Tag: tanvibanerjee

By tanvibanerjee

The Quaint Yet Lively Telok Ayer Street

From serving as a landing spot for immigrants to housing modern restaurants, Telok Ayer has come a long way. The Telok Ayer street once faced the sea and served as Singapore’s original waterfront. Initially, the neighborhood housed several Chinese Hokkien and South Indians. However, many immigrant communities built altars of worship on the street to thank their deities for granting them a safe passage to Singapore. The area’s diverse places of worship include a Chinese Methodist Church, Thian Hock Keng (A Chinese temple), Al Abrar Mosque and Nagore Dargah. Even though these places represented different religions and sects, I was really struck by their close proximity to each other. Today, this area houses several chic eating joints. Many of them serve Korean and Japanese food. So, if you are in the mood for some Korean BBQ or want to explore Singaporean diversity, Telok Ayer is the place to be!

Cho Chu Kang Chinese cemetery and Farms in Lim Chu Kang

Cho Chu Kang and Lim Chu Kang initially housed traditional villages called Kampongs, various farms and Chinese cemeteries. The new land development plans in Singapore have only allocated around 1% of Singaporean land to agriculture, which is why the farms of Lim Chu Kang are so unique. Additionally, space constraints have caused the Singaporean government to exhume old graveyards in order to make way for new buildings, housing complexes etc. So, when I first saw the open space around the Chinese cemetery of Cho Chu Kang and its old graves, I felt I had been transported to another era altogether. The farms and the cemetery gave me a great insight into how Singapore has changed in the last 6 decades. Update: The expansion of an airbase close by is forcing the Singaporean government to exhume several graves of the Cho Chu Kang cemetery and cut down its size by one-third.

Lorong Halus Wetlands

If you happen to find yourself on the eastern side of Singapore, try to take a stroll through the Lorong Halus Wetlands. This area is located close to many residential blocks and is easily accessible by MRT (Although the journey from NUS itself will take you a long time). I loved watching the sunset on the Halus Bridge, and would recommend it any day! The wetlands are close to the Punggol container market, which has some really nice restaurants. P.S. it is also pretty close to Coney Island.

...continue reading "5 “Offbeat” Places I Loved Visiting In Singapore"

By tanvibanerjee

The “dreadful” finals season is upon NUS, and all the study areas are chockablocked with students. Anxiety levels are skyrocketing in NUS, and the university is blasting emails with important tips on how to deal with exam stress. One of my favorite ways to calm down and relax during exam season is to escape to a movie theatre!

In DC, I miss being able to watch Bollywood movies in cinema halls. So, the diversity of movies available in Singaporean movie theatres has been very exciting for me. Singaporean cinema halls not only play the standard Hollywood blockbusters but also cater to their diverse patrons by screening latest Bollywood, Tamil, Chinese, Japanese, Malay and Korean films! The best part about these films? They come with subtitles in different languages.

Here are 3 great Singaporean places for a unique movie session:

1. South Asian films at Bombay Talkies and Rex Cinema Theatres

I grew up watching Bollywood films, and they hold a special spot in my heart. However, Bombay Talkies and other Rex Cinema theatres screen not only Bollywood films but also the latest Tamil, Telugu and even Malay films. Most films have a screening at least once a day, but since these movie theatres are small and tend to screen more than five films, each film’s shows are limited.

These movie theatres also have special offers for students and senior citizens. Students can get two tickets at S$10 and senior citizens can watch a film for S$5! ...continue reading "Unconventional Cinema And Where To Watch It"

By tanvibanerjee

In grade school, I had to memorize a poem. I don’t remember much of it but this one line, “As gardens grow with flowers English grows with words.” In Singapore, its diverse and multi-lingual population has made its own contributions to the English language. Thus, creating “ Singlish.”

In my previous blog posts, I have talked a lot about the prevalence of Singaporean English or “Singlish” amongst the local population. While exposure to Singlish has allowed me to learn some Malay, Tamil and Mandarin words, Singlish has also thrown some curveballs at me. As such, I have misunderstood a lot of people, which in turn has led to some rather unexpected outcomes!

MISUNDERSTANDING NUMBER 1: It’s not all about ME.

For the longest time, whenever someone said, “I like me” or “me good lah” I thought that people were talking about themselves. While I was really excited about the self-love and positivity that some of my local friends displayed, I couldn’t understand the context in which they used the sentence.

A few weeks ago, I found myself eating home-cooked noodles prepared by my family friends’ elderly mother. As aunty (the term by which older ladies are often referred to in Singapore) served us the dinner, she pointed at her granddaughter and said, “She like me.”

...continue reading "“She likes Mee” and Other Things That I Misunderstood in Singapore"

By tanvibanerjee

People often ask me where to eat and what to eat in Singapore. My advise is simple - In Singapore, eat like the locals do.

WHERE TO EAT IN SINGAPORE?

If you find yourself in Singapore, walk to the nearest Kopitiam or Hawker Center! Don’t let the names fool you though. Kopitiam might translate to a “Coffee Shop” but in the modern Singaporean context, Kopitiams refer to food courts for local food. Over the last five decades, redevelopment and urbanization in Singapore have led to the eviction of local street hawkers from the streets. Instead, the government has allocated special complexes that accommodate the food stalls of erstwhile street hawkers.

The Kopitiams have traditionally been social hubs. Before the majority of Singaporeans moved to government-owned high rise flats, they lived in villages, also known as Kampongs. In these villages, kopitiams became places where villagers caught up with local news and gossip. For many, Kopitiams and hawker centers became places of employment. Yet, it is the food in Kopitiams and hawker centers, which has continued to play an important role in ensuring their perpetuity in Singapore.

In most Kopitiams and Hawker Center, the food is almost as diverse as Singapore’s population. Some shops are dedicated to special dishes such as Chicken rice and Satay sticks, but the majority of shops specialize in a particular cuisine. Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Indian, Hokkien and more cuisines are represented in Singapore’s local Kopitiams and Hawker Centers. However, the best part about these food places has to be the price! Most of these food centers serve a variety of dishes and cuisines for less than $5!

...continue reading "Food 101: A Brief Introduction To Local Singaporean Food Culture"

By tanvibanerjee

“Choping: The art of reserving a seat in any public space with the help of a personal belonging including but not limited to a packet of tissues or your wallet.” 

In NUS, the art of choping during midterm season reaches new heights. There are laptops, wallets, keys, and napkins on chairs and study tables. One time I came across a study table “choped” with a huge fluffy pillow that had a note on it.

“Don’t nap on me, it messes with my owner's head space.” The note said.

Like GW, almost all study spots in NUS are perpetually occupied during the mid-term season. In fact, some students have taken to choping seats at the local 24/7 McDonalds and I’m still struggling to find my “study spot”. I never thought I would say this, but I miss GW’s Gelman Library. Terribly.

The midterm season in NUS generally lasts from late February to early March. Furthermore, as professors can decide upon the format of the mid-term exam, it can vary from subject to subject and from class to class. My Global Governance class had a classic short answer style exam. However, for my South Asian cinema class, I had to present on a movie that we watched during the week.

...continue reading "The Learning Curve: Midterms and ‘Choping’ in Singapore"

By tanvibanerjee

“Do you know what NUS stands for?” My local kaki (friend) asked me one night, “National University of Stairs!”

Her joke rang in my head as I lay on the bathroom floor for the second time that night. My crutches had somehow managed to land far away from where I had slipped and my casted ankle throbbed painfully. Of all the things I had thought I would experience while studying abroad, I didn’t think I would be experiencing my first serious ankle injury.

On the night of January 31, as Singapore slept, I was wheeled into the emergency room by my fellow exchange friends. The dreaded question came next, “So, how did this happen?”  I wish I could tell a tale of how I tripped while catching a pickpocket or something more heroic, but that was not to be. Red-faced and very embarrassed, I was forced to recount how I had stumbled while crossing a road. Worse yet, I hadn’t even fallen to the ground. Instead, I had squawked a very inelegant squawk and clutched at my friends who were walking beside me.

The nurses shook their heads in disbelief as they examined me for more injuries. “How did you trip lah?! This ankle injury happens more commonly while playing sports!”

Head swirling in pain, adrenaline, and shock, I could only hear bits and pieces of information that the doctor was telling me.

...continue reading "An unfortunate ‘twist’: Dealing with an ankle injury in Singapore"

By tanvibanerjee

“We will... we will...rock you...” we panted as our paddles cut through the water with the beats. It was a surprisingly rain-free day in Singapore, and the weather was perfect for a dragon boat race at the Kallang Water Basin. However, when the instructor first yelled “Paddles up” at us twenty amateurs, I realized that this was going to be a long day.

Growing up in the landlocked suburbs of New Delhi, water sports had never been a big part of my life. The Yamuna, Delhi’s river, is too dangerous to paddle or row in. Now, imagine my surprise when I first encountered people rowing in the Potomac! Unsurprisingly, Singapore is a haven for people who enjoy water sports. Swimming is one of Singapore's most popular recreational activities.  In NUS itself, there are three big pools open to all students. Local community pools are also relatively cheap. Furthermore, the public beaches in Sentosa and Lazarus islands are clean and safe for a good swim. Other popular water sports in Singapore include kayaking, paddling, and dragon boating.

So, when my exchange university decided to organize dragon boating for exchange students, my interest was piqued.  I wanted to try out water sports for once. However, only 120 students could go dragon boating, and unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.

...continue reading ""Paddles up, Go!""