This is life 13: Foreword to Taipei

Singapore had just welcomed her 9th million visitor and interestingly, many Singaporeans are making their way away from Singapore; either temporary if not permanently. How would being away in Taipei sound like? It will be what most Singaporeans love, shopping and eating, followed by another round of eating and shopping.

Well, what makes one a Singaporean? It will have to include endless pursue of excellence and the appetite for consumerism. Life is never complete without shopping. On a higher level, life is never complete without shopping overseas. So here, is the time to fulfil part of the Singaporean identity; of self indulgence, of consumerism, it never ends.

However, how would someone from an authoritarian state experience a dramatic change in visiting the most democratic part of Asia? Can ''This is life'' series suvive the culture shock?