The good things that happened in 2016 in Singapore
In a year full of shocks and celebrity deaths, we pick out some moments that made us smile in S'pore
Fed up of people "crying on the Internet" over how horrible 2016 has been, a British man took to Facebook to remind people of the good things that happened this year.
His list included giant pandas being taken off the endangered list and a vaccine being found to be up to 70 to 100 per cent effective against the Ebola virus.
Closer to home, we've had much to rejoice about too.
OLYMPIC HERO
Joseph Schooling, 21, sent the country into a state of euphoria when he won Singapore's first Olympic gold medal in a record-breaking 100m butterfly swim in Rio.
He was formally congratulated by the Singapore Parliament, and thousands of people lined the streets for his victory parade.
MICHELIN STARS
Twenty-nine establishments here were awarded Michelin stars when the Michelin guide was released in July.
Our beloved hawkers won big, with Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle in Crawford Lane and Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle in Chinatown Complex winning a star each and 17 other hawkers earning the Bib Gourmand status.
FIGHTING ZIKA
The Zika virus hit Singapore shores in August.
But thanks to proactive measures and proper management, the Republic managed to prevent an epidemic.
Pregnant mothers were quickly given free testing and about 100 National Environment Agency officers were deployed to the first cluster in Aljunied Crescent.
In September, scientists here developed a kit that can test for the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses in two hours.
It costs only a few dollars to produce and has attracted the attention of the World Health Organisation.
TOP STUDENTS
Our country's PSLE scores were the best in history - a record 98.4 per cent of this year's Primary 6 batch can go on to a secondary school.
And more students who took the N-level exams qualified to go to Secondary 5.
We also made waves internationally as the Republic outperformed 71 countries to become the best in mathematics, science and reading in an international benchmarking test, the Programme for International Student Assessment, which is dubbed the "World Cup for education".
CULINARY OLYMPICS
Bringing the country yet more Olympic glory, the team of six chefs from Singapore who were led by Mr Louis Tay, the team manager, and team captain Teo Yeow Siang, won two golds in the Culinary Olympics held in Germany in October.
Our chefs bested 29 countries in the prestigious competition, winning the Cold Display and Hot Cooking categories.
PARALYMPIC PRIDE
Swimmers Yip Pin Xiu (left), 24, and Theresa Goh, 29, ran a historic Paralymic campaign.
Yip became the first Singaporean to win multiple gold medals at the Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals with world-record swims in the 50m backstroke S2 and the 100m backstroke S2.
Goh won the bronze medal in the women's 100m breaststroke SB4.
DINOSAUR PURSES
Pathlight School student See Toh Sheng Jie, 20, became a national star after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife Ho Ching carried a purse he designed - which cost just $14.80 - during a White House visit in August. Within a day of the visit, all 200 pouches sold out.
The purse was sold by the school's The Art Faculty store, which is part of Pathlight's Artist Development Programme.
In the programme, autistic students with artistic abilities are taught by professional art teachers.
POKEMON GO
Niantic's mobile game, Pokemon Go, sent Singaporeans into a frenzy with hundreds playing into the wee hours of the night.
Enterprising Singaporeans made money from it, offering to catch rare Pokemon for others. Shops benefited too - some placed lures at PokeStops to lure humans, while Challenger reported a 130 per cent increase in power bank sales in August, when the game was released.
Although mania around the game resulted in some accidents, reports - including those from Forbes - say the game helps people with depression and anxiety.
OUR VOICE
He inspired many back home while wowing crowds in China with his voice and charisma.
To Singapore's pride, Nathan Hartono, 25,finished in second place in the immensely popular Sing! China competition in October.
Happily, Nestle celebrated the event by treating Singaporeans to cups of Milo at shopping malls, thanks to a suggestion by Hartono.
TOASTING TO SUCCESS
Singaporean Darren Tay, 27, a lawyer, came out tops in a public speaking competition that had 30,000 participants from more than 100 countries.
Mr Tay's speech - Outsmart; Outlast - won him the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in Washington, in the US, in August.
OTTER NATION
An adorable family of otters in Bishan was voted the thing that best represents Singapore on our 51st birthday in an online poll by The Straits Times.
They beat options including Singlish. The otters have even been featured in a BBC video.
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