yah frustrating to find the right braDu-scheißt-nie-mehr wrote:I'll add on:
You think your D-cup boobs are too big and everything under a C-cup is normal.
SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore
60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
-
- Reporter
- Posts: 890
- Joined: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 6:19 pm
-
- Reporter
- Posts: 890
- Joined: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 6:19 pm
Re:
- When you understand that if you encounter a local and he asks if you've 'taken rice', he's not asking whether have you eaten, rice or not. But there's a second level to it, it is not a literal question expecting a literal answer. It is perhaps like in the West, a person asking 'How ya' doin'?', they're simply greeting you rather than enquiring how your last doctor's visit went. The SGn question seems to be a close equivalent. My usual answer is along the lines of 'Yes, very nice (optional: patting stomach), have you?'
One experience I had again this morning.
- Having difficulty distinguishing between a bird and a plane.
[I was on the terrace, watching what looked like an eagle slowly meandering in the sky. It's quite a common site here. Then suddenly it turned and shot off towards the horizon. For a moment I was
wondering if height/perspective were playing tricks with my eyes... then moments later came the delayed roar of jet engines
]
One experience I had again this morning.
- Having difficulty distinguishing between a bird and a plane.
[I was on the terrace, watching what looked like an eagle slowly meandering in the sky. It's quite a common site here. Then suddenly it turned and shot off towards the horizon. For a moment I was


'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard
- rajagainstthemachine
- Manager
- Posts: 2856
- Joined: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 10:45 am
- Location: Singapore
Re:
post is useless without pictures.Du-scheißt-nie-mehr wrote:I'll add on:
You think your D-cup boobs are too big and everything under a C-cup is normal.
To get there early is on time and showing up on time is late
- nakatago
- Moderator
- Posts: 8358
- Joined: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:23 pm
- Location: Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
You're already living in another country and it gets brought up that you lived in Singapore. Then the person who hasn't lived in Singapore (but only visited) says Singapore is one of the nicest countries to live in and looks to you for validation of what they said and you have a >30 second pause because you can't think of something polite to say because deep down, you know you've seen something most people don't and you don't want to ruin things for them. You've been to the dark side and made it back...you struggle if revealing the price of truth is worth it. Do you cast a light on this darkness or do you let people discover it for themselves, if they do ever run into it?
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
Every place has it's own darkness.nakatago wrote:You're already living in another country and it gets brought up that you lived in Singapore. Then the person who hasn't lived in Singapore (but only visited) says Singapore is one of the nicest countries to live in and looks to you for validation of what they said and you have a >30 second pause because you can't think of something polite to say because deep down, you know you've seen something most people don't and you don't want to ruin things for them. You've been to the dark side and made it back...you struggle if revealing the price of truth is worth it. Do you cast a light on this darkness or do you let people discover it for themselves, if they do ever run into it?
Every place.
Am glad expats find so many issues with living here.
It keeps the rest of the horde away.

Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
^ Nak!
Don't know what went into your coffee this morning, priceless!


Don't know what went into your coffee this morning, priceless!
'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
That and the current manpower policies.maneo wrote:
Am glad expats find so many issues with living here.
It keeps the rest of the horde away.

- nakatago
- Moderator
- Posts: 8358
- Joined: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:23 pm
- Location: Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
maneo wrote: Every place has it's own darkness.
The brighter the picture, the darker the negative.
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."
- rajagainstthemachine
- Manager
- Posts: 2856
- Joined: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 10:45 am
- Location: Singapore
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
1.The day you discover you've turned into a phone zombie and you are able to meander your way through vivo city crowds quite easily.
2. Chicken rice is part of your stable diet.
3.you learn that its ok to get exit from the front door in the bus sometimes, for a long time I always used to exit only from the rear exit.
more to come...
2. Chicken rice is part of your stable diet.
3.you learn that its ok to get exit from the front door in the bus sometimes, for a long time I always used to exit only from the rear exit.
more to come...
To get there early is on time and showing up on time is late
- the lynx
- Governor
- Posts: 5281
- Joined: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:29 pm
- Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
...when you start speaking Singlish.
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
When you walk into Starbucks or Coffee bean and nearly blurt out te xi... or kopi xi (there's no SB or CB near my work place or home.. )the lynx wrote:...when you start speaking Singlish.
Or when your new team lead says his friend canna for littering and you agree while the rest of the expat crew look confused ... more so when the team lead says the current process is chapalang...
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
JR8 wrote:- When you understand that if you encounter a local and he asks if you've 'taken rice', he's not asking whether have you eaten, rice or not. But there's a second level to it, it is not a literal question expecting a literal answer. It is perhaps like in the West, a person asking 'How ya' doin'?', they're simply greeting you rather than enquiring how your last doctor's visit went. The SGn question seems to be a close equivalent. My usual answer is along the lines of 'Yes, very nice (optional: patting stomach), have you?'
One experience I had again this morning.
- Having difficulty distinguishing between a bird and a plane.
[I was on the terrace, watching what looked like an eagle slowly meandering in the sky. It's quite a common site here. Then suddenly it turned and shot off towards the horizon. For a moment I waswondering if height/perspective were playing tricks with my eyes... then moments later came the delayed roar of jet engines
]
This is used a lot in India as well, the literal translation of "Have you had your lunch/dinner?" I always wonder why people ask this question, may be because of high poverty levels in the past, that you need to ask whether a person had a meal or not.
- sundaymorningstaple
- Moderator
- Posts: 39755
- Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
- Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot
Re: 60 signs you've been in Singapore too long!
That is how it was explained to me when I first got here 3 decades ago. It was based on poverty/hardship back in those days.
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
Re: Re:
I had it a hard way. It happened very shortly after my arrival to Singapore and was just trying to embrace all the new things around. I was going by a cab when the cabbie asked me something like this: did you have e-o-dee-ne? I took me good 15 min to make some sense out of this.JR8 wrote:- When you understand that if you encounter a local and he asks if you've 'taken rice', he's not asking whether have you eaten, rice or not. But there's a second level to it, it is not a literal question expecting a literal answer.
The problem was pretty complex and I realize it may sound a bit idiotic for an English native speaker but two factors kicked in: 1) I am a chemist; 2) in my native language you normally read words the same way they are written. What I got and had big problem to process was this: did you have iodine. I just could not get why a taxi driver was suddenly asking me whether I had a chemical element of the atomic number 53 belonging to the halogen group. A conspiracy thinking was triggered too: how the hell did he know I was a chemist?
Now I am already very familiar with the phrase so if somebody asks me, Sir, did you have your dinner, I can immediately answer, yes, thank you, how about yourself?
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Anyone applied for citizenship but is still pending? How long have you been waiting?
by aprilmood » Sat, 08 Feb 2020 12:12 am » in PR, Citizenship, Passes & Visas for Foreigners - 43 Replies
- 26808 Views
-
Last post by MOCHS
Sat, 27 Nov 2021 12:05 pm
-
-
-
difficulties staying in a job for long in singapore (too much politics)
by `adambed » Sun, 07 Nov 2021 3:35 am » in General Discussions - 38 Replies
- 7184 Views
-
Last post by tiktok
Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:35 pm
-
-
-
Where have you been in 2020?
by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 29 May 2020 3:09 pm » in Leisure Chat, Jokes, Rubbish - 4 Replies
- 5243 Views
-
Last post by tt1973
Thu, 05 Nov 2020 6:40 pm
-
-
-
How long can you work Outside Singapore
by Zhypher » Mon, 31 May 2021 7:58 pm » in Careers & Jobs in Singapore - 5 Replies
- 5511 Views
-
Last post by Myasis Dragon
Thu, 03 Jun 2021 12:06 am
-
-
-
ve visitedving to Singapore Long Term - what happens when you hit retirement age?
by StephenJonesPonty » Sun, 31 Jul 2022 6:01 pm » in General Discussions - 4 Replies
- 1457 Views
-
Last post by PNGMK
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 10:00 am
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests