Thursday, December 23, 2010
Missing out on a sponsored trip to Shanghai might seem like a great deal for many but to me, it's no big loss at all. I should be spending my Christmas in the bitter and cold conditions over there but here I am, in sunny and rainy Singapore. My sister and brother-in-law travels up ten times a year because an overseas trip allows them to recharge and pamper themselves due to their hectic work schedule. Moreover, we've got different travel philosophies - she believes in staying in high-end hotels and going to the touristy places while I'm prepared to rough it up and take in the local sights. As such, we don't often travel together as a family.
It's been years since I last headed across the causeway because my mother actually forbid me from doing so due to the rising crime rate. Trips to the North had always been bypassing Johor and into the actual locations such as Malacca or Kuala Lumpur. Although I don't often agree with her because Singapore herself is too sheltered, and because citizens here often take our peace and security for granted. It's not just Malaysia, no matter where we travel to, crime is part and parcel of the package. You could easily get slashed walking home at night for not doing anything locally. Sometimes, Singaporeans must take the blame for making themselves easy targets too.
It took 4 years to realize the seafood dream but I'm glad we managed to achieve it - albeit just the 5 of us. Honestly, I'm very grateful to my class representative from sparing us some of his valuable time and driving us around. Morning to late evening, it sure was tiring if I had been in his shoes. Although I can't deny that I'm your typical Singaporean when it comes to shopping, there's always a part of me that wants to find out more about the country that I'm in. It helps that you've got a local that brings you to places that tour guides don't and never will. One such example is the 'BBDC' of his area. Singaporeans should be thankful of their local driving centres. Often when I hear of instructors saying we've got a world-class school, I was like thinking, "Oh please!". Of course there are better ones out there for sure but I like to believe in Asia especially, it's already the best.
Lunch was bak kut teh at Jalan Permas and it was not bad. It's just that I wished they had given us more soup in the bowl we had. Although I'm not a Cantonese, my friends often say that I contain traits of being one - simply loving my soup and more if possible. Their version of the dao pok was also different, in the sense that it was less sweet and soggy. Although I prefer the Singapore version, it's always good to know that there are other ways of cooking it and yet remaining delicious. Then it was off to Jusco for some shopping, followed by bowling and pool. We ended the day with a seafood dinner at some place that's supposedly opposite Sembawang beach. We were one of the earliest customers but when we left, the place was bustling and filled with people. The food wasn't fantastic and there were definitely better ones around. However, it was a good place to hang out and away from the city/urban areas. Best of all, I love being near the sea and near mangroves and all. If I wasn't a Geographer, I definitely would have taken Biology.
I didn't know the seafood place was some 30km away from the causeway until my class rep drove past one of those road signs which stipulated the distance to that particular destination. Singapore is just too small, people around the world travel hours just to get to work while we'll definitely make noise if the journey exceeds 30 to 45 minutes. That drive back to City Square got me thinking and made me realize how he really felt to ride all the way to Singapore to sell his bike but the person was just trying to be funny. His house is also quite some distance away from the causeway and you have to take into account the traffic conditions too. There are plenty of Malaysians who don't stay in Singapore and make the daily commute to and fro. The worst of all are students who wake up at 4.30am just to be able to reach their schools on time (a documentary was produced on these students years ago).
It's quite ironic that when I reached home, Tuesday Report was covering the Tanjong Pagar railway station. They interviewed this Singapore PR who takes the 1 hour train ride daily after work to head home - to be with his family and for dinner. He has to wake up at those unearthly hours, shorten his lunch hours and try to finish his work on time so that he can make it for the 6pm train. If he misses that, it's going to be the 6.55pm and he'll reach home close to 8.30pm. Once he reaches Malaysia, he still has to drive home so you can just imagine how tiring this can be for him. However, he chooses to make the most of his daily train ride and uses it to read up on magazines and/books. He added that once the railway station closes down, he has to take the bus and squeeze in with the rest of the crowd - with no guaranteed seat.
At City Square, I spent the rest of my ringgit and bought some stuff for my family members. It could be sign that I've matured since army ended. Travelling overseas used to be just for personal gains and everything that's been purchased were for myself. I tend to think of my family now no matter where I travel to. It sure was a tiring day but I had fun and most importantly of all, it was with a bunch great company.
I like to share with you all a quote taken from a German tourist who has a fascination with trains (he mentioned it on Tuesday Report). When you take the train in Singapore, you're a commuter. When you take the train overseas, you're a traveler.
