Singapore

When I left LA almost 6 months ago, as I said good bye to friends, I told each one of them "don't worry, the world is getting smaller". When I reached Singapore, I felt that I was so far away from them. The world is actually very vast. And then I thought, here I am in Singapore, stuck on this tiny island, figuring out the next step of my life.

When I left Singapore 10 years ago, after living here for two years, I told myself that I probably would think hundred of times before I ever lived here again. My time here in the two years were very memorable, ... and miserable at the same time. I thought that I could not stand the people because they were impolite and they were so kiasu. I could not stand how everyone was so selfish. I hated that people were not courteous.

But all that changed. As I visited Singapore during my vacations, I started to like the country more and more. This tiny island is actually one pretty amazing chilli padi. Now that I'm working on a whole production based on how people get to Singapore, I started to see the country in a completely new way. I started to see the people of Singapore in a new way. Most of the people here probably have ancestors that come from the surrounding area; China, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. And most of them have one common thread of why they come to Singapore: to make a better living, to have a better life.

So this tiny island is actually a place of hope for a lot of people, including myself. With our hopes, we come to singapore, form communities and make this place our home. It might not be as green as the place we came from. It might not be as cold as the place we come from. It's small and hot, and it has crazy rains. The older people are still very kiasu and selfish. But as we take something from Singapore in pursue of our hopes and dreams, we also give something back to Singapore. Our culture, our customs, our stories.. and because of that, the Singapore culture continually evolves around the people that come and go. I think the Singapore today is different from the Singapore I came to 11 years ago.

I'm so glad that I gave Singapore another chance. This is as close to home as I can imagine. I love my days here, especially because all of the people I interact with every day. I'm building my little nest here and filling it with more hopes and dreams. And I hope I will leave something behind for this tiny island.