Canada vs Singapore lifestyle

[vink2]

Tell me about the differences between Moldova and Burkina Faso.

This is my game and have no interest both in Moldova and Burkina Faso.

[Splatted]

Even now Singapore is counted in the same breath as Malaysia, Thailand or the Middle eastern countries, by Indians. It simply isn't treated on par with the rest of the developed world as location of choice to emigrate. Most people who are here are as a matter of accident rather than by choice.

I had trouble once diverting my overseas mobile phone bills to Singapore, as the phone company still thought of Singapore as part of Malaysia. Took a lot of phone calls to get it fixed. Same happened with a certain bank in Australia, who thought Singapore was part of Indonesia.

[Splatted]

I'm just dumbfounded by the idea of actually choosing Singapore as a place to live out your retirement...

Why not... food is relatively cheap, public transport is cheap. You're in close proximity to many interesting countries if you want to holiday.

I think if I could convince my dad to move here, his pension will go further than what does at present in Australia, where I have to send him money every month.

Only thing that might be expensive is rent - but I've got that covered already.

[movingtospore]

Service is better in Singapore.

Surely you jest.

[iamsen]

This thread makes me curious, can a retiree from Singapore adjust to the cold?

My parents will be retiring in a few years time, heck my mom may even retire this year. Factory owner had a stroke and is suddenly all new-agey about how 'we should enjoy life'.

I don't intend on ever returning, I don't even want to come here on holidays. There are better ways to waste money. I'm thinking of getting them a retirement home somewhere in the sticks in Japan. I wonder if they'll be able to handle the cold.

[Strong Eagle]

This thread makes me curious, can a retiree from Singapore adjust to the cold?

My parents will be retiring in a few years time, heck my mom may even retire this year. Factory owner had a stroke and is suddenly all new-agey about how 'we should enjoy life'.

I don't intend on ever returning, I don't even want to come here on holidays. There are better ways to waste money. I'm thinking of getting them a retirement home somewhere in the sticks in Japan. I wonder if they'll be able to handle the cold.

You can adjust to the cold but why would you want to? I'm a Canuck, left Canada at age 14. Remember it well... snow on the ground by late September, finally all gone by April... count those months... 6 months of winter... lovely in between, of course. When I left Calgary, it was on a Jan 3. The temperature was -33F that morning. It gets so ferking cold that people leave their cars running all night because even a block heater won't keep the oil thin enough to start the next day.

[zzm9980]

This thread makes me curious, can a retiree from Singapore adjust to the cold?

Canada cold? It's pretty miserable, as SE alluded to. But "cold" to a Singaporean is likely pretty broad. My wife grew up in Vietnam; similar climate to Singapore. Same summers, winters a bit chillier and a lot wetter. When she visited California in May/June, she was *freezing* and wanted the heat on. The temperature never dropped below ~18c, average 20-23c. So year, it's all perspective.

[JR8]

You can adjust to the cold but why would you want to? I'm a Canuck, left Canada at age 14. Remember it well... snow on the ground by late September, finally all gone by April... count those months... 6 months of winter... lovely in between, of course. When I left Calgary, it was on a Jan 3. The temperature was -33F that morning. It gets so ferking cold that people leave their cars running all night because even a block heater won't keep the oil thin enough to start the next day.

Ooh Calgary.... mmm. Had a high 'ol week there spring-skiing Goats Eye Mountain.

Would return at the drop of a hat - brilliant place.


p.s. Reminds me of Norway... you don't just live the outdoors, you feel the utter scale of it in your bones...

[iamsen]

Well I like the cold. I've never experienced sub zero but I think I'd still enjoy it. In fact, I handle the cold much better than most of the locals, except for that one lady from Hokkaido. But I think that's just youth power or something. I'm not sure someone in their 60s who've spent their netire life in sg can handle months of snow as is typical up in the mountains.

The weather's a strange thing. I remember as a kid waking up at 6am and thinking it was freezing. There even used to be a lot of dew around where I grew up in Toa Payoh. Now it's just sweltering hot all day long all year round.

[iamsen]

p.s. Reminds me of Norway... you don't just live the outdoors, you feel the utter scale of it in your bones...

The BBC had a piece recently where one Scandinavian country has this habit of leaving their toddlers to nap out in the cold because it's healthy or something.

[JR8]

Well each country seems to have their own idiosyncratic ideas...


p.s. edit to add -

It is quite possibly connected with getting UV light.

For example. The body uses UV in the synthesis of Vitamin-D. Lack of which causes a host of problems like rickets, depression, and so on. In northern latitudes in winter, there might only be daylight for 6hrs a day, during which many people are indoors. So that's the issue at hand. These days you can take supplements during winter. Prior to the synthesis of Vitamin D school-children would spend time (an hour?) a day in a special room fitted with UV lights.



http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-d-deficiency

[Wd40]

Well I like the cold. I've never experienced sub zero but I think I'd still enjoy it. In fact, I handle the cold much better than most of the locals, except for that one lady from Hokkaido. But I think that's just youth power or something. I'm not sure someone in their 60s who've spent their netire life in sg can handle months of snow as is typical up in the mountains.

The weather's a strange thing. I remember as a kid waking up at 6am and thinking it was freezing. There even used to be a lot of dew around where I grew up in Toa Payoh. Now it's just sweltering hot all day long all year round.

I think most people like cold for short durations, when you go on vacation to the Swiss alps etc

But going for short duration is one thing and living there is altogether a different thing. Cold and gloomy weather can cause depression especially the winters when days are really short and nights are long.

I am not sure about this, but I think there is a good reason why some of the oldest civilizations started in temperate climates. The Americas and the Australias became habitable only after the Europeans started exploring and making heavy use of modern technology.

[zzm9980]

I think most people like cold for short durations, when you go on vacation to the Swiss alps etc

But going for short duration is one thing and living there is altogether a different thing. Cold and gloomy weather can cause depression especially the winters when days are really short and nights are long.

I am not sure about this, but I think there is a good reason why some of the oldest civilizations started in temperate climates. The Americas and the Australias became habitable only after the Europeans started exploring and making heavy use of modern technology.

Which technology would that be? I would think it is just the navigation technology that helped them get there. Quite a bit of North America is similar in climate diversity to Europe. There have been people in Scandinavia and Russia as long as North America. And don't forget North America had native populations that were just as large as Europe.

As for cold in short durations... I think it is all what you're raised with. Since you're from India and likely know mostly people from there and here, then yes, your social circles would prefer cold in shorter bursts than the heat. Most of the people I know hate Singaporean (and Indian) heat, and would much rather deal with cold than hot. My wife is like you. Anything under 20c and she is 'freezing' and thinks our daughter is going to get pneumonia.

[Wd40]

I think most people like cold for short durations, when you go on vacation to the Swiss alps etc

But going for short duration is one thing and living there is altogether a different thing. Cold and gloomy weather can cause depression especially the winters when days are really short and nights are long.

I am not sure about this, but I think there is a good reason why some of the oldest civilizations started in temperate climates. The Americas and the Australias became habitable only after the Europeans started exploring and making heavy use of modern technology.

Which technology would that be? I would think it is just the navigation technology that helped them get there. Quite a bit of North America is similar in climate diversity to Europe. There have been people in Scandinavia and Russia as long as North America. And don't forget North America had native populations that were just as large as Europe.

As for cold in short durations... I think it is all what you're raised with. Since you're from India and likely know mostly people from there and here, then yes, your social circles would prefer cold in shorter bursts than the heat. Most of the people I know hate Singaporean (and Indian) heat, and would much rather deal with cold than hot. My wife is like you. Anything under 20c and she is 'freezing' and thinks our daughter is going to get pneumonia.

Actually, I myself like cold much more than heat. I have never lived in cold for long durations.

Its not the temperature in itself that I am worried about, it is the overall darkness and gloominess. You know, not seeing the sun for days.

Even though I hate the heat in Singapore, but if it rains here and is like cloudy all day, I can tell you, I will be longing for the sun and brightness, it cheers you up.

[x9200]

It is simply easier to survive in the mild-warm-hot climate. During winter the availability of food is rather limited and you need a better shelter. Not to forget that you also need to eat more.

Temperature-wise and the older age I believe it is easier to adapt to cold than to hot - it is simply easier to breath. The downside of the cold climate is that you can get sick (flu) and you can break your bones on a slippery sidewalk what at very old age could be a death sentence.