Dark side of Singapore?

Atina27 · Post by **Atina27** » Wed, 11 Feb 2009 4:45 pm

It's all a matter of perspective and depends on what you are used to. Like the concrete. I come from Houston, TX where they have freeways on the ground and in the air. I doubt anyone's ever seen so much concrete. And they don't plant any green around it. Here, they have a lot of roads, but at least there is TONS of greenery around them.

The taxis are convenient if you need them. But if you are a driver, they are horrible. Driving in Singapore is like playing a game of chicken all the time. The way the roads are designed, you cannot stay in one lane. You will be in a middle lane, and it becomes one of 3 turning right lanes. You finally get over after being stuck for 5 minutes because no one will let you in, and the next light you are in a left turn lane.

The car parks are frustrating. You cannot pull up to a parking lot and park in front of a store. You need to find a car park, which aren't always apparent. I have missed a lunch near one of the busiest intersections in Singapore because I couldn't find a car park close by. I was familiar with driving in the area, but not the car parks. Once you didn't find one, it takes 15 minutes to circle around to find your way back. Plan out your car parks! Always know where you are going. The streets are definitely NOT based on a grid system.

With all that said, it is a great place to live. I only say negatives because that is what was asked. Living in a place other than your home country is challenging for anyone. With the right attitude, it will be a positive and great experience!

Good luck!

girlabsolut · Post by **girlabsolut** » Fri, 13 Feb 2009 1:13 am

Well, I'm a local here, but what I can say is that cigarettes and alcohol are very expensive in Singapore, and there's not much of music events to go for.

And like what others have said, it's crowded everywhere. To add something new- if you happen to be plus-sized, you won't find fashionable clothes much over where. Everything's mostly Size UK 14 and below.

carteki · Post by **carteki** » Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:09 pm

Atina27 wrote:With all that said, it is a great place to live. I only say negatives because that is what was asked. Living in a place other than your home country is challenging for anyone. With the right attitude, it will be a positive and great experience!

Then again, living in your home country could be a challenge for you too...

Singapore has many plus sides - it is ordered, things tend to work the way they should, the infrastructure is great (for the people who moan about the road system, maybe they should just take public transport or taxi's), but it is an ordered island. I love going to Malaysia to get my dose of chaos and just to remind myself that rest of the world is still "normal". If you start looking there are an amazing amount of things to do. The lack of beautiful beaches is a problem, but seriously, that is not an issue. As a city it is one of the greenest that I have ever lived in. It is a CITY of 4.6m people. There are amazing open spaces and options for getting out and about are good.

There are certain things that the government clamps down on for "the public good" and unless you're a born hell-raiser they should leave you alone. I noticed the positive effect that the ban on the sale of chewing gum in SG has had when I was in the US. It is on a par with smoking in terms of being anti-social behaviour and in some cases even worse because the "suprise package" left under a table / chair can last for months afterwards.

morenangpinay · Post by **morenangpinay** » Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:03 pm

i m not really not happy here, i just find the materialism too much. and the attitude of people as opposed to my own country is very diverse. so its hard to be adjusted.

irvine · Post by **irvine** » Tue, 10 Mar 2009 9:46 am

Lately I've observed... the locals here can be quite a conditioned bunch. Examples:

1. In ground floor Cineleisure mall, you'd have to line up in a special lane just to use the elevator. I refused to line up, and will rather take the escalators even though I was going to the 7th floor. I.e. refused to be conditioned.
2. The locals will almost never break or even bend any law for fear of fines, jail, or both.
3. I find almost all of my local colleagues who will do everything to protect themselves for fear of reprimands from the boss. This include finding all kinds of possible excuse to defend themselves.
4. In the hawker centres, in malls, in box offices, people line up like a good citizen. But when their bus or mrt comes, everybody rush to it without giving way to older people or pregnant woman. After they get a seat, they also usually fall asleep immediately or plain ignore those who need the seat more.
5. The gahmen (government) says this, and that..
6. The Hdb govt subsidized flat - how you can purchase, rental, etc. I wouldn't even go into that now.

morenangpinay · Post by **morenangpinay** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:41 am

lol

i witnessed one guy sitting on the "priority seat" in the mrt refuse to stand up when a teenager was asking him to give up his seat to an old lady who was standing infront of him with loads of bags.....

that kind of incident pisses me off.

Dealer · Post by **Dealer** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 1:02 pm

DaisyRae wrote:I'm a girl who likes the beach and sadly, Singapore only has artificial beaches to offer.

I know what you mean, where is the nearest natural beach to Singapore that's not wall to wall people?

Dealer · Post by **Dealer** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 1:09 pm

Callalily wrote:i miss country lanes, fields, seasons and sheep!!!

Thank god you are female as no man would ever admit missing sheep unless they were Australian.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 3:41 pm

The kiwi's will!

sierra2469alpha · Post by **sierra2469alpha** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 3:45 pm

With the price of lamb up here - I sure miss them!

milleplateaux · Post by **milleplateaux** » Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:35 pm

Shops in Sim Lim Square!

maneo · Post by **maneo** » Fri, 13 Mar 2009 1:42 am

Atina27 wrote:The taxis are convenient if you need them. But if you are a driver, they are horrible. Driving in Singapore is like playing a game of chicken all the time.

Driving in Shanghai is a piece of cake.
For a challenge, try driving in Shanghai.
Have heard the same about driving in Italy, Jakarta.
It's all relative.

Atina27 wrote:The car parks are frustrating. You cannot pull up to a parking lot and park in front of a store. You need to find a car park, which aren't always apparent. I have missed a lunch near one of the busiest intersections in Singapore because I couldn't find a car park close by. I was familiar with driving in the area, but not the car parks. Once you didn't find one, it takes 15 minutes to circle around to find your way back. Plan out your car parks! Always know where you are going. The streets are definitely NOT based on a grid system.

Try an online map site to plan your driving (and parking), such as:
http://www.map.gov.sg/StreetMap/

Splatted · Post by **Splatted** » Fri, 13 Mar 2009 1:55 pm

ksl wrote:Not forgetting very greedy landlords! Read every word of the contracts!

Just to reiterate what KSL said. Laws in Singapore are rather p*ss-weak compared with other parts of the world where tenants are protected from unscrupulous landlords.

idhenners · Post by **idhenners** » Sat, 14 Mar 2009 4:28 am

I'm surprised noone has mentioned taxation on alcohol yet

Dealer · Post by **Dealer** » Sat, 14 Mar 2009 4:01 pm

idhenners wrote:I'm surprised noone has mentioned taxation on alcohol yet

Good point and when I sober up I will have a rant about the price of gin, hic!

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Dark side of Singapore?

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