FOOD

BY: NURUL AFIFAH BINTI MOHD NOORIZAN AND NURHANANI

Singapore is a little island city-state on the bottom tip of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia. Due to its strategic location, it has had numerous cultural influences, not only leading it to become one of the most powerful and important sea ports in the world, but also the melting pot of cultures has made it a diverse international city, abounding with delicious food. Food is one of the biggest pillars of Singaporean culture, and one of the most awesome things about traveling, is that you’ll e surrounded by an entire city of other food lovers! 

In Singapore, there are many halal foods that can be found especially for Muslims, so they do not have to worry about it. There are also Muslim restaurants that are selling Roti Canai, Rice, and Noodles, it will surely remind you of Malaysia because the food is similar to our country. Not to forget about Malaysia’s most favorite drink, tea and coffee. Even though those foods are for the Muslim, however many tourists or locals like to eat it without problem. The price is also affordable but no harm in negotiating!

The tourists will also get the chance to experience enjoyable and peaceful environment while eating. This is because, the restaurants are being surrounded by tall buildings, the lights and the people that are walking around Singapore. The tourists also can feel the friendly environment by the owner of the restaurant or tourist while enjoy the food.

Furthermore, the majority of the Singaporeans are Chinese, thus most of the local food are mostly their specialties such as Bak Kut Teh, Hokkien Mee and Chicken Rice.

Treat yourself to delicacies at Maju 65 Restaurant. But do save some tummy space for the long and diverse list of must-tries. Maju 65 Restaurant is a place that has cheap food and the juices are slightly better for the price. Every meal is a chance to indulge in something different, in new atmospheres and in new ways.

Sabar Menanti is one of the Singapore’s most famous Nasi Padang restaurants (a Malay/ Indonesian restaurant). The restaurant is located on Kandahar Street in the Kampong Glam area of Singapore, a street famous for its beautifully preserved ornate shophouses and Nasi Padang restaurant. Sabar Menanti is famous for its Beef Rendang, Chicken Korma and Ikan Bakar (charcoal-grilled fish). The food is very good and reasonably priced. It’s authentic Padang food and can eat a hearty meal here!

But we also found unfamiliar chocolate at Mustafa Centre! There are variety of types of chocolates there. Great price also!

SINGAPORE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

BY: ADIB AIMAN & AMIR DANISH

Singapore is a modern and highly developed country in the Southeast Asia region. This small yet modern country is not to be taken light off. The environment is clean, modern and great if it were to be compared to other nation around the same area. Even it was small in size, but the transportation system is top class. If you are living in Singapore or having vacation there, you don’t have to worry about how to move from place to place. There are some means of transportation in Singapore which are considered the best in the world.

First is by foot. If you are in vacation in Singapore, most of the hotels and lodge are near the attractions that you need to visit in Singapore and is better to walk there while enjoying the scenery. I enjoyed myself walking from place to place as you can see and capture good moments by walking. Singaporean on the other hand prefers to use public transportation as it is efficient, fast and cheaper. Buses and Taxis are prominent way for Singaporean to move from places to places. The service was great and the interior of the vehicles are comfortable and safe, and most of the vehicles are installed with air conditioner which you will love in a tropical country. The system covers most of the places in Singapore, so you can go around places easily and economically. Taxis on the other hand are pretty handy to use as some of the places are not accessible by busses and MRT. The taxis are easy to get as most of the time you can just hailed one by the roadside or you can wait for one at the taxi stand, and there always be one for you.

If you are going to some places and want it fast and comfortable, the MRT is your best answer. Established in the 1980s, the S$5 billion project attempt to connect the northern part of Singapore and the Southern part as well as the eastern and western part of Singapore. Since then the MRT have become a crucial everyday life among the Singaporean. They doesn’t even remember the day that they didn’t go on with the MRT for the past 20 years. Recently the LRT system was also being added to the existing network. It is dependable if you want to get somewhere fast without wanting to face the traffics. Its might be a bit crowded during peak hours but the clean and comfortable interior will not provide you with an unpleasant ride.

The efficient Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) subway system is the easiest, quickest and most comfortable way to get around Singapore. The system operates from 5.30am to midnight, with trains at peak times running every two to three minutes, and off-peak every five to seven minutes. In the inner city, the MRT runs underground, emerging over ground out towards the suburban housing estates. It consists of five color-coded lines. North–South (red), North–East (purple), East–West (green), Circle Line (orange) and Downtown (blue). An extension of the Downtown line known as Downtown 3 is scheduled to open in 2017.

If you're staying in Singapore for more than a day or two, the easiest way to pay for travel on public transport is with the EZ-Link card. The card allows you to travel by train and bus by simply swiping it over sensors as you enter and leave a station or bus. EZ-Link cards can be purchased from the customer service counters at MRT stations for S$12 this includes a S$5 non-refundable deposit. The card can be purchased at 7-Elevens for S$10 including the S$5 non-refundable deposit. Cards can be topped up with cash or by ATM cards at station ticket machines. The minimum top-up value is S$10 while the maximum stored value allowed on your card is S$500.

Hence, if you plan to drive in Singapore, you should bring your current home driver's license along. Some car hire companies may also require you to have an international driving permit. The roads are immaculate and well signed. However, drivers tend to change lanes quickly and sometimes do so without signaling. Motorcycles have a bad habit of riding between cars, especially when traffic is slow. Singaporeans drive on the left hand side of the road and it is compulsory to wear seat belts in the front and back of the car. The Mighty Minds Singapore Street Directory (S$14.90) is invaluable and available from petrol stations, bookshops, Fair Price supermarkets and stationery stores. However, the island has good internet coverage so Google Maps is also a reasonable option.

Furthermore, you can flag down a taxi any time, but in the city center taxis are technically not allowed to stop anywhere except at designated taxi stands. Finding a taxi in the city at certain times is harder than it should be. These include during peak hours, at night, or when it’s raining. Many cab drivers change shifts between 4pm and 5pm, making it notoriously difficult to score a taxi then. The fare system is also complicated, but luckily it’s all metered, so there’s no haggling over fares. The basic flag fall is S$3 to S$3.40 then S$0.22 for every 400m.

 We chose to commute by bus, what about you? :)

SIRI KEMBARA AKADEMIK PENERBITAN (SIKAP) is a final year project for degree students in Publishing studies of Faculty of Communication and Media Studies in UiTM Shah Alam, Malaysia. The final year project is coded as PUB656  which is a compulsory subject to gain marks and experience in the real publishing industry. For SIKAP, the students will organize an academic trip to international level as the previous students had been to Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sabah, Bangkok and this time around, Singapore. This program is created to give the opportunity, disclosure and sharing of knowledge practically to students regarding Publishing industry, locally and internationally.