"You Are Always Welcome To SINGAPORE!" Singapore by Krystynn

Singapore Travel Guide: 11,373 reviews and 26,370 photos

All pics taken from my office window! - Singapore

ONCE UPON A TIME IN SOUTH ASIA......

Welcome to SINGAPORE - My Homeland, My Country... and a place you'd definitely not want to miss visiting!

BRIEF HISTORY: From A Sleepy Fishing Village To ASIA's #1 Economic Powerhouse

1400s - Singapore referred to commonly as Singapura (Sanskrit for Lion City).
1819 - Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles.
15th Feb. 1942 - Singapore fell to the Japanese and was renamed Syonan-To (Light of the South Island)
1st April 1946 - Singapore became a crown colony.
3rd June 1959 - End of colonial rule.
9th August 1965 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SINGAPORE! Her Independence Day and hence, the entire nation celebrated it as our National Day.

For a more detailed account, do visit this cool website Singapore History

<img src=http://203.123.15.131/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi>

SINGAPORE - Raffles City Shopping Center.
Credit: SingaporeCanLah.com
VisitSingapore.com
Raffles International

A LITTLE FISHING VILLAGE SURROUNDED BY SWAMPS.....

View of S'pore as seen from my office window! ;-D

LOCATION: Southeast Asia, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula (er... although I'm not all that well-informed, I do pay attention in class :Þ). Oh yeah... Singapore is also an island... and we have no capital... She's just plain - Singapore. :-)

CLIMATE: Since we are located ALMOST near the Equator, the weather's generally HOT (ouch!) throughout the year... No snow for us. (Sob! Sob!). So much for global warming....

LANGUAGES: English, Chinese (Mandarin & other Chinese dialects), Malay, Indian (Tamil, Hindi, Urdu) etc. Singlish is also widely spoken amongst the locals here... Even the expats living here are beginning to pick up our lingo! Go figure. But what they don't realize is that people do speak it consciously and it's just ANOTHER form of English rather than a mutated one. Duh.

RELIGIONS: Plenty to choose from. Take your pick... Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism and...and... Shall we create another New Age religion? Relax Pastor, I'm ONLY kidding!

POPULATION COMPOSITION: We are a VERY multi-racial society with Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian (lucky them of mixed heritage i.e. Asian/ Europeans) etc. This is the CMIO model our Singapore Government uses. Hm!

OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM: Majullah Singapura sung in Malay (horror of horrors! I DON'T even understand what I'm singing at times... since my Malay sucks!). These days, most people refer to our National Anthem as "Mari Kita" instead... because that's how it starts.... "Mari kita raya..." and I don't know the rest of the words... Don't shoot me, dear Singapore Prime Minister. ;-((

CURRENT PRESIDENT: S. R. Nathan

NATIONAL DAY: 9th Aug. 1965

Photo shown: The beautiful view of Singapore as seen from my office window! :-D In the photo, you can see the "Padang" (the green field), Raffles City (left) and Suntec City (right).

These 2 monuments are still standing tall today in what is known as 'The Financial District' area (for the Raffles statue) and 'Raffles City' area (for the Cathedral). Incidentally, this old postcard is worth approx. US$40 today. :-))

ROSE TO BECOME ASIA'S #1 ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE TODAY

Old shophouses along Tanjong Pagar Road. Quaint!

THE SINGAPORE FACTFILE:

Capital: Singapore ;-)
Area: 646 sq km
Population: 3.1 million
Currency: Singapore dollar (@5 September 2002, US$1 = S$1.74).
Time: GMT +8 hours
Telephone codes: +65
Electricity: 220-240V, 50 Hz

Major Public Holidays: New Year’s Day; Hari Raja Puasa (to celebrate the end of the Ramadan - the Muslim month-long fasting period); Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb); Hari Raja Haji (Muslim festival); Good Friday; Labor Day; Vesak Day (Buddhist religious holiday); National Day (9 Aug); Deepavali (Indian New Year); Christmas Day.

Good Buys: There are plenty of bargains to be had in Singapore from indian sari material (you've gotta buy one for yourself. It's the current fashion rage sweeping the world...) to oriental rugs, luggage, electrical goods and CDs (and VCDs/ DVDs)... as well as an abundance of Oriental art and antiques.

Funny fact: In Singapore, it is illegal to eat chewing gum. :-( It is also illegal to take the durian fruit into Singapore’s pristine subway or overhead train system. Anyway, I doubt you'd do anything of the sort. :-) Oh, and look out for the ‘NO DURIAN’ signs (represented by a knobbly fruit in a red circle with a line through it) everywhere. Haha... Do I look like I'm pulling your leg?

"Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
- Japanese Proverb

Copyright: (c) Krystynn 2004.
Please DO NOT take my personal pics without prior permission. Thanks.

Pros and Cons

Pros:The city is sooo clean... you wouldn't believe it!
Cons:Strict anti-Litter/ Anti-Drug laws keep the city clean & safe. Ozzy Osbourne will never feel comfortable livin' here! :-)
In a nutshell:An ultra-spotlessly clean and safe city with a low-crime rate!

Last visit to Singapore: Dec 2003
Intro Updated Jan 16, 2004
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Comments (378)

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mydreamquest Sep 16, 2010 at 3:16 PM

Many helpful comments that I'll be using for trip to Singapore. thanks!!!
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budapest8 Sep 14, 2005 at 5:42 AM

Such a small country and so much to do...Reminds me a bit of Hong Kong...great pics+ tips .Tim .·:*¨`*:·~My§ticÄl~·:*¨`*
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Gypsystravels Jun 10, 2004 at 7:29 AM

It has been such a long time my friend...Hope that life is treating you well these days (I am sure they are)..
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SPW Feb 19, 2004 at 9:19 PM

A terrific and helful page.
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wathy Jan 23, 2004 at 12:12 AM

Alamak! Your page is too "bagus" lah!! FUN!! Keep us informed with your local info. I will always visit singapore when going home to Bintan :)
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Norali Jan 18, 2004 at 7:11 AM

Also, the "lah" reminds me of other words we use to end sentences in Malagasy too: le, an :))) --> Wow! I like this page. The jokes, the Chinese New year, the views. Plus, you put a lot of you in there. I like the humour too.
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Typ88 Jan 16, 2004 at 11:56 PM

Your pictures on this page are just awesome! Great!
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sim1 Dec 30, 2003 at 3:14 PM

Wow, what a fantastic page about Singapore Krystynn!!! I am already trying to persuade Åke to visit Asia soon :-))) The food just sounds fantastic! You are making me hungry with all those delicious food tips! :-)
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martin.lees Dec 30, 2003 at 12:58 PM

Hey! There's nothing "plain" about Singapore lah! right or not?
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Azhut Dec 30, 2003 at 3:22 AM

I think I could love Singapore's food !! wowwww