Hello, I’m a newcomer here. Unfittingly however, my first post has winded up at the support section, but for a good reason. I would like to post a thread to introduce myself, blah blah blah but I don’t see a section where I can do that. Any help?
First of all, welcome to the Chiff, optakeover! 
Many people put their introductory post in the forum that corresponds with their interest…like a person who plays whistle will post in the Whistle Forum, introducing themselves and telling us what kind(s) of whistle(s) you play or want to play, etc. Or, you can just pop into the Pub and say your hellos there. In the end, it’s up to you.
Thank you very much! I shall get to it now.
Welcome aboard.
there is a sort of charm, starting in the basement
welcome!
yer gonna have to part with more information before we can butcher a greeting tailored to ya. 
Granted. Visit https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/hello/61191/1 
I saw that!
I’ve been to Singapore! Loved it, wasn’t there near long enough. Ah, late spring 1972.
I was walking past a record store and noticed two guys opening a box. They grabbed a record and started it. Turned around and went back. Deep Purple, Machine Head.
'bit before yer time… 
welcome!
Wow, Denny. I knew you were old, but I didn’t think you were quite that old!
older
My best friend’s daughter now plays with Ritchie Blackmore (Blackmore’s Night). Talk about feeling old …
Richie is chasin’ Keith…I ain’t gainin’ on either of 'em 
yeah, old it is 
Ahh yes, a visitor to Singapore. I’m sure you were impressed by the cleanliness and the low-crime rate (which is much better in the 1990s to now, after we’ve introduced our world-renowned draconian anti-chewing gum and anti-drug laws). The only problem is that Singapore’s a small country so its going to grow very insipid if you visit it too many times. If you (or any other here) wants to visit Singapore (again) I suggest that you venture out into the heartlands by going outside the downtown area. You’ll see the other 1/2 of Singapore’s charm in the residential estates. Oh, and it’ll only be a half-an-hour’s ride back to the city. If you don’t want a cultural shock, try Holland Village, which is Singapore’s very own “expatriates’ country” and Yishun, where I can normally see a small number of expatriates roaming around. They are there because they are families with fathers in Singapore due to U.S. Navy’s presence here, particularly in the naval base up north. However, Yishun is not as interesting as Ang Mo Kio, where its known for its food. Oh, and before I go, we boast as being ‘the food paradise’. Well, it’s a matter of ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. To enjoy regional food, Malaysia and even Hong Kong fields better hawker ware.
As a sailor on liberty. USS Constellation. I think we were the first USS in years.
Yep, clean…boringly clean. Gum was already outlawed in 1972 and they were strict on drugs.
I much preferred Hong Kong, ventured deep into Kowloon.
How did we get allowed to have a base there?
I believe it’s trust. We’ve always been having assistance from the US. We’ve been buying military hardware, sending our troops for training in America (our air force trains at Luke Air base too)and economic co-operation. Our trust culminated in the building of our newest naval base, which can accommodate US super-carriers. Next, I also believe that the US was able to project some of her influence in SE Asia due to Singapore. Because of ideological and some political differences between her and Indonesia and Malaysia (sensitivity needed here), the US found Singapore a good country to set up its stronghold. Malaysia would definitely object to the US setting up a base (Malaysia buys Russian hardware, supports Arab League) and Indonesia would also be a poor place to do so (ideological difference). By setting up her stronghold in a country which is racially and religiously tolerant, the US have met little to no objections from the Singaporean public.
I see that was done in 1990, explains why we finally gave up the Subic Bay base in the Philippines in 1992. I’d wondered where we had moved to. There’s too much ocean about to not have somewhere in your area to stop by. Even with going nuclear there’s a few mouths to feed.
The cruise to Singapore was the only time in the nine months that we were in the shipping lanes. It was a bit odd seeing other ships about. It was rather seldom that we ever caught site of out destroyer.
Thanks,
Denny