"Does Singapore Ever Sleep?"

Courageous youngsters getting ready on the Extreme Swing at Clarke Quay.

Not me, I'd rather have my feet firmly on the ground!

Midnight shopping at Clarke Quay. Ning is fascinated with the lovely items on sale!

Oo la la! A lovely lady doing the belly dancing! She reminds me of the superb

belly dancers I had seen in Egypt and Turkey!

Ning with my tenant, Jasmin

We had originally planned to take a boat ride along Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, but since Soh Wah was so eager to show us the Red Dot after a sumptuous dinner at Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, Ning and I decided to forgo the ride along Singapore waters. We decided we would be content to walk along the river just to enjoy the ambiance.

Even though it was already 11.30p.m. Clarke Quay was still crowded with tourists as well as locals. The bars were packed with the weekend crowds. There were some bands playing in various pubs and we passed by a pub where a lovely lady was performing the belly dancing. Wow! She could really shake and gyrate with panache! I understand from Soh Wah that belly dancing is getting to be quite popular among ladies in Singapore now. I wonder what is the motivating factor - to lose weight or to feel more feminine and every inch a woman! Perhaps it is a combination of both factors. The lady certainly danced very well, and she reminded me of the wonderful belly dancers I had seen while on a tour of Egypt and Turkey .

"Does Singapore ever sleep?" Ning asked suddenly. "This is an amazing country!" I guess the colour and sound in Singapore and the late night shopping and activities are a sharp contrast to many countries like Australia, New Zealand, Europe, USA and Canada, where most shops are closed early on weekdays.

In fact, this was the first time I had been out so late at Clarke Quay, which was the reason why I asked my tenant, Jasmin, to come along to join us. Yes, Singapore hardly sleeps, especially for many of us who are still as active at home watching television, playing computer games, emailing, reading, partying etc. The night always seems young and there are always so many fun things to do. At midnight, there were still many street vendors and Ning was particularly attracted to one vendor who was selling some lovely clothes at very reasonable prices.

Why sleep and dream; why not be awake and make your dreams come true! Just as in the recent Hindi movie, "Himalay Ki God Main" shown on Sunday Zee Channel, the protagonist, Dr. Sunil had said to his beloved Phulwa, "There are two types of dreams. One is in the day, and one is in the night. The one in the day will always come true because it is called "intention". When we are very interested in what we are doing, we no longer need to sleep, because we are so engrossed with our intention. Hence our dreams will almost, always materialise.

Since Singapore hardly sleeps, I hope we will all be always filled with intention. The intention to do well and succeed in whatever we have undertaken. The intention to make this short journey on earth a meaningful and joyous one, regardless of obstacles along the way.

Gan Chau