Musings from Singapore: Red Light Special

Another interesting thing about my ‘hood: it has been brought to my attention that my neighborhood in Singapore is fairly near the “red light district”. And by “near”, of course I mean, “smack in the middle of.”

One night as The BF and I were wandering through the neighborhood, we walked down a street and realized that on either side of the sidewalk, there were beautiful women, dressed in short, tight, shiny dresses, wearing high heels, sparkly jewelry and lots of make up. They weren’t talking to each other. They weren’t really doing anything but standing there staring at people walking by. As we approached the end of the block, I leaned over to The BF and said “we just walked through a passel of prostitutes, didn’t we?”

Yep.

Since then, I’ve been paying more attention to the presence of prostitutes. They are more prevalent at the west end of my neighborhood (I live in the east end) and they are more prevalent on the streets on the south side of the main drag (I live on the north side). So I don’t see a ton of hookers in my everyday comings and goings. But they’re there.

The more western streets on the south side of the main drag are even numbered streets. One time, The BF was taking a taxi to my apt and the taxi driver got confused about my address and took The BF to a brothel. (I live at #10, Lorong 31. The taxi driver took The BF to Lorong 10. An even numbered street on the southwest end of the ‘hood.) As The BF was telling him “no…this isn’t the right place”, the taxi driver starts explaining the area: that the prostitutes you can get on the street are “Freelance” whereas the ones in the brothel are contract and more “high class”. You can tell if a building is a brothel (and open for business) when the address numbers are lit up red.

And this is where I’m living for the duration of my time in Singapore. A far cry from Lower Queen Anne. 

I'll try to get some pictures of women walking the sidewalk and we can take a vote on whether she's "Working or Not Working".

To Smokers Everywhere

An Open Letter to Smokers:

Dear smoker,

I would like to thank you for supporting one of the major cash crops of the homeland. Tobacco farms were how my dad helped his family get by during the tough years. Cheap tobacco products still attract lots of tourism dollars to the state and the science of curing and storing leaves has been a motivator for FFA students for years.

That said, I can not condone your choice to inhale smoke into your lungs.

But that's not really the issue I'd like to discuss at this juncture. The issue at hand is the locations in which you choose to smoke.

Washington passed a law a few years ago outlawing smoking indoors. Restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. are smoke-free now. Which is cool and all, as I can now visit restaurants or bars without coming home smelling smoky and gross.

Except that there are so many of you who choose to walk down the sidewalk while you enjoy your cigarette. When you do this, those of us who are walking down the sidewalk and find ourselves behind you have to inhale your second-hand smoke for the duration of our walk. We're trapped behind you, where our options are 1) run to get ahead of you, 2) stop and wait for you to get a block ahead or 3) proceed at our normal pace, with face full of smoke. None is desirable.

So, Smokie Smokerson, next time you want to light up, find a place to perch and park it. Let's bring back the "smoke break" as a form of bonding! Grab a friend and use your time between puffs to catch up on celebrity gossip...or stock tips or fashion themes or sports teams or whatever.

Just don't walk down the sidewalk puffing clouds of smoke, like a locomotive, for the rest of us to get trapped in.

Thanks!
Me