Drop Down MenusCSS Drop Down MenuPure CSS Dropdown Menu

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

10 BIZARRE FACTS ABOUT SINGAPORE YOU NEVER KNEW

1. Students transcripts go public
 

You can’t have even imagined the idea of school transcripts going public. What’s more, every single Singaporean’s school transcript is posted on the major newspaper. There is a dark side of this system such as students committing suicide after examination, but students can have equal opportunities regardless of their family background and wealth.
 
 
 
2. You can get your ass flogged



The wealthy nation with 50,000 GDP per capita still has floggings. Singapore’s law is so austere, despite the President Clinton’s appeal, an American teenager got 4 floggings for the crime of creating a public disturbance. Don’t try breaking any law in Singapore, if you want to save your ass.



3. One family has all the power

Singapore’s very first Prime Minister ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ served 31 years and it didn't take long until his son took over his position. Though there is lots of sarcasm criticizing the hereditary succession, trust me; It's, not at all, like North Korea.
 
 
 
4. There’s only one train station

The only train station in Singapore is Woodlands Station, the stop of West coast line of Malaysia. It’s only a city-state, how many train stations do you think it would need?
 
 
 
5. Only 13% of Singapore people own cars

Maybe it’s because of the insanely high tax on car ownership. But thanks to the tiny territory well equipped with fantastic public transportation, people don’t need cars that much.
 
 
 
6. Least corrupt nation in the world

Thanks to the very high level of government sector wage and active anti-corruption investigations since 1959, there is no place for corruption in Singapore except for the soccer league. Singapore is the only country that utilizes lie detector on football players.



7. 150th in terms of Freedom of the Press

Singaporeans often say they have everything but democracy. In 2014, Singapore was listed 150th, in terms of Freedom of the Press, even lower than Russia, Afghanistan and Nigeria.



8. There is no buildings look alike

Singaporean government sees every building as significant tourism resource, and they wouldn’t give a building permit if it’s similar to the other buildings.



9. They import huge amount of water


Due to the seriously high population density, half of the water is imported from Malaysia. After purifying the water, they export some of that back to Malaysia.



10. Singapore has a conscription system

They have a conscription system along with Korea and Israel, and the term of service is 2 years and 2 months. Since even foreigners holding a permanent residence are no exception, if you are a Korean or Taiwanese wanting to keep your nationality and permanent residence in Singapore, you would have to join the army twice in both countries.





More Singapore

1. 7 TIPS THAT WILL SAVE YOUR ASS FROM GETTING FLOGGED IN SINGAPORE / BY GIBBON
2. SINGAPORE WEATHER EVEN 4 YEAR OLD MY DAUGHTER ALREADY KNOWS / BY JOONMO
3. SINGAPOREAN TOURIST VISA INFO THAT YOU MUST KNOW / BY GIBBON
4. SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL HOLIDAYS IN 2015 / BY KARLY
5. 5 BEST NIGHT CLUBS IN SINGAPORE FOR YOU WANTING TO GO CRAZY TONIGHT / BY JOONMO
6. 11 IRRESISTIBLE SINGAPORE'S STAPLE FOODS / BY MARCUS
7. GEOGRAPHIC INFO OF SINGAPORE THAT CAN’T BE MORE CONCISE / BY GIBBON
8 SHOPPING ITEMS IN SINGAPORE YOU SHOULD FILL YOUR BAG WITH / BY MARCUS
9. 7 BEST HALAL RESTAURANTS AND CAFES IN SINGAPORE / BY WHALE



Written by Gibbon

Born in Korea, he grew up in Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. This young self-appointed ascetic abandoned his university and is currently on his spiritual journey in search of true meaning of life roving from mountains to mountains. His weather-torn and hair-covered appearance reminds of some mystical Bigfoot and he looks 20 years older than he is.
Posted by No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, March 27, 2015

JAPAN'S NATIONAL HOLIDAY IN 2015

January ~ March
Coming of Age day in Japan                                                                                                                                                   wikimedia
Jan 1st (Thu) New Year
Yes, everybody knows this day.

Jan 12th (Mon) Coming of Age Day
Japan holds this day annually on the second Monday of January. It is to congratulate all of those who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) over the past year. On this day, newly became adults wear Kimono or suit and party all night long.

 Feb 11th (Wed) National Foundation Day
The holiday celebrates the foundation of Japan and the accession of its first Emperor.

Mar 21st (Sat) Spring Equinox Day
Vernal Equinox day is usually March 20th or 21st.

April ~ June
Photo of Greenery day in Japan                                                                      wikimedia

Apr 29th (Wed) Showa day
Showa Day is birthday of Showa Emperor (Hirohito), the emperor from 1926 to 1989.

May 4th (Mon) Greenery Day
Originally, this holiday was April 29th, but it was moved in 2007. Eco-friendly Japanese love the nature so much they even set a day to go out and plant trees at a national level. 


May 5th (Tue) Children's Day
A day of the children, by the children, for the children! 

May 6th (Wed) Constitution Day
This holiday is originally on Sunday May 3rd in 2015, so they take holiday on the 6th instead. 

July ~ September
Photo of Marine day in Japan                                                                                                                                yakei-kabegami.com

 July 20th (Mon) Marine day
Every third Monday of July is the day Japanese islander give special thanks to the bounty of ocean. Many people take a trip to beaches and lots of aquariums hold special events on this day.

 Sep 21st (Mon) Respect for the Aged Day
This day celebrates long life for elderly people.

Sep 22nd (Tue) Bridge Public Holiday
The Japanese government is too kind to provide an extra bonus holiday for being between the two holidays.

 Sep 23rd (Wed) Autumn Equinox
Due to bridge public holiday, this holiday brings happiness to Japanese.

October ~ December
Photo of Emperor's Birthday in at the Imperial Palace                                                                                                      wikimedia

 Oct 12th (Mon) Sports Day
It has been held since Oct 10th, 1966, to commemorate the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Nov 3rd (Tue) Culture Day
The holiday celebrates peace and freedom and promotes culture. 

 Dec 23rd (Mon) Emperor's Birthday
It’s the reigning Emperor Akihito’s birthday. The Imperial Palace opens to the public twice a year and this is the day you could set foot on the palace and see the Emperor. Do you see people in behind the glass? They are the Royal Family and Emperor Akihito.

  


Something weird? eh? Yes, Japan has no Christmas holiday. 


More Japan

1. KYOTO'S 17 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES / By Drunken Whale

 2. JAPAN'S 9 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES BETTER THAN THE OTHER 8 / By Macrus

3. TOP 6 SUSHI BARS IN TOKYO : IF YOU DON'T GO, YOU ARE AN IDIOT / By Shibasaki Tabong

4. 7 VERY IMPORTANT TIPS YOU WILL FIND IT EXTREMELY USEFUL WHEN TRAVELING JAPAN / By Mira 

 5. 10 JAPANESE FOODS YOU GOTTA HAVE WHILE IN JAPAN / By Shibasaki Tabong 

6. YUMMY OR SEXY TOP 12 JAPANESE SOUVENIRS / By Shibasaki Tabong

7. TOKYO'S 6 TRANSPORTATION PASS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A SMART TRAVELER/ By Karly 

8. JAPANESE GEOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES / By Macrus
 
9. 11 MUST-VISIT NEIGHBORHOODS FOR YOUR PERFECT TOKYO EXPERIENCE / By Karly

10. COMPLETE GUIDE FOR YOUR NAGASAKI TRIP / By Mira

Written by Drunken Whale


Unlike other writers, I was born and grew up in Korea. I can't write English well - not to mention speaking. But I love travelling and writing something - of course in Korean. So if you don't understand anything about my articles, it's purely because of my English.
Posted by 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Thursday, March 26, 2015

A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE FAMOUS KOREAN DRY SAUNA (JJIMJILBANG)


Don’t be afraid and let’s get naked. Here are 12 steps for your exploration to exotic Jjimjilbang. The moment you step inside, you will surely get a bit embarrassed with naked Koreans running around. But don’t be a chicken! This is Korea. Let’s get started by going naked first. 



Step 1. Admission


Jjimjilbang has bath, enormous sauna and other facilities like PC cafes and cinemas that have nothing to do with sauna. If you are up for all these facilities, all you gotta do is to pay 2,000 won on the top of the bath fee. This price includes sauna wear rental.



Step 2. Take off your shoes


Make sure you go into the bath for your gender. First thing you see is shoe rack. Put your shoes in the rack, lock it with the key placed on the rack and bring the key to the locker.



Step 3. Find your locker


Some places use same key for the locker and shoe rack, but at some places, you might have to replace your shoe rack key with a locker key. If there is no one stopping you from going into the locker room, this place must be of the former. 



Step 4. Go naked

flickr/nostri-imago

Go stark naked and put everything in the locker. Then go into the bath. Don’t think anything too sexy that might bring changes to the status of your body. Korean people keen on staring at foreigner’s body. 



Step 5. Have a shower

wikipedia
Soap is ready. So please take a shower before you dip yourself into a tub. If you do not, Koreans would not be very pleased to see your stuffs floating on the water. 



Step 6. Have a bath


Usually there are bath tubs with various hotness - extremely hot, just hot and cold. You should just start with the hot tub. Not hot enough? Then try the extremely hot one then the cold one in turn. This is Korean way to have a bath.



Step 7. Wear sauna wear


If you've had enough bath, dry yourself in the locker room and put on the sauna wear you rented. Women are not advised to wear a bra. It will be soaked in sweat anyway. Don’t forget to bring a towel.


Step 8. Try different sauna rooms


There are loads of sauna rooms. All you have to check is the thermometer placed on the door of each sauna room. Don’t be too surprised to see a room with 80 degree Celsius, it won't burn your body too bad.



Step 9. Have a bit of snack

pinsta/haha_no.18

Now you are all of a sweat. You will want to quench your thirst at a cafeteria. You can have whatever you want, but you must follow Koreans’ Jjimjilbang tradition of having boiled egg and Sikhye. Some Koreans go to the Jjimjilbang just to enjoy the combination of the two. Frozen Sikhye right after hot sauna feels fantastic.



Step 10. Get some sleep


If you want to spend a night, Jjimjilbang could be the cheapest option. You could see dungeon style small rooms. Since pillows and mats are readily placed, you could just go in at your preference or you could just lie down on the lobby. I am sure there will be plenty of bodies lying around sleeping here and there. Some places offer sleeping rooms for each gender.



Step 11. Get yourself sorted & dry your hair

pixabay
If you're done with sauna, come back to the locker room and have a bath or shower. Hair dryer is 100~200 Won for 3 minutes. If you do not have coins, you could just use fans.



Step 12. Wrap up


Put your sweaty sauna wear in the basket placed in the locker room, put on your clothes and shoes. Don’t forget to return the key or you will have to pay fee for that. It’s all done now. Where do you want to go next?

Written by Karly
She graduated in a university in Korea double majoring in social studies and political science. After graduation, she worked for a while at the Nation of Assembly of Republic of Korea, but now she is working as a reporter. Having a life goal of being a Asia-specialized travel reporter, she travels around the world in her spare time.

Posted by 1 comment:
Labels: , , ,

Monday, March 23, 2015

2015 NATIONAL HOLIDAYS IN MALAYSIA

Particularly for those from a country with provinces, it might not hit close to home, but in Malaysia holiday rules can be different depending on states within the same country. January 1st is not a holiday in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu. Here is the list of 2015 holidays for all states in Malaysia.



Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Jan 3rd / Sat.)

WiKimedia

The last prophet sent by Allah, but first national holiday in Malaysia. Great!! But, it's Saturday.



Chinese New Year (Feb 20th~21st / Thurs. ~ Fri.)

Wikipedia
You will see lots of red decorations on the street. Chinese people love red color and think it as a lucky color (look at their flag). Despite its name, it's now "Everyone's New Year" in Malaysia. Quiet during daytime except for big malls, but mad fireworks at night.



Labour Day (May 1st / Fri.)         

smsquotes.co.in
Another short sweet escape from everyday treadmill.



Wesak Day (May 3rd / Sun.)       

The Guibord Center
Buddha's birthday! 20% of Malaysian population practice Buddhism. While there are several Islam-related national holidays echoing the Muslim population being the largest religious group in Malaysia (61.3% of all Malaysians), Wesak Day is the only holiday for Buddhism.



Agong's Birthday (Jun 6th / Sat.)

Flickr/xshamx
It could be breaching your conventional idea of the definition of birthday, but this holiday is fixed on the first Saturday of June every year. In fact, it has nothing to do with the birthday of the current Agong (King) Tuanku Abdul Halim, which is August 31th. On Agong's Birthday, there will be a series of events including a trooping and a ceremonial performance by a military band in Kuala Lumpur.



Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Jul 17~18 / Fri. ~ Sat.) 
*Subject to change

Wikimedia
It is to celebrate the end of the Ramadan period during which Muslims practices self-resistance by fasting between dawn and sunset for spiritual refinement and obedience to Allah.



National Day (Aug 31 / Mon.)

Wikipedia
This holiday is to celebrate British's getting their butt out of Malaysia.






Malaysia Day (Sep 16th / Wed.)

Wikipedia
On September 16th every year, Malaysians commemorate the establishment of Malaysian federation. Don't get confused with National Day! In fact, it wasn't a national holiday until recent when Prime Minister Najib Razak made it so in 2010.



Hari Raya Haji (Sep 24th ~ 25th / Thurs. ~ Fri.) 
*Subject to change  

Flickr/aljazeeraenglish
To remember Ibrahim's obedience to Allah, Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life during Haji period. This holiday celebrates the end of Haji and it is held on 70 days after the holy month of Ramadan. But employees of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu state don't get a day off from work on the 25th.



Awal Muharram (Oct 14th / Wed.)

Another New Year's Day. Islamic version this time.
Deepavali  (Nov 10th / Tues.) 
*Subject to change 
Flickr/dsifry
Technically, it's "almost" a national holiday except for one state, Sarawak. In fact, an Indian community in Sarawak requested last year for the declaration of Deepavali as a public holiday, but it's still not in 2015. Jeez, it's the biggest religious day for Hindis! What's up with Sarawak??! Anyway, basically Deepavali signifies the good's triumph over evil. Light up for Rama to help him find his way to Ayodhya after his exile!



Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Dec 24th / Thurs.) 

Waaaiit, didn't I already see it at the very beginning? Two birth dates for Prophet Muhammad within the same year? It's not because Malaysian government wants an extra bonus holiday, but because Islamic calendar year is shorter than the universally recognized calendar year.



Christmas (Dec 25th / Fri.)          

Wikimedia
Yeah, it's Christmas.


More Malaysia




Written by Gibbon

Born in Korea, he grew up in Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. This young self-appointed ascetic abandoned his university and is currently on his spiritual journey in search of true meaning of life roving from mountains to mountains. His weather-torn and hair-covered appearance reminds of some mystical Bigfoot and he looks 20 years older than he is.
Posted by No comments:
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)