Enjoying the Efficiency of Singapore

Here in Singapore now, having left china yesterday, and am in this incredibly orderly and efficient city. 　Fast paced and fun, and with enough rules to keep you on your toes (and certainly prevent you from committing the unforgivable and highly dangerous crime of jay-walking!). No litter, no spitting, no hawkers or beggars, and the cops all have body armor and assault rifles -- a little freeaky coming thru the airport. Price for freedom and orderlyness? Well, it is an interesting contrast to China and Vietnam, anyway.





Mostly I am en route to Indonesia, though, and this is really just a required detour and waylay point. But I have a friend in town – Glenn, my other neighbor from the condo, who's been working here for a while as a big-wig at CNN, so we got together for a chat, and had dinner at a ritzy restaurant down along the river.





Did not expect that Singapore would appeal to me so much, but after the chaos and confusion of the rest of mainland asia, the structural thinker was drawn to the city's vibe, and I can now imagine myself living and working here in the near future, and integrating myself into the well-established expat community. So come check out this amazing gateway to the orient!





Spent the day at a really wonderful science museum -- multiple levels, and different areas devoted to chemistry, biology, energy, mathematics, robotics, physics, botany, etc etc. And they had a great eye max that had a show on india, and another on rafting down the nile (including traversing some amazing waterfalls!!), and avoiding crocodiles! now have a full belly -- really been enjoying all the delicious veggie Indian food around here -- there is an impressive community in the "little india" area of town.



Had to go to a waterpark!


(I just had to include this next photo -- taken in a bathroom in a ritzy mall -- the vagabond within didn't even feel entirely comfortable washing my hands amongst these stylish murals!!)






On the topic of books, I just finished Siddhartha by Herman Hesse -- definitely an essential read for anyone interested in internalizing the tenets of Buddhism and following the path -- makes it real in the same sort of way "The Last Temptation of Christ" does for Christianity. Well, similar, anyway. Good book nonetheless. Sidhartha takes a lover and gets into the realm of business, and while he eventually leaves this life, having beeen consumed and descended to the depths of samsara -- he renounces the path of business, and takes this lover with him in his heart (to the degree that he can with out attachment) to wander off and lead a simple and contemplative life as a ferryman -- an appropriate analogy, as he is a vehicle for teachings which help reach the other side. Beautiful book …