A2A. The article is kind of funny because a local survey found that Singaporeans find Singapore boring. There was not much info on methodology and on this cross-sectional survey: the demographics, ed level, social strata and spending power etc. Likewise, the population surveyed in Japan is not defined. Is it surveying singles living in coffin-like housing or did it occur in the red light district for instance. Office workers are either caught up in office till late or they are drinking with colleagues. Is it urban Tokyo or is it Hokkaido?
So surveys like this is extremely sensitive to the sampled population. Are the two populations matched in any way? How are the questions worded? Are there sampling errors or confounding factors? So methodology is very important.
The article then related boringness with stress, loneliness, sleep deprivation and congestion but I beg to defer because Japan and HK suffer from the same systemic problems if not worst. Japanese die working. Have you been to HK and compare their housing with HDB?
The main problem is that the Singapore society has no respect for personal time. Company give you a free hand phone so that they can message you and demand an answer 24/7. You are expected to do more than you are paid for. You are constantly told to compete or risk becoming a dinosaur. Hence, Singaporeans are so uptight that they cannot relax and enjoy everything they have. They will jump to the next task immediately upon completing one. Do we thank or pat the backs of our workers for job well done?
How many people have the time to smell the flowers and watch the birds in this garden city? Everyone is here n a rush to do things- job, help kids pass PSlE, keep fit, pass IPPT, networking, skills upgrading, go through the checkpoints of in-things to plaster on facebooks and show friends that we have been there, seen it, done it. Entertainment and hanging out has become work.
The food in Japan while packaged so exquisitely tend to revolve around few common foods. Singapore should easily beat Japan by a mile. But as a tourist in Japan, I get to sit down and savor it. I can admire the Sakura, watch cosplay or even make sense of the Kabuki. But in Singapore, the mind keeps moving and rushing and there is no time for anything. Yes we are mad-hatters.
But if you read further between the lines, you will notice 2 aspects that really sinks Singapore, the lack of gratitude and courtesy, and the constant negative vibe of complaining. Again they have nothing to do with “boring”. The lack of these social attributes means that Singapore is not a welcoming place. Complaining is even more toxic. It drains energy, fouls moods and spoils appetite. It makes any pleasant unpleasant. It takes away the zoey in life. It robs any goodwill that we have established.
Another aspect of Singaporean psyche which the article did not explore is the constant need to compete, compare and contrast. How can we enjoy a meal if we constant compare what we are eating with somewhere- else with purportedly better food or when it is really great tasting food- it’s just not healthy enough or when it is thought to be healthy- not tasty or expensive compare to yesteryear.
How many a times if you happened upon Singaporean tourist with their all familiar accent commenting that everything is not as good as Singapore?
So I submit that the lack of attraction is not physical but rather social and mental. Without being able to slow down and smell the flowers, Singaporeans will not learn to enjoy the simplest things that they have.
So surveys like this is extremely sensitive to the sampled population. Are the two populations matched in any way? How are the questions worded? Are there sampling errors or confounding factors? So methodology is very important.
The article then related boringness with stress, loneliness, sleep deprivation and congestion but I beg to defer because Japan and HK suffer from the same systemic problems if not worst. Japanese die working. Have you been to HK and compare their housing with HDB?
The main problem is that the Singapore society has no respect for personal time. Company give you a free hand phone so that they can message you and demand an answer 24/7. You are expected to do more than you are paid for. You are constantly told to compete or risk becoming a dinosaur. Hence, Singaporeans are so uptight that they cannot relax and enjoy everything they have. They will jump to the next task immediately upon completing one. Do we thank or pat the backs of our workers for job well done?
How many people have the time to smell the flowers and watch the birds in this garden city? Everyone is here n a rush to do things- job, help kids pass PSlE, keep fit, pass IPPT, networking, skills upgrading, go through the checkpoints of in-things to plaster on facebooks and show friends that we have been there, seen it, done it. Entertainment and hanging out has become work.
The food in Japan while packaged so exquisitely tend to revolve around few common foods. Singapore should easily beat Japan by a mile. But as a tourist in Japan, I get to sit down and savor it. I can admire the Sakura, watch cosplay or even make sense of the Kabuki. But in Singapore, the mind keeps moving and rushing and there is no time for anything. Yes we are mad-hatters.
But if you read further between the lines, you will notice 2 aspects that really sinks Singapore, the lack of gratitude and courtesy, and the constant negative vibe of complaining. Again they have nothing to do with “boring”. The lack of these social attributes means that Singapore is not a welcoming place. Complaining is even more toxic. It drains energy, fouls moods and spoils appetite. It makes any pleasant unpleasant. It takes away the zoey in life. It robs any goodwill that we have established.
Another aspect of Singaporean psyche which the article did not explore is the constant need to compete, compare and contrast. How can we enjoy a meal if we constant compare what we are eating with somewhere- else with purportedly better food or when it is really great tasting food- it’s just not healthy enough or when it is thought to be healthy- not tasty or expensive compare to yesteryear.
How many a times if you happened upon Singaporean tourist with their all familiar accent commenting that everything is not as good as Singapore?
So I submit that the lack of attraction is not physical but rather social and mental. Without being able to slow down and smell the flowers, Singaporeans will not learn to enjoy the simplest things that they have.
