Shopping malls in Singapore are ubiquitous, inescapable. They insinuate themselves into every level of your being, from the glam marvels of Ion Orchard and Ngee Ann City to the humbler open-arcade affairs that surround even outlying subway stations. I’ve always hated shopping malls in America. In Singapore, they are so much a part of the … Continue reading
Nature in Singapore is an interesting concept. Amid the glittering displays of architectural prowess, there are nods to the natural world in the smallest details. For example, artfully potted trees alleviate the glass and steel of new highrises, placed in strips at different levels with the cultivated artifice of bonsai or the brush strokes on … Continue reading
Sweat. I almost used that one-word title for this entry. Earlier today, sweat was about the only thing I could think of, climbing to the summit of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Excuse me, perspiration—except, no, I mean sweat, drenching my T-shirt, dripping down my neck, steaming up my glasses so badly that I had to … Continue reading
For a Westerner, Singapore conjures all sorts of tropical imagery: heat, jungle, monkeys, pith helmets, temples. Then there are the more modern extremes of skyscrapers and food courts—the delights of chili crab and air-conditioned shopping malls in vast underground warrens—that also seem exotic right off the plane. It all exists, of course, though the pith … Continue reading
Martha's Singapore Column 