An average bottle of table wine now costs $25 in the city-state, twice what it did 10 years ago.
But that doesn't mean you have to blow a ton of cash on fantastic food in Singapore.
While Singapore has plenty of five-star fine dining options, most people opt to eat street food in the city's inexpensive hawker centers, which are open-air food courts where vendors prepare everything from Malaysian curries to Indian roti and Chinese noodle soups.
We ate our way through Singapore on a trip last year, trying everything from hawker centers to fine restaurants. Here are the best things we ate.
Disclosure: Our trip to Singapore, including travel and lodging expenses, was sponsored by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Chicken rice is Singapore's unofficial national dish. First, chicken is boiled in a flavorful broth. Then the rice is cooked in that same broth. The result is a fragrant, flavorful, succulent rice that pairs perfectly with the juicy chicken.
Chili crab is another one of Singapore's national dishes. The crab is doused in a spicy chili-tomato gravy. Eating it is a messy affair — the best way to eat it is to crack the shell with your hands and slurp out the meat. Then mop up the gravy with doughy buns.
Choy sum is a Chinese vegetable that's a thinner version of bok choy. It's prepared with garlic as a side dish that complements chili crab.
Cadillac is jumping into the electric car game with the ELR, an attractive plug-in hybrid coupe that will go 37 miles on pure electricity and another 300 thanks to an internal combustion engine.
Problem is: the ELR starts at $75,000, before a $7,500 federal tax credit. That makes it the most expensive car in Cadillac's fleet and on par with the widely acclaimed Tesla Model S.
We took a ride with Chris Thomason, the ELR's chief engineer, who told us why his car has such a high price tag, and why he thinks it's a serious threat to Tesla's dominance of the electric luxury segment.
We can't say we came away convinced. The Model S is the more impressive and practical car, with room for seven, instead of four in the ELR. But Thomason's arguments have merit, and the ELR is a solid first step on the road to an electrified future.
Rory McIlroy is well positioned to become one of the world's highest-paid athletes for a long, long time.
He's only 24 years old and he already has two major championships and Nike deal worth a rumored $200 million.
He also has the makings of a pretty fantastic lifestyle off the course, with a lavish house in Florida, a $400,000 car, a wildly successful fiancee, and more.
He earned $29 million in 2013, making him the 21st highest-paid athlete in the world.
Congrats, New Yorkers. You live in the most overpriced city in the U.S.
Forbes is out with the 2014 edition of its list, "America's Most Overpriced Cities," and New York and Honolulu are tied for first place. Boston comes in fourth, while California — perhaps not surprisingly — is the state with the greatest number of overpriced cities on the list.
The list looks at the country's 100 largest metropolitan areas (all with populations of 600,000 or more) and then ranks them based on housing affordability and cost of living. That second factor takes into account daily expenses like food, gas, and transportation.
A young member of the Mensa society for people with high IQs who taught herself to sew now has a clothing line at Nordstrom.
Isabella Rose Taylor is a 12-year-old college freshman from Austin, Texas. Her fashion line, which is described as "hippie-grunge, yet feminine," will launch for back-to-school later this year.
Prices range from $20 to $100. Taylor already blogs about fashion and sells some clothes online.
We spoke with the young prodigy about how she got into fashion and her goals for the future.
Business Insider: How did you first become interested in fashion?
Isabella Rose Taylor: I began to paint at a very early age, and it was through my passion for painting and fashion that my current fashion line has become a business. I have always been enamored with fashion and five years ago, while I was exploring mixed media in my artwork I decided I needed to learn how to sew. I had my Mom sign me up for a sewing camp. I fell in love with sewing and designing. I immediately began sewing clothes for myself. As some of my friends began liking what I was wearing, I got the idea to sell them and to start a business.
BI: What are you studying in college?
IRT: I have always had a passion for art and design and I'm currently pursuing my degree in Fine Art.
BI: When do you work on your blog and fashion line? How much time do you devote to it?
IRT: I try to commit at least 2-3 hours a day during the week but it really does vary week to week depending on my homework load.
BI: How does it feel to have your fashion line at Nordstrom?
IRT: I feel like I have to pinch myself! It is a dream come true. I am beyond excited and feel so very grateful for this opportunity. It is such a huge honor.
BI: What do your friends and family think about your line being at Nordstrom?
IRT: My family and friends are super excited and thrilled for me. They cannot wait to see it hanging in the store!
BI: What are some of your goals for the future?
IRT: My first goal is to make Isabella Rose Taylor a global brand. My second goal is to expand into accessories, handbags and shoes to complete my looks. Finally, I’d really love to inspire other girls and be a mentor to those who may not have the kind of support system that I have to help me achieve my dreams.
Here are more pictures of Isabella modeling her designs.
Hong Kong remains the most expensive place in the world to rent a luxury apartment, according to new data from ECA International, a global consulting firm that releases the figures for companies sending employees to work abroad.
An average unfurnished, high-end three-bedroom apartment in a popular part of Hong Kong costs an average of $11,440 per month. New York City ranked fourth on the list, with the average rent for a similar apartment costing $9,200 per month.
Rents for such apartments in Hong Kong have actually fallen slightly; in 2013 the average was $11,549, and in 2012 it was $11,813.
"With a high population density and a consistently limited supply of property, average rents in the territory have long been significantly more expensive than other high-profile cities," ECA International wrote in a release.
Rents rose the most year-over-year in Caracas, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Nairobi, and Jakarta, while they fell the most in Dakar, Barcelona, Gaborone, Madrid, and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively.
The table below shows the 20 most expensive places to rent a luxury apartment. (Source: ECA International's Accommodation Survey 2013/14 - unfurnished three-bed high-end apartment.)
Qatar Airways is getting ready to take delivery of its first Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, and it's got something special planned for its first class customers.
The top-of-the-line seats will transform into fully flat beds, and come with 26-inch television screens.
That in itself is nothing new, but the new design highlights Qatar's good taste and ability to make an airplane cabin look and feel luxurious.
Qatar hasn't revealed how it will configure the rest of the huge plane, but competitor Emirates flies the A380 with about 500 seats.
The rapidly growing airline, based in Qatar, made the announcement this week at the ITB Berlin travel trade show. It has ordered 13 A380 jets from Airbus, and the first should begin between Doha and London later this year.
Qatar recently went on a plane buying spree, ordering $50 billion worth of jets from Airbus and Boeing, including 80 new Airbus A350s. Those deliveries will more than double the size of its current fleet.
Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker showed Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit around:
According to travel advocacy group Global Gateway's Alliance's latest survey, the new automated passport control kiosks at JFK's International Terminal have helped cut average wait times down from 36 minutes to 17 minutes.
The kiosks were installed throughout the airport October 2013 and have actually scraped 10 minutes off the average wait time for all the airport's terminals.
The decrease is especially impressive considering the number of passengers at JFK's international terminal jumped by 300,000 since last year. Just last year, the average maximum wait time for passengers to pass through customs was two hours, according to GGA.
The alliance found that the wait times were cut so drastically that it's suggesting all New York-area international terminals install the kiosks.
The tables below show the average airport customs wait times at the five busiest U.S. airports for international passenger traffic before and after October 2013. Note the significant drops at JFK, where international Terminal 4 received 40 passport kiosks and Terminal 1 received 16.
Here is how much wine per person each state consumed in 2013:
The nation's capital is completely dominant in wine drinking. Residents of Washington D.C. consumed nearly 26 liters of wine per person in 2013. Outside of D.C., wine is most popular in the Northeast, the West, and Florida.
When it comes to cost-effectiveness, large pizzas trump small ones.
Quoctrung Bui at NPR's Planet Money blog was curious about which size pizza offered the greatest value after his coworker claimed the medium offered twice the pizza for only slightly more money.
Using data from more than 70,000 pizza chains, Bui makes a compelling case for ordering larger sizes.
"One 16-inch pizza has roughly the same area as 1.3 14-inch pizzas or 4 8-inch pizzas," Bui writes. "To get the same amount of pizza you get in a 16-inch pizza, you'd have to spend an extra $2.35 on 14-inch pizzas, or an extra $16.41 on 8-inch pizzas."
The reason behind the difference in value is because of the pizza's circular shape.
"The math of why bigger pizzas are such a good deal is simple: A pizza is a circle, and the area of a circle increases with the square of the radius," Bui writes.
Check out the entire explanation, including some cool graphs and charts, over at NPR.
Business Insider is looking for a goals-oriented Audience Development Manager to join BI Studios, our in-house content marketing and production team.
BI Studios works with marketers to develop robust, engaging sponsor content in a variety of formats (text, videos, slideshows, and infographics) as part of their ad campaigns. The person in this role will be responsible for growing traffic and video views to that content, as well as fostering and strengthening audience engagement.
As Audience Development Manager, you will be optimizing organic and social media distribution, facilitating traffic partnerships, building partner relationships, and increasing revenue opportunities overall. You will work closely with marketing, business development, and ad operations to spearhead, coordinate, and drive sponsor content distribution and exposure.
Do you love diving into performance metrics and understanding them inside and out — and then improving upon them? Then this may be the job for you. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with a traffic, digital marketing, and/or brand-building background who thinks strategically and proactively about how to drive traffic and engagement. He or she should demonstrate expertise in Google Analytics, social media platforms, and other analytics tools, and have a strong understanding of current industry best practices and benchmarks. Experience at a major publisher or digital agency is preferred.
If this sounds like the perfect gig for you, please send your resume and three ways you will grow traffic for BI Studios to studiojobs@businessinsider.com. Thanks in advance for your interest.
Consider the fictitious word "ghoti," an often cited example of English's confusing sounds. "Ghoti" technically spells "fish." Use the "gh" sound in "tough"; the "o" sound from "women"; and the "ti" sound from "nation."
While English spelling includes many exceptions, we compiled a basic guide, based on the Oxford Online Dictionary's American component, to help you avoid the most common mistakes.
1. Using "ei" vs. "ie"
Almost everyone knows the rhyme: "i" before "e" except after "c."
This rule has some value, but only if you remember all the exceptions.
First of all, the "c" rule only holds for "e/i" combinations that sound like "ee," as in "ceiling." When the "e/i" combination after "c" makes a different sound, the "i" usually goes first, as in "science" or "efficient."
Second, many times the "e" goes before "i," such as when the vowel combination sounds like "ay," as in "feign" or "vein." Many words don't fit the rules at all, such as "their" and "weird."
In short, "i" goes before "e" except when they come after "c" and sound like "ee" or when they sound like "ay" — with many exceptions.
Usually, a word that takes the suffix "-able" can stand alone as a word itself, like "understandable." The same still goes for dropped "e's" and double consonants, like "advisable" (stem: advise) and "stoppable" (stem: stop).
Words with "-ible" almost never function as words on their own, like "audible." Also, words with a hard "c" (pronounced like "k") and a hard "g" (as in "gig") usually take "-ible."
When in doubt, choose "able." The Oxford Online Dictionary lists more than 1,000 adjectives that take "-able" compared to only 180 with "-ible."
If you can recognize whether a word has a Latin root, it's helpful to know that "-ible" usually accompanies words from Latin, like the word audible.
4. Pluralizing
Let's start with the most basic rule: Just add "s" to the ends of words to pluralize them.
Now, the exceptions:
First, when a word ends in "ch," "sh," "s," "x," "z," just add "-es." But if "ch" makes a hard "k" sound, just add an "s."
Second, when a word ends in "f" or "fe," change the "f" or "fe" to "ves." If the word ends in a vowel and then an "f," however, like "chief," just add "s."
Lastly, if the word ends in a consonant and a "y," likes "spy," remove the "y" and add "-ies." So "spy" becomes "spies."
5. Using "-ful" vs. "-fully"
Don't use "-full" at the end of an adjective. Words like "beautiful," "careful," and "spiteful" only require one "l." "Fully," however often ends adverbs, like "beautifully."
6. Adding "-ed" and "-ing" to verbs
To create the present participle and past tense of a verb, you need to add "-ing" or "-ed," respectively, to its infinitive, like "to dream." (Present participle refers to an action happening in that moment, like "I am running.")
If the verb ends in an unpronounced "e," like "bake" or "smile," drop the "e" and add the "-ed" or "-ing" (i.e. baked, baking). In some rare cases, you'll keep the final "e" to differentiate between words. For example, "singeing" (to burn) would look like "singing" if you dropped the "e." For that reason, "sing" becomes "sang" in the past tense, so it doesn't look like singed (burned).
If the verb only has one syllable, or ends with a stressed syllable, containing one vowel and a consonant, like "stop" and "refer," then you need to double the final consonant before adding "-ed" and "–ing." For example, "stop" becomes "stopping" and "stopped" while "refer" changes to "referred" and "referring."
If the verb ends in a "c," like "traffic" or "panic," add a "k" before adding the ending. "Traffic" becomes "trafficked."
7. Using "-ance" vs. "-ence" (also "-ancy" vs. "-ency" and "-ant" vs. "-ent")
Added onto the end of a word, these suffixes form nouns from verbs or adjectives.
If the verb ends in a "y," "ure," or "ear," you'll add "-ance." For example, "ally," "reassure," and "clear" become "alliance," "reassurance," and " clearance." If the verb ends in "ate," like "tolerate," you'll also likely add "-ance," though not always.
But if the verb contains "ere" at the end, like "revere" and "adhere," you'll need "-ence," as in "reverence" and "adherence."
The endings "-ancy" and "-ency" work the same way. For example, since "vacate" ends in "-ate," the noun is "vacancy."
Now, to turn the noun version into an adjective, add "-ant" or -"ent." The same rules apply, only in the reverse order. If a noun ends in "-ancy," you'll usually add "-ant." If a noun ends in "-ency," it normally takes "ence."
8. Using "-acy" vs. "-asy"
Certain nouns ends in "-acy" or "-asy." But only four in English end in "-asy": apostasy, fantasy, ecstasy, and idiosyncrasy.
9. Using "-ary," "-ory," and "-ery"
If the part of the word before the ending can't stand alone as a complete word, you'll usually add "-ary," as in "library."
Many adjectives or nouns that take "-ory" relate to words with "or" already included. For example, "contributor" becomes "contributory." They also often stem from a noun that ends in "ion." Consider that "introduction" becomes "introductory."
Words that take "-ery," often relate to nouns with "er" already included. For example, "brewer," "bluster," and "shiver." Also, if the part of the word before the ending is a recognizable word, you'll usually add "ery."
10. Using -efy vs. -ify
Certain verbs end in "-efy" or "-ify." But only four common ones end with "-efy": liquefy, putrefy, stupefy, and rarefy.
11. Using -tion, -cion, and -sion
Pronunciation comes into play here. If you pronounce the end of the word "zun," like "confusion," you'll use -sion. The suffix -sion will also usually follow a final "-l," "-n," or "-r" regardless of pronunciation. (Keep in mind the verb forms of words like "exertion" and "invention" actually end in "t," as in "exert" and "invent").
If you pronounce the end of the word "shun, " like "station," you'll usually use "-tion." Also, "-tion" will usually follow any letter other than "-l," "-n," or "-r."
12. Using "fore-" vs. "for-"
This difference doesn't actually apply to spelling rules. The prefix "fore-" means "before" or "in front of," while "for" generally conveys banning or neglect.
For example, "forefront" means "before the front." And "forbid" means "refuse to allow."
13. Forming adverbs
Adverbs usually stem from adjectives and describe how or when an event occurred.
Using the basic rule, you just add "-ly" to the end of an adjective.
But if the adjective contains two syllables and ends in "y," like happy, you need to replace the final "y" with "-ily." For example, "happy" becomes "happily."
If the adjective ends with a consonant followed by an "e," like terrible, drop the "e" and add "ly" — as in "terribly."
People often change adjectives that already end in "ly," such as "friendly" or "lively," into adverbs, like "friendlily." But adjectives that end in "ly" can't form adverbs. You'll need to write, "in a friendly way" instead.
NOW WATCH: People From Across America Reveal Their Favorite Regional Sayings
In case you needed an excuse to reread all your favorite kids' books again, it just so happens that there are a lot of important life lessons, conspiracy theories, and hidden messages in the books we loved as children — we just probably didn't pick up on them back then.
With help from The New York Public Library'sYouth Materials Specialist, Betsy Bird, we put together a list of 23 books worth giving a second read.
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst
Illustrated by Ray Cruz, this book tells kids that even after the worst day imaginable, tomorrow will be better — a lesson even adults need to remind themselves of once in a while.
Soon to be adapted for the silver screen featuring the likes of Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell, it's worth giving this book another read before the movie release in October.
Many kids' books with Jewish characters are about the Holocaust. It can be difficult to find kids' books that portray Jewish families in the everyday, but that's exactly what Taylor's book does.
Starring five young sisters in early 20th century New York City, young and old readers alike will learn about classic Jewish traditions as well as some interesting New York history from the perspective of a charming family.
An entertaining read for kids about a talking cat who causes mayhem for a couple of kids while their parents are out, "The Cat in the Hat" is an interesting intellectual challenge for adults, says Bird.
On July 22, 2011, a bomb ripped through downtown Oslo, killing eight people and injuring hundreds. Less than two hours later, a gunman went on a rampage on the island of Utøya, targeting young members of the Norwegian Labour Party who were there for a summer camp.
Nearly three years later, Norway is building a memorial to commemorate the victims who lost their lives in the Oslo bombing and Utøya massacre. It held a design competition, and the winner of the competition is Swedish artist Jonas Dahlberg, who NBC News reports was unanimously selected by the jury.
Dahlberg's designs show two public art memorials — one in Sørbråten and the other in the Government Quarter in Oslo. Here's what the jury of artists and government officials had to say about Dahlberg's design:
"Jonas Dahlberg’s proposal takes the emptiness and traces of the tragic events of 22 July as its starting point. His suggestion for the Sørbråten site is to make a physical incision into the landscape, which can be seen as a symbolic wound.""Part of the headland will be removed and visitors will not be able to touch the names of those killed, as these will be engraved into the wall on the other side of the slice out of nature.""The void that is created evokes the sense of sudden loss combined with the long-term missing and remembrance of those who perished.""Dahlberg has proposed to move the landmass taken out of the rocky landscape at Sørbråten to the permanent and temporary memorial site in the Government Quarter in Oslo. By using this landmass to create a temporary memorial pathway between Grubbegata and the Deichmanske Library, a connection is forged between the memorial sites at Sørbråten and the Government Quarter. The names of those killed will be recorded on a wall that runs alongside the pathway.""The proposed permanent memorial site in Oslo takes the form of an amphitheater around Høyblokka. Dahlberg also proposes to use trees taken from Sørbråten in this urban environment to maintain the relationship between the memorial sites in the capital and to the victims of the atrocities at Utøya."
Lufthansa is now offering the luxury of business class (almost) at the price of economy (sort of).
This week, Europe's largest airline unveiled its new Premium Economy Class.
Following the 2012 introduction of fully flat beds in business class, Lufthansa wanted to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor business and economy passengers with a third option.
“Our Premium Economy Class will create a completely new travel experience that combines affordability with greater comfort,” Jens Bischof, CCO & Member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board in charge of Sales, Product and Marketing, said in a press release.
The new section can be booked as early as May and will be ready to board in November. Within a year, every Lufthansa plane should have the upgraded seats.
The middle ground will be its own section with 21 to 52 seats, depending on the aircraft type.
Compared to seats in economy, these are more than an inch wider and provide about four more inches in between thanks to wide armrests and consoles. In short: more elbow room.
Passengers will benefit from about 38 inches of leg room; 1.5 times more what economy offers. Premium Economy Class passengers will be greeted with a welcome drink, a water bottle, and a kit with travel accessories. Their meals will be presented on specialized menus and served on "porcelain tableware." Screens on seats will be 11-12 inches, making them 2 inches bigger than the ones in Economy Class.
"Part of the headland will be removed and visitors will not be able to touch the names of those killed, as these will be engraved into the wall on the other side of the slice out of nature."
"The void that is created evokes the sense of sudden loss combined with the long-term missing and remembrance of those who perished."
"Dahlberg has proposed to move the landmass taken out of the rocky landscape at Sørbråten to the permanent and temporary memorial site in the Government Quarter in Oslo. By using this landmass to create a temporary memorial pathway between Grubbegata and the Deichmanske Library, a connection is forged between the memorial sites at Sørbråten and the Government Quarter. The names of those killed will be recorded on a wall that runs alongside the pathway."
"The proposed permanent memorial site in Oslo takes the form of an amphitheater around Høyblokka. Dahlberg also proposes to use trees taken from Sørbråten in this urban environment to maintain the relationship between the memorial sites in the capital and to the victims of the atrocities at Utøya."
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Lufthansa is now offering the luxury of business class (almost) at the price of economy (sort of). 
