Singapore Favorite Tips by SLLiew Top 5 Page for this destination

Singapore Post

Favorite thing: The Singapore Postal system is efficient. There are post offices all over including one at Ngee Ann City at Orchard Road.

You can get buy postcards as well. However all addresses must be in English to send out your parcel or mail.

Some of the staff I found are impatience and not so tolerant. So don't worry as long as your mail will arrive back home. So far all my postcards sent from Singapore arrived.

Check the website for the Post office ofyour closest lcoation and the operating hours.

Website: http://www.singpost.com.sg/

Getting Married in Singapore?

Favorite thing: The Registrar of Marriage is housed in a beautiful colonial mansion on Coleman Street.

Though many prewar houses and colonial buildings have been bulldozed to pave way for rapid development in Singapore, you do come across some remaining magnificent architecture still left standing and conserved in Singapore.

Remember, regardless of citizenship, one of you must me a resident for at least 15 days in Singapore before filing a notice of marriage. For more details, check the website below:

http://app.rom.gov.sg/internet/index.asp

Waiting at MRT Station

Favorite thing: MRT stations are popular waiting points to meet up with your friends.

Orchard MRT station is one of the most busiest. There is only 1 common exit and you can continue underground to Borders, CK Tang or Isetan.

For other MRT stations, there could be more than 1 exit and so specific which exit if you are meeting someone there. I found that inside MRT, some areas the mobile does not work.

There are also constant MRT announcement or video visuals of watching out for unattended bags and reporting suspicious behavior to authorities inside the MRT system.

Singapore is a "fine" city

Favorite thing: Any visitor to Singapore will be impressed by the cleanliness, orderliness and general working convenience of public facilities.

Singapore over the years has been known for hefty fines for littering, jaywalking, not flushing, no chewing gum, no graffiti, no loitering, etc.

Yet it is still a show stoper to see this sign of no bicycling in this pedestrian tunnel under the bridge. So if you are riding, you must get off and push your bike.

It is a small personal sacrifice for overall public good. So when in Singapore, do as the Singaporeans do. Avoid behavior to avoid the fine because Singapore is a fine city.

Elephant Show

Favorite thing: Although there are many tall and well taken care of matured trees all over Singapore to bring some green nature into urban downtown Singapore, you can get away from it all by going fo r the Elephant Show at the Singapore Zoo.

The show time is at 11:30am daily and an extra 4pm show on weekends and public holidays.

Do not sit in the first few rows, if you do not want to get slightly wet by a deliberate blow of water from one of the trained elephants at the command of the mahout (elephant trainer).

The elephants are the Asian elephants and you will see how the elephants actually lift and carry timber logs as they used to do in the timber industry in Southeast Asia.

Shows may be cancelled if heavy rain as it will become dangerous for the elephants and trainers to perform.

There are also souvenirs of elephant paintings and paper made from elephant dung.

Highly recommended to relieve urban stress. You will be happy back at the office rather than work like an elephant at the Singapore zoo.

Fondest memory: Singapore Zoological Gardens, 80 Mandai Lake Road.

Newest, shortest tunnel in downtown

Favorite thing: Introducing the Fort Canning Tunnel (FCT) which is opened in 2007.

Could not help noticing this new and short tunnel which recently opened in downtown Singapore.

It connects Armenian Street to Penang Road and Orchard Road. Now you know!

EZ Link Card

Favorite thing: This is an excellent investment to buy this top up card that you can use for MRT and buses in Singapore.

You pay S$15 for the card. This will give a fare value of $7. A $3 will be refunded if you return the card. $5 is a one-time non-returnable charge.

You can top up the card at MRT stations as well as Seven Elevens.

It save a lot of time trying to figure the fare, finding exact change and you will get a temporary card which you have to deposit to get your $1 back at the end of your journey.

If your EZ is in your wallet or purse, you can just swipe with your wallet or purse without taking out the card.EZ Link card is now expanded use in several beverage outlets, etc.

Fondest memory: http://www.ezlink.com.sg/

Singaporean Girls (SIA)

Favorite thing: Singapore girls with the Singapore smile has been a trademark of Singapore Airlines.

If you have flown SIA, you cannot help noticing the consistent broad white flash of straight teeth with hot towels to welcome you on board as you finally found your seat in the cabin.

Apparently, many air hostesses are recruited from Malaysia and other countries. Yet the smile is made in Singapore.

It seems cheezy but it works. Wonder how many hours of training to learn to smile the SIA way until it becomes natural and beaming. Keep it up :)

Vegetable farms in Singapore?

Favorite thing: Yes, there are plots of vegetable farms. Local Singaporeans who have done their National Service have been to all over the "rural" areas of Singapore and guide you to vegetable farms and tracks of more "under developed" parts of Singapre where they have done their military camping and training.

For me it was an eye-opener. Anyway, I came to Singapore the Orchard Road and bright lights. But just to show that there are many unexplored places even in a place that one have been to so many times. We tend to go the same places until someone take us to their different "same places".

Visa for Singapore?

Favorite thing: No visa requirements for Malaysian entering Singapore up to 14 days.

For your country and more details, check:
http://www.mfa.gov.sg/internet/idx_foreignVisaFor.html