Our guide for the free walking tour around Kampong Glam was Kyanta Yap (told us to call him Yap).
I never knew about the free walking tours happening in Singapore. And now I think they’re such an oddity because… “free”? Nothing in Singapore is free! 
Apparently, there are quite a few tour operators in Singapore offering free walking tours… some are more ‘free’ than others. I’ll explain why in a minute. There are operators such as Monster Day Tours (the one I went for), Indie Singapore, SneakPeek Singapore, among others.
Why some are more free than others?
Monster Day Tours doesn’t mention tipping at all, Indie Singapore hints that “tips are always welcome” while SneakPeek Singapore just states upfront that there is a “recommended minimum tip of $22” in red font, underlined. Like that also called free ah, bro? Your bak chor mee is free, but please tip the uncle a minimum of S$5, ok?
Told you nothing’s free in Singapore.
Their definition of “free” is rather different from mine. 
[Screengrab from SneakPeek’s website]
The guy has students all over Singapore, I tell you. And I know this to be true!
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Summary: The 2.5 hour tour on Mondays starts at 9.30am. The meeting point is exit A of Lavender MRT station. The ICA building is just next door so you can visit the (free) washroom there first; no pee breaks during the tour. The guide shares a little of Singapore’s history – everything from Sir Stamford Raffles to nightsoil collectors. We walk past some HDB blocks, admire a mosque that’s humorously known as “the leaning tower of Singapore” with a tilt of 4 degrees, find out how Kampong Glam got its name (gelam trees, if you don’t know), enter Sultan Mosque (time for pictures in those robes given to angmohs to cover themselves up), get a drink at a coffeeshop, gawk at a set of buildings that look like an optical illusion, and end the tour with a stunning view of the Singapore skyline on the 39th floor of Andaz Singapore.
Angmohs who obviously have no fear of heights. Or of the glass shattering.
Robes and sarongs loaned out for free at Sultan Mosque. PERFECT time for taking pictures. As a well-covered-up local, I didn’t get a new OOTD.
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What I liked: This tour is really FREE. After the guide signals that the tour has ended, you’re free to go. But if you want to hand him a tip or ask more questions, you may. There is ZERO pressure to tip. He points out stuff that tourists may not notice at all, such as the extra time given to seniors to cross the road if they tap their ezlink cards on the card reader at the traffic light pole.
What I learnt: Orchard Road used to have nutmeg plantations. Nightsoil was used as fertilizer. As alcohol isn’t halal, Muslims use perfumes without alcohol. But if they’re at the hospital and alcohol swabs or whatever is needed, then yes it can be used in life-and-death situations.
The optical illusion!
There were probably some 30 people on this tour; some cropped out of this photo. Guide used a portable mic so we could hear him loud and clear. Yes, even if you’re standing behind him.
What I think can be improved: Show pictures of the interiors of HDB flats. The Malay Heritage Centre is closed on Mondays so instead of bringing tourists there and saying sorry, we cannot enter, why not host the Kampong Glam tour on some other day of the week? The coffeeshop that Kyanta wanted to take us to was also closed, so that was a bummer. When talking about geomancy, why not share about the famous $1 coin with its octagonal shape? Don’t recommend the Chinatown hawker centre. The one behind Bugis Village is better! Or Tekka Centre. I personally visit the one at Kovan frequently. I avoid the one at Chinatown at all costs. The touts and the people begging for money freak me out. Also, I find that it’s mainly PRC people cooking for other PRC diners. My preference is for local food prepared by locals.
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I stared at the guide’s name tag / guiding license for the longest time because his name did not seem ‘local’ to me and at that point, I didn’t know he’s my pal’s former student. Turns out Yap was born in Jakarta, Indonesia but spent many of his growing up years in Singapore, and he’s now a citizen. He mentioned he’s quite new so I suppose that’s why he spoke about the recent Beerfest and joked about getting drunk there the weekend before the tour. 
I’m also not sure if he really likes the sun or if it’s a genius move, but when he was wrapping up the tour at the 39th floor of Andaz, he had us stand around under the shade while he stood out there in brilliant sunlight. If I’m a tourist, for sure I tip lah. (As a local, I’m thinking eh bro here still got space leh… why you standing there ah? 39th floor sunlight no joke hor! Later you chaotar!)