I want to be a tourist in my own country...

You must be wondering what I mean by that...

one school of thought: after all, Singapore is such a small country, I should have learnt my Singapore history better, I should read more newspapers and then I should know enough about Singapore... besides, Singapore is not like China or USA which is really big and you need to take domestic flights to see another part. Singapore isn't that different in the east and the west and for goodness sake you don't even have a domestic airport! so yeah... why would I want to be a tourist..."

But that's just wrong... Singapore is small for sure... you can travel from one end to the other in 2 hours by MRT... but who says that everything is the same?

Have we ever realised that each housing estate and constituency is different? Why don't you compare Toa Payoh culture and Seng Kang culture? The former is one of the oldest estates in Singapore and the latter is one of the youngest. Are they really that similar?

Have you walked along the Padang and observed the monuments there? Everytime I go there I realise that the last time I went, I had left out one or two monuments... yeah u can say I'm blind but that's not the point.. the point is how many Singaporeans make an effort to strolll along that area and learn about the monuments?

Does being an expert at Singapore history mean you have seen these monuments? Have you admired their design and wondered how their styles can be so different? Have you noticed the contrast of having a modern stylish building standing just behind a history-rich building like the Parliament House?

Have you strolled along the whole stretch of the Singapore River, wondering how kids could swim in the days when the water was black? Have you taken the River Boat tour in that little boat that chugs along and driven by a very tanned ah-pek? Have you posed for shots along the river with the Singapore skyline of skyscrappers in the backgroud?

No? Why? Is it because it is something we only associate with tourists? with foreigners? Is it because we think that we've been here all our lives and don't need a photograph as a keepsake? In the first place, is taking photos only just about having a keepsake, to show that "I was there?"

But if you think about it, you don't go to the Singapore River all the time... even if you do, the landscape changes... 5 years ago, there was no Esplanade and the Merlion was standing at a different location...

Every place in Singapore has a story to tell... I want to know more of these stories, even if they do change here and there... and I think... the only way I can do that.. is to become a tourist in my own country...

Armed with my map and trusty camera, I will not be ashamed to be seen taking photos of the various stories in my own country...