Reflections on board the MRT in Singapore

Oct 18, 2011


I seriously have no idea how many hours I’ve spent inside a train since yesterday here in Singapore. Moving from green to red to purple lines. Passing through various malls and shops.

And I’m exhausted. For the first time since the start of the Big Trip, I was impatient and I almost got stressed out.

I very much appreciate how efficient and organized this city is. How everything is connected and how almost everything is laid out for you. When you get off one station, you just have to cross the platform and you’re now on another line. One station is connected to the mall, and the mall is connected to another one. How almost everything is working out –a reflection of how much its government is in control of the way the city is supposed to maintain its standards and at the same time progress moving forward.

But it reminds me of the way my life has been for the past five years. Living life as if it’s a routine. Fast-paced. How every decision I make is supposed to be aligned to one path – to climb up the corporate ladder, improve or at least maintain my lifestyle, and attain life security. Not minding the fact and the reality that I’ve been missing out on a lot of things.

Then there's Little India, covered with bright colors and full of life everywhere. Tasty food and spices, eating with your hands to savor its various flavors.

Or Chinatown with those quaint and charming buildings like the ones in Melaka.

The 22-year-old Angge would have loved this city. I would have considered working here or even living here. Because it is beautiful and it's the perfect place to work and live a comfortable life in Southeast Asia.

But the Angge today, now, and for the past few months? I prefer riding old rusty trains like the one in Kota Kinabalu. Where people don’t have much but are happy and contented, where people smile at you genuinely. Or having dinner along the river in Melaka and waiting for the sunset. Meeting new people in hostels and actually having a conversation. Not on board a metro train with earphones on, and with only my gadgets as company.

I know this period in my life may not last for long. But I would like to savor each and every moment of it. Get out of the city and see different colors, be surprised, and experience life.

So I guess, someday when I'd have a different set of priorities, I might just enjoy exploring this city. But for now, I think I prefer being on a small town, or a country entirely different from this one.





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