The Little Red Dot (part 2)

If Singapore was a prohibition sign, it would be tons of them on a single board!

Yes, there are a hell lot of prohibition signs in Singapore, but you will quickly realise that they just reflect common sense!

You are not allowed to drink or eat in the MRT (Singapore’s subway), because the food attracts rodents bringing diseases - the fine of S$500 is also a good incentive to comply! The reason for the durian prohibition sign might be a mystery to any Westerner, but you will soon understand it once you have realised how overwhelming and lasting the smell of this fruit could be! You can also be fined for not wearing any clothes at home if you can be seen by a neighbour…

If Singapore was a season, it would be summer.

You can forget the four seasons and the flu… It is eternal summer in the tropics!

If Singapore was a month, it would be August.

Yes, it is that hot!

If Singapore was an hour of the day, it would be 7am/pm.

These are the sunrise and sunset times in Singapore, every day all year round! The morning light and the evening darkness always come at the same time - clocks never change and there are no shorter or longer days!

If Singapore was a value, it would be diversity and tolerance.

This tiny little island is a place where many nations, religions, languages, cuisines and cultures cohabit and interact in peace and harmony on a daily basis (it is not a melting pot like the United States though as each group has preserved its uniqueness…). Almost three-quarters of the population consist of ethnic Chinese groups, including Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Hakka. The Malays (recognised as the indigenous people of Singapore) and the Indians form respectively the second and third largest ethnic groups. You will also come across Westerners who work there (some people refer to them as “expats”, which I have always found very unfortunate as the term seems to be used only for Caucasians from rich countries working abroad for a short or long period of time), as well as live-in helpers, mainly from the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia (some families employ even two helpers - one cleaning the house and the other taking care of the kids). All these groups have also mixed over the years, giving birth to the Eurasians and the Peranakans!

At the same time you can come across a monk in an orange robe waiting for his coffee in the local cafe (yes, monks drink coffee too!) and a sweet elderly person selling packets of tissues trying to earn a living (there are no beggars in Singapore!).

Soon after your arrival in the city-state, you will end up with friends and acquaintances from Singapore, India, Malaysia, the UK, Australia, the US, Japan, Russia, the PRC, you name it… I remember a bus trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur with a group of eight friends from six different nationalities and speaking fifteen different languages...

Even though discrimination still exists, like everywhere else in the world, Singapore is an example for multiculturalism that other nations should follow! The tolerance and respect for others while preserving everyone’s own identity and authenticity are to me some of Singapore’s greatest achievements!

They are even more impressive when you think of the Tower of Babel. According to the myth, the world’s united human race used to speak a single language. However, when they decided to build a tower tall enough to reach heaven, God confounded their speech so that they could no longer understand each other, and scattered them around the world. In Singapore all groups still speak their own language, but the Tower of Babel tragedy had been avoided by picking a neutral language spoken by everyone - English!

If Singapore was a language, it would be Singlish.

No, not English, Singlish!

The four official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil (a language spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka), English being the official lingua franca. Almost all Singaporeans are bilingual - they learn English as a first language and usually the language of their ethnic group as a second language. There are also a multitude of Chinese dialects still spoken in Singapore, such as Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka and Cantonese. In addition, Mandarin in Singapore sometimes varies from Mandarin in the PRC - for example, “taxi“ would be the much shorter “dí shì“ instead of “chū zū chē“ and “10 thousand“ would be “shí qiān“ instead of “wàn“.

All signs and public announcements are usually written or made in each of the four official languages - they turn quite long, but will also make you practise your language skills on a daily basis! If you really pay attention, you can become a polyglot like the locals!

The variety of languages can be spotted on street and neighbourhood name signs - from Duchess Road and Princess of Wales Road to Tiong Bahru (“new cemetery” - “tiong” means “end” in the Chinese Hokkien dialect, and “bahru” means “new” in Malay), Jalan Besar (“large road” in Malay) and Kampong Glam (“kampong” for “village” and “gelam” for the cajeput tree in Malay).

However, the most outstanding and definitely unique of all languages on the island (and Singapore’s unofficial lingua franca!) is Singlish - a variety of English, incorporating elements of Chinese, Malay and Tamil! Every time I hear Singlish or even English spoken with a dose of the very specific Singapore accent, it always sounds like music to my ears! The Singlish words are so colourful and creative - “makan” for “eat”, “ang moh” for “red hair” or “Caucasian” (the equivalent of “gweilo” in Hong Kong), “alamak” expressing surprise, “chop chop” used to tell someone to do something fast, “ice kosong” for “iced water”, “dabao” for “take away”, “kampong” for “village”, “kiasu” used to describe a selfish attitude arising from the fear of missing out or fomo, and “kopi” for “coffee”… The Singlish language is the amazing outcome of all the ethnic groups living together, and exchanging and absorbing words and ideas from each other...

“Can can” in its interrogative or affirmative variations is probably one of the most famous Singlish expressions that you will hear, mirroring the Chinese question “keyi keyi” (is it possible). You can also add “lah” as an exclamation at the end of literally every sentence! Can can? Can lah!

If Singapore was an acronym, it would be 5C.

The 5C is a popular term used in Singapore for materialism. The 5C referring to Cash, Car, Credit card, Condo and Country club membership are symbols of success and influence on the island. Owning a car in Singapore is definitely not the same as in the US - given the high taxes and a quota system requiring owners to obtain a costly Certificate of Entitlement, the price of a car would come up as a triple of the figure you probably had in mind! This is a way for the government to be eco-friendly and save the planet. Also, the public transport on the island is amazing - clean, efficient, punctual, up to the standards expected from the Switzerland of Asia!

If Singapore was a word, it would be shiok!

It is a Singlish word used to convey a feeling of sheer pleasure and happiness, or “great”! Singapore shiok ah (or Singapore is great)!

If Singapore was a fragrance, it would be lemongrass or frangipani!

The bright colours are everywhere…

If Singapore was a colour, it would be green.

It is for a reason that one of Singapore's nicknames is the Garden City.

If Singapore was nature, it would be plenty of it.

Similar to Hong Kong, it might come as a surprise to discover that Singapore’s highly urbanised cityscape is complemented by so many enclaves of lush greenery and wildlife!

You can go for a hike around Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve’s ponds and mangroves, and spot crocodiles and water monitor lizards (the world's second-heaviest lizards after their close cousins, the Komodo Dragons).

You can also choose the famous MacRitchie Reservoir’s boardwalks across the rainforest, home to monkeys and turtles, or Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with Singapore's highest hill of 163 metres.

Another option is to ride a bicycle along the sea and the white sand beaches in East Coast Park, or on Pulau Ubin, a small island northeast of Singapore, where you will discover what life in Singapore in the 1960s looked like and admire the colourful prayer flags of a Buddhist temple.

There are also a multitude of beautiful parks where you can simply stroll around - the Chinese and Japanese Gardens with their elegant pagodas and bridges are gorgeous and serene.

Finally, some island-hopping to the other islands of Singapore is also available. You can camp or stay overnight in the Holiday Bungalow on Saint John’s Island, and enjoy a barbecue in the quiet evening after the other day-trippers had gone back to the main island. Another option is to take the ferry and go for a day trip to Kusu Island (or “Tortoise Island” in Hokkien - according to the legend a magical tortoise turned itself into an island to save two shipwrecked sailors) where you can visit a Taoist temple or enjoy the pristine beaches.

If Singapore was a flower, it would be an orchid.

The Vanda Miss Joachim was chosen as Singapore’s national flower in 1981. The purple orchid was selected for its resilience and ability to bloom throughout the year.

You can admire these lovely flowers everywhere, from the Changi airport waiting areas to the Orchid Garden housing over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of tropical orchids - the largest such display in the world!

If Singapore was a tree, it would be a traveller’s palm or one of the giant trees at Gardens by the Bay.

Singapore is the travel hub of Asia Pacific and you can find traveller's palms everywhere on the island!

There is also a wide variety of other beautiful trees, such as bamboos, banyans, cannonballs and African tulip trees!

You can also find trees elsewhere than in the parks and reservoirs though! Some of Singapore's most futuristic architectural achievements are the 18 supertrees - these tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens by the Bay's landscape with heights ranging between 25 and 50 metres are actually vertical gardens, collecting rainwater, generating solar power and providing a framework for hundreds of unique and exotic orchids, ferns and bromeliads.

There is a restaurant on the top of the largest one, and an elevated walkway links two of the supertrees providing breathtaking views of the gardens.

The place becomes even more magical in the evening or around Christmas when all trees light up in fairytale colours!

If Singapore was a fruit, a bird, a person or a cuisine, it would be... (to be continued in the third part of this article)