Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
- publicduende
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Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
I have been spending a few days in Singapore, for a well-known start-up event (you can Google up which it is) and, unlike last year, I had a bit more time to go around Singapore.
The first thing that absolutely hits you like a wrecking ball in the groin, is how obscenely expensive it is. A simple Starbucks espresso is 3.60 SGD, or $2.60. That's a good 30% higher than in London. A pint of Tiger beer, the cheapest, is never less than 10 SGD, of £7, a good 10% more than the average pub in London. And it can easily go up to 15-18 SGD in one of the trendy bars of Clarke Quay or Marina Bay.
No surprise Singaporeans are hell-bent on making money, now more than ever, and can't seem to think of anything else: they are defined and judged for what they make and the way it reflects on the clothes they wear, the cars they drive (on 200% car tax), the schools they send their kids to, etc. And, from what I heard from foreigners who have been living here for a decade, if you are a foreigner and not of the usual happy-go-lucky backpacker type, you will be immediately expected to adhere to the stereotype of car, condo, big office, big wallet, etc.
Another thing I noticed is the very large number of young, fit and handsome foreign men who walk around the central business districts (Raffles, Marina Bay, Robinson Road, Suntec, etc.). Virtually any condo has a well-equipped gym and virtually any medium to large organisation offers gym packages to their employees. Considering most multinationals (including banks) do not have a lot of core operations here, most foreigners who are seconded here or choose to work here (and haven't been fired yet) have a relatively laid-back, if not boring life. Which justifies the relatively low levels of stress and the time they can spend taking care of themselves and, well...spending. Even compared to mall-studded Manila, Singapore is a consumerist utopia.
With the bonanza of white-shirted good looking young men around, it comes as no surprise that girls are mostly snotty and, as far as I have seen, will not entertain you for anything more than a quick polite and professional exchange, if needed. Even the Filipinas who work here look cold and distant, as if they "had it made" and have no need to be humble and friendly. We got a virtual office for a new company we created at a Regus centre somewhere in Suntec. One of the two administrators is a Filipina and, on leaving on our first day, I tried to engage her in Tagalog. She barely smirked and brushed me and my business partner (a very well educated Filipino) off, as if the fact we had our core offices in the Philippines made us pariahs in Singapore. I had to explicitly tease her and ask where she is from, for her to finally tell us he's from near Leyte. Big deal baby...
Some people here have accounts of having fun in Singapore, backpacking and hitting the clubs. Apart from the fact that any night out between meals, beer and club ticket will never cost you less than 150 SGD ($110), one has to be strikingly young and fit to afford some action with the local girls here. Definitely not a place for the Average Joe. If it ever was, it's no more.
Of course one can always resort to the Filipino or Indonesian service women on their day off, usually a Sunday. They all congregate at the back of Lucky Plaza. Or the occasional geeky-looking mainland Chinese white collar girl with no social and love life. The Singapore page of DIA is, by the look of it, 90% Filipina and the occasional Malaysian/Indonesian and unattractive Chinese.
I will be back here because I will have to (business), but surely won't miss it while I'm in Davao, or Manila.
The first thing that absolutely hits you like a wrecking ball in the groin, is how obscenely expensive it is. A simple Starbucks espresso is 3.60 SGD, or $2.60. That's a good 30% higher than in London. A pint of Tiger beer, the cheapest, is never less than 10 SGD, of £7, a good 10% more than the average pub in London. And it can easily go up to 15-18 SGD in one of the trendy bars of Clarke Quay or Marina Bay.
No surprise Singaporeans are hell-bent on making money, now more than ever, and can't seem to think of anything else: they are defined and judged for what they make and the way it reflects on the clothes they wear, the cars they drive (on 200% car tax), the schools they send their kids to, etc. And, from what I heard from foreigners who have been living here for a decade, if you are a foreigner and not of the usual happy-go-lucky backpacker type, you will be immediately expected to adhere to the stereotype of car, condo, big office, big wallet, etc.
Another thing I noticed is the very large number of young, fit and handsome foreign men who walk around the central business districts (Raffles, Marina Bay, Robinson Road, Suntec, etc.). Virtually any condo has a well-equipped gym and virtually any medium to large organisation offers gym packages to their employees. Considering most multinationals (including banks) do not have a lot of core operations here, most foreigners who are seconded here or choose to work here (and haven't been fired yet) have a relatively laid-back, if not boring life. Which justifies the relatively low levels of stress and the time they can spend taking care of themselves and, well...spending. Even compared to mall-studded Manila, Singapore is a consumerist utopia.
With the bonanza of white-shirted good looking young men around, it comes as no surprise that girls are mostly snotty and, as far as I have seen, will not entertain you for anything more than a quick polite and professional exchange, if needed. Even the Filipinas who work here look cold and distant, as if they "had it made" and have no need to be humble and friendly. We got a virtual office for a new company we created at a Regus centre somewhere in Suntec. One of the two administrators is a Filipina and, on leaving on our first day, I tried to engage her in Tagalog. She barely smirked and brushed me and my business partner (a very well educated Filipino) off, as if the fact we had our core offices in the Philippines made us pariahs in Singapore. I had to explicitly tease her and ask where she is from, for her to finally tell us he's from near Leyte. Big deal baby...
Some people here have accounts of having fun in Singapore, backpacking and hitting the clubs. Apart from the fact that any night out between meals, beer and club ticket will never cost you less than 150 SGD ($110), one has to be strikingly young and fit to afford some action with the local girls here. Definitely not a place for the Average Joe. If it ever was, it's no more.
Of course one can always resort to the Filipino or Indonesian service women on their day off, usually a Sunday. They all congregate at the back of Lucky Plaza. Or the occasional geeky-looking mainland Chinese white collar girl with no social and love life. The Singapore page of DIA is, by the look of it, 90% Filipina and the occasional Malaysian/Indonesian and unattractive Chinese.
I will be back here because I will have to (business), but surely won't miss it while I'm in Davao, or Manila.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
I've spent about 24 hours in Singapore last year, on a day when some burning was going in Riau, Indonesia. It was like someone decided to burn a tire next door--- throughout the whole city. I could go there from time to time but prefer Malaysia for various reasons.
I didn't shop much in Singapore, but didn't experience sticker shock. I don't care for Starbucks prices. I'm not particular about coffee. I also don't drink beer. But it seems like when I've been to Singapore, fast food prices are a little cheaper than the US, and there is also reasonably-priced street food. Maybe you are going to high end places. If I go with the kids, they like to find a Subway or something like that. I ate at McDonald's with them on my brief trip there last time, and a really nice hotel breakfast with all the 'full English' stuff like bacon and sausage, along with Chinese stuff. The place we stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has just as good of a breakfast if not better.
Maybe alcohol is expensive because Singapore is surrounded by Muslim countries. It is possible alcohol is taxed. It's overuse probably does contribute to health problems, the type of thing the government may want to tax. Singaporean government seems to be sensible in that sense, although not sensible in that they overregulate. I had a coworker who lived there and would bike on one of their islands, not the main Singapore island, in the woods. Then, the government put up signs regulating which way the bike traffic should flow. It make him angry. The bike path was his retreat from Singapore's over-regulating everything. He decided it was time to leave.
Singapore has had a problem with not reproducing enough. They have career women. I knew an exotic-looking 40-something, at the time, Indian woman from Singapore. She said Indian women are taught to be traditional and not approach men. But a lot of the Indian men went with modern society and married Chinese girls there in Singapore, leaving single Indian women. If a man wanted a wife from there, there may be some Indian women that were passed over.
Of course, if one marries a Singaporean, he's got to put up with that accent. There are a small percentage who have a nice accent that sounds a bit British, but some of them sound kind of like a dog barking when they talk, a kind of harsh Chinese sound translated into English, lah.
I didn't shop much in Singapore, but didn't experience sticker shock. I don't care for Starbucks prices. I'm not particular about coffee. I also don't drink beer. But it seems like when I've been to Singapore, fast food prices are a little cheaper than the US, and there is also reasonably-priced street food. Maybe you are going to high end places. If I go with the kids, they like to find a Subway or something like that. I ate at McDonald's with them on my brief trip there last time, and a really nice hotel breakfast with all the 'full English' stuff like bacon and sausage, along with Chinese stuff. The place we stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has just as good of a breakfast if not better.
Maybe alcohol is expensive because Singapore is surrounded by Muslim countries. It is possible alcohol is taxed. It's overuse probably does contribute to health problems, the type of thing the government may want to tax. Singaporean government seems to be sensible in that sense, although not sensible in that they overregulate. I had a coworker who lived there and would bike on one of their islands, not the main Singapore island, in the woods. Then, the government put up signs regulating which way the bike traffic should flow. It make him angry. The bike path was his retreat from Singapore's over-regulating everything. He decided it was time to leave.
Singapore has had a problem with not reproducing enough. They have career women. I knew an exotic-looking 40-something, at the time, Indian woman from Singapore. She said Indian women are taught to be traditional and not approach men. But a lot of the Indian men went with modern society and married Chinese girls there in Singapore, leaving single Indian women. If a man wanted a wife from there, there may be some Indian women that were passed over.
Of course, if one marries a Singaporean, he's got to put up with that accent. There are a small percentage who have a nice accent that sounds a bit British, but some of them sound kind of like a dog barking when they talk, a kind of harsh Chinese sound translated into English, lah.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Sounds a little like consumerist U.S. on steroids. Scratch it off my list. Oh wait, it was never on. I'm not partial to being caned.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Not even by fit hottie in nipple caps and g-string? Ooo ahhhgsjackson wrote:. I'm not partial to being caned.
White of course. Any other race raises their hand to a white man should be shot
Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Singapore is a busy modern city, a financial hub in the world. But it is also very safe in terms of crime. Traffic behaves in a sensible way.gsjackson wrote:Sounds a little like consumerist U.S. on steroids. Scratch it off my list. Oh wait, it was never on. I'm not partial to being caned.
Why would you get caned in Singapore? Were you planning to spraypaint cars and knock over some parking meters?
If you bring some drugs into the country, they may kill you. Chewing gum is illegal to sell, but if you bring a stick or two in, they won't do anything.
But for the most part if you behavior yourself, don't spit or smoke in the wrong place, don't litter, etc., you'll be okay. They fine for those types of minor offenses. I saw a sign on a bus warning about the fine for smoking. I think it was about $1000 Sing.
It's okay for short-term trips. I have a few friends there I could look up if I had a long enough trip. But it would probably be boring to live there after a while.
Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fCmjWBwdggsjackson wrote:Sounds a little like consumerist U.S. on steroids. Scratch it off my list. Oh wait, it was never on. I'm not partial to being caned.
Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
The US could learn a thing or two. This type of corporal punishment is probably too extreme for most crimes, but for a lot of crimes, it would probably be more effective to beat people than to send them to prison.MatureDJ wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fCmjWBwdggsjackson wrote:Sounds a little like consumerist U.S. on steroids. Scratch it off my list. Oh wait, it was never on. I'm not partial to being caned.
Just imagine you stole a car and were found guilty. Which is worse, getting whipped with a belt 40 times, or being stuck in a prison cell with a 7-foot tall, 280 lbs. inmate named bubba who introduces himself as 'Ben Dover'? They stick the 19-year-old first time car jacker in a prison full of hardened criminals. He joins a gang to survive. They teach him the ropes on how to be a drug dealer, robber, or whatever. He becomes a more hardened criminal. Beating the guy might be more of a deterrent and less likely to lead him to a life of crime.
Would you rather be sentenced to 20 years, or be beaten for a while and heal up after a month or two? At least you could go back to working to support yourself and your family?
This type of caning for actual, legitimate rape? I don't have a problem with that. I wouldn't oppose it for certain cases of child molestation. It would be a suitable punishment for doctors who perform sex change operations as well. For an addict taking drugs? No, I wouldn't be in favor of caning for that.
Is that kind of caning for illegal imigrants? Man, that's a harsh penalty.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
I was in Singapore for about a week last year. It is great for its cuisine and shopping, but hell on earth for meeting women or socializing.
The local women are not that good looking, and the western women who live or study there are an exhalted class of witches tired of all the attention they both crave and hate at the same time.
Go there, open a bank account, eat well, then leave!
The local women are not that good looking, and the western women who live or study there are an exhalted class of witches tired of all the attention they both crave and hate at the same time.
Go there, open a bank account, eat well, then leave!
- publicduende
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Even the famous cuisine got a lot more expensive over the years. When I was here in 2008 I would go to a place in Geylang famous for its white pepper crab. I remember a crab meal for 2 was something around 36 SGD, so 18 SGD per head. We went back to the same place last Tuesday night and the same meal, on exactly the same table and probably even the same old auntie waitress was 90 SGD, so 30 SGD per head, a whopping 66% increase over 9 years. That's almost 6% increase every year. Sure inflation is that high? Don't think so.Contrarian Expatriate wrote:I was in Singapore for about a week last year. It is great for its cuisine and shopping, but hell on earth for meeting women or socializing.
The local women are not that good looking, and the western women who live or study there are an exhalted class of witches tired of all the attention they both crave and hate at the same time.
Go there, open a bank account, eat well, then leave!
A box of 12 caplets of Panadol? 10 SGD, that's double of what I would pay in the UK. They make that stuff in Thailand, super-cheap... Something isn't quite right...
As for the girls I beg to differ. I found a lot of flawless, very good looking and classy looking girls in the few places we went to. Unfortunately, if they won't give a muscular blonde Aussie the benefit of a glance, just imagine the way they would treat an Average Joe. Public approach is a no-no and even in the few bars & restaurants with an open bar we went to, we did not see a single flirting couple. All clusters of friends, or families, or colleagues.
My friend in Singapore for a decade told me aging in SG is becoming a real problem. Nobody wants children anymore, and it's easy to see why: all children have to be bright, multi-talented and successful. How can parents on a middle-class income, say < 200K SGD/month combined, afford to send 2 kids to private schools, piano lessons, international trips, etc.?
The same friend also revealed me something one would never find on SG media. One third (one third!) of the SG population is below the poverty line.
http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/25/26 ... singapore/
The article above is from 2013, when the Singapore economy was still well and buoyant. Just imagine now, when hundred of ships are moored at the port because the price of the oil/gas/whatever they have in their bellies is too low for them to dock. When the banks have shed 30-50% of their workforce and their beautiful skyscrapers have their automated lights on most night long to look like they still fully occupied.
I am not spelling the demise of SG any time soon. It's still a major hub, but the rest of the SEA, a valley full of Goliaths, is waking up and they may quickly, and collectively, bring the smart David of a city-state to irrelevance in the space of a decade.
Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
I was just thinking abotu 6% inflation on the food. I hear the inflation in Indonesia is 6%. I don't know about Malaysia, but if they get a lot of their food from Indonesia, then it makes sense the cost of the food might go up at a high rate. Maybe they used to save some costs from cheap food from Indonesia or Malaysia, it went up with the price of inflation, and their prices have gone up because of that. The cost of food is only a portion of the costs, so that wouldn't explain everything. Maybe their land is going up in value, and along with it, rents.
Singapore is an 'off shore' banking center. Rich individuals can hide money in Singapore, kind of like the role Switzerland had in Europe. There is more to the economy than ships coming and going.
Singapore is an 'off shore' banking center. Rich individuals can hide money in Singapore, kind of like the role Switzerland had in Europe. There is more to the economy than ships coming and going.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
I hope I did not give the impression of using Singapore to hide wealth. The new FATCA law renders former offshore hiding places null and void since both you and the bank must annually declare your holdings. If there is a discrepancy, you are toast and the Dept of Treasury and IRS, will come after you.MrMan wrote: Singapore is an 'off shore' banking center. Rich individuals can hide money in Singapore, kind of like the role Switzerland had in Europe. There is more to the economy than ships coming and going.
I do advocate offshore banking as a diversification strategy and a hedge against future capital controls.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
That's just about right, if you consider Malaysia or Indonesia as proxies. It makes less sense to offer those prices during an economic crisis, though...MrMan wrote:I was just thinking abotu 6% inflation on the food. I hear the inflation in Indonesia is 6%. I don't know about Malaysia, but if they get a lot of their food from Indonesia, then it makes sense the cost of the food might go up at a high rate. Maybe they used to save some costs from cheap food from Indonesia or Malaysia, it went up with the price of inflation, and their prices have gone up because of that. The cost of food is only a portion of the costs, so that wouldn't explain everything. Maybe their land is going up in value, and along with it, rents.
Singapore is an 'off shore' banking center. Rich individuals can hide money in Singapore, kind of like the role Switzerland had in Europe. There is more to the economy than ships coming and going.
About wealth hidden in Singapore, that wealth is just parked there and doesn't really contribute to the economy. What Singapore has been traditionally thriving on is wealth management services, where bank make fat commissions out of managing people's wealth. From what I heard, ever since the Little India "riots" (only 62 injured, none died) in 2003, Singapore has been on the downward slope and its logistics, finance and manufacturing sectors have been suffering at the same time. I don't think it will get better soon.
Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
£6.30 for a pint in London? Seriously? That's just as obscene as Singapore. I've only paid more than £3 for a pint on one occasion before and I thought that was a rip-off. Came to about £3.40.publicduende wrote: A pint of Tiger beer, the cheapest, is never less than 10 SGD, of £7, a good 10% more than the average pub in London. And it can easily go up to 15-18 SGD in one of the trendy bars of Clarke Quay or Marina Bay.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Yeah, £5 is the absolute minimum you would pay, say, in a in-campus student bar. It's a bit cheaper, say £4 to £5.50 outside London. The pubs I used to go in High Wycombe, where I last lived, had even the more unusual imported beers for £5, draught.Zambales wrote:£6.30 for a pint in London? Seriously? That's just as obscene as Singapore. I've only paid more than £3 for a pint on one occasion before and I thought that was a rip-off. Came to about £3.40.publicduende wrote: A pint of Tiger beer, the cheapest, is never less than 10 SGD, of £7, a good 10% more than the average pub in London. And it can easily go up to 15-18 SGD in one of the trendy bars of Clarke Quay or Marina Bay.
Consider that London salaries are higher than Singapore's. A VP-level job in investment banking pays £100+K in London. In Singapore, even after adjustment for the lower tax base, it's about £75. You need to be a big cheese or on an expat package to live the good life in Singapore.
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Re: Average Joe White virtually invisible in Singapore!
Singapore is a crime empire where the Asian rich hide their money. Indian government is actively pursuing lots of financial criminals hiding money in Singapore.
Singapore tops as black money destination
Indians have turned to Singapore after the Finance Ministry began scrutinising transactions involving Mauritius.
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/sin ... estination
Singapore was built by a freemason ...Singapore and Hong Kong are outposts of Criminal Mafia The triads, the bamboo network etc...
Since, 76% of Singapore is Chinese...They are extremely smart and subtle about everything hiding their real business behind beautiful roads and broad walk ways and Crime Free..slogan
That has to be the biggest joke on planet earth..Singapore is Crime Free...
Its for only petty criminals, but the Mafia Boss resides in Singapore.
It is NOT MEANT FOR AVG. Joe BY DESIGN as you noticed. That destination is for elites and the slaves who manage the elites wealth.
Singapore is all about money..Its not for people who love soul, spiritual pursuit.
Singapore tops as black money destination
Indians have turned to Singapore after the Finance Ministry began scrutinising transactions involving Mauritius.
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/sin ... estination
Singapore was built by a freemason ...Singapore and Hong Kong are outposts of Criminal Mafia The triads, the bamboo network etc...
Since, 76% of Singapore is Chinese...They are extremely smart and subtle about everything hiding their real business behind beautiful roads and broad walk ways and Crime Free..slogan
That has to be the biggest joke on planet earth..Singapore is Crime Free...
Its for only petty criminals, but the Mafia Boss resides in Singapore.
It is NOT MEANT FOR AVG. Joe BY DESIGN as you noticed. That destination is for elites and the slaves who manage the elites wealth.
Singapore is all about money..Its not for people who love soul, spiritual pursuit.
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