Fun and interesting things about Singapore

Now that we have been here for 6 weeks, I thought I would share some fun and interesting tidbits about Singapore :

Driving:

* Everyone backs in to parking spaces. We are getting quite good at this! You even do it in the car park!

*When you enter into mall garages there is signage that tells you how many spots are available on each floor, so you know which floor you should park on.

* The mall garage lots have ramps that are circular and narrow, there is a lot of car paint on the walls from people not navigating correctly.

* The cost of a new vehicle in Singapore ranges from $90,000- 180,000 Sing Dollars.
($63,658-$127,325 US dollars)

* gas costs approximately $8 a gallon

* They drive on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the right.

*people in Singapore J walk more than any other place I have ever seen - and it is suppose to be against the law

Housing/apartments:

* Anything over 15 years old is considered old and could possibly go "en bloc" meaning it will be torn down and rebuilt. Many high rise condo complexes have had this occur and your lease does not hold up.

*The average rent for a Singapore apartment for an ex-pat ranges from $8,000-20,000 Sing per month (6,000-14,000 US)

* Each bathroom in the apartment has its own water heater, which must be switched on before taking a shower/bath for about 15 minutes or you won't have hot water.

*There are no outlets in the bathrooms due to the 240 voltage that is used here. Makes it fun to dry your hair!

*There is no disposal in the kitchen sink

* All appliances have a wall switch which must be turned on for them to operate (the dishwasher, the oven, the microwave etc...)

*The oven is in degrees Celsius not Fahrenheit so I constantly am converting to cook at the right temperature!

* There is no central air conditioning - each room has its own air conditioning unit that is individually controlled.

*An average electric bill is about $800 Sing a month (565 US)

*Realtors work in a whole different way. If you are a renter and have a problem, you call your realtor. Who then calls the landlords realtor (who then call the landlord). So if you have an issue, it does not get taken off quickly as there are so many people involved!!

* When you call the exterminator, a gentleman will first come by who is dressed in a shirt and tie to "assess" the situation. Then in a few days they will come spray.

* The plumber and the electrician are the same person!

* Singapore does little to no recycling.

Food/Shopping/Dining

* You have to put in a $1 coin into the grocery cart to use one. when you are finished you get your dollar back. It forces people to put the carts back where they belong!!

*All fish in the supermarket comes with the head intact, some chickens come with the feet and head!!

* 1 pint of Haagen Daaz ice cream costs $12.50 ($8.84), if you get it on special you can get 2 for $23.90($16.90)

*When you eat at the food courts which are mainly Asian foods, you never can find napkins and almost never get a knife. Food is primarily eaten with a fork and spoon when not using chopsticks(which you really don't see as much as you think you would). Even in fine restaurants you do not get a knife.

Helpers:
Helpers are also known as amahs. They come primarily from the Philippines and Indonesia. The majority of helpers live with their employers in a room that is just slightly larger than a single bed. They have their own small bathroom, which does not necessarily have to have hot water. (at least they do not check upon inspections to see if that bath has hot water). They work 6 days a week and have Sunday's off. They make anywhere between $350-700 dollars a month.
When you have a helper you need to have only 2-3 pairs of anything because the minute you take it off, it is washed and back in your drawer again!!

There are probably 100 more things that are different and interesting but this is what is fresh in my mind today.