 The characters of the film were based on the experiences of the people around the writers, that of the writers themselves, and on the e-mail responses that they received to their essay.The development of "Singapore Dreaming" began in 2000 when New York-based couple Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen wrote an essay for "Singaporeans Exposed", a publication to commemorate the Singapore International Foundation's ten-year anniversary.The 5200-word essay, "Paved with Good Intentions", explained the difference between the Singapore Dream and the Singapore Plan, and discussed the source and fashion of many Singaporeans' aspirations.