8/10/2016

Headline August 10, 2016/ ''' SPARKLING - SINGAPORE '''


''' SPARKLING - SINGAPORE '''




*THE WORLD STUDENTS SOCIETY*  with Sam Daily Times, ''as the voice of the voiceless'',  -is owned by every single student in the world.

And the World Students Society wishes Singapore, as a nation,  the Students, Professors and Teachers of Singapore, too.  -the very best of wishes and hopes to have all of you on !WOW! and !E-WOW! the Ecosystem 2011.

Without a blemish, Singapore is the best governed city-state in the world. Right from the entry points, to the experience and memories, Singapore sparkles in the tropical rain and region:

*As the Nation of Law and Order Calm*. Few countries in the world can rally boast that.

World Class School systems, College and University education. Advance Research Centers, High Tech Technology manufacturing hub, Ship building and overhaul, and on and on, I can go.

Singapore has a unique identity and provides great insights into larger themes that are emerging in planning.     

THE NIGERIAN-AMERICAN author Teju Cole recently remarked on the experience of being seized; during residency in Switzerland, by- The surprising compulsion to photograph all he saw:

Cole observed himself in  ''all weather and at all elevations, thinking with my eyes about the country around me,'' the  'drama' of whose alpine and urban landscapes appeared so  ''real''  as to demand a  'response' which was immediate and also visual. 

So is it with Singapore as  author Romana Hussain takes us through a delightful first hand experience of Singapore : A Gem of the Far East.  

Wanting to get away from the hustle an bustle of the city life, I opted to go on a river cruise.:

One of the things most tourists enjoy doing and which also provides a great overview of Singapore history.

The Captain of the boat pointed out some of the key areas of the city from the time it was a small fishing  village to today,  -ending the 45 minute ride
at the water-spewing statue of the iconic merlion facing the Merina Bay Sands towers.

The Garden City : Close by right in the heart of the city are the Botanic Gardens, spread on a  57-hectare  [140 acres]  area.

The gardens are exquisite not only due to the  flora and fauna  but also because of their layout, presenting charming views wherever you maybe walking.

Large monitor Lizards , can also be found slithering in the thick undercover. There is an old  bandstand  that has music played from it since the 1930s. It made  me nostalgic about Karachi's Frere Hall which, as a child, I regularly visited on Saturdays to listen to band that performed there.

Now even the bandstand at the  Jahangir Kothari Parade has been deprived of its iconic presence.  

This isn't the only green space in the city that stands out.  Singapore's modern and impressive  National Library  that opened in 2005 is an innovative green building designed as a  'Library for the Tropics' using bioclimatic design techniques. And the gardens by the  Bay  is also worth a visit.

At the  Gardens  by the Bay, we went for a stroll along the  22metre-high OCBC  Skyway, for an aerial walk on a bridge that connects two of the supertrees  for a spectacular view of the garden and beyond.

Between 25 and 50 metres tall, these iconic tree like vertical gardens, are designed with large canopies that come alive with an exhilarating display of light and sound at night.

''If only the temperatures were less by about  10 degrees C, the city would be ideal place on earth to live in,''  said my son, while we explored the Gardens by the Bay.

This tropical city lies just north of the equator and remains hot and humid for most part of the year, with frequent thunderstorms that help the government's strategy to transform Singapore from a  'Garden City'  to a

'*City in a Garden*',  by enhancing greenery and flora in the city, the government aims to raise the standard of living.

And in all this was a remarkable visit that had several facets to it. Attending musicals, classical dance performances, movies, show jumpings, etc with my family added to some of my truly great cultural experiences.

The truth is that visiting Singapore truly evokes moments of great aesthetic insights, beauty and nostalgia. Beyond words, at times it exudes *narrative tensions*   

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and !E-WOW! -the Ecosystem 2011:



''' Negotiating Identity ''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

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