Singaporeans: Common-sense Challenged or Simply Rude?

I have now been in Singapore for exactly six months and I take the MRT to go to work. I love taking the train. Apart from being cheaper than the cab, especially after the recent fare increase, it gives an accurate picture of the people of a country.

I think after six months I should not be upset any more, still I cannot understand why Singaporeans show such a lack of manners (or rather common sense) on trains when they otherwise behave fairly orderly in most other occasions.

Location: Any SMRT station during morning peak time. The doors open and people just rush in as if their lives depended on it. People trying to get off have to shove their way out.

Once you're in, half of the carriage is taken up by few people reading the paper as if they were in the comfort of their homes. They do not budge as if reading the paper on the train is an inalienable right.

Not to mention the loud music form music players or the continuous shouting into mobile phones.

At the same time, I often see young people giving their seats up if there is an elderly person or a pregnant woman. This contradictory behavior really puzzles me.

I also agree that many of the things I find annoying are not "uniquely" Singaporean. Sometimes, I think it is just lack of common sense, then I remember I'm in Singapore, the land of "kia su" (a term that can be translated as "fear of losing out"). Being the first to get on the train before anyone can get off must surely bring about something good… what? I have no clue. Maybe next time I'll ask.

On interesting fact: Doing a bit of research on the Web, I found out that in 1979, then-Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew launched Singapore's first Courtesy Campaign. This was replaced in replaced in 2001 by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

I do not dare imagine what this place was like 29 years ago…

Disappointing Bintan

I went to Bintan Lagoon Resort on Bintan Island, Indonesia for Chinese New Year (Feb. 7-10, 2008). To be precise, I went for the two days before CNY. The island is about one hour by high-speed ferry from Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

I had high expectations as people here in Singapore just kept telling me how nice, beautiful and relaxing the place was. Bintan is the place Singaporeans go when they want to get away form the hustle of the city. My vivid imagination was picturing a tropical paradise with desert white beaches, palm trees and crystal clear waters...

I got a wake up call as soon as we arrived at the ferry terminal in Bintan. Hordes of employees form the various resorts were waiting for even more tourists to be loaded on a bus and sent to their "holiday retreats." I was hoping for something less crowded, smaller establishments -- like those I found in Malaysia.

Next was the resort itself. It is a huge building with two wings - east and west. The room was old and damp. The bathroom had mold in several places and little ants were coming out of a hole near the basin. I know I am in a tropical region, but that was a bit too much. Luckily I did not see any other six-legged guests.

Food was another painful experience. The evening I arrived (Feb. 5), I had dinner at the Kopi-O restaurant. It turned out to be a buffet dinner with so many people that I could not relax and just had a steak from the a la carte menu and went back to my room (to tell the truth I also had some work to do...).

Breakfast was the same... just add dozens of children running and shouting...

The only positive note on the culinary front was the Surf & Turf restaurant on the beach. It's a restaurant where they serve only grilled seafood and meat. Hard to go wrong there... I decided to try it the second night and I had a huge lobster with a glass of white wine (water would have been a better choice). I felt much better.

For the rest, I spent most of my time strolling on the beach (get a strong sunblock -- equatorial sun BURNS!), which was the main point of going there.

To tell the truth I also went to Bintan because it is supposed to be a mecca for spa addicts like myself. I went to the Banyan Tree resort following the recommendation of the spa queen of the office. It was indeed a great experience, but it came at a steep price. I never paid that much for a massage in Singapore, not even at the Fullerton Hotel, which is not kown for its low prices.

Last but not least, I was glad I went back to Singapore on the first day of CNY. The place was stormed by hundreds of vacationeers in search of the tropical paradise... It looked like an ants nest...

The 1-billion-dollar question: Will I go there again? I don't know. Maybe one more time, at least to have a look at another resort. Though, I still feel I'd be way better off and satisfied if I went to some lesser known places.