100 Reasons to be Happy in Singapore

You see, I’m not a giddily happy person like my list may suggest, but just coming up with this list makes me a little more content and optimistic.

When I travel I realize what’s back home ain’t too shabby, but then I forget and go back to taking everything for granted and being generally crabby, so this list is a reminder to me.

Hope you enjoy my whimsical list.

#1. Puffy Clouds on a Hot Day

#2: Grey Clouds that Signal an Impending Storm

#3. A Cat Lounging in a Stack of Buckets

#4. A Thunderstorm After a Hot Day

#5. Having Durian for Dinner

#6. Signs that Make You Giggle

#7. Spotting Little Ducks at Botanic Gardens

#8. View of Red Roofs

#9. Air-conditioned Bus Terminals

#10. Capturing that Funny Moment

#11. Laundry Drying in the Sun on Bamboo Poles

#12. A Pink Drink

#13. Everyone is either Uncle or Auntie

#14. Home of the Singapore Sling

#15. A River in the Middle of the City

#16. Shops Don’t Close at 5pm

#17. The Beach at Sentosa

#18. 1960′s Singapore is a Boat Ride Away

#19. Old Charming Raffles Hotel

#20. Teh Tarik – Pulled Tea

#21. No Chewing Gum Under My Shoe

#22. T Shirts, Shorts and Slippers All Year Round

#23. Drop Box for Library Books

#24. It’s Safe to Walk the Streets at Night

#25. Hot & Spicy Bliss

#26. Curry Puffs

#27. Chinese Dough Fritters

#28. Purple Orchids

#29. A Spoon and a Coconut

#30. Mangoes Every Day

#31. I Can Understand Singlish Jokes

#32. Art on Letter Boxes

#33. A Refreshing Cup of Chrysanthemum Tea

#34. Clear Traffic

#35. Red Juicy Rambutans

#36. Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa

#37. Mangosteens That Stain Your Hands Purple

#38. Getting the Uniquely Singaporean Jokes on ‘The Noose’

#39. A Little Magazine Called 8 Days

#40. Heavenly Ghee Pratas That Hit The Spot

#41. Satire on Local Blogs

#42. Roses in Singapore

#43. You Can Still Find Tidbits & Candy From a 70′s Childhood

#44. Unusually Cool Weather

#45. Discovering A Part of Singapore that Doesn’t Look like Singapore

#46. When You’re In the Mood for Kopi Rather Than Espresso

#47. Free Parking Daily

#48. Changi Beach: A Quiet Escape

#49. Satay

#50. Melt in Your Mouth, Bean Curd (Tau Huay)

#51. Understanding the Joy of Peeling A Rainbow Kueh Lapis And Eating It Layer by Layer

#52. Taking the MRT At A Non Peak Hour

#53: Enjoying Changi Airport Even When You’re Not Flying Anywhere

#54. Dum Briyani at Yakader And A Teh Alia

#55. High Tea at Raffles Hotel’s Tiffin Room

#56. Having a Top Notch Airline: SIA

#57. Taste of Japan in Singapore

#58. You Won’t Suffer from Chapped Lips or Cracked Skin

#59. Most Places in Singapore are Smoke Free

#60. Malaysia is Just Minutes Away.

#61. S$6 Movie Tickets

#62. Browsing, Shopping And Snacking at Ikea

#63. Pretty Streets During Festive Seasons

#64. Our Skyline is Always Fresh and New

#65. You Don’t Have to Drive For Hours to Get from One Place to Another

#66. Loads of the Sunshine Vitamin and No Winter Blues

#67. An Expanding MRT Line With Art to Gaze at

#68. The Central: A Spacious Mall Where the Vibe is Relaxed

#69. The Little Red Button that Flashes on the MRT

#70. Exploring the Swanky Marina Bay Sands

#71. Siew Pao in Chinatown

#72. We Really Truly are a Melting Pot of Cultures

#73. No Natural Disasters

#74. It’s Hard to Get Really Lost

#75. It’s Hot, But Thank Goodness it Never Goes Past 38 Degrees Celcius

#76. Hawker Centres for Yummiest Meals Under 5 Bucks

#77. Never Feeling Homesick

#78. Kinokuniya Bookstores in Singapore

#79. Best Air Quality Among Asian Cities

#80. Our Little Museums

#81. A Country that is Politically Awakened and the People Care

#82. Singapore Sunsets

#83. Places to be Mellow like Ann Siang Hill

#84. The Joy of Discovering Kampong Glam & Haji Lane

#85. Fresh Seafood and No Frozen Shrimp

#86. Cempedak – A Sticker Yummier Jackfruit

#87. An MRT Line to the Botanic Gardens

#88. Pink MRT Seats

#89. Little Independent Cafes & Book Stores

#90. Being Able to Brush my Teeth with Water Straight Out of the Tap

#91. Little Birds that Make me Feel Connected to Nature

#92. The Awesomeness of Mustafa

#93. Our Beautiful Shade Providing Trees

#94. I Truly Love Our Vast Botanic Gardens

#95. Don’t Miss Out on the Little Ones Growing Up

#96. Changing Your Perspective at the Art Science Museum

#97. A Mall with a Beautiful Indoor Fountain Surrounded by Lush Greenery

#98. Exciting, Ever Evolving Food Scene

59 Responses to 100 Reasons to be Happy in Singapore

  1. Pingback: The Mystery of the Umbrella Road Sign | 270669

  2. Angie says:

    oh, i would LOVE to visit singapore someday!

    • bookjunkie says:

      Ironically I have always hoped to visit Seattle. One of my friends tells me it’s the most wonderful place he’s visited in the US.

      How is the Seattle coffee…i am quite the coffee fiend 🙂 will be checking out your blog!

  3. I love 24 and 52. I took 24 for granted, and now that I’ve moved from Singapore to London, I can’t even begin to describe how much I actually miss walking alone in the streets, at night, and not feel my heart racing in a bad way.

    And 52, even travelling at peak hour in Singapore’s MRT is wayyyyy better than non-peak in the tube! lol.

  4. lampoondish says:

    it’s gorgeous you’re collecting these little idiosyncracies. #51 is a very special rare kind of joy indeed 🙂

  5. kendallcrow says:

    I love #58, made me laugh and wish i lived in a different climate 🙂

  6. notabilia says:

    So many expat blogs are so negative about living overseas. I love your positive energy! We just arrived here a few weeks ago and I am loving it so far!

  7. plumerainbow says:

    Dear bookjunkie,

    I too live in Singapore and even though I don’t take to durian, I love this list! Happiness is indeed found in the appreciation of everyday life, which is something I blog about too. With your permission, I’d like to link you on my blog.

    Great positive energy, and thanks for reminding us of simple joys! (#51 in particular)

  8. Pingback: The Mystery of the Umbrella Road Sign | 270669

  9. Pingback: My Top 5 Most Shared Posts | Tiny Island

  10. LeatherPumps says:

    Hello! Al here. Meant to say this loooooong time ago… really enjoy seeing this list grows 🙂

  11. the MRS. says:

    I LOVE THIS LIST!!!! I really should find a way to get the husband out to visit. We recently spent time in Hawaii and I am trying to convince him island living is where its at.

    I especially love #4

    • bookjunkie says:

      thank you sooo much. You made me day and inspired me to continue with this list.

      Rain can be very cool especially our type of rain that is like a major shower.

  12. Pingback: What I Do Appreciate About Singapore — Singapore Actually

  13. Pingback: #80. Our Little Museums | Tiny Island

  14. Pingback: Getting Excited Over My Wordpress Stats | Tiny Island

  15. Pingback: #82. Places to be Mellow like Ann Siang Hill | Tiny Island

  16. Pingback: My 7 Links | Tiny Island

  17. Pingback: #87. An MRT Line to the Botanic Gardens — Singapore Actually

  18. Pingback: Shaytard Vlogs Make me Feel Christmassy | Singapore Actually

  19. Pingback: #90. Being Able to Brush my Teeth with Water Straight Out of the Tap | Singapore Actually

  20. KusuLife says:

    I love your 100 reasons to be happy in Singapore!! Do you mind if I share a few points with my readers?

  21. Pingback: Announcement | White as milk

  22. Pingback: Ikea, Sinagpore and the weather | White as milk

  23. “Never ending summer” especially if you are from “lands of rarely smiling sun” of the far far north 🙂

    • bookjunkie says:

      are you from the far north. At the moment, especially today in the scorching heat…that sounds great to me 😉

  24. Esther says:

    I love this, thank you 🙂

  25. Pingback: #91. Little Birds that Make me Feel Connected to Nature | Singapore Actually

  26. Pingback: #92. The Awesomeness of Mustafa | Singapore Actually

  27. Celestine says:

    I love this list! Also, I would like to suggest to add #93- Trees that provide us with the much meeded shade for our ‘never ending summer’ 🙂
    I always appreciate our trees when I traveled overseas especially to our neighboring countries with equally hot weather!

    • bookjunkie says:

      Thanks so much Celestine. Think I keep talking about trees but forgot to add them to the list (thanks for the reminder)…they are pretty awesome 🙂

  28. Cheryl says:

    Hi bookjunkie,
    love your list! While there is room for improvement (the current COE riles me), I think there is so much to appreciate about our little red dot!

    Would you mind if I shared this list on Facebook?

  29. Pingback: #95. A Quiet Place Near Town | Singapore Actually

  30. Lisa from LA says:

    I arrived in singapore from Los Angeles three weeks ago, and though I am thrilled to be here with my husband, I was feeling a little sad to be so far from family, friends and everything that is familiar. I stumbled upon your 100 reasons to be happy and love everything about it…that you focus on the little things, not the big ones..that you included links to photos (we chose our rental apartment in large part because the view from our balcony includes red roofs and green trees)…and that the list stops at 93…which means that you may choose to add other quirky places or experiences like a trip to the bizarre but wonderful Haw Par Villa. Thank you for sharing your world. I will look forward to reading other posts from your log as my life in Singapore unfolds.

    • bookjunkie says:

      AWwww….thank you Lisa from LA….you totally made my day 🙂 Eager to continue with that list…..guess I’m going slow cos I don’t want it to end.

  31. Pingback: #95. Don’t Miss Out on the Little Ones Growing Up | Singapore Actually

  32. Hello! I’m a fellow Singaporean and I enjoy reading what people–Singaporeans or not–say about our little country!

    I really love what you have listed above as it’s always the little things that most people tend to overlook. With the rising politics and social problems, I wish more Singaporeans would actually sit back and appreciate Singapore for all the great things she has been offering.

    I have been out of town for quite a few times and every trip never fails to remind me how lucky I am to be born in Singapore. #93 brings to mind a trip to Thailand a year ago. The sun was horrid and burning; there were absolutely no shelter and trees–I believed I was evaporating! God, ever since then you don’t know how much I love the trees here.

    Speaking of the weather, it’s been insanely hot these few weeks so take care and keep up the good work on blogging! (:

    • bookjunkie says:

      thank you so much for taking the time to leave that kind comment 🙂 yes our trees are awesome and I wouldn’t mind more & more of them for shelter.

  33. WILMUR ANG says:

    WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SINGAPORE IS FUNTIME PARTIES BRITISH COSTUMES STORE THEY HAVE GREAT COSTUMES TO RENT OR BUY AND THE STAFF ARE SO HELPFUL WE HAD A GREAT TIME THERE YEAHHHHH

  34. Pingback: #96. Changing Your Perspective at the Art Science Museum | Singapore Actually

  35. I love reading your blog and I love this list. But above all I love your positive and appreciating attitude.

    I am an expat. In Sg now for a bit over 4 years. And I love it here. Although I am well aware of the things that are wrong in this country, I am always surprised to hear locals complain. Up to stories about wide-spread depression and suicides.
    I cannot always rhyme it with all the happy faces that I see when walking on the streets or in restaurants and bars.

    In general I am all for counting your blessings and I am happy to see that you do too! Thanks.

  36. Tarrah says:

    This blog post is such a gem for someone like me, who has just found out I am moving to Singapore. I had been a little apprehensive about leaving my current locality, but then my friend sent me this link, and now I can’t wait to arrive and start exploring! Thanks for easing my tensions – I can’t wait to read more, and to discover the city for myself! Keep up the gorgeous list! P.s. SUCH a relief that flip-flops are socially acceptable… I was getting worried I would have to update my footwear closet! hehe

  37. Kai says:

    Most of these are similar to my city in the Philippines too! <3

  38. Pingback: #97: A Mall With A Beautiful Indoor Fountain Surrounded by Lush Greenery | Singapore Actually

  39. Pingback: #98: Exciting, Ever Evolving Food Scene | Singapore Actually

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