A Singapore Experience

Have you ever felt so happy in life, a sense of having done it all, seen it all experience? A nirvana of sorts...
I thought I would experience that when I bungee jump or para glide, some day before I die.
Well, I have either got lucky or I am nearing the end of life and I strongly hope it is not the later. Surprisingly I had this feeling not while doing anything extraordinary but by just connecting with good people in a fine country.
The people in Singapore, at least those who I met during my media trip were all so warm, so open and friendly, that it made the five days I was away from home less miserable.
The Uniquely Singapore tag line to attract tourists to Singapore with an animal pictured on its side should ideally have the faces of the natives of the country, the mix of Chinese Malay and even Indian origin Singaporeans.
But it is not just the peaceful people that are to be applauded, the systems are so efficient, the transport system especially. Even before the West started thinking about carbon footprints, Singapore was a step ahead and had dealt with the issue too. The taxes on private vehicles are so high and kept so to discourage people using them and then the govt has made public transport systems so efficient, making it easier for people to travel anywhere within the country.
Housing is also taken care, though it is considered a bit too expensive. The only flaw that the Singaporeans could think about was that everything was so controlled that they had nothing to worry about. The 'mothering' role of the government was sometimes a bit stifling, they say. But isn't that too minor a fault! I would love a bit of mothering from my motherland, instead of the class distinctions, the sharp divide between the poor and the rich and the utter sad state of infrastructure that is the present state of affairs.
Well, as for my experience, these people, their positive attitude, their enthusiasm, their passion towards what they are doing certainly made me more positive in the way I perceive mankind.
I even got a bit daring and have now earned a status of sorts with my colleagues at work...
Singapore has a population growth rate of 1 percent and to encourage families to have kids, office timings are reduced giving couple time to procreate. Among other things, sex shops are also rampant in all the malls. And, the new confident me, not only went into one of the shops, I bought a few things too! Now if that is not one of a kind experience, what is!
And guess who is the happiest person around...my husband! Now keep guessing what I bought from the shop!