Singapore is my no-choice country ....

I only read from the blogosphere. I don't relish paying for a copy of the Straits Times to have them tell this forty-year-old aunty how to live her life. I found these instructions very familiar:

1 The internet is dangerous because one may be misled by big bad wolves disguised as pro- active citizens writing for the good of the nation.

2 One must be resilient to solve problems on his own.

I remembered dishing out similar advice to my son when he was about ten. Then, I reminded him that we must be vigilant against big bad wolves that prey on children. Time flies. Before you know it, your son was telling you not to waste time reading LKY's memoirs for a similar reason to the first above.

I also told him he had to do his homework without my help. Fast forward another 10 years, I was glad he did not cite the second reason when I asked him to solve my computer problems. Like I have commented somewhere, I did regret reading those memoirs. But that's not the point here.

As with any National Day in any year, the issue of loyalty and emigration would be discussed ad nauseum by Singaporeans. This is the time to head for Xiaxue's blog for a breath of fresh air.


To me, Singapore is my no-choice country. From young, I have been told Singapore is small and lacks resources. But, hey, I am born here ... no choice. So, I grew up accepting many no-choice realities around me.


We have to excel in our studies ... no choice. Unless you want to sweep the roads.

We must be bilingual ... no choice. Unless you want to skip University studies.

We must study science and engineering ... no choice. Unless you want to become an Arts teacher.

We must accept the yearly transport hikes ... no choice. Unless you can control the oil price.

We must accept the casinos ... no choice. Unless you want economic doom.

We must accept the PAP government ... no choice. Unless you find a better opposition.

We must drink recycled water ... no choice. Unless you want to die of thirst.

We must acccept Foreign talents ... no choice. Unless you are able to contribute to the economy like Bill Gates.

We must accept whatever given as best ... no choice. Unless and until 66.6% becomes 33.3%.


Luckily, I am no babe in the woods. I know how to keep my sanity intact within my small personal space. Unlike some mentioned in Xenoboy's '21 grams'.


The trick is to comfort myself that I am not alone in having no choice mah. Look at those no-choice PRs who need to be stuck here for a while before moving on to greener pastures. They are quite similar to those no-choice transit tourists at the Changi Airport too.


The good thing about having no choice left is that, it signals a time to make U-turns and to think of the unthinkable. You wouldn't want to keep moving on till you bang into the wall of a cul de sac, right?

I am not a prophet of any sort. Never would I have, in my earlier years, prophesized that Singapore would one day welcome gambling in a big way (not 1 but 2 casinos!). Wonder how many of my generation did ....


I like having no choice. It is fun to see what goodies come after having no choice.

Singapore, country