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Singapore - Culture and Lifestyle
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Culture - What exactly is culture?
The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). In general, it refers to human activity.
Singapore's Culture stems from the cultural diversity of the island.
Most of the people of Singapore are descendants of immigrants from the Malay Peninsula, China, the Indian sub-continent and Sri Lanka. While they have gradually acquired a distinct identity as Singaporeans, many still retain their customs, practices and festivals in a curious mix of the modern and the traditional.
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.
Each still bears its own unique character:
The old streets of Chinatown can still be seen.
The Muslim characteristics are still conspicuous in Arab Street
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 colorful festivals of special significance all year round. Although the festivals are special to certain races, it is nonetheless enjoyed by all.
Singapore by night.
Festivals.
A Hindu Mosque.
Tall buildings and lush gardens.
Lifestyle
Singapore is a high tech country and one of wealth for many. It is at the cross-roads of Asia and shopping is one of it's biggest attractions, with Orchard Road being the main area.
When Singaporeans tell you that shopping is the national sport, they're only half joking. Shopping ranks right up there with eating as a favourite pastime.
Shopping
Many visitors to Singapore come with a view to seeing the sights rather than going on a bargain-hunting binge, yet somehow they always end up leaving with an extra bag or two.
The famous Orchard Road features mall after mall of glitzy clothes, shoes, electronics goods, furniture, rugs, cosmetics, etc. There's always a big sale going on somewhere, the people all around you are laden with shopping bags - its impossible not to join in the fun.
The undisputed hub of shopping in Singapore is Orchard Road , where if you're really keen you can spend a good two days looking for good buys. Everyone goes to Orchard Road to do their shopping, especially for clothes. You can get a variety of brands here, ranging from designer labels like Louis Vuitton to fairly cheap wear like U2 and Giordano.
The road stretches from Plaza Singapura in the east to Tanglin Mall in the west, and between these two points are retail stalwarts such as Centrepoint , The Heeren , The Promenade , Takashimaya , Tangs , Wisma Atria and Shaw House. Don't forget Scotts Road, an off shoot from Orchard Road, where you will find the popular Scotts Shopping Centre.
Singapore's civic and financial district is also good for some upmarket shopping, albeit more scattered, with Raffles City near the City Hall MRT station, Stamford Court at Stamford Road, the gigantic Suntec City Mall at Temasek Boulevard and Millenia Walk, which holds a huge Duty Free Shopping centre.
Housing in Bugis Street.
Bugis Village.
State of the art houses.
Further north next to Bugis MRT, is the pretty, glass-roofed Parco Bugis Junction . If your tastes veer more towards the geek direction, then Funan Centre -- known as the IT Mall -- is the place to be.
If you are shopping for art, antiques and craftware from Singapore and the Southeast Asian region, then the places to go are the ethnic quarters of Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street . The old Peranakan shops in Chinatown sell everything from Chinese rosewood furniture to Indonesian batik to Thai woodwork, and is a good place to hone your bargaining skills.
Eating out.
There are also some huge shopping centres in Chinatown, such as People's Park Complex and Chinatown Point , which houses the Singapore Handicraft Centre .
Little India is a good place to bargain for all kinds of exotic spices and silks, and is also the area where you will find the mammoth Mustafa Centre , which carries some specially products from India, and Sim Lim Square, a regular temple to electronics and IT goods.
Arab Street is the place to haggle for textiles like batik and sarongs. Another really good place to shop for antiques, Chinese and Indonesian wood furniture and caneware, is Holland villages, which stretches from the western end of Orchard Road.
Housing - aircon and washing out the window.
Modern buildings.
Shopping malls and more food stalls.
If you want to escape the shopping crowds (and the slightly higher prices), as well as get a feel of life in Singapore suburbia, head for one of the many suburban malls that have been sprouting all over the island. These are usually conveniently located next to an MRT station, such as Century Square and Tampines Mall next to Tampines MRT, Junction 8 next to Bishan MRT and IMM next to Jurong East MRT.
Teenagers.
The lifestyles of most Singaporean Teens are very hectic and most of them are packed with tight schedules from Mondays to Sundays.
Despite this fact, most teenagers will try to find time to do some leisure stuff or go out with their friends. Reason being that they need a break from this hectic life they're leading. In this sense, we can go on to talk about the culture of Singaporean teens. This means the kind of "outside" life most teenagers have and how they like to dress when they go out.
The one thing which almost every Singaporean teens love is television stars, in other words, their idols. Idols are an especially important part of their life as they indirectly support them mentally. Why do I say that?
This is because many teens choose to spend a few hours a day watching their favourite television show where their idols are starring in. These television shows are more than mere action shows or love comedies.
They help to relieve the stress that each and every teenager of Singapore face in their school and other areas. So, what place exactly do idols have in their lives? Basically, idols are something like real-life characters that they can admire and many teenagers try to follow in their idols' footsteps.
Nature
At Changi Airport's arrivals hall, you're greeted by the sound of birds, which is quite disconcerting at 2am. This simulated birdsong is symptomatic of the city-state's attitude to nature.
Botanic Gardens
Singapore through it's lush green tropical environment has magnificent tropical gardens, allowing nature to show off it's best.
