Manicure along Orchard Rd
I was walking down Orchard road last Saturday. Can't help but noticed the beautiful flowers planted by the roadsides. I said 'beautiful' as that was my first impression. Guess the authorities achieved their purpose.
But within 2 seconds of the "beautiful", I thought 'How manicured it looks. How artificial it looks.' Now, is that the intention of the authorities too? Maybe manicured is fine - just like Singapore's image, prim and proper. But artificial? Doesn't that contridicts the purpose of having green living plants? Ain't plants suppose to provide a natural landscape?
Now, of course I don't mean that the flowers look like fake plastic ones when I say 'artificial'. What I mean is that as a Singaporean, who typically pops down to Orchard road once every couple of months or more, it's not a natural part of Orchard road's landscape! It's so obvious that the flowers are there only because of the IMF-WB meeting (well.. it is), but doesn't that show that Singapore's trying too hard to impress? Being what we aren't? Having a temporary facade for a show?
I'm not trying to discredit the authorities for their effort. I think that it is brillant that they try to make Singapore prettier and everything. But as a local, I just think that it's too much. Too much of a pretense. I think Orchard road (and most of Singapore for that matter), was already very nice. Not many cities in the world would devote so much land to planting trees and bushes along the roadside, especially when land area is so precious!! I am very thankful for all the trees and shrubs managed by Nparks for they make this city so much livable. But flowers, costing hundreds and thousands of dollars, just for a show? I wonder if the money could have been better spent.
Maybe instead, the money could have been better used to plant perennial flowering bushes that would not be pulled out after two weeks! Then us locals and our visitors from overseas will be able to enjoy the beautiful flowers year after year after year...
Oh... And enjoy the flowers while you can!
But within 2 seconds of the "beautiful", I thought 'How manicured it looks. How artificial it looks.' Now, is that the intention of the authorities too? Maybe manicured is fine - just like Singapore's image, prim and proper. But artificial? Doesn't that contridicts the purpose of having green living plants? Ain't plants suppose to provide a natural landscape?
Now, of course I don't mean that the flowers look like fake plastic ones when I say 'artificial'. What I mean is that as a Singaporean, who typically pops down to Orchard road once every couple of months or more, it's not a natural part of Orchard road's landscape! It's so obvious that the flowers are there only because of the IMF-WB meeting (well.. it is), but doesn't that show that Singapore's trying too hard to impress? Being what we aren't? Having a temporary facade for a show?
I'm not trying to discredit the authorities for their effort. I think that it is brillant that they try to make Singapore prettier and everything. But as a local, I just think that it's too much. Too much of a pretense. I think Orchard road (and most of Singapore for that matter), was already very nice. Not many cities in the world would devote so much land to planting trees and bushes along the roadside, especially when land area is so precious!! I am very thankful for all the trees and shrubs managed by Nparks for they make this city so much livable. But flowers, costing hundreds and thousands of dollars, just for a show? I wonder if the money could have been better spent.
Maybe instead, the money could have been better used to plant perennial flowering bushes that would not be pulled out after two weeks! Then us locals and our visitors from overseas will be able to enjoy the beautiful flowers year after year after year...
Oh... And enjoy the flowers while you can!
posted by Nia at
10:25 AM
1 Comments:
i really agree with you on this one. the other day i saw great blossoms in my neighbourhood and i thought we should find the blooms in the city, something that changes with 'season', like durian or something, hahaha, to cheer people up once in a while.
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