Enough!!

[Winston Churchill]

People of Singapore (especially expats), can we please stop the moaning and bitching that's going on at the moment about life in Singapore. Ok, so we aren't treated fairly, well, that's life, we knew the rules before we arrived. Have you all looked at what is happenning in your home country recently?
It's not that bad here is it. We all know just how friendly our hosts are, indeed many of us will be invited to their homes over the next few days to celebrate CNY wont we?
You mean we won't.. you mean we'll just have a few days off but won't get invited to someones house to be treated as a friend at this important part of the Chinese calendar?
I was told our hosts were a friendly bunch..so singaporeans, we await your invites.

[lanwarrior]

G;day Mr. Churchill,

Agreed 100% with your comment. But I guess some of the things here may sound extra-ordinary to some people, even those who have stayed here quite sometime. It'll take time to get used to it, I know, but one can't stop pondering about it.

This is like certain countries, who treat women like a "dog", whereas if they got raped, they are deemed to have bring shame to the family and must be killed. I am not joking here, but imagine you're living in those countries.

No..no.. Singapore is not this bad, but just merely saying how certain things here are..well..quite extra-ordinary. People from different country, like U.S. may be surprised to see that if you talk bad about the government, you may be arrested indefinitely.

All in all, Chinese New Years is coming, I am waiting for the invitation and hong bao too!

[baba]

If you've not been invited at all, perhaps you might like to spend the three days at home doing some soul searching...

LW, two opposition members of parliament are still very much alive and kicking...as long as you don't spew trash, it's ok...

[Haha.......]

For sure I'll not invite both of you.....LOL
Look at those negative input from you? Unless you are extra-ordinary. I am just a normal person.

Maybe I will extend my invitation to Fifa and his the other half  

[lanwarrior]

Dude..Baba.. and Haha you're full of hate or what? Ever heard of culture shock? Just trying to point out to Mr. Churchill some of the possiblity why some foreigners might feel unwelcome.

Been to in Oakland, California? Wouldn't say more, but in short some people can TOTALLY make you feel unwelcome in US.

BTW, yes I did got invited for the Chinese New Year. Some of my Singaporean friends are quite nice, we go along together.

But hey, no hard feelings! This is a discussion board after all, where we discuss and sometimes argue.

[cactus]

I have a mixed reaction to this.

On one hand, I've told people far and wide what a privilege it is to live here in Singapore, how it is one of the few places in the world that can keep a high-maintenance person such as myself happy.

On the other hand, this city has its shortcomings, just like all other cities and people do. One of its Singapore's shotrcomings is censorship and its ugly by-product: a Pollyanna-like inability to take criticism.

So keep saying both the good and bad about this place. By not censoring your thoughts or speech, you are making Singapore a better place  

[mr govt]

lanwarrior,

<<< People from different country, like U.S. may be surprised to see that if you talk bad about the government, you may be arrested indefinitely. >>>

Let's see how long you remain free.  Gee, you own statement contradict your ill-advised opinion.

lanwarrior, please don't change your handle so that people here can track you and know that you are alive and well and kicking and moaning on the net, and not packed off to Siberia or the Gulag.

[Porker]

The expense would not be cost effective. Offshore island like Sentosa will do. There must be reasons why BM exist to remove some of the more unsavoury post aint it. Closure of web site is another reality for non-compliant.

[baba]

LW,

Hate? Where did you get that idea? Don't get me wrong, when I said "you", I didn't really mean you, it's a general "you" I meant...

Closing down of sites? I think some of these "irreverant" websites are still alive and kicking. Won't name them here though...

[wow]

2 opposition mp's? gosh - a thriving democracy!!

[want_to_believe]

I don't have anything negative to say about Singapore, I'm just joking about certain behaviors from time to time   . I must say it is the best country I ever lived in an the best government a county can have. Show me a better one if you can . The US is bringing the world on the edge of an nuclear war , the German government sucks your blood out with taxes, the British do the same, the south Americans are corrupted, , African counties have no real government at all, countries around here like Indonesia or Malaysia are religious fanatics.
Singapore is the first choice , no question.

[baba]

wow. You missed the point. Which is the fact that there is any at all when there should not even be one to begin with, going by the crap somebody was trying to spread earlier on. Get it?

[oldy]

want_to_believe,
i'm with u 100%.

[Aliya]

Look, Singapore may not be perfect, but name me a country that is.  I enjoy living here very much and enjoy the different opportunities it affords me.

Culture shock always happens when you move to a new country.  Get over it. Rather than going on about how much you miss Boots or something like that, go out and find the Signaporean equivalent.  Because that is what you will find.  If everything was like the country you came from, what would be the point of moving to another one?

So please, don't knock Singapore, its a different country to the ones you all came from but it has its good and bad points, try to concentrate on the good ones and be optimistic about the bad ones.  Its not your country, you are a guest here.  There are all sorts of people and cultures here, learn to appreciate them rather than bitching about them.

[deja vu]

Yup, WC & Aliya - agree with you.  Deja vu isn't what it used to be.  Got to dig this up once in a while just to keep things in perspective.
http://www.expatsingapore.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/009371.html