Living overseas, there are times when I've been away too long and I start to have this irrational longing for home. I surf Singaporean blogs, indulge in Singlish and starting thinking of hawker centres the way little girls think of unicorns and rainbows.
Which is why
this post, is such a good wake up call. Living overseas, I tend to view home with rose tinted glasses that have conveniently blurred out one of the things I detest about Singapore.
I hate the crowds.
To say that Singapore is densely populated is like saying that the oceans are full of water. It's so obvious that I shouldn't even have bothered saying it. Most Singaporeans I speak to don't have a major problem with it. In fact, they are perturbed by the "quietness" that seems to characterize many Australian towns and cities (with Sydney being a notable exception; I defy even a person used to the press of crowds in Bangkok or HK to find Sydney quiet).
But the thing is....it's going to get worse. It's already badly crowded and expensive as of now. When we reach the 6 million people mark....
Only the rich will be able to afford cars then....and great as public transport is...it is not the same as having one's own transport and....no more wandering around shopping malls without the roar and press of crowds....and...no more wandering around
anywhere without a crowd...
I know I shouldn't be so defeatist and I don't even know why it's a problem for me. After all, I did grow up there and I ought to be used to crowds by now.
Maybe I will again when I go home.
