Living in Singapore

So, has anyone on here lived/worked in Singapore?
I’ve just found out that I’ve made it to the interview stage for a job at a university down there (not English teaching, if that makes any difference)…
I’ve never been, and all I know is that it’s all one big city, it’s really hot, people like to shop, it has good food, and I shouldn’t chew gum.
I’ll obviously have a look at the place and ask a lot of questions when I go down there, but in the meantime I would greatly appreciate any insights into what life in Singapore is like, and how it might compare to life in Taipei.

I know someone who lived there. He found it a boring place, and it’s pretty expensive too. But Malaysia and Indonesia are really close by, and Thailand isn’t too far away, so there’s plenty of opportunity for travel. Plus it’s a great hub to fly out of.

EDIT: By the way, it’s not all city. There are jungles in the middle of the island (necessary as a catchment for the reservoirs), and you can go hiking. You can even hike to the highest peak in Singapore, Bukit Timah - a whole 537 feet above sea level!

Think of a tropical HongKong.

Lived there for few years. Fascinating, beautiful, cosmopolitan place. You have much more variety of stimulation than Taiwan. If you have the money.

But can’t live as cheap as in Taiwan. If the school helps with living expenses, then great opportunity.

[quote=“tango42”]Lived there for few years. Fascinating, beautiful, cosmopolitan place. You have much more variety of stimulation than Taiwan. If you have the money.

But can’t live as cheap as in Taiwan. If the school helps with living expenses, then great opportunity.[/quote]
You are the very first person I have ever heard saying this. Everyone I have talked to dislikes Singapore very much due to the dullness of everyday life with nothing to do.

Singapore is boring because it’s small, overdeveloped, and much of its exciting historical stuff has been bleached away. But if you take the time and effort to explore its nooks and crannies, you can find quite a few interesting things to see and do. And you can easily get away from Singapore.

Oh ok I see. Thanks for the clarification Chris :slight_smile:

I’ve never been, but have an ex-out-law who said he hated it there because it was terribly boring–but he thought I’d LOVE it there.

I think it’s more of a family kind of place, than a place for a single person. But like I said, I’ve never been.

They even have artificial tropical getaway islands with resorts … all in one small place …

[quote=“zyzzx”]So, has anyone on here lived/worked in Singapore?
I’ve just found out that I’ve made it to the interview stage for a job at a university down there (not English teaching, if that makes any difference)…
I’ve never been, and all I know is that it’s all one big city, it’s really hot, people like to shop, it has good food, and I shouldn’t chew gum.
I’ll obviously have a look at the place and ask a lot of questions when I go down there, but in the meantime I would greatly appreciate any insights into what life in Singapore is like, and how it might compare to life in Taipei.[/quote]

for reference ($1 Sing = ~$0.78)

the price of fun is really $$$$$ 6 pack in 7/11 cost $16 and a beer in a bar costs around the same, cigarettes are around $12/pack. the nightlife is good, but it caters to white collar expats for the most part. sadly there are relatively few attractive females there, easily the lowest percentage in East Asia, and I have no idea why, it makes no sense.

food is amazing and very cheap in the hawker centers (~$5 for a meal).

it is a real, functioning, first world city that gets all the events a global city should.

you NEVER feel like a foreigner there.

it is easier to fly to many remotes parts of Indonesia from Singapore than it is Jakarta (this means great weekend getaways).

my advice is if you like the way things are in the west, bland, orderly etc… Singapore is for you, but if you like going out every weekend and drinking a lot, make sure you have a good paying job, much of the city’s ‘fun’ caters to people making 6 figures.

Huh! … What happened to the Singapore girl?

What Deuce said!
Edit:
Most of of the “pretty” women there are either from China–recently, there’s been quite a surge, or from other SE Asian countries.

I am quite an active person in many respects and I found a lot more to do in daytime and nighttime indoor and outdoor than I ever found in Taiwan. I roller bladed, hiked, hashed, jogged, sailed, raced remote controlled cars and planes, danced, partied, ate huge varieties of food, sang kareoke, laid on the beach, played beach volleyball, went shrimp fishing, rode roller coasters, knee-boarded behind ski boat, golfed, rode river taxies, sat at outdoor restaurants in nice weather, raved all night, watched world class current current concerts and theater, had great Sunday brunches, enjoyed sunshine nearly every day… All within a few minutes from anywhere. And that is not an exhaustive list.

Then traveled easily to other countries for other fun. Malaysia is 30 minute drive, phuket 1 1/2 hour flight.

In comparison,in Taiwan I’ve traveled and tried from ching jing to kinmen, danshui to kending, living in Taipei, surfed and snorkeled, danced, ate, partied, hiked, biked, hot springed, clubbed, etc., and overall Singapore is more fun and better quality of life.

Families and singles rarely want to leave after posting. One of the highest demand places to live in the world. Having enough money is essential.

I am single and find the ladies in Singapore more attractive and better dressed than in Taiwan plus more variety. Granted, Taiwan ladies are a bit easier to get to know.

Thanks for all the replies!
I’m not worried about a lack of pretty women, that would actually be a positive - maybe it’ll make it easier to find a man :slight_smile:

So, some say boring and bland, some say fascinating… I’d heard the boring bit, so it’s good to know that not everyone feels that way.
For those who think it’s boring, is that boring compared to other places in Asia, or boring compared to, say, Texas? Right now, the other places that have jobs on offer are in the US, the UK, and New Zealand, so I’ll most likely be going an orderly western-ish place regardless (assuming that anybody actually wants to hire me, which is a very big assumption :slight_smile: ). I’m kind of afraid that I would find the US incredibly boring if I moved back…
I’m not too worried about the expense (although I was looking at the rent for apartments and was a little shocked :astonished: ). I think the pay will be commensurate (they are trying to get top people from around the world to pick up stakes and move there, after all), and after poking around a bit on their website, I think they have subsidized housing for faculty.
It would be nice not to feel like a foreigner, so that’s a plus.
The sports also seem like a plus - I’ve already discovered that they actually play my sport (waterpolo) there, so maybe I’d be able to get back into it.

[quote=“Wookiee”]What Deuce said!
Edit:
Most of of the “pretty” women there are either from China–recently, there’s been quite a surge, or from other SE Asian countries.[/quote]
Many of the “pretty women” are… yes, from China, the Philippines, Vietnam… but you have to pay to… ahem… “date” them. By the hour, so I understand…

I don’t think that zyzzx has any interest in that scene!

Havent been to Spore in awhile. But on my trips there iv found some Spore girls that were attractive and English educated so spoke English well. Some even without the ear itching Singlish !

Singaporeans that I know all have a love/hate relationship with their little place. They are at once very proud of it as well as very critical. Sporeans seem to like to criticize ? !

Seems that being able to travel to Malaysia and Indonesia very easily makes things better as Spore itself is quite small. And nowadays the “real” Singaporeans are not happy that soon every other person will be “imported” (mainly from China).

I always thought of it as a more Tropical HongKong. But always thought HongKong was more fun to visit.

Many westerners that have been posted there have much enjoyed their time there.

But Singaporeans seem to need to get out once in a awhile to remain sane but always seem to be happy to get home tho. Taiwan is a major destination it seems for Singaporean youth to visit.

Key for a good live in Singapore: Have enough money to spend!

I love Taiwan, but I would move to Singapore in a HEARTBEAT. Only country where I’d go without really thinking about it much.

Just something about it… I don’t know what. It’s so CLEAN. And shiny. And there’s green grass everywhere! I think it suits me because it’s right in the middle of East/West… which is how I feel sometimes. Not quite Eastern enough that I feel out of place, and not quite Western enough that I feel out of place, either.

And Heliconias. I like Heliconias.

And snakes.

[quote=“tango42”]

I am single and find the ladies in Singapore more attractive and better dressed than in Taiwan [/quote]

never has there been a more false sentence fragment in the history of this forum. seriously.

“Objection”
“denied”
“I STRENUOUSLY object.”
“Oh, well if you strenuously object then I should take some time to reconsider.”