5 Ways to Get around Singapore

1. Walk - Singaporeans walk a lot. They walk to the train stations, bus stops, the neighborhood stores, schools, and many other places.

2. Take the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) - This is the train system in Singapore. There are shops in every MRT station. Some even have malls connected to the train stations.

3. Take the bus.

4. Ride a bike, or motor-bike. Motor bikes are as common as cars on the road in Singapore.

5. Drive - The most expensive way to get around in Singapore. You can hail a cab (called a taxi there) too! Most taxi-drivers speak English (or Singlish).

5 Favorite Fruits

1. Mango - especially when it's ripe (and not too ripe). It's juicy, without any "pulp" - if you cut them up into small pieces, and eat the pieces, without having to bite the flesh off the fruit itself. This way, you won't get "strands" stuck in your teeth.

2. Longan (Dragon-eye)) - This is easily available in Singapore. It has a brown skin that peels off easily. It comes in clusters. The flesh is almost transparent, and is easily bitten off the seed (a round black seed). The fruit without its skin looks like an eye.

3. Durian - The king of fruits (in Asia - or at least in Singapore). It has a green prickly skin, and gives off a strong smell. I've heard a foreigner who likes eating durians describing the experience (of eating durians) as eating ice-cream in a dumpster! It's certainly an acquired taste if you don't grow up eating this fruit.

4. Orange - It tastes so good, especially when your throat feels dry. It's sweet, and very juicy.

5. Mangosteen - It's the queen of fruits (also in Asia - Singapore). It has a thick, smooth, outer skin the color of egg plant. It's seasonal, and not as commonly eaten as apples. The flesh is juicy, and white. You have to be careful when you're peeling the skin, for the juice drips easily, leaving a purple stain on clothings!

5 Things I Like about Chinese New Year

1. Reunion Dinner - Everyone in the family (including those not living at home - if possible) comes home for a delicious family meal of jumbo shrimp, fish, chicken, "yong dao fu" (my mom's specialty), and many other dishes (usually somebody's favorite) my mom chooses to cook that day.

2. "Bai Nian" - Getting to visit with friends and munch special Chinese New Year tidbits all day long.

3. Angpows - The red packets that contain money.

4. All the superstitions associated with the festive season (don't have to believe in them, but they are so unique to Chinese New Year).

5. The Chinese New Year songs. You can own them on CDs, or listen to them on the radio, and at almost every mall.


Also check out B's latest post

5 Favorite Singlish Words

1. Shiok - This is the feeling I have after gobbling down a really delicious and extremely spicy dish, like Laksa (with lots of extra chili sauce added). It is a state of ecstasy which is short-lived.

2. Sien - This expresses a feeling of extreme boredom. The person feeling sien may also feel a lack of energy, and care for everything. Constant yawning may also occur. It may also express disappointment, disgust, and all kinds of bad feeling.

3. Aiyah - An appropriate, and meaningless (but yet full of unspoken meaning), and sympathetic response to some one's griping.

4. Hah... - A word that expresses different feelings, depending on the tone used. May express surprise, disbelief, or just a substitute word for "oh".

5. Aiyoh - This expresses shock, disapproval, fear, or just physical pain.