Singapore Expats

Hey guys,

My name's Will, still green to this world. I'm 20 this year, just got off my diploma in tourism and resort management. Last year I worked with Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL for six months. While I was there, I changed my game completely to fit into the North American culture, together with soakin up the Hong Kong way of life from my room mates. Comin back they just got stuck with me, clearin my dishes at the food court became natural, startin small talks over lunch with someone sittin opposite. I'm a Singapore Citizen but not Singaporean, how do expats feel like in a foreign country?

feel the same.

oh yeh? cool, time to hang in there and make the most outta time here then. say you were to relocate, would you take hongkong over singapore?

i had both a while ago. if i have to choose again, singapore will be my choice.

willinsg wrote:clearin my dishes at the food court became natural

Yeah hey what’s with that… For such a famously tidy country why do people leave such a mess at tables?

Well done though, sounds like your stint in the big wide world did you a lot of good…

AndyD wrote:

willinsg wrote:clearin my dishes at the food court became natural

Yeah hey what’s with that… For such a famously tidy country why do people leave such a mess at tables?

Well done though, sounds like your stint in the big wide world did you a lot of good…

It's only famously tidy because of the foreign workers who constantly have to pick up behind them. The cleanliness is only a veneer that is visible to the world media. The country look considerably different at 3 am in the morning before the street & estate cleaners start to work.

Very true, I am starting to see that unravel even after only a few weeks here…

sundaymorningstaple wrote:

AndyD wrote:

willinsg wrote:clearin my dishes at the food court became natural

Yeah hey what’s with that… For such a famously tidy country why do people leave such a mess at tables?

Well done though, sounds like your stint in the big wide world did you a lot of good…

It's only famously tidy because of the foreign workers who constantly have to pick up behind them. The cleanliness is only a veneer that is visible to the world media. The country look considerably different at 3 am in the morning before the street & estate cleaners start to work.

Very true, all the drunk ang mohs laying about along the rivers of boat quay, the projectile vomit mess made by the 18 year olds on Summer Break etc etc

c'mon. pointing fingers aint gona solve anything. when will we suck it up and pick up our own mess? it's our country and we leave our state of cleanliness entirely to our foreign workforce? sense of civility, cultivate some.

dazzlebabe wrote: Very true, all the drunk ang mohs laying about along the rivers of boat quay, the projectile vomit mess made by the 18 year olds on Summer Break etc etc

Lest we forget, better make mention of all the local babes doing the same after ladies nights as well. Even made the Local Birdcage Liner a couple of weeks ago complete with pics no less! Oh, you forgot about those did you?

See? Sweep off your own back porch before trying to shift the blame on others. I've got some delicious pics I'd love to post up here but I won't.......

Sorry Uncle. I won't forget the local free loaders next time!

But then again, I am not out haggling and elbowing my way to get free drinks so I would not know what goes on on Ladies Night. Besides, the cheap alcohol and watered down cocktails were never enticing enough for me.

And I love sweeping my front porch into my neighbours' porch... is that wrong?

dazzlebabe wrote:S
And I love sweeping my front porch into my neighbours' porch... is that wrong?

From a local perspective definitely not. That's why the elevator lobbies & void decks in HDB estates are such a mess every morning at 5 am. That's what a lot of 'em do.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:

dazzlebabe wrote:S
And I love sweeping my front porch into my neighbours' porch... is that wrong?

From a local perspective definitely not. That's why the elevator lobbies & void decks in HDB estates are such a mess every morning at 5 am. That's what a lot of 'em do.

I'm not so bad! My lazy neighbours keep leaving these daily newspapers on their doorstep every morning so I help them remove it (read it on the bus on the way to work). I keep their porch clear while my helper sweeps the dirt off mine and into theirs in the afternoon.....



Fair trade, no?

willinsg wrote:c'mon. pointing fingers aint gona solve anything. when will we suck it up and pick up our own mess? it's our country and we leave our state of cleanliness entirely to our foreign workforce? sense of civility, cultivate some.

Unfortunately, SOME locals still need to change their mentality. I once told off a girl for "conveniently" leaving her boogered tissue paper behind on the bus and she totally ignored me.... (That B!tch!!!)

When I was living in Malaysia and China, clearing your own tray was rare. People used to look or even stare at me as if I had a second head growing. They used to snigger even. When I lunch with my local mates, they would clear their trays too but I know that if I was not there they wouldn't clear their own mess.

sundaymorningstaple wrote: See? Sweep off your own back porch before trying to shift the blame on others. I've got some delicious pics I'd love to post up here but I won't.......

thanks for sparing us the pornography of ugly singaporean behavior, we had day long enough outside already.

anyway good job dazzlebabe gotta keep it up! we have to be the change we wana see, we gotta be that example that simple acts of civility can be done. hang in there, cheers.