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This is not meant to be a glorious showcase of the best that Singapore has to offer. The glistening and glamorous skyscrapers in the central business district may draw plane loads of tourists, who, having never seen a modern Asian metropolis before. gawk at the bizarre towers on top which seemingly precariously an ark perches. They are amazed at the modernity (sometimes "too modern", said by nature- and yoga-loving hippies in search of spiritual experiences) of such a tiny nation nested, almost too inconspicuously, amongst its less industrialised neighbours.

To me, a middle class Singaporean, I don't feel attached to the avenues of glass structures. The more pessimistic may associate it with the Singaporean economic behemoth, where billions and billions are made for the 1%ers at the top, while the rest of us mediocre citizens help spin the hamster wheel.

Feeling at home, to me, is the perpetuity of construction sites that dot the landscape. The convenience of taking a lift down from your 20th floor residence to buy 2 veg 1 meat cai fan and teh peng siew dai from the coffee shop downstairs. The contrast between the modern, contemporary apartment blocks and the older traditions of 7th month joss paper burning. The over-abundance of Singapore flags strategically and obsessively placed by residents' committees, in attempt to induce patriotism in the population.

It may not always be the best feeling, and the practices may not be the most sensitive, or considerate, but those are things which I see daily. The contrast between futuristic, modern city and traditional, age-old practices and venues cannot be replicated anywhere else.