Got inspired to write after reading an article by The Sunday Times journalist, Cheong Suk-Wai. She wrote an article titled "Idylls and ideals", which describe her experience in 26 cities owning to her jobscope and how at the end of the day, Singapore is still no. 1 for all-weather living.
Quoting 3 paragraphs from her article illustrating general living condition:
If, for instance, you can deal with rickety, four-storey-high elevated train staircases, round-the-clock newsflashes of murders and mayhem and potheads stoned out on the bathroom floors of fast-food outlets, then Chicago, with its treasure chest of an Art Institute, is a fine, intellectually stimulating place to be in.
London is a waking dream for an Anglophile like me, but who can stomach its prices? (14 pounds or almost S$40 for a bowl of soup noodles with chicken and spring onion shreds, anyone?)
Hong Kong is a legendary place for shoopers buy my lasting impression of it was paying HK$45 (S$9) for a bowl of soup noodles which was just that - rubberband-like wonton me in an oily-grey liquid. You wish there was a garnish.
Quoting another sections on her experiences with racism:
... ... Of course, it's unfashionable to talk about racism in these consciously cosmopolitan times, but I sure felt it when, trying on a bargain leather jacket at the Politix boutique in Sydney recently, the salegirl walked up to me, pulled the sides of her eyes down and said: "Ooh, look how small your eyes are."
"Well, yes," I replied coolly, "but how smart is it to state the obvious?" That shuts her up.
Earlier this month, on a two-hour train ride in New South Wales, Australia, with my mother, she bit her lip at three Caucasian teen pessengers heckled her mercilessly throughout the ride, calling her an "Asian cartoon" because of her drawn-on eyebrows....
Upon finish reading her article, it promts me to write a little about my experiences in 5 cities during the stint of my Student Exchange in HK. My experience will of coursre not be as diverse as she is but it's enough for me to appreciate Singapore. It's strange that when you are here, you take everything for granted. It's only when you are overseas that you started thinking how fortunate we are in this tropical Global City Asia.
During my exchange stint, besides HK, I've travelled to Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. The latter three are cities in China and being bilingual, I have no problem communicating and travelling around. However, I have to be extra careful travelling around as there always seem to be an extra pair of eyes staring at you, looking for the right timing to strike when you appeared less vigilant. I will never forget the incident in Shenzhen when a guy zipped open my bag, trying to see what he can get from there, before Emily dear screamed at him. Walking around with prostitutes approaching you openly was also an experience; some of them appeared to be advertising for massaging service and some even asked you whether you want to "have fun".
Cleanliness wise, Zhuhai resembles Singapore most, with streets beautifying with trees and trying to keep a litter free environment. However, their effort seemed to vary from places to places, with those nearing to Gong Bei (Zhuhai-Macau custom) least tidy. Police were everywhere in those three cities. At first sight, you might feel safe with so many of them "looking after law and order". However, how many of them will actually be helping you when you are in trouble. A couple of times, I saw some of them sleeping, chatting and idling at their post; if not, they'll be found smoking at some corners of the streets.
Food wise, all these cities definitely have much more to offer than Singapore. Those in China were generally 30-50% of the prices in Singapore and tastes much better. HK wise, it tends to be a little more expensive but yum cha is cheaper, around 70-80% of the prices in Singapore. However, a couple of my HK friends once mentioned to me that if I see how they prepare their food in the backyard (even for fast-food chains like Mac and KFC), then I wouldn't want to eat them again. For me, I don't mind, so long as their hygiene is ok and nice to eat.
On the whole, HK resembles Singapore most in terms of looks, prosperity etc. It has advantages over Singapore as well. For example, it boasts of a more efficient transportation system and more nature reserve for hikes and camping.
Ultimately, I think peers in my generation should go out of Singapore and take a look (and live) in the world outside for a while to appreciate what we have/ don't have. It is very important to have a global picture at this age.
Quoting 3 paragraphs from her article illustrating general living condition:
If, for instance, you can deal with rickety, four-storey-high elevated train staircases, round-the-clock newsflashes of murders and mayhem and potheads stoned out on the bathroom floors of fast-food outlets, then Chicago, with its treasure chest of an Art Institute, is a fine, intellectually stimulating place to be in.
London is a waking dream for an Anglophile like me, but who can stomach its prices? (14 pounds or almost S$40 for a bowl of soup noodles with chicken and spring onion shreds, anyone?)
Hong Kong is a legendary place for shoopers buy my lasting impression of it was paying HK$45 (S$9) for a bowl of soup noodles which was just that - rubberband-like wonton me in an oily-grey liquid. You wish there was a garnish.
Quoting another sections on her experiences with racism:
... ... Of course, it's unfashionable to talk about racism in these consciously cosmopolitan times, but I sure felt it when, trying on a bargain leather jacket at the Politix boutique in Sydney recently, the salegirl walked up to me, pulled the sides of her eyes down and said: "Ooh, look how small your eyes are."
"Well, yes," I replied coolly, "but how smart is it to state the obvious?" That shuts her up.
Earlier this month, on a two-hour train ride in New South Wales, Australia, with my mother, she bit her lip at three Caucasian teen pessengers heckled her mercilessly throughout the ride, calling her an "Asian cartoon" because of her drawn-on eyebrows....
Upon finish reading her article, it promts me to write a little about my experiences in 5 cities during the stint of my Student Exchange in HK. My experience will of coursre not be as diverse as she is but it's enough for me to appreciate Singapore. It's strange that when you are here, you take everything for granted. It's only when you are overseas that you started thinking how fortunate we are in this tropical Global City Asia.
During my exchange stint, besides HK, I've travelled to Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. The latter three are cities in China and being bilingual, I have no problem communicating and travelling around. However, I have to be extra careful travelling around as there always seem to be an extra pair of eyes staring at you, looking for the right timing to strike when you appeared less vigilant. I will never forget the incident in Shenzhen when a guy zipped open my bag, trying to see what he can get from there, before Emily dear screamed at him. Walking around with prostitutes approaching you openly was also an experience; some of them appeared to be advertising for massaging service and some even asked you whether you want to "have fun".
Cleanliness wise, Zhuhai resembles Singapore most, with streets beautifying with trees and trying to keep a litter free environment. However, their effort seemed to vary from places to places, with those nearing to Gong Bei (Zhuhai-Macau custom) least tidy. Police were everywhere in those three cities. At first sight, you might feel safe with so many of them "looking after law and order". However, how many of them will actually be helping you when you are in trouble. A couple of times, I saw some of them sleeping, chatting and idling at their post; if not, they'll be found smoking at some corners of the streets.
Food wise, all these cities definitely have much more to offer than Singapore. Those in China were generally 30-50% of the prices in Singapore and tastes much better. HK wise, it tends to be a little more expensive but yum cha is cheaper, around 70-80% of the prices in Singapore. However, a couple of my HK friends once mentioned to me that if I see how they prepare their food in the backyard (even for fast-food chains like Mac and KFC), then I wouldn't want to eat them again. For me, I don't mind, so long as their hygiene is ok and nice to eat.
On the whole, HK resembles Singapore most in terms of looks, prosperity etc. It has advantages over Singapore as well. For example, it boasts of a more efficient transportation system and more nature reserve for hikes and camping.
Ultimately, I think peers in my generation should go out of Singapore and take a look (and live) in the world outside for a while to appreciate what we have/ don't have. It is very important to have a global picture at this age.
posted by CS at
10:33 AM
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