Can it get much better than this

[boffenl]

Hey, eight bodies in eight weeks discovered in Singapore. We all have things we either ignore or learn to tolerate. As a foreigner was a kid in local school I guess I do take a more jaundiced view on social interactions. I don't allow my 9 yo to sit in the reserved seat even when she's offered it. If anyone need it--it's ME! People seem surprised, but it's not like she's carrying groceries or worked all day digging ditches. She's a kid for God's sake.

My husband also tells off anyone trying to enter the MRT door before people get off. No-one has EVER said anything back. He's also made guys stand to give the seat to older people. But I guess 6 foot ang moh would make anyone move?

[nakatago]

But I guess 6 foot ang moh would make anyone move?

Gaijin smash?

[JR8]

Assaulting a police officer, and GBH are no longer arrestable offences in the UK.

Unbelievably.

This goes back to there being a (toxic) level of acceptable crime.

When did this happen? Any links?

No links at hand and cannot search right now due to bandwidth issues. But it was probably in the Telegraph.

I hope I haven't got arrestable confused with jailable. Which ever it is it is ridiculous. Criminal justice dictated by jail capacity!?

[the lynx]

But I guess 6 foot ang moh would make anyone move?

Gaijin smash?

sad but true...

[vozzie]

Wow ... I've been away for a day or so and this thing has gone berserk.

Vozzie, do you never let anything annoy you (apart from things that have been set to intentionally annoy you)?

Contrary to many reports in the press, I am human, and, yes, I certainly get bent out of shape ... don't get me started on why my body has become a Singaporean magnet on the sidewalk !!! I feel like I'm inside a pinball machine all the time.

However, in this particular circumstance, I have forced myself to:

1. Understand why they do it ... they have obviously not been taught/encouraged/enforced to walk on one particular side of the footpath. So I can't really get angry at them (although I sometimes do)
2. Consider whether I can do something about it (like SMS suggests) ... or, as I'm lazy , whether I can bother doing anything about it. And the answer, in this particular situation, is no. So, I adapt ... and laugh about it most of the time.

This way, at least, I'm not continually pissed off , stressed and angry ... life is too short.

[Brah]

voz, it is an enigma with no other rationale than utter denseness, so don't try to make sense of something that to those it never even occurs to.

The best way to deal with it is to (as with most things here) lead them by walking on the 'right' side of the road (whatever that means in the place you're at, sometimes it's not clear but you would hope it's always to the left), look them straight in the eye and do not break your pattern. Feel free to run into them at full speed and trample feet, etc., then remind them to be careful next time.

If you're holding a cup of hot coffee or other beverage it gives them even more incentive to GTFOOTW.

Try it, it works every time, even in those petty kiasu challenges you find yourself unwilling drawn into.

This from a foreigner who is not 6-feet or taller....

[nakatago]

Wow ... I've been away for a day or so and this thing has gone berserk.

Vozzie, do you never let anything annoy you (apart from things that have been set to intentionally annoy you)?

Contrary to many reports in the press, I am human, and, yes, I certainly get bent out of shape ... don't get me started on why my body has become a Singaporean magnet on the sidewalk !!! I feel like I'm inside a pinball machine all the time.

However, in this particular circumstance, I have forced myself to:

1. Understand why they do it ... they have obviously not been taught/encouraged/enforced to walk on one particular side of the footpath. So I can't really get angry at them (although I sometimes do)
2. Consider whether I can do something about it (like SMS suggests) ... or, as I'm lazy , whether I can bother doing anything about it. And the answer, in this particular situation, is no. So, I adapt ... and laugh about it most of the time.

This way, at least, I'm not continually pissed off , stressed and angry ... life is too short.

That...the astounding thing about it is they see you, you're both walking at a reasonable pace and they still to manage to walk into you. The many times I looked like dancing because I had to resort to evasive manuevers. Martial arts skills in Singapore are not used in defending yourself from an attack but to avoid homing pedestrians.

[the lynx]

Wow ... I've been away for a day or so and this thing has gone berserk.

Vozzie, do you never let anything annoy you (apart from things that have been set to intentionally annoy you)?

Contrary to many reports in the press, I am human, and, yes, I certainly get bent out of shape ... don't get me started on why my body has become a Singaporean magnet on the sidewalk !!! I feel like I'm inside a pinball machine all the time.

However, in this particular circumstance, I have forced myself to:

1. Understand why they do it ... they have obviously not been taught/encouraged/enforced to walk on one particular side of the footpath. So I can't really get angry at them (although I sometimes do)
2. Consider whether I can do something about it (like SMS suggests) ... or, as I'm lazy , whether I can bother doing anything about it. And the answer, in this particular situation, is no. So, I adapt ... and laugh about it most of the time.

This way, at least, I'm not continually pissed off , stressed and angry ... life is too short.

That...the astounding thing about it is they see you, you're both walking at a reasonable pace and they still to manage to walk into you. The many times I looked like dancing because I had to resort to evasive manuevers. Martial arts skills in Singapore are not used in defending yourself from an attack but to avoid homing pedestrians.

Reminds me of Jackie Chan doing his thing. Now where can I find that darned gif file to put it here....

[nakatago]

Wow ... I've been away for a day or so and this thing has gone berserk.
Contrary to many reports in the press, I am human, and, yes, I certainly get bent out of shape ... don't get me started on why my body has become a Singaporean magnet on the sidewalk !!! I feel like I'm inside a pinball machine all the time.

However, in this particular circumstance, I have forced myself to:

1. Understand why they do it ... they have obviously not been taught/encouraged/enforced to walk on one particular side of the footpath. So I can't really get angry at them (although I sometimes do)
2. Consider whether I can do something about it (like SMS suggests) ... or, as I'm lazy , whether I can bother doing anything about it. And the answer, in this particular situation, is no. So, I adapt ... and laugh about it most of the time.

This way, at least, I'm not continually pissed off , stressed and angry ... life is too short.

That...the astounding thing about it is they see you, you're both walking at a reasonable pace and they still to manage to walk into you. The many times I looked like dancing because I had to resort to evasive manuevers. Martial arts skills in Singapore are not used in defending yourself from an attack but to avoid homing pedestrians.

Reminds me of Jackie Chan doing his thing. Now where can I find that darned gif file to put it here....

[BillyB]

Wow ... I've been away for a day or so and this thing has gone berserk.

Vozzie, do you never let anything annoy you (apart from things that have been set to intentionally annoy you)?

Contrary to many reports in the press, I am human, and, yes, I certainly get bent out of shape ... don't get me started on why my body has become a Singaporean magnet on the sidewalk !!! I feel like I'm inside a pinball machine all the time.

However, in this particular circumstance, I have forced myself to:

1. Understand why they do it ... they have obviously not been taught/encouraged/enforced to walk on one particular side of the footpath. So I can't really get angry at them (although I sometimes do)
2. Consider whether I can do something about it (like SMS suggests) ... or, as I'm lazy , whether I can bother doing anything about it. And the answer, in this particular situation, is no. So, I adapt ... and laugh about it most of the time.

This way, at least, I'm not continually pissed off , stressed and angry ... life is too short.

Personally, and without wanting to trigger reaction from the locals here, I think it's 80% blissful ignorance / arrogance, 20% stupidity. You wander the streets in Sydney, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, UK - any Country with a mix of races, and you don't get a fraction of the 'sidewalk stupidity' you get here. In fact most places you'll even get a smile as you walk past!!

My biggest annoyance is when you are walking straight and you have someone on the the outside of you who wants to cross the road or turn across you. Rather than waiting a split second, dropping their stride and simply cut in behind you - they decide to cut right in front of you and walk across you, going out of their way to prove a point. Try giving their back leg a little clip and watch them throw their toys out of the pram!

Or another thing - families, with buggies, stopping at the bottom or top of escalators, or right in front of a door way, entrance or lift. Even though those fall into the 20% category, and it's not malicious, it still makes me laugh!

And while I'm at it - people who are walking three wide and slowly, and one of them turns round and sees you behind, obviously wanting to get past and you think they'll tell the others to move across. But nothing!! They just carry on regardless. To me that is pure ignorance.

Ooohh, I feel much better now!!

[Brah]

Sigh....

Well I don't feel much better reading this, it just reminds me of what I also see every day I go out on the streets, without fail.

You're being benevolent with your 80/20, I'd call it lower. I hate that I have to agree with everything else, it's a constant, cumulative grind and irritant - nothing so serious to leave about, but enough to put one off public places.

[, I think it's 80% blissful ignorance / arrogance, 20% stupidity. .... you don't get a fraction of the 'sidewalk stupidity' you get here. In fact most places you'll even get a smile as you walk past!!

My biggest annoyance is when you are walking straight and you have someone on the the outside of you who wants to cross the road or turn across you. Rather than waiting a split second, dropping their stride and simply cut in behind you - they decide to cut right in front of you and walk across you, going out of their way to prove a point. Try giving their back leg a little clip and watch them throw their toys out of the pram!

Or another thing - families, with buggies, stopping at the bottom or top of escalators, or right in front of a door way, entrance or lift. Even though those fall into the 20% category, and it's not malicious, it still makes me laugh!

And while I'm at it - people who are walking three wide and slowly, and one of them turns round and sees you behind, obviously wanting to get past and you think they'll tell the others to move across. But nothing!! They just carry on regardless. To me that is pure ignorance.

Ooohh, I feel much better now!!

[Manthink]

Ooohh, I feel much better now!!

Billy, I noticed your signature tagline...something just doesn't add up.

[Addadude]

...it's a constant, cumulative grind and irritant - nothing so serious to leave about, but enough to put one off public places.

Nail on the head.

Objectively speaking, Singapore has no serious issues. It's a modern city with every possible convenience. The weather is great (if you hate the cold like me). English - or a version of it - is spoken everywhere. The rule of law works so things make sense. It's clean, green (for a city) and in general you won't have any trouble unless you go looking for it. Cars are too expensive? No problem - public transport here is pretty damn efficient. Booze costs way too much? Eat local and what you save on food can go on beer. Anyway, personal taxation is so low it more than makes up for Western things being more expensive.

So, what's not to like about Singapore?

The tiny little problems that we are talking about here. And really, in the great scheme of things, these rather petty issues are insignificant... but... they all add up. It is a cumulative thing as Brah says and it is relentless. (If anything, this people bumping thingy has gotten worse over the last 5 or 6 years and I have personally encountered a growing aggressiveness from the local population.)

As SMS has mentioned before, there does seem to be a certain maximum tolerance level beyond which we can no longer deal with these cumulative annoyances (and the level is different per individual). Once that level is breached, it's time to pack up and go.

However, I also feel that is very easy to fall into a downward spiral by continually bitching about these problems with other like-minded people. What starts out as a letting off of steam evolves into a negative feedback loop that hastens your departure time.

Just look at the Angry Board - you can actually see people gradually talking themselves out of a very cushy expat role because they become obsessed with all things negative about Singapore.

[JR8]

[

... without wanting to trigger reaction from the locals here,

I reckon that was a bit of a fail then

[BillyB]

...it's a constant, cumulative grind and irritant - nothing so serious to leave about, but enough to put one off public places.

Nail on the head.

Objectively speaking, Singapore has no serious issues. It's a modern city with every possible convenience. The weather is great (if you hate the cold like me). English - or a version of it - is spoken everywhere. The rule of law works so things make sense. It's clean, green (for a city) and in general you won't have any trouble unless you go looking for it. Cars are too expensive? No problem - public transport here is pretty damn efficient. Booze costs way too much? Eat local and what you save on food can go on beer. Anyway, personal taxation is so low it more than makes up for Western things being more expensive.

So, what's not to like about Singapore?

The tiny little problems that we are talking about here. And really, in the great scheme of things, these rather petty issues are insignificant... but... they all add up. It is a cumulative thing as Brah says and it is relentless. (If anything, this people bumping thingy has gotten worse over the last 5 or 6 years and I have personally encountered a growing aggressiveness from the local population.)

As SMS has mentioned before, there does seem to be a certain maximum tolerance level beyond which we can no longer deal with these cumulative annoyances (and the level is different per individual). Once that level is breached, it's time to pack up and go.

However, I also feel that is very easy to fall into a downward spiral by continually bitching about these problems with other like-minded people. What starts out as a letting off of steam evolves into a negative feedback loop that hastens your departure time.

Just look at the Angry Board - you can actually see people gradually talking themselves out of a very cushy expat role because they become obsessed with all things negative about Singapore.[/quote

You are exactly right.

We all like to have a bit of a rant every so often but, for me, that's as far as it goes. I'll hold my hands up and say that I love it here - of course there are things that p*ss me off but I'm not going to let people who have no bearing on my life wear me down so I get to the point where I'd rather cut off my nose to spite my face and leave.