The folly that is Singapore - Part 1

Ok ... aah the lion city - a study in modern capitalism, a society fraught with social contradictions; whilst the bulk of the expatriate community sweat and toil under the equatorial sun, the largely Chinese population zoom by in the air-conditioned comfort of their luxury vehicles, and dream of their next million in any of the hundreds of opulent condominiums that form part of the island's skyline.

So I exaggerate, but in its quest for commercial relevance, the country remains the jewel of the Malayan Peninsula, steadfastly upholding the tenets of free economic enterprise, whilst turning a blind eye against social discrepancies like inequality and exploitation. Hello Myanmar!

Anyhoo, there is much to admire, and also much to ridicule and here are some random thoughts to mull over:

- at the luggage carousel, there are actually airport staff who hang around straightening the bags as they travel round the conveyor belt - admiration or ridicule?

- when you set up a new bank account, all you need is one form of identification and your atm/debit/credit card is issued on the spot - admiration or ridicule?

- at KFC they have black pepper chicken, and also chicken strip congee in the mornings - and there's a rendang burger at Burger King - ADMIRATION!!!!