I do apologise for the lack of posts lately. There's a pattern, you see. Blogging tends to be something to occupy my time with, something that I've been spreading out between spending precious time with friends and watching back-to-back episodes of Game of Thrones.
Of course, I say this with the assumption that people are following my blog. Or perhaps you're just a random wanderer into the abyss that I associate with my life. Either way, I welcome you.
I just read a post by a very angry Singaporean. She's around my age. Studied overseas too. Seems pretty bright. Her only vice, as far as I can tell from one post, is that she's just a little... self-righteous? I don't really know which word best describes her. Oh, and before I go on, I honestly am not about to start taking the piss. A lot of her points are very valid. But she's also very angry and sort of gives the impression that she expected a life different from the one she grew up with.
Okay. Let's give a bit of
background.
In a nutshell, she talks about how upset she is with the Singapore Government because it's too restrictive and conservative. I don't disagree with her. Singapore is a small country and because of its size, it's kinda easier to control than say, the United Kingdom, or even the state of Texas. This sometimes means it's easier for 'daddy' to say 'JUMP', and you better say 'how high?'. But is it really that terrible?
My time spent overseas initially led me to the same response she publicly aired. 'The Singapore govt is WAYYY too restrictive! I can do so many things in the UK and no one judges me here!' 'Drugs? Oh, come on! It's bad, yes. But I can't believe how much the govt has been exaggerating on its effects. You honestly have to be *that* stupid to be a druggie.' 'I can't believe I got free medicine and health checks. And I'm not even a UK citizen. Singapore's healthcare is way too expensive for its own good.'
Sometimes, living in Singapore *can* be a bitch. Prices of public transport make you want to kill yourself, if the weather doesn't kill you first. (It's hot and humid all the time. ESPECIALLY after it rains. Something I know can be explained by science but I *still* can't comprehend.) Public transport also stops after 1am (or sometimes, even earlier.) This means the only way home is by taxi. Something you don't want to even think about when you're broke. Woes of the fast-paced, competitive world of working are shared by many. And ohh, I'm so upset. Shall we have a pint? WHAT THE FUCK? A FUCKING PINT COSTS $12?!
These are but some of the displeasures of living in the lion city.
But, listen. Singapore isn't a horrible place to live in. To be honest, I thought for a while about permanently moving to the UK. It's still an option, depending on how next year goes. But the option to remain living here is still on my list, not wavering yet.
It's still extremely safe here. In how many places in the world can you honestly say will not pose any harm if you decide for some God-forsaken reason to walk out alone at 3 in the morning? (Perhaps you decided to fuck all taxis and their midnight surcharges.) Yes, there is still crime here, but it remains at a low rate because for the most part, people don't see the need to pillage.
The heat. It can be a good thing. People don't really die from heat strokes here. Of course, there will be cases of people who *have*, but compare that to the number of people who have died from cold-related diseases in other countries?
Also, poor people are better off here because they don't need clothes for all four seasons. In fact, walk around in a tank and shorts every day in your life and no one (except perhaps concerned friends and relatives) will bat an eyelid.
Okay. Erm... the Singapore Government... I won't defend them. I mean, we've had no threats or wars, so we can't honestly tell if they're doing a fantastic job of leading the country. So far, my political views are that if you haven't been in the fields with the people, ploughing away, you have no right to tell anyone that this hoe will yield better crops because some dickhead with a clipboard told you so.
Anyway, I'll try to sum up. I won't lie and tell you that living in Singapore is easy. In fact, I do agree that Singaporeans tend not to speak out against any authority in fear of retaliation. And in Singapore, it's not that easy to hide. Did I mention how small we were?
But the winds of change have come. More and more people are starting to recognise that as humans, we do deserve to speak. Putting a title in front of your name doesn't make you any more smarter or worthy than anyone else in the aforementioned fields.
I honestly think that people shouldn't completely give up on Singapore as a horrid place to work and live in. The future will be interesting. Perhaps things will change. We are after all, toddlers in this world. Such a young nation.
But you know what? If you wanna do something more, join something. Be part of something more. We as a generation should try to change the perspective that we're just followers of the dictatorship.
Anyway, reading the girl's post didn't really anger me. It just got me thinking. If the government gets to read all these little treasonous posts (mine included, I suppose.), what would they honestly do? Run to the courts shouting 'TREACHERY', rounding all the 'rebels'?
I think I've been watching too much Game of Thrones.
