About Rose: I grew up in Singapore, lived in Melbourne but currently call London home. I love gastronomic adventures, especially while travelling. I stated writing at 17 to remember how it all began.
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28 June 2005
6.27m; tuesday it's been almost 2 weeks since i've been back and for the larger part it's been really good meeting up with close friends and spending time with my family. but the thing that strikes me the most is realising the stark difference- i.e. how ungracious and rude singaporeans can be. i'm not saying that they simply are, i'm merely highlighting this innate capacity singaporeans have to push, shove and be such ignoramuses. there is a tendency to be blatantly ignorant and oblivious to the considerations of others. i rather not expound on each experience but i'm sure each of you can run in your minds moments where someone bumped into you without an apology after or was simply glaringly rude. but somehow i can understand that for the most part it is ingrained in our culture to be direct in our mannerisms and consequently, inevitably (or not) ungracious. we are less likely to belie another with pleasantries or appear contrived with our seemingly cordial behaviour and perhaps it isn't (yet) a matter of a complete lack of common decency. and while direct and 'honest' behaviour is grating, it is, i think, but a manifestation of societal behaviour without the trimmings and niceties. Even so, i still think that pleasantries, however superficial, is necessary. it makes life easier if everyone could just be friendlier. come on, don't get all defensive. think about it. haven't you travelled and found how gracious and friendly (relatively) the thais/ japanese/ aussies/etc may be?
at the aust customs while getting my passport chopped/etc the officer asked me "are you carrying more than AUD$10, 000 in cash that you will have to declare?". so i said "no, unfortunately no, i wish i did really." we had a good laugh, he asked if i was a student and what and where i was studying. then he wished me a good flight. touch down in singapore i was glad that a somewhat crummy flight was over and at customs, i was so darn pleased that i could cruise down the lane which said "singaporeans only". with the conspicuous red passport in hand i flashed a happy smile at the customs officer and said "how're you going?". she said absolutely nothing and stared blankly, perhaps wondering if i had something dodgy to eat on the flight. she then proceeded on to put my passport under some scanner and handed it over to me with the weakest of smiles when i said thank you. it was then i made a conscious reminder to transition to the idea of being around less conversational and friendly strangers.
that, i could perhaps still learn to accomodate but what i simply abhor the most are those (singaporeans or not) who only have bad things to say after a trip and can only compare the oh-so-deplorable standards of cleanliness/efficiency/well just about everything. the horror, the horror! for pete's sake, if you travel and the only thing that you can take with you after visiting another culture and place is a set of stringent standards that everyone else has to comply with, don't you ever for the slightest moment accuse other countries of being imperialist/ eurocentric when you are imposing your cultural/ societal norms on other countries. granted, i say singapore is hot but i say that melbourne is too darn cold as well. my point is, sure you're entitled to your own opinion, but to flagrantly exhibit (openly no less!) distaste for another country's culture/food/ ways is ungracious and is but a reflection of your culture and your country. so please, you give love singaporeans a bad name. think before you speak.
"Oh, look what you've done You've made a fool of everyone.." -look what you've done, jet