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    Photos from Singapore

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    En-route to a political rally just days before the general election, this old gentleman paused for a brief moment at a traffic junction and proudly showed off flyers from the opposition party. There is a sense of hope from his weary smile, a hope for change in a country so obsessed with economic progress that many were left behind in more ways than one. I share the same hope as him as this place I grew up in is now a stranger to me. This place I call home. This island called Singapore. Views[337] With a brick in one hand, he pounds on the drink cans to flatten them so he can squeeze more into a single bag for easier transport. Noise fill the surrounding as concrete meet metal incessantly but the crowd pass by almost oblivious to the ruckus. In a country touted to have the most number of millionaires per capita in the world, not everyone is living the high life. Views[333] The truck eased almost to a halt, trailing behind the frail looking lady on the two-way street. In this non-welfare city-state, she earns her keep by collecting discarded cardboard and reselling them. After spotting me pointing my camera in her direction, she lowered her head to cut off eye contact. I took my eye off the viewfinder and watched as she inched pass me on her journey. Views[274] Neither kin nor kith to the residents of the elderly home, this lady comes by once a month to offer them free haircut. She’s been doing it for the past 10 over years but come 2015, she will no longer be needed as the whole area is slated for demolishment to pave way for a new expressway cutting right through the estate. “What’s going to happen to the home and the residents”, I asked. She said she didn’t know. Views[342] In a quiet corner of Chinatown, retirees congregate daily to partake in their game of leisure. Words are spoken few and far between, the atmosphere is a picture of numbing stillness, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the financial district a mere five minutes’ drive away. Looking at those around me, I wonder if this is just a game to them, or an avenue to leave reality behind momentarily. Views[353]
     

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