10 Short Stories in Singapore
I spent a day recently in Singapore and was amused by some discoveries. These are the stories, shortly.
1. The queuing experience was a crucial pain in the ass. First, I had to run and fight with other bus passengers for passport-checking procedures at Woodlands Checkpoint. I was unlucky since I was in the slowest queue. When I finally reached at the counter, the officer scrutinized my face so seriously I thought he wanted to ask the authorities to arrest me for having some association with Mas Selamat. This follow-the-book officer was a bit old and slow. He really made everyone in the queue mad and irritated. Having passed this testy process, I was forced for another bus queue. All these queuing drills seemed endlessly tiring. I wonder how those Malaysians commute to Singapore for work on a daily basis. It must be maddening.
2. The names for MRT stations truly reflect the linguistics marvels of the lion city. Chinese names like Choa Chu Kang and Yio Chui Kang remind me of Gurmit Singh in Phua Chu Kang. Tao Payoh sounds like ‘Tok Payoh’ in Kelantanese dialect, meaning ‘no need-lah’ (in Malaysian English). Khatib and AlJunied make me think of some religious figures that might have made a history in Singapore. Oh, I didn’t expect to find familiar names like Tanah Merah (in Kelantan) and Bukit Gombak (in Selangor) on the public signboards in Singapore. Admiralty, Commonwealth and Queenstown are some of the names that trigger the colonial sense of Singaporean history. My vocabulary is truly expanding.
3. The MRT passengers knew how to make use of their time on the train efficiently. There was a Chinese lady who must have been very busy at home and office that she was oblivious of the sharp sounds she purposely made when clipping her long nails. While other people stuffed their ears with I-pods, a Muslim lady filled up her sweet time on the train knitting her latest handmade hand phone holder. The smart-looking expatriates seemed so intellectually indulged in playing their expensive digital games. Smooching was not uncommon. Just enjoy the free show. They certainly knew how to pass their time more colorfully.
4. The whole city-state is like a university’s mega-campus. I can’t help feeling being in the campus park when observing the blurring lines of housing estates in Singapore. Most of the streets are tree-lined. The old trees, especially, are so charmingly standing that offer an ‘academic’ aura to the surroundings. Plus, there are a lot carefully-manicured fields that, to me, are meant to compensate the endlessly-widespread apartments, condos and flats all around the country. For a country that is highly condensed with increasing population, the existence and maintenance of these greens is admirable.
5. The Singapore tourist pass really put me at ease when going around places in the city. With only $8 and refundable $10, I could easily tap on all MRT entrances without worrying about the cost. The card was supposed to be linked to all buses in Singapore. However, I was embarrassed when the bus driver asked for cash. When I complained to an officer, she said that the card could only be used for normal buses, not express buses. I thought that they should clearly write ‘For normal buses only’ in their promotional leaflet, instead of ‘For all buses’. I felt cheated. And I am still clueless about the differences between normal and express buses. Well, Singaporean transportation system is, after all, humane. Aren’t we all bound to err?
6. The colonial charms are captivatingly preserved around Civic District. It seems that the whole historical buildings have been effectively ‘botoxised’. City Hall boasts itself with the impressive design that made me almost breathless. Looking at the green Padang, the Merdeka Square in KL came into my mind. Raffles Hotel stood so elegantly which mesmerized me with lively fantasy. Sir Stamford Raffles seems so alive, ‘standing’ proudly near the majestic Singapore River. I was indeed marvelously colonized.
7. The mosques are uniquely positioned among the mass of other ‘daunting’ buildings. For example, Bencoolen Mosque, located at Bencoolen Street, is part of a commercial block and a residential area. This intimidates its presence, making it look so tiny and almost invisible. However, the classic Sultan Mosque is still standing ‘arrogantly’ in the midst of a rapid development in the Muscat Street. Oh, the mosque has an interesting incoming program called Myspex08 Finale which features the host Fiza O who smiles cheerfully on the banner outside Sultan Mosque, showing her freshly-shampooed hair.
8. Besides hundreds of daunting CCTVs, the Singaporean government must have allocated a gargantuan amount of budget for public escalators. These escalators are seen at every nook and corner inside shopping malls and underpasses. There are even cute mini escalators with only 10 steps. I was like, hey, can’t they just use the stairs? Ah, talking about spoilt riches. Wait a minute, where are the dustbins in the MRT station? I found it ironic for an obsessively clean-conscious city for not having enough budgets for dustbins. I wonder where people put their rubbish – in their bags? Maybe they keep it and throw it at home. Save the government budget. Less dustbins. More escalators. Correct.
9. The largest street shopping in Singapore is indeed the largest. Bugis street surprised me with its communal splendor that made me feel at home. Home? Yes, this is just a modern and organized version of Wakaf Che Yeh in Kelantan. If only the Kelantanese knew how to make Wakaf Che Yeh more organized and funkier, the largest street shopping in Singapore could be in trouble. Just put bigger roofs and bigger fans. Wallah.
10. The Arab Street is a cool hangout place. The street is lined with enchanting shop houses. According to three busybody makciks I spoke to in Sultan Restaurant, these buildings were previously the houses for Bugis men, before it was renovated and transformed into business premises. It was indeed enchanting to walk along this narrow road with Sultan mosque in the background. Enjoy this peaceful ambience by sitting down at one of the restaurants there. If you get lucky, you might bump into one of the Singaporean celebrities, just like what I did.
Imran Ajmain and Hilmi Hamzah, hehe
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hope u enjoy ur one day trip to singapore!
lol yah most of the people run and fight whenever they’re at woodlands checkpoint cos if not lambat lah nak sampai. so welcome to the running and fighting club!actually there are certain times whereby the checkpoint not so crowded lah.so klu nak datang singapore lain kali kena plan the timing so tak clash with people who are going and returning from work.klu bus kilang ada,sure jam gila punya.
the difference between a normal and an express bus is tht the fare for express bus is more expensive cos dia tak stop kat banyak stop.usually the normal bus cost around S$1.80 (i think) but the fare for the express bus is more expensive than that.
lol actually before there were dustbins inside of the mrt stations but i think somewhere in 2001 ke 2002, ive forgotten already, they removed all of the dustbins so that’s why u cant find any dustbins inside of the mrt stations. the motif is to prevent commuters from drinking and eating inside of the mrts and the stations (i do admit tht dulu masa sekolah i did eat chocolates inside of the mrt/ at the mrt stations hehe dah lapar mah) so tht the mrt and the stations will be clean all the time and also to prevent from any explosive items to be placed inside of the bins.
hope u do enjoy ur one day visit to my very humble small city.do come again to visit ya! cos there are a lot of things tht are yet to be discovered even though singapore does not have much to offer unlike in malaysia (i mean the places to visit wise)
Siti,
1. It was indeed irritating to be at the checkpoint. I’ll find more suitable time in the future.
2. That explains the difference between express and normal buses. I thought express buses are like buses in Malaysia, where they only cater for long journeys, which confused me even more – are there long-distant journeys in Singapore?
3. So, cleanliness and security are the main reasons for scrapping the dustbins in the MRT stations. To avoid explosive items, i think, maybe they can opt for transparent bins haha
4. Of course I will go there again for more stories.
Thanks for your kind comments ya!
Salam Helmi,
Indeed the Lion City is a palce where cleanliness is second to none. Was there for 3 months straight somewhere in 1999 (Y2K project with ExxonMobil Singapore). Still remember the MRT ride and the bus ride to WTC (I took the ferry and went to BATAM !!!!!!)
Not sure if you went to Mustafa but I always make it a must visit whenever I have the chance to go to singapore (minyak wangi murah bro…)
Take care and keep in touch
PAK RIZAL (IIC)
haha yea being stuck in the checkpoint can be pain in the neck hehe.a’ah eh good idea bout the transparent bins
yea i agree with pak rizal!!!u must go to mustafa centre at little india next time. my fav place to go and hang out if i want to find hindi movies hehe
Pak Rizal, i went to Mustafa Centre last year. I liked the place so much, and Little India is so vibrant with colours and spices of life! I’d love to go there again. Thanks for your words, Pak Rizal. We’ll definitely be in touch.
Siti, i’m into hindi movie too! I will go there and buy lots of them hehe (hey, do invite me to your blog. my email: hilmihamzah@yahoo.com)
when is the next holiday in jb bro?
huwaaaaaaaa imrannnnnn!!!!!!
K lun, i’ll be going again to singapore during one of these weekends. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it last time.
Cekya, are you a die-hard fan of him? Don’t die, ar?
he’s big and tall .. and u such a cutie bro..
weekends?? hmm tak bley jumpa lagik..
Ingat ke mana Cek Helmi menghilang, rupanya pergi semberang tambak sekejap
Next time, if you’ve time, can try visiting some of the historical/national heritage sites, I’d recommend Bukit Chandu, very interesting, here’s a sample link which some brief info:
http://yesterday.sg/detail/reflecting_at_bukit_chandu/
Hmm, this site has better info on Bukit Chandu:
http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/bukit_chandu/homepage.htm
K lun, he’s so tall that i insisted him to sit down for that shot haha. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely see each other soon enough.
The 5 of us, I have already planned for a day-visit to historical places in Singapore. Thanks for the info on Bukit Chandu ya!
hej! hilmi…whoaaaahhhh…great day out in singapore and your posting really made me to visit singapore again since my last visit when i was still in teenage year…:)
Danial, for a relatively tiny city-state, Singapore can offer us endless stories of amusement. It takes a great explorer to discover the apples.
heyyy…i’m so shock!!!!
I notice u’r fr feed fedjit..
really ila dont know Hilmi is Cekmi..
hmmm…yr new website is look difference…& more formal .siap guna nama penuh lagi tu..HILMI HAMZAH;)
hehe sure i will add u k. btw i need ur help lah!!!ure from kelantan right??do u have words that mean other thing in other dialect?
for example: selalu dalam bahasa kelantan means sekarang kan? do u know words yang mcm gitu???it is for my liguistik assignment and im totally clueless about the dialects in malaysia. do help me if u know k.thanks in advance!
ila, this is Cekmi’s new look. Welcome to my, as you put it, formal blog! hehe
siti, there are many words like that in malaysian dialects. will tell you more about it later k..
Sir use the Second Link .. Immigration officers much more friendlier..haha
anyway the immigration officers at woodlands remind me of a lady in IIC who don’t know how to smile
shall not mention her by name.
Imran Ajmain? So is it you who invited him to IIC? muahaha… eh sir try SHISHA in arab street la….