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Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net SINGAPORE -- Honestly, I didn't even know it was a fountain, considering I've been noticing it each time I go to Singapore. Arriving from the airport, when the cab makes a left towards Suntec City and I see this particular structure, I know I'm almost near whichever hotel in Marina Bay I am staying. But one day, while walking back to my hotel, I decided to cross the street and check out this circular mass of steel that looks like it can hold a giant crystal ball. Turns out, it's the world's largest fountain -- since 1998, actually, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In Singapore, almost every landmark you see denotes wealth and progress, from high-rise buildings to the art center that is the Esplanade to sprawling the recently built ferris-wheel-cum-viewdeck they call the Singapore Flyer. But the Fountain of Wealth is no ordinary fountain put there for aesthetic purposes alone. It is designed according to feng shui, or the Chinese art of, well, putting things in their proper places. According to people I've talked to, the fountain does spew water but during the afternoon, it pauses to allow people to go to the center and make a wish. But unlike other fountains, you need not scratch your pockets for coins. You make a wish, touch the water while walking around in circles three times. But you need not be Chinese to believe that, of course. Like other tourists, I made my wish and walked around it. But by and large, it just felt great to dip my hands into the water in the middle of the usual hot, humid day in Singapore.