Goodbye Singapore: An Appropriate Conclusion

Yes, I've now been in Australia for nearly 3 weeks and maybe it's about time I begin taking more photographs here. After all, this will be my last entry dating back to my time in Singapore and from there on out I'll have to keep taking photos to accompany my blogworthy experiences. I'll worry about that tomorrow or something, though. I think I'll spend my afternoon lounging out by the pool.

I've titled this entry "An Appropriate Conclusion" because all of the photos I have to share were taken at night. From the time that I arrived in Singapore, I more or less only had one place that I absolutely had to see, and that was the Marina Bay at night. This area defines Singapore well in many ways. There are high rise apartment buildings all around, many newly constructed and featuring enormously expensive penthouses. These are signs not only of the growing population of Singapore but also of the growing wealth found here.

Looking out at Singapore's massive ferris wheel, the Lotus Flower (red building), and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Each side of the bay has a hugely prestigious hotel, too - each of which has a distinctly different representation. On one side sits The Fullerton Hotel; this is the oldest remaining building in Singapore and is a heavily renovated version of what was once Singapore's post office. Until recently it was the most expensive hotel in the country, only being surpassed when the Marina Bay Sands Hotel was opened. The Sands represents something very different, "new money" I suppose. Where wealthy tourists and even locals looking for a special night drop hundreds of dollars per night on rooms with breathtaking views.

This is a panorama of the same view. If you don't know the drill by now, I really recommend clicking it to head to the Flickr site and then reclicking the image to see the full view.

And in addition to all of this, the world's most expensive (to build) shopping mall lines the bay. Louis Vuitton even has its own separate building which sits on top of the water for all to admire. So this area at least represents one distinct aspect of Singapore: the wealth of both the people and the government. One needs to look elsewhere to see the booming business district and lively shipping port, and this is no accident. The government operates on 50-year plans which quite literally map out plans for everything, from construction to education to military spending. They decided that people wouldn't want to see these things when touring the country, so they've located them elsewhere on the island.

Cityscape of beautiful, beautiful Singapore.

I only wish that it could be so easy for much larger and more diverse countries like the United States to plan and manage their future. Unfortunately for us, there are just too many variables at play for attempts at long term planning to be viable. Or are there? Some presidential candidates seem to have thought this way but it seems our plethora of short term problems have kept any efforts to rescue ourselves in the long term at bay.

It's nice to be able to put what I've learned about photography to use in such a beautiful
place. I used a 10 second exposure to create the glasslike look on the water.

I don't mean to make this a political commentary but it's important to draw connections between our own country and the rest of the world. The world, and the gap between "us" and "them", is getting smaller and smaller by the day after all. And I have to say, spending so much time away from home and continuing to hear so many terrible forecasts for the future of western economies including our own really gets one thinking. Does it make sense to set up my life in a country with a future so unstable? This is the Asian Century and this little island of Singapore (just an example) would be an awfully nice place to raise a family. Just thoughts, but they're continuing to become more credible.

Stepping away from the deep thoughts for a moment, we happened to catch the nightly light show at the bay. It's hard to argue that this is little more than a way for Singapore to show off, to demonstrate its successes through a spectacular series of light beams and, if I recall correctly, music too?

Sorry for the terribly similar shot, but I really love the way the colors reflect on the water in this one. Note the different colors and positions of the lights in this one.

And seeing as Singapore wanted to showcase its lighting, I figured I could try to showcase mine as well. Using Melissa and her younger sister Erica as a subject, I planned out some shots which I'm really happy with. This next photo took about as much time in set up, trial & error, and post-processing as any I've ever taken, so I hope you like it as much as I do. I set the camera on a tripod and had the two of them pose in a position that they could stay absolutely still in for 8 seconds (the length of the exposure). After pressing the shutter I ran over to them with a flashlight and hit them with the light. This gives the same sort of effect as a flash set up that would likely have been way out of my price range and my baggage allowance.

Once we had the set up figured out, we were able to take turns jumping into the photo. Is this the most difficult way to get a cool photo in front of Marina Bay? Maybe, but I doubt I'll forget it if for no other reason than the effort put into making it happen.

Singapore is really a lovely place, if you hadn't gotten that impression from my writing yet. I've said it before and I'll say it again that it isn't necessarily easy to pinpoint what makes it so nice. In a way it's not that special, the perfection of nearly everything can at times be overwhelming and might even make one long for the things we love to complain about be it rude people, unpredictable public transportation, or bad weather. But when you really think about what is missing and what isn't, it's hard to argue that this tiny little country hasn't come close to achieving perfection in the technical sense.

Still kicking myself for letting them get out of focus.

I expect that my opinion of this country will change with time and as I hopefully continue to see more of the world. Maybe I won't miss it so much in a few years or maybe I'll want to go back more and more, I guess only time will tell. Until then, I'll remember it through the photos I have and the memories that they help to bring about. I hope you enjoyed my tour of Singapore and I look forward to sharing my Australian experiences soon.

Melissa and Erica, tired of being the subject of my photos, pose in front of the Lotus Flower. Yes, it changes colors all the time.