Singapore is a Jenny Wu Durian

I recently read an article, "So Is Life Rosy Or Not" by Mr. Wang. It makes me immediately think of red, rosy apples that always look so pretty and succulent. Fruits are my favourite. I always tell my friends I must have been a bat in my previous life, the way I go around eating fruits... all types of fruits.

Is Singapore a rosy apple? I think Singapore is more like a durian... a Jenny Wu Durian to be more precise. In case readers do not know why the durian is labelled "Jenny Wu" I will elucidate.

One of my friend's father, Uncle Lim, used to have a plantation in Penang and he was famous for his coveted durians which he called, "Jenny Wu". Jenny Wu was once a famous actress cum singer and it is obvious why the name is so appropriate. The durians only have five compartments and in each compartment, there will be only one small seed wrapped by succulent, delicious, fleshy durian. The Sultan T durians cannot hold a candle to Uncle Lim's durians! Malaysians would travel far and wide to get Jenny Wu durians and pay a hefty price for them ....about MR35 to MR50 each.

Although durians are such delicious fruits, there are people who do not take to them. They would complain about the thorns and pungent smell of the fruits. Likewise, there are also Singaporeans who will still complain and whine about the very soil they are standing on. Singapore is too hectic; too "fine" a city; cost of living is too high and government is too strict, business is too competitive, etc. etc. These people are focusing a little too much on the thorns of the durians.

Many people will tell you that good durians are harder to manipulate at when trying to extract the flesh. Sometimes our hands will get pricked by the thorns. However, when we succeed, hey presto....we are rewarded with the flesh of the durians that look so inviting.

As a hopeless optimist and an easily contented person, I look at the five compartments of Jenny Wu Durian with positiveness.

COMPARTMENT ONE : A CLEAN CITY WITH GOOD TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Cleanliness as they say, is godliness. Just about every Peter, John and Paul in America knows of the cleanliness of Singapore. So does every Mr. Lim, Mr. Chen and Mr. Wong in Asia envy us of our clean and green city. Nothing is perfect....we are not naturally clean....we attempt to be clean...hence do pardon us for still some dirty places of HDB void decks, some public toilets, etc.

I am glad I can zip around Singapore easily by buses, taxis and trains. I remember my sister and I had to wait some two hours for the bus when I visited her in Australia a few years back. Finally we had to hitch a ride, and some kind soul picked us up in his car.! My work as an agent here is made so much easier as I do not own a car.

COMPARTMENT TWO : A SAFE CITY

"Low Crime Does Not Mean No Crime" is often reminded to us by the Police Force. In every country there are always some black sheep. However, it is comforting to know that I can walk my dogs at 3a.m. and the chances of being attacked by a robber are quite slim. It is also nice to know that I can wear some gold jewellery without having to turn around to see if anyone is following me.

Our laws pertaining to crime and punishment are well known. My eldest sister shared with me that they immediately met with some thugs the moment they arrived at their host's abode in Perth. The police officers told them that they were so exasperated with the rising crime rate because of the leniency towards offenders!

Frankly, if I were to live in America or Australia, I would not want to be a property agent. I would go for safer options of working as a secretary in an office.

COMPARTMENT THREE: CORRUPT FREE BUT WELL PAID GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

There has been much discontentment over the recent ministerial hike in pay as well as bonuses and pay rise for civil servants. At least, things are transparently done.
We know how much they are being paid. It could be more risky if officials become corrupt. We do not know how deep they will dig into the coffers!

COMPARTMENT FOUR: NO UNEMPLOYMENT RATE - HAVE TO IMPORT FOREIGN LABOUR AND TALENTS

I am scared of unemployment. It is a terrible disease that can eat into the sanity of a worried father and husband. I still remember how long it took me to get that simple typist position when I first started work in Penang. Six months of unemployment was sheer agony. Here, we have more jobs than we can fill, and can share our blessings with our neighbours. Let us not look upon foreign talents as a threat, but as a bonus. When we have diverse people from all over the world, Singapore becomes a melting pot. It makes our country more exciting and colorful. We can all learn from one another.

COMPARTMENT FIVE : FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

To me freedom to choose our religion is very important. So is freedom to marry any one we fancy. I do not mind if the government is strict and stringent over drink driving, shop lifters, molesters, rapists, drug pushers, etc.

As I have said many times before, I am not politically inclined. I am a simple real estate agent who likes to laugh a lot. I am just giving my two cents worth of opinion and since I like fruits so much, I think of Singapore as a durian, a Jenny Wu Durian, to be precise. Let us not focus so much on the thorns; let us focus more on the juicy, fleshy durians inside.

Though we may live in a highly stressed society, we may choose to lessen our stress by prioritising our time and achievements. Happiness is always within us...it is not so dependent on external circumstances alone.

If life is a thorny durian.... it is not so bad after all. :-)

Gan Chau