In the evenings and at weekends there were always cultural events; with such diverse attractions as classical western music, an exhibition of Malay art or a Chinese opera in the street, it was difficult to get bored. Perhaps most impressive, however, was the remarkable transport system, with excellent roads, a swift and efficient bus service and a state of the art underground system which could whisk commuters from the suburbs straight into the heart of the city.(This was extremely important as the government banned private cars from entering the central business district during the morning and the afternoon rush hours in order to reduce congestion on the roads and pollution from the exhausts.)

Of course, living in a city like this has its disadvantages as well. For a start, the cost of living can be very high, renting an apartment for example is very expensive. And as the city is expanding, there are a lot of building sites where new apartments are continually being built to deal with the population explosion which is a direct result of the government encouraging people to have more children.

Fortunately, Singapore doesn't suffer from problems that are common in many cities such as drug abuse, which is partly the result of the government imposing very sever punishments on anyone bringing narcotics into the country, so it is safe to walk the streets at night In fact, the inner city housing estate there are probably the safest and most orderly in the world.

Singapore wouldn't be ideal for everyone, however, especially if you come from the countryside and are used to a rural lifestyle. The traditional villages that were once common have disappeared as the residents there realized there were no prospects for their future and moved into new government housing in the city.

Nowadays, there is very little productive land around the city, which means that Singapore imports almost all of its food. And despite a green approach to city planning, the urban sprawl which has eaten into the countryside has had a detrimental effect on the environment.

I would like to share this with anyone who has never been to Florida. Everything in this article is from my experience as a native Floridian, and I am going to try to clear up some misconceptions.

When most people see a commercial for Florida, they see the pictures of beautiful beaches, the space shuttle, and the theme parks (I’m leaving out the names because of the legal stuff ). What if you take all of that away? Now you have the real Florida.

Contrary to popular belief, Florida is not just some place to bring your big giant motor home (while pulling a twenty foot trailer, while pulling a car); but it’s a lot more. I wish to shed light on the pro’s and con’s (yes we sure have con’s).

Let’s start with the pro’s. I mentioned beaches. We have miles of beaches, on both sides and on the bottom. In fact Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba! As far as beauty; that of course is in the eye of the beholder. Miami Beach for instance has fame and fortune often associated with it, and on the flip side has some of the most overpriced real estate in the country. Hard to believe this was a tiny town at one time.

One other thing about the beautiful beaches: In some of the bigger cities, they are often plagued by litter (sometimes medical waste and even hypodermic needles), overcrowding, and depending on what time of year- jellyfish that sting!

Now let’s look at some more fun facts. Florida has more than a thousand people a DAY moving here. So as you could imagine, this opens up the door for many fields of employment. For example: Real estate, construction, trades, and don’t forget travel agencies (BIG MONEY).

Here I am going to share more of my first hand experience with a seldom heard of part of Florida (at least not in the t.v. ads). Florida is in the “Deep South,” and some of the true Floridians (sometimes referred to as “Florida crackers”), are hard working farmers, and another fun fact-we are home to one of the largest cattle producing states. Our beef is the pride of many dinner tables.

As far as farming, we have quite a little tobacco growing sector, along with of course citrus (orange juice by the ton).

In closing, I’ll share some con’s. Like bugs? We definitely have you COVERED there! I don’t know if scientists will ever be able to identify all of them (at least in my area).

Like heat? No sweat. (Far from it). I once spent a Christmas day at 89 degrees! Last but not least: HURRICANES! I’m not sure, but I think we pretty much have the record there.

Thanks and welcome to Florida.