singapore observations: a running series
36. An Australian tourist on the MRT, gesticulating excitedly while talking with a friend; what attracts my attention is his belt buckle, an exact replica of an airline safety belt.
37. At the Outram Park MRT interchange, 40 closed circuit tv cameras record my every move. Young soldiers patrol the platforms with assault rifles. Playing on the video screens in both the station and on the train is video of the train bombings in London and Mumbai, along with signs to remain vigilant.
38. The unique shelving policy at Page One Books in VivoCity. Italo Calvino's book Invisible Cities is found not in Fiction but in Travel Literature, which tickles me to no end. Science Fiction and Fantasy are separate genres, just like at Kinokuniya. Light Reads contains nothing but chick lit titles, which feels a bit spurious as I can think of plenty of fiction titles throughout the store that could also be shelved there.
39. English is widely spoken in Singapore, but some words are defined differently. Fetch means to take something or someone to a location instead of to bring back: "I'll fetch you to the MRT station." Stay refers to where you live permanently, not temporarily: "I stay in Bedok South." Take is used specifically with food and eating: "You take your dinner now or not?" Coffee shop can mean one coffee shop or a food court that also happens to sell coffee: "We ate tempura udon at the coffee shop at Simei."
40. The Clinic, a restaurant and bar at Clarke Quay on the Singapore River, where the decor (inside and out) is medical chic. Customers sit on (cushioned) metal rolling beds between curtained patient screens, with each area containing its own IV stand on which hangs a blood bag filled with red liquid. The "check-in" area is a stainless steel surgical table, framed by two old skool wicker wheelchairs. Men and women tend bar in green scrubs.
Previous observations: 1-4, 5-8, 9-13, 14-17, 18-22, 23-25, 26-30, 31-35
37. At the Outram Park MRT interchange, 40 closed circuit tv cameras record my every move. Young soldiers patrol the platforms with assault rifles. Playing on the video screens in both the station and on the train is video of the train bombings in London and Mumbai, along with signs to remain vigilant.
38. The unique shelving policy at Page One Books in VivoCity. Italo Calvino's book Invisible Cities is found not in Fiction but in Travel Literature, which tickles me to no end. Science Fiction and Fantasy are separate genres, just like at Kinokuniya. Light Reads contains nothing but chick lit titles, which feels a bit spurious as I can think of plenty of fiction titles throughout the store that could also be shelved there.
39. English is widely spoken in Singapore, but some words are defined differently. Fetch means to take something or someone to a location instead of to bring back: "I'll fetch you to the MRT station." Stay refers to where you live permanently, not temporarily: "I stay in Bedok South." Take is used specifically with food and eating: "You take your dinner now or not?" Coffee shop can mean one coffee shop or a food court that also happens to sell coffee: "We ate tempura udon at the coffee shop at Simei."
40. The Clinic, a restaurant and bar at Clarke Quay on the Singapore River, where the decor (inside and out) is medical chic. Customers sit on (cushioned) metal rolling beds between curtained patient screens, with each area containing its own IV stand on which hangs a blood bag filled with red liquid. The "check-in" area is a stainless steel surgical table, framed by two old skool wicker wheelchairs. Men and women tend bar in green scrubs.
Previous observations: 1-4, 5-8, 9-13, 14-17, 18-22, 23-25, 26-30, 31-35