Singapore Expats

Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Discuss about life in Singapore. Ask about cost of living, housing, travel, etiquette & lifestyle. Share experience & advice with Singaporeans & expat staying in Singapore.
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smoulder
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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by smoulder » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 9:41 am

Wd40 wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:34 am
RobSg wrote:
Sun, 04 Jun 2023 11:10 pm
I tried to convince myself that Singapore was home from 1988 to 2013. All my worldly possessions came with me from the US, I loved my job, I had friends, and had a routine (jogging, hawker food, movies, going to work, and visiting friends). However, a PR was always something that never felt permanent since I had no voting rights about who was being elected.

I now have a nice house on the US-Canadian border with a view of Canada across the water from my house. I complain about the US all the time, BUT I can vote. I consider myself so fortunate to have lived all those years in Singapore, and the fact that I still lurk on this forum shows I still like to keep in touch with what's happening. However, Singapore may have felt like home at the time, but enjoying a place does not necessarily make it feel like home.
Honestly, I dont really have much sentiments about "home" as such. In fact, I love this concept of being a long term tourist. When something is your home, you bitch about it, you take it for granted, you are always looking for something better. But as a tourist, you are always open minded, ready to explore and learn something new and there is novelty to be a foreigner. I have enjoyed that part. I would rather remain a foreigner in Singapore always curious and awe struck about its infra and grateful that they allow me to stay here, rather than become a local and keep bitching all the time.
The other option would be to be grateful for being given the opportunity to work here, be grateful for the good infrastructure and not bitch about the problems :)

Problems do exist, but with the context of how things are elsewhere, they are not likely to cause much issue. Not to me anyway :)

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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by jalanjalan » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:18 am

Everyone has a different definition of what constitutes home, I guess. For me it's where I've made friends, settled into a place to live and contributed something to posterity. Also, where I feel safe. My spouse defines home as where most of his stuff is.

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malcontent
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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by malcontent » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:46 am

smoulder wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 9:41 am
Wd40 wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:34 am
RobSg wrote:
Sun, 04 Jun 2023 11:10 pm
I tried to convince myself that Singapore was home from 1988 to 2013. All my worldly possessions came with me from the US, I loved my job, I had friends, and had a routine (jogging, hawker food, movies, going to work, and visiting friends). However, a PR was always something that never felt permanent since I had no voting rights about who was being elected.

I now have a nice house on the US-Canadian border with a view of Canada across the water from my house. I complain about the US all the time, BUT I can vote. I consider myself so fortunate to have lived all those years in Singapore, and the fact that I still lurk on this forum shows I still like to keep in touch with what's happening. However, Singapore may have felt like home at the time, but enjoying a place does not necessarily make it feel like home.
Honestly, I dont really have much sentiments about "home" as such. In fact, I love this concept of being a long term tourist. When something is your home, you bitch about it, you take it for granted, you are always looking for something better. But as a tourist, you are always open minded, ready to explore and learn something new and there is novelty to be a foreigner. I have enjoyed that part. I would rather remain a foreigner in Singapore always curious and awe struck about its infra and grateful that they allow me to stay here, rather than become a local and keep bitching all the time.
The other option would be to be grateful for being given the opportunity to work here, be grateful for the good infrastructure and not bitch about the problems :)

Problems do exist, but with the context of how things are elsewhere, they are not likely to cause much issue. Not to me anyway :)
I think the level of gratitude is going to vary depending on the options you had before moving here. If you had no options and Singapore granted you far better options, more than likely you will be very grateful. But if you had other equally or more attractive options, you might have a very different perspective.

I think WD had other attractive options, he could have followed his sister to Australia and been just as well off. The fact that his sister moved there — he knows exactly what he’s missed out on. Pros/cons to be sure, but at least by now he would have an Aussie passport like his sister does. He might very well be asking himself if he was a fool to stay in SG all these years if his citizenship application keeps getting rejected.
It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows - Epictetus

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malcontent
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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by malcontent » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:57 am

I was in Seoul over the long weekend and often encountered curious locals asking where I was from — they were not phased at all when I said I was from Singapore. They just said “aaaaaah, Singapore!” with great enthusiasm. The culture hasn’t changed since I was there 10 years ago, they are still pushy, aggressive, and a bit rough around the edges, despite seeming similar to Japanese in other ways.
It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows - Epictetus

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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by smoulder » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:38 am

malcontent wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:46 am
smoulder wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 9:41 am
Wd40 wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:34 am


Honestly, I dont really have much sentiments about "home" as such. In fact, I love this concept of being a long term tourist. When something is your home, you bitch about it, you take it for granted, you are always looking for something better. But as a tourist, you are always open minded, ready to explore and learn something new and there is novelty to be a foreigner. I have enjoyed that part. I would rather remain a foreigner in Singapore always curious and awe struck about its infra and grateful that they allow me to stay here, rather than become a local and keep bitching all the time.
The other option would be to be grateful for being given the opportunity to work here, be grateful for the good infrastructure and not bitch about the problems :)

Problems do exist, but with the context of how things are elsewhere, they are not likely to cause much issue. Not to me anyway :)
I think the level of gratitude is going to vary depending on the options you had before moving here. If you had no options and Singapore granted you far better options, more than likely you will be very grateful. But if you had other equally or more attractive options, you might have a very different perspective.

I think WD had other attractive options, he could have followed his sister to Australia and been just as well off. The fact that his sister moved there — he knows exactly what he’s missed out on. Pros/cons to be sure, but at least by now he would have an Aussie passport like his sister does. He might very well be asking himself if he was a fool to stay in SG all these years if his citizenship application keeps getting rejected.
I get you. My point was to compare with where you are coming from. The passport that you do hold, not the one that you could hold if you had only done <fill in the blanks>.

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Re: Is Singapore ‘home’ for you?

Post by Wd40 » Mon, 05 Jun 2023 2:15 pm

malcontent wrote:
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:46 am
I think the level of gratitude is going to vary depending on the options you had before moving here. If you had no options and Singapore granted you far better options, more than likely you will be very grateful. But if you had other equally or more attractive options, you might have a very different perspective.

I think WD had other attractive options, he could have followed his sister to Australia and been just as well off. The fact that his sister moved there — he knows exactly what he’s missed out on. Pros/cons to be sure, but at least by now he would have an Aussie passport like his sister does. He might very well be asking himself if he was a fool to stay in SG all these years if his citizenship application keeps getting rejected.
I think everybody has options if they try hard enough and want something badly. I have mostly gone with the flow, in my life without trying too hard for anything. Getting to Australia, Canada etc requires some effort or you need to be lucky. In my sister's case she was lucky, a position opened up in her company and she took up the internal transfer, I am sure she worked for it also, so luck and effort.

In my case, luck, without any effort brought me here and has kept me here until now. If I have anything to rue it will be my own lack of motivation to work hard to move somewhere. But that is my own fault.

I believe Australia is not easy, even if you somehow manage to get PR and land there. From what I have see, labour costs are high there, not just white collar, blue collar also. So employers expect magic from you. Productivity levels are way higher over there compared to Singapore. I have seen in Australia the tech talent is top notch, where as in Singapore it is mostly average folks here maintaining existing systems.

My inclination has mostly been to just shy away from work and retire early. So to that end I have found Singapore to be very helpful. Moving to Australia and getting PR or citizenship would just mean I would get used to a higher quality of life but also a higher cost of living and will have to keep working till 60 or whatever. Places like Sydney are atrociously expensive to lead a life right now.

The only drawback with my current approach is that my daughter will have to make it on her own, she won't be getting a developed country passport via me.

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