How Singaporean Are You?

[monicae]

Yah loh yah loh, how bout the and then and wah piangz?

[CLARISSA]

I am singaporean and have been in other third world countries like singapore. India and Indonesia - their people can smile and be kind without being told to do so. Singapore is unique - kindness week for instance!! And automatic flushing toilets. Most singaporeans have not been toilet trained. Spitting out chicken and fish bones onto a table in a food court. Where in the world would one see such disgusting behaviour. Or handphones ringing during a movie. Even in church!!
more grouses shortly

[monicae]

Hi Clarrissa,
I disagree with what u say. I'm a Singaporean too and I disagree to some of your negatives comment. I think alot of this problem is not just in Singapore. Not all ppl throw their finished bones on the table these days. Plus it's not a Singaporean thing to do, it's all over. Have u been to hawker centres in Malaysia? If you're not given a seperate bowl to discard your shells and bones, where do u throw it? On the floor? Also the movie thingy u mentioned, it not just in Singapore too. It's even worse in Malaysia. And you'd be surprise in Australia too. I was at a movie there recently and a couple was having a loud conversation in the cinema without giving a hoot to their surrondings. They didn't even shut up after afew shhhs.

And for your information, Singapore is NOT a third world country. Are you REALLY a Singaporean?????

Have u been to Japan? Nobody smiles at you there too unless you're in a departmental store.... That doesn't make them rude. We live in a Stressful society, everything is very fast moving. Many times as we walk we're thinking / making / analysing important decisions. Not many of us have the time to start looking around and smiling at everyone in our path. That doesn't make us unfriendly. If we're approached many will go all out to help a lost foreigner unconditionally. It's just different style of working.

I do not find Singaporean behaviour digusting at all. Every country has it's own characteristics. And WE are what make us Unique. So if you're a Singaporean, be proud of it. If not what's the point?

[amanda]

Clarissa,

Did you mistakenly been to Mynmar and thought it was Singapore?

[clarissa]

Sorry to have rubbed you up the wrong way Amanda and Monica!! Sometimes the truth hurts. That's all for now!!

[Bubbles]

How about these very commonly used ones? And ones which are a definite no-no in other countries, esp Britain........


How much did you pay for that? So many people ask this immediately.

How much do you get paid?

How old are you? (Only OK if you are asking potential employee in Europe)

You comment quite openly about people's physical size.......'Ah, so fat lah!'
Or looks......'So spotty'...........

You will travel far and wide to get good value on a hawker meal, but think nothing about paying stupid prices for cars...........think someone said that already, but poor you, the prices of cars is soooooo ridiculous. I could buy two and a half cars for your one for the same price here in Britain.

Anyway, it's the lovable, mad things which people do which makes a nation interesting............so Singapore...........KEEP BRINGING THEM ON, GOOD ON YOU.

[aussie_back_from_holiday]

I am singaporean and have been in other third world countries like singapore. India and Indonesia - their people can smile and be kind without being told to do so. Singapore is unique - kindness week for instance!! And automatic flushing toilets. Most singaporeans have not been toilet trained. Spitting out chicken and fish bones onto a table in a food court. Where in the world would one see such disgusting behaviour. Or handphones ringing during a movie. Even in church!!
more grouses shortly

What a laugh. Automatic flushing toilets bother you!?! You obviously haven't visited some other "first world" (yes, singapore is first world) countries where you have to hold your breath when you visit the toilet, or avoid stepping in that puddle of pee that surrounds the toilet bowl. And i'm not talking about trainstation facilities either, but also facilities like casino complexes, and first class restaurants. And don't even bother trying to sit on one of these filthy seats - there's more pee on the seat itself than in the bowl.

As an Aussie tourist - I found Singapore a breath of fresh air (excuse the pun), and a model for other societies to follow.

Where else can you find a first class public transport system - no graffiti whatsoever, no sticky seats or sticky floors from spilled drinks, no slashed seats, an unrivalled ticketing system that puts to shame what we have here in melbourne, aus.

What does this say about Singapore, Clarence.. Does it mean Australians, Americans, English havent been taught to look after their own public facilites like their trains trams & buses?

Obviously it doesn't - there are always a minority of people who do this sort of thing & you can't generalise the society as a whole.

One thing I have never seen in Singapore is the traditional Mcdonalds pickle stuck on the ceiling that you will find in almost every western country you visit.

I have never found a dirty table at a food court that has remained dirty for more than 5 minutes (yes, I have timed this). Yet, outside singapore I've visited places where 1/4 to half the tables have rubbish still.

Anyway, enough from me. I think Singapore speaks for itself & is the envy of most modern civilizations.

[Bubbles]

Sorry, sorry ...........I've just fallen off my seat laughing at Aussie back from Hols description of the Macdonalds pickle on the ceiling quote! That is SO TRUE. Honestly, and the way they get there is............drunks after 11pm, must have that last big mac before throwing it all up on the pavement outside, oh, that's before they start a fight with whoever crosses their path. You think I'm joking?
Add this to the fact that you have to hold onto your drink in case someone spikes it with something, unlikely maybe, but not unknown by any means in the UK.
Oh, and be careful which taxi you get into, as some are run by crooks who may rob or do something worse to you. Yes, there are lots of moonlighting fake taxi cabs here, esp in London.
On the tube after 10pm. Advice, don't make eye contact with anyone. Mind the seats someone may have defecated on, no no, not an everyday occurence, but certainly not impossible.
And as Aussie says, if you go to a club, even the really posh ones, go to the loo before about ten cos after that everyone is so drunk they miss the bowl and God knows what you'll find when you pop to the ladies. And this is the ladies we're talking about, so what the gents is like I dread to imagine.
Don't let your young kids look above eye level in any newsagents anywhere in the UK, as you know what sort of books and magazines are on sale, and I mean everywhere. There seem to be far fewer restrictions now that say even five years ago, and now anything seems to go, anything.
So Singapore, you have lots you don't want to import from us, and the likes of us, like Oz and America.
Mind you, even after saying all that about my home, and knowing it makes it seem a really filthy, edgy place, I have to say.........I really love it, and the vast majority of Brits are great, welcoming, kind people. So are the Aussies. It's just that being given the freedom to enjoy lots of things does sometimes go to the heads of some people and then they spoil it for the rest of us, who may enjoy a good old drink up, (or indeed, even the aforementioned literature, to a degree) Everything in moderation, I say.
So, thank your lucky stars that pickles on ceilings, and sick on the pavement on Friday nights aren't pointers which come up much in your 'How Singaporean are you' survey, lol!!!

[clarissa]

It's fun time again with Bubbles who is so enamored with Singapore.
Good for her!! Pity that she found pickle-on-the-roof in her little Aussie town
and poo on tube seats in London. How excitingly different from Singapore, where one has to watch out for pee and poo on some toilet seats. Bubbles, please do try Chinatown or a facility in one of our several food courts. One could die a thousand deaths with the stench.

I just wonder what dear Bubbles would find in Paris. Do keep me posted.
It's fun hearing from you. I love it!!

[Lextor]

Dear Clerrisa,
Without trying to be rude to you, I want to say that yours is a clear case of lack of exposure to other cultures.
Even if I assume that your mentioning Singapore as a third world country is a typo error, you are too over-critical of singapore.
I am an expat. And I feel Singapore has done remarkable progress over the past few decades. Which is enviable even to most western countries.
Thought there are some areas that needs some maturity, esp with regards to being more open-minded to other cultures. I guess with time and constant exchanges with other cultures, it will only get better with time. But on the whole Singapore is by all means a First world country...
Cheers!

[Michele]

Hi All
A very good morning. This is the first time I'm visiting this board. I'm a Singaporean residing in the US and I do MISS Singapore A LOT. I go ack once or twice a year to visit and even though my grasp of colloquials' limited, I find myself speaking AND enjoying the conversations with friends I've met here who're from Singapore. I think despite living overseas for almost 10 years with yearly visits home, I'm pretty much a Singaporean and I will always be

Michele

[Singlishland]

Hi All
A very good morning. This is the first time I'm visiting this board. I'm a Singaporean residing in the US and I do MISS Singapore A LOT. I go ack once or twice a year to visit and even though my grasp of colloquials' limited, I find myself speaking AND enjoying the conversations with friends I've met here who're from Singapore. I think despite living overseas for almost 10 years with yearly visits home, I'm pretty much a Singaporean and I will always be

Michele

Try this thread for size and see if you can follow and stomach the conversations here. That will tell how Singaporean you are
http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/su ... html#14666

[JML]

Sorry to have rubbed you up the wrong way Amanda and Monica!! Sometimes the truth hurts. That's all for now!!

by the way, clarissa...i'm not sure where you've been all these years, but singapore is not a third world country. maybe you were in myanmar.

[JML]

Hi All
A very good morning. This is the first time I'm visiting this board. I'm a Singaporean residing in the US and I do MISS Singapore A LOT. I go ack once or twice a year to visit and even though my grasp of colloquials' limited, I find myself speaking AND enjoying the conversations with friends I've met here who're from Singapore. I think despite living overseas for almost 10 years with yearly visits home, I'm pretty much a Singaporean and I will always be

Michele

where in the US are you Michele? i'm in the US too and yup, sure miss home a lot.

[Guest]

Aww... people getting v upset... number 5 totally cracked me up, and i could hardly stop myself from laughing out loud at work. I'm singaporean and found that really funny. THere're lots of similar jokes about 'you know you've been in ____(name of city) too long when... 1. 2. 3. etc.

I think this one is brilliant cos if that's how one gets after being in the country too long, then it becomes part of the culture! Accepting it is a way to go. Also, one must learn to laugh at oneself - less stress and no 'kua- kua see mi' problems!