In 2011, a boy came to Singapore.
A bachelor and decidedly alone. Interestingly he was very happily a bachelor
living out his last few days of freedom. And Singapore with its plethora of
activities and a buzzing life seemed just the place to be.
In 2013, a married couple went
back to Mumbai from a city they both have come to love as their own. And this
is a post to celebrate the love they have for this city.
But let’s start with the boy –
egoistic and childish when it comes to whose voice should this blog be in. So
the boy when he landed in Singapore was first of all struck with the greenery
all around. The city seemed to rise out of a forest. Huge trees lined the
roads, the sea broke on the beaches and the rocks but what amazed him most were
the people and the city itself. Disciplined, courteous, helpful but non
intrusive, he began to appreciate what being Singaporean meant to a nation
which was amongst the most successful. And the city of 5 million people moved
like clockwork. Efficient, clean and ever striving to be the best in the world,
Singapore clearly became the favourite city of the boy.
And the food – Oh the food! Paris
may boast of her cuisine, Rome may boast of her cafes, London may boast of the
world creating a potpourri of flavours, but to the boy nothing can beat the
variety of Singapore. From Asia to America, from Russia to Australia, from the
Middle East to South Africa, cuisines were made available to him. And while
keeping a look out on his ever expanding waistline, he indulged.
It took him a good six months to
cover the basics and then some more. But boy, did he love the food and the
choices!
And then he got married!
Now don’t get him wrong. Being
married did lots of good things to him. They conquered the highest peak in a
country thrice; they went trekking all over the country and then cycled for 17
kms at a stretch. And they continued
experimenting with food and cooking. Thai and Italian became their favourite
and Mustafa became their hunting ground for exotic spices. And they made
friends beyond the ordinary. Friends who put up a barbeque for them to bid them
bon voyage; friends who called them over to the office the evening before they
flew to give them the last hurrah; friends who even cried a bit but tried to be
bold enough to not show it.
In the last 2 months that the blog
has been silent, they have been busy trying to rebuild their lives and while
they have their memories and their fantastic Osim massagers (which incidentally
are their only 2 material acquisitions during their stay in Singapore) they
realize they have left a part of their selves behind in the city that made them
from individuals to a couple.
So without a hint of regret, they
would like to thank the city and her people who welcomed them with open arms.
Majulah Singapura! May you
continue to be the example that every city must follow.
