Singapore Adventures, part 2

Sweet baby jesus I don’t even know what day it is. I think its 5th June 2010.
Theme song: “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors

Sign in the cafeteria of one of the hospitals I visited in Singapore. I was tickled by it.

So, I think I left off talking about Singapore. That really was an interesting experience. It was like being in any other big American city - but with Asian people EVERYWHERE. It was like constant Chinatown. My brain is a bit fried so instead of trying to write some gorgeous narrative, I’m going to share my observations free-form:

• Squat toilets. All I can say is WTF!!! I know that its a cultural thing, but why would you choose to squat over a hole when there is the option to sit down? I can see if you’re off in the jungle somewhere with no choice, but seriously! I guess the benefit is that you get really strong thigh and lady part muscles. Though I still think I’d trade that for sitting down… 
• The food in Singapore is amazing. I love, love love Chicken rice!!!
• The hospitals were surprisingly (or at least a surprise to me) modern. Even the oldest hospital (which they called “colonial style” and which looked more like a resort with whitewashed buildings) was clean, organized and had fairly modern technology. Apparently, Singaporeans pay into a health savings account that can be used at any of the major hospitals. There are also private hospitals which the wealthy can use. I visited one of them and it was VERY nice. They just redid part of the ICU and it looked like a luxury hotel - lots of dark wood, minimalist stylings, latest technology.
• I asked about what poor people do and I got several blank looks. There really isn’t anything such as “the dole” or “welfare” in Singapore. They have this revolutionary concept - you want to eat? you want a place to live? you want clothes? Yeah? Well then you work. Period. I think the government will provide very short-term assistance in the case of a drastic situation, but on the whole, nearly everyone works. If only we could export this idea to Western society, as I am SO SICK of my tax dollars (and pounds) going to support lazy, ignorant human beings.
• Cars in Singapore are super expensive. An average car would cost the equivalent of about $35-45K. Thats not a fancy car, thats a small average car. And I figured out that petrol costs the equivalent of $6.50/American gallon. When I told them that if they had American prices for fuel, they woudl be paying $0.85 (Singapore Dollar) versus $2.85, eyes nearly popped out of their head. Yes my American friends I know you groan when gas hits $3 or $4/gallon but you are truly SPOILED. If you had to pay what the rest of the world paid, you would seriously be hurting.
• Sadly, I saw both KFC and McDonald’s in several food courts. Worst part was that both were full of locals. :(
• I went to a local shop - Tang's Department Store - to try on some local clothing and I swear I felt like the Jolly Green Fat Giant. I’m a 10 in US sizes and an 10/12 in UK sizes. I couldn’t even get my butt into an XL or 16 in Singapore. It didn’t help that the woman runinng the dressing room felt the need to yell at me every three minutes in Cantonese for some reason. English is the national language of Singapore but someone apparently forgot to tell her.
• I didn’t watch TV at all while there, but when waiting for one of the doctors at the hospital, a TV was on and there was some truly bizarre variety show playing. I don’t even know how to describe except to say WEIRD.

All in all, I liked Singapore very much. I found the people to be extremely kind and welcoming and the food to be amazing. So amazing in fact that I need to walk off the 2kg I gained while there! It was hot as Hades, and so if I lived there I would probably adopt the bald and naked look, which would most likely have me getting permanently caned. But other than that… LOL