Singapore is a city by itself. We are not
large enough like our neighbors to have our own states and federal
governments.
I used to think the West and Northwest
regions were isolated and devoid of life. Maybe the
Northwestern regions still are, but certain locations in the West
like Clementi and Queenstown have become popular due to their
unbelievable proximity to town.
Buona Vista, or whatever the neighborhood is
called, has become a quite high-class estate, thanks to the new
malls and buildings sprouting near the MRT station. Of course,
being near to Holland Village and the NUS and Insead campus helps
too.
Sorry Jurong West, but it seems NTU and Jurong
Mall are your only saving grace. However, I recognize that Jurong
West is a large contributor to Singapore's economy and to some
extent Johor Bahru's, so if ever you were to break away from the
rest of us as an independent nation within a nation...
Jokes aside, it
seems that every region of Singapore has its own identity. I mean,
Woodlands looks nothing like Pasir Ris! I guess that works to every
estate's favor. All things aside, nothing beats living in the East.
I find a lot of good eating places within comfortable distance. One
of my ex-colleagues who lives in the West also confided that he
couldn't get this range of food compared to the
East.
I also like Bedok a lot. It's a big area,
covering Bedok Reservoir, to Bedok South that is in close
proximity to East Coast Park. It's a mix of old school charm and
new commercial development (which I'm not particularly fond
of) and probably a place I would consider as my next home if I ever
get to purchase an apartment.