singapore at random
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Facts, figures, quotes
and anecdotes on Singapore
SINGAPORE R ANDOMat
How many hours do Singaporeans work in a week?
What is Singapore foot?
Just how much is the prime minister of Singapore paid in a year?
When was the fi rst Starbucks café in Singapore opened?
How many ways can you have yusheng?
How many calories are there in a serving of nasi briyani with chicken?
What is Singapore’s most unwelcome tree?
Where is the most heavily populated cemetery in Singapore?
Who was the designer behind the uniform of the SIA Singapore Girl?
How many Merlion statues are there in Singapore?
Singapore at Random provides the answers to these and many
other fun and fascinating questions about the country.
Also in this series:
Malaysia at Random
An illustrated collection of Singapore
trivia, Singapore at Random is fi lled with
anecdotes, statistics, quotes, diagrams, facts,
advice, folklore and other unusual and often
useful tidbits. Th is veritable treasure trove
of information on Singapore is arranged, as
the title suggests, randomly, so that readers
will come to expect the unexpected on each
and every page. Designed in a charmingly
classic style and peppered with attractive
illustrations, Singapore at Random is a quirky
and irresistible celebration of everything
you didn’t know you wanted to know about
this diverse and multi-cultural country.
US$16.00
PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER
Other books published by
EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET
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Cover image courtesy of Graham Byfi eld.
Title:Singapore At Random:Edm2nd Proof Job No:D0811-36/CD0911-5/ Alice
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
Onward SingaporeCome,fellowSingaporeansLetusprogresstowardshappinesstogetherMayournobleaspirationbringSingaporesuccessCome,letusuniteInanewspiritLetourvoicessoarasoneOnwardSingaporeOnwardSingapore
National Anthem
Majulah Singapura MarikitarakyatSingapuraSama-samamenujubahagiaCita-citakitayangmuliaBerjayaSingapuraMarilahkitabersatuDengansemangatyangbaruSemuakitaberseruMajulahSingapuraMajulahSingapura
WHY WE dON’t kNOW tHE LYRIcS Of OUR NAtIONAL ANtHEm
“HereinSingapore,wecan’tevenspeakonelanguageproperly,andyouexpectpeoplewhodon’tspeakMalaytounderstandournationalanthem?”
–MarcKhoo,26,Self-employed
“Idon’tknowthemeaning.MaybebecauseIhavenotsungitforsolong.Majulah...meanslion?”
–XuYanQing,26,BusinessAnalyst
“Weareallbusywithourwork,sohowcanweremembersomanythings?It’smoreofthefeelingwhenwesingit,asopposedtogettingeverywordcorrect.”
–BobTan,33,ExecutiveEngineer
Source:TheSundayTimes,4Oct2009
TheNationalAnthemwaswrittenandcomposedbythelateEncikZubirSaidinthecontextofrisingnationalistsentimentinthe1950s.ItwaslaunchedtogetherwiththeNationalFlagandStateCreston3September1959attheinstallationofthenewheadofstate,theYangdi-PertuanNegara.Thesethreeitemsformthesymbolsofstate.ThelyricsoftheNationalAnthemanditstranslationarereproducedbelow.
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
mEEt tHE LOcALS
S ingaporeisoftenreferredtoasamultiracialandmulticulturalsociety,butinreality,therearemoredivisionswithintheubiquitousChinese,Malay,Indianand“Others”.Localterms
forresidentsoftheislandshowtherangeofpeopleanditsstereotypes.Thefollowingtermsarecommonlyusedandsometimesderogatory:
Ah Beng–unsophisticatedChineseruffian,whousuallyspeakstheHokkiendialect. Hetendstofollowfashiontrendsbutisoftenlackingtaste.(Bengisacommon Hokkienname).
Ah Seng–perjorativetermforanybody(thereforeconnotesa“nobody”).Ah Lian/Ah Huay–femaleversionofAhBeng.Ah Kong–HokkienforGrandpa.Usedtoaddressanyoldpersonwhoistoooldto
becalled“uncle”.Ah Mm(pronounced“mmm”)–femaleversionofAhKong.Ah Pui–agenericnameforafatperson.Hokkienequivalentof“Fatty”.Ah Qua–anoffensivetermforaneffeminateorhomosexualman.Ya-ya papaya–anarrogantperson.“Yaya”isaslangtermforarrogant,whilepapaya
justhappenstorhyme.Keng Chio Kia–Hokkienfor“BananaChild”,ie“yellowontheoutside,whiteon
theinside”.Inshort,aChinesewhotakesonWesternaffectations.Mat Rocker–ayoungMalaymalewholovesheavymetalmusic,motorcyclesand
leatherjackets.Electro MinahorMinah Rock–MatRocker’sgirlfriend;femaleversionofMat
Rocker.Sua Koo–ayokel.Hokkienfor
“countrybumpkin”.Buaya–alothariooraskirt-
chaser.BasedontheMalayword for“crocodile”.
Helicopter–aChinese-educated person.
Mat SallehorAng Moh–Malay andHokkienslangrespectivelyfor a“Caucasian”.
Sarong Party Girl–alocalgirl whoonlydatesCaucasianmen, oftenabbreviatedtoSPG.
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
cLOSE cONtESt
themostrecentpresidentialelectionheldon27August2011was,forthefirsttime,afour-corneredfight,themosthard-foughtinSingapore’shistory.Thecandidateswereformer
DeputyPrimeMinister(DPM)DrTonyTan,formerMemberofParliamentDrTanChengBock,formerCEOofinsurancecooperativeNTUCIncomeMrTanKinLian,andformerseniorcivilservantandinvestmentmanagerMrTanJeeSay.Ithadbeentoutedasa“contestofthefourTan’s”asallcandidatessharethesamesurnameTan.DrTonyTanemergedthewinnerwith35.2percentofthevotescasttobecomethenation’sseventhpresident.
Therewasonlyoneotherpresidentialelection–in1993,whenformerDPMOngTengCheongdefeatedformerAccountant-GeneralChuaKimYeowtobecomethenation’sfirstpopularlyelectedpresidentfromSep1993toAug1999.Thenexttwoelectionswereactuallywalkovers,asthelastpresidentSRNathanwasthesolecandidatequalifiedtorunforhisfirstterm(Sep1999–Aug2006)andwasunchallengedforhissecondterm(Sep2006–Aug2011).
mOSt cOmmON tREES IN SINGAPORE
Singaporehasalandareaof710squarekilometres,withover2,000recordednativeplantspecies.Thereareabouttwomilliontreesplantedalongroadsides,inparksandprotected
naturereserves.InanefforttointroducethelocalpopulationtothemostcommontreesinSingapore,theNationalParksBoardlaunchedthe“KnowTenTrees”campaign.
TrumpetTree(Tabebuiarosea)YellowFlame
(Peltophorumpterocarpum)SeaApple(Syzygiumgrande)Tembusu(Fagraeafragrans)Angsana(Pterocarpusindicus)
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Source:NationalParksBoard
Saga(Adenantherapavonina)SenegalMahogany
(Khayasenegalensis)SeaAlmond(Terminaliacatappa)RainTree(Samaneasaman)Broad-leafedMahogany
(Swieteniamacrophylla)
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mILES ANd mILES…
A sof2010,thereare3,355kilometresofroadinSingapore,ofwhich161kilometresareexpressways.
Source:LandTransportAuthority
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
RIckSHAWS IN SINGAPORE
R ickshawswereintroducedinSingaporeon16February1880.OriginallyfromJapan,theybecamethehand-drawntaxi-cabsofearlySingapore,amajorformofpublictransportand
aprimarysourceofincomeforthousandsofChineseimmigrantsinSingaporefromthe1880stothe1930s.InventedinJapanin1869,thenamejinrickshawisananglicisationofjinrikisha,theJapanesenameforthevehiclewhichliterallymeans“man-poweredcarriage”.
Unlikethesingle-seatersinHongKong,Singapore’srickshawsweredouble-seaters,feasibleonlybecausetheroadsherewerelesssteep.Itwasonlyin1904thatfirst-classsingle-seaterswereintroduced.Thesehad“Englishwoodenfurniture”and“Indianrubber-cushion-tyrewheels”.Rickshawpullerscouldthusearnmoreandtheirloadswerelessened.By1919,theiron-wheeleddouble-seaterrickshawscouldnolongerbefoundinSingapore.
Thetraditionalrickshawwaseventuallybannedin1947andreplacedbythetrishaw(three-wheeledvehiclewithpedals).
ALL SOULS’ dAY
Q ingMingJie(alsoChengMeng)isAllSouls’DayfortheChinese.QingMingmeans“clearandbright”,probablyareferencetotheweatheratthetimeoftheyearduringwhichthe
festivaloccurs,inthethirdlunarmonthorearlyspring,usuallyon5Aprilor106daysaftertheWinterSolstice.Itisatimetorememberthedearlydepartedandtopayrespecttoone’sdeceasedancestorsandfamilymembers.
QingMingisamajorChinesefestivalbecauseitreinforcesthevalueoffilialpiety,duringwhichmanyChinesevisitthecemeteriesoftheirpassedrelatives.Offeringsoffoodanddrinkaremade,oftenjosssticksandhellmoney,papermansions,cars,servantsandtreasurechestsareburntatthegravesidetoensurethatthedeceasedhavealltheyneedintheotherworld.Aftertheprayers,thefoodisgatheredtogetherandtakenhometobeconsumedbythefamily.
Source:NationalLibraryBoardInfopediaTalk
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
Nutmeg Gambier Pepper Pineapple Rubber
AGRIcULtURAL cROPS Of OLd SINGAPORE
A lthoughSingaporeisasmallisland,agriculturewasasignificantindustryformuchofitsearlyhistory.Agreatdealoftheoriginalforestcoverwasdestroyed
tomakewayforcrops.Needlesstosay,noneofthefarmscanbefoundinurbanSingaporetoday.
Nutmeg–oneofthefirstcropsplantedbytheBritishEastIndiaCompanyinanattempttobreakDutchmonopolyofthespice.NutmegproductioninSingaporepeakedinthemiddleofthe19thcentury,butdeclinedduetoanoutbreakofdiseaseandfallingpricesbecauseofoversupply.Gambier–grownbyChinesefarmersevenbeforeRafflesfoundedSingapore.Alsoknownascatechu,thisisacommoningredientusedbyAsiansinchewingbetelnut.Besideshavingtoclearforesttoplantthecrop,moreforesthadtobecutdowntoboilthegambierleavestoextracttanninfortanningleatheranddyeingcotton.Theplantalsoexhaustedthelandafterafewharvests.Theplantingofgambierstoppedonlywhensyntheticcompoundswereinvented.Pepper–thisspicewasgrowntogetherwithgambier,andcreatedafew“pepperandgambierkings”.Itwasalsohardontheforest,aswoodwasneededtoprovidepolesonwhichthepepperplantcouldclimb.Pineapple–thisfruitreplacedpepperandgambierwhentheinternationalpricesofbothcommoditiesfellin1897.By1901,pineapplewasthemaincropgrowninSingapore.Rubber–seedswerebroughttoSingaporein1877fromtheRoyalBotanicGardensofKew,England.HenryRidley,botanistanddirectoroftheSingaporeBotanicGardensfrom1888to1911,inventedthetappingmethodthatmadeplantingrubberviable,andthistechniqueisstillusedtoday.Rubbergainedimportanceasacashcrop,andby1935,coveredabout40percentoftheisland.
Source:NationalParksBoard
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
SINGAPORE’S ROBIN HOOd
H abibNohbinMohamadAl-Habshi,akaSyedNohbinMohamadAlhabshee,isbelievedtobeadirectdescendantoftheProphetMohammed.HearrivedinSingapore
asamissionaryshortlyaftertheBritishfoundedasettlementthere.MostofthetalesofHabibNohcentredaroundhiskindnessandmiraculouspowers.He
issaidtohavewalkedthroughtherain,fromhishomeinTelokBlangahtohealasickchildinPayaLebar,withoutgettingwet.HeactedlikeaRobinHoodofsorts,oftenwalkingintoshops,takingallthemoneyanddistributingthecashtochildren,withwhomheissaidtohaveastrongaffinity.Strangely,someshopkeepersdidnotmindhisact.
HabibNohisalsosaidtohavebeenabletoappearinseveralplacessimultaneously,faithfullygoingtoMeccatoprayeveryFriday.TheBritishtriedtoputhiminjailseveraltimes,butgaveupashewoulddisappearfromhiscell.
Afteralifetimeofcaringforthepooranddestitute,hepassedawayin1866.ItissaidthathiscoffincouldnotbelifteduntilsomeonerememberedhiswishtobelaidtorestatthepeakofMountPalmer,whereheusedtomeditate.TheParsiwhowassaidtoownMountPalmerandwasreluctanttohaveatombonit,demandedahugefeetoallowHabibNoh’smaqam(tomb)there.Themoneywasraisedspeedily,buttheParsidiedthreedayslater.ThepieceoflandwasboughtoverandHabibNohwasburiedthereashehadwished.
In1890,amausoleumwith49stepswasbuiltbySyedMohammedbinAhmadAlsagofftocommemoratehim.
SINGAPORE’S cHIEf jUStIcES
OnlythreeChiefJusticeshavesatinofficesincethelastBritishChiefJusticesteppeddownin1962.
Chief Justice Start of Term End of Term
WeeChongJin 5Jan1963 27Sep1990
YongPungHow 28Sep1990 10Apr2006
ChanSekKeong 11Apr2006 (Incumbent)
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
fIRSt SINGAPOREAN AIdS VIctIm cOmES OUt
PaddyChew(29March1960–21August1999)wasthefirstSingaporeantoadmittobeingHIV-positive.Chew,whoalsodeclaredhimselfbisexual,madetheannouncement
on12December1998attheFirstNationalAIDSConferenceinSingapore.Theformerflightattendantalsowroteandactedinanautobiographicalplay,Completely
With/OutCharacter,theproceedsofwhichwenttoActionforAIDS,avoluntary,community-basedorganisationcommittedtoAIDSprevention.
Tothosewhocriticisedhimasapublicityseeker,hesaid:“IdonotmindbeingfamousforwinningtheMissUniversecrown,orasasinger,orabeautifulface,youknow?WhowantstobefamousforhavingAIDS?Forgoodness’sake!”
tAPIOcA StORIES
twogenerationsofSingaporeanswhowerebornaftertheJapaneseOccupation(1942–1945)haveheardtheirfairshareof“tapiocastories”.Thesearetalesaboutthehardshipspeople
hadtoendureduringtheyearswhenSingaporewasknownasSyonan-to,literallymeaning“IslandoftheLightoftheSouth”inJapanese.Unfortunately,lifewasanythingbutbright,andthemainpreoccupationatthetimewashowtoremainundertheJapaneseradar,andtofindfood.Soscarcewereediblesthatpeopleusedtogrowtapioca,whichhadthevirtueofbeingeasytoplant–justshoveatapiocastickintotheground(doesn’thavetobegoodground)andwaitforadecentintervalbeforepullingitup,hopefullywithafewlittletubersontheend.
Tapiocastoriesareusuallytoldtoteachyounglistenershowfortunatetheyare,ortopersuadefinickyyoungeaterstoconsumetheirfood.
Source:WartimeKitchen–FoodandEatinginSingapore1942–1950
I WANt mY BAG ANd I WANt It NOW
thefirstluggagebagatChangiAirportisapparentlyonthebaggage-claimbeltbythe12thminutefromwhentheplanedocks,andthelastbaghastobeonthebeltbythe
29thminute.
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
2007 2008 2009
Total Number of Deaths 17,140 17,222 17,101
Percentage of Total Deaths
Cancer 27.7 29.3 29.3
IschaemicHeartDisease 19.8 20.1 19.2
Pneumonia 13.9 13.9 15.3
CerebrovascularDisease(includingStroke) 8.7 8.3 8.0
Accidents,Poisoning&Violence 6.0 5.8 5.7
OtherHeartDiseases 4.3 4.0 4.4
DiabetesMellitus 3.6 2.7 1.7
ChronicObstructiveLungDisease 2.6 2.5 2.4
Nephritis,NephroticSyndrome&Nephrosis 2.0 2.1 2.3
UrinaryTractInfection 2.2 2.1 2.5
PRINcIPAL cAUSES Of dEAtH
Source:MinistryofHealth
REcIPE fOR “mAdRAS cHUNAm”
m adraschunamwasaplasterusedintheconstructionofsomeoldbuildings,likethe
StAndrew’sCathedral.Itwasalsousedtomaketheornamentalfaçadesofsomeoldshophouses.
Ingredientsegg-whitesugarcoconuthuskshelllime
MethodMixwellwithwater,thenapplytowalls.Whendry,polishsmoothwithstones.
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
dEAtH BY jAYWALkING
theelderlyarethemostvulnerablepedestriansinSingapore.Morethan40percentofthosekilledintrafficaccidentsin2009wereaged60andabove.Some65percentofthese
fatalitieswerejaywalkers.Itisbelievedthateitheroldpeoplefoundusingoverheadbridgesachorebecauseofthestairs,ortheyoverestimatedtheirphysicalcapabilities.
Source:TheStraitsTimes,6Feb2010
A tOILEt-tRAINEd NAtION
AskanySingaporeanwhohaslivedinpublichousinginthe1970sand’80sandtheywilltellyouthatitwascommonforpeopleatthetimetomistakeliftsfortoilets.But
Singapore’scivilservantsfoundasolutiontotheproblem.Liftsidentifiedasfrequentlyabusedwereequippedwithhigh-techurinedetectorsandlabelledwithasignthatcaricaturedayoungboywithpantsathisanklesandhiswristscuffed.Whenthegadgetsensedtheoffendingliquid,itwouldbeactivatedandtheliftjammedinmid-journey.TheculpritwouldbetrappedwithinuntiltheliftdoorswereopenedbytheAreaOfficestaff.Thisschemeseemedeffective,butsomepeoplesuspectthatmanyurinedetectorsallegedtohavebeeninstalledaremerelyimitationmodels(muchlikethedummyspeedcameraspositionedatsometrafficjunctionsinSingapore).Whateverthecase,fewpeoplenowadayswouldriskbeingcaughtwiththeirpantsdown.
Source:InsightCityGuideSingapore
tHE PRIcE Of GOLfING
thefirstgameofgolfwasplayedinSingaporein1891attheracecourseinFarrerPark.Anavidgolfer,JusticeGoldneypersuadedlike-mindedmembersoftheSportingClubtojoin
himinsettingupagolfclub.Theentrancefeetotheclubatthetimewasamere$2,andtheannualsubscriptionwas$6.In1924,theSingaporeGolfClubmovedtoBukitTimahandin1938,changeditsnametotheRoyalSingaporeGolfClub.GolfinSingaporeisusuallyseenasanelitesportbecauseofitshighmembershipprices.Atitspeak,membershiptotheSingaporeIslandCountryClubwassoldfor$200,000.
Source:SingaporetheEncyclopedia
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
RAffLES’ StAtUE fASt fActS
Height: 2.43metres(8feet)Castby: ThomasWoolnerCost: $20,446.10(Straitsdollars)Mounting: GraniteSite: TheEsplanade,withRafflesfacingtheseaDateunveiled: 27June1887Unveiledby: SirFrederickWeld,Governorofthe StraitsSettlementsInscription(1919)by: LimKoonTye(whowon$25inthe inscriptioncompetition)Inscriptionreads: ThistablettothememoryofSir StamfordRafflestowhoseforesightand geniusSingaporeowesitsexistenceand prosperityunveiledonFebruary6th, 1919tocommemoratethe100th anniversaryofthefoundationofthe Settlement.DuringJapaneseOccupation: KeptinRafflesMuseum(thenrenamed SyonanMuseum)Post-war: Themonumentwasre-installedat EmpressPlacein1946.
BOmBINGS tHAt HAVE cAUSEd cASUALtIES IN SINGAPORE
AerialbombingofSingaporeTownbytheJapanese,8December1941:61killed,morethan700injured
“MadBomber”bombings,9December1963:2killed,partoffiveexplosionsin3months
Telephoneboothbombing,16April1964:5injuredwhenboothexplodedoffJalanEunos
MacDonaldHousebombing,10March1965:2killed,atleast33injuredwhenbombplantedbyIndonesiansaboteursexploded
Letterbomb,21March1973:1injured,postofficeworker’slefthandwasblownoffwhentheparcelhewasholdingexploded
Carbomb,30March1992:1pregnantwomankilled,herhusbandbeingthebelievedtargetforthebombduetoillegalmoney-lending
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
WHAt dIGS!
themostextravagantgraveinSingaporecanbefoundattheBukitBrowncemetery.OngSamLeongwasthemaincontractoremployinglabourerstoworkinthephosphatemines
onChristmasIsland.Hisotherbusinessesincludedbrickworks,sawmillsandplantations,andaroadoffJalanBesarbearshisname–SamLeongRoad.
Thetycoon,wholivedfrom1857to1918,wasburiedatBukitBrown,whichatthattimewasownedbyaHokkienclanassociation,andreservedonlyforthosewiththesurnameOng.(Thecolonialgovernmentwastotakeoverthecemeteryin1919andturnitintoamunicipalChinesecemetery,whichwasfinallyclosedinthe1970s.)
ThetombofOngSamLeongandhiswifeisagiantamongthe100,000tombsatBukitBrown,covering600squaremetres.IthasallthetraditionalChinesetombfeatures,butcarriedoutonamuchgranderscale–thesymbolicmoat,whichislittlemorethanagrooveinothertombs,is15metres(50feet)longinOng’sgrave.BesidesthelionguardiansonChinesetombs,therearealsostatuesoftwoSikhwatchmen,completewithrifles.
Thehugetombgot“lost”forafewyearsastheoldcemeterybecameneglectedandovergrownwithweeds.Itwasrediscoveredin2006.
Source:DiscoverSingapore
A tROPIcAL WAStELANd
In2008,5.97milliontonnesofwastewasgeneratedbySingaporeans.
1.26milliontonnesofpaperandcardboard48percentrecycled
0.68milliontonnesofplastics8percentrecycled
0.57milliontonnesoffoodwaste12percentrecycled
Source:TheStraitsTimes,28Dec2009
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
ORIGINS Of ROtI jOHN
Accordingtolocallegend,sometimeinthe1960s,anEnglishmanaskedaMalayhawkerinSembawangforahamburger.Hamburgerswerenotpartofthelocalcuisine,sotheingenious
hawkerconcoctedasubstitute:hespreadmincedmuttonandslicesofonionbetweenslicesofFrenchloaf(baguette),dippedthewholethinginbeateneggsandfrieditonahotgriddle.
Thenameofthedishisattributedtothisanonymoushawker,whowasoverheardsayingtothecustomer,“Silakanmakanroti,John”whichliterallytranslatesas“Pleaseeatthisbread,John”.ForeignerswereoftenreferredtobythegenericnameJohnbackthen,andsincethedishwasmadeforaforeigner,itisbelievedthatthehawkerchristeneditRotiJohn( John’sbread).
NO PLAcE LIkE HOmE
In2009,HSBCbanksurveyed3,100expatsin50countriestorankcountrieswhichtheythoughtofferedthebeststandardsoflivingintheworld.Participantswereaskedtovoteon
25differentcriteriapertainingtofood,sociallife,accommodation,healthcare,workinghours,familylife,abilitytomakefriendsandsoon.Singaporecamewithinthetop10places. Rank Location 1........................................................ Canada 2......................................................... Australia 3......................................................... Thailand 4......................................................... Singapore 5......................................................... Bahrain 6......................................................... SouthAfrica 7......................................................... France 8......................................................... UnitedStates 9......................................................... Spain 10......................................................... HongKong
mOBILE IN 1988
theearliestmobiletelephoneserviceinSingaporewaslaunchedin1988.Thetelephonesetsweighedaround600–700gramsandwerepricedbetween$2,900and$3,400.
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
StREEtSIdE ARt
I tisoftenunderappreciatedthatSingaporehasbeenarichrepositoryofstreetartsincethe19thcentury.Evenafterindependence,Singaporewasveryearnestaboutitspublic
art,buildingmonumentsandartworksthatreflectednationalaspirationsandstruggles.Bythe1970sand1980s,suchanapproachseemedtoointense,andsubsequentpublicartwascommissionedbytheSingaporeTourismBoard,propertydevelopersandhotelowners,seekinginsteadtoaddacosmopolitanglosstothecity.
HereisaselectionofpublicartworksintheCivicDistrict:
Title:Elephant Artist:Unknown Year:1871 Location:TheArtsHouse,sideentrance facingthePadang
Title:Sir Stamford Raffles Artist:ThomasWoolner Year:1887 Location:InfrontofVictoriaTheatre andConcertHall
Title:Allegory of Justice Artist:CavalieriRodolfoNolli Year:1939 Location:RoofPedimentoftheformer SupremeCourt
Title:Merlion Artist:LimNangSeng Year:1972 Location:MerlionPark
Title:Deva Artist:EmeryLin Year:1986 Location:InfrontofthePanPacific Hotel
Title:Abundance III Artist:SunYu-Li Year:1993 Location:intersectionofRaffles BoulevardandTemasekBoulevard
Title:Six Brushstrokes Artist:RoyLichtenstein Year:1997 Location:RoyLichtensteinSculpture Plaza,MilleniaSingapore
Title:Seed Series Artist:HanSaiPor Year:1998 Location:EsplanadeWaterfront
Title:First Generation Artist:ChongFahCheong Year:2000 Location:AlongtheSingaporeRiver, nexttoTheFullertonHotel
Title:Fishing by the River Artist:ChernLianShan Year:2005 Location:AlongtheSingaporeRiver,in frontofTheRiverwalk
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
OLYmPIAN AcHIEVEmENtS
t inySingaporeisnotwithoutherOlympians.On9Sep1960,atthePalazzettoDelloSportinRome,TanHoweLiang,27,putSingaporeontheworldmapwhenheliftedarecord
380kginthelightweight(67.5kg)categorytobeat33rivals(exceptRussia’sViktorBusheuv)forthelightweightsilvermedal.HiswinremainsSingapore’sonlyindividualOlympicmedal.TanisalsotheonlySingaporeanwhohaswonamedalatallthemajorinternationalgames–theOlympics,CommonwealthGames,AsianGamesandtheSoutheastAsianPeninsular(SEAP)Games,takingallGoldsexceptfortheOlympics.HewasalsothefirstweightlifterinhistorytobeawardedtheInternationalWeightliftingFederation(nationalhonour)GoldAwardin1984.
Source:www.sportsmuseum.com.sg
2,900speciesofplants 360speciesofbirds
Source:“ALivelyandLiveableSingapore”inStrategiesforSustainableGrowthpublishedbytheMinistryfortheEnvironmentandWaterResourcesandMinistryofNationalDevelopment,2009
HOmE tO mANY
S ingaporemaybeahighlyurbanisedcountry,butthereisanabundanceofnatureandwildlifetobefound.
250speciesofhardcorals.
WELL EXEcUtEd
m orethan400prisonershavebeenhangedinSingaporesince1991,givingthesmallcitystatepossiblythehighestexecutionrateintheworldrelativetoitspopulationofjustover
fourmillionpeople(in2004).
Source:AmnestyInternational
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
tHAIPUSAm
thaipusamisaHindufestivalcelebratedeveryyearinJanuaryorFebruary,accordingtothefullmoonintheTamilcalendar.Thewordisderivedfrom“Thai”meaning“10th”and
“pusam”meaning“whenthemoonisatitsbrightest”.DedicatedtotheHinduGod,LordSubramaniamsonofLordSiva,alsoknownasLordMurugan,thedeityofyouth,powerandvirtue,thisfestivalisatimeforrepentancefordevoteeswithcelebrationscarriedoutmainlyatthetemple.Devoteespreparethemselvesspirituallywithextensiveprayerandfastingbeforeperformingactsofpenanceorthanksgivingthroughcarryingakavadi(burden)fromonetempletoanother.Thekavadicarriersoftenpiercesharpskewersthroughtheirtongues,cheeksandbodiesasaformofself-mortification.Theycongregateatthetemplesearlyinthemorning,withtheirfamilies,friendsandwell-wishers,toparticipateintheprocession.TheprocessioninSingaporestartsattheSriSrinivasaPerumalTempleatSerangoonRoad,goesdownOrchardRoadandendsattheSriThandayuthapaniTempleatTankRoad,commonlyknownastheMuruganTempleorChettiar’sTemple.Offeringsincludefruits,flowersandpotsofmilk.ThisHindufestivalcommemoratesthefeatsofLordSubramaniamreflectingtriumphoverevilforces.
GHOSt ISLANd
f ansofpiratetaleswilllovethis.PulauHantu,literallymeaningGhostIslandinMalay,isoneofSingapore’soffshoreislands.Thoughttobehaunted,legendhasitthatpirateshid
lootontheisland.Inordertodeterunwelcomevisitors,theyplantedflickeringlightsthatgavetheillusionoffloatingspirits.Today,theislandisapopularcampinggroundandboastsoneofthecleanestbeachesoffthemainisland.
ARE YOU ON tImE?
G eographically,Singaporeshouldonlybe6hours,55minutesand25secondsaheadofGreenwichMeanTime(GMT).CurrentlythecountryrunsontheSingaporeStandard
TimeofGMT+8.
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10�
S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
cHILLI cRAB
chillicrabisaseafooddishthatoriginatesfromSingapore.Itwascreatedin1950bySingaporechef,CherYamTianwithherhusband,LimChoonNgee.Mudcrabsare
commonlyused,butothervarietiesofcrab–suchasflowercrabsorblueswimmercrabs–areusedaswell.
Thesauceisthickenedwithcornflourandflavouredwithgarlic,ricevinegarandsoysauce.Beateneggisaddedneartheendofthecookingprocesstocreateegg-ribbonsinthesauce.Despiteitsname,chillicrabisnotaparticularlyspicydish.Itiscommonlygarnishedwithcorianderleaves.
LOcAL SItcOmS tHAt mAdE It OVERSEAS
Under One Roof(Malaysia,Indonesia,Thailand,Australia,USA)Phua Chu Kang(Malaysia,Indonesia,Brunei)Living with Lydia(Malaysia,Thailand,Myanmar,Indonesia,Macau,HongKong,Australia,USA)
•
•
•
Sources:EssentialSingapore;TimeOutSingapore
Oh Carol!(Malaysia,HongKong)Maggi & Me(Malaysia,Cambodia,USA)Achar (Malaysia,USA)
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Beforefrying,thecrabischoppedintolargepieces
andsteamedwithslicesofginger.Thecrabshell
isusuallypartiallycrackedbeforecookingforeaseof
eating.Afterwhich,itisstir-friedinchillisauceand
othercondiments.
Thewell-lovedcrustaceandelightiscommonlyserved with bread, steamed or fried mantou (Chinese buns), French loaves or toasted bread,usedtomopupthesauce.Plainwhitericemayalsobeeatenwithchillicrab.
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110
S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
A GALAXY ON A LIttLE ISLANd
W iththeScienceCentrerepresentingthesun,uniquesculptureshavebeenplacedatvariouslocationsaroundSingapore,representingtheplanets.Therelativedistanceof
thesesculpturesfromtheScienceCentrerepresentstherelativedistanceofeachplanetfromthesun.
43
5
21
67
8
9
10
Source:ScienceCentreSingapore
1 Sun ScienceCentreSingapore(EcoGarden)2 Mercury ScienceCentreSingapore(FibonacciTerrace)3 Venus JapaneseGarden(NearGuestHouse)4 Earth ChineseGarden(NearStoneBoat)5 Mars JurongLakePark(NearCentralPlaza)6 Jupiter WestCoastPark(NearMcDonald’snexttoCarpark3)7 Saturn One-NorthPark(Besidewaterfeature)8 Uranus BishanPark(BetweenplaygroundandPalmCourt)9 Neptune EastCoastPark(AtBougainvilleaGardennexttoCarparkF2)10 Pluto ChangiBeachPark(NearAmphitheatrenexttoCarpark1)
Legend
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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m
cOmmON PARkING OffENcES
Nowthere’snoexcusefornotknowingtheparkingrules…
Types of Offence Range of Composition Amount
Parkingwithoutdisplayingvalidcoupon(s)orsufficientvalidcoupon(s)tomeettheprescribedparkingcharges
$6–50
Notdisplayingcoupon(s)intheprescribedmannerastobeclearlyvisible $6–40
Displaying2ormorecoupon(s)wherethetimeofcommencementindicatedonthe2ndorsubsequentcoupon(s)didnotrunimmediatelyaftertheexpiryoftheparkingperiodindicatedinthepriorcoupon(s)
$6–40
Displayingacouponinwhichthetimeofcommencementofparkingindicatedonthecouponislaterthantheactualtimewhentheparkingstarted
$30–40
Displayinganycouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationthathasanyalteration,erasureorotherirregularitythereinwhichindicatesthatthecouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationhasbeentamperedwith
$50–400
Failingtoproduceanycouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationdisplayedonaparkedvehicleforinspectionand/orretentionbytheSuperintendentoranypersonauthorisedbyhimwhenrequiredtodoso
Max$400
Parkingaftertheexpiryoftheparkingperiodindicatedinthecoupon(s)displayed
$6–40
Parkingotherthaninaparkinglot $25–200
Drawing,driving,pushingorparkingavehicleinadisorderlymanner $25–80
Failuretoobeysignsdisplayedinaparkingplace $25–200
Parkingbeyondtheboundariesofaparkinglotorparkingorstoppinginsuchamannerastocauseobstruction
$25–200
Parkinginaseasonparkingplacewithoutdisplayingvalidseasonticket $25–80
Unauthorisedparkinginareservedlot $25–80
Source:UrbanRedevelopmentAuthority
BUNGALOW OR mANSION
theterm“bungalow”inBritishEnglishreferstoaone-storeyhouse,usuallysmallinsize.InSingapore,however,bungalowsarelarge,detachedhousesormansions,usuallywith
morethanonestorey.
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Facts, figures, quotes
and anecdotes on Singapore
SINGAPORE R ANDOMat
How many hours do Singaporeans work in a week?
What is Singapore foot?
Just how much is the prime minister of Singapore paid in a year?
When was the fi rst Starbucks café in Singapore opened?
How many ways can you have yusheng?
How many calories are there in a serving of nasi briyani with chicken?
What is Singapore’s most unwelcome tree?
Where is the most heavily populated cemetery in Singapore?
Who was the designer behind the uniform of the SIA Singapore Girl?
How many Merlion statues are there in Singapore?
Singapore at Random provides the answers to these and many
other fun and fascinating questions about the country.
Also in this series:
Malaysia at Random
An illustrated collection of Singapore
trivia, Singapore at Random is fi lled with
anecdotes, statistics, quotes, diagrams, facts,
advice, folklore and other unusual and often
useful tidbits. Th is veritable treasure trove
of information on Singapore is arranged, as
the title suggests, randomly, so that readers
will come to expect the unexpected on each
and every page. Designed in a charmingly
classic style and peppered with attractive
illustrations, Singapore at Random is a quirky
and irresistible celebration of everything
you didn’t know you wanted to know about
this diverse and multi-cultural country.
US$16.00
PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER
Other books published by
EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET
SIN
GA
PO
RE
RA
ND
OM
atF
acts, figu
res, qu
otes an
d an
ecdo
tes on
Sin
gap
ore
Cover image courtesy of Graham Byfi eld.
Title:Singapore At Random:Edm2nd Proof Job No:D0811-36/CD0911-5/ Alice
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