Expats, do you think Singapore is that boring place?

[sourisso]

well, im french, i just spent my holidays back in france in Paris, then in the south of france, then in my smaller home town... then came back here and on the first day back, asked myself what should i do.. didn't see much things to do except walking in shopping malls..

of course you can go on a malaysia island for week end sometimes, but well, you can't do that every day...

you say, dont compare to Paris, London.. ok... but smaller towns in uk or france are completely different from there too, when we go out there we are not just walking in giant shopping malls.. life there is just very different.. ok im not talkin about depressive villages in the country side..

of course "singapore is very easy" like the cab driver told me once, but not very exciting after a while.
what do you do apart workin and eatin ? people dont ever participate in political life, you cant drink or eat there and there, can't touch your gf a bit without auntie to stare at you for decades, you can find only movies or music approved by censor... "life of brian" from monthy python is BANNED here ! , CCTV on your ass everywhere...i find some singapore people so childish sometimes.. anyway only because of movies and music censoring you are missing a lot of things already..

of course posivite points around too, i like it. or at least, its different and i accept it. but its a fact that i have to give up a lot ot things.

so, yeah, singapore is good for business.

[Superglide]

Convenient, comfortable, safe and absolutely boring it is.

And lately it has become expensive as well in some regards.

Rents and such.

About time to move out I'd say.

[tfntennis]

Since Singapore is a boring, it could be an opportunity for some to start up something exciting. I am sure STB will help out if there is anything to boost the Singapore awareness. Just a business proposition.

[zjules]

A place is what you make of it.... I dont think its boring at all, and i hate shopping and 'Disney Style' entertainment... Theres plenty of activities, from walking trekking, biking, wake boarding and many other sports. Beaches to lie on, nature to see... Fair enough, if you hang out on orchard road, it will be boring. I bet there are hundreds of things to see and do that the people complaining that SG is boring have never seen. For example, the 'forgotten railway' that was mentioned in another thread.
Maybe stop sitting at home complaining and go exploring..

[jockney]

Is Singapore boring??
For me it depends what you class as boring?
I was born and raised in London and latterly lived and still am based in Scotland.
London too could be boring, and Scotland can be boring, but usually it was boring when I would not get off my backside and find something to do in the place.
When in London, it was expensive to do things, and not being able to afford to do certain things was boring, but on the other hand, there was plenty of beautiful buildings and sights to see for free and that was cool.
Scotland scenery is anything but boring.
I have been in Singapore since January and dont go to bars and at times it can be a little boring, but there are plenty of places to see here I am sure, but again I will need to get off my backside and go and find them!
I think I have seen very little of singapore and working and having a family will make my discovering the island of Singapore, last a bit longer!

[huggybear]

A place is what you make of it.... I dont think its boring at all, and i hate shopping and 'Disney Style' entertainment... Theres plenty of activities, from walking trekking, biking, wake boarding and many other sports. Beaches to lie on, nature to see... Fair enough, if you hang out on orchard road, it will be boring. I bet there are hundreds of things to see and do that the people complaining that SG is boring have never seen. For example, the 'forgotten railway' that was mentioned in another thread.
Maybe stop sitting at home complaining and go exploring..

there's no character to singapore and since cars are so damn expensive and the taxi situation is horrendous it's difficult to maneuver about ... sure you could use the bus system but i'm still trying to decipher the 500 page bus maps using the rosetta stone.

you're going to fight a losing battle if you're going to try to argue that singapore is an exciting and vibrant place. no one will agree with you.

the greater question is ... is boring bad? i'm sure there are a lot of people who like to lead dull, monotonus, dry lives with little to zero excitement.

[huggybear]

Is Singapore boring??
For me it depends what you class as boring?
I was born and raised in London and latterly lived and still am based in Scotland.
London too could be boring, and Scotland can be boring, but usually it was boring when I would not get off my backside and find something to do in the place.
When in London, it was expensive to do things, and not being able to afford to do certain things was boring, but on the other hand, there was plenty of beautiful buildings and sights to see for free and that was cool.
Scotland scenery is anything but boring.
I have been in Singapore since January and dont go to bars and at times it can be a little boring, but there are plenty of places to see here I am sure, but again I will need to get off my backside and go and find them!
I think I have seen very little of singapore and working and having a family will make my discovering the island of Singapore, last a bit longer!

in London there are exponentially many more things to do at all price levels. even something as hanging out exploring random stores in covent garden or checking out new bands in tiny venues (not paying $250 to see pop superstar acts in massive stadiums with fans who seem like they don't have a pulse). thousands more art galleries and shops to check out and more people watching to conduct. in NYC alone on any given night there are thousands of plays, concerts, operas, etc to check out. In singapore there's maybe one a night ... the idea of going to see a live band is more an exercise of seeing a cover band rather then original music. i explored singapore a bit ... for instance pulau ubin? takes about 10 minutes to explore after you spend about 45 min getting there one way. want to see arab street and smoke shisha? you'll be done in 30 minutes or less. want to explore the lower east side or one small part of New York City? You'll be there 8 hours minimum until the stores close ... then you go back the next week and new stores have opened for you to check out....and new designers you've never heard of with new ideas ...

let's be real though ... everyone needs a weekend of sitting in and doing nothing ...

[sourisso]

i'm sure there are a lot of people who like to lead dull, monotonus, dry lives with little to zero excitement.

but yeah, as soon as there is money for them, definitely...

[jockney]

London is a bigger place thats all.
It can be as equally boring, but both places are great to sight see, just that size of london makes more sights to see?
To see concerts in London you need to be well off financially I can assure you and thats speaking from experience.
I went back to London from Scotland for my 40th birthday(weekend) and I dont drink or smoke and there was no change out of 1000 stirling pounds! There was only me and my wife and young son and I can tell you it is very, very expensive!
The average londoner will go to few concerts and sights etc as it is too expensive just to live!
An occasional weekend home is great and I am waiting for one to arrive!!

[Superglide]

A place is what you make of it.... I dont think its boring at all, and i hate shopping and 'Disney Style' entertainment... Theres plenty of activities, from walking trekking, biking, wake boarding and many other sports. Beaches to lie on, nature to see... Fair enough, if you hang out on orchard road, it will be boring. I bet there are hundreds of things to see and do that the people complaining that SG is boring have never seen. For example, the 'forgotten railway' that was mentioned in another thread.
Maybe stop sitting at home complaining and go exploring..

I would have said the same 8 years ago, when I first came here.

And really: seen it, done it.

But believe me, there ain't much to discover after a while on 690 sqkm...

[eurobill]

I used to live in KL.... and that is not boring at all.

Now living in Norway. It is really boring, unless you like scenery and walk in the forest and maybe like sailing, or skiing etc...
Everything is expensive in Norway, except air for breathing and tap water.

Singapore, I don't think it can be that boring?

[sundaymorningstaple]

After 25 years? IT'S BORING!

[eurobill]

After 25 years? IT'S BORING!

Wow, must be 'old school' by now.

I checked out your link page and it was pretty useful.

[huggybear]

I used to live in KL.... and that is not boring at all.

Now living in Norway. It is really boring, unless you like scenery and walk in the forest and maybe like sailing, or skiing etc...
Everything is expensive in Norway, except air for breathing and tap water.

Singapore, I don't think it can be that boring?

i think similar to Norway .... in singapore you don't have an opportunity to be "exciting" or to do anything "dangerous." no matter where you live in the world you can always lead a boring life ... just sit on the couch and watch TV, go to work, eat, sleep. But only a few spots in the world you can go out at any time of night and do whatever you want (drugs, shopping, eating, see random people you've never seen before). If in singapore it's 2 am and you are hungry ... how many places can you eat at to grab a bite? how many different night clubs can you visit?

[ascq]

Not boring. It's what you make of it IMO.