Facts, figures, quotes

and anecdotes on Singapore

SINGAPORE R ANDOMat

How many hours do Singaporeans work in a week?

What is Singapore foot?

Just how much is the prime minister of Singapore paid in a year?

When was the fi rst Starbucks café in Singapore opened?

How many ways can you have yusheng?

How many calories are there in a serving of nasi briyani with chicken?

What is Singapore’s most unwelcome tree?

Where is the most heavily populated cemetery in Singapore?

Who was the designer behind the uniform of the SIA Singapore Girl?

How many Merlion statues are there in Singapore?

Singapore at Random provides the answers to these and many

other fun and fascinating questions about the country.

Also in this series:

Malaysia at Random

An illustrated collection of Singapore

trivia, Singapore at Random is fi lled with

anecdotes, statistics, quotes, diagrams, facts,

advice, folklore and other unusual and often

useful tidbits. Th is veritable treasure trove

of information on Singapore is arranged, as

the title suggests, randomly, so that readers

will come to expect the unexpected on each

and every page. Designed in a charmingly

classic style and peppered with attractive

illustrations, Singapore at Random is a quirky

and irresistible celebration of everything

you didn’t know you wanted to know about

this diverse and multi-cultural country.

US$16.00

PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER

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EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET

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Cover image courtesy of Graham Byfi eld.

Title:Singapore At Random:Edm2nd Proof Job No:D0811-36/CD0911-5/ Alice

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

Onward SingaporeCome,fellowSingaporeansLetusprogresstowardshappinesstogetherMayournobleaspirationbringSingaporesuccessCome,letusuniteInanewspiritLetourvoicessoarasoneOnwardSingaporeOnwardSingapore

National Anthem

Majulah Singapura MarikitarakyatSingapuraSama-samamenujubahagiaCita-citakitayangmuliaBerjayaSingapuraMarilahkitabersatuDengansemangatyangbaruSemuakitaberseruMajulahSingapuraMajulahSingapura

WHY WE dON’t kNOW tHE LYRIcS Of OUR NAtIONAL ANtHEm

“HereinSingapore,wecan’tevenspeakonelanguageproperly,andyouexpectpeoplewhodon’tspeakMalaytounderstandournationalanthem?”

–MarcKhoo,26,Self-employed

“Idon’tknowthemeaning.MaybebecauseIhavenotsungitforsolong.Majulah...meanslion?”

–XuYanQing,26,BusinessAnalyst

“Weareallbusywithourwork,sohowcanweremembersomanythings?It’smoreofthefeelingwhenwesingit,asopposedtogettingeverywordcorrect.”

–BobTan,33,ExecutiveEngineer

Source:TheSundayTimes,4Oct2009

TheNationalAnthemwaswrittenandcomposedbythelateEncikZubirSaidinthecontextofrisingnationalistsentimentinthe1950s.ItwaslaunchedtogetherwiththeNationalFlagandStateCreston3September1959attheinstallationofthenewheadofstate,theYangdi-PertuanNegara.Thesethreeitemsformthesymbolsofstate.ThelyricsoftheNationalAnthemanditstranslationarereproducedbelow.

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

mEEt tHE LOcALS

S ingaporeisoftenreferredtoasamultiracialandmulticulturalsociety,butinreality,therearemoredivisionswithintheubiquitousChinese,Malay,Indianand“Others”.Localterms

forresidentsoftheislandshowtherangeofpeopleanditsstereotypes.Thefollowingtermsarecommonlyusedandsometimesderogatory:

Ah Beng–unsophisticatedChineseruffian,whousuallyspeakstheHokkiendialect. Hetendstofollowfashiontrendsbutisoftenlackingtaste.(Bengisacommon Hokkienname).

Ah Seng–perjorativetermforanybody(thereforeconnotesa“nobody”).Ah Lian/Ah Huay–femaleversionofAhBeng.Ah Kong–HokkienforGrandpa.Usedtoaddressanyoldpersonwhoistoooldto

becalled“uncle”.Ah Mm(pronounced“mmm”)–femaleversionofAhKong.Ah Pui–agenericnameforafatperson.Hokkienequivalentof“Fatty”.Ah Qua–anoffensivetermforaneffeminateorhomosexualman.Ya-ya papaya–anarrogantperson.“Yaya”isaslangtermforarrogant,whilepapaya

justhappenstorhyme.Keng Chio Kia–Hokkienfor“BananaChild”,ie“yellowontheoutside,whiteon

theinside”.Inshort,aChinesewhotakesonWesternaffectations.Mat Rocker–ayoungMalaymalewholovesheavymetalmusic,motorcyclesand

leatherjackets.Electro MinahorMinah Rock–MatRocker’sgirlfriend;femaleversionofMat

Rocker.Sua Koo–ayokel.Hokkienfor

“countrybumpkin”.Buaya–alothariooraskirt-

chaser.BasedontheMalayword for“crocodile”.

Helicopter–aChinese-educated person.

Mat SallehorAng Moh–Malay andHokkienslangrespectivelyfor a“Caucasian”.

Sarong Party Girl–alocalgirl whoonlydatesCaucasianmen, oftenabbreviatedtoSPG.

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

cLOSE cONtESt

themostrecentpresidentialelectionheldon27August2011was,forthefirsttime,afour-corneredfight,themosthard-foughtinSingapore’shistory.Thecandidateswereformer

DeputyPrimeMinister(DPM)DrTonyTan,formerMemberofParliamentDrTanChengBock,formerCEOofinsurancecooperativeNTUCIncomeMrTanKinLian,andformerseniorcivilservantandinvestmentmanagerMrTanJeeSay.Ithadbeentoutedasa“contestofthefourTan’s”asallcandidatessharethesamesurnameTan.DrTonyTanemergedthewinnerwith35.2percentofthevotescasttobecomethenation’sseventhpresident.

Therewasonlyoneotherpresidentialelection–in1993,whenformerDPMOngTengCheongdefeatedformerAccountant-GeneralChuaKimYeowtobecomethenation’sfirstpopularlyelectedpresidentfromSep1993toAug1999.Thenexttwoelectionswereactuallywalkovers,asthelastpresidentSRNathanwasthesolecandidatequalifiedtorunforhisfirstterm(Sep1999–Aug2006)andwasunchallengedforhissecondterm(Sep2006–Aug2011).

mOSt cOmmON tREES IN SINGAPORE

Singaporehasalandareaof710squarekilometres,withover2,000recordednativeplantspecies.Thereareabouttwomilliontreesplantedalongroadsides,inparksandprotected

naturereserves.InanefforttointroducethelocalpopulationtothemostcommontreesinSingapore,theNationalParksBoardlaunchedthe“KnowTenTrees”campaign.

TrumpetTree(Tabebuiarosea)YellowFlame

(Peltophorumpterocarpum)SeaApple(Syzygiumgrande)Tembusu(Fagraeafragrans)Angsana(Pterocarpusindicus)

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Source:NationalParksBoard

Saga(Adenantherapavonina)SenegalMahogany

(Khayasenegalensis)SeaAlmond(Terminaliacatappa)RainTree(Samaneasaman)Broad-leafedMahogany

(Swieteniamacrophylla)

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mILES ANd mILES…

A sof2010,thereare3,355kilometresofroadinSingapore,ofwhich161kilometresareexpressways.

Source:LandTransportAuthority

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

RIckSHAWS IN SINGAPORE

R ickshawswereintroducedinSingaporeon16February1880.OriginallyfromJapan,theybecamethehand-drawntaxi-cabsofearlySingapore,amajorformofpublictransportand

aprimarysourceofincomeforthousandsofChineseimmigrantsinSingaporefromthe1880stothe1930s.InventedinJapanin1869,thenamejinrickshawisananglicisationofjinrikisha,theJapanesenameforthevehiclewhichliterallymeans“man-poweredcarriage”.

Unlikethesingle-seatersinHongKong,Singapore’srickshawsweredouble-seaters,feasibleonlybecausetheroadsherewerelesssteep.Itwasonlyin1904thatfirst-classsingle-seaterswereintroduced.Thesehad“Englishwoodenfurniture”and“Indianrubber-cushion-tyrewheels”.Rickshawpullerscouldthusearnmoreandtheirloadswerelessened.By1919,theiron-wheeleddouble-seaterrickshawscouldnolongerbefoundinSingapore.

Thetraditionalrickshawwaseventuallybannedin1947andreplacedbythetrishaw(three-wheeledvehiclewithpedals).

ALL SOULS’ dAY

Q ingMingJie(alsoChengMeng)isAllSouls’DayfortheChinese.QingMingmeans“clearandbright”,probablyareferencetotheweatheratthetimeoftheyearduringwhichthe

festivaloccurs,inthethirdlunarmonthorearlyspring,usuallyon5Aprilor106daysaftertheWinterSolstice.Itisatimetorememberthedearlydepartedandtopayrespecttoone’sdeceasedancestorsandfamilymembers.

QingMingisamajorChinesefestivalbecauseitreinforcesthevalueoffilialpiety,duringwhichmanyChinesevisitthecemeteriesoftheirpassedrelatives.Offeringsoffoodanddrinkaremade,oftenjosssticksandhellmoney,papermansions,cars,servantsandtreasurechestsareburntatthegravesidetoensurethatthedeceasedhavealltheyneedintheotherworld.Aftertheprayers,thefoodisgatheredtogetherandtakenhometobeconsumedbythefamily.

Source:NationalLibraryBoardInfopediaTalk

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

Nutmeg Gambier Pepper Pineapple Rubber

AGRIcULtURAL cROPS Of OLd SINGAPORE

A lthoughSingaporeisasmallisland,agriculturewasasignificantindustryformuchofitsearlyhistory.Agreatdealoftheoriginalforestcoverwasdestroyed

tomakewayforcrops.Needlesstosay,noneofthefarmscanbefoundinurbanSingaporetoday.

Nutmeg–oneofthefirstcropsplantedbytheBritishEastIndiaCompanyinanattempttobreakDutchmonopolyofthespice.NutmegproductioninSingaporepeakedinthemiddleofthe19thcentury,butdeclinedduetoanoutbreakofdiseaseandfallingpricesbecauseofoversupply.Gambier–grownbyChinesefarmersevenbeforeRafflesfoundedSingapore.Alsoknownascatechu,thisisacommoningredientusedbyAsiansinchewingbetelnut.Besideshavingtoclearforesttoplantthecrop,moreforesthadtobecutdowntoboilthegambierleavestoextracttanninfortanningleatheranddyeingcotton.Theplantalsoexhaustedthelandafterafewharvests.Theplantingofgambierstoppedonlywhensyntheticcompoundswereinvented.Pepper–thisspicewasgrowntogetherwithgambier,andcreatedafew“pepperandgambierkings”.Itwasalsohardontheforest,aswoodwasneededtoprovidepolesonwhichthepepperplantcouldclimb.Pineapple–thisfruitreplacedpepperandgambierwhentheinternationalpricesofbothcommoditiesfellin1897.By1901,pineapplewasthemaincropgrowninSingapore.Rubber–seedswerebroughttoSingaporein1877fromtheRoyalBotanicGardensofKew,England.HenryRidley,botanistanddirectoroftheSingaporeBotanicGardensfrom1888to1911,inventedthetappingmethodthatmadeplantingrubberviable,andthistechniqueisstillusedtoday.Rubbergainedimportanceasacashcrop,andby1935,coveredabout40percentoftheisland.

Source:NationalParksBoard

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

SINGAPORE’S ROBIN HOOd

H abibNohbinMohamadAl-Habshi,akaSyedNohbinMohamadAlhabshee,isbelievedtobeadirectdescendantoftheProphetMohammed.HearrivedinSingapore

asamissionaryshortlyaftertheBritishfoundedasettlementthere.MostofthetalesofHabibNohcentredaroundhiskindnessandmiraculouspowers.He

issaidtohavewalkedthroughtherain,fromhishomeinTelokBlangahtohealasickchildinPayaLebar,withoutgettingwet.HeactedlikeaRobinHoodofsorts,oftenwalkingintoshops,takingallthemoneyanddistributingthecashtochildren,withwhomheissaidtohaveastrongaffinity.Strangely,someshopkeepersdidnotmindhisact.

HabibNohisalsosaidtohavebeenabletoappearinseveralplacessimultaneously,faithfullygoingtoMeccatoprayeveryFriday.TheBritishtriedtoputhiminjailseveraltimes,butgaveupashewoulddisappearfromhiscell.

Afteralifetimeofcaringforthepooranddestitute,hepassedawayin1866.ItissaidthathiscoffincouldnotbelifteduntilsomeonerememberedhiswishtobelaidtorestatthepeakofMountPalmer,whereheusedtomeditate.TheParsiwhowassaidtoownMountPalmerandwasreluctanttohaveatombonit,demandedahugefeetoallowHabibNoh’smaqam(tomb)there.Themoneywasraisedspeedily,buttheParsidiedthreedayslater.ThepieceoflandwasboughtoverandHabibNohwasburiedthereashehadwished.

In1890,amausoleumwith49stepswasbuiltbySyedMohammedbinAhmadAlsagofftocommemoratehim.

SINGAPORE’S cHIEf jUStIcES

OnlythreeChiefJusticeshavesatinofficesincethelastBritishChiefJusticesteppeddownin1962.

Chief Justice Start of Term End of Term

WeeChongJin 5Jan1963 27Sep1990

YongPungHow 28Sep1990 10Apr2006

ChanSekKeong 11Apr2006 (Incumbent)

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

fIRSt SINGAPOREAN AIdS VIctIm cOmES OUt

PaddyChew(29March1960–21August1999)wasthefirstSingaporeantoadmittobeingHIV-positive.Chew,whoalsodeclaredhimselfbisexual,madetheannouncement

on12December1998attheFirstNationalAIDSConferenceinSingapore.Theformerflightattendantalsowroteandactedinanautobiographicalplay,Completely

With/OutCharacter,theproceedsofwhichwenttoActionforAIDS,avoluntary,community-basedorganisationcommittedtoAIDSprevention.

Tothosewhocriticisedhimasapublicityseeker,hesaid:“IdonotmindbeingfamousforwinningtheMissUniversecrown,orasasinger,orabeautifulface,youknow?WhowantstobefamousforhavingAIDS?Forgoodness’sake!”

tAPIOcA StORIES

twogenerationsofSingaporeanswhowerebornaftertheJapaneseOccupation(1942–1945)haveheardtheirfairshareof“tapiocastories”.Thesearetalesaboutthehardshipspeople

hadtoendureduringtheyearswhenSingaporewasknownasSyonan-to,literallymeaning“IslandoftheLightoftheSouth”inJapanese.Unfortunately,lifewasanythingbutbright,andthemainpreoccupationatthetimewashowtoremainundertheJapaneseradar,andtofindfood.Soscarcewereediblesthatpeopleusedtogrowtapioca,whichhadthevirtueofbeingeasytoplant–justshoveatapiocastickintotheground(doesn’thavetobegoodground)andwaitforadecentintervalbeforepullingitup,hopefullywithafewlittletubersontheend.

Tapiocastoriesareusuallytoldtoteachyounglistenershowfortunatetheyare,ortopersuadefinickyyoungeaterstoconsumetheirfood.

Source:WartimeKitchen–FoodandEatinginSingapore1942–1950

I WANt mY BAG ANd I WANt It NOW

thefirstluggagebagatChangiAirportisapparentlyonthebaggage-claimbeltbythe12thminutefromwhentheplanedocks,andthelastbaghastobeonthebeltbythe

29thminute.

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

2007 2008 2009

Total Number of Deaths 17,140 17,222 17,101

Percentage of Total Deaths

Cancer 27.7 29.3 29.3

IschaemicHeartDisease 19.8 20.1 19.2

Pneumonia 13.9 13.9 15.3

CerebrovascularDisease(includingStroke) 8.7 8.3 8.0

Accidents,Poisoning&Violence 6.0 5.8 5.7

OtherHeartDiseases 4.3 4.0 4.4

DiabetesMellitus 3.6 2.7 1.7

ChronicObstructiveLungDisease 2.6 2.5 2.4

Nephritis,NephroticSyndrome&Nephrosis 2.0 2.1 2.3

UrinaryTractInfection 2.2 2.1 2.5

PRINcIPAL cAUSES Of dEAtH

Source:MinistryofHealth

REcIPE fOR “mAdRAS cHUNAm”

m adraschunamwasaplasterusedintheconstructionofsomeoldbuildings,likethe

StAndrew’sCathedral.Itwasalsousedtomaketheornamentalfaçadesofsomeoldshophouses.

Ingredientsegg-whitesugarcoconuthuskshelllime

MethodMixwellwithwater,thenapplytowalls.Whendry,polishsmoothwithstones.

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

dEAtH BY jAYWALkING

theelderlyarethemostvulnerablepedestriansinSingapore.Morethan40percentofthosekilledintrafficaccidentsin2009wereaged60andabove.Some65percentofthese

fatalitieswerejaywalkers.Itisbelievedthateitheroldpeoplefoundusingoverheadbridgesachorebecauseofthestairs,ortheyoverestimatedtheirphysicalcapabilities.

Source:TheStraitsTimes,6Feb2010

A tOILEt-tRAINEd NAtION

AskanySingaporeanwhohaslivedinpublichousinginthe1970sand’80sandtheywilltellyouthatitwascommonforpeopleatthetimetomistakeliftsfortoilets.But

Singapore’scivilservantsfoundasolutiontotheproblem.Liftsidentifiedasfrequentlyabusedwereequippedwithhigh-techurinedetectorsandlabelledwithasignthatcaricaturedayoungboywithpantsathisanklesandhiswristscuffed.Whenthegadgetsensedtheoffendingliquid,itwouldbeactivatedandtheliftjammedinmid-journey.TheculpritwouldbetrappedwithinuntiltheliftdoorswereopenedbytheAreaOfficestaff.Thisschemeseemedeffective,butsomepeoplesuspectthatmanyurinedetectorsallegedtohavebeeninstalledaremerelyimitationmodels(muchlikethedummyspeedcameraspositionedatsometrafficjunctionsinSingapore).Whateverthecase,fewpeoplenowadayswouldriskbeingcaughtwiththeirpantsdown.

Source:InsightCityGuideSingapore

tHE PRIcE Of GOLfING

thefirstgameofgolfwasplayedinSingaporein1891attheracecourseinFarrerPark.Anavidgolfer,JusticeGoldneypersuadedlike-mindedmembersoftheSportingClubtojoin

himinsettingupagolfclub.Theentrancefeetotheclubatthetimewasamere$2,andtheannualsubscriptionwas$6.In1924,theSingaporeGolfClubmovedtoBukitTimahandin1938,changeditsnametotheRoyalSingaporeGolfClub.GolfinSingaporeisusuallyseenasanelitesportbecauseofitshighmembershipprices.Atitspeak,membershiptotheSingaporeIslandCountryClubwassoldfor$200,000.

Source:SingaporetheEncyclopedia

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

RAffLES’ StAtUE fASt fActS

Height: 2.43metres(8feet)Castby: ThomasWoolnerCost: $20,446.10(Straitsdollars)Mounting: GraniteSite: TheEsplanade,withRafflesfacingtheseaDateunveiled: 27June1887Unveiledby: SirFrederickWeld,Governorofthe StraitsSettlementsInscription(1919)by: LimKoonTye(whowon$25inthe inscriptioncompetition)Inscriptionreads: ThistablettothememoryofSir StamfordRafflestowhoseforesightand geniusSingaporeowesitsexistenceand prosperityunveiledonFebruary6th, 1919tocommemoratethe100th anniversaryofthefoundationofthe Settlement.DuringJapaneseOccupation: KeptinRafflesMuseum(thenrenamed SyonanMuseum)Post-war: Themonumentwasre-installedat EmpressPlacein1946.

BOmBINGS tHAt HAVE cAUSEd cASUALtIES IN SINGAPORE

AerialbombingofSingaporeTownbytheJapanese,8December1941:61killed,morethan700injured

“MadBomber”bombings,9December1963:2killed,partoffiveexplosionsin3months

Telephoneboothbombing,16April1964:5injuredwhenboothexplodedoffJalanEunos

MacDonaldHousebombing,10March1965:2killed,atleast33injuredwhenbombplantedbyIndonesiansaboteursexploded

Letterbomb,21March1973:1injured,postofficeworker’slefthandwasblownoffwhentheparcelhewasholdingexploded

Carbomb,30March1992:1pregnantwomankilled,herhusbandbeingthebelievedtargetforthebombduetoillegalmoney-lending

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

WHAt dIGS!

themostextravagantgraveinSingaporecanbefoundattheBukitBrowncemetery.OngSamLeongwasthemaincontractoremployinglabourerstoworkinthephosphatemines

onChristmasIsland.Hisotherbusinessesincludedbrickworks,sawmillsandplantations,andaroadoffJalanBesarbearshisname–SamLeongRoad.

Thetycoon,wholivedfrom1857to1918,wasburiedatBukitBrown,whichatthattimewasownedbyaHokkienclanassociation,andreservedonlyforthosewiththesurnameOng.(Thecolonialgovernmentwastotakeoverthecemeteryin1919andturnitintoamunicipalChinesecemetery,whichwasfinallyclosedinthe1970s.)

ThetombofOngSamLeongandhiswifeisagiantamongthe100,000tombsatBukitBrown,covering600squaremetres.IthasallthetraditionalChinesetombfeatures,butcarriedoutonamuchgranderscale–thesymbolicmoat,whichislittlemorethanagrooveinothertombs,is15metres(50feet)longinOng’sgrave.BesidesthelionguardiansonChinesetombs,therearealsostatuesoftwoSikhwatchmen,completewithrifles.

Thehugetombgot“lost”forafewyearsastheoldcemeterybecameneglectedandovergrownwithweeds.Itwasrediscoveredin2006.

Source:DiscoverSingapore

A tROPIcAL WAStELANd

In2008,5.97milliontonnesofwastewasgeneratedbySingaporeans.

1.26milliontonnesofpaperandcardboard48percentrecycled

0.68milliontonnesofplastics8percentrecycled

0.57milliontonnesoffoodwaste12percentrecycled

Source:TheStraitsTimes,28Dec2009

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

ORIGINS Of ROtI jOHN

Accordingtolocallegend,sometimeinthe1960s,anEnglishmanaskedaMalayhawkerinSembawangforahamburger.Hamburgerswerenotpartofthelocalcuisine,sotheingenious

hawkerconcoctedasubstitute:hespreadmincedmuttonandslicesofonionbetweenslicesofFrenchloaf(baguette),dippedthewholethinginbeateneggsandfrieditonahotgriddle.

Thenameofthedishisattributedtothisanonymoushawker,whowasoverheardsayingtothecustomer,“Silakanmakanroti,John”whichliterallytranslatesas“Pleaseeatthisbread,John”.ForeignerswereoftenreferredtobythegenericnameJohnbackthen,andsincethedishwasmadeforaforeigner,itisbelievedthatthehawkerchristeneditRotiJohn( John’sbread).

NO PLAcE LIkE HOmE

In2009,HSBCbanksurveyed3,100expatsin50countriestorankcountrieswhichtheythoughtofferedthebeststandardsoflivingintheworld.Participantswereaskedtovoteon

25differentcriteriapertainingtofood,sociallife,accommodation,healthcare,workinghours,familylife,abilitytomakefriendsandsoon.Singaporecamewithinthetop10places. Rank Location 1........................................................ Canada 2......................................................... Australia 3......................................................... Thailand 4......................................................... Singapore 5......................................................... Bahrain 6......................................................... SouthAfrica 7......................................................... France 8......................................................... UnitedStates 9......................................................... Spain 10......................................................... HongKong

mOBILE IN 1988

theearliestmobiletelephoneserviceinSingaporewaslaunchedin1988.Thetelephonesetsweighedaround600–700gramsandwerepricedbetween$2,900and$3,400.

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

StREEtSIdE ARt

I tisoftenunderappreciatedthatSingaporehasbeenarichrepositoryofstreetartsincethe19thcentury.Evenafterindependence,Singaporewasveryearnestaboutitspublic

art,buildingmonumentsandartworksthatreflectednationalaspirationsandstruggles.Bythe1970sand1980s,suchanapproachseemedtoointense,andsubsequentpublicartwascommissionedbytheSingaporeTourismBoard,propertydevelopersandhotelowners,seekinginsteadtoaddacosmopolitanglosstothecity.

HereisaselectionofpublicartworksintheCivicDistrict:

Title:Elephant Artist:Unknown Year:1871 Location:TheArtsHouse,sideentrance facingthePadang

Title:Sir Stamford Raffles Artist:ThomasWoolner Year:1887 Location:InfrontofVictoriaTheatre andConcertHall

Title:Allegory of Justice Artist:CavalieriRodolfoNolli Year:1939 Location:RoofPedimentoftheformer SupremeCourt

Title:Merlion Artist:LimNangSeng Year:1972 Location:MerlionPark

Title:Deva Artist:EmeryLin Year:1986 Location:InfrontofthePanPacific Hotel

Title:Abundance III Artist:SunYu-Li Year:1993 Location:intersectionofRaffles BoulevardandTemasekBoulevard

Title:Six Brushstrokes Artist:RoyLichtenstein Year:1997 Location:RoyLichtensteinSculpture Plaza,MilleniaSingapore

Title:Seed Series Artist:HanSaiPor Year:1998 Location:EsplanadeWaterfront

Title:First Generation Artist:ChongFahCheong Year:2000 Location:AlongtheSingaporeRiver, nexttoTheFullertonHotel

Title:Fishing by the River Artist:ChernLianShan Year:2005 Location:AlongtheSingaporeRiver,in frontofTheRiverwalk

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

OLYmPIAN AcHIEVEmENtS

t inySingaporeisnotwithoutherOlympians.On9Sep1960,atthePalazzettoDelloSportinRome,TanHoweLiang,27,putSingaporeontheworldmapwhenheliftedarecord

380kginthelightweight(67.5kg)categorytobeat33rivals(exceptRussia’sViktorBusheuv)forthelightweightsilvermedal.HiswinremainsSingapore’sonlyindividualOlympicmedal.TanisalsotheonlySingaporeanwhohaswonamedalatallthemajorinternationalgames–theOlympics,CommonwealthGames,AsianGamesandtheSoutheastAsianPeninsular(SEAP)Games,takingallGoldsexceptfortheOlympics.HewasalsothefirstweightlifterinhistorytobeawardedtheInternationalWeightliftingFederation(nationalhonour)GoldAwardin1984.

Source:www.sportsmuseum.com.sg

2,900speciesofplants 360speciesofbirds

Source:“ALivelyandLiveableSingapore”inStrategiesforSustainableGrowthpublishedbytheMinistryfortheEnvironmentandWaterResourcesandMinistryofNationalDevelopment,2009

HOmE tO mANY

S ingaporemaybeahighlyurbanisedcountry,butthereisanabundanceofnatureandwildlifetobefound.

250speciesofhardcorals.

WELL EXEcUtEd

m orethan400prisonershavebeenhangedinSingaporesince1991,givingthesmallcitystatepossiblythehighestexecutionrateintheworldrelativetoitspopulationofjustover

fourmillionpeople(in2004).

Source:AmnestyInternational

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S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

tHAIPUSAm

thaipusamisaHindufestivalcelebratedeveryyearinJanuaryorFebruary,accordingtothefullmoonintheTamilcalendar.Thewordisderivedfrom“Thai”meaning“10th”and

“pusam”meaning“whenthemoonisatitsbrightest”.DedicatedtotheHinduGod,LordSubramaniamsonofLordSiva,alsoknownasLordMurugan,thedeityofyouth,powerandvirtue,thisfestivalisatimeforrepentancefordevoteeswithcelebrationscarriedoutmainlyatthetemple.Devoteespreparethemselvesspirituallywithextensiveprayerandfastingbeforeperformingactsofpenanceorthanksgivingthroughcarryingakavadi(burden)fromonetempletoanother.Thekavadicarriersoftenpiercesharpskewersthroughtheirtongues,cheeksandbodiesasaformofself-mortification.Theycongregateatthetemplesearlyinthemorning,withtheirfamilies,friendsandwell-wishers,toparticipateintheprocession.TheprocessioninSingaporestartsattheSriSrinivasaPerumalTempleatSerangoonRoad,goesdownOrchardRoadandendsattheSriThandayuthapaniTempleatTankRoad,commonlyknownastheMuruganTempleorChettiar’sTemple.Offeringsincludefruits,flowersandpotsofmilk.ThisHindufestivalcommemoratesthefeatsofLordSubramaniamreflectingtriumphoverevilforces.

GHOSt ISLANd

f ansofpiratetaleswilllovethis.PulauHantu,literallymeaningGhostIslandinMalay,isoneofSingapore’soffshoreislands.Thoughttobehaunted,legendhasitthatpirateshid

lootontheisland.Inordertodeterunwelcomevisitors,theyplantedflickeringlightsthatgavetheillusionoffloatingspirits.Today,theislandisapopularcampinggroundandboastsoneofthecleanestbeachesoffthemainisland.

ARE YOU ON tImE?

G eographically,Singaporeshouldonlybe6hours,55minutesand25secondsaheadofGreenwichMeanTime(GMT).CurrentlythecountryrunsontheSingaporeStandard

TimeofGMT+8.

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10�

S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

cHILLI cRAB

chillicrabisaseafooddishthatoriginatesfromSingapore.Itwascreatedin1950bySingaporechef,CherYamTianwithherhusband,LimChoonNgee.Mudcrabsare

commonlyused,butothervarietiesofcrab–suchasflowercrabsorblueswimmercrabs–areusedaswell.

Thesauceisthickenedwithcornflourandflavouredwithgarlic,ricevinegarandsoysauce.Beateneggisaddedneartheendofthecookingprocesstocreateegg-ribbonsinthesauce.Despiteitsname,chillicrabisnotaparticularlyspicydish.Itiscommonlygarnishedwithcorianderleaves.

LOcAL SItcOmS tHAt mAdE It OVERSEAS

Under One Roof(Malaysia,Indonesia,Thailand,Australia,USA)Phua Chu Kang(Malaysia,Indonesia,Brunei)Living with Lydia(Malaysia,Thailand,Myanmar,Indonesia,Macau,HongKong,Australia,USA)

•

•

•

Sources:EssentialSingapore;TimeOutSingapore

Oh Carol!(Malaysia,HongKong)Maggi & Me(Malaysia,Cambodia,USA)Achar (Malaysia,USA)

••

•

Beforefrying,thecrabischoppedintolargepieces

andsteamedwithslicesofginger.Thecrabshell

isusuallypartiallycrackedbeforecookingforeaseof

eating.Afterwhich,itisstir-friedinchillisauceand

othercondiments.

Thewell-lovedcrustaceandelightiscommonlyserved with bread, steamed or fried mantou (Chinese buns), French loaves or toasted bread,usedtomopupthesauce.Plainwhitericemayalsobeeatenwithchillicrab.

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110

S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

A GALAXY ON A LIttLE ISLANd

W iththeScienceCentrerepresentingthesun,uniquesculptureshavebeenplacedatvariouslocationsaroundSingapore,representingtheplanets.Therelativedistanceof

thesesculpturesfromtheScienceCentrerepresentstherelativedistanceofeachplanetfromthesun.

43

5

21

67

8

9

10

Source:ScienceCentreSingapore

1 Sun ScienceCentreSingapore(EcoGarden)2 Mercury ScienceCentreSingapore(FibonacciTerrace)3 Venus JapaneseGarden(NearGuestHouse)4 Earth ChineseGarden(NearStoneBoat)5 Mars JurongLakePark(NearCentralPlaza)6 Jupiter WestCoastPark(NearMcDonald’snexttoCarpark3)7 Saturn One-NorthPark(Besidewaterfeature)8 Uranus BishanPark(BetweenplaygroundandPalmCourt)9 Neptune EastCoastPark(AtBougainvilleaGardennexttoCarparkF2)10 Pluto ChangiBeachPark(NearAmphitheatrenexttoCarpark1)

Legend

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111

S I N G A P O R E A t R A N d O m

cOmmON PARkING OffENcES

Nowthere’snoexcusefornotknowingtheparkingrules…

Types of Offence Range of Composition Amount

Parkingwithoutdisplayingvalidcoupon(s)orsufficientvalidcoupon(s)tomeettheprescribedparkingcharges

$6–50

Notdisplayingcoupon(s)intheprescribedmannerastobeclearlyvisible $6–40

Displaying2ormorecoupon(s)wherethetimeofcommencementindicatedonthe2ndorsubsequentcoupon(s)didnotrunimmediatelyaftertheexpiryoftheparkingperiodindicatedinthepriorcoupon(s)

$6–40

Displayingacouponinwhichthetimeofcommencementofparkingindicatedonthecouponislaterthantheactualtimewhentheparkingstarted

$30–40

Displayinganycouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationthathasanyalteration,erasureorotherirregularitythereinwhichindicatesthatthecouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationhasbeentamperedwith

$50–400

Failingtoproduceanycouponorseasonparkingticketorauthorisationdisplayedonaparkedvehicleforinspectionand/orretentionbytheSuperintendentoranypersonauthorisedbyhimwhenrequiredtodoso

Max$400

Parkingaftertheexpiryoftheparkingperiodindicatedinthecoupon(s)displayed

$6–40

Parkingotherthaninaparkinglot $25–200

Drawing,driving,pushingorparkingavehicleinadisorderlymanner $25–80

Failuretoobeysignsdisplayedinaparkingplace $25–200

Parkingbeyondtheboundariesofaparkinglotorparkingorstoppinginsuchamannerastocauseobstruction

$25–200

Parkinginaseasonparkingplacewithoutdisplayingvalidseasonticket $25–80

Unauthorisedparkinginareservedlot $25–80

Source:UrbanRedevelopmentAuthority

BUNGALOW OR mANSION

theterm“bungalow”inBritishEnglishreferstoaone-storeyhouse,usuallysmallinsize.InSingapore,however,bungalowsarelarge,detachedhousesormansions,usuallywith

morethanonestorey.

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Facts, figures, quotes

and anecdotes on Singapore

SINGAPORE R ANDOMat

How many hours do Singaporeans work in a week?

What is Singapore foot?

Just how much is the prime minister of Singapore paid in a year?

When was the fi rst Starbucks café in Singapore opened?

How many ways can you have yusheng?

How many calories are there in a serving of nasi briyani with chicken?

What is Singapore’s most unwelcome tree?

Where is the most heavily populated cemetery in Singapore?

Who was the designer behind the uniform of the SIA Singapore Girl?

How many Merlion statues are there in Singapore?

Singapore at Random provides the answers to these and many

other fun and fascinating questions about the country.

Also in this series:

Malaysia at Random

An illustrated collection of Singapore

trivia, Singapore at Random is fi lled with

anecdotes, statistics, quotes, diagrams, facts,

advice, folklore and other unusual and often

useful tidbits. Th is veritable treasure trove

of information on Singapore is arranged, as

the title suggests, randomly, so that readers

will come to expect the unexpected on each

and every page. Designed in a charmingly

classic style and peppered with attractive

illustrations, Singapore at Random is a quirky

and irresistible celebration of everything

you didn’t know you wanted to know about

this diverse and multi-cultural country.

US$16.00

PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER

Other books published by

EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET

SIN

GA

PO

RE

RA

ND

OM

atF

acts, figu

res, qu

otes an

d an

ecdo

tes on

Sin

gap

ore

Cover image courtesy of Graham Byfi eld.

Title:Singapore At Random:Edm2nd Proof Job No:D0811-36/CD0911-5/ Alice

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