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if you take a cab in bangkok (where i'm from), the fare is charged by number of km and time spent on the journey. (for time, some taxi starts calculating once the car stops moving, some does even when the car is moving. i have no idea how this system work, really.) and you know, it's hard to predict how much the fare is gonna be, even though you often take the same route, because it depends on the traffic condition. and, in bangkok, you know that it's one thing you shouldn't be relied on...in singapore this thing is quite complicated because there are some extra surcharges added. dear tourists, good luck if you want to make sure that the fare is correct. ok, now take a look at the picture, see the midnight surcharge? this has created an interesting urban phenomenon called 'there-is-no-taxi-between-eleven pm-and-midnight' (T.I.N.T.B.E.A.M). since the surcharge is quite big (50% on meter fare), many cabbies are tempted to keep watching for midnight (like cinderella). they usually use this one-hour time to take a break, go toilet, drink coffee, read newspaper, or just simply do nothing. even if you lucky enough to see a cab with green light, the minute you try to flag, the sign will astonishingly turn to on call.
in singapore, according to lonely planet, there are about 4,000,000 people living on the 638-sq km surface of the country. (by the way, if you happen to visit lonely planet's website, go to 'explore asia' page. once you roll the cursor over a country's name, it is highlighted blue on the map. try rolling over singapore, the blue colour does not appear on the map. that is how small the country is compared to its neighbors.) with a few city centers to accomodate the number of inhabitants, the result is you almost have to queue for everywhere you go and everything you do. queuing is a practice of everyday life here. get your personal entertainment devices ready if you need to go in town during peak hours!
there are 4 official languages being used in singapore; english, chinese (mandarin), malay and tamil. (there are also some other dialects such as hokkien, cantonese, etc.) the whole country is a cultural blender where different norms, arts and cultures from each group collide and unite interestingly. on tv, there are channels operating in each language separately to tackle differences in taste. announcements in subway stations are made in 4 languages. all the ethnic groups are living closely together and discrimination is considered highly illegal.probably one of the most interesting fusions and some people consider this as a very uniquely singapore thing is 'singlish'. you will be quite amazed that local people are talking in english but you can't really understand. the sentences are short, straight to the point with classically wrong gramma. sometimes you can find more than 3 languages together in one sentence. for example, "aberthen! i don't makan i do what?! xiao ah you!"
singapore is critically acclaimed a garden city because of its green density. even in the airport, the artificial nature is created to delineate the country's reputation. forget about other time-killing facilities such as gym, massage, games room; it's cool to be sitting in a park looking at koi pond while waiting for the flight. we love nature!
singapore, an island country in southeast asia, is so tiny on the world map that the name has to be written in the sea. many westerners do not know where it is. some think it is a part of mainland china. some strongly believe that it is a city in malaysia, wait a minute, or indonesia?
however, even being so young (about 40 years old since its independence), cool things do happen here and there. this blog is an attempt to record whatever related to this city-cum-country.
