My Singaporean girlfriend thinks I made the place up. For years she didn’t believe me that it existed. She would ask me the name of it and where it was, and when I’d tell her, she’d say, “Where? Spell it.” As if somehow I was unable to pronounce the name that was only six letters.

Pek Kio market is just down the road from our house. It’s not a big flashy market like Chinatown, or famous like Tekka, or charming like Tiong Bahru, or even part of a big community like Ang Mo Kio. No, little Pek Kio is nestled in a relatively small neighborhood, but it’s fairly close to downtown and known by virtually every taxi driver (a sure seal of approval).

http://maps.google.com.sg/maps/place?hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=4&gs_id=m&xhr=t&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=709&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=pek+kio+market&fb=1&gl=sg&hq=pek+kio+market&hnear=0x31da1767b42b8ec9:0x400f7acaedaa420,Singapore&cid=17765866474268639446

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I recently got back from the States and was suffering from jet lag when I woke up at 4:00 a.m. We had been gone several weeks and the kitchen needed stocking, so I thought, hey, this is the perfect time to go to Mustafa!

Photo by Nate Robert

Now America might have March Madness, but Singapore has Mustafa Madness, and you have never seen anything like it. Mustafa is a giant store in Little India that sells virtually anything you could ever need. It makes Super WalMart look like a quaint mom-and-pop shop. I mean seriously. From Lacoste to lassi, Rolex to razors, Pampers to Panasonic, Mustafa has it all under one roof. Granted it is a ginormous roof that spans more than a full block, but that’s the beauty of it.

There’s never a dull moment at Mustafa; it’s open 24 hours a day. Sure, there are quieter times, like at 4:00 a.m. when you’re swinging by for a quick grocery run. But go there at 1:00 a.m. and you’ll be shocked at how many people are in there roaming the aisles—professionals, shift workers, tourists, foreign workers.

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You’re ready for a night out in town and you want to do something fun and different. Something that you can tell your friends about back home that will make a great story. Something, you know, Singaporean.�

Have you been to Lau Pa Sat? See, even just saying it makes you feel in the know. It’s a hawker center in the central business district and unlike many hawker centers where there’s inexpensive local food with zero ambience, here you feel like you’re part of the culture.



Lau Pa Sat literally means “old market.” First built in 1824 and given a facelift in 1894, Lau Pa Sat is one of those rare buildings that have withstood the onslaught of demolition and rebuilding that modernization has brought to the majority of Singapore. (Check out its history at http://www.laupasat.biz/awards.html.)

 

There are many great things about Lau Pa Sat. First off, it’s totally accessible by public transportation if you don’t have a car or want to skip the taxi. Second, everyone comes here. Unless it’s raining, the tables are packed by 8:30 p.m. Third, it’s open air, so you can enjoy the balmy evening. And fourth, satay!

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You have arrived on the island and have decided to take to the roads. Singapore’s unique driving culture makes for a lively and interesting trip. So buckle up and let’s get started.

Photo Courtesy  of�Adrian Van Leen 

There are many facets to Singapore that you will find surprising when you arrive, not the least of which is the price of cars. There are very few places in the world where you would consider S$123,000 for a Honda Civic a bargain price, but Singapore happens to be one of them. If you are looking to buy, then be prepared to do your homework. The COE (Certificate of Entitlement) system (http://app.mot.gov.sg/News_Centre/See_Us_Hear_Us.aspx?GUID=Kq8JAegf6qWAS+WUiS0tQQ==) is followed like the stock market here and can be confusing for the uninitiated....

 

 

Two days and counting. Prince William and Kate Middleton. Westminster Abbey. Nineteen hundred guests. Two billion viewers. A four-minute walk down the aisle. A wedding dress designer who must not be named. A gilded carriage. And a feast fit for a king (and queen). Although some differences are obvious, a Singaporean Chinese wedding dinner is also quite the experience, especially for the uninitiated.



When you receive your elaborate wedding dinner invite, the first thing you will notice is that the dinner will start punctually/exactly/promptly at X:00. If you don’t already stand out as a foreigner, you will if you arrive on time. Wedding dinners always start late, no matter what they tell you. And we’re not talking 15 minutes here, we’re talking an hour or more. Plan appropriately.

Typically there are cocktails before dinner and drinks served through dinner. There is beer, wine, brandy, cognac, and the ubiquitous orange soda. You can’t escape the orange soda.

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Many expats call Singapore the “Ideal Nursery” because so many of them come here and either start or expand their family. The quality of life here is high, Singapore has great medical care, and the added luxury of domestic help often seals the deal. To that end, I have compiled just a handful of the myriad reasons to have or raise children in Singapore:

When your kids want to go out to play you don’t have to wrap them up like a suitcase going to Latin America — threat of frostbite here is low. The healthcare is affordable and accessible. You won’t have to take out a second mortgage to have your baby or take care of it. To top it off, there is a 24-hour dedicated children’s emergency room at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. A God-send for those 2:00 a.m. crisis.  Chinese, Chinese, Chinese. It’s the wave of the future and there are plenty of places here for children to learn the Chinese language... Your child’s social circle can rival the United Nations: Singaporean, German, South...

“Can you believe the weather we’re having?” is a common refrain where I’m from. It’s pretty much the opening of most conversations. It’s cold, it’s snowy, and it’s icy. People say, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change.  

So imagine my sheer delight in moving to Singapore and having postcard perfect weather every single day of the year. The five-day outlook is high of 31ºC, low of 22ºC, 85 percent humidity, and scattered showers. Every day! Twelve years later and I’m still happy.  

One of the best things about living here is that the weather provides you with opportunities you can take advantage of year round. Singapore has a burgeoning art scene and my favorite cultural experience is also the most accessible and something that is made possible by Singapore’s perfect weather.  

The National Parks has been hosting a line-up of concerts and performances in the parks for years. My favorite spot to go enjoy these is the Botanic Gardens, though they have performances...

So here I am after 12 years, living just outside the city. A city that I hardly recognize from over a decade ago, even though I’ve basically just moved around the corner from the HDB I lived in when I first arrived. And after 12 years here, marrying a Singaporean, and having two children here, I often ask myself, “What makes Singapore Singapore?”  

Culturally, I think there are many touch points that when visiting or living in Singapore you come to see as particularly Singaporean. Most of the time you aren’t looking for them and yet you stumble upon them like small, hidden treasures. They are glimpses into what Singapore was, what it is, and where it’s going.  

I was driving through Newton Circus the other day and I was behind a man pushing a bicycle towering with cardboard he’s collected to recycle through the traffic circle. This is Newton Circus for crying out loud and he’s riding a bike at about 1 km/h. How anachronistic is that? But somehow I find it a refreshing and welcome sight in this high-tech city. Crazy? Definitely. Singaporean? Unquestionably....