There's a night market push on right now, more stalls on the harbourfront, officials talking about "vibrancy" like it's a KPI. Fine, I'm not against it. Free entertainment, why not. But go stand at one of these things on a Tuesday. Rows of stalls, everyone in matching vests, a stage with a band nobody asked for, and the whole place empty by 8:30. Compare that to Temple Street on any random night. Packed. Loud. Someone's uncle arguing about the price of a jade bracelet. Nobody scheduled that. It just happens because people actually want to be there.

Same government also wants us all to leave taxis alone and use the app, wants us to eat at "signature dining" spots with QR codes on the table, wants us to enjoy ourselves on a timetable set by a committee. You can't order joy like you order folding chairs. I run a dai pai dong, I know exactly what makes people show up: good food, fair price, somewhere to sit, and nobody telling them to have fun by 9pm sharp. The five-year plan Lee's meeting people about this week, whatever's in it, won't fix that. You fix it by leaving Temple Street alone and asking why it works instead of trying to build forty more of it.