Earlier in the week, finally at long last, the IMF/World Bank meetings event began, and all that remains now is to see whether months and even years of hard work will pay off. Singapore has spared no money in laying out the red carpet literally and to make the delegates feel welcomed. It is the biggest event Singapore has ever hosted and the whole world is watching us now…helped on no doubt by the fact that we have staunchly refused outdoor protests. We have instead allowed indoor civil demonstrations in a partitioned area inside the official venue, Suntec City. This has gotta be a first in the world… Well at least these protestors will be able to protest in air con comfort. If they are suddenly hungry and thirsty, fret not protestors, Starbucks is just next to you, and if you need more help, just kindly ask any of the millions of security guards there who will surely smile and help you. But on the bright side, Singapore is helping the poor farmers, even though they cant protest outdoors here, at least this saves them money to come here. SIA tickets aren’t cheap and these farmers can certainly use the money instead to take better care of their land and animals. More people in the world now know Singapore, further cementing its ‘kiasu’ image. Good for us! Free advertisement you know!
The 4 million smiles campaign also seems to have worked, with almost everyone smiling nowadays. Yeah this includes the old men at coffee shops staring at women… Its great to see how courteous and welcoming we now are. But if we had really wanted to have exactly 4 million photos for the campaign, we could have used IC photos instead.
I was pleasantly surprised when I went for church today. The trains were so empty and there were so many seats on the journey to city hall. It’s a nice change and SMRT should make this a habit... Today was the first time I went down to city hall since the IMF event started. Security has certainly been tightened in the city hall area, and policemen can be seen everywhere. The IMF craze is everywhere. Even in church, there were more foreigners than usual (not really surprising actually considering that the cathedral is a national monument of spore after all and it is near suntec and the main hotels where the delegates are staying) and even the hymns were specially selected with the IMF delegates and convention in mind. Lets hope that a good lasting impression of Singapore is left on the minds of all the delegates and foreign visitors. We can then smile more and even laugh.
The 4 million smiles campaign also seems to have worked, with almost everyone smiling nowadays. Yeah this includes the old men at coffee shops staring at women… Its great to see how courteous and welcoming we now are. But if we had really wanted to have exactly 4 million photos for the campaign, we could have used IC photos instead.
I was pleasantly surprised when I went for church today. The trains were so empty and there were so many seats on the journey to city hall. It’s a nice change and SMRT should make this a habit... Today was the first time I went down to city hall since the IMF event started. Security has certainly been tightened in the city hall area, and policemen can be seen everywhere. The IMF craze is everywhere. Even in church, there were more foreigners than usual (not really surprising actually considering that the cathedral is a national monument of spore after all and it is near suntec and the main hotels where the delegates are staying) and even the hymns were specially selected with the IMF delegates and convention in mind. Lets hope that a good lasting impression of Singapore is left on the minds of all the delegates and foreign visitors. We can then smile more and even laugh.
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