Hi everyone,
I’m sure the new P1s are excited at starting term. Some of you have already had a taste of it at Business Foundations. And the P3s newly arrived in Singapore should be busy setting up their new homes and exploring Singapore.
Before I forget, may I say WELCOME to Singapore!
I have a couple of things in store for you guys (pending approval), which will be revealed on this blog and also in a mass-email to everyone in the Singapore campus. Look out for it!
In the meantime, some quick tips:
- You don’t have to give monetary tips. This applies to every kind of service but if you really, really want to I don’t think you’ll be stopped. Service charge is already included in restaurant bills. There’s no need to tip the taxi driver (although in my family, occasionally we tell them to keep the change).
- Try the local food. Try our local coffee and tea (called ‘kopi’ and ‘teh’) at our coffeeshop (called ‘kopi tiam’). Don’t criticise our Western food just because it isn’t the same as yours back home. Also, don’t assume things like ‘all pizzas in Singapore suck’ just because someone else ordered a pizza from a really average joint which no Singaporean even raves about. I’ve heard all these criticisms and would like to address them on this blog. Presumably being in INSEAD and living in a new country most people will be open to trying new things, even if the chilli nearly kills you the first few times ;-) There is a Foodies club in Singapore as well, for the epicurious.
- Explore Singapore. It may seem small to you, but we’re densely populated with a few races living together harmoniously. Knowing Singapore is not just about visiting many clubs and pubs and Western restaurants. I strongly recommend the Night Safari. If all goes well I may be organising heritage tours as well.
- In case you think Holland Village gives a flavour of the ‘real’ Singapore, it isn’t exactly so. It’s one of the more ‘expat’ places and therefore more international, just like INSEAD. This is another real question I’ve answered in the past few months. If you want to see a real Singaporean neighbourhood I’m sure I or my fellow countrymen/women can take you to a local HDB flat for some kopi or teh.
- I don’t need to tell you guys to explore the rest of South East Asia as well. You’ll be going off travelling in groups almost every weekend. It’s a great opportunity, so enjoy yourself! But don’t think that Singaporeans don’t travel, because that isn’t true. We’ve been in this region all our lives already, plus we spend our weekends with family. When I’m in Fonty I hope to travel more.
- If you’re buying an iPhone, show your student card. I got S$50 off my iPhone at SingTel ;-) If you want to get computer and camera equipment, ask me along!
- And if anybody wants to play golf or join me at the driving range … let me know!
Here’s a glossary for ordering local coffee and tea, taken from Wikipedia’s article on Singapore cuisine:
At kopi tiams, coffee and tea are usually ordered using their local names.
Coffee
* Kopi, coffee
* Kopi-gau, coffee (strong brew - "gau" is "厚" in Hokkien)
* Kopi-po, coffee (weak brew - "po" is "薄" in Hokkien)
* Kopi-C, coffee with evaporated milk
* Kopi-C-kosong, coffee with evaporated milk and no sugar ('kosong" means empty in Malay)
* Kopi-O, coffee with sugar only
* Kopi-O-kosong, coffee without sugar or milk
* Kopi-O-kosong-gau, a strong brew of coffee without sugar or milk
* Kopi-bing or Kopi-ice, coffee with milk, sugar and ice
* Kopi-xiu-dai, coffee with less sugar
* Kopi-gah-dai, coffee with extra sweetened milk
Tea
* Teh, tea with milk and sugar
* Teh-C, tea with evaporated milk
* Teh-C-kosong, tea with evaporated milk and no sugar
* Teh-O, tea with sugar only
* Teh-O-kosong, plain tea without milk or sugar
* Teh tarik, the Malay tea described above
* Teh-halia, tea with ginger water
* Teh-bing, tea with ice, also known as Teh-ice
* Teh-xiu-dai, tea with less sugar
* Teh-gah-dai, tea with extra sweetened milk
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