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From Value One, Autumn 2004 No. 06 |
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Metal One Asia Pte. Ltd.
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Singapore, a small country the size of Awaji Island |
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Singapore is a small country with a population of approximately 4.16 million and an area of just 682 square kilometers (about the same as Awaji Island, Japan). No matter what part of the country you are in, drive about one hour and you will fall into the sea (laughs). The country's so small that, astonishingly, you can be working at your desk just 35 to 40 minutes after your plane lands.
The national language is Malay. English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are the official languages. Singapore is a multiethnic society where education in English is widespread, and English can be used anywhere. Moreover, most of the office workers of Chinese ancestry are trilingual and speak English, Chinese and Malay, and I was astonished that quadrilinguals who also speak Japanese are not rare. |
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| The view from the 37th floor office. Singapore's attractions include beautiful scenery, safety and duty-free shopping! |
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You've got to try fish head curry! |
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| Because Singapore is a multiethnic nation, you can find food from almost every country in the world here. Some great dishes are Hainan chicken rice, Fujian Mee noodles, and Bak Ku Teh (pork rib soup). Another dish you absolutely must try is fish head curry! It consists of fish heads, okra, tomatoes, and other ingredients in a nice coconut milk flavored curry soup, and is served in a plastic bowl that looks like a washbowl. This soup is eaten with white rice. It's not too spicy and not too mild either, just a delicious spiciness. |
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Singapore's little pride: All soccer fields are grass fields! |
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Even though Singapore is a very hot place, soccer is really popular here. Singapore also has a professional league called the S. League, and in March of this year, Albirex Niigata, a team from Japan's J. League, joined the S. League, and soccer fever is burning stronger than ever.
Singapore has a number of soccer fields, all of which are grass fields (even though their quality is not uniform), making this a superb environment for amateurs. Even I played on a fathers' team with Japanese elementary school coaches, and thus started playing soccer again after a 20-year lapse. I am sweating out all the liquor I drink daily, and to tell the truth, the beer after each match tastes like heaven! |
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