First Impression

Weather forecast: Sunny skies in the morning with scattered 25-inch waistlines in the afternoon.

It was my first overseas flight and I felt anxious, nervous and excited having no clear itinerary whatsoever. After a few hours we landed on this tiny dot on the map known as Singapore. Being inside Changi Airport is like walking in a fab hotel lobby that is ultra chic and modern. At an instant you'll recognize the fact that it is (still) the world's best airport.

My friends who arrived there just a day earlier were supposed to pick me up. Thirty minutes passed and still no friends in sight. I decided to lounge around the airport and ended up at a familiar fastfood chain, Burger King. I ordered a burger and a Minute Maid juice and got myself acquainted with the Sing-Dollar. Being a first-time traveller I was still in that auto-convert-to-Peso phase. I knew that was the beginning of an expensive holiday. If I remember correctly, that humble merienda cost me a li'l less than $10.

After an hour my friends arrived and off we go. The transportation system was very convenient and truly commuter-friendly. The MRT that is directly connected to the airport has scheduled trains that will take you from the East to the West in just a little over an hour. You have to purchase your own EZ-link card at the ticketing booth for S$12. This will serve as your ticket to most rides within Singapore. A few train stations and a heavy dose of stench later I am finally seeing the city with my own eyes. My first impression: Wow, it is very clean. There's no smog in sight, no street vendors and rugby-sniffing teens in tattered clothes. All the cars that passed us by seemed all brand new. After the elegant parade of various models of Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus, I  waited with bated breath for a "kotseng kuba" to pass by so I can also make "pendong" to my friends and naughtily get back at them for making me wait that long. Sigh. No "kotseng kuba". Suddenly I realized that the nice cars would be a common sight here. >>

We headed then to the mall beside Paya Lebar station and ate lunch at a Kopitiam (similar to our food court). All this time I just kept observing the people. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures (Malays, Chinese, Indians) and this diverse population is quite fascinating. But skin colour and eyelids aside, I just couldn't help but notice how slim and so comfortable wearing thick false eyelashes these people are. Could it be due to the warm water that they are accustomed to drinking after meals? Or perhaps it is because of their preference for a hot pot of noodles & veggies over steamed rice and a slab of meat? Even the uncles and aunties (manongs and manangs) manning the stalls were all slim & slender. Maybe, as I would later find out, it's how serious they are in instilling a serious sports-minded culture and a more frequent physical education classes early on in their school curriculum.

Whatever it is, I know that being the next top model or the sexiest man alive will not be that much of a challenge for most of them as far as waistlines are concerned. As for now, I am content with just living vicariously through Ann Ward and dreaming about Ryan Reynolds bringing me a bunch of flowers and kissing me after a busy day.