I never really could imagine what Utopia could be like, but having
stayed in Singapore for more than a week, I can say I don’t need to
imagine it, it’s already here.
To be frank, it’s spooky, it’s eerie. I think it’s something taken
straight from ‘Demolition Man’ script and something’s going to happen
now. But it’s for real, and I can’t stop wondering WHY!? Why and how
can things work so smoothly here?
Actually, a better description is the last scene in Ajnabee movie
where Bobby Deol exposes Akshay Kumar’s password (in big bold
letters): “EVERYTHING IS PLANNED.”
For example, let’s just consider the online component to Singapore
which is jarring for the sheer depth of information available.
Want to visit Singapore? Sure, just head out to their Itinerary
tell them how long you want to visit and who you’re coming with, and
they’ll tell you what you can explore each day! Uniquely Singapore,
indeed.
On the same note, everything has a website here:
- whether it is a mall
- whether it is an island
- whether it isa library
- whether it is a river cruise
- whether it is an upcoming garden
- whether it is a new yearcountdown
- whether it is a competition to paint dust bins to raiseawareness
- whether it is a weekend bazaar
- whether it is podcasts from the nationalradio
- whether it is the latestevents
- whether you want to figure out why or how you shouldvisit/live/work in Singapore! (theyeven have a site specifically for Indiantourists)
Phew.
Oh, and the simplest best way to get around is to consult the Street
Directory and it’ll tell you the best
way to reach from anywhere to anywhere (including the exact building
number) via the bus, metro, walk or driving directions.
That brings me to the topic of the well-planned metro which they call
MRT (Mass Rapid Transport), you just need to check out the MRT
map to figure
out how to get to any place and since every train has a frequency of
6-8 min, you can always get there fast.
You can travel by bus as well and you’ll reach there fast too. In
fact, the roads are so good that there will be a Formula 1 race in
Singapore on the public streets. This is going to be the first ever F1
What I still do not understand is how such cleanliness, discipline
(especially traffic) and order is maintained when there are no cops
around! (I have seen them only once so far in the past 9 days).
I guess it has got something to do with this
fact:
Singapore legislation requires every able-bodied male Singaporean
That is amazing. In case of any kind of emergency, every Singaporean
man can face the problem and solve it then and there instead of
wasting time waiting for “a cop”. Probably also explains why they are
all so fit!
All this for just an island which is 42×28 km in size. It is one of
the 20 smallest countries in the world and at the same time they are
the second most densely populated country in the
And they’re still charging