수요일, 4월 14, 2004
i realise that when i'm back in singapore, i can't seem to post about the dull, day-to-day things that happen, whereas when i'm at school, the words seem to flow like water. verbosity aside, i sometimes wonder what that says about my life. hrm.

what is there in singapore to do? having lived here for 20 years of my life, the weather has gotten worse, people have gotten meaner, and of course, as always, the cost of merely living, let me change that, subsisting seems to escalate with each passing day. sure, i have a greater propensity as an individual to complain than the next person, but then again, i'm sure many people are with me on this one. just try attempting to avoid sweating in a non air-conditioned room. crazy, isn't it? it's one of the few places where merely sitting around and doing nowt else is enough to make you look like you've run a marathon. of course, i do have to say that other places get the short toothpick. the heat can be even more oppressing in some of our other asian counterparts, who shall remain nameless.

i guess it's the traveller in me who is always shouting to bust out. the number of times i watch the discovery channel and think: i could do that has been, trust me -- countless. likewise, it's the traveller in me who thinks: there's got to be better than this. the place you live out your days never needs to be the place where you were born. just the other day the news had a report on the increasing number of singaporeans migrating. and good on them too, i expect. in a country where the slightest move can get a lawsuit on your case, i suppose it is nice to get a breath of fresh air (figuratively and literally) when you do get the chance.

that's something i realised, having had the opportunity to travel and see the world. it widens the myopic view that we as people have been imbibed with. i guess that's the most plausible rationale for why people are skipping the country. to be quite frank, if you want to retain talent, then short of importing it, you're going to have to do a lot more than just try to retain it. but then again, it's just my humble opinion, what do i know. what i do know though, is that people are nicer on other sides of the pond. there's more to life than doing well in maths, english and science. working on sundays is not cool. neither is overtime work. kids don't have schoolbags that weigh as much as them. you know, simple things like that. that's why i guess it's made many singaporeans develop the seven-year itch and a roving eye for other land masses on the globe.

whatever it is, at the end of the day, there can be only one of two decisions: stay in or get out. which is which, remains to be seen.