another sg post

I told you I have another one of these SG posts, haha! But before I proceed... Can I just say that time flies sooo frickin' fast??? It's almost one month from our Singapore trip! And here I am still hung over.

This post is about the many things I love and don't love about SG; so, without further ado...

What I ♥ About Singapore:

1. The very efficient public transport system.

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 I commute a lot here in Manila and commuting here is such a pain in the ass. I am very grateful for our light rail transit here in the metro and wouldn't know what to do without them, but after experiencing how it is to commute in Singapore, I swear, I fell in love with their trains and stations. And not to mention the buses... man, I dream of the day our buses would be as efficient as theirs, where buses (and jeeps) would stop at (and only at) the designated loading and unloading zones. And oh, I'm also in love with the "tap system." They use only one prepaid card for all train lines and buses. Very convenient, diba? Parang their government aims to provide quality and convenient lives for their citizens- even connecting walkways from one train line to another is air-conditioned! Kabaliktaran ng Pilipinas, lahat ginagawang inconvenient ng gobyerno para sa atin!!! At huwag i-deny yan- pumunta lang sa pinakamalapit na government agency/munisipyo para ma-confirm.

2. Trees, trees and more trees! For a small country like Singapore, one would think that they'd value space very much and would fill every nook and cranny with structures. Actually, I was expecting it to be filled with towering building offices and apartments. Which was a misconception. The city is filled with lots and lots of trees. For a country situated just atop the equator, you'd think it'd be scorching hot but surprisingly, it is not. Because there are trees everywhere you go. 

ang SG ay parang isang malaking Ayala mall

I wonder why can't we do the same here? Kung space ang pag-uusapan, mas marami tayo nun diba? Singapore is evidence that nature does not hinder a nation's progress. If they can do it, we can too. It just takes an awful lot of willpower. I hope makita ng Pilipinas ang tao na yan in my lifetime. 

3. In relation to #2- it is a pedestrian-friendly city. Clean, unobstructed sidewalks with trees providing shade to the pedestrians, walking from one point to another is a pleasure. 

4. It is a fairly safe country. You could walk around the city with your bag open and not worry about pickpockets or snatchers. Of course, kailangan pa rin alerto 24, pero not as much when I commute here. They don't even check bags when going into malls or train stations. 

5.  Taxi drivers are honest, they use the meter (hindi uso ang kontrata, haha) and they don't ask for dagdag. Well, the cheapest flag down rate was S$3.20 which is around Php108, so kahit manghingi si mamang taxi drayber ng dagdag mas mura pa rin satin, pero gets mo naman kung ano gusto kong sabihin diba? Parang feeling ko lang dito sa Pilipinas, parang nangdidiskarte lahat ng tao. 

And what I don't ♥ about Singapore:

1. Everything's EXPENSIVE! A sausage mcmuffin meal in McDo costs S$5 which is around Php170. I could buy two sausage mcmuffin meals with that amount! 

2. Language barrier. Nakakabilib that Singapore's a multi-lingual country- signage, announcements and instructions are available in Chinese, English and Malay- but there's always something lost in translation. Like when the time my friend asked for Tabasco in a restaurant. It took four persons to ask her what it is she was requesting. At promise, kahit English ang salita, hindi ko pa rin maarok dahil sa accent. 

3. Maraming masungit. In fernez naman to those who belong to service-oriented businesses, they were nice and accommodating naman. 

4. MapapaWOW ka sa bango. Kinabog ang Wow Philippines ng Intramuros, haha! 

That's it, pansit! But do not get me wrong. Even if my comparison of our country to Singapore highlighted it's shortcomings and inefficiencies, I still love it (and actually couldn't wait to come home after five days in a foreign land). It's just that I wish we could improve how we do things here. I hope the government would actually look after the welfare of the people and not only after the votes, aim to make the citizens' life more convenient and implement laws and rules and regulations for the greater good and not only for their own benefit. And we also have to do our part by being obedient, disciplined citizens. We can start by throwing our trash properly, okay?