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Tham Fung Meng and Chan Mei Yin are two highly celebrated Singaporean Cantonese opera performers. Meng created the Yimin Opera Troupe and continually impresses audiences with her style and skills. Yin performs as the male character in an all female company. Cantonese opera is an extremely popular performance genre in Singapore and there are many companies devoted to its performance and study. This is a traditional art from that has existed for centuries. Many tourists appreciate the enormous dedication of opera performers and attending a production is one of the biggest attractions for guests. A fine evening for locals and tourists alike includes dinner at the best Singapore restaurants followed by a Cantonese opera performance.

Because the opera is such and integral part of Singaporean culture there are many productions and companies from which to choose. While most operas contain similar themes and the nature of the performance is extremely stylized, each performer, play and company brings something special to the scene. Some of the more prominent Cantonese opera companies include The Choy Brothers Opera Troupe, and the Chinese Theatre Circle, which is the most active of the Singapore theatre companies.

Tham Fung Meng studied with the Chinese Theatre Circle as well as some of the most highly acclaimed artists in China. She directed the Echo Cantonese Opera Group at the Eunos Community Centre in 1988. Also of that year she formed the Yi Meng Cantonese Opera Group. One of her most renowned performances was as the Princess Turandot in 1999 with Wu Suet Yee. She partnered with Yee again the following year with their performance of three opera excerpts. Chan Mei Yin performs regularly with the Kreta Ayer Community Centre Opera Troupe. She is also the company’s director. This extremely popular and well-established company is based on an all female cast. Yin is an incredibly talented singer who will usually play the male character in the productions.

Many of the tourist attractions in Singapore are steeped in history, either through the architecture or mythology. And while most are entertaining and provide loads of fun for the whole family, they are also educational and interactive, giving visitors a five star Singapore experience which provides visitors with not only incredible experiences, but the knowledge of the history behind the memorials and landmarks they have visited. This serves to bring the past very much into the modern world, something that people of Singapore do on a a daily basis with just about every aspect of their lives, be it recipes for the fine food, the customs and even religious practices.

One such architectural structure dating back to the colonial time period, was once a convent. Chijmes, pronounced as ‘chimes’ of a bell, dates back to the World War II occupation of Singapore by the Japanese. There has been some restoration, making certain characteristics of the building more modern. However this is intricately blended with aspects left historical in design and structure. There are delicately designed stained glass windows, historical wall paintings and frescoes, along side trendy restaurants and boutique, designer shops. The chapel still stands, and aside from the chapel itself, stands the Caldwell house, oldest house in Singapore. There are many wine bars and coffee shops as well as some of the finest art galleries in Singapore, housing works from Thailand artists, Japanese, Chinese and a host of other internationally known craftsman as well.

Another such site, interactive in nature, is the Merlion on Sentosa Island. The merlion is an iconic figure throughout Singapore, which gives significance and recognition to the fact that Singapore has relied on the land of their country and the water surrounding it. With a fish body and a lions head, sculptures of the merlion are found in various locations around the city. This was first designed for advertising purposes in the mid 1960′s, but has become for many a symbol of what it is to be Singaporean. The largest of these monuments is found on Sentosa island, and is reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. It stands thirty-seven meters. Visitors climb up through the body of the sculpture to the viewing deck, the mouth of the lion. There is also a deck on the very top of the beasts head, offering the mostspectacular views of Sentosa and surrounding sea. Some, actually most native Singaporeans pass this icon off as an advertising ploy, millions of visitors each year visit and photograph the image.

Lee Hsien Loong is becoming to modern Malaysian society, much in the way that Plato became to ancient thinkers of Rome and modern thinkers today, a prince, a philosophical prince. His intelligence has never been questioned. His father was the previous Singapore Prime Minister, so from an early age he was groomed to take over that position. And one anonymous Singaporean shopkeeper stated that what was once the father’s ambition, the son has now achieved. The story reads as a Shakespearean play. Educated at Harvard and Cambridge, he follows much of the Confucian philosophies that so guided his father during his term as prime minister. What the country is expecting is a radical shift in governmental leadership, born out of a system of traditional beliefs.

The director of Asia Economic Forecasting, David Cohen, remarked that while many find the succession a bit…questionable…no one would ever doubt his competency to lead this country. Citizens of Singapore are well aware of the cultural restrictions they live within, and are also aware that while Lee is modern and forward thinking, his is still a man that has been involved for years, in the oppressive governmental control, as first a cabinet minister and then the Deputy Prime Minister. Singapore has had the reputation in many foreign countries over the years as, quite frankly, a somewhat intense place to visit. Gum chewing was outlawed until very recently. A more congenial and welcoming manner would benefit all aspects of business for this country, from the corner Singapore boutique hotel, to the petrol stations to the opera.

Many aspects of Singapore are censored. In the past, the media kept hidden certain circumstances while exposing those issues that were permitted in being exposed. One such set of stories showed the softer side of Lee. One that his advisers have insisted upon, not just for the cameras, but in reality. Lee insists on taken the changes slowly. He is meanwhile supporting moves forward in technology,logistics and matters of social change.

Former Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, spoke recently at a convention concerning the necessities of smaller countries involved in the international economic world. He covered his philosophies on foreign relations and the absolute need of smaller countries to create and maintain relationships with larger, more prosperous and more powerful countries. He emphasized that the involvement with other countries are not based emotionally, nor even out of acts of goodwill, that it just the way that it must be to economically survive and remain of relevance. Larger countries he states, have much more freedom, geographically than smaller countries such has his own. For a country the size of Singapore to continue to exist, they must make as many allies as possible. He states as well that Singapore must remain independent and must constantly predict the ways of the future so as to better retain the difference necessary to remain important. For many years, the people, the advanced technology, and the ethics of business have ensured that Singapore remains to have something to offer to the rest of the world not commonly found in other countries. Five star businesses in Singapore, such as resorts and convention centers have remained prosperous and tourism grew and the international business world ventured to Singapore to learn the ways of the Singaporean workers.

He sites the example of the economic crisis in America currently. He believes that along with the resilience of the American people and the creativity of the current political leaders, that the relationship between China and the U.S. will serve to help the situation in America dramatically. The ‘friendship’ with China is important he says, as currently economic growth in China is stable and increasing by just about ten percent. So while it is true that the U.S is experiencing no growth, or sometimes a negative growth, they have sided with an economic giant and that consequences of that relationship will prove extremely beneficial for America and the years to come. For the continued success of Singapore he believes that creative and intuitive leaders must be one step ahead of the global market, to be able to not only notice trends, but to predict them. So that not only is Singapore there for the changes, but so that they are some of the ones leading the pack. In this way, Singapore will remain relevant, different, and independent.

The largest ethnic group that contributes to the cultural diversity of Singapore is the Chinese. Chinese immigrants make up more than seventy five percent of the local population. Thus, Chinatown in Singapore. This area, once an enclosed enclave consisting of those only from China started to evolve close to 1821 upon the arrival of the immigrants from the Chinese province of Fujian. Every one of the travelers at this time were men, who congregated and set up their homes along the river in Singapore, Telok Ayer . At that time, all the water for the households was carried up from the river. Many did relocate to various other neighborhoods in Singapore as the city grew, most maintained their residence in Chinatown. During the 1960′s this area became over populated and many were relocated during the initial stages of the Housing Development Program created by the Singaporean government. All urban development during this time was under strict supervision and was required to adhere to various requirements.

Chinatown remains to this day, quite culturally diverse, from the restaurants to the luxury Singapore hotels, it is divided into sections that are still based upon the regions of China the different immigrants originated from. Even the names of the streets reflect the origins of the cultures, and businesses and merchants offering services and products are located within these sections. The architecture of the shops and buildings are hard to classify, as elements of Victorian and Baroque styles are often combined. Many are painted quite delicately and intricately and in the process of restoration, that is being respected, the pastel colors being restored to their original hues. And while most of the architecture show evidence of European influence, most are still baffled as to how this came to be given the times in which the buildings were originally constructed. In all it is a blend of tradition that is becoming very common to the island of Singapore and brings many visitors wishing to experience the flavors and the sights and sounds of an area so incredibly rich with history and culture.

Artist Chen Chong Swee was born in China and moved to Singapore after having finished his studies at the Fine Art Academy. He is one four artists who were based in Singapore for much of their lives and together created the Nanyang school of painting. The four of them had taken a trip to Bali the year before and were inspired by the country; so much so that the result was a new approach to subjects and their perspectives in painting. They painted on the streets and in the best Singapore hotels, finding fresh views for their work. This resulted in a combined approach to their painting. Each of the artists had been educated in traditional styles of painting and wanted something more in their own approach. Their Modern perspective combined Eastern and Western philosophies. Today, they are still highly esteemed and their work has a lasting impact on art students in Singapore. In 1994 Sotheby’s held an auction and the proceeds were intended to provide scholarships for young artists. It is fitting that of the works sold, Swee’s paintings were sold in the highest number. He was a teacher and believed in the education of new artists. His works provide inspiration as well as financial assistance to the new generation.

Throughout his life, Swee taught and created his own work. He was respected for his talent as an artist as well as for his personal character. His approach to teaching and to his work was thoughtful and philosophical. In his art he intended to make the meaning of it accessible to the viewer. This tied him to traditional thought and differed from the Modernist tendency to alienate an audience. Swee believed this was contrary to the purpose of art and thought the intent of an artist was to communicate with their audience. To him, art should be understood. He believed artists and writers were creating not only for themselves but that the meaning of art was to give an understanding to the people. He wanted the audience to know what he was trying to say. As with the other founders of the Nanyang school, art had a spiritual significance and should be shared with the world.

Over the years the island of Singapore has been considered quite safe from the threat of a major disaster caused by earthquakes on the fault line that runs along the floor of the South China Sea. The earthquakes that occur out at sea are responsible for tsunamis or tidal waves that can wreak havoc on islands at sea. Such an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004, and was the cause of much devastation and disaster. As with all major natural disasters, various agencies conduct studies, which do tend to come too late for the immediate situations but are intended to learn more about better courses of action and preparedness should such a threat be posed again in the future. One such organization is called the National Environment Agency, or NEA.

The National Environment Agency has spent over 2 million dollars on the study they have been conducting since the 2004 disaster in hopes of discovering the seismological reasons for the tsunamis and to perhaps come to and understanding that will allow them to prevent the occurrence of such a disaster in Singapore. The island of Singapore is well populated due to the influence of the business districts, the international tourism trade, the many elegant restaurants and the best hotels in Singapore that would be devastated by such a disaster. As well, they would like to be able to protect and to give fair warning to the local population that lives along the beaches and the coastline would be most affected by a tidal wave.

The two areas of study are simple. The first is to simply study the activity along the ocean floor. There is much to be learned about the fault line as in the past it has produced quakes that have registered as high a level nine on the Richter Scale. There are also many underwater land slides that can affect the occurrence tsunamis. The one fact that can save Singapore should such and earthquake of high magnitude is that the water surrounding the island is relatively shallow. This affects the size of the tidal wave that would occur, creating a much smaller wave in the end. It also serves to slow down the speed of the wave giving the population and the authorities on the island of Singapore roughly 10 hours to evacuate and to prepare. This would affect local residents and those residing in a boutique hotel Singapore.

One of my favorite locations in the world is Singapore.  To me it is an exotic place with many unique attractions.  For a unique shopping experience I always visit Orchard Road.  It’s shops range from the latest electronics to Asian antiques.  You are guaranteed to discover a bargain or a unique gift.

When I am in town I check out the best Singapore hotels.  One I really like is the Gallery Hotel with its postmodern decor and antique furniture dating back to 1929.  One of the great things about being in Singapore is having access to nighttime golf at  the Jurong Country Club or Orchid Country Club.

Another nighttime attraction is Singapore’s 24-hour mall at the Mustafa Centre featuring over 120,000 products!  If you are looking for a shopping experience that is a little more laid back then visit Orchard Road which has lots of unique items including antiques.