LITTLE DIFFERENCES & FACTS

Now that I have been here for two months I can honestly say that Singapore is a cool town BUT there are many little differences that can sometimes drive you around the bend.

FOOD MODIFICATIONS - You want salad instead of fries? You want dressing on the side? You want extra cheese? You want no nuts? It isn't going to happen in Singapore. If you try to modify your meal you will be met with blank, confused stares a little bit of sputtering and a statement like "but the menu says this, this is what the dish is". You have to order the meal as is or you are out of luck! Now obviously there is the odd restaurant or eatery that will allow you to modify but it's usually the little places that let you, most of the big or expensive places look at you like you must have lobsters crawling out of your ears to suggest a change to their glorious menu. Face it jacky boy, you gotta eat what it says on the menu.

BANKS - Unlike the rest of the modern world, if you belong to bank A, then you can only use Bank A's ATM's, no other bank will allow you to use their machines unless you are a member of their group, it's odd. I can use my Canadian Bank Card in virtually any machine here and I can use my Singapore Bank Card in virtually any machine in Canada but I can only use my Singapore Bank Card at the ATM for my bank. They don't like you to hang out with the other bank machines, they're evil, stick with us, we'll make you feel good even if you can't find one of our bank machines anywhere and are stuck with no cash.

SCHEMES - They are not called plans, they are not called deals, they are called schemes. Any every restaurant and store in Singapore has one. Save 10% if you are a member of this bank. Save 5% if you have a SingTel cell phone on you, buy 2 or more and get the 3rd one at 50% off, call now then do a backflip and swallow a Durian whole and you get it for free. It's weird, everyone has a scheme or two and business is dictated by how good the scheme is, stores with better schemes are always busier than stores with okay schemes. The ones that throw me off are the Bank Credit Card schemes, Save 10% if you have a Citybank MC! Well I have a DBS MC, sorry no good. Well I have a Citybank Visa, sorry no good. I can still pay with these cards but because I don't have the right combo, I can't take advantage of the scheme and save 10%. Whatever.

MEMBERSHIPS - Every store or restaurant has a membership. Sign up and get a free sticker and five percent off all your meals, stuff like that. Some memberships like at the apple store are cool, sign up for $60 and get unlimited free tech support for life. While other memberships like at the apple store are not so cool, get a free membership if you buy an iPod, it doesn't matter if you buy more than an ipod or even a laptop, you only get it free if you buy an iPod (see point #1 - no modifications). 

HAPPY HOUR - I've said it before and I'll say it again, booze is expensive in Singapore but luckily a lot of places have "happy hours" but they don't just last an hour, no no, these things last all afternoon. 3pm to 9pm 1-for-1 drinks (1 for 1 means two-for-one back home). 5pm to 10pm... 12noon to 8pm... the list goes on and on. A cocktail may cost you $13 but at happy hour, 2 for $13 is a lot easier to swallow.

A couple other things to note:

• If you are handing over money, use both hands, don't just hand it over with one, it's disrespectful

• Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometres. The USA is about 15,000 times bigger. 

• Don't stick chop sticks straight up in you meal, it means someone has died, also don't use your chopstick as a knife, it's low class

• The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore contains more species of trees than the entire North American continent. 

• If you see a ++ sign after a price it means plus tax and plus tip, no ++ means it's all included in the price

• The Singapore Sling was first served in 1915 at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. The ingredients are Gin, Cointreau, Cherry Brandy, Dom Benedictine, Pineapple Juice, Grenadine, Angoustura bitters and limes. 

• No Durians on the MRT (thank the maker!)

• The five stars on Singapore's flag stand for Singapore's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.