Culture Shock - Arriving in singapore

[Wd40]

When you want to transfer money from one bank to another, there are times when you have to do it physically by cash, because wire transfer costs money. Although internet banking is free, not everyone is internet savvy and I think there are limits on how much you can transfer, I think the default limit is 5k, may be that can be increased.

Yes, you can do it using cheques, but in case of POSB, you need to open a seperate checking account link it to your savings account and then either maintain $2k balance or pay $2 every month. A savings account without cheque facility, you can keep just $500 for as minimum. Also cash is quick, cheques are hassle.

The way I operate is, I have normal POSB savings account without cheque book facility and this account is my primary because there are POSB/DBS ATMs everywhere.

I also have a standard chartered overdraft facility checking account. No minimum balances. I can withdraw upto $3k without paying interest and it has cheque book book facility for free. This is the account I use, if I ever have to issue cheques, which happens only when I am signing up a new lease. In fact this account also pays interest. I wonder why should anyone open a savings account with minimum balance then

[sundaymorningstaple]

Another reason that happens often is cash flow between companies. Often one parent company has more business than a subsidiarity and in order to meet payroll on time, even if the two business accounts are in the same bank, a cheque drawn on one and deposited to another will not clear the same day, but the next day, while if you draw a cash cheque and then deposit the same case with a deposit slip for the other company, it will be instantaneous as soon as the teller keys in the deposit. Makes me laugh every time we do it. Of course, if it's two different banks, it still works the same way, except it would take 3 days for the cheque to clear while depositing cash is instant as well.

If you write a cash cheque, on the other hand and give the teller a deposit slip and the cash cheque, (both accounts in the same bank) it will STILL take one day, hence you have to physically grab the cash and then give it back to them with the deposit slip (written as a cash deposit - not a cheque deposit).

[zzm9980]

Maybe. It wasn't re-deposited immediately at the same bank. And WD40 I don't think it had anything to do with minimum balance requirements. It was $105,000 SGD.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Maybe. It wasn't re-deposited immediately at the same bank. And WD40 I don't think it had anything to do with minimum balance requirements. It was $105,000 SGD.

.

They were probably tukaran wang covering a large exchange.

[JR8]

- People prefacing things with the plodding slow 'Well actually...'
[i.e. 'Well, Ec-tu-ally, (inhale)... ]', or 'Basically - [inhale]... '. I think it's a holding phrase while they consider what to say. I'd be interested to hear what a professional linguist explained it as [linguistics is a long-time but casual hobby/interest of mine].

- The papers (front page, top left) with an article head-lined 'Government to... '. I think that's twice in one week.

- Havaianos - A high-rent retail unit, let to a brand selling rubber flip-flops

- 'Lovemark: A promise of a kiss' (a premium sub-brand at a local jeweller). Considering this wit all the diamond-cut sub-brands.

- Chester Loren (with an accent on the E of Chester, i.e. pron: 'Chay-ster)). A shirt-brand.

- 2 young female members of staff at Robinsons, hiding at aisle ends, or almost within aisles of clothes, SMSing on their phones!!?

- Obese young Sgns (I didn't see *anything* like this frequency in Europe).

- Chicken murtabak. So big I couldn't finish it (unusual).

- food-court stall 'Chippy Happy Food', just along from 'Best Fries Forever'.

- A food-stall called 'NamNamtiquette', Vietnamese apparently. As you queue (again) their is a big sign explaining the '6-Steps of how to order'. Thinking again... 'Why do I need to be led or coached in how to order...?'. Selling a brand, above selling a cuisine?

- a tall old (70s) building at Stamford/Hill, with no windows, and 'enter and you'll be shot' signs. Not a shopping mall then!

- Several storeys of scaffolding, seemingly permanent, on top of the SingTel building at Killiney Road. Been like that for years it seems... presumably a reason for this visual scar on D9s horizen.

- Very flat light in the hotel and public places (low energy bulbs?) I'm having a heck of a job reading stuff indoors, that would usually not be a problem.

- proximity/swipe cards, MRT, room key, debit card. Never having had one before if I have three in a layer in a wallet, can one interfere with another if I swipe my wallet? (One of them, the MRT card I think? ... suggested this IIRC).

- Sales people lunging at me at the MRT (to sell bank cards, credit cards etc).

- Super-stilletos

- A teenage couple in a lift, fixated, dithering, trembling into each others eyes ( a repeat experience!). Yah, odd!

- Daiso, $2 shop. Fun! Some whacky NE Asian trade-marks.

[Brah]

Thought of this thread when out and about around town today, thought I might add some of my own, after comments

- People prefacing things with the plodding slow 'Well actually...'

Or, just "actually", which sounds pretty stupid most of the time.

Me, to a few weeks back, to waitress (young Filipino lady at a chic bistro): "Where's the Men's room?"
She: "It's actually on the second floor".

"Actually?" It was before coffee so I didn't critique her as I normally would. "Is it 'actually' on the the second floor, or is it on the second floor?"

Right up there with 'manage', as in, "...did you manage to <do>?" versus "...did you <do>?"

I respond to that "I didn't manage anything, I just did it."

- A food-stall called 'NamNamtiquette', Vietnamese apparently.

Actually (there I go...) the place is called NamNam, which I thought was a pretty clever a play on the now stale "Nom Nom" meme.

- Super-stilletos

Funny how popular those Laouboutins or whatever they're called, with the now trite red soles, have become but just don't look as good as the wearers probably think they do, the duck stance doesn't help either (you see a lot of both downtown where I seem to be more often these days)


Now for my observation:
On the bus this morning, local guy, early 50s, dressed respectably in business wear, talking more than a little too loudly and a little too long than socially acceptable into his phone, barking orders. The distinct impression that he was also speaking so that those of us around him would hear and ostensibly be impressed. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but that's what I picked up from him.

I had another observation I though to write down so I'd remember to post, but I didn't and forgot it.

[Strong Eagle]

Now for my observation:
On the bus this morning, local guy, early 50s, dressed respectably in business wear, talking more than a little too loudly and a little too long than socially acceptable into his phone, barking orders. The distinct impression that he was also speaking so that those of us around him would hear and ostensibly be impressed. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but that's what I picked up from him.

Too bad you couldn't tell if he was actually talking to someone.

[the lynx]

Now for my observation:
On the bus this morning, local guy, early 50s, dressed respectably in business wear, talking more than a little too loudly and a little too long than socially acceptable into his phone, barking orders. The distinct impression that he was also speaking so that those of us around him would hear and ostensibly be impressed. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but that's what I picked up from him.

Too bad you couldn't tell if he was actually talking to someone.

I had the pleasure to observe one of such guys doing it in the MRT and the phone rang mid-conversation! I'm not sure who had the heart attack - me trying to hold a delirious laugh, or him being mortified.

[the lynx]

- proximity/swipe cards, MRT, room key, debit card. Never having had one before if I have three in a layer in a wallet, can one interfere with another if I swipe my wallet? (One of them, the MRT card I think? ... suggested this IIRC).

If you know how to place your cards in such a way that the machines are able to detect the cards on different sides of the wallet, it can work. I actually do that for my cards.

But I'd personally think that it is better that you take them out when you want to use them because it will not be a lovely sight if you hold a queue behind you when the machine fails to to read your card inside your wallet and you have to fumble to fish it out.

I had had enough of clueless lazy bones, who are obviously too lazy to take their cards. out of their wallets, inside their handbags and are also too stupid to know how to manipulate the position of their cards inside their wallets to pull that off.

[zzm9980]

- A food-stall called 'NamNamtiquette', Vietnamese apparently. As you queue (again) their is a big sign explaining the '6-Steps of how to order'. Thinking again... 'Why do I need to be led or coached in how to order...?'. Selling a brand, above selling a cuisine?

Nam Nam Noodle House? In City Hall and Wheelock? It's actually pretty good, and the wife approves. She even confirmed there are authentic Vietnamese cooking in back (but not serving). The banh mi are decently cheap and good, and the wagyu pho is amazing.

I think those six steps of 'etiquette'/rules are required for the locals given the style of how they serve. Fill out your order paper, go up and pay, etc. Wait to be seated. If they didn't have that, rude people would be running all over caused more chaos than already exists there.

[Sergei82]

- Chicken murtabak. So big I couldn't finish it (unusual).

Where? I also want!

[Steve1960]

I just returned from a business trip to Las Vegas. On landing in Singapore, apart from the humidity, my world seemed to regain some sanity.

However, yesterday I got a sharp reminder of life here. Coming down in the elevator after work, it was packed full. As the doors opened an elderly Asian gentleman outside walked straight in pushing past everyone to fight his way to the back where he waited for the rest of us to exit so that he could go up. Amazing perseverance, stupidiy and rudeness.

[zzm9980]

- Chicken murtabak. So big I couldn't finish it (unusual).

Where? I also want!

Zam Zam right by Arab St has rather sizable portions of Murtabak. I think it's too dry, but lots of people like it:
http://goo.gl/maps/ZB8h6


My favorite is at Raimah Eating House, right next to Kembangan MRT: http://goo.gl/maps/Vvnd1

This place also has IMO the best Roti John's (and many FourSquare reviews stating the same). The Prata is also up there with some of the best.

[JR8]

- Chicken murtabak. So big I couldn't finish it (unusual).

Where? I also want!

Food court near top of Raffles City. But note it's not as good as it used to be. You used to get shredded chicken chunks, and now you get something like chicken ultra-floss. You no longer register the chicken at all.

Better to go to Zam Zam around Arab Street, or the next door 'Star restaurant' [?].

[Brah]

Floss - something I never heard of until I came here. The stuff makes my skin crawl, especially the pork variety.

I hate it when I forget to tell them to leave it out.