Reasons why...

I could live in Singapore:

1. MRT - mass rapid transit. Subways like NYC (but cleaner and more efficient)... maybe more like Tokyo (but probably cleaner still and just as efficient).

2. BREWERKZ - Microbrewery. Seriously... in Singapore... yeah, you can buy a draft microbrew Oatmeal Stout.

3. Botanical Garden. The sprawling garden/park is only a 30min walk from the commercial heart of Singapore. The orchid garden there is surreal.

4. Changi International Airport. Provides cheap access to travel in pretty much all of Asia, and isn't too far or too expensive from the States.

5. Singaporeans. Thoughtful, considerate, and friendly... I also blend in nicely, appearance-wise that is. (An aside... the first time it happened to me I was confused, frozen in my tracks... a car, with a real-life lady driving it, stopped as I waited to cross a street. The driver made eye-contact, smiled, and gestured with her hand to shepperd me across. I stood there for what seemed like 5 minutes, she continued to smile, so I decided it was okay and wouldn't you know it, I reached the other side unscathed. My Frogger-like traffic dodging skills, finely honed in the streets Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, are worthless here.)

6. Little India. Oh man, the food.

7. China Town. Again with the food.

8. Singaporean accents. At first I couldn't place it, (FYI, in case you didn't know English is the primary language in Singapore) the accent sounded so familiar. Then it hit me... Singaporeans talk pigeon-English. They sound like Hawaiians, and you know how much I love the Hawaiian accent. I do this thing, even with other accents, but especially with the Hawaiian accent - I start to imitate it. Most of the time I'm not even thinking about it... it just comes out... more sing-songy, with the "Howsit's" and soft-vowel sounds. It cracks me up...


I couldn't live in Singapore:

1. I don't dress well enough. Seriously, these Singaporeans have style... with their hip hair-cuts, designer t-shirts, and fancy shoes... which look like bowling shoes to me, but I know that they're fancy because I've seen them in the stores that only have like 7 items on display, and as a friend once told me, the number of items on display in a store is always inversely proportional to the price of said items. Hence... bowling shoes are fancy.

2. My cell-phone only makes phone calls... blasphemy! My, relatively speaking, huge clunker of a cell-phone holds the phone numbers I care about, rings when I get a call, stores messages when I don't answer, and that's about it. You should see these kids with their cell-phones. They play music, picture slide-shows, and even short films. They fit in that spot in your wallet that used to be reserved for your credit cards, and my WORD how these kids can text-message. Sitting on the train, I'm in awe watching their thumbs working those cell-phones. If I would've had such skills, I would've been the undisputed champion of Mike-Tyson's-Punch-Out... no doubt.

3. Singapore is still really far from family and friends.

4. I need seasons. Seattle doesn't have seasons, you say. Well, it might be overcast and misty from October to April, but at least we have a distinct Spring, Summer and Fall! Singapore only has two seasons... HOT and RAINY... and RAINY is still HOT! I need me some cold weather once in a while.

5. Now you're going to think I'm shallow, but I have difficulty dating Asian women. I think I have some complex or something... like they remind me of my mother... I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure I would get over it, but in this stream of consciousness rambling, it came to mind. So ANYway.

6. No mountains. I love that Singapore is surrounded by water, but I really love the mountains. I don't have to live in the mountains... I just want to be able to have relatively easy access to them.

7. I'd go broke in this town. It's tailor-made to empty your wallet. I'm not much of a shopper - typical guy, you know? When I go shopping I've already done the research, cased out the joint... I know what I want, where to buy it, and how much it will cost. It's a stealth operation really... I avoid eye-contact, swoop in and pick up the item (predetermined size, color, extra-features, etc...), and make a B-line directly for the cashier. Many women, and some men, I know will shop for fun... they like to get dressed up, go out, and look through the retail items, the hidden gems, that are out there in the shopping centers of this world. Well... Singaporeans even admit this... shopping IS the country's national pass time! Men & women, old & young... they just love their shopping... and it's contagious, I think. And... I need to get out of here!