Introduction.

This blog is set up as a platform to promote the art, culture and heritage of Singapore.

Singapore is a dynamic city that is rich in contrast and colour – where visitors will find a blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture. The new branding, YourSingapore, was being launched in March 2010 to replace the previous branding, Uniquely Singapore.

Art

Despite having many leisure attractions such as Marina Bay Sands, Resorts World Sentosa and the Singapore Flyer, there are also places in Singapore that promotes art, such as Esplanade, Victoria Concert Hall, Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore Art Museum, National Museum of Singapore and Chijmes.

Events such as Ballet under the Stars, Biennale (held once every 2 years), Singapore Art Festival, UOB painting of the year, Singapore Youth Festival (a competition held at victoria concert hall or at chijmes once every 2 years, which is competed by the primary and secondary school students. The main types of performances are by the schools' choir clubs, dance clubs, drama clubs and the school's band groups.).

There are also schools in Singapore that promote art, such as Lasalle, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and School of the Arts (SOTA).

Culture and Heritage.

Culture is an integral part of every society. It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life. Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together.

Heritage is an essential part of the present we live in - and of the future we will build.

The pattern of Singapore stems from the inherent cultural diversity of the island. The immigrants of the past have given the place a mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European influences, all of which have intermingled.

Behind the facade of a modern city, these ethnic races are still evident. The areas for the different races, which were designated to them by Sir Stamford Raffles, still remain, although the bulk of Singaporeans do think of themselves as Singaporeans, regardless of race or culture.

The “Ethnic Quarters” in Singapore consists of places such as Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India. These districts are home to religious monuments as well as charming shop houses selling ethnic goods and cuisine. The old streets of Chinatown still remain. The Muslim characteristics are still conspicuous in Arab Street . And Little India along Serangoon Road still has its distinct ambience. Furthermore, there are marks of the British colonial influence in the Neo-Classical buildings all around the city.

Each racial group has its own distinctive religion and there are colourful festivals of special significance all year round. Although the festivals are special to certain races, it is nonetheless enjoyed by all. The Chinese are followers of Buddhism, Taoism, Shenism, Christians, Catholics and some considered as 'free-thinkers'. Malays are Muslims and Indians are Hindus. However, there is a sizeable number of Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian population.

There’s a few religious places in Singapore which have been constructed long ago, as early as 1800s. These are a few examples of such places: Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Sultan Mosque, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore Hokkien Hway Kwan, Thian Hock Keng Temple, Chijmes, Clarke Quay, Fort Siloso, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Due to World War 2, there are a few places that still consist of memories of WW2 such as , Bukit Batok Nature Park, Old Changi Hospital, Changi Gaol, Civilian War Memorial, Fort Canning Hill Park, Lim Bo Seng Memorial which are symbols of fortitude, courage and inventiveness of the prisoners of war during the Japanese Occupation. You can find out more about this in this website (link)

World War 2

Here is a brief summary of what happened in Singapore during World War 2, which is an important component to the heritage of Singapore.

In 1923, the British began to build a naval base building in Singapore. British saw it as the “Gibraltar of the Far East”. One of British's greatest defeats in the history was to let one of its colonies, Singapore, fall to the hands of the Japanese Army in 1942. The Japanese occupied Singapore from 1942 to 1945. Singapore was then renamed to “Shonan” which means the “Light of the South” in Japanese. Many Singaporeans suffered severe hardships and brutality similar to that experienced by other prisoners of Japan during World War II.

During the final stages of World War 2 in 1945, after the attack Japan made towards United States, United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which led to Japan formally surrendering to the Allies, though it was not announced in the press. The Japanese quietly retreated to the internment camp that they had prepared. The Japanese military command in Singapore surrendered to the Supreme Allied commander in the SouthEast Asia, Admiral Lord Louis Mount Batten, a week later on the steps of the municipal building.

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The other posts before the current post are categorised under the following categories:

• Culture - Singlish.
• Art - Esplanade.
• Art - Singapore Art Museum.
• Art - Peranakan Museum.
• Culture and Heritage - Local Cuisines.
• Culture and Heritage - Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

Reference Links:

http://www.focussingapore.com/photo-gallery/historical-places/
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-culture.html
http://www.marimari.com/content/singapore/best_of/culture/culture.html
http://www.umass.edu/chs/about/whatisheritage.html

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

By Mrt:
A few minutes walk from Chinatown, Outram Park and Tanjong Pagar MRT stations.


Address:
288 South Bridge Road
Singapore 058840

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The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum was registered by the Registrar of Societies on 20th February 2003, and as a charity organisation under the Charities Act on 8th January 2004. The Temple is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha, which means ‘The Compassionate One’, and also called ‘The Future Buddha’.

Level 1: Hundred Dragons Hall and Universal Wisdom Hall .

At the entrance, there is a huge urn where joss sticks are placed in it as a form of respect. Moving into the hall, there are usually activities going on, whereby the monks will lead the ceremony by praying and chanting, while the devotees will be sitting together and chanting along. Some of them were wearing the buddhist long robes (also known as hai qing in chinese). Further in is the hundred dragons hall, whereby the statues of 100 Buddhas are placed at both sides of the hall. The Universal Wisdom Hall is situated behind the Hundred Dragons hall. The statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is located on a lotus in the Universal Wisdom Hall. There are the Zodiac Protectors at the side.



Level 2: Aranya Gallery.

There is a reference library with many self-help books, religious books and sutras. Gifts are also sold there such as keychains relating to Buddhism. There are also religious art exhibitions featuring calligraphy, paintings and sculptures in the gallery. The Depository of Buddhist Texts is also situated there, for example, the Maha-pranjna-paramita Sutra.

Here is one of the exhibitions at the gallery.

Level 3: Samantabhadra Hall - Nagapuspa Buddhist Cultural Museum.

A wide variety of  Buddhist artefacts are displayed on the third level of the temple. It encompasses three branches of Buddhism. The first part is about the life events of Buddha Sakyamuni, from his birth, all the way till his enlightenment and him entering nirvana. The events are told from his perspective and are really meaningful to read. The second part talks about Avalokitesvara and her life stories. And the third part talks about the Future Buddha, (Buddha Maitreya) and his life stories. Their statues and exhibitions are displayed in the gallery too. There is also a relic chamber which contains displays of relics that are being stored properly. Sarira, the sanskrit name for relic, refers to the remains of a body part usually after cremation. In buddhist context, sairira refers to the crystallization of solid remains of especially Buddha Sakyamuni after his cremation.



Level 4: Sacred Light Hall - Buddha Tooth Relic Chamber.

The chamber looks grand and the ambience is is especially light and calm. At both corners of the chamber, there are a few devotees who were holding onto the praying beads, chanting softly or meditating. The gold Sacred Buddha’s Tooth Relic Stupa and the golden tiles are placed in the middle of the chamber. The visitors are only allowed to observe the daily services at the public viewing area through the glass windows, as they are not allowed to enter the inner chamber.

Photography is not alloweed in the chamber. However, you can view the photos of it in this website (link).

Roof.

The scenary at the roof garden is breathtaking. There is an orchid garden, which is an ideal place for photography. The Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel is also located there. Visitors will turn the wheel and walk rounds after rounds around the wheel. The turning of the wheel represents the recital of scripture and mantra. It will be more convenient for the visitors to recite sutra, especially those who are illiterate or unable to read the sutra. There is also a pagoda of 10,000 buddhas, which are built around the prayer wheel.



Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is definitely a place worth going! It has a calm ambience, which will put your mind at ease. The admission is free, however, please do not wear sleeveless or revealing clothings as it is a form is disrespect. The museum is rather cold too, hence, it is advisable to bring a jacket and wear long pants to keep yourself warm.

To add on to this, it is situated at Chinatown, which is one of the famous heritage places (Ethnic Quarters) in Singapore. After making a trip down to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, you can have a bite at the food centres nearby and shop at the street market. Goods are sold at low prices in the street market too! (:

Reference Links:

http://www.btrts.org.sg/

Singapore's local cuisine.

What one should not miss is the cuisine offered in Singapore's hawker centers. They have the cheapest, yet most deliciously-cooked food served to you. At a hawker center, this is what you have to do if you have not made up your mind on what to eat. Just walk around the whole hawker center and instead of looking for food that is appealing or appetizing, join the queue for the stall with the longest queue! Ta-dah! And that's the stall you should buy from to satisfy your hunger!

I will give an introduction to 4 local cuisines. (Not in ranking order.)

Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is probably the most unhealthy food served in any hawker center. But who would like to eat bland food without any oil or seasoning? Char Kway Teow is nothing, but starch fried in lard and flavoured with sweet dark sauce. Although it is just plain noodles (kway teow) with cockles, everyone is loving it! With or without the cockles, it makes the satisfaction of eating Char Kway Teow a lot different!

Curry Fish Head

Love eating fish? This is one dish that you will not want to miss! The curry is made of milk and coconut milk so that it will not be too thick, but there's still a creamy taste to it and the fish is really fresh. The best part is, it is not too spicy!

Chili Crabs

Chili crabs are served not too spicy or sweet, and the sauce is filled with crab roe, which will make a wonderful combination with the eggs. It is accompanied with man tau (a type of bread), which is supposed to be dipped into the delicious chili crabs sauce.

Laksa

There is also Laksa. One such example is Katong Laksa.

Regardless of the different types of Laksa, the gravy is exceptionally mouth-watering and savoury. It is cooked with a lot of dried small prawns which brings out the strong flavour of the gravy.

Singapore's local cuisine is a unique aspect of Singapore's culture. There are a wide variety of dishes. Here are a few famous examples of the different kinds of food for the different races in Singapore. Not only is the food limited to these races, but everyone tries food from the different races! What a multicultural society!

Chinese food: Cantonese Roast Meats, Hokkien Mee, Dim Sum, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chai Tau Kway, Fried Oyster Omelets, Steamboat.
Malay Food: Mee Rebus, Nasi Lemak, Beef Rendang, Satay, Lontong.
Indian Food: Pappadam, Roti Prata, Biriyani, Mee Goreng, Fish Head Curry.
Peranakan food: Otak, Nonya Cakes, Laksa, Ayam Buah Keluak.

Instead of spending your hard-earned money on just one main course in a high-end restaurant, why not spend it on the dishes in a hawker centres which can also satisfy your hunger? In this way, you can satisfy your cravings and also save a buck or two! You will be in awe of the unique tastes of Singapore's local cuisines! Don't wait any longer, have a taste of these food!

Culture - Singlish.

As a multi racial country, one of the most remarkable aspects of Singapore is the truly cosmopolitan nature of her population, a natural result of the country’s geographical position and commercial success.

The proportion of different races in Singapore can be seen in the pie chart below.

The four official languages in Singapore are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English.

If you're wondering which language you have to use, in order to converse with people from the different races in Singapore, please do not worry. English is the most common language that is spoken in Singapore, English also unites the different ethnic groups. Therefore, it will not be that difficult to communicate with singaporeans after all!

However, foreigners may encounter language problems in the beginning of their stay in Singapore. The presence of other languages (especially various varieties of Malay and of Chinese) has influenced the English of Singapore. The influence is especially apparent in the kind of English that is used informally, which is popularly called Singlish. Singlish is used vastly everyday, espcially in informal communication.

Well, what is Singlish?

Singlish is a mix of English with other languages (especially malay and hokkien) mixed into the English, sometimes phrases can end with funny terms like 'lah', 'leh', 'mah'.

Singlish is a badge of identity for many Singaporeans. However, the usage of Singlish has caused some of the Singaporeans to be less aware of the importance of speaking or writing proper english.

Here are a few examples of Singlish phases/words that are used commonly in Singapore.

Examples:

• Makan - To eat.
• Chope - To reserve something.
• Cheem - Difficult, complicated.
• Ang Mo - A white person.
• Rojak - Mixed, a mix of.
• Liao - Finished, the end.
• Kiasu - Afraid to lose mentality.
• Habis - Finished.
• Obiang - Outdated/Ugly.
• Shiok - Fantastic.
• Pai Seh - Embarrassed/Shy.
• Sekali - Suddenly.

Speakers of Singlish will usually end his sentence with a distinctive exclamation. The three most common are ah, lah, leh and what.

Examples:

• Ok lah, bye bye.
• Don't like that lah.
• You are going there ah?
• No parking lots here, what.
• The price is too high for me lah.
• And then how many rooms ah?
• It is very troublesome leh.
• Don't be like that leh!
• I'm not at home lah. That's why ah.

Here is one more example (a phone call).

Proper english: Hello. I have already eaten in school, so you don't have to buy dinner for me. I will reach home slightly late as i am doing my project in school now. I will call you again when i leave the school. Thanks and goodbye.

Singlish: Eh, i ate in school liao. So don't but dinner for me ah. I will reach home a bit late. I'm doing my project in school now leh. I call you again later, when i leave the school lah. Okay, thanks ah. Byebye.

It seems complicating, doesn't it? But all it takes is time. After visiting or staying in Singapore for a couple of weeks, Singlish will not be so foreign to you anymore. You will eventually get used to it, and you may even find yourself speaking Singlish occasionally too!

Here is a video of a conversation between a DJ from 98.7FM (radio station) and a caterer who speaks in fluent Singlish. Please enjoy! (link)

The next post will be on Esplanade, a place of the Arts. Till then! (:



Reference Links:

http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/aboutsingapore/people-lang-culture.html
http://www.singaporeexpats.com/about-singapore/culture-and-language.htm