Singapore Story Survey

This survey paid participants 25 dollars. Payment was an added incentive. Some, first felt motivated by the desire to express themselves and know themselves by writing. Others looked forward to the fame, the joy of seeing oneself published, memories made immortal.

What kind of questions were asked? I asked on Facebook and received these answers>

1 Life in early Singapore for 

school going children, 

2 Early adult life, 

3 What made me proud of Singapore, 

4 What disturbed me etc - 

These were questions analysed and discussed.

I was not eligible. Firstly, my age group quota was filled.  Secondly, more importantly, they were only interested in Singaporeans.

Obviously, a book about Singapore, funded by the government, is more inclined to favour positive stories. Unless the contrast is with the bad things of the past and how much life has improved. 

There are good reasons for a positive spin. Although negatives are useful feedback on things to improve, many readers would hope to find a book uplifting. 

I shall now try to quickly answer these questions myself. My answers may enlighten you about Singapore present and past.

Childhood

 I cannot claim to have spent childhood or teens in Singapore. However, I can contrast the education in Singapore with that in the UK (and USA, where my son went to school).

What contrasts did I experience?

Language - Singlish

The government tried to promote English as a common language. To prevent the Indians and Malays and Chinese being isolated from each other and hostile.

Kiasu Cars On Roads

Get ahead. Driving. People overtaking your car and pulling in front.

That happens less nowadays. So rarely do you have a clear road. You are in lines of parallel traffic!

HDB Lifts

Lifts stopped at every 4th floor. To get to my friend's flat in Spottiswoode Park, or an office in Waterloo Street, you would need to take the lift to the floor above and walk down a level.

The crowded city. 

Doors

People used to let doors fly back in your face. As one working class Brit in the UK told me proudly, "In England we are so polite. When we come to a door, we hold it open and say, 'after you'.

Americans are very helpful. If they are empty handed and you have two bags they instantly offer to carry one. A Singaporean has a maid to carry things. They are delighted to help if asked. But would not think of offering.

Chopsticks

I mastered chopsticks.  I was surprised to learn that a Singaporean, born in Hong Kong, was nervous about Western restaurants because he was confused by Western cutlery. So I gave a talk about it to a Toastmasters International club, Braddell Heights Advanced.

Please and Thank You, Yes, No

In Chinese (Mandaarin) sentences are constructed differently. This leads to many confusions.

Off the light does not mean carry off the table lamp but turn off the light using the switch on the wall by the door.

I am having an off day does not mean I am having a bad day. It means this is my day off.

Bring and take may be confused. The same word is used for both in Chinese.

He, she and it and the same word, ta, in Chinese. When the MC announces, 'He will speak,' the mc means you will speak if you are a woman. An English speaker is expecting to hear she will speak.

How has Singapore changed and improved?

New stations are being built all the time. The same as London. 

Art all over the city. Murals. Statues. Decorations on walls of stations. 

Brand new underground stations (MRT). Best of all trains run on time with no delays. Glass doors, designed to assist air conditioning, have the bonus of preventing litter, suicides, and accidents, and murders (which happen in New York when nutty strangers push random people onto the lines). 

Safe Singapore

At first I was scared of a country which caned hooligans and violent criminals and executed drug dealers and murderers. Now I feel safe. 

British English is used. However, many Singaporean young people have learned English in the USA or from series such as Friends. So they have American accents.

Great sights to see in New York, Australia, London and Israel - but could you live there? Comic song

I was wondering about this and wrote a comic song to sum up my feelings, putting the case for and against the frenetic city life and buzz of New York city contrasted with the laid back lifestyle of Australia.

In America and Singapore (and Asia - where the hard-working Chinese run businesses) you often see people working late at night and weekends.

Singaporeans can enjoy a giant waterfall for free at the Jewel shopping mall by terminal one at Changi airport. Within the city there's the peaceful, free Botanical Gardens and the Night Safari.

Singaporeans travel to Malaysia to shop and to Australia to relax. The Aussies might stop work at five and go off for the beach and beer party.

Australia
Ayers rock is no longer a free for all. Many start with Sydney, its opera house and bridge, a dinner joining in the chorus of Waltzing Mathilda. Others prefer Perth. Or drive along the Great Ocean Road to see the 'Twelve' Apostles, mis-counted pillars in the sea. 

Israel's Attractions
In Israel the city people often have two jobs to make ends meet. But the religious people stop work for the Sabbath. However, the majority of the world's Jews are in the USA and are secular.

Israel has the antiquities in Jerusalem with its museums and sacred places of all religions, See the old city of Jerusalem with its quarters for Arabs with the great mosque, Below the mosque is the Jewish Wailing Wall, all that is left of the great synagogue, the tunnel, Christian Armenians, and Roman remains, mosaics of old synagogues from the time of Jesus, churches galore,biblical memories of Abraham and Solomon, David and New Testament's Jesus.  You stay in cities such as see the art deco (actually Bauhaus) white Thirties city of Tel Aviv.  Or out to visit a hotel on a green kibbutz, the pool and waterfall oasis of Ein Gedi or the rust coloured desert and tall Pillars of Solomon, Masada, or the beaches of Eilat and float on the Dead Sea.

Malaysia
Malaysia, Singapore's northerly neighbour, is much more laid back than Singapore. The Malays are not Arabs. They are party people. An American expat told me her husband was sent to manage the opening of a factory in Malaysia. They took on staff and the first week all went well. Friday the staff all got their first week's wages.

Monday nobody turned up. They were happy to sit around until the money ran, out and then go back to ask for a job.

You have the city of KL with the twin towers familiar from the movie Entrapment featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones.


American flag

USA
Of course, having lived in the USA I know that not all America is the same. New York, New York. The UN, the twin towers memorial, the spiral Guggenheim gallery of art, or to Ellis Island and the statue of Liberty on a ferry.

The south is more relaxed. They speak slower, too.

The West coast is more relaxed than the East with coastal LA and misty, artsy hilly San Francisco, or off to the wine country. The real cities or the fantasies of Disney in California or Florida. You have a choice, cities or scenery.

At the weekends we used to drive off. You can go out of the cities to see the blue ridge parkway along the east coast, or over to the the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and numerous national Parks.

Here is my Song:

We went for a walk around New York and I said, 

Let’s talk about New York

I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'

But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!'

I said, ‘This is the place I want to live!’ but he said;

 ‘One of us has to give

'I want to live in Australia, 

the place where I was born

'I want to see the sunset

 in the place where I saw dawn

'You would love koala bears

And you'd love the kangaroos!'

But I said, "And be eaten by crocodiles!

But to you this isn't news.'

He took my hand and with a smile
Said, 'Florida has crocodiles'

Yes, take a tour of them, alone
This land has troubles of its own

I shrugged, though I was broken-hearted 

But bravely smiled as he departed

But every year we meet again 

and we repeat the same refrain

I say, “Let’s walk around New York, 

Don’t you love it? Let’s have a talk,’

I say, ‘This is the place I want to live,’

But he says: ‘One of us has to give

'You’re the only thing I lack and 

That’s why each year I come back

'Yes, my dear, I love it here

But I'm going home to the beach and the beer

' 'cos I want to live in Australia,

 The place where I was born

'I’m going back, to see the last sunset, 

In the place where I first saw the dawn.’

...

D'you want to know the moral?

I know that you're not thick

But I assure you others are

Thick as two short planks and a brick

The lover's moral is think before

'Cos war brings love but love brings war 

Before you pick a foreign love

Decide if you're prepared to move

If not, the moral's plain to see

You'll end up single just like me.

I'd be the one who you forget
If it wasn't for the internet 

'I know you've a good memory

But others are a pain

'You tell them once, tell them twice

Then have to tell the story again.'

'Yes, I have a great memory

But I love to hear your voice

'I listen to the same old stories

Old friends don't have a choice

"I'd rather hear about old times

Than hear of other men

'So you tell me about our love

I'll hear it once again.'

We went for a walk around New York and I said, 

'Let’s talk about New York,'

I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'

But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!'

I said, ‘This is the place I want to live!’ but he said;

 ‘One of us has to give

I have nothing more to say
But can't you meet me half way?

And so we went to London
Met on St Pancras station



But that was neither here nor there
Just a brief vacation

We went for a walk around New York and I said, 

Let’s talk about New York

I said, 'The skyscrapers are a mile high ..!'

But he said, 'You can hardly see the sky!

'I want to live in Australia, 

the place where I was born

'I want to see the sunset

 in the place where I saw dawn.'

'So you stay there - and I'll stay here
And we must meet again - next year!'

-ends-

Copyright Angela Lansbury
The penultimate verse sounded like he was about to commit suicide if young or die if old. I decided to give it a happy and humorous ending. The song structure is 'a round'.

I hope you like the pictures I picked. The Israeli sculpture has the @ sign in the man's head as well as the wheels.

Photos
USA
I love New York

AUSTRALIA
The 12 apostles, on the Great Ocean Road, AustraliaBeer photo in Wikipedia under beer article, photo by kgbo.

Koala bear, Australia

Koala and Kangaroo road sign, Australia

'Crocodiles, no swimming' warning, Australia

US flag

Beer, Australia

Ayers Rock, Australia

Internet sculpture in Israel.

Date	15 June 2013
Source	Dr. Avishai Teicher via the PikiWiki - Israel free image collection project
Author	Dr. Avishai Teicher
Permission (Reusing this file)	This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. Attribution: Dr. Avishai Teicher Pikiwiki Israel

New York street scene

St Pancras station, lovers meeting or farewell, sculpture, London, England, UK. In Wikipedia, photo by Oxyman.

Useful Websites
Singaporeair.com

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