Singapore Expats

Singapore, an amazing country thread

Discuss about the latest news & interesting topics, real life experience or other out of topic discussions with locals & expatriates in Singapore.
Post Reply
User avatar
aster
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1599
Joined: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:15 pm

Post by aster » Fri, 14 May 2010 9:41 am

geerang wrote:Singapore is like the Israel of South East Asia.
That's a funny comparison. :D

So you roll your tanks into Johor frequently, kill some streetkids, take down a few buildings, shoot some more pedestrians, and then go and cry "why don't those Johor people like us?"

Do you also force your women into the military, while at the same time making religious nut jobs totally exempt from service? :)

User avatar
Global Citizen
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 663
Joined: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 11:30 pm
Location: Still looking for Paradise

Post by Global Citizen » Fri, 14 May 2010 1:24 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:It's a shame Singaporeans don't like sex. If they did, maybe the gahmen wouldn't have to import so much foreign talent.
Oh come off it, SMS! Unless you're speaking from personal experience on the home front of course, :mrgreen:, I'd hardly equate that as a fair correlation. Lack of procreation does not necessarily indicate people aren't getting laid. As this isn't a problem peculiar only to Singapore but a lot of other developed nations, if one was to go by your flawed reasoning, they must not be getting any either. :roll: What I do find interesting though is poorer countries almost always have higher birth rates.
morenangpinay wrote: i think success greatly depends on what you consider important.
I think most people would equate a decent standard of living and quality of life as a barometer of some measure of success, but this is subjective.
morenangpinay wrote:
Other Asian countries may not be as rich as Singapore but they make up for it in other areas.
Such as?
One man's meat is another's poison.

geerang
Regular
Regular
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu, 13 May 2010 3:33 pm

Post by geerang » Fri, 14 May 2010 2:18 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Sounds like somebody hasn't done his NS yet. A flag rank officers is one who has been promoted to a rank higher than Colonel. You must be one of the momma's boy's who has spend his whole life in the educational system so doesn't know what he's really talking about yet. The fact that your view of things are rather myopic (which considering fully 80% of Singaporeans are.....) might explain why the generic world wide term (which was initially a US term) Flag Rank is beyond your comprehension.

You really need to talk to people and widen your knowledge a bit. It's nice to feel your military is so good, and for sure, Singapore needs people like you to have faith in what they are doing. But it is truly myopic if you think your military could withstand an onslaught of several million even with the technology. Singapore's military has never claimed it could win a war, but has always wanted a military deterrent. That it does have, but a determined aggressor, not worried about the initial losses, would wear down the country's defenses in a matter of weeks as all it has to do it blockade it from receiving foodstuffs. With little natural resources of it's own, it would soon wither. That is, if there are enough soldiers who didn't run away first. Aside from the Naval Diving Unit and the Commando's here, I sure wouldn't put all my stock in the level of military expertise here. For the record, at full call-up Singapore only has around 350K available conscripts of which 200K of them spend most of the time trying to get deferments from doing their annual training. At least a third of them fail their physical fitness assessments when they do go. Jets sitting in an Arizona desert aren't going to help too much are they. You "firepower" is nothing if there aren't any personnel to push the buttons. You really need to do some more studying before you stick your foot even further in it.
There are no armed forces of "several million" in this region. Indonesia, the biggest country around here, only has a 500k mililtary. Counting might be hard after your lobotomy but try to picture the numbers anyway.

If you call Singapore's Armed forces poorly trained and prepared, you should take a look around Singapore.

The Singapore army has 200 main battle tanks, 400 light tanks, 1000 Armoured Personnel Carriers, 1000 Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicles like the Bionix 2, 400K military trained men who have undergone 2 years full time military training and yearly reservist call ups.

The Australian army only has around 50k men, including reservists. Vis a vis Singapore's 400k, of which 100k or so are regulars.

The Sg air force has 200 fighter jets or so with a backbone of 100 F15s,F16s. Unlike what you think, many of them are based in Singapore. Those that are based overseas have conformal tanks and can easily fly back within 6hours and refuel at Singaporean bases in Thailand, Aus etc.

The Australian air force only has 80 or 100 fighter jets with a backbone of F18s, which will lose to the F15/16s in a dog fight.

You have to be a complete Woodbridge resident to think that the Singapore military can be wiped out in 3 days. Even with a complete blockade, Singapore has enough food and water to run for a few months. No military in the area has the capability to block Singapore's waters and air, the Singapore Navy and Air Force is just that superior. But in the event of a war, Singapore will definitely be pouring out her tanks and men into enemy soil and raiding their food.

Singapore is the only country in the region that has the engineering capability to repair and create tanks/airplanes. This will come in useful in times fo war. The other countries do not have the engineering capability to repair heavily damaged planes/tanks because they simply do not have the technology.

Singapore manufacured the SAR 21 rifle, which we sold to the Indonesians + Bionix 2 armoured vehicles + Skyhawk fighter jets etc. Flats have a bomb shelter built in as well. All these are the result of 3 decades of heavy spending on defence.

Singapore is very humble. It does not boast about its capabilities but the SAF is by far the most powerful military in the region. Australia's military has only 50% or less of Singapore's capabilities. Indonesia and Malaysia have at most 50-60% of Singapore's capabilities.

Anyone foolish enough to attack Singapore will soon find their country overrun by Singaporean soldiers.

You need to take your bipolar meds before logging onto the internet. It does takes a complete nutcase to claim that an armed forces which is the 30th largest in the world, composed of 200 of the most advanced fighter jets, apache longbow attack helicopters, 400k men, 2000 armoured vehicles and 600 tanks can only last for 3 days.
Last edited by geerang on Fri, 14 May 2010 2:40 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Sgporean in France for one year master degree. Back to Spore by 2011!

User avatar
sundaymorningstaple
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 40376
Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
Answers: 21
Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot

Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 14 May 2010 2:25 pm

Global Citizen wrote:
sundaymorningstaple wrote:It's a shame Singaporeans don't like sex. If they did, maybe the gahmen wouldn't have to import so much foreign talent.
Oh come off it, SMS! Unless you're speaking from personal experience on the home front of course, :mrgreen:
Obviously not. I already have my requisite 2 kids and I'm not a Singaporean anyway! :P

However, the lack of children HAS brought about a rapidly graying population that the next generation is going to have to take care of. This is going to translate to a drain on their personal resources as before, when this country was still rather agrarian they had larger families so could spread the burden amongst the children. There was a recent article in the local birdcage liner about the "exhaustion/workaholic environment here causing a decrease in the libido. So, in Singapore's case, it does have an bearing on whether or not they are getting laid regularly.

If the families where producing 3 or 4 children, there would be sufficient manpower to be able to reduce the dependency on foreign "labour" in particular.

As far as poorer countries having higher birth rates, it's very easily explainable. No TV, No Computers, fewer jobs. They have to do something for entertainment! :mrgreen:
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

geerang
Regular
Regular
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu, 13 May 2010 3:33 pm

Post by geerang » Fri, 14 May 2010 2:36 pm

More reason why Singapore is amazingly great!

Singapore is the 7th most innovative country in the world. Did you know the thumbdrive, first sound cards etc where all invented in Singapore?
(http://eurocham.org.sg/index.php?option ... e=ccmobile)

It is a very clean, safe, stable, efficient place to live in. And it is consistantly ranked as the easiest place in the world to set up and conduct a business.
Sgporean in France for one year master degree. Back to Spore by 2011!

geerang
Regular
Regular
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu, 13 May 2010 3:33 pm

Post by geerang » Fri, 14 May 2010 2:47 pm

Two more reasons.

1. the wages are great in Singapore. Europe might seem to have higher wages at first glance but if you factor in the taxes (up to 60%) and much higher cost of living, you will find that you save money much more easily in Singapore.

I guess that is why GDP per capita (PPP) Singapore is 4th in the world!

2. Singapore is a truly multi racial open society

Even though it is often reported that 70% of Singaporeans are "Chinese" but in reality loads of Chinese Singaporeans are probably not 100% pure Chinese ancestry. 70% of Singaporeans are classified as Chinese as the govt did not allow double barrel race classification, ie chinese-spanish, till recently but I think a good 30-50% of them are not really 100% pure Chinese.

A large group of Chinese came to Malaya before the British did in 1819 and more came during the British era. Most of these people were men who left China alone and they married the local Malays and Europeans (lack of Chinese women).

Lee Kuan Yew is perankan, I think he has Malay lineage from his grandmother's side. So Lee Hsien Loong would have some Malay blood in him as well. Many "Chinese" like Andrea De Cruz, Jean Danker etc are actually are mixed lineage.

Looking at the Singapore parliament right now, Arther Fong, Micheal Palmer, Christopher De Souza etc have European ancestry. I think Tharman married a Japanese lady and Pauline Straughan married an American? Don't know of what ancestry though, maybe German American or something. Vivian Balakrishan is of Chinese Indian mix.

We had a jewish guy as "Prime Minister", his name is David Marshall. And another English guy as President, his name is Benjamin Sheares. There have also been many Indian and Malay presidents. Devan nair, current president SR Nathan, etc all come to mind.

Singapore is an immigrant society and it is very multicultural and that is great.:)
Sgporean in France for one year master degree. Back to Spore by 2011!

User avatar
ScoobyDoes
Manager
Manager
Posts: 1667
Joined: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 6:42 pm
Location: A More Lucky Spot

Post by ScoobyDoes » Fri, 14 May 2010 3:04 pm

I simply KNEW in my head it was a mistake to open this thread :( What an utter waste of bandwidth.



geerang: 1) the wages are great for some foreigners like us but locals rank along side, and in some categories lower, than Russia in spending power and incomes......as a nation, not selectively.

geerang
Regular
Regular
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu, 13 May 2010 3:33 pm

Post by geerang » Fri, 14 May 2010 3:25 pm

ScoobyDoes wrote:I simply KNEW in my head it was a mistake to open this thread :( What an utter waste of bandwidth.



geerang: 1) the wages are great for some foreigners like us but locals rank along side, and in some categories lower, than Russia in spending power and incomes......as a nation, not selectively.
Yeah, Singaporeans are so poor that they only have an average wage of 4000 sgd/mth, have only 1 expatriate maid, air conditioner in every room, 50inch plasma tv, a 5 room executive flat, and hawker food that are so cheap you could kill yourself eating.

We are all dying to migrate to Russia.

Reminds me of how Australia is so backwards. 512kbps capped broadband internet? What a joke. 3 weeks wait just for a lazy bum to come fix your air conditioner? dayum.
Sgporean in France for one year master degree. Back to Spore by 2011!

User avatar
sundaymorningstaple
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 40376
Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
Answers: 21
Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot

Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 14 May 2010 4:12 pm

geerang wrote: Reminds me of how Australia is so backwards. 512kbps capped broadband internet? What a joke. 3 weeks wait just for a lazy bum to come fix your air conditioner? dayum.
Lets see now.....

Singapore internet speed....... somewhere down around 51st place. Japan or Korea so far faster that on most charts, Singapore isn't even listed. And this in a city-state, not a country with 100's nay, 1000's of kilometers of open spaces. dayum. :wink:

Really, you should engage brain before engaging keyboard as it does make you look rather "blur" and the longer you go, the more you lose..... :roll:

http://www.paikia.com/2009/08/facts-abo ... net-speed/
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

irvine
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 312
Joined: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 2:53 pm

Post by irvine » Fri, 14 May 2010 4:54 pm

geerang wrote:
Anyone foolish enough to attack Singapore will soon find their country overrun by Singaporean soldiers.
Ha ha ha ha ha haha hahahahahahahah!!! You guys need any help from us expatriates or PRs? Don't bother. We will run away along with your women and children.

And when the soldiers come back, there will be nobody left!
geerang wrote:
Singapore is very humble.
You should be too.

User avatar
k1w1
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 665
Joined: Mon, 30 May 2005 8:20 pm

Post by k1w1 » Fri, 14 May 2010 5:12 pm

geerang wrote: Yeah, Singaporeans are so poor that they only have an average wage of 4000 sgd/mth, have only 1 expatriate maid, air conditioner in every room, 50inch plasma tv, a 5 room executive flat, and hawker food that are so cheap you could kill yourself eating.
If only this were really true...

Geerang, Singapore has some fantastic qualities, but I don't think you've really discussed them, to be honest... The army really is not it. (Since when is a country measured by its army?)

The cultural mix definitely is a big positive point. The commitment to racial harmony is what makes that even better. The acceptance (and even adoption) of other each others customs, clothing, food etc among Singaporeans, and even among expats sometimes, is something I will really miss about this place when I leave.

User avatar
Plavt
Director
Director
Posts: 4278
Joined: Wed, 18 May 2005 2:13 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by Plavt » Fri, 14 May 2010 5:58 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:It's a shame Singaporeans don't like sex.
I don't think it is that they don't like sex, more like they are damned stressed out for it if I am to believe what I read on this board.

User avatar
Asdracles
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 538
Joined: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 4:40 am
Location: Hong Kong (bye bye SG!)

Post by Asdracles » Fri, 14 May 2010 6:48 pm

May I ask you why are you studying in a 3rd world country instead of being in the amazing Singapore?

User avatar
Plavt
Director
Director
Posts: 4278
Joined: Wed, 18 May 2005 2:13 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by Plavt » Fri, 14 May 2010 7:17 pm

Asdracles wrote:May I ask you why are you studying in a 3rd world country instead of being in the amazing Singapore?

France is a third world country? :shock: :shock:





or should that be [-X seeing as you are a Spaniard. :P :lol:

User avatar
Asdracles
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 538
Joined: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 4:40 am
Location: Hong Kong (bye bye SG!)

Post by Asdracles » Fri, 14 May 2010 7:57 pm

According to him, any country that is not SG is....

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “General Discussions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests