And she was...

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K

I wanted to write about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I really did. But as I sit here all urge to write is leaking out of me and the only thing that wants to be typed in here is this simple sentence.

Today, someone asked me what country Singapore was in.

So, to take arms against stupidity I offer the following info:

Population - 4.17 million
Literacy Rate - 93.7%
Unemployment rate - 4.4%
Land size - slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Ethnic groups - Chinese 76.7%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4%
Religions - Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Languages - Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
Independence Day - 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Fun Facts:
You can ride a glass-bottom cable car.
There are about 29,000 public toilets in Singapore but some charge a 10 cent entry fee.
It is home to the world's largest man-made waterfall.

posted by K-Lyn @ 9:24 PM  

10 Comments:

  • At 10:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Other interesting facts:
    The new musical "The Wedding Banquet" had to change it's ending in Singapore from two men getting married to the baby getting baptised.
    (It's "against the law" to be gay.)
    Yet the rest of the show didn't change much.

     

  • At 10:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    "Excuse me, when did the Mongols rule China?"

    Your blog entry must have been the reason I had this quote running through my head yesterday.
    (that and I think I drove past a few Circle K's)

     

  • At 11:52 AM, Blogger K-Lyn said…

    But it's perfectly legal to be gay in Canada. Chant with me now "We're number four! We're number four"

     

  • At 12:12 PM, Blogger Unknown said…

    Great blog! hyterical... check mine if you like... http://kb2005.blogspot.com/

     

  • At 9:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Don't know if anyone is still reading this blog-topic but this story fits so well.
    Saturday - at the theatre - dancers are playing Scattegories in the Green Room.
    Topic: Cities that begin with T.
    Someone picked Tasmania.
    The argument went from it's a capital city to it's a country. No one got it right.
    It's a STATE in Australia!
    (and yes, I did inform them)

     

  • At 3:06 PM, Blogger K-Lyn said…

    I could mumble something about "no child left behind" and the state of geographical enducation.

    Instead, I shall tangent and reference a bad blind date I went on. He moved the conversation to his love of maps after I told him how much I had enjoyed my geology classes in college.

    Sigh. Maybe his maps are printed on rocks?

     

  • At 9:00 PM, Blogger Neel Mehta said…

    Today, someone asked me what country Singapore was in.

    Don't smack me (at least for this), but this is not a dumb question. Singapore is the largest city in the Republic of Singapore. To a geography buff it may seem silly, but certainly not as much as "What country is China in?" (Grammar geeks would also have a field day, but a much different one.)

     

  • At 10:16 AM, Blogger K-Lyn said…

    True...I distililed the conversation. But trust me, the context was such that she was not asking about the city. There was even some rumblings to indicate that she thought it was located off the coast of Florida.

    I was just recently dicussing the fact that I wasn't good at Geography in school but it is a battle I continue to fight. Heck, I'm just happy if someone can pronounce Oregon right much less point to it on a map. And I mean my fellow Americans!

    I think that is why I like my new map feature so much. Go add your posting now and I won't smack you.

     

  • At 10:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Actually, wouldn't asking what country Singapore-the-city is in be an almost equally dumb question?
    It's an easy answer.

    [I was going to make reference to something like "What state is Oregon City in?" but then realized that most of Kansas City is in Missouri, so guess that won't work.]

     

  • At 8:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    ~The city of Singapore, is the capitol of the island country of the "Republic of Singapore" of the
    Malaysian Federation.
    ~RT

     

Post a Comment

<< Home