Singapore
Resources
The
Basics
So
you don't even know where Singapore is? Well don't feel bad;
neither does most of America. Here's a free geography
lesson for you.
Now
that you know where it is, why would you go there? The
Lonely Planet
Guide is one of the most complete travel books for
any country. The Singapore
Guide is no exception. Let's assume you come
to Singapore for the
shopping and the food,
and not the television,
unless you happen to enjoy B-grade American shows like Young Hercules.
You
can also read more about little known Singapore news in The
Truth.
The
Internet
Singapore
has it's own on-line Web magazine, The
Web, which is generally interesting. They try
to feature some local links as well which is not easy, Singapore
as boring as it sometimes is. As a resource for local websites
though, it's tops.
Singapore
has several different Internet Service Providers (ISPs, as Singaporeans
are Acronym crazy people), none of which is particularly wonderful.
We use SCV (Singapore Cable Vision) cable modem, which is a great
deal if you already subscribe to cable television. SingNet,
Pacific
Internet, and Starhub
are three other services. Check their sites for portals into
other Singapore resources.
As
for Magix, steer clear at all costs! While Singapore is generally
not known for outstanding service, this company hits new lows in
customer service. I suffered through their service for a couple
years before I wised up. Save your money and your patience and go
with Pacific
Internet or SCV if you want fast Internet.
Singapore
Life
Whether
your forced to relocate here or choose to do so by your own free
will, the Expat
Singapore website is about as complete a source as
any to prepare you for stressful life of moving overseas and when
you finally settle in.
What
about film making in Singapore? Well, the biggest film making
company, Raintree Pictures, is simply an extension of the Television
Corporation of Singapore (TCS, basically government owned), the
Singapore Film Commission is rumored to give grants but nothing
becomes of them that I can tell. So if you're an indie who
wants to make films in Singapore, better
get wit us, man.
That's
it. Yeah, nothing else, so I'd have to conclude like the rest
of you that there is no life in Singapore. Don't believe me?
I spent an hour tracking down interesting links about people living
in Singapore, and here's what I found:
-
A
few pages by Singaporeans that were interesting but not updated
in over a year (hey our site ain't exactly Spring fresh, but
at least I shake out the dust every month or so).
-
A
few pages by Singaporeans who are now studying abroad and are
grateful to have left.
-
A
few pages by ex-pats who come to Singapore and hang out with
other ex-pats, eat ex-pat food in Holland V, drink beer at ex-pat
hangouts, and/or are charter members of the American Club.
Not exactly the kind of people I would like to feature at our
very upscale website. I wouldn't want to insult our Singaporean
friends by suggesting we support that kind of jingoistic behaviour.
-
A
heck of a lot of pages from the Singapore government, which
seems to have a lot of time to make really boring websites.
So,
if you think I'm not giving you a fair shake, you'd
better write to me and tell me about your great site
and I promise you I will feature it here, if I agree it's a good
site (and with all this blank space, who am I to be picky?)
History,
Culture, and Entertainment
The
Singapore Story is the memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew, the
man basically regarded as the architect of what Singapore society
is today. To speak ill of his name is high heresy here, and
besides, no one can argue that he was a man of vision.
I
give credit to my many friends involved in the Singapore Performing
Arts: there is an active, thriving community
of Theatre people here. And from the friends I have, they
are the most humble, talented, and up-and-coming group of people
Singapore has to offer. Learn more about the Performing
Arts scene and see a few shows. You'll find out for yourself.
Looking
for information about local Singapore celebrities? Check out none
other than Eastciti,
owned and operated by MediaCorp, who employs most of them anyway.
The
Singapore
Window gives a look into Singapore culture which doesn't
seem to be sponsored by the government. A bit of irony when
I last checked the site: the hyperlink to "rights" doesn't
contain any information.
If
all else fails, you can always go
watch a movie. No matter where you go in the world, it's
always the backup plan for "nothing else to do".
