SINGAPORE EXPATS FORUM
Singapore Expat Forum and Message Board for Expats in Singapore & Expatriates Relocating to Singapore

OP, what country are you from? I will tell you one thing, renting here in SG is far, far, different process than most western countries. My agent documented every single little "defect" with the condo with color digital photos, etc. Set-up delivery of items, etc. It's possibel because my company was...

I think taking off your shoes before going in is a great habit. I now shudder to think of how we played, crawled and laid on our carpeted floors when we were kids. Yukk! It's matter of habit. In US where I live it can be -25C to 40C depending on time of year. Hence you take your shoes off inside. S...

Sergei82 wrote:1. Try buying groceries NOT in 7-11 next time.

Problem is I like stuff that back home would be cheap. Here, it's not.

Example, spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, etc.

I can eat at a hawker stand for 4 bucks including a drink.

Some interesting things I've discovered in the last couple weeks living as a true expat in SG compared to extended hotel visits. 1. When by yourself, it's way cheaper to just eat at the hawker stand than buy groceries. Probably not the healthiest choice though. 2. Amazingly I run into a lot of peopl...

Before I am accused of any crimes against humanity can someone enlighten me on what is the standard policy for putting trash down the chute in one's condo? Anything goes? Must be bagged? Is this one of those cases where there are rules but this is really how it works? Having just moved in, this was ...

Private pool or public? I'm moving into private condo in Bishan on Friday afternoon and plan to be doing my 2-3 swims per week at Bishan swimming complex in the evenings. I ride or run 6-7 days per week in the AM. My hardcore (and fastest) days are probably behind me (getting run over by car does t...

One of the major decisions of where to stay for me was the fitness center at my condo. Some of the private condos actually have decent treadmills, exercise bikes, and weights. More convienient than having to schlep over to a gym. Keep in mind if you swim that here in Singapore they have numerous swi...

I already asked this question at least twice: how the LL could be assured that this rather expensive piece of equipment is properly maintained? A professional assessment will also cost money. Also, as already pointed out, it is not the same climate here and in the US. High humidity takes its toll a...

kookaburrah wrote:

SINexpat wrote:
Oh really?

Really.

As they say, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

I've e-mailed the manufacturer of our air-con, asking whether it needs periodic servicing, used or unused. Let's see if they reply. What will this prove? Nobody said it needs it frequently if not in use but surely you need some periodic check even in such a case. My guess would be once a year. You ...

SINexpat, the first thing I did after arriving (July last year) was find a swimming group so I could train with others. I have joined two and my three training sessions form the social core of my week (other than family) as I am working from home. There is a pretty strong triathlon community here t...

If she has a shipping container allowance, bring in all your sporting equipment with you. Add 30-50% to buy the same items here if you forget anything. If you don't have one from work, get a VPN software set-up established. Using VPN back to the US allows you to access things like Pandora and other ...

I am actually on the side of x9200 on this one, and I can usually be relied to be on the opposite camp. You cannot compare the US to Singapore. Simply cannot. Since he has no other way of ascertaining this, a LL in Singapore must assume that ALL A/C units in the flat they are renting will be workin...

x9200, in the US it's never required to "maintain" the coils of our A/C units. Only time a repairman makes a visit is if the A/C fails to cool. My A/C system in my house has two condensors (one for each floor) that are much larger and expensive than any mini split and never require "servicing" This ...

The parts that get dirty in a typical aircon are the filters, the in-room air/cooling fluid heat exchanger and maybe the drainage. There is nothing like this in a typical fridge so you are comparing apples to pokemons. Closer than this analogy would be to compare AC to a vacuum cleaner. That's not ...