Singapore- The Land of Some Made Up Beast for Marketing

(disclaimer: this rambles)

So, I have been in Singapore now for 4 days or so. That is probably enough time to see everything of great note here. For one thing this is a minute place. One of only 3 "city-states" in the world although people who think that Vatican City is actually a city are a little weird. Secondly, there just isn't all that much to see here. I am staying to await the arrival of my friend Trevor and to go to the Singapore Beer Festival on Thursday night.

Singapore feels a very set-like. The construction, the run-down neighborhoods all have the feeling that someone built them from some kit. I think the best way I could describe this place is as adhering to a "mall" aesthetic. This is not surprising since so much of this city is dominated by huge malls and people have described to me that the most popular sport on the city is shopping. In addition things are creepily orderly which creates an even stranger feeling. I have to ask myself am I actually still in Asia? I imagine this type of law and order certainly creates a very different feeling on the way the world should be and the way it should look. Enough philosophizing though...

Over the weekend Singapore hosted the first F1 night street race. I have never watched car racing with anything other than very low-level contempt. It always seemed dumb to watch cars going around in circles. After this weekend my convictions on the subject are more hardened. Car racing is sheer stupidity. And it's also really fucking loud. Basically for the weekend anyone selling either apparel with Ferrari logos on it or encouraging middle aged Australian and European men to act like idiots made off like a bandit. My favorite Baudrillard book (yes I know I promised no more high handedness, I lied) talks about how people watched security training to protect the president of France because it implied that some great catastrophe COULD occur. Everyone was hoping that in the moment some horrific assassination would occur. I am convinced this is the only reason people could sit through 40 laps of sonic punishment. For the briefest glimpse of some disaster...

Oh well. I got to see most of downtown, about 5 different sprawling multi-level malls, ate a bunch of food. I will say, for all its sterility, Singapore has amazing food. Whether it is hawker stalls or some trendy fusion spot they certainly have a passion for all things comestible. I had dinner with my friend Jeff and some of Sophie's friends and friends of theirs etc. Seemed like generally nice people, perfectly fit for this city. We went to some place on Kandahar street and ate an amalgamation of Chinese, Thai, Malay food. It was pretty amazing.

Stay tuned, I'll probably have 1 more entry dealing with beer in Singapore before Trevor and I move on to wherever it is we go next (Borneo, Bali, Sumatra...)