Mythbusters!

Smoking: Ben was operating under some bizarre information that smoking was illegal (or at least VERY rare). Not true—Singaporeans smoke. I’m not sure whether they smoke more or less than other countries. Ben thought that maybe it just seems like it’s more than back home because in Singapore, unlike in the US, the vast majority of people are out walking, or taking public transportation, whereas in the US, everyone is smoking in their homes or in their cars. Whatever the reason, people here smoke and they do so legally.

Clean: We heard a lot about how clean Singapore is—I mean we heard this from everyone. Because we heard this so often we expected this place to be as clean as Monte Carlo (unbelievably clean), but this is not true. While it’s true that the downtown area (where most tourists undoubtedly visit) is much cleaner than normal cities, there are definitely dirty areas that are similar to bigger cities. However, by and large, this place is cleaner than other big cities we’ve been to.

Chewing gum: It’s true—chewing gum is not sold anywhere. Thank heavens neither of us needs to chew gum as some addiction, but sometimes it’s nice just having something to chomp on. I don’t think it’s illegal—I’ve seen people chewing it, especially at church, but they must either buy it Malaysia or have it sent in from abroad. Whether you are caned for spitting it out on the street has yet to be verified. If you see me hobbling, I tested this and it was true.
Safety: This really is probably the safest place we’ve ever lived. What we’ve heard often is “It’s as safe on the streets at 3:00AM as it is at 3:00PM.” We haven’t pushed this to see just how safe it is (for example, Ben hasn’t yet decided to walk down Alexandra Road in skimpy clothing at 3:00AM), but we’re optimistic this one will stay true. I’ve been out several times by myself at night and feel totally safe.

Noise: Another myth that I heard (or made up to help “sell” Cheryl on moving to Singapore) is that Singapore has strict noise regulations on vehicles and motorbikes. Not true at all. The temporary housing we’re in now is located near a busy intersection and it is unbelievably noisy all the time. In particular, the cruddy little mopeds and dinky motorbikes are the worst—they’re maybe not as bad as a Harley, but they have surprisingly loud engines.
Internet: We’d heard that Internet was available for free throughout the island—this is almost true. While there are considerable sections of the island covered with free wireless signals, this is mostly limited to commercial areas and the residential areas around them.

Weather: In addition to its safety and cleanliness, the thing we heard the most about Singapore was how hot and humid it is and that it rained sporadically almost every day. We have been pleasantly surprised at how mild the weather has been. Granted, being a bit above the equator may mean that we’re in winter right now, but if the weather doesn’t change too much from now till summer, this climate is very tolerable. We’ve heard it will get much more hot and humid and we’ve had several big rain showers the last few days. They don’t last long though only 10-15 minutes.

Modern: It is modern except that more places than you'd think only take cash. We are banking with HSBC and since they along with four other banks aren't considered local banks some places don't even take their debit card. You do, however, get this nifty security device to sign into your account online. You push it and it gives you a number, which you need to log-in. It feels pretty James Bondish.