Other Entries: Tay Chao Yuan

“SINGAPORE THROUGH MY EYES”

Singapore is a well-known country for many reasons. Some might say it is winning the bid to host the Youth Olympic Games, some might say is the famous Merlion, while others might even say it is our unique Singlish. But to me, it will be Chinatown, the MRT and the hawker centers.

Chinatown can also be found in many countries like USA and Russia, but our Chinatown is unique. This is not only because it has preserved buildings and shophouses, but also because for the other countries, Chinatown town is known as “唐人街” in Chinese while for Singapore, it is known as “牛车水” which means ‘Ox Cart Water’. It is also unique as it is where our Chinese ancestors used to live and it is the land that is actually set aside for the Chinese by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, founder of modern Singapore. Chinatown has many stores selling one of my favourite Chinese food, Bak Kua. During Chinese New Year, it will be very crowded with many people and decorated with Chinese couplets and other Chinese decorations.

Another thing that makes Singapore unique is the hawker centers which can be found almost everywhere in Singapore, from shopping districts like Bugis to heartlands like Ang Mo Kio. It is hardly available in other countries like Australia. In the hawker centers, they have a wide variety of food ranging from Roti Prata, the Indian cuisine to Chicken Cullet, the Western cuisine. Not only are the foods sold at reasonably cheap prices, the foods are also finger licking good! In Singapore’s society today, the parents in many families are working. They do not have the time to prepare the meals or are too tired to do so after their work. Hence, most of the families in Singapore have their dinner at the hawker centers. Most working adults also have their lunch at the hawker centers. The Amoy Street Food Centre, which is situated near many offices in the Central Business District, never fails to be crowded during the lunch hours.

Another thing that is unique about Singapore is the famous Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). It allows us to travel around Singapore easily and quickly. It was officially opened on 12 March 1988 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who was then the Prime Minister of Singapore. The first line to be opened was the North-South Line which starts from Jurong East to Marina Bay, passing through the Central Business District (CBD). It is a milestone for Singapore because before that, the most common form of public transport is buses. If you were to travel from Punggol to Woodlands by bus, it will take hours. With the MRT, you can reach Woodlands in an hour.

Singapore may be only a small dot in the world map, but to me, it is more unique than the bigger countries on the map.