rasa singapura

I arrived technically on the 27th, 45 minutes before midnight from a bus from KL that I boarded at exactly 5:30 PM (for 30Ringgit the bus fare was indeed cheap--compared to the experience i'll be having in Singapore). Singapore is a very expensive city esp. from someone who comes from a not so very expensive one... it's just a good thing that I have a cousin who lives in Singapore with an expensive job too hahaha...
From all the cities I've been to in my SEA journey; Singapore is the most clean and efficient city that I have seen thus far, they're almost the same as HK only the climate varies.

I think there is no city in SEA that is not humid, toasting hot or downright melts you as if you were in an oven. It's a good thing there's an alternative artificial beach which is Sentosa that the city created for the tourist.

I thought at first; you won't get me caught going to Sentosa, I mean it would be an insult for someone who's been to the real Palawan and go there knowing that you will be in an artificial Palawan, but then again who am I to be an arrogant bastardo and snob the beach city near the ports... i actually salute Singapore for creating something as vibrant as sentosa from an actual nothing. I really thought that going to the beaches there would be such a bore, but I actually enjoyed it together with my cuz, some chicken wings and a pitcher of Tiger draught... You will just be amazed how Singapore did this. The fact that they actually grew from a small port town to a big tiger economy in Asia--again out of nothing...

While doing this solo tour I never miss to compare the cities I have visited to the city I live in which is Manila.

.. I compare Siem Reap, Bangkok, KL, Saigon, Penang... everytime! and I always am sad knowing that my beautiful country could be as orderly as Singapore one day or just even KL, maybe even Bangkok where it amazes me that people from my race actually goes to an actual bus stop to wait for a bus (if you've been to Edsa, you'll know what I mean). Each city has its differnet flavour of course, a different crazy and a different discipline in all of them...

Anyhoo, i was hurrying up to get a cab before midnight since i knew that they'd charge 50% more if I got a cab past 12... I got one and proceeded to my cuz's place on Meyer Rd. I had a pleasant chat with the old Singaporean taxi driver where I told him how nice and clean his country was.. and we somehow ended up talking 'bout politics... I remember him saying that back in the 70s, the Philippines was second to Japan and people from SEA including Singapore flock our advanced country for greener pastures... that was some 30 plus years ago, now he says that it's the other way around... he blurted a question that he never really asked for an answer, he said "What happened?". After paying him $6 or so for the short ride from Lavender to Meyer... it got me thinking ...what really happened?