Singapore Expats

FULL OF COMPLAINTS AND RIDICULOUS CRITICISIMS
"couldnt agree more that Singaporeans ugly bla bla lame" ??? why would u reply like this?
i think u are being selfish, & only thinking about urself. man all it does is create more UNREST .
u probably gained alot from living here, takes home good pay, most likely having a good lifestyle

FYI do you ever wonder how Singaporeans fare living ur country? do u wonder how they would react to diff lifestyle? do they constantly complain? are they unhappy? do they have their own “Expat Forums”

[quote="abudan"]FULL OF COMPLAINTS AND RIDICULOUS CRITICISIMS
"couldnt agree more that Singaporeans ugly bla bla lame" ??? why would u reply like this?
i think u are being selfish, & only thinking about urself. man all it does is create more UNREST .
u probably gained alot from living here, takes home good pay, most likely having a good lifestyle

FYI do you ever wonder how Singaporeans fare living ur country? do u wonder how they would react to diff lifestyle? do they constantly complain? are they unhappy? do they have their own “Expat Forums”

Love Singapore and Singaporeans. Some things really annoy me (Aunties is supermarkets - not the dancing kind) but it's a pretty good place to live as places go (except people on escalators).

I do not expect foreigners to enjoy their companionship with the locals. Sometimes, locals would behave foreigners think is unacceptable but it is just them. Can anyone change the way they talk/behave even after they have been doing that throughtout their lives? When one odd ball starts to pull the locals down, I can only empathise him/her because he/she could not change his/her behaviour throughtour his/her years and starts to blame because it is different from how the foreigners think/feel. Its the same.

local lad wrote:I do not expect foreigners to enjoy their companionship with the locals. Sometimes, locals would behave foreigners think is unacceptable but it is just them. Can anyone change the way they talk/behave even after they have been doing that throughtout their lives? When one odd ball starts to pull the locals down, I can only empathise him/her because he/she could not change his/her behaviour throughtour his/her years and starts to blame because it is different from how the foreigners think/feel. Its the same.

Local lad, truer words were never said. I agree 100%. And it's so obvious isn't it!

You cannot change the spots on a leopard, or take the pig out of the sty.

And 33 years of courtesy campaigns proves you cannot teach most of the locals anything about courtesy and consideration. The only thing that they will change for is high enough fines, and that's not change but conditioning. And even then they will look around to see if they can just be their normal inconsiderate selves first without getting caught.

Yep, I gotta agree with you.

local lad wrote:I do not expect foreigners to enjoy their companionship with the locals. Sometimes, locals would behave foreigners think is unacceptable but it is just them. Can anyone change the way they talk/behave even after they have been doing that throughout their lives? When one odd ball starts to pull the locals down, I can only empathise him/her because he/she could not change his/her behaviour throughtour his/her years and starts to blame because it is different from how the foreigners think/feel. Its the same.

I think most foreigners have no complaints of local slang, if it is used in a correct manner, with respect. If one grows up without respect, then you will be looked upon, as rather too big for your own boots, and when you need help, it will not be there for you. How you interact with others needs to be socially accepted on a local level too, not just your own little gang.

So it is hardly anything that foreigners think about, in terms of normal and not normal, you are either social or anti social, one is liked by the majority and one is not.

Misunderstandings of culture, within a culture are not uncommon, in societies exposed to fashion, religion, politics, music, and role models.

Can anyone change the way they talk/behave even after they have been doing that throughout their lives?

It may be difficult but not impossible if you try, so the answer is , on my return to the housing estate i was raised on, all the people say that I've changed, of course i have changed, I speak clearly, so people can understand, it's about having that understanding that other's do not understand slang, the same way, if they are not raised in the environment where it is used.

It's all about climbing the social ladder, by learning how to speak correctly, so that those, you are trying to communicate with can understand, your improvement, in social communication, even parrots can talk and copy other:lol: So slang and peanuts for the locals, and English for the businessmen and higher paid workers right? It's really in your own interest to improve your speach!

Actually, regarding slang and languages, this is one area where Singapore do excel. They can go to the UK on a 5 day 6night package tour and when they arrive back in Singapore who woulda though! They now speak with received pronunciation! (at least at work and in the pub) But when they get home to the kopitiam they have to revert to type in order to get the kopi auntie to understand them. Unfortunately, when they type a letter though, it reads pure Singlish.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Actually, regarding slang and languages, this is one area where Singapore do excel. They can go to the UK on a 5 day 6night package tour and when they arrive back in Singapore who woulda though! They now speak with received pronunciation! (at least at work and in the pub) But when they get home to the kopitiam they have to revert to type in order to get the kopi auntie to understand them. Unfortunately, when they type a letter though, it reads pure Singlish.

Yes I agree, a week or two in UK or the states, and they soon pick it up. My own brother appears to emphasise the fact the person is foreign, by speaking very slowly and I say they do understand English, but may not understand the slang , so it's better to speak normal and clear, rather than talk like a F------g idiot emphasizing the words!

You must know yourself, when you have been around foreigners a while, we can easy communicate and understand each other, it's getting accustomed to pronunciation of the foreigners, that makes it easy. Funny really, but Chinese have a problem to pronounce Blackpool, and will always say Balapoo, until you have worked a few years on the pronunciation okay for the young, but almost impossible for the middle aged.

SMS! You are getting mellow What's the matter? I thought you would have whiplashed a few of those posters.

What a wind up! Still, I would like to add my thoughts.

Congratulations to me as I have completed 13 years of living in Singapore. Let's see...

1. Built a solid career working for local and MNC firms! If you work hard, maintain a cheerful disposition, even the most taciturn, racist, pushy manager has no choice but to acknowledge your work! (a fact which allowed my self-esteem go 3 notches higher, but perhaps I may have the luckier and pluckier than a few others)
2. Made friends from all over the world and some of them are like family to me. Weddings, babies are all part of the friendship package.
3. Certainly made money but not obscene amounts since I dont work in high finance or rocket science. Just a regular run in the mill IT geek
4. Embraced various cultures and ideologies. Healthy arguments without making it personal, and sharing my own heritage and culture and dispelling several myths (for e.g. roti-prata, murtabak are NOT Indian cuisine and bollywood dancing is one of the best workouts you can get while having a laugh). In the end, made me more tolerant with everyone than what I grew up as.
5. I dont care of local politics too much as long as it does not impede my freedom to party, get drunk and curse myself the next day and swear it will never happen again until the mid week sessions. I dont care if the local government is making money one way or the other. I really dont give a rats ass about the intricate web of politics here. NOT my f***ing problem. When it does not prevent me from going out 1 day a week or 7 days a week to hit the bars, clubs, pubs, restaurants without having to worry about being robbed, mugged and I dont get ripped off by cabbies if I am intoxicated, I honest dont care. Taxes are low and I can actually save money. My money is safe which I can take anytime I want is all of politics that I would concern myself about. I come from the land that re-defined the word corruption. I got no right to bitch about it anywhere else.
6. Despite having a healthy car allowance, I have subcribed to public transport. It takes me 30 minutes door to door from my place (beyond Novena) to my office. I enjoy watching people, reactions and take great pleasure in adomnishing young people who refuse to get out of their seats for pregnant women and old people. Unless someone tells them, they wont learn.
7. Its not a perfect place. Kids have no sense of decency and values, money grubbers are all around, moronic parents who refuse to smack unruly kids. Big deal! This is not restricted to this country. Have you seen the overgrown babies in my country? They need to be shoveled into an army service to discipline them. Drugs, crime, violence and this is from well to do families.

In the end, one makes a choice to embrace the place they live and adapt or get the hell out. You cant complain and be a hypocrite and remain back. If you really think Singapore is a lousy place to live, then by all means LEAVE! No one is forcing anyone to stay here. ** I really get annoyed at people who bitch...moan...bitch....moan and have no qualms in enjoying the comforts of life. ***

So what are the 2009 reasons to live in Singapore? how bout a countdown. im just curious

What do you mean by money grubbers?

I like your post!

Good post Guru! You said it all.

Yes indeed Guru. Spot on!

If the worse thing you can say about Singapore is that some Singaporeans can be pretty rude (badly brought up as my Mum would say), then really you have little to complain about.

Honestly, for those 'expats' who find Singapore too challenging, you never should have left your home country. You are clearly not cut out for working abroad.

macaroonie wrote:What do you mean by money grubbers?

I like your post!

The people who treat their employees like dirt, paying them as little as possible, providing no benefits, and working their asses off.

The people who deduct employer CPF from the employee's paycheck.

The people who work their maids from 5:30 AM to 11 PM, 7 days a week to get 'value'.

The professional or shopkeeper who tries to screw you for as much as possible one time instead of building a good working relationship.

Hired workers who short what they promised you because it puts more money in their pockets.

Addadude wrote:Honestly, for those 'expats' who find Singapore too challenging, you never should have left your home country. You are clearly not cut out for working abroad.

beautiful insight!

totally agree with you... for me one of the cool things of going somewhere are the challenges...