National Geographic Magazine said:

To lead a society, the MM says in his precise Victorian English, "one must understand human nature. I have always thought that humanity was animal-like. The Confucian theory was man could be improved, but I'm not sure he can be. He can be trained, he can be disciplined."

Recommended by tinkertailor: "Article on Singapore culture, politics, and LKY."

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Soh Tiang Keng said:

Despite signs of revival since the 1980s, a gradual extinction of the Peranakan culture and lifestyle will probably take place in decades to come. The fast-dwindling Singaporeans, steeped in Peranakan culture and practices, are becoming an endangered species which may fade into oblivion within the next 120 years or so.

Recommended by misty_cloud: "An interesting read on the origins of Peranakans. After the telecast of the Little Nonya TV series on Mediacorp Channel 8, there is this mad craze for "anything Peranakan" - from Peranakan food, music and fashion to history and tourism. An influx of visitors to Malacca to see for themselves the Peranakan culture.

But as the article says, is this sustainable? What will happen after the craze dies off? Is a TV series enough to revive the interest in Peranakan culture and the willingness to preserve that for the future generations?

Just some food for thought."

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litford said:

i think this documentary shows how language is a cultural force so many of us take for granted. And in even more extremes, cussing and swearing are language tools we use to connect with each other!

Recommended by litford: "i made this documentary in 2005 with some friends when we were studying in Perth, and were discussing about the use of vulgarities in everyday life, and found that despite studying in a foreign country, such colloquial language helped us connect with each other despite everything else being different."

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Asia News Network said:

The food is orgasmic, plus there’s a variety of cultures since Singapore used to be a trading port in the olden days. So, you get the best of Indo-Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and of course Singaporean dishes

Recommended by Selfrevolution: "Food, more food, cosmopolitan culture, a few indie flicks and more food. Well, that's what the Filipinos interviewed here by the Daily Inquirer love Singapore for.

Are we that pigeonholed into a consumption narrative by the world?"

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Reuters said:

The sight would be nothing out of the ordinary in much of southeast Asia. But Singapore's last village, nestled in a forest clearing, is an oddity in the sophisticated city-state where skyscrapers and high-speed Internet are the norm.

Recommended by Selfrevolution: "A look at Singapore's last kampong, for those who never knew we still have one. "

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Smithsonian.com said:

Peaceful and prosperous, Southeast Asia's famously uptight nation has let its hair down.

Recommended by mooiness: "An interesting story by a reporter experiencing culture shock on his first visit to Singapore in 37 years, remarking on how Singapore progressed from its "Sin City" past pre-independence, to the "survival first" mentality in its early days, to a straight-laced society that has now finally recognised the importance of the arts and culture to the vibrancy of a city."

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nanyangtemple said:

According to temple records, it was already in existence, albeit smaller in scale, in 1820. An attap temple was already present at the same location before Raffles landed in Singapore. Taishanting (now Ngee Ann City), the earlest Teochew cemetery was probably established at around the same time.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Architectures preserved in pictures in an online documentation. Has an archive of old black and white pictures too. This will be treasured in years to come when everything is torn down and all you see walking in the streets are yuppies and gamblers. "

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CNN said:

Perhaps Singapore's biggest handicap is its lack of famous sights: it has no Angkor Wat or Taj Mahal. For many years, it prided itself on its innumerable shopping malls, and promoted its annual "Singapore Sale".

Abroad, it is often better known for its authoritarian ways -- it canes vandals, executes drug offenders, crushes political opposition, and bans the sale of chewing gum. Culturally, its development has been crippled by restrictions on freedom of expression and censorship of films and plays.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Not exactly the celebratory messages we get all the time from the local media."

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s/pores said:

the early chapters of the Singapore Story have rested on the narrative of its principled fight against the communists within the ranks of the PAP itself. This motif has become less and less sustainable, and the recognition of this development can be seen as a response to the skepticism it has generated.

Recommended by Tym: "An article on exploring alternative histories of Singapore heavily quotes bloggers. Part of a new e-journal on Singapore studies, where "intimidating academic-speak is out". "

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Victor said:

I remember Mum would stop at one place and all would be looking for this unmarked grave that could only be like a small mount. That was the grave of her adopted father (she was given away when young) who died during WWII and there was no proper burial. And so, it was more like recognising the spot based on trees and neighbouring tombs.

Recommended by tinkertailor: "A man recalls his Qing Ming experiences during the 1950s."

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Alex Au said:

Martin Goh referred to a foodcourt in his letter. We're all familiar with the disgusting mess people leave behind. But it's not just foodcourts. The picture on the left was taken at a BurgerKing fast-food restaurant. Almost everywhere else in the world I've been, people clear their own tables when dining at fast-food places -– that's why they give you trays. But trays notwithstanding, clearing your own table is not the done thing in Singapore. Menial labour is for others.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Why are there so many Singaporeans with no sense of courtesy and proper social grace? This is definitely not the first time we have read such reports in the news. Where does public education comes in and how is it effective in a society like Singapore?"

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K said:

Talk about tongue-in-box! Apparently this chap here "borrowed" one of the boxes from a shop undergoing renovation. The construction worker didn't stop him. Instead, he stood by the doorway and grinned from ear to ear.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "This is a friend of mine who started the project to "capture random snapshots of street fashion in Singapore." Interesting perspectives as well as interesting statements... "

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Sudirwan said:

It's a question every Singaporean designer, artist and anyone in the creative industry should ask themselves. Are we as individual creatives, inspired by the City we are living in? Singapore, an aspiring design hub of Asia has hardly any element or story that a designer could work with. What is the Singapore story? What is the Singapore identity? Where is our brand?

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Identities for nations, countries and cities however are not guidelines. But a reflection of the country itself. The story of the city. The history of the nation. From these elements, designers will pull and work with. Their works will be a part of the city, fostering a brand and image, extending the identity."

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Steph said:

I was surfing around Yahoo! Answers when I saw this question "Do females find viginity in a man attractive?". Hm...do I know the answer? Nope as first, I am not a female, so I won't know how the female mind works. Second, not all females think the same way. This question was asked by a male.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "In today's modern world with influences from the West, it is interesting to know the different stands that each individual has on the issue of chastity. Quite an interesting topic in which the blogger has touched on. He even shares his own views after sharing the views of other people."

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Azimin said...

We sat down, crossed legged in a sea of black heads arranged in neat rows and I was pleasantly surprised to meet soft eyes with accompanying welcome nods that soothed my initial worries. What he told me was true afterall; Sikhism is a true egalitarian religion.

This is a well written piece by a Singaporean Malay Muslim talking about his experience in a gurudwara, or a Sikh temple. A pretty sincere piece I think, as he really appreciates the people and the little things he experienced during his visit.

Sorry editors for posting this twice cuz I forgot all about the link in the previous one. =P

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Colin Mutchler said:

After doing my Free Culture show at INSEAD in early February, Singapore bloggers Han and Preetam asked me if I'd be interested in doing the show for a Singapore audience. Han pulled together a great crew that included the folks behind tomorrow.sg, the 'blogfather' Mr. Brown, and Damien from LaSalle-SIA school of the arts (directions). The result is that I'll be doing a special show next Wednesday, March 22nd at LaSalle.

Recommended by shianux: "I'm plugging this show because I'm sure all the budding artists, musicians, DJs, authors, poets and creative people will find this show to be very entertaining, informative and enlightening."

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activefreemedia said:

Leading up the Asian premiere of my Free Culture show on Monday Feb 6 at 7:15 at INSEAD's Singapore campus (free of charge), I wanted to take stock of the evolution of the movement for free culture.

Recommended by shianux: "This is rather late, but I hope people will turn up to watch and support. This is the first time a program that promotes the Creative Commons is showing in Singapore. Monday (Today) Feb 6, 7.15pm at the INSEAD Auditorium."

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william disillusioned said:

why go club must open the fuckin big bottle of Martell? cos its SUT! "eeeeee look at our next table, only have 2 miserable jugs of vodka redbull".

Recommended by MercerMachine: "refreshingly honest."

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asianpopularculture looks at the question of whether there is such a thing as a Singaporean culture, and contrasts it with Chinese (PRC) culture:

Despite my limited understanding of Singapore, since I embrace Raymond Willianms’ notion that ‘culture is ordinary and a whole way of life’, I don’t think a country with tangible territory and population, established under certain historical circumstance and maintained on the basis of specific social economy can be void of culture.

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Rambling Librarian said:

In rememberance of Sept 11, log in for a 'live' chat based on the theme of "How much do we understand each other". Chat with people between 13 to 35 years of age from Sugar Grove Public Library (Chicago, Illinois USA) and Jurong Regional & Tampines Regional libraries in Singapore.

When? Join our 'live' chat via Instant Messaging, on: * Sunday Sept 11, 2pm , Singapore time

Fire up your IM clients and join in this conversation with patrons at a public library in the US.

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