It is hot, hot, hot in the city and Singaporeans are diving for cover. Some are taking the plunge into public pools. Others are staying inside, in offices and bars.
No wonder. It is the hottest time of the year - the south-west monsoon season between April and September - when temperatures can go as high as 35 deg C.
And not to rain on your parade, but when LifeStyle checked out how people are coping, most reckoned that it has been even hotter than usual recently.
However, data released by the National Environment Agency (NEA), which provides regular weather forecasts, do not show any drastic increase in average temperatures for April and May compared to last year.
But this will be cold comfort - or not - to those who say it is a belter of a swelter.
For example, on weekends, Ms Tan Mei Hui, a lawyer, now tries not to go out before the sun sets, or if she has to, she heads straight for air-conditioned places.
Says the 26-year-old: 'It seems to be getting worse every year. I can't walk to the bus stop or the MRT station without perspiring.'
Technical executive Jimmy Tan runs a fan off his computer to stay cool - even in his air-conditioned office. The 35-year-old blames the sizzling heat on global-warming.
Enthusiasm for exercising outdoors has dried up too.
Student Junko Tan, 17, who is a competitive runner, says: 'I get very reluctant to run after 10am because the heat makes you feel like you have no energy.'
Even the eating habits of this food- loving nation are being stir-fried.
Audit associate Li Kai Yuen, 24, says: 'During lunch hour, I ask my friends to bring food back so that I don't have to squeeze among people and sweat it out at food courts and hawker centres that are not air-conditioned.
'The heat is crazy and the humidity makes it worse. If I go out for lunch, the back of my shirt will be stained with patches of perspiration within 10 minutes.'
Hawkers at the popular Maxwell Food Centre say lunchtime customer numbers have dropped by as much as 40 per cent.
Carrot cake and char kway teow seller Ling Chong Seng, 68, says: 'This year seems to be worse. And when the weather gets this hot, people will eat less fried stuff.'
Those with outdoor businesses are sweating as well.
Over at Rent-A-Bike Kiosk at Pasir Ris Park, co-owner Lilian Neo says business has dropped by 30 per cent, especially on weekdays over the past month.
But it is sunny side up for air-conditioner retailers.
Electronics chain Best Denki, which sells fans, air-conditioners and air-coolers, says sales of these products so far for the last week of May and early June this year compared with the same period last year have jumped by 33 per cent.
Another electronics chain, Harvey Norman, says sales of air-conditioners, fans and coolers typically increase by 30 per cent in this period every year.
A spokesman for air-conditioner retail and servicing company AireControl says it has seen an increase of 5 per cent in business compared to the same period last year, 'due to the weather getting hotter every year'.
Do not expect operators of malls, cinemas, buses and trains to cool things down, though.
Transport operator SMRT says its temperatures in trains, stations and buses are kept at an 'optimal balance'.
CapitaLand Retail, the group behind malls such as Bugis Junction and Plaza Singapura, has no plans for colder air-conditioning as this would 'consume greater energy'.
However, cold is gold for some businesses. Eski Bar, which has a sub-zero theme, with temperatures as low as minus 16 deg C, has seen business soar by 30 per cent.
Its marketing manager Prue Chin says that office workers nearby have been coming in as early as 4pm to beat the heat.
She adds: 'We don't usually have an early crowd but for the past month, it has been good, and these are not even our regulars.'
How to keep hydrated
Take along a bottle of cold water or an isotonic drink when exercising or playing a sport. The Singapore Sports Council's website recommends isotonic or sports drinks, used to replace fluids and electrolytes lost through exercise, for any activity that lasts more than an hour.
Drink sufficient fluids. A sign of adequate hydration is if you pass clear or light-coloured urine, as opposed to dark yellow.
As a guide, a person should drink about 500ml of water 30 minutes before exercising, between 250 and 500ml every 30 minutes during the exercise, and 1 litre after.
Coffee and alcohol dehydrate the body, so avoid them.
Information compiled from the Singapore Sports Council's website
Dietary Tips
Taking frequent baths and holing yourself up in air-conditioned environments to stay cool during the hot and humid weather can lead to 'heatiness' in the body, warns Mr Khoo Eng Lim, director of the School of the Humanities and Alternative Medicine (Soha), which offers courses in foot reflexology and massage, among other therapies.
When the weather gets hot and people do not drink enough fluids, they tend to feel heavy-headed, tired, dizzy and even nauseous. These are also symptoms of 'heatiness', he says.
To keep heatiness at bay, eat foods such as:
American ginseng
winter melon
beans and lentils
Dehydration is common in hot weather, said Ms Pauline Chan, senior nutritionist at The Nutrition Place, a health and nutrition centre.
Apart from consuming eight glasses of water daily, she recommends fruit such as:
watermelon
papaya
mango
honeydew
Additional reporting by Cheryl Tan and Frankie Chee
