Essential Singapore

Are you a culture-shocked tourist, a wet-behind-the-ears expat or even a clueless local? You won’t be any longer after you’ve read this issue, packed with quirky facts and nuggets of trivia no local should ever be without. Ever wonder what places are haunted on the island? Or how Changi Airport gets you your luggage so damn quickly? We’re not afraid to talk about it all, from drugs and politics to religion and sex. And eggs. People here eat a lot of eggs TOS prides itself on knowing the ins and outs of our little city-state. Now, you can be a Singapore know-it-all, too. By TOS staff

Sex workers

According to AFP, 5,400 foreign sex workers were arrested in Singapore last year (up 25 per cent from 2006). Prostitution is legal in licensed brothels in the city-state, but pimping and public solicitation are illegal.

‘The vice situation in Singapore is under control,’ said Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng in January.

How often does the average Singaporean get laid each week?

1.6 times
Singaporeans have sex, on average, 85 times a year compared to the global average of 103

Most expensive ticket

The highest-selling ticket on SISTIC was $888 for Korean singer Rain’s concert ‘Rain’s Coming: Singapore Concert World Tour 2007.’

6 local sitcoms to make it overseas

1 Under One Roof
(Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, USA)

2 Phua Chu Kang
(Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei)

3 Living with Lydia
(Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Macau, Hong Kong, Australia, USA)

4 Oh Carol!
(Malaysia, Hong Kong)

5 Maggi & Me
(Malaysia, Cambodia, USA)

6 Achar
(Malaysia, USA)

Number of people arrested for drug use, 2007

In 2007, 2,166 people were arrested for ‘drug abuse’, compared to 1,218 in 2006. The increase was confined mostly to repeat abusers, or 77 per cent of total users arrested.

Thirty-nine percent of users were 40 years old or older. Most in this age group used heroin and buprenorphine (which, in prescription form, treats heroin dependence).

FACT:

The Media Development Authority (MDA) licensed some 100 exhibitions over the last three years (2005-07). Only one exhibition was disallowed because of its ‘promotion of a gay lifestyle’.

Number of mobile phone plans in 2007

5,619,200 (Population in 2007: 4,680,000)

Fast track stats

We’re No 1!

Singapore loves being at the top of the class. Here are some little-known firsts by our favourite city-state:

1 Asia’s first country to legalise sex change on ID cards
2 First sex-change operation carried out in Asia
3 World’s first separation of adult conjoined twins (in 2003)
4 World’s fastest walkers (2006 CNN study)
5 World’s first biometric credit card via Citibank (2006)

Number of students in full-time tertiary enrolment in 2006

Amount of waste vs amount of waste recycled (2006)

Total waste = 5,220,200 tonnes
Total waste recycled = 2,656,900 tonnes

The amount of beer consumed at WOMAD each year

About 3,142 litres (or 10,000 cups) of Heineken

5 places you can get to in an hour from Singapore

Johor Bahru, Malaysia
45 minutes
By MRT – City Hall to Kranji ($1.90) and taxi (RM6, or S$2.50)

Bintan, Indonesia
45-50 minutes
By ferry – Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal ($57) and US$10 (entry visa, where applicable)

Jakarta, Indonesia
45 minutes
By airplane – Jetstar Asia ($68-$179; one-way)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
55 minutes
By airplane – Air Asia ($75; one-way)

Pasir Ris to Boon Lay
58 minutes
By MRT ($1.75)

Singapore in eight acronyms

5 C’s – cash, car, credit card, condominium, country club
HDB – Housing & Development Board
LKY – Lee Kuan Yew (prime minister, 1959-90; currently minister mentor)
MOM – Ministry of Manpower
MRT – Mass Rapid Transit
PAP – People’s Action Party
PIE – Pan Island Expressway
SPG – Sarong party girl

2006 Parliamentary elections

Seats fielded by PAP - 84
Seats won by PAP - 82
Seats contested by other parties - 47
Seats won by other parties - 2
Total seats - 84

Racial harmony

Upwardly mobile

We’ve come a long way, baby: see how Singapore’s changed in the last few decades

Average life expectancy (years)
1965 - 64.5
2006 - 79.9

Population density (per square kilometre)
1965 - 3,245
2006 - 6,369

Overall adult literacy rate (percentage of population)
1965 - 60.2%
2006 - 95.4%

Percentage of Singaporeans with a university qualification
1970 - 1.9%
2006 - 66.9%

Percentage of Singaporeans who own a washing machine
1973 - 1.8%
2003 - 92.9%

Percentage of Singaporeans who own an air-conditioning unit
1973 - 2.7%
2003 - 71.7%

Percentage of Singaporeans who own a car
1973 - 17%
2003 - 35.3%

Oldest buildings in Singapore

1 Fuk Tak Chi Temple 1820-1824 (replaced by brick, 1825; complete renovation in 1869; opened as a museum in 1998) 76 Telok Ayer St
2 Istana Kampong Glam (Malay Heritage Centre) Wooden structure in the area to the east of Beach Road, 1820; concrete structure, 1835; new two-storey Istana, 1843 85 Sultan Gate
3 Ying Fo Fui Kun 1822 98 Telok Ayer St
4 Jamae Chulia Mosque 1826 218 South Bridge Rd
5 Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple 1826 30-B Phillip St, corner of Phillip St and Church St
6 Old Parliament House (The Arts House) 1827 1 Old Parliament Ln
7 Empress Place Building (now houses Asian Civilisations Museum) Maxwell’s House, 1827; Empress Place Building (original section), 1864/1867; Empress Place Building (courthouse), 1865 1 Empress Pl
8 Sri Mariamman Temple 1827 244 South Bridge Rd
9 Nagore Durgha (also called Nagore Durgha Shrine) 1830 140 Telok Ayer St

All shopped out

The busiest part of Orchard Road stretching from Dhoby Ghaut MRT to Claymore Road is 2km long, or 2,000m. On those blocks, according to the Orchard Road Business Association, there are 35 malls, which makes 1.75 malls per 100m of Orchard. (That doesn’t include the 17 hotels with shops on the stretch, either.)

How do we get our luggage so damn quickly at the baggage claim at Changi?

Thanks to the small pool of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) technical experts who set and enforce performance standards, the first bag will be on the baggage-claim belt by the 12th minute from when the plane docks, and the last bag has to be on the belt by the 29th minute.

The new Terminal 3 has a fully automated baggage system that includes a high-speed, inter-terminal baggage transfer system and an early bag-storage facility. Baggage belonging to transfer passengers making connections at different terminals will be transported through underground tunnels at a speed of 7m per second. This means it will take only about three minutes for a bag to be transported through the underground baggage tunnel between Terminals 2 and 3. (Source: CAAS’s spokesperson)

Number of Singapore presidents directly elected by popular vote - 1 (out of 7)

Number of Starbucks outlets on the island - 48

Number of Délifrance outlets on the island - 111

Number of McDonald’s on the island - 114

Cost of a 2008 Honda Civic sedan VTi-S AT (1.8L AT) in:

USA: US$15,010 suggested starting price = S$21,300
Australia: AUD$23,790 = S$30,645
Thailand: THB768,000 = S$34,612
UK: £14,880 = S$41,945
Mumbai, India: INR1,218,700 = S$43,910
Malaysia: RM113,800 = S$49,908
Singapore: S$77,800 (including $8,000 COE)

Most expensive apartment (per square foot)

The most expensive apartment sold in Singapore at press time was an Orchard Residences penthouse at $5,600 per square foot, according to Ku Swee Yong, director of corporate business and residential at Savills Singapore.

Average daily ridership

New species of flora & fauna found in 2007

1 On the fly Seven new Paraclius species of this two-legged insect were found.
2 Full of crab A new species of Elamenopsis (E. rotunda), the water crab, was spotted on a mud flat off Tuas.
3 Prawn to be wild Two new Caridina  (C. johnsoni and C. malayensis) species of freshwater shrimp
4 Beet it Two new Orthogonius (O. emarginatus and O. cyclothorax) species of beetle

Highest peak

The height of the Bukit Timah hill summit is 163.63m. The straightest path up to the summit takes 30 minutes’ walking time, and it’s a 1.2km trek up.

Five most haunted sites

1 Choa Chu Kang Cemetery This is the last place in Singapore where the dead are still being buried. Visitors can see tomb exhumations and places with ‘freshly buried’ corpses. However, mediums warn people not to venture anywhere near the area at night, as angry spirits and lost souls still linger.
2 Old Changi Hospital The Japanese army occupied this locale during World War II. After the war, the hospital went through many administrations and name changes. In 1976, the Singapore Armed Forces Hospital combined with the Changi Chalet Hospital to form Changi Hospital and thus was demilitarised. In January 1997, the hospital moved to its new location in Simei. Since then, Changi Hospital has remained empty and in absolute darkness. Some say you can still smell the antiseptic used during the war.
3 Kopi Hill aka Bukit Brown Cemetery George Henry Brown, who arrived by ship in the 19th century, owned this plot of land, which was used to grow coffee. In 1872, three Ong clansmen from Bai Jiao village, China, bought it and donated it to Hokkien clansmen for dwelling, farming and as a burial ground. Some people claim to have seen a spectre here in the form of an old lady, clad in a red cheongsam and fanning herself while sitting on top of a tombstone.
4 The Pasir Ris Swamp It’s one of two swamps in Singapore, the other being Sungei Buloh. During the day, crowds of students led by guides look out for mud-skippers, mud lobsters and crabs. When night falls, voices can be heard calling your name and the ghost from a fatal jump haunts the now-infamous four-storey Birdwatch Tower.
5 The Punggol House Officially known as the Matilda House, the area was given conservation status on 21 February 2000. When it was set to be demolished for the construction of the LRT/ MRT line, a chain email told the story of three workers who died while trying to demolish it. The building is surrounded by trees, and a lady with long hair has been spotted sitting in their branches.