majulah singapura

one of the most soulful and personal renditions of Majulah Singapura, hauntingly beautiful without the melody and in the full silent awe of the away ground stadium.

sung by this 21yo singaporean gal who went to japan to pursue her singing career. this is dedicated to those pple for a personal contemplation of nation on this day.

laos

hmm. laos... very enchanting country. only remaining socialist country in ASEAN. poor, but never desperate. in vientiene, the provincial capital, most buildings are less than 3 storeys tall. no traffic congestion. no signs extreme poverty like beggars or crime. the children are earnest and dignified, preferring to work rather than beg.

unlike the end of the world scenarios forwarded by castells or william lim of asian cities, wat i saw here is uncannily peaceful and lazy townships. neither is there a dichotomy of dual economies that sets the rich gated communities against the deprived poor. here in laos, mansions and dilapidated wood houses stand side by side, tuktuks parked beside the toyota prados. this country doesnt feel communist or oppressive at all, or even the presence of a state or government.

either i am blinded by romanticism, or there is really something unique about laotian culture. its resilience and self dependence of the people.

lao GDP comes mainly from... rice and tourism. it is non industrial. it doesnt even have a train system. its best interstate bus service called VIP bus breaks down several times enroute.

it is idylic. but it is unfair for me to say it should remain that way. i dun believe it is right for rich brats like me to put pple into a time capsule or a theme park for me to enjoy.

right now it seems lao will face a surge of tourists in the coming years. already prices for tour packages are soaring, gentrified by the hordes of tourists with their american dollar. china in 2006 passed a new regulation allowing chinese to travel freely into laos, which is expected to contribute to 25% of tourists there. how will the laid back culture handle the surge of materialism coming straight into their very doorstep? (literally, many of them operate in shophouses and guest houses).

lets all hope that a sensible future for them, not one that is marred by senseless short term gratification that left a bitter taste in other vice ridden countries as they tried to take off to modernity overnight. let these children enjoy a decent future and happiness.

laos

vientiene


louang prabang


mekong river


lao new year


vang vieng