Free Travel show in Singapore at Expo Friday Aug 2 and over the weekend (NATAS)

Singapore's National Association of Travel Agents (NATAS) organizes two consumer travel fairs every year, travel in February, and holidays in August. The fairs take place at Expo, one train stop away from Changi Airport. Expo is conveniently on the Blue Downtown line as well as the link to the airport.

Of course I am interested in travel. I am a travel writer. I travel a lot.

Singapore flag.

Some of my family are expats in Singapore, so we sometimes go back to the UK for birthdays and holidays. Other times we spent in Singapore, often having a birthday meal at Raffles Hotel, or another top restaurant (after eating economy meals of chicken rice or eating at home in order to save up).

One year I saw some ads come in for weekends away when we were looking at restaurants for a birthday meal. I said, "I'd rather celebrate by having a meal in a new country".

You can travel either of two ways. Pick a destination, and find the cheapest time of year or the best last minute offers. Or start with your date and look for the best and most interesting holiday available within your budget.

Go to Expo on Friday or over the weekend and halls 5 and 6 have travel booths. In addition there are lots of local travel agents. I noted the exhibitors by subject matter:

AIRLINES & AIRPORTS
Changi Recommends

Drukair (Bhutan)
Etihad
Hainan (Chinese budget airline, to UK and Europe)


Polish flag. Similar to the Singapore flag.

Lot Polish airline


Norwegian Airlines

Royal Bhutan
Royal Brunei

CRUISES
Costa Cruises
Dream Cruises
Royal Caribbean

TOURIST BOARDS FOR COUNTRIES



Flag of China
CHINA


Flag of India

INDIA



Flag of Indonesia.
INDONESIA


Flag of Japan

JAPAN


Flag of Korea.

KOREA


MALDIVES
NEPAL



Flag of South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICA


TAIWAN
THAILAND


Flag of Ukraine
UKRAINE

CITIES, Regions & DESTINATIONS


Flag of Indonesia.
JOGJA - Jogjakarta, Indonesia


Flag of Malaysia.

Melaka, Malaysia


Flag of Australia
Perth, West Australia

OTHERS
Other stands feature hotels, Tavelodge Asia hotels, and photos, FOTOHUB.

If you are short of time and want to take in halls in turn:
Here they are some of my favourites by halls:

HALL 5
China, Dream Cruises,

HALL 6
Costa Cruises,

The NATAS event is open from 10 am to 930 pm.

Useful Websites
http://natastravelfair.travel/about-us/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The Mirror Effect: The Difference between a Chiasmus & an Antimetabol...

I am busy teaching English and visiting Toastmasters clubs, often in demand for explaining English. Many times my chief job seems to be teaching the basics, articles a and the, adjectives and adverbs, Americanisms and British English.

In Singapore half a dozen of us go around the clubs doing this. I and an American friend are in demand because we speak with correct intonation and accents.

Oddly enough, the others who don't speak as well, compensate by extremely detailed learning, even when they were not keen on English and academic studies as schoolchildren.

One such example is Terence, the dedicated student and teacher of English whose post I refer you to below.

The Mirror Effect: The Difference between a Chiasmus & an Antimetabol...: The following is a technical explanation, concerning rhetorical devices, on the difference between an ordinary chiasmus, and an antimetabo...

Do take a look. Even if the technical explanations pass you by, the quotations are a delight.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How To Plan For A Singaporean National Day Celebration or any celebration

Buy national flags. You can order online. Allow time for delivery.

Or go to a supermarket or discount store.

Daeso, Japanese store. Singapore flags, set of two, and pennants. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Daeso in Singapore, although a Japanese company, has seasonl items and local items such as flags and pennants (a string of triangular flags). Find them by the checkout on the opposite wall.

Buy caps or clothes with the flag.

Check rules about flags. Singapore has a page about the rules on flags. They used to have very detailed rules about what you could not do because it was deemed disrespectful to wear a flag.

Rule that you could not fly flags on vehicles. Now this has been revised and you are simply told to be careful the flags are securely attached.

(Or print flags and attach to a straw or stick. Work out the cost of printing ink and paper if you plan to claim back the cost on expenses. Check whether anybody printing for you will be claiming expenses and agree the amount to be claimed with the treasurer of committee.)

Have a supply of pins and blutac, in your pocket to attach strings of triangular pennants.

Transport
Check the times of the last train - but it may be crowded so also check alternative routes. Have the numbers of taxis and Grab in your mobile phone in case you miss the last train. Be prepared for all taxis to be charging more or for a long wait when they are all busy. Plan to be at a pickup point outdoors where they can stop without being fined and where they can find you easily. Some companies take a picture of you to send to the cab which makes it easier for the driver to find you.

Author
Angela Lansbury

English words which confuse foreigners - how do you explain them? Owing to and due to

Owing To and Due To
I wrote this on the polyglot page in Facebook in reply to a query about which words people find confusing.
Owing to and due to are confusing. Owing to means because of. Due to is caused by. You start a sentence with Owing to. Owing to bad weather, the trains will be late. The lateness of the trains is due to bad weather.

Several times a week I visit Toastmasters Speakers' Clubs in Singapore and the UK and worldwide. I am often invited to be the Grammarian or Language Evaluator because I am a native English speaker.

I present a word of the day. Here is one I presented recently.

American - British English

automobile - car

hood of car - bonnet

cookie - biscuit

fall - autumn

cookie - biscuit

faucet - tap

pants - trousers

sidewalk - pavement

truck  -  lorry

trunk of automobile  - boot of car 

underpants - pants

British English - American

autumn - fall

biscuit - cookie

bonnet of car - hood

car - automobile

Lorry - truck

pants - underpants

pavement - roadway

tap - faucet

trousers - pants

boot of car - trunk of car

Taboo word – Actually!

*Please tap/clap if you hear the word of the day

or the taboo word!

LANGUAGE EVALUATION

COMPLIMENTS I shall be back to compliment those who used the word of the day. J

DELIGHTS I shall listen for delightful words and phrases:

alliteration; assonance; similes; metaphors; repetition, triads.

TIPS I shall offer free tips on:

Americanisms. British English. Singlish. Accents and Vocabulary.

Practising Perfect Pronunciation: l, r, s, t. Intonation and rhythm.

Good Grammar. Tenses; present and past. Articles 'a' and 'the'.

Come and visit one of Singapore's Toastmasters clubs.

Useful Websites
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitlondon.com
visitsingapore.com
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/07/flags-and-food-for-singapores-national.html

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and language teacher to individuals and companies.

Angela Lansbury, the author, - not related to Angela Lansbury the actress nor any of the other dozen people named Angela Lansbury or Lansbury.

I have many more posts on Americanisms and language. I teach English and other languages. I am a polyglot. Please share links to your favourite posts.

American English and British English - shopping for food and cooking

If you are cooking you may find different terms in American and British recipes. Here are some more to add to your list or quiz:

American - English
cookies - biscuits
powdered sugar - icing sugar
parking lot - car park
shopping cart - trolley
whipping cream - single cream (or double cream). In the UK whipping cream does not exist.

English - American
biscuits - cookies
icing sugar - powdered sugar
Single / double cream - whipping cream

Finally an American cup is not the same as an English cup. You can't just pick up a UK cup and assume they are all a standard size. You would think a cup would be a cup, the same worldwide, wouldn't you?

Wiki says:
The cup is a cooking measure of volume, commonly associated with cooking and serving sizes. It is traditionally equal to half a liquid pint in US customary units, or between 200 ml and 250ml (​¹⁄₅ and ​¹⁄₄ of a litre) in the metric system.

Useful Websites
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitlondon.com
visitsingapore.com
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/07/flags-and-food-for-singapores-national.html

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, the author, - not related to Angela Lansbury the actress nor any of the other dozen people named Angela Lansbury or Lansbury.
I have many more posts on Americanisms and language. I teach English and other languages to individuals and companies. I am a polyglot. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Adjustable Sandals, New and Secondhand

The soles of my sandals have cracked and disintegrated. In Singapore. But the same has happened in London, England. From my internet searches I found that the same happens in the USA.

Adjusting
I love adjustable hook and loop or touch and close or Velcro sandals. I prefer the ones with the hook and look on both the front and back. But I will settle for a buckle at the back and hook and loop at the front.

Feet swell up in the heat. You go from an air conditioned building to the hot outdoors. In summer you need wider shoes for swelling feet.

After a flight your feet swell up.

Removing Shoes In A Hurry
I need sandals which I can remove in a hurry for going through security at airports.

In Asia and worldwide you often have to remove your shoes going into homes and temples.

You also want to replace them in a hurry.

Brands
I have sandals from Steibel (German?) and Hotter (UK). I also discovered on Ebay today the brand Walking Cradles, but the postage from Florida to UK was too great.

Websites
ebay
Selfridges (delivers worldwide)
https://www.qoo10.sg

Brand names to search for
Clarks
Cushion Walk
Hotter
Josef Steibel (notice the spelling)
Softlites
Walking Cradles

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photograper, author and speaker.

How To Promote Your Club Conference Or Event

How do you promote your club conference or event? I have been looking into this to repeatedly and contunually promote Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters speakers group in Singapore meeting twice a month on the first Wednesday evening and the third Saturday afternoon, and a one-off event, the Pathways workshop at Tampines Changkat community club on September 28th.

Choosing The Event Date
The first point to notice is whether the orgnaizers or stars are available. Give them a choice of dates. You might not want to have a party for teeneagers during their exam week or when everybody is away for the summer break. Offer the star turn or workshop leader a choice of dates or ask when they are free.

Then check whether you have competing national, local, or same society events on the same day. If possible, change the day. If not, make use of the overlap.

Joint Promotions & Conflicts
You could promote both events and ask people to sign up for one or the other. Or get publicity about your concern over the conflict. You may rmember a royal wedding with took place on the same day as a sports event.

Posters
How do you create a layout? You want a banner headline, one or two photos or a mosaic. Details in a text box of where, when, directions, price, contacts, sign up. Is the event free, or price or prices for different people (members and non-members or guests, earlybird or pay at the door.

Use Canva. Or Powerpoint.

Tickets
On websites such as Eventbrite you can ask the guests to print off a ticket or show you their registration or payment on their phone if you are sure the event venue will have internet connection. If no internet connection, arrange for somebody to have a charged phone to act as a hotspot.

How To Print Tickets Cheaply And Quickly
You can make DIY tickets and ticket stubs. Across an A4 page you could print at least four horizontal tickets, possibly as many as 16.

Numbering Tickets
Why number tickets? To prevent fraud from photocopying. To keep track of tickets and numbers sold. To match up the ticket sold with the ticket stub.

Prices and Reductions
If you are not selling tickets and people are complaining about the price, you could offer a reduction or buy one get one free (to fill up the empty room).

Useful Websites
canva.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. President of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club. Area S3 director.

Flags and Food For Singapore's National Day and other national days

Singapore flag

I was looking for items for a Singapore theme for the meeting of my toastmasters club, two days before Singapore's National Day which is August 9th.  Daeso the Japanese bargain shop, where everything is two Singapore dollars, was selling pairs of Singapore flags; also a banner with several triangular flags on a white cloth string, again for two dollars.

Daeso. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I went to the Daeso branch in City Square Mall beside Farrer Park MRT station, one stop from Little India on the North East line. Daeso in that mall is quite hard to find, even when you know where it is.Walk past the main escalators on the ground floor to the back and then turn left and take the back escalator up to the fourth floor.

Biscuits and Cakes
I found pictures of biscuits with the red and white flag on them. Quicker and cheaper to make, or buy and decorate than a full size cake.

Cakes are hard to carry intact. You need to keep them upright in a tin, or wrap in clingfilm. Or decorate on site. Biscuits, if very hard, would be easier to transport, so long as they are hard and don't crumble. If you buy from a shop such as a patisserie, you might get a cake in a box with a handle.

Failing all else, I shall simply put the flags on the food table.

Other Flag Items
Ebay sells iron on or sew on patches for clothes, also tattoos, and bumper stickers..

Toothpick Flags
You can also buy toothpick flags, a dozen countries but not singapore. You could print a teeny flat and paste it over another flag. I thought you got mixed flags. When I went to buy, I discovered that on several of the sites you do not get a mixture of flags but you can choose 50 or 100 or the same country's flag, for example the USA.

Customised Cakes
A couple of years ago I customised a cake in Singapore for a major birthday. The cake maker, Mr Ho, who was catering at the American school and for events everywhere, made a cake with four pictures on the top showing my husband's interests which were, one was a mountain for trekking, one was a playing card for playing bridge, another a motorbike, because he had a motorbike, and another was a portrait of the birthday boy.

Later in the UK I looked at ordering printed edible toppings for a birthday cake. The first time I ordered a large photo of the birhtday boy, my husband, and instructed him to do that again for my birthday, with a picture of myself.

The third time we tried to do it the price had increased. However, it was cheaper to order a dozen pictures to go on cupcakes. I made the mistake of adding text included in the price or very little extra, happy birthday to be printed over the picture. Unfortunately, on a tiny picture this obscured my face, over one eye.

One picture of the birthday boy or girl can be used in the centre of a larger cake. The others can be kept for another event if it is within the use by date of the edible topping.

To print a flag or the picture of a person (such as the UK queen or the US president or your club or company president or your mother or Member of Parliament or guest of honour) you need an edible printer. Or take a photo to a bakery and ask them to print a topping. You then lay it on your iced cake and if you like, add whipped cream rosettes around the cake base and up the sides and around the photo A lot of work.

Singapore flag cake from the Cake Shop Pte Ltd, cheapest is:
listed as $62.90. I messaged them on their website chat and got immediate reply.
They will delivery free for a cake dosting over 70 dollars.
They replied:
We can customize a photo image print cake. The smallest size is 8 inch around 1kg. The cost is $62.90

You can order for the photo image print cupcakes instead. We do have 12 pcs ($46.90) and 16 pcs ($55.90).
We also give 10% discount for SAFRA Member."

From their website:

Hotline: +65 3157 0303
Whatsapp: +65 9662 0303

Email

Please kindly email us at admin@thecakeshop.com.sg for any enquiry after operations hours.

They are at JCube, Grandstand, and Seletar Mall.

Useful Websites
carousell.com
ebay.com
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toothpick-Flag-100pcs-Qatar-Saudi-Arabia-Singapore-Thailand-Turkey-UAE-Vietnam
Video on  you tube about how to make a photo cake - fasinating even if you don't have the budget or time to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ldH9EBm2XI
UK cake with optional topping photo
https://www.sponge.co.uk/cakes/whole-cakes/chocolate-orange-cake
UK topping to order free delivery UK, can deliver worldwide:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Birthday-Cake-Edible-Image-Printed-Topper-Decoration-PERSONALISED-Mobile-Phone

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Americanisms and Britishisms which travellers need to know: from British autumn to trousers, from American bassinet to underpants

American - English
bassinet - Moses basket
candy - sweets
cookies - biscuits
cop - copper
crib - cot
diaper - nappy
drooled - dribbled
eraser - rubber
Fall - autumn
fanny pack - bum bag
federal - national / nationwide
fussy - grizzly
hood - bonnet
onesie - Babygrow
pacifier - dummy
pants - trousers
scallions - spring onions
sneakers - trainers
sprinkles - hundreds and thousands
store - shop
stroller - pram/push chair
sweatshirt - jumper
tired - knackered
turn signal - indicator
trash - bin
truck - lorry
trunk - boot
underpants - pants

 


English - American
autumn - Fall
Babygrow - onesie
biscuits - cookies
bin - trash
bumb bag - fany pack
boot - trunk
copper - cop
cot - crib
dribbled - drooled
dummy - pacifier
grizzly - fussy
indicator - turn signal
jam - jelly / preserve
jelly - Jello
jumper - sweatshirt
knackered - tired
lorry - truck
Moses basket - bassinet
nappy - diaper
national - federal
pants - underpants
pram/pushchair - stroller
rubber - eraser
shop - store
spring onions - scallions
sweets - candy
trainers - sneakers
trousers - pants

Useful Websites
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitlondon.com
visitsingapore.com
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/07/flags-and-food-for-singapores-national.html

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, the author, - not related to Angela Lansbury the actress nor any of the other dozen people named Angela Lansbury or Lansbury.
I have many more posts on Americanisms and language. I teach English and other languages to individuals and companies. I am a polyglot. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Make A Cake With A Russian Flag - and colours for Austria, Hungary, Romania, Ireland

Russian Flag.

The Russian flag is a tricolour of white, blue and red horizontal stripes. So if you are a nostalgic Russian expat or have Russian ancestors or are studying or teaching Russian or looking for seasonal cake, this one is easy. 

The white is white frosting. Or white cheesecake. Or white cream.

The red can be red food dye in the cake mixture or frosting, or jam or strawberries or raspberries, redcurrants or cherries or glace cherries. Or jelly or American Jello which is the American brand of jelly which is used to describe jelly. Or powdered beet. (Beetroot.)

Slice the cake or icing. Or pipe roseettes. Spread it with a knife or palette knife.

The blue could be blueberries. Or food dye. Or red cabbage makes purple - add baking soda to turn it blue.

You could also make this cake to go with a reunion of friends who travelled to Russia. Or to promote a trip to Russia. Or to go with a slide show about your holiday or business trip.

Savoury? Try cream cheese and tomatoes.

Greece
Use blue and white. cut up into stripes or strips, saving a blue square for the back ground fo the plus sign cross in the corner.

Add Orange for Ireland
Powdered carrot. Now you can make an Irish flag.

All are great for national days, sing alongs, celebrations.

Useful Websites
You will find lots of youtube videos on making cakes with colours all the way through.

https://food52.com/blog/16265-how-to-make-all-natural-food-dyes-from-ingredients-in-your-kitchen

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. See previous posts about cakes and flag colours. Please share links to your favourite posts.

How To Make A Flag Cake For the USA, UK, Italy or Singapore

Make A Cake
American

American Flag
Earlier in July I wondered how to make a cake for July 4th and the whole month at my Toastmasters Club meetings showing the American flag. I now know you can use raspberries or strawberries and white icing, and red food colouring. (For an American or UK flag for the blue add blueberries.)

Singapore Flag

Singapore
Cheapest, smallest, simplest. Buy a cupcake. Cover half with white frosting. Put red jam or dyed red over the other half. (Or red foil taken off a wrapped chocolate.) Cut white frosting into a crescent and five small five point stars. And / or add the letters Sg. And place the cake on a large plate on a print out of the Singapore flag.

Italian Rainbow cake
Making a cake with a design on top is relatively easy. More time is needed to bake a cake with colour all the way through. rainbow cakes are popular and impressive. The easiest mutlicolour cakes are two colour or three colour.

For example, the red, white and green of the Italian flag.

Italian red, white and green food, in colours of the national flag. Photo by Exapler from Wikipedia.

Multi-Colour Sandwiches
I have also at the World Travel market in London, England, in November, seen multicolour sandwiches, layers of different coloured bread, celebrating a national flag.

Red Food Colouring
When I looked at rainbow cakes most cooks said that natural dyes such as beetroot and strawberry gave very pale colours and you would get better results from food colouring.

You can also get red and white colours using Jello (American brand of jelly).


UK Flag
If you are in London you could make an England cake which is much easier. the England glag or St Goerge's cross is a red cross of plus sign on a white background.



England flags are sold off in supermarkets the day after an England football match.  (The Swiss flag is white cross on red.) the Red Cross ambulance is a thick red cross in the centre of white background with a large white surround.

DIY & BOUGHT FLAG CAKES
Simple flag cakes in red and white
https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/a-slice-of-patriotism
https://bakeavenue.com/products/singapore-flag-cake
Elaborate cakes showing flags, personalities, landmarks, Merlions and more
https://mothership.sg/2015/08/this-is-the-amazeball-result-when-19-super-creative-patissiers-bake-birthday-cakes-for-singapore/
YouTube How to make a flag cake (for a US flag)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svRuAovIfmI
How to bake a green pandan cake with red and white Singapore flag topping using cream cheese.
http://www.foodiebaker.com/pandan-coconut-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
Edible photo topping on backing sheet you peel off, From UK, free shipping to UK and can be posted worldwide:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Birthday-Cake-Edible-Image-Printed-Topper-Decoration-PERSONALISED-Mobile-Phone

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.

Singapore National Day Celebrations To See: Oct 6, 9, 10

Flag of Singapore

Singapore National Day is August 9th, and it celebrates independence in 1965 from Malaysia, now the neighbour with whom Singapore makes constant efforts to stay on good terms.

The national languages of Singapore are English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil.

Events to watch in person or on TV:

1 The parade.

2 The speech.

3 The fireworks.

Things to do:
Volunteer to help.
Attend events at your Community Club.
Watch TV.
See the parade.


Birthday Banner at Community Club in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Photograph flags in streets and banners adorning Community Clubs.
Select red and white outfits to wear, such as white shirts and blouses, red ties and jackets, red shoes, red brooches..
Find red and white food or drink such as:
White bread and tomatoesL yogurt and strawberries, milk, white lassi, red and white plates.

Writing from Singapore in the week of Friday 28 July 2019 I can tell you that the Singapore flag has been displayed along the streets and on the buildings for days.

Singapore flags reflected in the pool. Cashew Heights. Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.




Flags on a balcony at Cashew Heights condo complex.

Happy Birthday Singapore vertical banner. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Features on the vertical banner to notice and point out to tourists: red and white of the flag with a crescent and stars, the Merlion symbol, the fireworks

I am president of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club and we will be wearing red and white, the colours of the national flag, at our meeting held two days earlier, July 7 2019. Other Toastmasters Clubs will do the same.

You can buy Singapore flags to drape over the back of the car's exterior wing mirror. Novelty, souvenir and stationery shops also sell attractive round badges with the flag symbol.

A preview of the fireworks takes place on August 6th. You can see a video preview online. At the weekend, on Saturday 10th of August, 2019, another five fireworks displays will be in the heartlands, the suburbs.

Good vantage points are high residences or offices or rooftop bars (which might sell tickets or increase prices like on New Year's Eve). If you can hear te fireworks but not see them at a buidling such as a hotel, try walking around to a public area such as a stairwell or lift lobby on the other side of the building.

Check last train times. Wear read and white and keep your camera charged and with you ready to capture the magic moments.

Make A Cake
American
Earlier in July I wondered how to make a cake for July 4th and the whole month at my Toastmasters Club meetings showing the American flag. I now know you can use raspberries or strawberries and white icing, and red food colouring. (For an American or UK flag for the blue add blueberries.)

Singapore
Cheapest, smallest, simplest. Buy a cupcake. Cover half with white frosting. Put red jam or dyed red over the other half. (Or red foil taken off a wrapped chocolate.) Cut white frosting into a crescent and five small five point stars. And / or add the letters Sg. And place the cake on a large plate on a print out of the singapore flag.

Red Food Colouring
When I looked at rainbow cakes most cooks said that natural dyes such as beetroot and strawberry gave very pale colours and you would get better results from food colouring.

Flags and badges
Flags and pages are sold at novelty stores, cheap Singapore dollar or two dollar stores, stationery stores.

You can buy a hat with the letters SG for 5 Singapore dollare from the shop in the YWCA.

Useful Websites
FIREWORKS
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2019-fireworks-to-be-set-off-from-singapore-river-for-the-first-time

DIY & BOUGHT FLAG CAKES
Simple flag cakes in red and white
https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/a-slice-of-patriotism
https://bakeavenue.com/products/singapore-flag-cake
Elaborate cakes showing flags, personalities, landmarks, Merlions and more
https://mothership.sg/2015/08/this-is-the-amazeball-result-when-19-super-creative-patissiers-bake-birthday-cakes-for-singapore/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.

How do you identify and remember The Mexican Flag and flags of India, Ireland, Italy and Spain? Five flags

Mexican flag.

How do you remember the Mexican flag?

Tricolour
It's a tricolour, red, white and green, or rather, green white and red.
Italy also had red, white and green, or rather, green white and red. In Italian restaurants the menus often offer you a starter of tricolor, three colours, the national flag colours, green lettuce and avocado, white feta cheese and red tomato

Italian flag. But no symbol in the middle.

(Never mind the flag of Ireland, which is green, white and orange.)

Central Picture
But Mexico has an addition picture in the middle of the central white. Two other flags have triple bands, with a picture in the middle.

Spain


Flag of Spain.

Ah, now I look at it, totally different. Different colours, red and yellow and red. Horizontal. A sandwich. A Spanish sandwich. Remember the double s letter. S...... S....... With a crown in the middle.

India


Again horizontals. Orange, like the Irish flag. With a wheel in the middle.

Now, let's go back to the Mexican flag.

Green, white and vibrant red. With an eagle in the middle.


Mexican flag.

The symbol in the middle is from the Axtec symbol for the capital city which is now known as Mexico City, supposedly founded where an eagle was seen sitting on a prickly cactus devouring a serpent, as predicted in the legendary omen of where the city should be founded. So, some history for you in the flag.

Useful websites for travellers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallery_of_sovereign_state_flags
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mexico

About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Where To Find Pools, Public and Private, In Singapore and Worlwide

Olympic size pool at a condo.

Singapore
You can find private pools in hotels and condos all over Singapore. If you have family licing in a condo, take up the offer to put you up and compare the aerial view of their condo's pool and the hotel you can afford. Sometimes a night at a hotel is included in the price of a stopover air fare.

Hotel Pools
Some hotel pools are open to non-residents for a day or visitor fee. Might not be worth paying if you are only there for coffee or lunch, but if you are all day visiting overseas relatives could be worthwhile.

The biggest, best, most expensive infinity pool is at the landmark Marina Bay Sands hotel at the top of the triple tower. Just sitting in the bar next to it is exciting.

Wiki says:
World's highest and longest rooftop infinity pool at 200 metres (650 feet) high^[15] and 150 metres (490 feet) long^[16]

Another infinity pool is at the Mercure near Newton MRT.
I have written another blog post on the hotel on Fort Canning.
Coming down in price you have branches of the YMCA and YWCA. I have other posts on these venues.

Club Pools
Other private pools are in clubs such as The American Club and The Tanglin Club. If you have a family member or friend they can take you in but they have to pay a fee. Other clubs include the club by the cricket club on the Padang.

The British Club in Singapore is further out of the city.

Public Pools
Public pools are all over Singapore. The more modern ones have children's pools and chutes and diving boards and swimming lessons which you can book. Some are central, others further out. For example, one at Senja Cashew near Bukit Panjang MRT, end of the Downtown line. Another is at Yio Chu Kang.

UK
Hotels with pools include several of the mid-price chains.

USA
Big hotels have pools. So do motels - moderate prices, included with the bedroom fee for singles or couples or families. Might be out of town and along motorways, excellent if you have a hire car and are doing a cross-country trip.

Useful Websites
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/10/yio-chu-kang-swimming-pool-singapore.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/03/hotels-above-or-near-mrt-stations-in.html

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, author of 20 books, blogger, travel writer and photographer. 

Safe Depth in Swimming Pools At Home And On Holiday

Olympic size swimming pool at a condo in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Stay In The Shallow End
On Singapore's escalators in the MRT stations you hear recorded messages: 'When travelling with young children or the elderly, use the lifts.' At swimming pools it would be helpful to warn 'keep to the shallow end' in similar circumstances.

Sometimes safety instructions are given on notice boards. But frequently only in English.

Pool Depth 1.7 metres, about 5 foot nine inches. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Depths
Depths are usually marked. But only in metres. 1.4 metres is about 5 foot. If you are five foot tall or less the water comes to the top of your head at this point. You need to stay further away. I test depth by moving along the side of the pool holding onto the edge. As soon as it gets too deep, I note the foliage or buildings or parts of buildings which I can see alongside as a marker, then move back to the safe point. That is my limit.

1.7 metres is about 5 foot 9 ins. You can check your height. But you don't want to be in water up to your height. That is too high. Check the height to your neck with a ruler or a metal measuring device.

You can find private pools in hotels and condos all over Singapore.

Some hotel pools are open to non-residents for a day or visitor fee. Might not be worth paying if you are only there for coffee or lunch, but if you are all day visiting overseas relatives could be worthwhile.

Other private pools are in clubs such as The American Club and The Tanglin Club. If you have a family member or friend they can take you in but they have to pay a fee.

Public pools are all over Singapore. the more modern ones have children's pools and chutes and diving boards and swimming lessons which you can book.

Useful Websites
https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/length/meter-to-inch.html
SINGAPORE AIRLINE
singaporeair.com

http://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/swimming-pool-with-jacuzzi.html

About the author

How do you say hello and goodbye in English?

You would think it would be simple. Hello and goodbye. But what people actually say is much more varied.

Greeting
Hi. (Informal. To friends. Smiling strangers. Not your new boss wearing a business suit. Not unless he is wearing shorts.)
Hello.
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
Good evening. (FFormal greeting from a waiter or restaurant owner as you walk in or sit down.)
Pleased to meet you. (Americanism which has crept into the English language.)

Farewell Phrases
Goodbye.
Bye-bye
Good night (After ten pm, after dark, when people are leaving an event to go home.)
So long.
See you /
Cheerio
Ciaou (Italian)
Adios (Spanish)
Hope to see you again / see you soon.
Have a lovely day.

Very informal (slang), rarer, old-fashioned
Ta-ra (more common in northern England)
Toodle-oo
tootle-pip
tooraloo (Irish)

In Singapore I have been asked the difference between good evening and good night. You would use the word evening earlier and at the start of an event. You would use good night later at the end of an event. You usually go out for the evening and sleep at night.

How about other languages?
Shalom. Hebrew - meaning peace, works for hello and goodbye. I think Arabic Salaam, is the same and both derive from Aramaic which would have been spoken by Jesus. In English Goodbye was originally God be with you.

Useful Websites
dictionary.com
phrasefinder.com
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/toodle-oo.html

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/toodle-oo
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toodle-oo
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/toodle-oo
https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/toodle-oo

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, the author (mainly practical books, not to be confused with the actress, the other writer of fiction, nor 12 other people on LindedIn) travel writer and photographer, blogger, public speaker, tutor for A and A level English to over 18s, trainer and workshop leader in English and business English for colleges and businesses and companies. Member of four Toastmasters International clubs. Frequent language evaluator at meetings (attending an average of 7 a week, lunctime and evenings, speaking contest judge, and for 2018-9 Presdient of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club in Singapore as well as Area Director helping six clubs achieve their goals of educating members and visitors.

Translation of Calls For Help For Drowning Persons in Korean

I thought it would be handy for any swimming pool attendant to have some useful words translated into other languages. We had a near drowning of a boy who spoke either Japanese or Korean. So I have tried to translate both. Spin down and you will see the results I got in Google translate for Korean.

When I did the reverse translate I found that the English Do you need help translated as Do you need more help.

I added punctation in order to see the results of each translated sentence clearly in the list. If you put the sentences in one by one it is clearer but takes much longer.

If you cannot say the words, some of them you could point to afterwards.

Do you need help?

Help
Help me!

Someone is drowning!

Do you speak English?

Do you speak Mandarin?

Can you speak French?




Can you speak Korean?

Are you okay?

Yes.

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throw (a) life belt!

Call me an ambulance

The ambulance is coming

What is your name? .......

How old are you?

I must make a report

What is your phone number?

What is your family's phone number? ................................

What is your address?

Where do you live? .............................

What is your mother's name?......
도움이 필요하십니까?

도움
도와주세요!

누군가 익사하고있다!

당신은 영어를합니까?

북경어를 할 수 있니?

프랑스어로 말할 수 있어요?

한국어를 할 수 있어요?

괜찮아?

예.

아니!!!!!!!!!!!!!

생명 벨트를 던져라!

구급차 불러주세요.

구급차가오고있다.

당신의 이름은 무엇입니까? .......

당신은 몇 살입니까?

나는 보고서를 작성해야한다.

전화 번호는 뭐 지요?

가족의 전화 번호는 무엇입니까? ................................

당신의 주소는 무엇입니까?

어디 사세요? .............................

너의 어머니 이름이 뭐니? ......

doum-i pil-yohasibnikka?

doum
dowajuseyo!

nugunga igsahagoissda!

dangsin-eun yeong-eoleulhabnikka?

buggyeong-eoleul hal su issni?

peulangseueolo malhal su iss-eoyo?

hangug-eoleul hal su iss-eoyo?

gwaenchanh-a?

ye.

ani!!!!!!!!!!!!!

saengmyeong belteuleul deonjyeola!

gugeubcha bulleojuseyo.

gugeubchagaogoissda.

dangsin-ui ileum-eun mueos-ibnikka? .......

dangsin-eun myeoch sal-ibnikka?

naneun bogoseoleul jagseonghaeyahanda.

jeonhwa beonhoneun mwo jiyo?

gajog-ui jeonhwa beonhoneun mueos-ibnikka? ................................

dangsin-ui jusoneun mueos-ibnikka?

eodi saseyo? .............................

neoui eomeoni ileum-i mwoni? 

See my earlier post about a boy who nearly drowned.

Author
Angela Lansbury. Polyglot. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Emergency 'help" requests At The Swimming Pool in Japanese

You may have read my earlier post about how a boy shouted for help when he drifted into the deep end of a pool in Singapore. He spoke either Japanese or Korean. The security staff spoke English and Mandarin or Hokkien or Tamil.

I shouted in English to him, "Are you Okay?" 

He did not reply but kept bobby up and down, shouting. 

I called loudly in English, "Help! Help - someone's drowning!"

The security guard came and looked. He was probably a non-swimmer. He stood in front of the lifebelt. 

I shouted to the security guard, "Throw the lifebelt!" 

When the boy got to the side, coughing, the guard wanted the boy's name to make a report. The guard could not understand the boy, or even whether he lived in our block or was trespassing. 

Later the boy's mother came down to the pool. The guard still could not communicate with her nor even understand what language she was speaking.

I realised I could say thank you, arigato, in Japanese, and goodbye, sayonara, but I could not call help.

Duolingo - This is where you can go to learn or brush up on your Japanese for free online.

The Japanese flag.

Swimming pool in Singapore where a boy got into difficulties. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I have written several sentences in English and added Japanese translations from Google.

In Google, on the column with the Japanese, first you see the symbols, which are the same in Chinese (like the no smoking signs in public in Europe show a cigarette crossed out for no smoking - understood by speakers of several languages, although they would say the words differently in their own language.)
Below you see the symbols first, then below that are the words as you would pronounce them written in our standard alphabet.

If you are learning Japanese, teaching Japanese, or operating a swimming pool, you might want to print out a copy of this and laminate it and keep it at the security desk by the swimming pool.

English
1 Hello / good day
2 Hello (person answering on the phone)

3 Help
4 Help me!

5 Someone is drowning!

6 Do you speak English?

Do you speak Mandarin?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you speak Korean?

Do you speak Spanish?
Can you speak French?
Can you speak German?


20 Goodbye.

1 Hello / good day

2 Hello (person answering on the phone)

Help

Help me!

Someone is drowning!

Do you speak English?


Do you speak Mandarin?

Do you speak Japanese?

Do you speak Korean?


Do you speak Spanish?

Can you speak French?

Can you speak German?

Are you okay
throw the life belt
come to the shallow end
are you okay now?

Call an ambulance
/phone for an ambulance
somebody is drowning

I must make a report
What is your phone number
where do you live
write down your name
write down your address
please wait
thank you

1こんにちは/こんにちは

2こんにちは（電話で答える人）

3 助けて

4 助けて！

5 誰かが溺れています！

6 英語を話せますか？

7 あなたは北京語を話しますか？

日本語話せますか？

あなたは韓国語を話せますか？

あなたはスペイン語を話しますか？

フランス語を話せますか？

あなたはドイツ語を話せますか？

大丈夫ですか
ライフベルトを投げる
浅い端に来る
今、大丈夫？
救急車を呼んでくれ
/救急車のための電話
誰かが溺れています
報告しなければならない
あなたの電話番号は何番ですか
どこに住んでいますか
あなたの名前を書き留めてください
あなたの住所を書き留めてください
お待ちください
ありがとうございました

1 Kon'nichiwa/ kon'nichiwa 

2 kon'nichiwa (denwa de kotaeru hito) tasukete tasukete! Darekaga oborete imasu! Eigo o hanasemasu ka? 

Anata wa Pekin-go o hanashimasu ka? Nihongo hanasemasu ka? 

Anata wa Kankoku-go o hanasemasu ka? 

Anata wa Supeingo o hanashimasu ka? Furansugo o hanasemasu ka? 

Anata wa doitsugo o hanasemasu ka? Daijōbudesuka raifu beruto o nageru asai hashi ni kuru ima, daijōbu? Kyūkyūsha o yonde kure/ kyūkyūsha no tame no denwa darekaga oborete imasu hōkoku shinakereba naranai anata no tenwabangō wa nan-bandesu ka doko ni sunde imasu ka anata no namae o kakitomete kudasai anata no jūsho o kakitomete kudasai omachikudasai 

arigatōgo zaimashita

Japanese
1 konichi wa
2 mushee mushee

20 Sayonara

Useful Websites
Google translate
Duolingo
Memrise

See other posts on drowning and on Korean.

Author
Angela Lansbury.