SINGAPORE
Singapore is a fantastic place to live! There is always so much to see and do here, and it is a great gateway to the rest of Asia.
The population of Singapore is the same as NZ (3.5million) - but the island of Singapore could fit into Lake Taupo! So it doesn't take long to get around.
Shopping here is fantastic - there are so many malls selling a huge variety of things. There are heaps of really cheap, yummy eating places serving food from throughout Asia and the rest of the world. The night clubs and bars are amazing - all have different themes and music. Often they import top European DJs. Women often get in free, and get free, or $1 drinks. Men have to pay about $20!
The temperature hasn't gotten below 28 celcius. It is very humid here, so everything you do seems ten times harder and more tiring. But it is really nice to always been warm and never have to worry about taking a jersey out with you in the evenings.
The pace of life here is very fast, which makes a nice change from Wellington. There is always so much going on - exhibitions, concerts, shows...
The place is full of really anal rules (all the silly ones you hear about - flushing the toilet, not chewing gum) plus some more serious ones which severly restrict freedom of speech and association. But it makes for a safe, effecient and enjoyable place to live. There is always some amusing government campaign to keep us entertained - from flushing the toilets to encouraging people to be more creative to being more courteous on the bus to "aiming carefully" when peeing...
There are plenty of signs, posters and ads reminding us how to act!
And the fines...well as all the cheap touristy t-shirts say "Singapore is a Fine City"...
The Singapore Tourism Board has a great web-site to visit if you are interested:
