Every Country's Top Tourist Attraction.

According to Trip Advisor.

Link to the map.

Things "Americano"... and Singaporeana?

Buzzfeed ran an article about things Americans (US Citizens) miss when they go abroad. Or didn't realise was "American" until they couldn't get it. (Throughout this article, I'll use "American" to mean "US Citizen" cos that's what the article did. Apologies to Mexicans, Venezuelans, Peruvians, Brazilians, Ecuadorians, and other "Americans".)

Enormous Supermarket in US.

1 Free Ketchup. For Singaporeans, it would be chilli sauce.

2 Ranch as default dressing. Singaporeans - Soy Sauce?

3 Ubiquity of red Solo cups. No Singapore equivalent. Sorry.

4 Strong water pressure. Same.

5 Giant gaps in public restrooms. You're on your own here, America.

Daughter takes over famed Mr & Mrs Mohgan's Crispy Prata stall to fulfil father's last wish

The SMU accountancy graduate says she is “proud” of her father for putting her and her sister through university as a prata hawker, and has now taken over the business because she made a promise to her father.

 

(Photos: 8Days)

Yip Jieying

07 Jun 2023 

Mr & Mrs Mohgan's Crispy Prata is a famous name in Joo Chiat. Customers from all over Singapore flock to this hawker stall, willingly waiting for up to 90 minutes to get their fix for the couple’s exceptionally crispy flatbreads.

In March last year, Somasundram Mohgan died after suffering a heart attack. He was 56. After taking a break for six days, Saroja Mohgan, 56, returned to work helming the stall without her husband.

Tips for Visitors to Singapore

So you're coming to Singapore?

Not put off by descriptions of Singapore as "Disneyland with the Death Penalty"?

Not fazed by our "totalitarian dictatorship" country?

Willing to quit chewing gum cold turkey?

Tourists!

Can't live without them. 

How to turn a Hole in the Roof into a Tourist Attraction

 

JICA 1998 - the trip that started my love for Japan

 [In 1998, while I was with the Ministry, five of us were sent on a Friendship programme with the Japan International Cooperation Association - JICA. JICA has several programmes for the region, where citizens of the region (ASEAN members) are invited to visit Japan and learn from Japan. So participants from Social Welfare sector (like my organisation) would be invited to learn about Social Welfare in Japan. These trips were highly sought after, as it was all-expenses paid, and we even got some spending money! We were young, but even then we were (or at least I was) cynical bastards, and we suspected that this was also Japan trying to win friends and bribe South-East Asians into forgetting or forgiving them for the atrocities of WW II. 

Anyway, when we got back, I was asked to write an article for our in-house magazine or newsletter (I forgot which). This (below) was what I submitted.]

Here's how #ChatGPT describes Singapore with a sense of humour

"Singapore is like that neat-freak friend you have who vacuums their house every day and alphabetizes their spice rack. Everything is clean, organized, and efficient to the point where you might wonder if there's a secret government agency dedicated solely to keeping the streets spotless.