Skip to main content

Guest Post by Raji PV: What I love about Singapore

♥♥ This is the second Guest Post on Petals in 2015. I thank my former colleague Raji PV for sharing her personal writing on my blog. Raji, as I know her, is a lovely person and a dedicated mother with an angelic, soothing presence. Her simplicity and humility inspire me. In a nutshell, I am blessed to be in her company. Thanks for writing, Raji!♥♥ 

The first time I landed in Singapore, I was pleasantly surprised by the lush greenery all around. Gigantic trees lining both sides of the road  met overhead high above the road. The change in scenery was too stark not to notice, as we arrived from Delhi. The sceptic in me did not expect it to last  more than a few miles; but guess what, I was overjoyed to have been proved wrong!

Greenery in Singapore
The beauty of Singapore lies in its ever-spreading green robe, both planned and natural, that stretches across the length and breadth of the island. Best of all, Singapore goes that extra mile in protecting its natural beauty. This is exactly the reason why Singapore has several nature reserves and forested areas. 




The citizens also play a role in ensuring the same. To make matters easier, Singapore also has fool proof rules that ensure compliance.




Public Libraries in Singapore

The second best feature about Singapore is its network of well-equipped public libraries. One of the best in the world, Singapore libraries offer excellent services and boast great infrastructure. This means that if you are looking for a book, you just have to search online at the National Library Board (NLB) website. 

Key in the book title or the author name and you will be provided with a detailed list of the current status of the book. You can also reserve books online at nominal charges. Final, the library charges are very affordable, making it attractive and accessible to all. 

Parks in Singapore
Singapore parks deserve special mention, given their expansiveness, beauty and accessibility to all. 

Conceptualized with excellent landscaping and design, Singapore national parks provide excellent amenities and recreational facilities for the public. To further up their attractiveness quotient, most are located along the beach, making it the perfect family outing spot. 

Anytime you feel sad, angry or bored, you know exactly where to head!














Architecture in Singapore
While Singapore national parks pamper visitors with their expansiveness and greenery, Singapore City beckons with its blend of modern, colonial and regional architectures. 

Many buildings in Singapore boast unique histories and identities of their own, which has been preserved and protected even to this day. Be it the historical shop houses in Chinatown or the skyscrapers in Central Business District, all of them have a story to tell.












To get to the heart of the Singapore Chinese culture, do visit Chinatown during the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Chinese New Year. 

To experience Malay and Indian cultures from close quarters, visit Geylang and Little India respectively. Then, there are fairs galore during festivities, such as Hari Raya and Deepavali. No wonder, they call Singapore a traveler's paradise and a photographer’s delight!


About Raji PV: Raji is an avid food lover and an armchair traveler, her  love, in her own words is 'to lose myself in the leaves of a book." All photos shown on this blog belong to Raji. 




Comments

Raji said…
Thank you so much for featuring my writing here, Swapna! It's an honour for me...:)
Vishnu said…
Thank you both for sharing this post. Lovely photos by Raji - even for someone like myself who has visited Singapore often. I had no idea about the library system and will definitely be checking them out when I go visit again in the next couple of months.
A perfect post with so many information's. Just superb one. Loved reading it. Thank u for the share.
Dear Raji,

Thank you for writing for Petals! It's a pleasure and a blessing to read the positive energy and the useful information you have shared here....hope to see you write many more such blog posts for Petals!

Love,
Swapna
I agree, Vishnu. Raji's inputs on Singapore's library system is something that I haven't read anywhere else...and it caught my immediate interest too...glad to know you liked the pics too.
Ankita said…
nice post! I wish we could enjoy such perfect public library system in India! the pics are awesome. Thanks for sharing :)
@Shreya: Great to know you found Raji's post informative...thanks Shreya.

@Ankita - Good to read that you found Raji's post informative. Exactly what i felt - that we in India should also have a public library system just as in Singapore.

Most Popular Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences.  [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste.  You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this  new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being born

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) - Why it is spiritually relevant

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) is a film that I was desperate to watch for two reasons. One, I am a Suriya fan and I had heard so much about his performance in this movie that I didn't want to settle for watching a CD of it and losing the actual cinematic experience. Second, I had read from various bloggers and their reviews that this film revolves around the story of Bodhidharman, a 16th century prince from Tamil Nadu who had mastered knowledge spanning multiple forms of art, and was sent to China to save the people from evil. Once he goes there, the transformation begins for himself and for the people there and he  goes on to become Damo, the father of Shaolin and Kung Fu and hypnotism and such other mystical yet spiritually relevant forms of mind mastery. 7 Am Arivu Goes Over the Top with the Dravidian Rhetoric In 7 Am Arivu, there has been a lot of controversy created by the fact that nearly every character eulogizes about the importance of being Tamil and yes, the Dravidi

A Book Review: I too had a love story by Ravinder Singh

I don’t like reading mushy romance. But Ravinder Singh’s book ‘I too had a love story’ got me crying. The book is a spell-binding, honest tale of Ravin’s love story with Khushi – the girl he loved but couldn’t marry. Ravinder Singh’s narrative resonates with honesty, passion and an innocence that is rare among today’s Indian writers. He tells you of how passionately a man can love and respect the woman he loves and how desperately he can fight for her life in the midst of life threatening crises. Most Indian love stories end predictably. Ravinder Singh’s story is not like that – I had tears flowing down my cheeks when I read Khushi’s last words to him in a moving bus. I could personally relate to that surreal experience of saying good bye forever. It has happened with me but in a different context. And then, what broke my poise was the last chapter. There’s a sentence he writes where his father tries to persuade him to marry another girl. Ravin’s reply is

Movie Review: Fahad Fazil & Amala Paul Sizzle Together in Oru Indian Pranayakatha

It was a pleasure to watch Sathyan Anthikad's latest film "Oru Indian Pranayakadha" which marked the veteran director's clear departure from his signature style films.  [ Confession: I never miss a Fahadh Fazil movie. I am a HUGE fan of his right from Chappa Kurishu. ]  Of course, there are several other actors who play their part very well in this film but you should go watch the movie to enjoy it better. I don't want to spill the entire story here. Right from the first scene, brace yourself to be bowled over by Aimanam Siddharthan, a young upcoming politician who leaves no stone unturned in his path to become an MLA. He charts out his every move to win the hearts of the people, gain visibility with the 'High Command' and extract political mileage out of every public appearance he makes. You get the feeling that he likes to have every move charted out in advance and planned in a way that reaps political dividends for his growth as a politic