Can't fathom what's great about Singapore

[durain]

I have been with the same company initially in Indonesia then moved on to Thailand and now in Singapore. I am recommending our HQ to close Singapore office and to convert Bkk office into regional HQ.

hallelujah, the faster the better, for your sake.

[Global Citizen]

This has always been my own personal feeling, having friends in other countries I am often asked would I like to 'live' there? My answer is; I would like to spend time there but I am an Englishman first and nothing in this world will change that.

Plavt, your post reminded me of the song by Sting, "An Englishman in New York. " Great song.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=flWP28y2c ... re=related

[Plavt]

Plavt, your post reminded me of the song by Sting, "An Englishman in New York. " Great song.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=flWP28y2c ... re=related

Also used in the Rover 2000 advert in the UK, like you say great song.

[hk203]

I do not care whether you are Indonesian or whatever $hit but I think you certainly needs help. I am sure you are unable to compete with other FTs in Singapore hence you critize them in that manner...if you are gentleman, you should reveal your nationality instead of hiding behind the computer and critisizing other countries. I am 100% sure you are Indonesian though. But I am sure that you are a coward in your real life.

Whatever your diatribe on Indonesia. I love Indonesia (and also Thailand). I do have huge investment in Indonesian paintings which many were purchased through auction at Sotheby's and Christie's. If you know these two names and how much commission they typically charge for paintings, then you need not to doubt my professional ability.

If it matters to you, I am Belgian. I am proud of it and will never switch my nationality into any other nations; it's utterly unthinkable. Perhaps also this is the way we are brought up, to love our nation and not to switch nationality the minute we face hardship.

And if you have been to Belgium, then you will notice that we enjoy excellent cuisine/wine, take shower daily even during winter, listen to good joke, enjoy our good life and hide our financial assets from our tax men (after all it were Belgians who initiated putting money in Swiss banks decades ago).

Well, I have never regarded Indonesia as my country as they never regarded us ethnic Chinese as one of them. Will you still stay in a country who discriminates you on your daily life? Rob you? beat you for no apparent reason? burn your house down? rape your wife or daughter? no political involvement for Chinese? and many more...many Chinese has gone through this $hit...like I said before, you will know how we feel if you had gone through what he had GONE THROUGH!

[sierra2469alpha]

susah - thanks for posting the links and info. P

[hibri2]

Plavt, your post reminded me of the song by Sting, "An Englishman in New York. " Great song.

actually his post reminded me of "the hitchhiker guide to the galaxy"...

BTW, that song is great... sting is great...

its nice when mindless polemics bring out the art in our brains.

[Vaucluse]

Would like to hear the OP's views on Thailand after six months of residence.

I have been with the same company initially in Indonesia then moved on to Thailand and now in Singapore. I am recommending our HQ to close Singapore office and to convert Bkk office into regional HQ.

Indeed, Thailand is NOT a good place to have any kind of HQ, there is a reason why Singapore is consistently voted the best place in ASEAN to have an HQ and to do business.

Indonesia? No way in the world.


You're Belgian? Nice . . . excellent cuisine, friendly people, good beer . . . and a nice attitude of not having to play an important part on the world stage.
My five years working in The Netherlands were made much easier by the short drive to the Belgian border (or German border) for exactly what I mentioned above.

I don't agree with your opinion, but respect you for having one and articulating it well . . . hk203 could learn from that.


hk203 wrote:

I am 100% sure you are Indonesian though.

As sure as he/she/it was sure that I am monolingual.

[Global Citizen]

BTW, that song is great... sting is great...

its nice when mindless polemics bring out the art in our brains.

Yes, isn't it?

[Forks]

Well there certainly has been a lot of ugliness on this thread, and who said nationalism was dead in our globalized Mcworld?

[boffenl]

Indonesians and Malaysians are top property buyers in Singapore, comprising 19% and 20% of the foreign market, says Far East Organization (Source: Tempo)

Tempo article: http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasi ... 63,uk.html

[adven7]

For a global talent, your mentality is in wanting. Whether, you are in Indo, Thai or Sg, you are still a guest in these countries learn to adapt. If unable to take the heat, then do the SUMO ( Shut Up and Move On).

Still, hoping that you will learn to behave in your new location.

[Min_Ong]

All you serious people. tsk tsk. my profile and comment as a local.

- Firstly foods are tasteless.
you CANNOT be serious. you need me to bring you out to eat.
- People are ugly (Singapore definitely got bad genes)
I think I'm quite pretty.
- Many are smelly (you can smell the odor in MRT especially)
I smell really good. I use Nuxe on my hair.
- They are boring as hell. Singapore sit com is probably the dreariest in the world.
Ok, maybe we are quite boring, or peaceful to put it nicely. Maybe you should interact with locals and not judge us by our shitty sitcoms (since you put this 2 elements in the same line)? And there's a reason why I don't watch TV anymore. Go subscribe to cable, everyone has it. Shouldn't you be interesting enough to be out and about than audit our shows on a level of shittiness?
- Everyone craves to be "FIRST" in everything. Foreigners who are familiar with Singapore they would realize immediately the ad campaign of "FIRST to fly A380" couldn't come from any other airline other than from the airline of the Republic of Kiasu.
I'm not obsessed with number/status chase.
- First world in facilities, but third world mentality (the dictator and his family own/control/work practically in many major companies/organization from the Republic). It will take decades for them to realize this.
Who doesn't know? But if your dictator runs it well enough in most cases, as in ours from 3rd world to 1st in such an amazingly short time, what's the complain? I do agree we need to move on from such a political control esp since he's getting on age but we'll play by ear and see how it unfolds.

you can have the opinion that indon and thai are better for you only because you're a caucasian expat. and they probably worship the ground you walk on there. overhere, you're normal enough. so chill. and enjoy the ability to stagger home at 3am in the morning totally drunk and still have a 99% chance of not getting robbed. or leave your door open for the day and still find your home intact.

Everyone has their own semantic scales. why make your own life here so miserable.

[britexpat]

Singapore is a great place and it has got a 101 things going for it - but food is not one of them.

For a city of Singapore's size you would expect at least a single one-starred Michelin restaurant, but there are none.

In London there are 34 one-starred Michelin restaurants, five two-starred and one three-starred.

Since moving to Singapore I think my biggest disappointment is the food. Up-market restaurants are extremely expensive and the quality is not very good and mid-market restaurants (especially seafood such as Jumbo) are just awful.

[ksl]

Such unhappy people around, when they are not getting their OATS! My belief is that the faults, all live within us, and in general if one is unhappy they should just leave, without making such a fuss or work on being happy.

There are many places worse than Singapore, that's for sure. So one needs to make the most of bad situation if it is feeling that bad.

I recall being in the desert for 9 months before Dubai was put on the map, it was a punishment posting, which i loved, little does the guy that sent me there realise just how much i enjoyed it! I made the most of it and was actually sorry to leave, although many used to count the days off on the walls, above their beds, just like inside a prison.

It's just the way the cards are dealt and that goes for looks too, live with it, it's quite surprising how warm, generous and hospitable people are when you get to KNOW THEM, be it from any race, it takes effort to feel a part of any Country and if you cannot blend in and be happy, the blame must lie on ones own shoulders.

[Bafana]

Singapore like anywhere can get on your nerves.

It is a less forgiving place than most financially and control wise so the wearing thin happens more frequently the longer you are here.

First 6 months hated the place than got to understand its ways a bit and felt more at ease but just recently after nearly 6 years it is really starting to get on my nerves. Everything is going up except wages and the politics of doing business in Singapore is always a pain.