Jump!★

The last time I was in Singapore was 5 years ago when I followed a bus from MMU to AFASG. It was my first time going to Singapore without my Mom, just sis and I, and because we had limited time we didn't went to much places. On this time's trip, it was only my boyfriend and I - his first time in Singapore! For the first time I really got to explore Singapore as I planned the itinerary and listed down what to eat..

In this 5 years that I was in university, I went out quite a bit compared to when I was younger and thus managed to experience more of Malaysia in terms of food, transportation, spending, activities and more. It was enough for me to notice some significant differences in Singapore, some of which I cannot get used to hahaha. You will see why later on.

Crossing 
This I cannot forget; cars actually stop for pedestrians to cross the street at small roads. I know it shouldn't come as a surprise to me, being someone who used to frequently visit Singapore when I was younger, but I'm surprised because of the fact that I'm always paranoid when I cross the streets in Malaysia. I double, triple check before I cross, as news of unsuspecting pedestrians getting hit by motorcycles flashes through my brain. There is little order in how one can cross the streets here and we don't often have accessible options. The next day after I came back to Malaysia, I experienced a little reversed culture shock when a car zoomed past me at the zebra crossing while I was trying to cross. Brings me right back home.

Street animals
This blows my mind. I didn't notice any street dogs or cats while I was there! Whatever they are doing to curb the numbers of strays are working. I have a soft spot for strays and in a way I'm glad I haven't noticed them because it means they have lesser chances of being ran over by vehicles.

Buildings
Singapore have lesser high rise buildings and when I asked my Mom, she said it's because it's an island country, so it cannot support too much heavy buildings. I'm not sure how true that is but it makes sense if it is. On average, I think they have 15 floors while in Malaysia you can live in heaven already.

Signs
Their public signs are more multi-language friendly than Malaysia's hahaha. Often there would be English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese, while in Malaysia it's mostly just English and Malay. Speaking of languages, their Mandarin is so deep man... Being a 'banana', I sometimes struggle in Malaysia but I really struggled in Singapore. We went to Haidilao and I only understood our waitress 20%. Wayyy to feel incompetent.

Hygiene
OK, this is too obvious to point out but I'm gonna go ahead and mention that their streets are sooo clean. I would even say that it compares to Japan. This will be how I describe Singapore; Japan environment + Malaysia people = Singapore. OMG don't even get me started on their public toilets. Every time I went to one, there will always be sensor flush and sink! And toilet paper in the cubicles!! And soap at the sink!!! Sometimes aircond!!!!


Actually if you're earning SG dollars, the cost of living is cheaper than in Malaysia. The public transport is cheaper, food and drinks are cheaper, room rental about the same. Maybe there are other services that are more expensive, but from what I can conclude from this few days trip, most everyday things are cheaper. In Malaysia, I feel that they often hike up the price, especially in the city and on hipster drinks. So I seldom spend much on food and drinks here. T^T Just on special occasions or when I have been cooking at home for days.


The bus!! It's so fast and furious!! I concluded that Singaporeans have great balance. I almost felt into a baby when I was standing. =( Luckily the dad was protecting him/her. I apologized and from then on, I sat down whenever there was a chance. Even when I sat down, I'd still hold onto the railings. XD Just from our place alone, there are 4 bus stops within walking distance (about 10 minutes). I can see the next bus stop. It's amazing how accessible and punctual they are.

I noticed that not only are there few motorcycles on the streets, but however much small vehicles they are, scooters make up about half of them. It was interesting and sparked a hope in me because I've thought about taking a motorcycle license just so I can ride a scooter, and Singapore seems like a safe place to ride! There was another type of scooter that I saw a lot, those that you stand on. Not sure if it's popular because of the scooter-sharing system or they genuinely have been using it all this time.


Joggers everywhere.

I mean, in Malaysia we have joggers too but usually in parks or certain cities like Putrajaya, but here they are everywhere. I'm impressed by their tenacity hahaha. Also I saw something that I liked; kids walking. It sounds so stupid when I say it but I loved that the kids are actually walking to places, taking public transport, and just generally spending time with their parents/guardian. I loved that it was safe to bring them anywhere, for them to bike and run around. Maybe because of that, I saw less children with faces attached to screens. During my time there, I only saw one kid watching videos on a phone. In food courts, people leave their kids alone at the table and some kids also order food by themselves.


I saw more Indians there than I did in Malaysia LOL. There were certainly a lot of Chinese and Westerners, so much more than here. There isn't one day where I didn't see some Westerners. But I was genuinely interested in the Indians. I always wondered where they hang out and what they do on weekends since I seldom see them when I go out. In Singapore, they are easily spotted and it somewhat makes me happy.


Most of the food I ate was more bland than Malaysia's (which I guess is good if you're trying to be healthy). The variety of food in the food courts are quite a lot and I enjoyed their China dumplings. I would say that there are more stalls in Malaysian food courts but the menu tend to repeat, while they are lesser stalls but different kinds of food in Singaporean food courts.

On the flip side, I like their wan tan mee better! It's clear and sweet and tasted a little like the wan tan mee near my Grandmother's house, which I like to go to for breakfast. Usually I don't like eating wan tan mee here but I guess my mind is changed now. I'm looking forward to visiting Singapore again and try more food!!


There is more light pollution in Singapore than Malaysia, mainly because they are small and buildings are concentrated. The difference was more contrasting when viewed through an airplane at night. Instantly I noticed many patches of darkness in Malaysia (plantations or forests) and I didn't even noticed we were almost landing because the highway street lights were dim. Despite there being a lot of tall buildings in Singapore, it was cooler, more windy, and less humid than back home. Four days of bliss hahaha. Then I'm back to the oven.


I see old people and I think of KL. I don't know, it always makes me a little sad to see them out by themselves. I guess I shouldn't feel like that as it meant that they are capable enough to perform duties by themselves and that our infrastructure is allowing them some ease of access. But then I remembered that one time in KL, an old lady about 90 years old requested for our help with the ATM as she couldn't read the words on the screen, and I feel sad again.

If I have the mood, I will write about my short trip! I had so much fun meeting up with friends and family and basically not having to worry about work.