This is Singapore?

Dated: 5 Feb 2013

My aunt wanted to do some errands on Orchard Road, Singapore's largest shopping area. She invited me to go window shopping but I didn't understand why JUST window shopping.
I took the MRT (Singapore's subway system) and when I got out of the station you were in the basement of two malls. The first store I went into was something I was familiar with: Forever 21. However I soon became overwhelmed as I walked through it looking for a Chinese New Year outfit. It just kept going! I thought that the next "room" was just a mirror image, but NO its more clothes and accessories! A bunch of young students walked around the store and many of them were Caucasian with slight tans. (I got a little jealous. I'm still Ms. Whitie McWhiterson.) When I couldn't find anything I tried to move on to another store, hoping that my shock would subside. I found gorgeous outfits that I couldn't afford and saw women who all looked like models or housewives out of Hollywood. I thought I had dressed up, but they made me look like I was going to a wet market.
My aunt asked me to meet her at a mall called Ion. I stood next to the largest Sephora I had ever seen. I think I even saw a chandelier in there! I wanted to buy some cosmetics but I quickly got too scared to ask for help. Yes, I was scared! Just standing in the lobby of the mall felt like you were in Monaco or Paris. I had come to the conclusion that I need a tour guide for the malls more than I needed one for a safari.
I'm not a person who buys things from Louis Vuitton or Hans Cole or Valentino. Even if I had the money to use in places like these, I think I would want to buy something unique or something that benefited others. All these brands are the leaders in fashion but to the un-bias eye everything looks pretty much the same across the world. Where's the culture in a place like this?
When my aunt and I were doing errands I asked her if the world thought that this, the concrete shopping jungle, is what Singapore is. Since most foreigners live and work close to here, I have to wonder if foreigners visiting really portray the hidden character of the  Singapore I have known most of my life. Most traveling people see the "shinny" parts of a country, where things are familiar and you don't have to put too much effort into adapting. But is that really traveling?
I'll probably go back to Orchard Road another day to attempt exploring again, taking with me my metaphorical shot gun and canteen, but I think my happiness lies elsewhere on this diverse island.