Little Ironies of Singapura (1)

I am starting a series of little ironies that I see taking place in my beloved nation. Since Catherine Lim had written "Little Ironies of Singapore", I shall entitle my collection "Little Ironies of Singapura" so as not to confuse my local readers.

Let's begin with the first one. Yesterday I advertised my client's 2 storey penthouse unit for rent. It is one of those rare HDB (Housing Development Board) unit beside the Yew Tee MRT. The advertisement generated a lot of response. One agent, Richard Wong from Coldwell Banker Properties, called me and asked to co-broke. I am always willing to co-broke even if I earn less commission, but it means my clients can get their units sold or rented out quickly. My clients' interest must come first.

I mentioned to Richard that actually one couple from India had seen and liked the apartment very much, but decided against taking the unit because the lady was expecting their first child, and hence a two storey unit would not be suitable. I had persuaded the couple that the "compulsory" stair climbing would actually aid in an easier birth of their first child, for exercise is always good for an expectant mother. Richard laughed and said, "Ya, these people complain of climbing one flight of stairs, but the next thing you know, they pay thousands of dollars to exercise in the gym or special pre-natal and post-natal exercises!"

When I first came to Singapore, I was not sure of my directions, and once I asked a stranger where C.K.Tang Departmental Store was located. "Just down the road", the stranger replied. I asked if I could walk to my destination, and she said, "No, very far". Found out it was only one MRT (Mass Rail Transit) stop away, and it took me only 12 minutes to walk to my destination. I know of many Singaporeans who would exercise one hour in the gym but would not walk if the desination is one or two bus-stops away. Of course, it is understandable if it is during the hot afternoon, but here, I am talking about evening and night hours.

On the other extreme, Baaska Caantuul, a Mongolian student who used to stay with me, would hardly take public transport. She could walk for one to two hours from her school because she found our public transport to be too costly for her liking. Yet, to my surprise, I found that she had no qualms spending S$300/- on a Gucchi handbag and S$350/- on a branded outfit! (Could not remember the name of the brand).

Baaska often complained about our hot Singapore weather. Nevertheless, she could walk to school everyday in the sultry heat. Yet whenever she was at home, she would turn the aircon to full blast, as the cold from the aircon was never cold enough for her!

It could be exasperating to put up with people with their peculiar reasoning and habits. Yet is is these idiosyncracies that make life more interesting and colorful! The world is a stage, and we are all but actors and actresses on this big stage of life, so said wise, old, Willy. (William Shakespeare lah).

Gan Chau :-)