Can it get much better than this

[Wind In My Hair]

Glad I could provoke a good thread, the Singapore folks I work with are very friendly, a lot of my time is spent regionally out of Singapore, my company pays taxes and rent as well as a local living allowance... Besides I came via the middle east and Africa as las assignments so I am very easy to please.........

I'm increasingly convinced that how happy you are depends less on your environment and more on the people you choose to hang out with.

[k1w1]

Wait until you see (contd):

How people rush into an MRT train and barge people coming out out of the way.
How some taxi drivers play psycho mind games with other drivers.
How the weather is basically the same every day of the year.
How a lot of serving staff wouldn't notice that you'd walked into a restaurant and were waiting to order (because you went and picked up the menu yourself) if you waved a flag right in their face.
How you can sit in cheaper restaurants or food courts and people will spit out piles of bones etc right onto the table in front of you.
How western styled restaurants often serve bilge, anything resembling authenticity does not kick in unless you're paying something like S$75+ a head.
How you can't get a decent sandwich
How people don't look where they're walking, so it's either you who has to perpetually weave, or they walk into you and then blame you for that.
How walking past HDB blocks you will endure a shower of rubbish being thrown from the windows above.
How you better just do what the government tells you to.
How if you go the grocers after 10am, every vegetable item will have already been handled and bruised by the 100 other people that came before you that morning, all looking for the perfect one.
How you can't get anything out approaching a pint of decent beer for under S$15.
How customer service from the likes of banks is astonishly poor, that's if you can understand the person you are speaking to at all.
How the consumer market is so under-developed. Look at options for say travel or general medical insurance and wince at the lack of choice and cost.
How there is as near as matters no consumer protection.
How a lot of SGns even friends are unable to hold any meaningful conversation.
How almost all the media is government controlled, pumping out soma for the masses.
How where you go, what you say, and what you write is all monitored.
How most of the local food is heavy and very oily.
How people 'chope' tables at food courts.
How many people lack the most basic graciousness or manners.

Anyway that was stream of thought, better not get me going or I'll write a list

The peeve that trumps them all for me is thieving landlords...

[Balnald]

Glad I could provoke a good thread, the Singapore folks I work with are very friendly, a lot of my time is spent regionally out of Singapore, my company pays taxes and rent as well as a local living allowance... Besides I came via the middle east and Africa as las assignments so I am very easy to please.........

I'm increasingly convinced that how happy you are depends less on your environment and more on the people you choose to hang out with.

Ah u see I have a lovely wife, not met many folks in Singapore yet

[JR8]

Glad I could provoke a good thread, the Singapore folks I work with are very friendly, a lot of my time is spent regionally out of Singapore, my company pays taxes and rent as well as a local living allowance... Besides I came via the middle east and Africa as las assignments so I am very easy to please.........

I'm increasingly convinced that how happy you are depends less on your environment and more on the people you choose to hang out with.

Ah u see I have a lovely wife, not met many folks in Singapore yet

Ah, guessed as much.

[ to WIMH]

[nakatago]

I'm increasingly convinced that how happy you are depends less on your environment and more on the people you choose to hang out with.

Ah u see I have a lovely wife, not met many folks in Singapore yet

Ah, guessed as much.

[ to WIMH]

honeymoon phase indeed!

[Wind In My Hair]

Ah u see I have a lovely wife, not met many folks in Singapore yet

Just stay away from all the negative expats and you'll be fine!

[ to JR8]

[longstebe]

Different people, different types of lists.
It's having the ability to adapt and accept, if not, don't slam the door behind you when u leave.

[vozzie]

Longstebe is right ... there are annoyances, but you can adapt to them.

I was just thinking of what a list about Australian (or UK or USA) annoyances would look like compared to this. I think locking yourself inside after dark, rapes, stabbings, road rage, taxes, louts, bogans and idiots etc well and truly trumps " oily food" and "aunties groping fruit".

I've done 18 months now and am still loving the opportunities that the island provides. The real test is when you have visitors arriving. Do you get excited at the opportunity of showing them around and sharing the culture with them? I still do.

[JayCee]

I disagree in part about adapting/accepting things here.

When I consitently see 70-80 year old uncles and aunties struggling to stand up on the train or bus when some 20 year old student sits there pretending to sleep or is too engrossed in their iPhone, that sort of behaviour isn't something I want to get used to or adapt to. Some things are just wrong, regardless of culture. I get used to them (sadly) but I don't accept them.

[x9200]

Longstebe is right ... there are annoyances, but you can adapt to them.

So for example, a pregnant lady is standing in a bus and 1m from her a local chap occupies a place for the pregnant/handicapped/elderly pretending he does not see her. Or a lift door gets opened and the crowd rushes in not allowing people to leave the lift. Or somebody jumps a cue just in front of you. So you are saying I should take no action and adapt. Adapt pretending it is all ok or also adapt adopting the behavior?

[x9200]

Ah u see I have a lovely wife, not met many folks in Singapore yet

Just stay away from all the negative expats and you'll be fine!

I guess he is out of luck already.
On the other hand probably 99% of these expats just need to vent out from time to time so there are not so many people truly negative around.

[vozzie]

So you are saying I should take no action and adapt

If you really want to know what I think, here it is:

Those annoying events you mentioned(and they happen also in AUS/UK/USA) are a reality and your choices are to either:


1. Try understanding WHY it's happening and live with it ... because it isn't a biggie
2. Try understanding WHY it's happening and try to change it ... because it is a biggie for you
3. Not bother trying to understand WHY and let yourself get pissed off


It's your choice, I'm not going to dictate how you should live.
But, for me ... I generally TRY to take the option 1. path ... although, being human, I often get trapped in options 3.

[sundaymorningstaple]

or both?

[JayCee]

So you are saying I should take no action and adapt

If you really want to know what I think, here it is:

Those annoying events you mentioned(and they happen also in AUS/UK/USA) are a reality and your choices are to either:

Sorry but I disagree strongly with this, say what you like about the crime or whatever in London or NYK (I can't comment on Oz as I've never been) but at least the people there have the manners to give up their seats to others who need it more and they have the common sense to realise that if they try and push onto the train as soon as the doors open then no-one's going to get anywhere

[x9200]

1. Try understanding WHY it's happening and live with it ... because it isn't a biggie
2. Try understanding WHY it's happening and try to change it ... because it is a biggie for you
3. Not bother trying to understand WHY and let yourself get pissed off

WHY? It is rather a common local behavior so you should have this answer. The understanding does not help and doing nothing you contribute to the problem, biggie or not. The last part being truly universal.