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Misc. Information
To really enjoy your stay here, here are some pointers. Some may hold true elsewhere too
- When asked by store owners where you stay while you are shopping, this question is for them to access who you are. If you stay at some expensive hotel, the price will shoot up (assuming the store doesn't practice price tagging) The trick is then to sound local, try telling them you stay in Clementi (pronounced 'Clementee'), or Bishan (pronounced ' Bee Shun'). Not everyone is that scheming. In Newton Circus, many hawkers push the price up for foreigners esp Japanese. I shall repeat what I have said in my 'Shopping' page here.
Being a tourist at a non-fixed price shop (e.g. Sim Lim Square or places that doesn't practice price tagging), you will have a higher chance encounter such unethical retailers. Knowing the market price is essential to get a good deal. This characteristic of marking up price for tourists is found not only in Singapore, but throughout many countries. You might not be aware that such practices exist because you are a local. Japanese tourists are prime target worldwide for example. In New York, Japanese tourists are subjected to such unethical practice in restaurants where a different set of menu printed in Japanese have prices higher than those in English. This is not hearsay but experienced by a close friend. In Europe's touristy spots, I am often mistaken as Japanese (because to cretins, all Asians look alike) and quoted higher price. One merchant in Venice greeted me "Ohaiyogozaimasu" (Good morning, I speak some Japanese) and spoke to me in Japanese even when I spoke English. The price of the item is 3x higher than a similiar one sold everywhere else. I have this same experience in Korea (where Japanese forms a major portion of their tourists).
- Be wary of people touting bus cheap tickets to Malaysia. Like in Earls Court in London (touting B&Bs) , the best approach is to take everything they say with a pinch of salt. My advice is to get it in a ticket office.
- Far East Shopping Centre &
Lucky Plaza offer great deals but then again they have the most shops
black listed by the local Tourist Promotion Board. Avoid the 'fast,
cheap & Armani cut' tailors, electronics dealers in these building. Many are smiling sharks waiting to con you. As a local, I encounter many shops with rude sales person. Many times, I walked out of the shop almost wanting to point my middle finger at them or curse them till they drop on the spot.
If you are shopping for electronics, it is a must for you to know the street value. You must know what the product standard package contains. To do so, go to big electronics stores here like Courts, Harvey Norman and Best Denki. They are very reputable but their price is often the manufacturer's suggested retail price. They provide a baseline for you to compare prices. E.g. My Canon digital camera price is $899 at Best Denki. At a Canon authorized dealer at Sim Lim Square, the price is about 15% cheaper. If you avoid the first trap, prepare yourself for the second. Often you need some accessories and that's where some unscrupulous small retailers make their money. Again you need to know the price for accessories.
The local police are currently running a campaign with a slogan like this 'Low crime doesn't mean no crime'. This ought to tell you that crime rate are very low here. People are getting complacent. For me, I can leave my bag unattended on a chair in a food centre and order my food without the fear of it being stolen. But that doesn't mean there is no risk. I would suggest that you have someone to watch over yours. Tourists are an attractive target group no matter where you are in the world. You don't really need to carry your day pack in front of you in a crowded area or transport. Chances of losing your stuff to pick pocket are very low. But please use common sense and do not be too complacent.
Generally hanging out late at night are safe. The only trouble you can get is not enough money for beer.
Public Toilets are generally (95%) free here. The few places where you might need to pay for toilets is in some hawker center. The cost of entry is about S$0.20.
Locating free public toilets is very easy. All MRT (Subway, metro, underground) stations, shopping malls & Hotels have toilets you can use for free. Toilet paper availability is another issue. It is prudent to bring a pack of tissue or toilet paper just in case.
Tourists attractions such Sentosa, Bird Park & etc have toilets. The Night Safari's beautiful toilet is an attraction on its own. Churches, mosque, temples usually do not have toilets open to the public. Other than the standard urinal for man, Singapore toilets comes in 2 varieties. 1, your standard toilet bowl and 2, the squat type (See image. Malays have the habit of washing up instead of using papers thus the tap. They eat with their right hand and clean up with the left.) Restaurants usually have their own toilet unless it's in a shopping mall where you will have to use the one in the mall.
The standards of hygiene of toilets range from uber clean, Grohe equipped to the leaking, stinking, no toilet paper toilets.
I was surprised that a traveller to
Singapore said on LP that things were 10 - 15% more expensive than London.
I was in London July 96 and found that everyday things are much more expensive. A
can of Coke cost S$1 on average while the same Coke cost me S$2 in
London. My friend studying in London has to bring his own stationery becoz
it's almost twice as expensive over there. Either we both have been conned
or shopped at different places. I will agree however that certain things
are cheaper in London than in Singapore like shoes and coats. London June 04 - Novel: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code £6.99 (S$21) in Singapore it's going for S$14.
Singapore is relatively expensive compare to the rest of South East Asia but is still cheaper then Japan and Europe. But general prices are going
up in Singapore :-(
Here's a list of estimated average prices of common expenses in Singapore Dollars, June 2005
Can of Coke - S$1.20 (at food court, cheaper at convenient stores)
Pack of Cigarettes (20 sticks) : S$10.50
Loaf of bread : S$1.40
Lunch/Dinner @ Hawker Center : S$3 (bowl of noodles or rice with dishes)
Lunch/Dinner @ Food Court : S$5 (bowl of noodles or rice with dishes)
Lunch/Dinner @ McDonalds : S$6 (Value Meal: Burger, fries, drink)
Lunch/Dinner @ Moderately priced restaurants: S$20 (Soup/main/drink)
Dish of 1 Sri Lanka Chili Crab : S$45 (in hawker center)
Accomodation in a Dorm : S$20 per person per day
Accomodation in a moderate hotel: From S$100 per day
T-Shirt - S$10 (Giodarno)
Public Transport (per trip): S$0.70 - 1.90
Metered taxi fare from Airport to Town : S$15 - 25 (depending on time of day & traffic)
Digital Photo printing: S$0.40 per 4R print
Roll of Film Kodak 36 ISO 400 : S$4
Movie Ticket : S$9.50 (cheaper during weekdays, office hours)
Here are some interesting facts that you might not know about Singapore.
If you stay in Singapore for a few years, you will run out of new things to do unless you are rich. This is not say that this is a boring place but because of the small land size, there isn't much do do after being around for a few years. A quick getaway would mean going to Malaysia, Indonesia or the neighbouring countries. Of course, if you are rich, you can join one of the country club here and have a round of golf, yachting and so on. However, be prepare to pay around US$100k for a club entry. Many have flock to Malaysia, our northern neighbour, for a cheaper alternative. But you don't have to be rich to be have a great life here. There are always new places to hang out if you are the sort that enjoys nite life.
The most common pastime
things a typical Singaporean do when they relax is window shopping,
looking out new place to eat, karaoke, clubbing, sports like tennis,
squash, soccer etc, catch a movie and with the latest invasion of cafes,
people flock to have a cupa at Starbucks and the likes. For me, being born in Singapore is somewhat a blessing because our land in small, we tend to travel out of the country a lot more and get exposed to other people and culture though you have to be somewhat middle class to do that. I am one country shy of having visited 20 other countries spanning from Oceania to Asia to Europe.
- Car Prices are very high in
Singapore due to the control of car population by the government to curb traffic congestion. As our nation progress, the increase purchasing power of individual means more cars on the road. If left unchecked, traffic conjestion and pollution will be a problem. The government uses a multiprong approach to deal with this problem. ie keep price of car artificially high and tolls to crowded road.
In 2004, a brand new Toyota Corolla 1.6L Auto at S$73,000. (When will I ever get my Ferrari....sigh!). First, cars imported are slapped with high taxes (we don't produced any locally). Secondly, you need a C.O.E. (Certificate of Entitlement) to drive it. Every car must have this COE. This COE entitles you to drive the car for a period of 10 years, with limited supply (to control the car population), you need to bid for it in an auction. To drive it for another 10 years, you need to bid for a new COE again. The typical cost of this COE is around S$30,000 in 2004. Electronic road tolls are then used to limit traffic in congested area. London has study our system and implemented a similiar system downtown. The government is making driving expensive and encourage the masses to take the efficient public transport it has provided. Petrol cost about S$1.50 per litre.
- Property prices are also high. A new unfurnished 4 room HDB apartment (Public Housing, about 90Sq Meters, 4 room meaning 3 bedrooms, hall, kitchen & 2 toilets) flat cost about S$220,000. In order to qualify for a public housing, you must be married. If you are not married, you can buy your own smaller public housing at the the age of 35 or go for the upmarket condominium any time (usually above S$700,000)
- All healthy Singaporean males have to serve for a duration of 2 - 2 ½ years of fulltime national service usually in the Armed Forces. You may also serve with the police or the civil defence force. to help in the defence of our country (Recent development have shortened this to 2 years). Most serve around the age of 18. The time of your service depend largely on the level of education. The higher educated you are, the longer the service (often up to 2½ years). I served 2½ years with the Air Force. After this service, we still have to serve in the reserve unit for numerous of years, this time I am with a Guards Unit (US Ranger equivalent?), we fast-rope down choppers for insertion. All of us go through at least a basic military training (weapons, grenades, tactics training). Like the US Marines, everyone is trained as a rifleman even if he's a vehicle mechanic or a cook. Other courses includes the advanced squad leader, officer and other specialized courses.
- A fresh business graduate will expect his/her salary to be around the region of S$1600-$2200 per month. From this sum, 20% goes to Central Provident Fund (CPF) & another 10% will be contributed by your employer, the government maintain the account for you (In another words, they play with your money). In short it's a kind of forced savings where you can only draw out the money after you retire, buy a house or pay for large medical expenses for example.
- Lots of Singaporean are brand conscious. It is not surprising to see many 16 year old with Versace Jeans, Burberry Shirt etc. That will also explain the numbers of Mercedes in Singapore (stand along any street and count the numbers that pass by for a minute & no, they are no going in circles, do you still remember the price of cars? entry level Mercedes starts at S$160,000).
- Singaporeans like punctuate their sentence with lah & loh. Used as an emphasis, something like this,'Boring loh!' or ' I know what I'm doing, lah!'
- Littering in Singapore may cost you up to S$2000 in fines or be summon to serve CWO (Corrective Work Order) ie spent a day sweeping floor wearing a jacket that says CWO.
- Singapore is served by 3 ISPs. There are Singnet, Pacific Internet & Starhub. An unlimited broadband 1500K subscription cost around S$60/month. Singnet and Pacific Net uses ADSL for home. Starhub is the only cable connection in Singapore. From my experience, Starhub ping to the US is in the 300 while both ADSL ISP is around 200. I was an unsatisfied user of starhub and have since use Singnet
- 3 mobile phone companies currently service this island. There are Singtel Mobile, M1 & Starhub. A typical rate is S$0.20/minute during peak hours and you have to pay for both incoming and outgoing calls. However, Starhub's do not charge for incoming calls. Monthly Subscription is around $25.
Singapore River - Fotos
courtesy of Wee
Keng Hor.
What we get here is
mostly programmes from USA. Sitcom and series are mostly from US.
For e.g. CSI, ER, X-files, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Boston Public, Ally
McBeal, Friends, Seinfeld and so on.
The only British telly programmes I remember is Mr Bean & Keeping Up
Appearances. If you think that this is very limited, there are no
satellite TV allowed here! Though there is a Cable TV service (SCV) that
airs better programmes.
One big difference is that we watch mostly UK sports rather than US sports.
With improvement of the ESPN channels, there are highlights of NFL, NHL, MLB. I am not sure if they telecast live matches
Few airings of Hockey, Cricket, yachting and Martial Arts
As & when airing of - Tennis Tournament, Grand Prix, PGA, Badminton,
Rugby.
Our telly will air Soccer(football is what we call here). Singaporean are crazy about soccer and betting on the matches. Huge chunks of money changes hands during the 1998, 2002 World Cup. For English Premiere League Soccer fans, Our local channels will show one weekly highlights and sometime 'live' matches. The Eurocup 2004 Finals is presently screened live here. Live EPL matches are available in paid channels (ESPN)
The locally made
programs sucks big time except for a few productions. Why do I say this. Asian drama tends to be long winded and plots are shallow. They don't have the intelligent plots found in CSI, X-files or West Wing. A locally made forensic themed drama copying CSI tends to focus more on the characters' family and love life rather than solving interesting case with higlights of forensic facts. The script writers simply wrote with minimum research. Korean drama dubbed in Mandarin are popular here and tend to be long winded stories of love triangle and forlorn love set in different theme. Watching such dramas kills braincells and promote stupidity. Well, that's my personal opinion anyway.
The Newspaper.
The dailies sometimes left much to be desired. It's not that the standard is poor but because the papers are owned by the government, they are quick to paint a pro-government spin to every event and political decisions. Many debates on government decision e.g. to build a Casino here starts often with a balance report on the pros and cons and slowly tilt towards the government decision over a period of time. Public relations from governmenr agencies are still high handed - Clarification of feedbacks are not to clarify, but to put oneself in the clear. Don't they realise we are no longer the uneducated coolies but worldly wised white collared workers?
Being born or living in
Singapore usually means nothing much to do except shop, eat or catch a
movie. So the cinema business is great here. The movies are rated G
(General), PG (Parental Guidance), NC-16 (No children under 16) and R(A)
(Restricted Artistic above 21). It was only recently did the government relaxed this censorship rule somewhat. Prior to that, we have to take the illegal way of making Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather, American Pie and a lot more R rated DVDs available in our DVD collection.
Cinemas in town and in neighbourhood towns are modern and with good enough
sound system like THX and Dolby. What seems to be lacking here is service. Popcorns, drinks and other food are sold by the cinema operator and they do not allow food not bought from them to be consumed in the cinema.
There are many movie house or 'Cineplex' as we called it here dotted island wide. These Cineplex offers a few theatre within the building and thus has several films showing concurrently. What is good about these Cineplex is that usually there are shopping malls nearby or in the building itself. There are a few Cineplex in Orchard Rd itself like Lido, Orchard Cineplex & Cathay.
Movie Tickets are around S$9.50 on weekends and slightly cheaper during weekdays. Seating is predetermined before the show. In some cinemas, you can choose your seats. In others, the ticketing counters will assigned seats (you can state your seating preference)
The English music scene here adhere
to the US charts. There are UK influences and to a lesser extend the
Aussie invasion.
Charts here are current with the US as we get Billboard Top 40 countdown
weekly. UK charts influences tend to be the more commercialized bands like
Oasis, Spice Girls & The Verve. Singapore isn't that great on the
alternative scene. Have to look around or go to the better CD shops like
HMV and Towers Records.
The Chinese (i.e. mandarin and Cantonese) music scene is dominated by local, Taiwanese, Hong Kong and some Malaysian artistes. The popular stars are probably Emil Chow, Jacky Cheung & Faye Wong.
I am no language specialist, so here
I go trying to help you make sense of what Singaporean are speaking.
If you hear someone saying 'wenlah' to you, You might think it's tamil or
something. But this is simply Singaporean way of saying 'Would not' or
wouldn't. You split wouldn't to 2 syllabus and speaking only the first
syllabus very fast, you can the pronunciation 'wen' the 'lah' is used to
exaggerate or show emphasis like man in 'hurry up, man.' Here a
Singaporean would say,'Hurry up, lah'
In other cases, the English Language is mix with Mandarin dialect like Hokkien & Cantonese or even Malay to form a sentence. For e.g. In Malay, to have a meal is 'Makan'. So, typically, Singaporean will say,"Come, let's go makan."
Colloquial English here is known as
Singlish.
Mandarin Phrases
Nihao (pronounced Knee How) - How are you?
Xiexie (sierra sierra w/o the 'ra') - Thank you
A typical Singaporean lives on the fast lane. Always hurrying to places and chores. We rush through life to keep pace and seldom slow down to notice or spare a thought to others. Thus the word 'kiasu' in Hokkien dialect is to describe us. Kiasu simply means 'afraid of losing'. A typical example of kiasu-ism is when people rush in front of the MRT trains to secure a front position in hope of getting a seat in the train.
Singapore Internet / Cyber Cafe
There are relatively few cyber/internet cafe in Singapore not because we don't access the internet but because most of us already have connection at home/work and don't need to venture out of our home to surf. Many internet cafe that sprung during the dotcoms days has since closed. In fact, if you search through yahoo listing, their url don't work. Many backpackers' accommodations provide internet access in-house and are usually free of charge. Changi Airport provide free Internet access for up till 15mins. If there are no one else using, you probably can use it for quite a while.
The only ones that I know of (ie I come across it & is still in business) are
PacNet@PARCO
#B1-07 Parco Bugis Junction (Bugis MRT Station)
200 Victoria Street Singapore 188021 (opposite DeliFrance)
10:00am to 9:00pm (Daily)
PacNet@FUNAN
#01-25 Funan The IT Mall
109 North Bridge Road Singapore 179097
10:00am to 9:00pm (Daily)
PLANET E + G
Raffles City Shopping Centre #03-12
Tel: 6333 1397
Some others I cannot verify if there are still around are
Cybernet Gamers Station
180 The Bencoolen #02-03 Bencoolen Street
Tel: 6238 8363
Netgames (Most likely still there)
100 Beach Road
#01-09/10/11 Shaw Tower
Tel: 6294 7926
E-Games Pte Ltd
8 Grange Road
#03-08 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
Singapore 239695
Tel: 6235 8201
Chills Cafe
#01-07 Stamford House 39 Stamford Road
Singapore 178885
PHONE: (65)68831016
deboss@chillscafe.com.sg
http://www.chillscafe.com.sg
If you have a notebook with wireless capability, check out http://sg.mobile.yahoo.com/www/sg_hotspots.php for a list of hotspots.
The voltage here is 220V - 240V. Plugs used are the 3 prong, blockish one as shown here.
