Local etiquette

Left Wing · Post by **Left Wing** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 3:49 pm

was told by work mates dont offer a ride in your car to other residents in your condo; even its raining cats & dogs.

would be so glad if some one did that to me...

germangirl · Post by **germangirl** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 4:15 pm

Left Wing wrote:was told by work mates dont offer a ride in your car to other residents in your condo; even its raining cats & dogs.

would be so glad if some one did that to me...

why shouldn't you do that? my neighbors offered me a ride once to go grocery shopping, as they were to go anyway so I don't hv to carry all.... i did not think about it as "don't do"....

sourisso · Post by **sourisso** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 4:32 pm

lost_canuck wrote:well I do need a haircut *l* but wouldn't say really good lookin, anyway,

sourisso: I don't think they want to fight, I think it is a case of do as I say not as I do

ehe yeah i was just kidding... i know im white, tall, and my gf is chinese, so it gets people watching me, and her too btw. it's boring sometimes but well, i don't really care. i know it's the same for asian people when they go to europe.

chixchix · Post by **chixchix** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 4:46 pm

oh how come...whats there to look at Asians if we go to Europe

sourisso · Post by **sourisso** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 4:59 pm

well, for the same reasons people look at me here... some people will ask themselves, with respect and curiosity, what is he doing here.. some people will ask themselves the same question, but without respect, more like "get out ang mo".. some people will look at me to check my physical appearance to see what differs from them... some people will look at me because im with a chinese girl and that make them angry... because they think chinese should stay with chinese, or happy, because they like to see the diversity of the world and would like to be friendly with me... or some people won't really look at you because they don't really care... and also, sometimes people don't really look at you but u are paranoid because u are abroad and u think they do

it will be the same everywhere, for caucasians/africans in asia, or for asians in europe, etc...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 16 Mar 2007 6:06 pm

sourisso,

Here is a thread that's been resurrected over and over since august 2003 but somehow has managed to slip to page 5.

Singaporeans and Caucasians

sms

Ruslan · Post by **Ruslan** » Sat, 17 Mar 2007 8:03 am

chixchix wrote:oh how come...whats there to look at Asians if we go to Europe

In big cities - e.g. London - there's such mix of nationalities that nobody cares. In smaller ones there're more native population; so some people may look at you just out of curiosity, especially if you look like a toursit; but most people are not curious about that. In Russia, there're many assimilated nationalities who look like Asians, so nobody really cares.

chixchix · Post by **chixchix** » Sat, 17 Mar 2007 11:50 am

Hhmm interesting ... but one ting for sure..in SIngapore,,the chinese girls always get extra attention when they are seen with White man lol.

I dunno perhaps its hard to see white man and other races.

sourisso · Post by **sourisso** » Sat, 17 Mar 2007 2:42 pm

yeah and it's boring. lot of chinese people will wonder, "why is this chinese girl with a white man ? are chinese men not good enough for her ? she think white man is better ? it's not !"
etc, etc, always have to find a reason...
well she's with me cause we simply met and we came to hang out together and it works between us, that's all, not because she's running away from chinese guys, thats not the point at all.

huggybear · Post by **huggybear** » Sat, 17 Mar 2007 3:49 pm

i thot diversity is good?

never understood people who spew comments about the importance of diversity in the workplace but yet never practice it in their personal life whatsoever.

Loops · Post by **Loops** » Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:52 am

I've never heard about it being rude to point or stare here - everyone stares!

I did hear that many people think it is hideous if you blow your nose into a tissue.........but I don't care - its my nose

The only things I consciously do are try to hand money over with my right hand and if the person in the shop or whatever uses both hands to give me the money back then I do likewise to receive it.

I say 'hi' to people getting in the lift at home if I feel like it - and they always say 'hi' in return - they may not say 'hi' first, and would possibly say nothing if I didn't start it, but if I'm in a friendly mood then that's what I do.

The way I look at it is that everyone has their habits and cultural things and there is no harm in bringing yours along when you move abroad. As long as they are harmless habits and gestures then you shouldn't smother them. Respect other peoples beliefs and social graces but don't feel that you have to be exactly like them because you aren't.

germangirl · Post by **germangirl** » Sun, 18 Mar 2007 9:36 am

Loops wrote:

I say 'hi' to people getting in the lift at home if I feel like it - and they always say 'hi' in return - they may not say 'hi' first, and would possibly say nothing if I didn't start it, but if I'm in a friendly mood then that's what I do.

yeah, that's how I do it, and by now most of my local neighbors say hi to me, when they see me, and we talk for a while in the staircase.... I mean, how should you get to know people, especially neighbors, if noone says Hi first????
and as I said, one of my neighbord ( a lady) offered me a ride, still I don' know why this is not done.... can someone explain it me????

hans_azryn · Post by **hans_azryn** » Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:55 pm

Hi ....hehheheh....not all people here is unfriendly...it pays if u r either too friendly or stuck up.....so its better to be friendly when u haf to...but to neighbours n so on...i think we should start first to say hi...or it will never be any hi....hehhehe....taking the first step wont do any harm...rite? *wink* *wink*

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 21 Mar 2007 1:43 pm

Today is a far cry from 20+ years ago when I arrived here.

Back in those days you could live next door to a local family for 10 years and they would never pass the time of day or "have you eaten" which is the local variant of the same thing. Then it was what was termed (by the foreigners of course) "Asian Reserve" which more often than was due to being non-english educated, so they were embarrassed with their levels of English. To us however, in our ignorance, we took it as they were stuck-up, holier-than-thou, racist, or any number of other excuses to explain their stand-offish behaviours. This is so even today although not nearly as pervasive as back then. (Although it is still so with a lot of "Aunties" still surviving in the void decks) This is because of more and more non-asians are moving into HDB estates, and more and more locals going overseas to universities and more and more attempting to speak English or variant thereof, which is still better than ignoring us altogether.

I have found that, if persistent, if you keep making the first move, eventually they will come around albeit slowly. So don't get discouraged. Remember one thing....... To you they are different. To them.....you are different!.

kirstyL · Post by **kirstyL** » Tue, 27 Mar 2007 6:10 pm

well i have been here for ages and never found thats its rude to point...been doing it all this time. As far as smiling...well most people just ignore each other here, but u mostly need to be careful smiling at other peoples wife or girlfriends they may get ofended. People will stare because we look different and they dont consider it to be rude, especially the kids...when i was young i'd get the bigeest beating for staring like that at people!

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