Singapore Expats

Posted: **Sat, 29 Jun 2024 10:02 pm**

My wife just reminded me that today was the day exactly 15 years ago when I set foot into this beautiful country; Singapore. 29th June 2009!

My plan was initially to just try to stay here for 2 years. Little did I know I will end up spending 1/3rd of my life, so far, here.

I am really appreciative of how easy and smooth our stay has been here, although sometimes I come across as ungrateful for failing to get PR here and not being able to acquire materialistic stuff like a house or car etc

But these 15 years have set me so much ahead of my peers, in financial terms, with very little skills or ability or hard work. The 15 years here have been absolutely a cruise and I can't believe this stint has lasted this long.

Thanks everyone here who has played a part, especially SMS, JR8, strong eagle, ZZM9980, x9200, nakatago, brah, The Linx, Rajagainstthemachine, smoulder, malcontent, Offshoreoildude, ecurelix and everyone else I couldn't list.

Cheers guys

Posted: **Sat, 29 Jun 2024 11:11 pm**

I am very happy for you, WD40. I, too, loved my 8 years in Singapore and would probably have stayed much longer had not the global recession of 2007/2008 killed my business. I am glad that the magic continues for you.

Posted: **Sun, 30 Jun 2024 7:52 am**

Congrats Wd40! No matter where we are, things could always be better and at the same time they could always be worse. I'm glad you have been able to grow your savings and be content/thankful for what one has.

Perhaps something will change. If not, enjoy the rest of your time here.

Posted: **Sun, 30 Jun 2024 8:36 am**

Great to see you loving Singapore

and remembering the good old names of the forum.

Hope you can continue to do well here and enjoying the country!

I must admit life was easier 15 years ago in Singapore.

Posted: **Sun, 30 Jun 2024 12:12 pm**

Congrats WD40! I wonder if you’ll pass the halfway mark like me. After 15 years, I also started to become more accepting of life here. My username reflects that less accepting time, only 11 years in. After following the experience among many expat vloggers, there’s one common thread: if you aren’t happy in one country, you won’t be happy in another country.

Posted: **Sun, 30 Jun 2024 5:44 pm**

Congrats wd40!

You are one person who I always take inspiration from - your story of achieving financial independence. Here's to many more years of flourishing financially.

This forum probably doesn't receive a ton of traffic, but definitely is invaluable in terms of the life experience that some of the regulars share here. Hard to find that elsewhere.

Posted: **Wed, 03 Jul 2024 5:18 pm**

Actually the very next day, after I made this post, we have decided to call it quits and move back to Bangalore. The date is set to 31st Mar 2025.

The timing is as per my daughter's start of school term for 8th Grade.

The purpose why we came to Singapore has been fulfilled. We have made enough money for us to last in India for our lifetime.

We are unable to get PR in Singapore, so there is no more any reason to stay back here.

We don't want to be in that situation where we dont fit in here and neither do we fit in when we go back to India.

I think there is this perfect time window for us to go back to India now, while our parents are still alive, we can go back and spend time with them. Spend time with our relatives, make some long term permanent friends and set roots there. My daughter is also 13 years old and she can go 5 years of schooling there and she will forget Singapore very soon.

Singapore is like a Dreamland for us, the perfect lalaland, but then it feels like an illusion and not real. It is like we could spend here another 30 years and still it is as if we are stuck in time and haven't achieved anything or havent really lived here. This is because we don't have any connections here, no links no roots, hence no memories.

Posted: **Thu, 04 Jul 2024 7:24 pm**

I’ve known a lot of Indians over the years in the exact same situation. One thing I can say, those who went back to India have never regretted it, even those that gave up PR to do so.

One thing I can say after 28 years, the longer you stay, the harder it is. We have so much stuff we have accumulated over the decades. And, there are some psychological aspects. Being over 50 doesn’t help, but personally, I still have an adventurous spirit and don’t feel or think too much about it… my wife, just the opposite.

Posted: **Fri, 05 Jul 2024 8:54 am**

Wd40 wrote: ↑
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 5:18 pm
Actually the very next day, after I made this post, we have decided to call it quits and move back to Bangalore. The date is set to 31st Mar 2025.

The timing is as per my daughter's start of school term for 8th Grade.

The purpose why we came to Singapore has been fulfilled. We have made enough money for us to last in India for our lifetime.

We are unable to get PR in Singapore, so there is no more any reason to stay back here.

We don't want to be in that situation where we dont fit in here and neither do we fit in when we go back to India.

I think there is this perfect time window for us to go back to India now, while our parents are still alive, we can go back and spend time with them. Spend time with our relatives, make some long term permanent friends and set roots there. My daughter is also 13 years old and she can go 5 years of schooling there and she will forget Singapore very soon.

Singapore is like a Dreamland for us, the perfect lalaland, but then it feels like an illusion and not real. It is like we could spend here another 30 years and still it is as if we are stuck in time and haven't achieved anything or havent really lived here. This is because we don't have any connections here, no links no roots, hence no memories.

Well all the best. I'll bet your wife and you have prepared yourselves mentally for this moment. Probably a good idea to ensure that your daughter is prepared too. This is probably not the easiest age for her to move from anywhere to anywhere especially between 2 places which are quite different.

I presume that school admissions at the other end are taken care of? Will you be taking a break when you get there or is it going to be work straight away.

Posted: **Sat, 06 Jul 2024 10:14 am**

Wd40 wrote: ↑
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 5:18 pm
Singapore is like a Dreamland for us, the perfect lalaland, but then it feels like an illusion and not real. It is like we could spend here another 30 years and still it is as if we are stuck in time and haven't achieved anything or havent really lived here. This is because we don't have any connections here, no links no roots, hence no memories.

I can understand that.
When I moved here, I had the advantage of my spouse's large family and friend network back 2-3 generations in Singapore, and I got PR swiftly, which made it a lot easier for me to integrate for work and housing.
From my conversations with expats, they see Singapore as a bustling modern city like other global cities, but are surprised when I say Singapore is really a kampung at heart. I was just lucky to be adopted into the kampung.

Posted: **Sat, 06 Jul 2024 2:25 pm**

smoulder wrote: ↑
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 8:54 am

Wd40 wrote: ↑
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 5:18 pm
Actually the very next day, after I made this post, we have decided to call it quits and move back to Bangalore. The date is set to 31st Mar 2025.

The timing is as per my daughter's start of school term for 8th Grade.

The purpose why we came to Singapore has been fulfilled. We have made enough money for us to last in India for our lifetime.

We are unable to get PR in Singapore, so there is no more any reason to stay back here.

We don't want to be in that situation where we dont fit in here and neither do we fit in when we go back to India.

I think there is this perfect time window for us to go back to India now, while our parents are still alive, we can go back and spend time with them. Spend time with our relatives, make some long term permanent friends and set roots there. My daughter is also 13 years old and she can go 5 years of schooling there and she will forget Singapore very soon.

Singapore is like a Dreamland for us, the perfect lalaland, but then it feels like an illusion and not real. It is like we could spend here another 30 years and still it is as if we are stuck in time and haven't achieved anything or havent really lived here. This is because we don't have any connections here, no links no roots, hence no memories.
Well all the best. I'll bet your wife and you have prepared yourselves mentally for this moment. Probably a good idea to ensure that your daughter is prepared too. This is probably not the easiest age for her to move from anywhere to anywhere especially between 2 places which are quite different.

I presume that school admissions at the other end are taken care of? Will you be taking a break when you get there or is it going to be work straight away.

We still have 9 more months to go, school admissions start only in October for the next year. I plan to put my daughter in a nice International School in India with good facilities compared to the Indian school she goes here which is a 1970s rundown abandoned local primary school. Also we will rent a nicer condominium and have a car & motorcycle Vs HDB and public transport.

I have deliberately kept a low key lifestyle in Singapore, because when we go back to India, we want to up it and not go down. In Singapore you have nice public amenities so you don't need to spend for luxury.

In India, public amenities are poor but we can afford to spend on luxury.

Overall I feel both my wife and daughter will love their new lifestyle in India and forget Singapore very soon like in a month or so.

Best part my daughter can have a cat and a dog as pet. So some things which are an unaffordable luxury in Singapore, we can easily afford in India.

I don't plan to work in India, or atleast not immediately. My networth is SGD 1.8 million and I have invested it appropriately, I can withdraw safely enough for all our future expenses without running out of money.

Posted: **Sat, 06 Jul 2024 7:22 pm**

@wd40 I really hesitated when I read your statement “I feel both my wife and daughter will love their new lifestyle” — humans are creatures of habit and have selective memory, this is why “the good ole times” always seem sweeter, because humans tend to forget the bad and remember the good. In reality, there are always pros/cons to living anywhere, so I’d be careful with that one!

Posted: **Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:45 am**

Congratulations!

Posted: **Mon, 08 Jul 2024 1:45 pm**

Wd40 wrote: ↑
Sat, 06 Jul 2024 2:25 pm

smoulder wrote: ↑
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 8:54 am

Wd40 wrote: ↑
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 5:18 pm
Actually the very next day, after I made this post, we have decided to call it quits and move back to Bangalore. The date is set to 31st Mar 2025.

The timing is as per my daughter's start of school term for 8th Grade.

The purpose why we came to Singapore has been fulfilled. We have made enough money for us to last in India for our lifetime.

We are unable to get PR in Singapore, so there is no more any reason to stay back here.

We don't want to be in that situation where we dont fit in here and neither do we fit in when we go back to India.

I think there is this perfect time window for us to go back to India now, while our parents are still alive, we can go back and spend time with them. Spend time with our relatives, make some long term permanent friends and set roots there. My daughter is also 13 years old and she can go 5 years of schooling there and she will forget Singapore very soon.

Singapore is like a Dreamland for us, the perfect lalaland, but then it feels like an illusion and not real. It is like we could spend here another 30 years and still it is as if we are stuck in time and haven't achieved anything or havent really lived here. This is because we don't have any connections here, no links no roots, hence no memories.
Well all the best. I'll bet your wife and you have prepared yourselves mentally for this moment. Probably a good idea to ensure that your daughter is prepared too. This is probably not the easiest age for her to move from anywhere to anywhere especially between 2 places which are quite different.

I presume that school admissions at the other end are taken care of? Will you be taking a break when you get there or is it going to be work straight away.
We still have 9 more months to go, school admissions start only in October for the next year. I plan to put my daughter in a nice International School in India with good facilities compared to the Indian school she goes here which is a 1970s rundown abandoned local primary school. Also we will rent a nicer condominium and have a car & motorcycle Vs HDB and public transport.

I have deliberately kept a low key lifestyle in Singapore, because when we go back to India, we want to up it and not go down. In Singapore you have nice public amenities so you don't need to spend for luxury.

In India, public amenities are poor but we can afford to spend on luxury.

Overall I feel both my wife and daughter will love their new lifestyle in India and forget Singapore very soon like in a month or so.

Best part my daughter can have a cat and a dog as pet. So some things which are an unaffordable luxury in Singapore, we can easily afford in India.

I don't plan to work in India, or atleast not immediately. My networth is SGD 1.8 million and I have invested it appropriately, I can withdraw safely enough for all our future expenses without running out of money.

Yea for sure, you can stretch your dollar to get a more luxurious life in India. If you remember the DBS guy who had to give up his PR and return to India over the flag on a t-shirt issue, he blogged about what it's like to move back. He mentioned that it's a good idea to move to a tier 1 city and live in a more upmarket condo. Exactly what you plan to do.

About work - I don't doubt that you have a lot to never have to work. I was more curious about how you would approach the matter of work knowing that you no longer have to work for the money.

Posted: **Mon, 08 Jul 2024 5:28 pm**

All the best WD40!

Singapore Expats

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