I really wasn’t sure what to expect when traveling to Singapore or Malaysia. This whole trip was kinda very loosely planned with minimal expectations.
One of the most interesting things from this trip was learning about the pre-colonial, colonial, and wartime histories of these countries and their respective paths to independence and current trajectories.
Part of that history is preserved in the buildings of these cities. You have ultramodern skyscrapers right next to old shophouses with architecture from multiple different cultures. I particularly loved wandering around Georgetown in Malaysia. In many ways it felt like a city frozen in time, as if my experiences walking those streets wasn’t too far off from the experience of people 50+ years ago (of course minus the all the cars and other modern technologies). But then when I entered the various shophouses lining the streets I never knew what to expect. Some embraced the rustic charm with distress walls (some with more intentionality than other) and handmade furniture. Others were portals back to the 21st century with minimalist, concrete interior design and chrome fixtures. There was so much creative use of these old spaces that were now being reclaimed for use in the modern era.
Just because something has been around long time, does not mean that it needs to stay the way it was from when it was created. The worlds changes, people adapt, ideas evolve. That said, the past is full of opportunities to learn and grow, and in that way can never be fully be rejected, but instead can be reclaimed.
nANIMOv 