Christmas @ Orchard

Christmas @ Orchard Road

A Different Look at Singapore

Here's looking at Singapore from a different point of view ...

A Soulless Nation-State

In retrospect ten to twenty years ago, I must admit that today I no longer have that sense of belonging which I used to have in the past. My sentiments tend to agree with the people who deem us a soulless nation-state which has lost its identity.

Taking an extract from the article 'The End of Identity' by Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, I can comprehend what he meant when he wrote:

Put another way, Singapore is possibly the only country in the world where there are more migrants — including temporary workers, permanent residents and foreign-born citizens — than native-born people. Some like to call the US a country of migrants. Singapore is much more — it is a country for migrants.

While diversity must be cheered, it would be callous to ignore immigration’s impact on feelings of identity and belonging. Singaporeans welcomed “Others” when they were a small minority; now that “Others” are flooding in, completely dissolving native-born Singaporeans in places such as Marina Bay, the core feels vulnerable.

“My Singaporean Chinese friends used to speak only English to me,” says Farouk Khan, a Singaporean who lives in Kuala Lumpur. “Now whenever we meet, they are always trying to litter their conversation with Malay words and phrases. They are trying to show that they are local Chinese, different from the Mainland Chinese.”

Some suggest that when Singaporean Chinese try to differentiate themselves from Mainland Chinese — or, for that matter, Singapore Indians from India Indians — it is because of classism or racism or some other prejudice. While perhaps true in some instances, the most basic instinct that is driving these actions is the loss of identity. Singaporeans are desperately clawing onto any vestiges of Singaporeanness.

The pro-migration camp does not seem to understand these grumblings. The common refrain is that many countries welcome migrants, and so Singapore should be no different. But this harks back to the earlier point about magnitude. While migration does occur globally, no other country has enacted such dramatic demographic change.

If you are a native born Singaporean, share with me your thoughts on this. How do you feel as the minority in this nation-state?

Last Supper ... Singapore Style

A picture by Temasek Review ...

The Last Supper ... Singapore Style
at a Hawker Centre before it closes for renovation

The Last Supper ... by Leonardo Da Vinci

Not Just Emotionless

Breaking news from The Straits Times ...
Published on December 20, 2012

S'poreans not only emotionless but unhappy as well
By Hoe Pei Shan

As if being least emotional nation in the world was not enough, Singapore has claimed yet another title - we are the most unhappy one as well.

That's according to international pollster Gallup, at least.

Based on a poll of nearly 150,000 people worldwide conducted in 2011 - the same one that branded Singapore as emotionless - Gallup's reading into the results put Singapore at the top of the list of countries where the fewest adults experienced positive emotions.

Singaporeans were apparently less upbeat than the people in places like Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Haiti.

Nurse Night @ SupperClub ~ August 7, 2010

Socialdeal Launch Party @ Supperclub - Nurse Night (7 August 2010)

Join us to celebrate our launch in the most elegant club in Singapore. The upscale club is regarded to be the most trendy, offering the glitz of Singapore's night scene. Supperclub, without a doubt, is the unprecedented lifestyle party destination.

Guide to Hawker Food

Wanna know what hawker food is nice ? Check out the CEOs' Hawker Guide by The Business Times and Knight Frank. Let the chief executive officers (CEOs) recommend you the real stuff of what's good hawker food in Singapore!

CEOs' Hawker Guide @ 4Shared
CEOs' Hawker Guide @ Scribd.

What Men and Women Want

What do women want?
According to a survey by the Singapore Development Unit (SDU) of 200 single women, over 80% of the women expected the following of men:

- Pay for dates
- Escort them home
- Take initiative in celebrating special occasions like birthdays
- Dress up for special occasions

Nearly a quarter expected men to carry their bags for them, and half consider gentlemanly gestures like opening doors necessary.

What do men want?
A poll of what 85 men expected of their ladies was carried out by Straits Times Urban news supplement revealed the following:

- 78% ranked looks as an important feature they look out for in their date
- A girlfriend must not stop the man from socialising with his girl friends
- A girlfriend must also enjoy going out with his male friends

What some are saying on their blogs:
- This is Jenna’s Space ”We aren’t expecting very much, but it will be so good if Singapore men are a bit more caring and sensitive.
- SgForums ”Do SG Women expect too much?”
- Steph’s Blog Read this humorous love story by NTU undergraduate Stephanie. She has a modest collection of meaningful stories on love and relationships, some base on true accounts. Check them out using ther ‘Stories by me’ tag.

Where to find books on love and relationships? Check out DDC 306.7 and 646.77 in the General collection of libraries.

Source:
1. Mak Mun San, ”Love me, spoil me”, Straits Times, 24 Feb 08, Factiva, 9 Mar 08, www.factiva.com
2. Tee, Karen, Qianhua, Yeo, Straits Times Urban, “Urban man: Their ideal woman”, 6 March 2008, pg 6-7.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,
Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services
Source URL: http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/ask/adults/408

SpideY: What do you think? Do you agree with the survey? Let me know what you really want, the things you like and the topics you want to know.

Wanna Meetup?

Some interesting Meetup Groups in Singapore ...

The Singapore Vegetarian Meetup Group

The Singapore Tennis Meetup Group

The Singapore Writers Meetup Group

The Singapore Expat Meetup

The Singapore Shuffle - Jogging/Hiking Meetup

Singapore Digital Photography Meetup Group

Women's Chill Out Kakis

The Singapore Movie Fans (and Food Lovers') Meetup Group

Singapore Travel Meetup Group

SFC - Singapore Friends Club

Feel free to check it out!

Difference Between Singapore and Foreign Customer Service

By the time I knew about Moblog's closing down two days ago, it was too late for me to delete or edit anything at my blog. Sadly, I cannot even leave a farewell note to inform my contacts where I will be moving to after Moblog. Bloggers at moblog.com.sg are given up to July 22, 2009 to migrate five years of data via page by page cut and paste to some place else within a few days, and no email was received from Moblog to inform us of its soon closure, except for a notice written at Moblog's home page.

Unlike the way Moblog handles the closure notification, I received an email yesterday from Yahoo! informing me of the upcoming closure of my free web site at Geocities by October 26, 2009 with full instructions on how to migrate my files to some other sites.

That is the difference between Singapore style customer service and those of foreign professionals.

Death of Moblog

Date of Birth: August, 2004
Date of Death: July 22, 2009

In Memory of SingTel Moblog

I am sadden by your sudden demise, because I was with you since the day of your inauguration as the Nation's Blog during the press conference held at Sakae Sushi, Funan Center in August 2004. I was then a journalist for the Education magazine and I wrote about you and your glorious capabilities to the world. Now after many years moblogging at your place, I am moved to tears with deep emotions that I now have to part with you. May you rest in peace, and may all the friends I know at your MoBlog remember me. Without you, things will never be the same again.

Here's my last dedication to you to recall the days of your glory ... my article of you: I Blog, You Blog, They Blog.

Yours
SpideY
;p xoxo

Modern Kampong

Up north in Singapore where I stay, is a canal that stretches across the estate where I live. The pictures below show the kind of environment and surroundings I pass by everyday, which I seldom pay attention to. Beautifully swampy, don't you think? Does it look like a modern kampong to you?

People in Singapore are always too busy to appreciate their surroundings, and even though pictures such as the following depict a sense of serenity, most of us don't even notice how nice God's creation can be, to take time to appreciate nature, before global warming takes them all away!

Learn, therefore, to appreciate what God has given us, for without green, there is no nature.

A View of My Daily Surroundings

Dirty Singapore

Once known in the world for its cleaniness, Singapore is no longer the same today. With increasing number of people from different cultures in this city-state, the island as we see it, is now covered with debris all over the land, without much action taken from the relevant authorities to eliminate the dirt-filled city.


Apart from parks covered with waste in the sea, these days we see cans, bottles, and tissues all over places in main streets, and the fields. Take a look at the picture above, photographed by me on a pedestrian path near the International Business Park, Jurong East on September 29, 2006 at about 6:25 pm. Who would have thought such a disgusting sight can be seen in a public place?

The fact that there are such litter all over Singapore shows the open-mindedness of people these days, and the benefits we learn from imported behaviors. Singapore may once be called a 'fine' country, but these days, fine and punishment seems to lax in the society, which give rise to more deviant behaviors.

Beautiful Saturday

Another breathtaking Saturday morning as I walked in the beauty of God's creation. Here's two photographs to let you have a glimpse of what I mean!

Food for Taste

Some of the Nicest Food in Singapore ...

Fried Fish Noodles @ Causeway Point Banquet

Wanton Noodles @ Causeway Point Food Junction

Fried Kway Teow @ IMM Banquet

Fried Hokkien Noodles @ IMM Banquet

Extreme Singapore

The heat in Singapore is hardly an example of what hell is going to be like, and I am already finding it difficult to endure! Let's not make the mistake to think that we can save ourselves, or we'll end up there! Walk therefore in the LORD, confess our sins, and ackwowledge Him in our hearts, making sure to follow the Light that leads the way ...

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (Eph 5:5-8 NAS)

Service Without Smiles

The first time I went to USA was when my company sent me to a software application manufacturer in San Diego to learn how to service helpdesk in a call centre. What I have learnt from there impressed me as I compare it with the service we provide in Singapore.

In the United States, when the helpdesk support staff picks up a call from a customer, he takes his time to service the customer, providing excellent quality and above all, without rushing or with impatience. When a customer requires an answer to something the support staff is unable to provide immediately, the customer patiently waits 'on hold' for the staff to research and stays on line till the staff gives him a reply. There were no sign of any impatient gesture between the customer and the support staff, and even though the line may be toll free, it is still something we can learn about cultural differences and expectations.

Over here in Singapore, support staff are expected to rush and support as many customers as possible. Before the answers are provided, we either asked the customers to call back again or tell them we will call them back, taking extensively long time to 'research' before an attempt is made to return a call. Customers are expected to pay via 1-900 line and as the cost gets clocked at each tick, so is the growing impatience of the customer. Alternatively, we provide an answering service that is always busy or difficult to get a real person to talk to. Temperament flares up between customers and support staff frequently and eventually neither the customers nor the support staff accomplishes anything.

This is the kind of support service we get in Singapore, and this is the kind of expectations we get from customers. Tell me I am wrong or prove to me otherwise, and I will readily write another article to demonstrate the 'perfect' service a company provides because this is one area I will be glad to see improved.

What Is Different About Singaporeans?

When I was in Las Vegas several years ago, I went to a casino and applied for a Player's Card to accumulate points, not so much to gamble but to have the card as a souvenir. When I was submitting my application at the counter, the attendant on realising I am from Singapore exclaimed, "Oh no! Not another Singaporean." I was immediately appalled and questioned her what is the problem, but she did not give me a reply, except to apologise.

This occurrence sets me thinking. What is it about Singaporean that turns people off? Is there a problem with our behaviour that shocks others? Is it our kiasu-ism? Or is it because we are always too particular about things that when we ask for something we always expect the best and no less? Is it because we cannot accept anything other than perfection or is it because we lack the spirit of give and take? Is it our lack of gracefulness?

These thoughts that go through my mind remind me of another incident. I was helping a foreign company set up an exhibition in Singapore and while I was mending the booth together with these foreigners, I observed some of the greatest embarrassments I have ever seen as a Singaporean. The booth for the exhibit was intended for selling some software products, but as a form of goodwill, my foreign partners also give away button badges as freebies to attract visitors. A Singaporean carrying a child came by and was given a button badge. Instead of appreciating the gift, the man upon confirming that the button badge is free, grabs all the remainder badges in the container and intends to walk away with them, if not for my foreign partner stopping him from doing so, explaining that they are for giveaways to other visitors too. This incident puts me in a disgraced position as a Singaporean and I had to apologise to my foreign partners for the occurrence.

Although not all Singaporeans behave in the same way as described above, very often we are seen by our foreign counterparts as people of very low dignity and sometimes as deviants, non-etiquette, and nuisance. I don't wish to be ashamed to be called a Singaporean, and I certainly don't wish others to have the impression of us as nuisance. It is for that reason I often stay away from our own people who behave in such mannerism, and when I travel overseas, I always avoid travelling in a big group of Singaporeans. It is not about being ashamed of one's own country, but it is the association of characters like these that spoil our nation's image that concerns me as a citizen.

So, to all Singaporeans who are reading this, I pray that we will all learn more from the cultures overseas that may help us to be more graceful. Let us learn the good things from them and teach others to make our nation a better country, filled with citizens who are considerate, willing to give and take, who detest ungraceful acts and appropriate what is good, wholesome, and culturally refine.

To foreigners who are reading this, our suggestion is not to generalise all Singaporeans as a type of people with particular behaviours. Not all of us are the same and many of us are totally unlike what has been described. Some may have similar traits and many are still learning to be more graceful by the day. Occasionally our ways may not seem rational to you, but it is often societal pressures that make us the way we are and by no means are the fault of our own. So please just view us as individuals, each with a difference, and do not categorise us as a single genre!

Fond Memories of the National Library

A chapter of Singapore history ended when the National Library at Stamford closes recently.

The National Library building at Stamford Road which celebrated its groundbreaking in 1957 and officially opened for service in 1960 has now moved on to the next chapter in acquiring a new spot at Victoria Street that boasts state-of-the-art facilities and information hub to serve a wide area of services to its publics.

In commemorating the end of a chapter, the National Library Board (NLB) has invited the Singapore public with fond memories of the place to submit their reminiscences in the form of short write-up, photography, drawing or cartoon. The outcome of these submissions is a coffee table book entitled, Moments in Time: Memories of the National Library, which will be launched on December 9, 2004 at the library in Esplanade. It is therefore my privilege to be invited for the book launch and for the opportunity to contribute one of the many articles in the book.

The National Library building at Stamford holds a very important place in my heart because it was there that I first found my love in writing, as a result of organised group meetings introduced by the library under the flagship of the Young Writers’ Circle. These meetings are held regularly on a monthly basis for the purpose of promoting local literature writing in prose, poem, freelance, and short stories. It is therefore with heart-felt sadness that I bid farewell to the many fond memories of this building as it vanish into yet another chapter in the Singapore history.