Singapore revisited and a new identity earned

What would one associate Singapore with? Shopping definitely tops the list, fines (Singapore is a "fine" city), Lee Kuan Yew, Marina Bay Sands, MRT, HDB housing... Just to name a few. But in my most recent trip, I must say the public library surely leaves a good impression on my list of to-dos.

Not that there isn't anything to do or places to go to in Singapore but with the high exchange rate, spending doesn't seem to appeal to my friend and I unless if it were the great Singapore Sale with 70% discounts. However, I realized having spent hours in the library, just indulging in the wide array of books of all kinds of genres from information to fiction, I truly am amazed and excited at this new found activity which I won't hesitate to pursue the next time I travel there. It is no wonder the library is packed on weekends as children and adults alike roam through the rows and rows of books to satisfy the desire to either pursue knowledge or set their imaginative minds and emotions alive as they engage themselves to the penmanship of the respective authors. And with that, Singapore government has received another plus point in my books for being effective in their pursuit to encourage its citizens and residents to read and to create a knowledge economy.

Well, we did have our fill of walking down Orchard Road and checking out the ever increasing number of malls in the vicinity. And at the same time, looking out for free wi-fi spots where we can check out mails or surf the net or even to update or comment on Facebook statuses! Call us cheapskate but since both of us are unemployed and are relying on our spouses who aren't millionaires to feed us, we don't have much luxury of enjoying the "tai-tai" life and spending with our eyes close... so every penny counts.

We have also been exploring the foods in various hawker centers in different communities in Singapore and buffet japanese food too. Though many may say hawker foods in Singapore aren't as great as those in Malaysia, I would partially agree as it is very much dependent on what one eats but those which Malaysia has, Malaysia seems to have them better. (This will only be the one positive comment of Malaysia that I will proudly comment on)

In our every visit to Singapore, cycling at the East Coast Park has been our ritual to appease our bodies' need for some form of exercise and probably a psychological therapy to reduce the guilt of gluttony. Renting the bike for 3 hours for SGD$6 (Buy 1 hour, free 2 hours!!) was a good deal and we had reasonably new bikes too. And the day we chose to bike was rather cloudy but I soon realize that the sun was scorching hot when it gets its chance to peek through the clouds ... my shoulders were sunburned in the process.

This being my longest stay in Singapore,  though I came in as a foreigner, I exited the country as a resident... I may not get to visit the Sands casino for free or get 5% discounts as tourist in selected shopping malls, but now that I have found a new "hang-out" and be able to borrow books from the library, I am more than excited.