A philosopher (was it Hegel?) once said that when we have only one perspective of the big picture, the next most well informed perspective we can take is the complete opposite one.

Which is why it seemed wise now that I radically choosed the other end of the world, Argentina as the destination of my journey out of Singapore. Different language, different culture, different living standards...etc.

Which is also why, in late June 2008 when I returned to Singapore, after one and a half year away, suddenly I was very aware of the things that were very Singapore to me...

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It was an late morning run. I couldn't resist.

2 hours upon reaching my beautiful little tropical island, after 30 hours of flight. At 11am I changed into my running gear and did what I could not do in busy downtown Buenos Aires: Go for a run around the neighbourhood right outside my door.

As I basked in the humid 30 degrees sun, looking up at the skies, I saw rolling clouds much thicker and lower hanging than Buenos Aires.

Starting my run, I took a deep breath and savoured the air. Clean, almost sweet, but heavy with water vapour. Unlike smokey Buenos Aires (although its called 'Buenos Aires', 'Good Airs' hah!).

So much greenery and nature surrounding me: The trees, so much more enormous and numerous, surrounding the buildings, if we could take all the buildings away, I could almost still imagine a tropical jungle around us.

As I ran around the same paths that I had ran for the past 10 years of my life. I noticed how wide the pavements are! How clean and new! The roads are well laid and in pristine condition.

The only broken roads and pavements I saw were roads that were being constructed; being upgraded! Every 500 metres I ran, I saw a new building being constructed; a new road being laid; an existing house being renovated! (The apartment under construction beside my Buenos Aires building has been under construction since a year ago.)

I look ahead around the horizon. Such clean and new buildings! Fresh paint and new concrete! But such sterile architecture!!! Squarish blocks of ugly green mixed with bright blue coloured public housing; like a crayon painting of a 4 year old. Who in the Ministry of Housing Development Board approved such colours?! The old european styled buildings of Buenos Aires, although run down and dilapidated, they are much more pleasing to the aesthetic eye.

As I ran past the town center of Toa Payoh (a town in Singapore). It struck me how few people were walking along the streets even in the town center.

On a Tuesday noon, the only people I see outside were the elderly or housewives, or a few young kids getting out from school, probably skipping classes. The rest of the country is either at work or at school; or probably hiding from the heat at some air conditioned place.

Compared to Buenos Aires. The only times when the streets are quiet like this are during Saturdays or Sundays.

I smiled at some of the elderly as I jogged past. They all looked at me as if I was some alien. Well, they are not that wrong. I already feel like a foreigner in my own birthplace.

I realised from the look they gave me, from the way they sat around the plush green parks and the clean sidewalks. The fire in their soul has long been extinguished. Time is just counting the tick tocks for them.

Is it any different in Buenos Aires? I think so... maybe life in Buenos Aires is tougher. The elderly still have to struggle with everyday life. Maybe the struggle keeps the fire burning.

Such peace and tranquility! The serenity though seductive, is dulling to the senses.

Yet it was good to be home for awhile.

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The most incredible observation I had was that very evening, while taking the MRT (Singapore subway) at around 7pm, the whole train was filled with commuters getting off work.

The collective smell emanating from the crowd was one filled with the humid tropical sweat mixed with an artificial office air condition scent. It was a very familiar one, one which I had not noticed since I was in Buenos Aires.

Only in Singapore.