What I Wish I Had Known BEFORE Coming to Singapore

I've been meaning to write this entry, and I'm sure I'll have more to add to this entry before I leave Singapore in May... but here are a few things:

Medical (pills and things)
1. There is no ibuprofen or aspirin on the shelf. There is only Panadol (paracetamol = acetaminophen).
2. You can buy prescription drugs, from a pharmacist without a prescription at their discretion. I'm not experienced in this act, but that's what I hear.
3. If you are prone to sea sickness, bring dramamine or whatever medication you prefer from the states.
4. Great Dental Experience: http://www.standrews.sg/contact.html. Tell them Cassandra Telenko referred you for $50 SGD off your fee.
5. Vitamins are really expensive here (40+ SGD, 30+ USD). Bring them with you.

I cleaned this hat in the wash, with vinegar, and left it in the sun. That mold is permanent.

Keep food bags sealed. I use plastic clips (not the spring ones) and a container with rice.

This container has my books and rice. All my books are moist otherwise.

This purse has mold.

This jewelry bag has collected mold over the past two or three weeks.

This earring was resting on my hat during the month that it collected mold. The humidity caused the wood color to bleed.

Belongings (the mold situation)
Especially during the rainy season (like 9 months of the year) it is so humid that your belongings will get ruined by mold.
Here are some tips: http://www.therobertsonsofmumbai.com/2012/04/expat-survival-series-the-bangkok-closet.html
1. Do not bring animal products (like leather)
2. Switch from shaving with a razor to waxing or veet. Razors rust really quickly.
3. Keep valuable/mold prone items sealed from air. (i.e. I keep my books in an airtight container. I keep flour and sugar in an airtight container with rice. I'm going to look into getting air seals for my clothes and scuba regulator)
4. Be aware that perfume can turn in rooms that aren't kept around room temperature. Don't refrigerate or cycle the temperature too much. Our perfume is generally ok, kept sheltered from sunlight and with our room usually within a couple degrees of 28C (82F)
5. Check your clothes and belongings for mold once a month or so. I've included photos of belongings that have collected mold over the past month alone.
6. Consider keeping some items in your office desk where the room is A/C and sealed from outdoor humidity most of the time.

Food
1. No one cooks, it's almost all eating out.
2. The food is oily and mostly Singaporean, Malay, Thai or Indonesian. There is usually a token Indian, Korean, and Japanese place.
3. There are no ovens. Getting a large oven-like appliance can be expensive.
4. You can usually ask for items to be "dry." Otherwise, things turn into soups. Every curry is a soup. The bulgogi at one north food court is a soup. It drives me nuts.

Money
1. Best money changing rate is in China town, and requires to change at least $200 to get that rate. (donated tip from Asli; I just use my ATM card for my bank that refunds the $3SGD fee each transaction. ATMS are everywhere.)
2. There are lots of money changers, and you can basically get any amount. To go to Indonesia, I changed $13 SGD to get $10 USD to pay the entry fee. Otherwise, entry was 20 SGD to Indonesia.