A Marked Contrast

We are Singapore, we are Singapore

We will stand together, hear the lion roar

I lived in Johor when I was a wee kid and with our super-high kiasu antennas, had access to Singapore TV which was tonnes better than our local stations, pre-Astro. I remember waking up to this song every Sunday morning before the cartoons started and I was soon able to sing along to its catchy tune. Ironical when I didn’t even know our state song yet then! The power of TV! ;)

Anyway, I was down down south in Singapore, for a day trip last week. Despite Singapore being just 5 hours by road and an hour’s flight away from KL, it never ceases to amaze me how different they are. From the minute I cross the Causeway or step out onto their roads, it never fails to feel like a totally different place. Their arrows on the road are different, there are signs everywhere telling you what you can and can’t do and horror of horrors, their taxi drivers are so so polite and even tell you “Good morning” instead of rudely shouting at you they won’t go where you want them to go because of some elusive jam!

I took a nice clean cab to my destination in Raffles Place which is the main financial area of Singapore and got there in time to see office workers from all sorts of swanky foreign and multinational banks pouring out of their offices for lunch. It was then when I realised how affluent and glamorous Singaporeans were. The equally swanky cafes around the offices were chock-a-block full of people without even an empty table left, every little shoe and clothes boutiques were full of people who weren’t merely browsing and every girl there was immaculately dressed and made up with their branded handbag and latest handphones in tow. I’ve been to Hong Kong and Bangkok and have noticed that their girls there are always equally fashionable and made up each time they go out. I wonder why it isn’t the case here when we have similar weather and stores. Maybe it’s just the lack of effort?

I got what I needed to get done and headed back on the night flight that night. Again, the MAS flight I took was a marked difference from the Singapore Airlines flight I was on that morning. The whole flight sat, sweated and fanned themselves while waiting for the flight to take off because the airconditioning wasn’t working. When I checked with the stewardess, she told me that they couldn’t turn it on as the engines weren’t on yet. I’m no airline engineer but I’ve flown enough with different carriers to know that this doesn’t happen with other airlines! I just felt a little sad and a little embarrassed for foreigners who were frantically fanning themselves.

I know lots of people would say, “Go work and live in Singapore then and see if you can put up with their fines and rules!” However, obvious facts like better service, borderless financial services and competitiveness cannot be ignored, especially when it’s just an hour away by flight. So if we just had a little better service, a lot less corruption, finger-pointing and knee-jerk reactions, imagine how much better we could be too.

September 10, 2007 | Filed Under  

Comments

3 Responses to “A Marked Contrast”

  1. ParisB on September 10th, 2007 1:52 pm

    Amen!

    PE says: :)

  2. may on September 11th, 2007 12:02 pm

    it does feel like a totally different planet once you cross the bridge to Singapore, doesn’t it? I always felt the same too whenever I go there. such a difference…

    PE says: Feels pretty funny ‘cos we’re go near and similar to each other yet so different. One’s considered First World while the other’s still stuck in Third World status :P

  3. rinnah on September 12th, 2007 5:01 pm

    *wonders how females everywhere else find the time and energy to doll themselves up everyday*

    *PE wonders the same* I’ve been so lazy going to work these past few days so it’s been an au naturel look recently :P

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