# Ask the Singaporean guy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 27, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287 "2004-04-27T15:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/21 "2004-04-27T18:22:05Z")
> [@cabdude](#): > > I guess the impression a lot of us have in Oz (reinforced by experiences in the 60s-80s) is of a repressive state under the firm thumb of Lee Kuan Yu. A popular T-shirt of the period had “welcome to singapore - island of liberty” or some such and underneath a listing of all the actions which were banned, from the sensible, “no spitting,” to the ridiculous (to us,) “no chewing gum.” > > All absolute tosh, of course, or at least inaccurate or out of date. So it’s a good thing you’re filling us in. > > How about some of the other differences which struck when you first left Singapore. Sadly, though, I expect most people to hold this view that we are some sad repressed people without legal rights and get frisked on our way to the _Lee Kuan Yew Re-education centre_[sup]TM[/sup] for illegal chewing gum. Government not too good at PR, as you can probably tell. Hoping it’ll change soon, though… (not bloody likely) Still, you have to respect LKY - the man basically built the whole nation from dirt, to the world’s busiest seaport and airport (not too sure if we’re still No 1, though), GDP per capita equal to Western European countries, life expectancy of 80, in the space of what, 35 years of independance? You gotta give the man credit. As for the differences, well, the first thing that struck me about the UK was the alcohol consumption. And the smoking. I mean, Who drinking beer at 10am in the morning?! Yes, I see your hands, now put them down, please. The one that left the biggest impression was the anti-bush protest, however… I’ve never seen anything like that before, and likely never will again. Bag-your-own groceries supermarket outlets. I was momentarily confused at to what, exactly, I was supposed to do. 😛 The number of people that smoke. The number of pubs there are, and the number of people milling around drinking. The amount of graffiti there is. Truly, I’m astounded. I’m living in central London, and there’s graffiti scrawled on just about every wall I pass by on my way to school. It’s amazing! There is minimal graffiti in Singapore, even in the slightly more run down areas, and here in the heart of the capital, there’s graffiti. And on the same note, vandalism, and theft. The number of homeless people on the streets surprise me as well. The number of policemen on the street. Free healthcare! For ME! And I’m not even a citizen! The most striking moment I had here, though, was during the anti-Bush protest. I’ve never been in a protest before, and I likely never will be. It was just amazing to see all the people come out and speak out against something… I suppose it goes for the rest of the time as well, animal rights campaigners, religious street preachers, Hyde park corner - The willingness of people to speak up for what they think is right. I’m not just talking about political speech, as much as it is curtailed in Singapore, but in other areas as well, like animal rights - never seen an animal rights campaigner in Singapore before - or even street evangelism. It’s not like it’s banned, mind you - I participated in a Church organised Christian themed play in public before, but it’s just the sheer volume and brashness here, the in-your-face of it all. I’m not used to that, and it’s a bit uncomfortable, but I suppose it’s better for the people and their beliefs… I’m not sure why it is, though. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/22 "2004-04-27T18:24:03Z")
I’m going to spend a fairly large amount of time in Singapore Airport this summer (my round the world carrier is Singapore Airlines). Is there anything to do in the immediate vicinity of the airport? I have a 14 hour wait, and would like to spend it outside the terminal building if possible! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/23 "2004-04-27T18:27:51Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > Have you ever seen a wild/feral Singapura cat? Supposedly they are “drain cats” in Singapore, but I’ve also heard varying stories that (a) the government has cracked down on them, (b) the government now considers them the “national cat”, and (c) they’re not from Singapore at all. > > So, have you seen any? My two Singapura boys want to know about their wild cousins. 🙂 I think you’re refering to the “Kucinta” cat, yes? The [“Singaporean cat”](http://www.messybeast.com/kucinta.htm). Have to say that I’ve never seen one, though. 😛 There are quite a few stray cats, though, and my guess is that at least some of them are probably cross bred Kucintas, though I’m sure not many of them, same as there would be any purebreds in the streets. Chalk one up for the Singaporean tourist board. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/24 "2004-04-27T18:37:34Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > I’m going to spend a fairly large amount of time in Singapore Airport this summer (my round the world carrier is Singapore Airlines). > Is there anything to do in the immediate vicinity of the airport? > > I have a 14 hour wait, and would like to spend it outside the terminal building if possible! Take the train to the city centre and shop if you want to, or, well… I don’t know, but there’s a train station in the Airport itself, and it only takes about 40min(?) at most to get from the airport to the city centre. Hell, you can get all the way across the island (the airport is on the Eastern tip) on the train in about an hour anyway. It’s a very small country. 😛 About a pound each way, if I remember correctly. As for what you can see, well… I’m not too sure what you’d like to see, but popular spots are the old colonial buildings… shopping along the main shopping street, “Orchard road”. [More info here.](http://www.visitsingapore.com/main.htm) Personally, it would depend on what sort of things you’d like to see… the cultural heritage of Singapore is mostly colonial, and in some pretty odd places, so I’m not sure if I’d advise it for a 14 hour stopover. If you want to, you can visit “little India”, Chinatown, City Hall, and maybe Bugis (The old malay area) for a bit of culture. Or you could enjoy the food and shopping in Orchard road. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/25 "2004-04-27T18:46:26Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > I think you’re refering to the “Kucinta” cat, yes? The [“Singaporean cat”](http://www.messybeast.com/kucinta.htm). Have to say that I’ve never seen one, though. 😛 There are quite a few stray cats, though, and my guess is that at least some of them are probably cross bred Kucintas, though I’m sure not many of them, same as there would be any purebreds in the streets. > > Chalk one up for the Singaporean tourist board. 😛 Interesting–thanks for the info! I’ve actually met the lady who claims to have brought the Singapura to the US–she lives in my home town. The story goes that her husband found the cats on a business trip to Singapore back in the ‘70s, brought them back and she began breeding them. Amusingly, the three originals were named Tes, Ticle, and Pusse’–yes, Tommy Meadow has a rather “unique” sense of humor. 🙂 I hadn’t heard the Kucinta name before. Those cats in the pics you linked to sure don’t look anything like my boys. 🙂 One inaccuracy in the link, though–Sings don’t sell for up to $4,000 as far as I know. Neutered males usually go for around $600, and I’ve heard of intact females for over $1200, but unless the price has gone up recently four grand is quite steep. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/26 "2004-04-27T18:54:17Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Take the train to the city centre and shop if you want to, or, well… I don’t know, but there’s a train station in the Airport itself, and it only takes about 40min(?) at most to get from the airport to the city centre. Hell, you can get all the way across the island (the airport is on the Eastern tip) on the train in about an hour anyway. It’s a very small country. 😛 About a pound each way, if I remember correctly. Um, I mean tube or subway, not train. Singapore only has one train station, so locals call the tube (the MRT) the “train”. May have confused you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![purplycow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@purplycow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplycow)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/27 "2004-04-28T01:21:30Z")
Why does Singaporean Hokkien sound more like Teochew? 😉 Granted, I’ve mostly heard S’porean Hokkien from the guys, who say they picked up swear words during NS. Very, um, colourful _lol_ Why do most Singaporean girls look/dress the same? This is an honestly curious question … nearly everyone seems to have adopted the standard skinny, fair, long-haired (rebonded/coloured) look. Is there a lot of pressure to conform? And do Singaporean girls think we Malaysian girls dress sloppily? 😉 Actually, I suppose in comparison, many Malaysians don’t look as groomed as Singaporeans 🙂 … I do have a Singaporean friend who doesn’t fit the template at all, though, and I think she looks pretty good nonetheless. Which uni are you in btw? I was in LSE several years back. Had a great 3 years in London on the pretext of getting my degree. 😃 > [@](#): > > Free healthcare! For ME! And I’m not even a citizen! Yeah, and being a citizen of a Commonwealth country entitles you to vote in the UK, too! I was really impressed that I could vote there before being able to vote at home. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/28 "2004-04-28T01:21:55Z")
How does having only one train station work? What’s the point of having a train at all if it can only take you back to your starting point? ---
**Author:** ![BonoVox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@BonoVox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BonoVox)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/29 "2004-04-28T06:00:16Z")
Do they still have the webcam on ?Sentosa? What is your favorite fast food? What the hell does La mean anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/30 "2004-04-28T10:20:36Z")
> [@purplycow](#): > > Why does Singaporean Hokkien sound more like Teochew? 😉 > Granted, I’ve mostly heard S’porean Hokkien from the guys, who say they picked up swear words during NS. Very, um, colourful _lol_ > > Why do most Singaporean girls look/dress the same? This is an honestly curious question … nearly everyone seems to have adopted the standard skinny, fair, long-haired (rebonded/coloured) look. Is there a lot of pressure to conform? And do Singaporean girls think we Malaysian girls dress sloppily? 😉 > Actually, I suppose in comparison, many Malaysians don’t look as groomed as Singaporeans 🙂 … I do have a Singaporean friend who doesn’t fit the template at all, though, and I think she looks pretty good nonetheless. > > Which uni are you in btw? I was in LSE several years back. Had a great 3 years in London on the pretext of getting my degree. 😃 Eh, same reason why Singaporean Hokkien has Malay in it, I guess. 😛 Um, not being female, I’m not too sure, honestly. Well, the weather certainly doesn’t help things, and I guess there’s always the fashion consious… more so than other places, I guess, because there’s literally NO SPACE to have diverse subcultures… I have to say, though, that I see a little bit of variation, there are the sporty kinds, the “classy kinds”, and the can’t-be-bothered T shirt and jeans kind. It does look kinda uniform if you’re not looking closely, I guess… And, I’m in LSE right now. 😃 > [@emekthian](#): > > How does having only one train station work? What’s the point of having a train at all if it can only take you back to your starting point? Well, you can take the train to Malaysia, and probably Thailand (I’ve never tried it myself, though). Singapore is far too small for an internal train network, though, so the bus and subway system works just fine for getting the masses where they need to go. The train is also a neccessity for the movement of goods from the port to Malaysia, or raw materials from Malaysia to the factories, or somesuch. > [@BonoVox](#): > > Do they still have the webcam on ?Sentosa? What is your favorite fast food? What the hell does La mean anyway? Webcam on Sentosa? Holy crap, you’re [right!](http://www.singaporecanlah.com/in_the_news/?id=120) I never knew! Well, there you go, you can see the sunny (mostly) beaches of Sentosa, resort island. Favourite fast food… umm… hard to say, but It’d be one of the Japanese fast food joints, either [MOS burger](http://www.mos.co.jp/index.html?), or [Yoshinoya](http://www.yoshinoyausa.com/). MacDonald’s and Burger King are a bit too greasy for me… and I pop into Long John Silvers if I want something cheap. La… Well. Hard to describe la. 😃 It’s kind of like an amplifier, signifying ambivalence or mild irritation? “Well, it’s okay la” “Well, it’s okay, I guess” “Hey, knock it off la” “Hey, knock it off, yeah?” Something like that. It’s really hard to pin it down to a specific meaning, sort of like “oh?” or “hm?”. Most of the time, you can cut it off the sentence, and the sentence won’t lose any meaning, but it might lose a little emphasis. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/31 "2004-04-28T10:24:25Z")
Why you so like that, la? ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/32 "2004-04-28T10:32:57Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Why you so like that, la? That’s my line la. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/33 "2004-04-28T18:33:33Z")
Been to Singapore a few times myself and I love the place. Is X’Ho the radical revolutionary he tries to protray or do people pretty much ignore him as being overly dramatic? Where’s the best place to get a bowl of Laksa? I’ve had some good and mediocre servings. How do locals view the westerners who come out there? Which of the East coast/West Coast seafood places is your favorite? Jumbo being like the popular touristy place, i hear unnamed seafood is pretty wonderful as well. How do the cab drivers make a living when a ride across hald of the city only costs $10 Sing? ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/34 "2004-04-28T19:12:28Z")
> [@BurnMeUp](#): > > Been to Singapore a few times myself and I love the place. > > Is X’Ho the radical revolutionary he tries to protray or do people pretty much ignore him as being overly dramatic? > > Where’s the best place to get a bowl of Laksa? I’ve had some good and mediocre servings. > > How do locals view the westerners who come out there? > > Which of the East coast/West Coast seafood places is your favorite? Jumbo being like the popular touristy place, i hear unnamed seafood is pretty wonderful as well. > > How do the cab drivers make a living when a ride across hald of the city only costs $10 Sing? I’m sorry… who’s X’Ho? ^^;; Not a revolutionary myself, and I think nobody really takes him that seriously, since he doesn’t really come up in ordinary conversation… he’s a radio DJ, yes? _shrug_ Hmm… I know of a good place in Holland Village, but then again, I don’t really eat it that often. Still, many people swear by it, so that’s what I’ll reccommend. 🙂 Well, most of the time, it’s a bit of bemusement, usually ignored, occasionally annoyance, especially if said westerner is arguing with the hawker about making something not on the menu (seen it happen). I guess we leave them alone most of the time, though, since there are so many of them around anyway, I guess we’re used to them. Always an eye opener to see one of them in the outlying housing estates, though. Seafood? Hm. Everyone has their own favourite place, but I guess most people would either say Pungol (east), or Johore Baru (Malaysia) 😃 It’s less than an hour over the causeway, and much cheaper to boot. Well, you must understand that the cost of living is much lower than in other countries… On average, the basic entry level graduate gets about S$2000, which is about USD$1400? And daily food expenses are only at most about S$10, which is about USD$6. So it’s not too hard to survive, in fact, from what I hear, cab drivers earn a pretty respectable S$3000 a month, if the going is good (excluding SARS and such), and that’s not bad pay considering the qualifications. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/35 "2004-04-28T20:59:05Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > I’m sorry… who’s X’Ho? ^^;; Not a revolutionary myself, and I think nobody really takes him that seriously, since he doesn’t really come up in ordinary conversation… he’s a radio DJ, yes? _shrug_ Yeah he’s a DJ but also releases books and spoken word albums that ar epretty critical about the Singapore Govt and culture. He writes quite a few articles for Big O also. On a side note, What are your favorite Singapore bands? I already have CDs from the Boredphucks, The Oddfellows, Force Vomit and the “Deeper Underground” sampler. I was wondering if you could reccomend any other Singapore rock acts? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/36 "2004-04-28T21:11:25Z")
Ever been caned or known anyone who was? ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/37 "2004-04-28T21:34:28Z")
> [@BurnMeUp](#): > > Yeah he’s a DJ but also releases books and spoken word albums that ar epretty critical about the Singapore Govt and culture. He writes quite a few articles for Big O also. > > On a side note, What are your favorite Singapore bands? I already have CDs from the Boredphucks, The Oddfellows, Force Vomit and the “Deeper Underground” sampler. I was wondering if you could reccomend any other Singapore rock acts? Well, I have to say that I don’t really listen to Singaporean bands… actually, I don’t even listen to English music, most of the time. ^^;; I like J-rock and Visual Kei, currently listening to Shiina Ringo… Last English Album I enjoyed was, um… Garbage’s debut album. Sorry, can’t help you out there. ^^;; ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/38 "2004-04-28T21:39:42Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Ever been caned or known anyone who was? Personally? No. Actually, I’ve never even been arrested, or seen the inside of a police station, and I have to say that no one I know on a personal level has ever had a brush with the law as well. Well, maybe my dad and parking tickets, but I don’t think that’s the sort of crime you’re talking about. I did have a wayward friend who was into petty theft and such, but AFAIK, he was never caught, so I have no idea if he was actually arrested. Hardly crime worth caning, I think… I don’t think sentencing for shoplifting includes caning, although I could be wrong. Usually you only hear of caning in the papers, where you have violent crime taking place, or crimes against society, or something like that… white collar crime usually doesn’t get the cane, AFAIK. Um, does Michael Fay count? ^^;; ---
**Author:** ![purplycow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@purplycow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplycow)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/39 "2004-04-29T01:25:34Z")
> [@BurnMeUp](#): > > Where’s the best place to get a bowl of Laksa? I’ve had some good and mediocre servings. The best (assam) laksa I’ve had is in Penang (in Malaysia, about 10-11 hrs away from S’pore). Or were you talking about lemak laksa (the kind with coconut milk in the soup)? **Tabby\_Cat** , are you in your first year in LSE? ---
**Author:** ![purplycow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@purplycow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplycow)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287/40 "2004-04-29T01:32:45Z")
Forgot to add - the phrase I picked up the most from my Singaporean friends was _wah-lau eh!_ What’s the origin of this? (Is it from Chinese?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-singaporean-guy/242287.md?page=3)