Half empty or half full

Hearing the gripes and grievances expressed during the General Elections, one would think that life in Singapore is miserable. But to be honest, the more I travel, the more I think we have a lot to be appreciative about.

I don't think in any other part of the developed world can people buy a hot meal at such low prices. Here, just $3 gets you rice, chicken, soup and a little cucumber. You can hardly get a cold sandwich at that price elsewhere. I know because I had been eating cold sandwiches last week.

As for transport, I could always get a seat on the Lisbon subway, but I wonder what the effects of the lower population density are. The subway stations are always dim, and I realised that it is because only half of the lights are switched on. Half of the shops at the Twin Towers were shuttered. And yes, it was dimly lit amd mostly empty too. We have many foreigners here because they want to be here and not in their own homeland. Isn't it obvious why?

I shall not go into chest-thumping self congratulations. Just want to make a point that while we have the right to aspire to a better life, it is important to open your eyes and know what is happening elsewhere in the world. For goodness' sake, we are such a small country that we can hardly afford to be parochial.