Tanaka Misaki

I've been in Sentosa for two weeks now and I keep freezing up when ordering food. Like, I asked for "chicken rice" at a stall and the uncle said something like "you want ah?" and I just stood there nodding like an idiot. Then he said "packet or here?" and I panicked and said "yes." Ended up with my rice in a plastic bag. 😅

Is there a cheat sheet somewhere for common Singlish phrases? I know lah, leh, and can but I keep mixing them up. Also, why does everyone call me "boss" or "uncle"? I'm 25! Any tips from locals would help. I don't want to keep getting my food wrapped in plastic when I meant to eat there.