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Singapore, Some Musings on Homes
Dec. 18th, 2007 03:08 pmSo I took the bus down to Singapore and rather quickly found out how much I really dislike taking the bus. I much prefer the night train. At least then I could actually lie down 90' and not the sham of pretending to lay down. When I lay down, I really like laying down. I also got sick rather quickly. Either way, I got to Copthorne Orchid and found my cousin rather easily, and was taken to her flat in Bishan.
I haven't lived in Singapore since '92, and I had forgotten how most of the housing there is reliant on apartment blocks, several of them close to each other, most of them identical. Even after three days I had difficulty figuring out where her apartment was. It's a good thing I didn't go out to town myself those days. The difference between my comfy middle-class terraced house and her equally-comfy-but-a-little-crowded-and-less-showy flat was immediately clear. Her place is smaller, obviously. She doesn't have a bathroom with a tub, nor even a shower stall. Then again, the bathroom I used to share with my brother didn't use to have a shower stall either, but we never shared it with the laundry. There are small mattresses laying around because sometimes the kids want to sleep on the floor, and Cindy and her husband, Patrick, also sometimes sleep on the floor and/or on the couches in the living room. It was a bit odd to me... I'm used to the idea of having a guest sleep in my living room, but not family members, not on a regular basis.
I forget how really small/large Singapore is. For my Canadian friends, it's probably the size of Toronto plus some outlaying areas. It's just as Asian as Malaysia, but more Chinese-centric. The food's mostly the same. The MRT is always smooth, and the buses are superior to Malaysia's.
I had dinner out pretty much every evening I was there. I didn't have breakfast, and lunch was with the photographers (except on Sunday). Initially I had planned to return on Monday, but I realized it would've been a waste of an entire day to spend it on the bus.
( Read more... )
I haven't lived in Singapore since '92, and I had forgotten how most of the housing there is reliant on apartment blocks, several of them close to each other, most of them identical. Even after three days I had difficulty figuring out where her apartment was. It's a good thing I didn't go out to town myself those days. The difference between my comfy middle-class terraced house and her equally-comfy-but-a-little-crowded-and-less-showy flat was immediately clear. Her place is smaller, obviously. She doesn't have a bathroom with a tub, nor even a shower stall. Then again, the bathroom I used to share with my brother didn't use to have a shower stall either, but we never shared it with the laundry. There are small mattresses laying around because sometimes the kids want to sleep on the floor, and Cindy and her husband, Patrick, also sometimes sleep on the floor and/or on the couches in the living room. It was a bit odd to me... I'm used to the idea of having a guest sleep in my living room, but not family members, not on a regular basis.
I forget how really small/large Singapore is. For my Canadian friends, it's probably the size of Toronto plus some outlaying areas. It's just as Asian as Malaysia, but more Chinese-centric. The food's mostly the same. The MRT is always smooth, and the buses are superior to Malaysia's.
I had dinner out pretty much every evening I was there. I didn't have breakfast, and lunch was with the photographers (except on Sunday). Initially I had planned to return on Monday, but I realized it would've been a waste of an entire day to spend it on the bus.
( Read more... )