The summary of my first Monday morning after migrating back to homeland Singapore comprises of random kindled observations.
Mobile alarm clock has been set at 9am since arrival, but this is the first day I woke up to it. Dad is already up, probably disturbed by the drilling construction coming from somewhere in the vicinity of our block of 4-storey flat. The sun was beaming in through the kitchen windows, making slanted rays of energy-giving glowing patterns on the ceramic floor tiles. Mum and 6th Aunt are still asleep.
I make myself an instant 3in1 coffee mix whilst Dad goes about making tea and other condiments for their buddhist cum taoist prayer table (and cleaning the kitchen alongside his chores in his idiosyncratic food handler ways). I picked up my Sunday Times from yesterday, and started my coffee and newspaper session in the living room sofa, and the morning began. The pace surrounding me picked up as 6th Aunt and Mum woke up one after another. A friendly uncle neighbour greeted
"Good morning!" loudly
as he habitually does when he shuffles pass our main door. As I progress from the grey newspaper pages from the
Main paper to
Invest and
Lifestyle sections, sounds of 6th Aunt laundering and Mum and Dad chanting and hymning filled the lukewarm rooms in this humble 3-room estate. Time for morning WC visit, breakfast, 2nd cup of coffee and blogging.
The word
"immerse" comes to mind. I am utterly immersed into the local environment, through the sounds I hear (which some might call noise), the words I read and the reflections I churn.
The most recent global Gallup polling ranks Singapore top of the list based on PNMI (Potential Net Immigration Index). This is the 2nd successive year Singapore tops as the most desired country that migrants want to move to, index scoring at
+219%. Following suit is New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. If the immigration authority accepts all immigration' application, Singapore's population can shoot up from its
4.8 million up to more than 2 times. However, Singapore politics is holding fast to
6 million by 2013.
Other news that sticks out includes foreign maids moonlighting during their off days to earn extra vital income for their families back hom; efforts to perserve the beloved Singaporean hawker fare/ food; top 40 Singapore millionaires combined wealth of
USD 45.7 billion makes up slightly more than a quarter of Bill Gates wealth of
USD 213 billion; new Muslim immigrants from e.g. Turkey delivery food and donations to the poor local Muslim communities and families; Youth Olympics closing this Thursday and more.
So much for my Monday morning ranting. My 2nd cup of coffee is nearing its end of consumption. I will be sharing this post from sunny bustling little Singapore island with my loved ones near and faraway.
Copyright © Joanne Bergenwall Aw
