On the way back from
Singapore after a three day trip attending Impact Investment Conference,
currently transiting Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport and
writing this piece in the 4+ hour layover. The conference per se was
eventful in terms of meeting some really bright people operating in this
space as well as some potential investors whom I hope to excite more on
the Model Village Plan, but it is another aspect of the trip that am
writing here on – there is something about Singapore that continues to
unsettle me...
Singapore, we all know has a rich history behind it on how a laid back fishing village metamorphosed into a vibrant international hub of trade and travel – a success story that has been stupendous and continues to be so. However, the model of this success has been based on an extremely controlled environment and we all know controlled environment would require equally extreme amount of energy and effort to maintain status quo or order. I will take up the scientific aspect of this extreme order and it's issues some other time – here, I would talk about a simple and loveable thing we all do – a stroll in the greens, one that I took on the NUS (National University of Singapore) campus last evening...it was around 11pm when I decided to take it – this was in fact the first time in over a dozen visits to Singapore, I decided not to go downtown and do some shopping! Maybe, and thankfully so, I was growing wiser with the years being added to me!
Nevertheless, I was not to be surprised with what I saw during the walk – in the few kilometers I decided to devour on the campus, I was struck with the sterility of the environment – not so much by the usual things we know Singapore by, that is by the lack of litter and general cleanliness but more by things like the grass on the ground by the sidewalk grew a uniform inch and a half throughout the few kilometers I walked, as if it had been threatened and intimidated not to grow a fraction extra beyond inch and a half! Even more surprising was that the big trees that lined both sides of the road across the NUS campus seem to have decided not to shed a single leaf! Throughout the few thousand meters that I walked on the road that were lined by numerous large and beautiful trees, there was not a single dead leaf on the road, or on the sidewalk or on the grass by the sidewalk! As if the trees too were told to behave and not shed their clothing, eh ;), aka leaves in public and only shed them on a scheduled frequency that is when the cleaners turned up to broom the roads, sidewalks and the grass on the sides! Strange as it may seem, but Singapore seems to have taught its flora to live up to its image of order and cleanliness it exudes – I came back to my room bewildered as to how they are able to manage this mass scale intimidation! That alas will remain a mystery...
However, just when I had almost given up on the place, yet again, as one that was the among the few sterile places on earth, I saw a ray of hope when I was about to check out of the in campus residences – at around 4am this morning, whilst checking out from the Prince George's Park's residences in the NUS campus, I was shocked to see a stray dog running about merrily – albeit with a distinct streak of fear on its face and it's demeanor, with its tail firmly placed between it's legs – as if it was being prowled upon by the Order Brigade of Singapore for blasphemy. Whilst we both were shocked to see each other, that is the dog and me, I for one was also pleasantly reminded of what we are used to seeing back home in plenty, and was for a moment, just one precious though was feeling so at home – a truly priceless moment indeed – one that reminded me of a famous ad of the credit card company on things money can't buy! The stray canine and its vulnerable antics left me with some hope for Singapore! Hopefully, not all is lost, just yet!
Singapore, we all know has a rich history behind it on how a laid back fishing village metamorphosed into a vibrant international hub of trade and travel – a success story that has been stupendous and continues to be so. However, the model of this success has been based on an extremely controlled environment and we all know controlled environment would require equally extreme amount of energy and effort to maintain status quo or order. I will take up the scientific aspect of this extreme order and it's issues some other time – here, I would talk about a simple and loveable thing we all do – a stroll in the greens, one that I took on the NUS (National University of Singapore) campus last evening...it was around 11pm when I decided to take it – this was in fact the first time in over a dozen visits to Singapore, I decided not to go downtown and do some shopping! Maybe, and thankfully so, I was growing wiser with the years being added to me!
Nevertheless, I was not to be surprised with what I saw during the walk – in the few kilometers I decided to devour on the campus, I was struck with the sterility of the environment – not so much by the usual things we know Singapore by, that is by the lack of litter and general cleanliness but more by things like the grass on the ground by the sidewalk grew a uniform inch and a half throughout the few kilometers I walked, as if it had been threatened and intimidated not to grow a fraction extra beyond inch and a half! Even more surprising was that the big trees that lined both sides of the road across the NUS campus seem to have decided not to shed a single leaf! Throughout the few thousand meters that I walked on the road that were lined by numerous large and beautiful trees, there was not a single dead leaf on the road, or on the sidewalk or on the grass by the sidewalk! As if the trees too were told to behave and not shed their clothing, eh ;), aka leaves in public and only shed them on a scheduled frequency that is when the cleaners turned up to broom the roads, sidewalks and the grass on the sides! Strange as it may seem, but Singapore seems to have taught its flora to live up to its image of order and cleanliness it exudes – I came back to my room bewildered as to how they are able to manage this mass scale intimidation! That alas will remain a mystery...
However, just when I had almost given up on the place, yet again, as one that was the among the few sterile places on earth, I saw a ray of hope when I was about to check out of the in campus residences – at around 4am this morning, whilst checking out from the Prince George's Park's residences in the NUS campus, I was shocked to see a stray dog running about merrily – albeit with a distinct streak of fear on its face and it's demeanor, with its tail firmly placed between it's legs – as if it was being prowled upon by the Order Brigade of Singapore for blasphemy. Whilst we both were shocked to see each other, that is the dog and me, I for one was also pleasantly reminded of what we are used to seeing back home in plenty, and was for a moment, just one precious though was feeling so at home – a truly priceless moment indeed – one that reminded me of a famous ad of the credit card company on things money can't buy! The stray canine and its vulnerable antics left me with some hope for Singapore! Hopefully, not all is lost, just yet!
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