Singapore Expats

What's culture shock to you for those who live(d) in Singapore?

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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QRM
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Post by QRM » Mon, 01 Jun 2009 9:54 am

1: Whats with the locals always throwing GDP about? Dont forget its cyclic, and if you are basing your whole well being on some arbitrary GDP figure you better be prepared for a fall, or find some other figure how about average rainfall? I suspect the news paper have something to do with this perception.
renault wrote: 2: We have live in harmony. We have no strike and racial attack report so far. At least for your last 26 years stay here.
You hit the nail on the head with the word "report" you been conditioned to forget its a govt controlled media which molds your views. If there ever was a racist attack do you honestly think it would be reported as such? Try and subscribe to an international newspaper and read a paper that’s not gagged. Better yet during school holidays ask your parents if you can live in and travel to other counties, find out why top shelves in news agents are so high, then come back and see actually how limiting the media is here.

While it is never printed in black and white, please tell me you know about the real unwritten issue behind the building of accommodation for foreign workers near Serangoon Gardens, and the whole AWARE saga.
renault wrote: 3: The ISA has done a good job by ensuring we are free from terrorist.
Thats y u can walk freely on the street.
While I see where you are coming from its nice to think your country is a high value target. You have to think global here, if you ever bump into Mr. Osama Bed Linen at some Starbucks in a dessert he would be hard pushed to even pin point Singapore on a map. Alot of people overseas think Singapore is in China.

I can walk freely down all the streets in any country I have lived. And not only that, if I am not happy I and a group of 5 or more people I can still walk freely down any street saying that I am not happy. Can you do that here? No... so how free are you really? You can even get arrested here for walking down the street with a picture of kangaroo on your t-shirt so not so free.
renault wrote: 4: Recap on the resilient package announced for budget 2009 and learn how does the govt help to retain job for local as well as PR regardless of race. Take job credit for example.
Alot of other countries around the world are coming up with help packages but none of them ever mention race, why do you keep bringing up race? Is there some sort of underlying problem here? look at it this way, If you went to a restaurant and at the front a sign says "welcome we do not have a rat problem", and on the menu dishes are guaranteed free from rat dropping, and your seat has a plastic cover saying rat proof covering, would you not be a bit suspicious and wonder why they keep bringing the word rat up? smell a bit of a rat?
renault wrote: Well, I would sign off from here permanently and u need not replied as i'm only stating my opinion and not debate. U can declare urself a winner if u want to.
There you go again its not about winning or loosing, a strange local trait, its about having a discussion. Everything you bring up just sounds like a regurgitated front page of the local media, try and think for yourself and come up with your “own”
Last edited by QRM on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by irvine » Mon, 01 Jun 2009 2:31 pm

Looking at things...

A lot of things that makes Singapore 'under control' is probably due to the one party government. PAP PAP... Bear in mind I have nothing against PAP or a one-party rule. But sometimes I do see a very conditioned society.

Again nothing wrong with that if all works well and everyone has a great one-vision. However, it is also good to open eyes, ears, and mind wide WIDE to see what the world and their talents have to offer.

After all, Singapore all is just a tiny red dot. Neverthless, thanks for hosting us expats and thanks for giving us good Singapore Dollars to spend in JB and other countries.

One thing I appreciate about this place is the effort on planting many trees everywhere, it does help with the equator weather.

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Post by littlegreenman » Mon, 01 Jun 2009 4:09 pm

irvine wrote:Looking at things...

A lot of things that makes Singapore 'under control' is probably due to the one party government. PAP PAP... Bear in mind I have nothing against PAP or a one-party rule. But sometimes I do see a very conditioned society.

Again nothing wrong with that if all works well and everyone has a great one-vision. However, it is also good to open eyes, ears, and mind wide WIDE to see what the world and their talents have to offer.

After all, Singapore all is just a tiny red dot. Neverthless, thanks for hosting us expats and thanks for giving us good Singapore Dollars to spend in JB and other countries.

One thing I appreciate about this place is the effort on planting many trees everywhere, it does help with the equator weather.
Yes I do agree with the tree part very much. Makes the place nicer and friendlier as well.

To throw in my five cents of wisdom: I am German, lived in Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia and Singapore until I was 26 and have now been living in Britain for two years. When I did live in Singapore I was annoyed with the one chamber government, the one party state, the nepotism, the lack of individuality and freedoms, no free media, the lack of respect for privacy... the list was long and we moved to Britain.

Now after two years in Britain my views have changed slightly: I still believe that the lack of respect for privacy and free media is a problem, however in avoiding uncontrolled pluralism (the opposite of Britain and many liberal western countries), the society is kept "in check" and the whole society in general MIGHT (note this is only my opinion and I put a BIG might there) just be better off. I came to terms with the fact that by losing some freedoms my life in Singapore was better in general than in Britain where everybody feels they have the right to do anything they want: just throwing garbage anywhere, being noisy and inconsiderate, vandalism, theft (yes I do live in West London and this crap happens here on a weekly basis, my motorbike was stolen twice and vandalised once in the last year although chained down etc.).

So in the end, coming back to Britain has changed my personal views a little and I notice that giving up some freedoms offered a better life. That doesn't mean Singapore is perfect, no it is far from it. But no other place is perfect (apart from that little Island State I have in my head with the coconut currency and the police women in bikinis on jet skis).

As mentioned, I would love to see freer media in Singapore along with a two chamber government (an around the post system though in order to ensure a strong ruling government) and last but not least a less racial society. The colour of your skin should not matter but only your merit and your behaviour. I still think there should be zero tollerance for anti-social behaviour. That they closed down Channel I or was it U? was a big mistake I think. Instead of having different channels for different races, there should be more English channels to cater to everyone the same way, this would support racial harmony. My wife (Singaporean Chinese) for example enjoyes watching the bollywood shows on the Indian channels... To put it as my friend once did: "You've got to mingle lah". When I lived in Singapore I also didn't just stick to the expat crowd and I didn't care whether one of my mates was Singapore Malay, the other from India, and then three Singapore Chinese. Mingle lah.

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 01 Jun 2009 6:28 pm

littlegreenman, your views seem very much similar to my own. Only you say it better. :wink:
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

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Post by vanilla_flavor » Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:41 pm

it's funny ppl here no need to queue for bus, make me sick

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Post by irvine » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 3:39 pm

Guess what I got in my goody bag from an event I attended last week?

Image

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Post by littlegreenman » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 3:49 pm

irvine wrote:Guess what I got in my goody bag from an event I attended last week?

Image
Geez we got those at the Singapore Day in London two months ago as well. They made me crack up!

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Post by QRM » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 5:35 pm

littlegreenman wrote: Now after two years in Britain my views have changed slightly: I still believe that the lack of respect for privacy and free media is a problem, however in avoiding uncontrolled pluralism (the opposite of Britain and many liberal western countries), the society is kept "in check" and the whole society in general MIGHT (note this is only my opinion and I put a BIG might there) just be better off. I came to terms with the fact that by losing some freedoms my life in Singapore was better in general than in Britain where everybody feels they have the right to do anything they want: just throwing garbage anywhere, being noisy and inconsiderate, vandalism, theft (yes I do live in West London and this crap happens here on a weekly basis, my motorbike was stolen twice and vandalised once in the last year although chained down etc.).
Couldn't agree more thats why I think the world has a lot to learn from Singapore/Japan, wonder if UK had some form of national service would it help?

I had two motor bikes stolen, one literally from under my nose, I was on my balcony when a bloke just hopped on and drove off, must have a copy of the key, and was following me. Everyone I know who lives in central London has had their car broken into, even just to knick a sweater on the back seat.

My car windows have been smashed so many times I don't even bother reporting it to the police any more. In London it makes sense NOT to lock your vehicle, you save on windows bills. I never clean the car, it seems the moment its shiny it gets keyed. This isn't in some war torn ghetto burb, but a nice residential area in the west end. So its is a much more pleasant environment in that respect in Singapore. I accidentally left a Nikon camera in an empty pram at a shopping mall here, I thought wife was pushing it, 20mins later we went back and it was just sitting there!! Which means next time we go to the UK we will be fleeced, we become so used to it here. Always makes me laugh here, when a laptop or handbag is stolen from a car it makes front page news.
Last edited by QRM on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Saint » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 6:32 pm

QRM wrote:
littlegreenman wrote: Now after two years in Britain my views have changed slightly: I still believe that the lack of respect for privacy and free media is a problem, however in avoiding uncontrolled pluralism (the opposite of Britain and many liberal western countries), the society is kept "in check" and the whole society in general MIGHT (note this is only my opinion and I put a BIG might there) just be better off. I came to terms with the fact that by losing some freedoms my life in Singapore was better in general than in Britain where everybody feels they have the right to do anything they want: just throwing garbage anywhere, being noisy and inconsiderate, vandalism, theft (yes I do live in West London and this crap happens here on a weekly basis, my motorbike was stolen twice and vandalised once in the last year although chained down etc.).
Couldn't agree more thats why I think the world has a lot to learn from Singapore/Japan, wonder if UK had some form of national service would it help?

I had two motor bikes stolen, one literally from under my nose, I was on my balcony when a bloke just hopped on and drove off, must have a copy of the key. Everyone I know who lives in central London has had their car broken into, even just to knick a sweater on the back seat.

My car windows have been smashed so many times I don't even bother reporting it to the police any more. I never clean the car, it seem the moment its shiny it gets keyed. This isnt in some war torn ghetto burb, nice residential area in the west end. So its is a much more pleasant environment in that respect in Singapore, I accidental left a Nikon camera in an empty pram in a shopping mall here, I thought wife was pushing it, 20mins later we went back there it was sitting there!! Which means next time we go to the UK we will be fleeced we become so used to it here. Always me laugh here when a laptop is stolen from a car it makes front page news.
Can't agree more with both of you, Mrs S wanted to give living and working in the UK a go and we did for over 4 years but that was enough because of the reasons stated above.

What I will say is, Mrs S did get a hell of a lot out of the time we spent back in the UK and came back a far worldwise, streetwise, confident and stronger person, and that's her saying that. But now we're back here, we don't miss UK one little bit, it's a far far better way of life here.

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Post by Plavt » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 6:48 pm

QRM wrote:
Couldn't agree more thats why I think the world has a lot to learn from Singapore/Japan, wonder if UK had some form of national service would it help?
I doubt it, one reason conscription ended was it was shown to be nothing more than a prize failure.

However, I do sympathize with the views of others, living in London myself and am subject to either the same worries and inconsiderations and if the possibility ever arises I will be gone too. The problems outlined by yourself and Saint are not least a result of a number of factors which I don't see being solved anytime soon. :(
Last edited by Plavt on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by littlegreenman » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 7:27 pm

Saint wrote: What I will say is, Mrs S did get a hell of a lot out of the time we spent back in the UK and came back a far worldwise, streetwise, confident and stronger person, and that's her saying that. But now we're back here, we don't miss UK one little bit, it's a far far better way of life here.
Couldn't agree more. It didn't hurt the littlegreengirl to "make her bones" (yes I am a fan of the godfather) in the "real world". She has definitely become more streetsmart and less "play safe and don't stick your hand out". In that way, yes it builds character but it also makes you appreciate what you have in Singapore.

To be perfectly honest with you guys, I was absolutely anti PAP before I left Singapore. Now I actually put up my hand and say, they have a valid point and as it is my choice to go back to Singapore, I am happy to have that trade off and sacrifice some freedoms for a more "pleasant" life in Singapore from my point of view. Don't get me wrong though, I will still be engaging in discussions and exchanging views on what the government does in Singapore. I will not give them a free pass! (the only reason why though is because I care and respect their work).

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:16 pm

Which is why I can debate and complain here and belong to the People's Association at the same time. One does not have to like everything about a place but one can complain AND also try to work to change things for the better where possible. Complaining does not mean dislike of something. It just means there is something that needs fixing to make it even better. Shame the locals and some of the expats on here don't realize that. :-|
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

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Post by morenangpinay » Sun, 07 Jun 2009 1:42 am

i got claustrophobic....the spaces are small. :(

and the quiet neighborhood during new years...if a bit unusual to me. the rudeness of people especially the bad customer service..the spicy food..the KFC chicken without gravy....the fried chicken with curry flavor...the body odors...the nose picking...the aunties cleaning out your plates before youre even finished..

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Post by littlegreenman » Mon, 08 Jun 2009 3:54 pm

morenangpinay wrote:..the spicy food..the KFC chicken without gravy....the fried chicken with curry flavor...
Are you kidding? I love that! That is excellent.

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Post by morenangpinay » Tue, 09 Jun 2009 1:21 am

littlegreenman wrote:
morenangpinay wrote:..the spicy food..the KFC chicken without gravy....the fried chicken with curry flavor...
Are you kidding? I love that! That is excellent.
i just dont like curry..lol. but i love gravy....i eat KFC with rice topped with gravy. lol

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