her, she had told me earlier she couldn't walk anywhere, so I headed out on a nice long relaxing walk
She was reading the celestine prophecy (really need I add more), I saw her at the airport at the end of my trip, she had left herself 10 minutes (if that ) to get there and check in, she obviously loves the stress, for without it what would she have to complain about. Anyway...
One of the most fantastic things I quickly discovered in Singapore is the amount of fabulous vegetarian food, little India is amazing, colourful, interesting, in fact just like India but clean! Fabulous, why didn't I get a job here?
Singapore, ah what to say about Singapore, it is an Island which has dedicated it's soul to facadism, sentosa Island is so prefabricated I felt myself wanting to claw beneath it's plasticity, it's unreal Disneyfied self.
Yet other parts of Singapore are beautiful and peaceful. Singapore has a way of making you feel relaxed, I think it is it's vast amounts of green, if you want to build I think you can only get a permit to go up, at least that is how it appears when you look up, the architecture is great, it is obviously a well planned city, if countries in Asia can be equated to European cities, Singapore is it's Germany, the trains always run on time!
It's a country not designed for sitters, everything has a designated place it sends the message, look I'm beautiful but please don't touch me, parks are not made with the idea of having children run free range and bare foot, they are made with steep slopes and carefully planned concrete pathways. Yet in a snap it can go from this to the hyper cool colonial charm of Raffles boulevard.
On the plus side it has multicultural comfort the likes of which at least superficially appear flawless.
I flew Air asia, welcome to no seat number, no service and killer eyelash world, Yes it is a first in the queue at the departure gate best dressed in the seat department, mind you the best seat in has got to be a matter of opinion, unlike most punters I prefer the seats at the back (further from impact) so even by keeping my bum in seat till the last possible moment, I still got a window, warning to tall folk, leg room is not something cheap airlines are big on.
Speaking of all things airline I saw a review of film "United 93" by a Mary Riddell while discussing the passengers on that ill fated flight she says, and I quote
"...they saw a universe where those of good faith must take all necessary risks to ensure that the earth keeps turning round the sun and that they are there to see it rise again" well they are patently not here to see it rise and though one can not but feel remorse at this waste of human life, I must ask does the arrogance of human kind constantly astounds me, honey the earth will keep revolving around the sun, it has for millinea, just what makes Ms Riddell think any actions of small weak carbon based creatures is going to change it?
As a final note on Singapore, It took me two days to realise the reason I couldn't buy gum anywhere is because it is illegal!!!
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