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[taxico]

Honest question - why you don't capitalize the start of your sentences?

donno...!

[sundaymorningstaple]

He has the same affliction as durain.

[x9200]

Durain also makes typos.

[taxico]

got meh...!? :b

[earthfriendly]

I was saying Singaporeans I had spoken to were not using USA as a stepping stone. They are here by choice. Many do miss home and still feel a connection to the country. I think SG has a certain "draw" for people. I don't know how to describe it or measure it in tangible terms.

[gokaden]

I'm a Singaporean who has been living in the US for the last 17 years, and I agree that Singaporeans in general are too coddled by the govt. They frequently blame the govt for every single thing that happens. Flooding in Orchard Rd? Govt's fault. Haze? Govt's fault. MRT line issues? You get the drift.

Living here in the US, you learn that the govt isn't going to do much more than take your taxes and maybe keep the police, postal service and military going. We're already used to the govt shutting down and spending our money on wars overseas.

The point is, every country has things to like and hate. There isn't a perfect country, and the way I see it, Singaporeans have it great compared to many countries in the region.

So look around, and appreciate what you already have. So what if you can't afford a nice car or big house. The low crime rate, great medical care, and stable govt is much more important.

[Mi Amigo]

I'm a Singaporean who has been living in the US for the last 17 years, and I agree that Singaporeans in general are too coddled by the govt. They frequently blame the govt for every single thing that happens. Flooding in Orchard Rd? Govt's fault. Haze? Govt's fault. MRT line issues? You get the drift.

Living here in the US, you learn that the govt isn't going to do much more than take your taxes and maybe keep the police, postal service and military going. We're already used to the govt shutting down and spending our money on wars overseas.

The point is, every country has things to like and hate. There isn't a perfect country, and the way I see it, Singaporeans have it great compared to many countries in the region.

So look around, and appreciate what you already have. So what if you can't afford a nice car or big house. The low crime rate, great medical care, and stable govt is much more important.

That's an interesting perspective; thanks for sharing. I agree with you that nowhere is perfect and each country has its pros and cons. The only refinement I would add is...

• Problem: Flooding in Orchard Rd? Haze? MRT line issues? Any other problem (real or perceived)?
  
  Solution 1: Blame the gahmen
  
  Solution 2: Blame the foreigners
  
  In all other cases: See above.

Personally I think some of the blame can be directed at the gahmen, in terms of the education system and societal structure they created, which turns out many people (not all, of course) who seem to be completely unable to think rationally about broad issues and form sensible conclusions. I cite the comments sections of TRE, TRS, A1, etc. as supporting evidence.

[earthfriendly]

That is the problem. The education system and the society do not encourage creativity and independent thinking. And the fear of failures and making mistakes. It took Edison 10,000 tries to find the right material for the bulb filament. They have a strong academic foundation and done well in international tests. There is a lot of potential but they need to build up a citizenry of strong and resilient individuals. Scrape the high-stake exams at elementary schools. Drop the fear (of bad grades) and encourage learning and curiousity. Invest in "human" resource.

[movingtospore]

Whenever friends from home ask me about how how great the education system must be here given how the local kids perform on tests, my answer is: "Yes, they are very good at taking exams. And that's it." Which is an exaggeration, but...

I also think growing up in such a tiny place shapes their world view in a very narrow way if they don't get out for a while. I was reading about how a friend of mine had to stop on the highway in the middle of nowhere, Australia to help out a family who's vehicle had turned over. Everyone was fine, but they had to stay and help, and figure out what to do as there were no town for miles. This is a fundamental thing that a lot of Singaporeans are never exposed to - the intrinsic willingness to help others just because it's the right thing to do (perhaps because growing up in a vast country - that's built in for survival), but also the necessity of solving your own problems and working out your own way in life because someone isn't on every street corner telling you where to go and how to get there.

[Brah]

+1

There was something making the news rounds late last week about how Singapore was came first in PISA, some kind of problem-solving exercise.

There must be a reason why everyone is surprised at that.

Whenever friends from home ask me about how how great the education system must be here given how the local kids perform on tests, my answer is: "Yes, they are very good at taking exams. And that's it." Which is an exaggeration, but...

I also think growing up in such a tiny place shapes their world view in a very narrow way if they don't get out for a while. I was reading about how a friend of mine had to stop on the highway in the middle of nowhere, Australia to help out a family who's vehicle had turned over. Everyone was fine, but they had to stay and help, and figure out what to do as there were no town for miles. This is a fundamental thing that a lot of Singaporeans are never exposed to - the intrinsic willingness to help others just because it's the right thing to do (perhaps because growing up in a vast country - that's built in for survival), but also the necessity of solving your own problems and working out your own way in life because someone isn't on every street corner telling you where to go and how to get there.

[korrpui]

+1

There was something making the news rounds late last week about how Singapore was came first in PISA, some kind of problem-solving exercise.

There must be a reason why everyone is surprised at that.

Honestly, Singaporeans not knowing how to think is a really cliched sterotype. Just like recent British graduates who reportedly can't read or count (using an example).

What would you prefer, the outgoing British smirker who claims to solves the problems and hands in the poorly written / incoherent report with mathematical errors, or the quiet Singaporean chap who sends in a well written / coherent report detailing the solutions to the problem, error-free?

True answer - you want the British guy to do the presentations, and the Singaporean to do the work.

Just because the Brit guy presents well doesn't mean he can solve issues, and just because the Singaporean who doesn't present well doesn't mean he can't solve the issues.

There is a reason why Singaporean students have consistently outperformed their peers globally. (Note, this assertion is backed by quantitative data normalised across international students at a similar age range.)

[Brah]

Believe what you wish, my perspective is based on many years of living here, and you have not changed that with this post. And while it may be a cliche, it still bears relevance. Your generalization however, does not though makes you appear to have a chip on your shoulder about Brits.

+1

There was something making the news rounds late last week about how Singapore was came first in PISA, some kind of problem-solving exercise.

There must be a reason why everyone is surprised at that.

Honestly, Singaporeans not knowing how to think is a really cliched sterotype. Just like recent British graduates who reportedly can't read or count (using an example).

What would you prefer, the outgoing British smirker who claims to solves the problems and hands in the poorly written / incoherent report with mathematical errors, or the quiet Singaporean chap who sends in a well written / coherent report detailing the solutions to the problem, error-free?

True answer - you want the British guy to do the presentations, and the Singaporean to do the work.

Just because the Brit guy presents well doesn't mean he can solve issues, and just because the Singaporean who doesn't present well doesn't mean he can't solve the issues.

There is a reason why Singaporean students have consistently outperformed their peers globally. (Note, this assertion is backed by quantitative data normalised across international students at a similar age range.)

[sundaymorningstaple]

The problem is, that the students, due to the fact that they primarily just cram for exams, aren't able to give the same results 2 or 3 years down the road as it was all in short term memory. It's not really their fault, as it was the educational system at the time. They are finally moving away, thank dog for that, from the exam based mentality. Hopefully, once they do that, they will also actually start learning and not regurgitating test answers.

And yes, my kids when through the whole system here so I am not just spouting hyperbole.

[sundaymorningstaple]

But give me a Singaporean who got his basics here and then got their tertiary educations overseas? They are a force to be reckoned with and I'd hire them in a minute if I had the position available.

or the quiet Singaporean chap who sends in a well written / coherent report detailing the solutions to the problem, error-free?

That one really made me chuckle. If you get that from a local, you can almost bet is was plagiarized. They are world famous for their test scores and the amount of plagiarizing that they do from their O levels up through their degrees.

[taxico]

such tests don't really mean anything do they?

all the SF guys i know and had the privilege of serving with in the past are unassuming older guys (not giant walking beef cakes) that don't all have 4 year college degrees, high SAT scores or mensa membership.

but by god they are some of the smartest guys i know because they think totally out of the box and are frickin fast when it comes to solving problems...

talk about working well under pressure in a hostile environment! i'm sure they weren't schooled at raffles institution or ACS independent but their local PS/MS/HS... some may have even dropped out and gotten a GED later.

the profiles i've seen of singapore SF soldiers paint a rather different picture. having a slight understanding of how the special forces selection and training processes are like for both countries, i dare say that most (not all) of singapore's equivalent candidates would not fare very well if they were posted to US army SWC for qualification...

p/s: US SF guys have a good respect for the SG SF guys that train with them, so it's not like singapore soldiers are useless or anything.