Singapore, an amazing country thread

[irvine]

Glad he got his comeuppance last night. Some superiority complex that was.

[Mad Scientist]

This guy got a place to study in France, I am sure if the college read his post on this and no doubt other forums and saw his true colours they would wonder what have the let into to the campus?

I actually though his constant inclination towards the military things were a bit scary.

I think it is his inferior complex got mixed up with his ego. I noticed after I screw him up and the other troll terenceong and tkhoo, they did not reply to me .
They rather have a go with SMS. Maybe because I am a Sger hence I understand what he is trying to do
Just one screw up kid on the block

[raden888]

Yea, his drivel with GDP figures makes me think he is a true PAP believer.,the ones who are completely brainwashed by local media hype.

I used to be one of them, until I went abroad at the age of 18 and realised that all is not what it seems.

Now after having lived in 3 continents and traveled to 5, I realised that you can be inspired from the goodness that radiates from each nation regardless of their wealth.

Luckily, SG has strict gun laws or I'm sure there would be a lot more Columbine type incidents....

[QRM]

Oh dear...its getting a bit embarrassing now. fatal attraction flash backs anyone?


UPDATE: for those that missed it our Troll friend came back under a not too smart alias name, his recent post has been deleted.

[ScoobyDoes]

4k sgd is the average wage in Singapore. Surely you do realise that Singapore is much richer than NZ and you should not impose your NZ standards of living here. And 1 out of 6 households do have an expatriate live in maid, take it from the BBC.

Sadly, your information is grossly skewed as you are including all the highly paid foreign workers (expats). The median income per "Singaporean" household is 5K/mo. There are no statistics for the population as a whole as it is to easy to skew depending of the demographics you use. The Census figures are the best indicators of what "Singaporeans" earn. Considering that most Singapore family units have a minimum of two wage earners (possibly a lot more as the wimpy children continue to live at home so their maids can continue to wash their diapers up into their mid thirties) so considering a median family household with and average of 2 wage earners, that would put the average singaporean salary around 2500-3000/mo.

It is even more official than that because from HDB's own figures they calculated the mean household income (HOUSEHOLD) of near on S$4,800. We know from PAP postulating that 85% of Singaporeans own/live in HDB ergo the mean HOUSEHOLD income for Singaporeans should be around the S$4800-5000 mark.

[k1w1]

4k sgd is the average wage in Singapore. Surely you do realise that Singapore is much richer than NZ and you should not impose your NZ standards of living here. And 1 out of 6 households do have an expatriate live in maid, take it from the BBC.

You're right. I shouldn't impose my own standards of living here. Singapore would certainly not do too well in that comparison, as I do not consider that being able to hear my neighbours cough, cook, or scream at their expatriate maids as part of a high standard of living.

As for which country's richer, well, you can piss that one up your own flagpole. I could care less what your GDP numbers (or the strait-jacket times) tell you. Urban homelessness is an issue in many large cities and Singapore is not exempt.

I was kind of hoping this was going to be a thread about the good things about Singapore. I think we all hear enough of the bits that irk us, and I've certainly jumped on that wagon enough. Truth is, there are a lot of great things about this country and I'm sure we all could've chipped in with some positive points.

Maybe the OP is homesick. As expats we all certainly know how that feels, and we all know how easy it is in that situation to romanticize "home".

[vozzie]

GEERANG wrote:

...The defence of Singapore will probably have to start from Malaysia and Australia/NZ/Indo will all chip in as well.

We weren't much help to you last time ....

[beenthere]

GEERANG wrote:

...The defence of Singapore will probably have to start from Malaysia and Australia/NZ/Indo will all chip in as well.

We weren't much help to you last time ....

Heh.

They snuck in from the back. That's why it Singapore needs to make nice with Malaysia.

[Global Citizen]

As for the Arizona thing, frankly, it's not shocking at all. When American Citizens are told they cannot work at Wal-Mart unless they can speak Spanish, in the USA, I think the laws need to be tightened up a whole lot more.

The truth is, not too many Americans are rushing in to be employed @ Wal-Mart even in the present state of economic crisis and that's a fact. The same can be said for the other lowly paid jobs (such as farm hands, or kitchen sanitation workers aka pot washers as they're usually paid below minimum wage) that these illegal immigrants are supposedly taking away. Seems to me the anger is misdirected. They should be going after the employers who're hiring these workers in the first place for breaking the law but it all translates to bigger profits, lower cost margins for these employers who can't find American workers to do these menial jobs for below par wages (sound familiar SMS?) and lower costs for the consumers. All a matter of supply and demand. If there are no jobs available for them and they weren't getting hired, these illegal workers would not be coming in.

Regulate and document your foreign labour and make the process less onerous on the employers and this has to come from the federal level and the US would have a far more workable situation. As for speaking Spanish, I agree. If you choose to make the US or any country on the planet your home, the onus is on the individual to learn the language of the country. Having said that however, Arizona is a border state and many of the shoppers @ Wal-Mart probably speak Spanish so it's a matter of catering to your customers and if I were a business owner plying my trade there, I would probably opt to hire someone bilingual versus monolingual to get more bang for my buck as it would make more business sense.

True. But most Singaporeans weren't brought up their entire lives on a British Military Camp like she was. That also why she speaks "English" as opposed to Singlish. So much so, that she's in constant demand by her employers to host their Golfing Functions and as you said, it's takes two to tango (so whether or not we do or don't get it on in our 60's isn't material as the production of offspring isn't normal then anyway. So, you are, as usual, just picking again, yeah! And as my daughter says, Mommy, TMI!

SMS at the risk of splitting hairs, I think there are quite a few of us who can speak both Singlish and decent English and make the 'switcheroo' quite seamlessly and we weren't brought up @ the Brit Military camp either and no, I wasn't educated abroad. Shame they're not on this board eh? Quite frankly I don't see the problem with Singlish as it's a part of our identity, if you like, with its mish mash of ethnic words but I do think it's important to be able to speak standard English as well and to differentiate when its appropriate to use what given the context. Not sure what that had to do with the lack of sex S'poreans are supposedly having Anyway, I wasn't 'picking' on you so much as I really couldn't care less what you do OR don't do between the sheets but challenging your statement. You put it out there and left yourself wide open for that one, you cantankerous codger, you.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Having said that however, Arizona is a border state and many of the shoppers @ Wal-Mart probably speak Spanish so it's a matter of catering to your customers and if I were a business owner plying my trade there, I would probably opt to hire someone bilingual versus monolingual to get more bang for my buck as it would make more business sense.

I wasn't actually referring to Wal-Mart in Arizona or any of the border states. I was actually referring to the Wal-Mart in my hometown in Maryland!?! All the checkout counters are notices posted in Spanish and English. Even the language on the checkout sign-you-name lcd thingys are in spanish. This is the middle East Coast less than 70 miles from the Nation's Capitol that I was referring to.

The solution to the wetback crises in the US is simple. But it one that won't get any politician elected and that's why it still exists. If they would cut off the welfare & food stamps then there would be plenty of Americans to do the so called "menial labour" jobs. That or they would starve to death. Oh, what about the children you say? If they knew they couldn't get more and more food stamps and welfare with each additional child, they'd soon stop haven'em would they. If they did that, we wouldn't need the BS they are trying to shove down our throats and they could even cut the tax rates by fully one-third. But we all know that ain't gonna happen.

Yeah, I'm an cantankerous crusty old curmudgeon, but what to do?

[raden888]

WOW...In MD?? That's just not on... I never get the mentality of some of the newbies..I mean, if you move to a new country , you should adopt the host country's beliefs and way of life. If that's not your cup of tea ,stay at home !!

The Latino situation is a bit tricky as they're the fastest growing demographics and very valuable during elections. They should at least master the English language if they're making USA their home but then if they're Mexican , they probably have a chip on their should with the whole " we're here to reclaim land that was ours in the first place" mantra.

I see it here too, newbies who try to impose their way of life on their hosts and if they don't get what they want, they play the whole race card....I'm so over it ....Get an education, get a grip on the language of your host nation or just get life!!!!!

Wow!! GC, a Singaporean?? Its enlightening to know Singaporeans with a broad mind moreover if the person is schooled locally...There is hope for Singapore. I hope your children inherit this lateral way of thinking

[Global Citizen]

The Latino situation is a bit tricky as they're the fastest growing demographics and very valuable during elections. They should at least master the English language if they're making USA their home but then if they're Mexican , they probably have a chip on their should with the whole " we're here to reclaim land that was ours in the first place" mantra.

I see it here too, newbies who try to impose their way of life on their hosts and if they don't get what they want, they play the whole race card....I'm so over it ....Get an education, get a grip on the language of your host nation or just get life!!!!!

Raden, there are scores of Mexican Americans who're legal citizens and have called the US home for generations. The histories of the two countries are intermingled. Can you imagine what this new law in Arizona would do to people who just happen to look a certain way but have every legal right to be there and to be subject to the humiliating id checks and the room for abuse? Arizona is fast becoming a police state and there's no way in hell I'll be visiting anytime soon or ever and spending my tourist dollars there. I happen to be light brown skinned and could be taken for a Latina. I remember reading somewhere this is a very real fear amongst the hospitality and tourism industries right now as the policy could very well backfire on the state as there could be a backlash. To add insult to injury, Arizona is now removing Ethnic Studies from the school curriculum.

Quote: [The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group.

For example, in the Mexican-American Studies program, an American history course explores the role of Hispanics in the Vietnam War, and a literature course emphasizes Latino authors.] End Quote. One has to question what are they so afraid of? Do you think you can just wipe away a history of the land by pretending it never happened just because it's convenient? More dirty politics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/1 ... 72864.html

Wow!! GC, a Singaporean?? Its enlightening to know Singaporeans with a broad mind moreover if the person is schooled locally...There is hope for Singapore. I hope your children inherit this lateral way of thinking

Thank you.

[Global Citizen]

I am concerned that hispanics may be singled out for ID-ing and the room for abuse by law enforcement. The scarcity of resources and the competition for it is rearing its ugly head in this tight economy.

I totally agree.

It is true that the illegals are taking away jobs from US citizens and not paying tax to help subsidize the public services they use. And illegals show their disrespect for the country's law by their presence. However restuarant bills, prices of food produce and services are kept low because we consumers are not paying for their benefits e.g. healthcare and livable salary. IMHO, it all evens out at the end of the day.

I don't know that they're actually taking away jobs that most Americans want or would be willing to undertake anyway. The prudent approach would be to go after the American employers who keep hiring them in the first place and who show blatant disrespect for their own country's laws.They need to fix that first. I really can't and don't blame the illegals as they're striving for a better future for themselves and their families and America was built on that very premise as the golden beacon of hope and liberty for a better life. Refer to my earlier posts above for a more detailed answer. There's an interesting article on all how of this impacts the food/restaurant industry. Worth a read.
http://blog.friendseat.com/how-does-imm ... -industry/

[sundaymorningstaple]

Raden, there are scores of Mexican Americans who're legal citizens and have called the US home for generations. The histories of the two countries are intermingled. Can you imagine what this new law in Arizona would do to people who just happen to look a certain way but have every legal right to be there and to be subject to the humiliating id checks and the room for abuse? Arizona is fast becoming a police state and there's no way in hell I'll be visiting anytime soon or ever and spending my tourist dollars there. I happen to be light brown skinned and could be taken for a Latina. I remember reading somewhere this is a very real fear amongst the hospitality and tourism industries right now as the policy could very well backfire on the state as there could be a backlash. To add insult to injury, Arizona is now removing Ethnic Studies from the school curriculum.

Quote: [The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group.

For example, in the Mexican-American Studies program, an American history course explores the role of Hispanics in the Vietnam War, and a literature course emphasizes Latino authors.] End Quote. One has to question what are they so afraid of? Do you think you can just wipe away a history of the land by pretending it never happened just because it's convenient? More dirty politics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/1 ... 72864.html

The law doesn't prohibit classes that teach about the history of a particular ethnic group, as long as the course is open to all students and doesn't promote ethnic solidarity or resentment.

That quote is taken from the article that you linked. From my view, it would make sense to teach all students of the contributions of other races, not that race to the exclusion of others. It's only all encompassing education that you can educate all move forward toward the elimination of, or at least reduce, racism or create acceptance among the different ethnic groups. Interesting enough, the same problem occurs here in Singapore to a degree in the allowing of Madrases which ultimately, tend to continue to marginalize the Malay ethnic group here as well, creating a mistrust of them that goes far beyond that which is healthy. Granted the Madrases are created on the pretext of religious differences, but the end result remains the same.

I will, however, agree to disagree. I've just become more and more disenchanted with my country over the past 3 years and the direction it's headed.

So, CG, do you espouse that every state that has a Mexican Border have Racial Oriented Classes that are only available to member of that ethnic group or Country? You do realize, then, that we would have to have special classes for Indians (not American Indians as they have their reservations if they want a purely Indian Cultural immersion). For Germans, Poles, Russians, Scandinavians, Cubans in Florida and New York, and every other nationality that happens to immigrate to the US in large numbers throughout her history? How about Chinese? They are very strongly entrenched in US history having helped to build the railroads across that vast nation. It's a slippery slope. Should the blacks have segregated school again? So that the can teach their version of the Slave Trade and their contributions to American? After what my country went through in the 1960-70's to eliminate that? When are the schools going to have time for reading, writing & 'rithmatic? If you come to America you should learn to speak American English, and learn American History with all the rest of the children and not to the exclusion of some. Unlike Singapore, who recognizes 4 languages and maintains a policy of having a 2nd language, the US has always been one language. A true melting pot in concept and not a collection of various ethnic groupings as is practiced here in Singapore.

However, on the other hand, Having lived slightly over half of my life in the US and almost half of my life in Singapore, I'm not so sure that NRIC's are such a bid idea anymore. Yeah, as a Yank it took me some getting used to initially but eventually it makes sense. The US is close to that with almost, if not all, states issuing driver's licenses with photo id's and the same photo id driver's license as an identity card with out the license affixed to it just for check cashing purposes. Wouldn't a national identity card be just as effective and probably more so. That way, a "search" is quickly done and whether or not you want to label it profiling is you business, but it the same that's done here in Singapore every evenings in every housing estate in Singapore. I know, because I'm a PA member and I often accompany the constables on their rounds in the estate and yes, they do use a form of profiling as well. Doesn't everybody? Do you blithely waltz into any ethnic crowd without a worry? Or are there some ethic crowds you tend to skirt around rather than walk through? Wonder why that is? We all do it, either consciously or unconsciously. Food for thought.

NB: I'm not real happy with the Immigration Law either.

[Superglide]

May I ask you why are you studying in a 3rd world country instead of being in the amazing Singapore?

Spot on, bingo, bulls eye.

This geerang, one dimensional, myopic moron is just to stupid to be true. The guy seems to get a hardon from reading and hearing the gahmen's doctrine.

What a wanker.

Going to France to get educated, says it all.