I Scream For Ice Cream

How bad is it that I always mix up apnea and aphasia? Ugh

The guy Blaine cheated on Kurt with is called Eli C. which just really reminds me of E. Coli for some reason…

Today is a perfect example of why I wish people get fined for dumping and dashing ie not flushing the toilet after using it.

I just read this article: Five Reasons Not to Travel to Singapore

I would like to point out that as an individual she has a right to her opinion as much as the next person. And to be honest, there is some truth in most of her statements. However, she was only in Singapore for 2 days and I think that does not warrant an informative account on the country. My country, by the way.

So here is my humble two cents on her five reasons.

1. Most boring country? Hardly. Singapore has a lot to offer for a country with such a short history. To be fair to her though, I think that a lot of Singaporeans share this view. And it’s a common complain among the youth. Sentosa is hardly tacky if you consider its history. It used to be a place of economic importance and forts were built there. Now it is a beautiful holiday resort. A very nicely developed resort too. Does she even know the definition of tacky? There are plenty of attractions within Sentosa, the most important one being swimming with pink dolphins. I mean what more could you want. I do admit that our Universal Studios is a tad lame but we make do with what little space we have.

We have a lack of street stalls and street food due to hygiene reasons. It is so that less people would have to suffer from gastroentiritis, salmonella and typhoid. I know she meant sterile as an insult but Singapore just happens to take pride this. Sterile, is right. Our hawker areas share our liking for cleanliness and so do people from other countries. Don’t you want to enjoy food without having to think about whether you will spend the night in the toilet? I sure do. 

2. Only one thing: Singapore is expensive because it is a developed country.

3. Being able to be fined for almost anything in Singapore is a running inside joke among the locals. Our gum laws are not as strict since 2004 when Wrigley decided Singapore is a market they cared about. Gum of therapeutic value are allowed to be sold and consumed in Singapore. Our gum rules are still in place mainly because gum littering was such a huge issue back in the 1980s. The government would much rather not take the risk of having maintenance issues due to gum littering again. As Franz Kafka once said, “it is better to have, and not need, than need, and not have”.

I think we can all agree that one should never forget to flush the toilet. It’s highly inconsiderate. If it’s going to take $500 for the person to remember to be a decent human being, it is worth it.

LGBT rights is an issue in Singapore but come on, it is an issue in most countries.

4. Our art scene might not be very liberal or extensive but you can still find gems in what little exist of it. Of course, there has been a lot of talk regarding Singapore’s culture or our lack of. I agree we do not have a very distinct culture in Singapore. That is because Singapore is cosmopolitan city. Our culture is diverse but there are still things that are unique to Singapore. Singlish, our chinese accent, HDB flats are but a few. The most important part of any culture is its people, and seeing that the author was only here for 48 hours I doubt she got a chance to interact with our very interesting locals.

5. I do agree that censorship is extremely tight in Singapore. It is an issue that many locals complain. However, much of Singapore’s stability is based on racial harmony and sometimes it is better to err on the side of caution. Singapore is an asian country and is therefore rather conservative. Many parents are actually quite happy with the censorship in the media. The young, impressionable minds of their children will not be tainted by all the “nasty” things.

It seems that the author’s highly negative statements on Singapore was driven by her disapproval on the Alan Shandrake case. Alan Shandrake’s arrest is unfortunate and I do not agree with it either. I was also unhappy when mrbrown’s column in Today got suspended. Censorship cases are highly controversial in Singapore. I feel that the government should allow criticism of its own system. Singaporeans are not stupid. They can judge for themselves if a piece of criticism is exaggerated. 

So, in other words, Cassandra James HOW DARE YOU! WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!

On a side note, I am usually full of criticisms about Singapore. Yet when a random person-who-only-spent-48-hours-in-Singapore takes a crap on Singapore, I’m all like fuck you Singapore is a brilliant country. 

I don’t understand myself.