Sterile Canberra - War Memorial

Anyone who calls Singapore a clean but sterile city has never been to Canberra. Canberra to me, is like something that was bought a few months ago, but hasn't been taken out of its plastic wrap, to play with very often. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty, nicely laid out, neat rows of trees, clean roads but it was just too well arranged, with not much character as the building architecture does not differ much. There is also not much life, even during the day in the weekend.

I liked the War Memorial and Museum, it was interesting especially the significance of Changi Prison being where many Ozzies were interned during the Japanese Occupation. There was even the table from the old Ford factory, on which the surrender of Singapore was signed over by the British to the Japanese. Suddenly it seems like history came to life. And I actually held in my hands, an Identity Card issued in 1953 to a 74 year-old who was born in Malacca. No, it wasn't a historical artefact, although it could well be, but belonged to the oldest person on the trip. I was shown the card and quizzed on the significance of the date and as I've brushed up on my Singapore history in the past few years, I could actually tell him that that was when Malacca was part of the Straits Settlement. Right - that earned me the "privilege" of being harassed constantly by this learned old coot with 6 degrees who sought us out to impose his pompous opinions and to show off (unsuccessfully though...).

But back to the city - everything looks new. And completely planned, nothing has grown or sprouted out of necessity, there is no urban blight or sprawl. I think a city needs some chaos in the order for some character to shine through. The next time someone calls Singapore "sterile", I'll be sure to point them to Canberra.