Will i really be able to survive the lifestyle?

[Swilling]

Would love some help on this please,

So i have an opportunity to come and work in Singapore for a couple of years. The job is great on every level and feels like the right step for my career. However, in the last 24 hours i've really found alot about singapore that might not be able to cope with.

im a 29 year old Australian born, but US citizen white male and live on a couple of acres in Northern California.

My main passion in life is building hot rods and muscle cars.
Turns out, there is no way i could bring one of my cars over based of the import laws and rules. I thought maybe i could bring my new Shelby over since its new and such... Not happening.

Ok what about the custom bike i built? that thing would be fun to rip around the city on. Apparently that wont happen either.

Ok so fun cars and bikes aside, i do like to shoot alot. Maybe i could get a couple handguns and go plinking at a range. Handgun ownership seems to be out of the question based on what i've read.

I love the Sun and hot weather. I dont even care about the humidity, but alot of the pictures i see its very cloudy all the time, are there good chunks of the year where you get nice strong sunshine?

Ok well at least i could bring my best friend and life companion , my dog....oh wait aminute.. He's an Akita.... Akitas are illegal in Singapore!!! What the hell???

It seems like everything i have an interest or passion for is basically not allowed there. Does not seem to be much of a heavy metal music scene there either?

Im sorry if i come off arrogant, but what do you guys do for fun?! Do any of you know someone like myself that has sustained life in Singapore?

This really is a serious question, as i would be there for a few years... it may better my life in the long term especially on a career level. but 2 years is a long time to be away from EVERYTHING that i care for.

Just hoping to hear a story from someone else who had the same scenario and a few "its really not that bad" pats on the back. As i really should take this job, but after all the stuff i found out about Singapore, then finally realize not even my DOG could come, has really just beat me down.

Appreciate anything you guys have to say about this...
Cheers
Sam

[JR8]

If there is a core to the issue I think it is that many of your pursuits are individualistic, and Asia tends to revolve more around the community, a controlled populace, and homogeneousness.

Your dog. Note that most SGns are culturally afraid of dogs.

The car/bike. If you could simply bring in and customise old stuff, half the country overnight would turn into a workshop trying to make a buck from the same thing. Hence the restrictions.

Handguns. Yeas there is at least one range where you can go and shoot. Owning your own guns and taking them home is probably another matter.

Heavy metal. Most Asians are forced into passivity and submission from birth onwards, and metal doesn't exactly go along with that. But yeah there's a decent low-key music scene (local bands, and passing through big stuff). What kind of metal-scene is there in Rhode Island?

Sounds like you've got a bit of a rock 'n roll lifestyle going on yourself I think in a way Singapore for many people is an opportunity, and upgrade they would never get elsewhere and they wish to stick with it. For many (most?) others, a posting to SG is an opportunity to get in for 3-4 years, earn a stack of $, then get the hell back out. Most of the latter will compromise if the $ are big enough.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Blood 'ell! does all that sh*t and don't drink at all! Course there are other pursuits of pleasure that he could partake of here. Birds, Booze, Diving, Skydiving, Climbing, trekking, drifting, gaming (gambling), it all here. It's just what you make of it.

[Mad Scientist]

+1

There are many things you can do here other than what you are doing now

To add, snorkeling, parachuting and maybe salsa ??

[Swilling]

Thanks for the replys guys, Yeah i realize it is what you make of it, but alot of the things you describe are somewhat touristy/holiday stuff. I guess i should just look at it like living in any other "city". Which is not really my style. I can handle San Francisco for about 3 days of the week but thats enough for me.

Can i get chewing tobacco there? i hear there is no spitting, is this true? If thats the case i bet they wouldnt allow dip, as thats basically all it promotes.

What about the caucasian female demographic? I'm gonna have to ditch my girlfriend before i leave. And not really into the Asian thing. Understood its an Asian country so im sure it would be predominantly Asian girls, but is there like places or bars us Expats constantly hang out at?

Do love a cold beer!

Thanks again for helping me out here, once again, apologies if i come off as arrogant or a dumbass, but i am happy to admit i know nothing about this place. Just trying to feel it out!

Cheers
Sam

[sundaymorningstaple]

These could be of interest to you.....

The Handlebar Restuarant

http://www.trustedopinion.com/restauran ... handle-bar

http://www.google.com.sg/images?hl=en&s ... 87&bih=808

Singapore HOG

http://www.hogsingapore.com/

[vozzie]

Don't want to pour cold water on your ideas, but ...

If you want same, same ... stay at home.

If you want to try something different ... not necessarily have to love it ... then come, make some money and go home better for the experience... even if it's just gaining more ammunition (no pun intended) to dump on Singapore and Singaporeans.

Hell, you might even get to like the place ... in a funny sort of way.

Do you think we don't miss beaches, sunshine, open roads, good music, unsensored TV etc etc ?

We have learnt to "cope" , and to enjoy the things that Singapore does provides, that our homelands don't.

It's up to you.

[aster]

First and foremost North Cal is cold compared to Singapore. Welcome to the tropics! Remember to leave your warm clothes behind as they won't come in handy here at all. There is never a day in the year (or time of day even) when it would be too cool to wear a short-sleave shirt and shorts. You can dip into an outdoor pool 24/7/365. Try that in North Cal during certain months and you will be bolting out of the pool shuddering in under 2 secs. flat...

Also, where you're currently at there aren't too many fun places to fly to (admittedly things would be much different if you were from Miami). You want to go shooting, try out various handguns, machine guns, etc.? How far away is Phucket? Man, you can blast away all you want over there. Hop over for a weekend on SilkAir...

Keep in mind you probably have the world's best airline and airport at your footstep here, so you get hop over to all sorts of islands and other great places. Thailand, Bali, Philippines? Even Australia is closer, and Perth is on the same time zone as Singapore.

You like boozing? Boy are you going to love the laws here, which don't restrict you from drinking in public.

As SMS mentioned, tons of things to do, and there are bike lovers here too.

[longstebe]

Eveybody has left something good behind. I miss a long list of things including going the match on a Saturday and getting bladdered. You adapt and soak up the new enviroment you have chosen. Give it a shot, 2 years in nothing.

[JayCee]

You like boozing? Boy are you going to love the laws here,

But not the prices!!

[JR8]

Eveybody has left something good behind. I miss a long list of things including going the match on a Saturday and getting bladdered. You adapt and soak up the new enviroment you have chosen. Give it a shot, 2 years in nothing.

Glad to see you back Stebe. Was wondering if some evil Thai crazy-woman had done away with you for all of your money or something

[valleyman]

On a side note...

Unlike many Indian newbies' with "clumsy" accents and "inane" questions about affordability, the OP's unique lifestyle related questions seem to have a lot of aspirational value for some of the regulars here... my my! The eagerness to help is impressive!!

No offence meant to swilling BTW...

[Swilling]

Thanks guys, this is really the kind of stuff i need to hear, as i said, maybe im just looking for a pat on the back to help me get past this point?

I agree with Aster, the winter here is pretty damn cold, not exactly my favorite time of year.

I really appreciate you guys helping me out here, and for what its worth, its nice to know that other people miss stuff from their homeland but still can move forward. Im coming off an 8 month break after a 2.5 year long job in Canada that i really disliked, and i swore to myself after that job i was going to stay as local as possible. Obviously that didnt work out so well as im posting on this forum!

I think my biggest problem right now is my dog....., he really is everything i live for. girlfriends come and go. But me and him are in for the long haul. I still don't know what to do about that one.

Anyhow....... i guess. Just want to say thanks for you guys helping out and listening.... i think it really helps.
Cheers
Sam.

[sundaymorningstaple]

On a side note...

Unlike many Indian newbies' with "clumsy" accents and "inane" questions about affordability, the OP's unique lifestyle related questions seem to have a lot of aspirational value for some of the regulars here... my my! The eagerness to help is impressive!!

No offence meant to swilling BTW...

Valleyman, I was wondering how long it would take......

There is a big difference between westerners and Indians, at least from my POV (I'm married to one, remember?) Most westerners put a very high value on lifestyle (even professionals) while most Indians put more on career advancement. Don't get me wrong, both matter to both but I would say career is not worth anything if the lifestyle you have to live detracts from it. I had to sell my boat when I came over here. I towed that Glastron all over the south of the US to fish, ski, wakeboard, party, whatever. It was a lifestyle that I had to give up. Same with my hobby of restoring cars & bikes. (Although I did manage to restore a '66 Mk 1 Mini Cooper over here back in the late '80's - but can't do that now after buying an HDB flat).

In my case it wasn't so bad, because my biggest hobby was paying me rather well and let me go diving all over the world. A far cry from the cooped up days as the city manager in DC for the largest tax preparation firm in the US at the time. So it worked out for me okay. We are passionate about our leisure time!

Oh, one other tendency as well. Those from the subcontinent tend to spam the inane questions all over a forum instead of a single thread. Why I've never quite understood. Guess they think we only look at a single forum/thread and ignore all the others.

[ev-disinfection]

Can i get chewing tobacco there? i hear there is no spitting, is this true? If thats the case i bet they wouldnt allow dip, as thats basically all it promotes.
You can spit into a cup and dispose of it, and yes, you can spit into the sink after you brush your teeth.

What about the caucasian female demographic? I'm gonna have to ditch my girlfriend before i leave. And not really into the Asian thing. Understood its an Asian country so im sure it would be predominantly Asian girls, but is there like places or bars us Expats constantly hang out at?
I am gonna bet, that you will be infected by the Asian Jungle Fever in around the 2nd week after arriving.


Do love a cold beer!
We have ice.........
and some metal.
http://www.metalunderground.com/news/de ... wsid=55539