Im a Singaporean and this guy nails it. Its true that we're impatient because everything moves so fast, as well as your own lifestyle so we tend to be extremely impatient beings and it shows in such cases like the lift thing mentioned and on the roads. For the foreigner considering to move to Singapore, there really isnt much other than if you want to get a car, the prices are extremely high, and you have to be okay with living in a small apartment (small compared to a normal house). Additionally, as a local, I feel that there isn't much to do here in Singapore. You spend your leisure time mostly staying at home or going shopping. Nature is abundant but theyre not beautiful like in other countries and attractions can be expensive. Other than that, you can probably live by a normal life without spending a lot.
I noticed there are lots of cruise ships leaving out of singapore and some are very short, cheap cruises. Some businesses are finding ways to help people enjoy leisure time there.
I'm a foreigner in Singapore, and I kinda' adapted getting irritated when someone is walking too slow in front of me, and I say "tssk" on many occasions. Didn't notice it at first but now I find it is more frequent.
Singaporean living in Melbourne now. He is bang on on all things different in Australia and Singapore! About elevator buttons, I try to restrain myself from pressing the button😂 as I noticed in Australia, no one does that. And yes, when you order coffee, the barista asked for your name, like Starbucks does. It just takes a while to get used to. Here as well, people greet each other "how are you", instead of "hi" or "good morning". I would say he is accurate on alot of things in Singapore and understands that at the end of day, culture, way of living and politics are just different in any country.
@@jasonlowzesheng555 We visit Singapore around once a year, which is nice. But after a while, just got used to life in Oz. Both countries have their upsides. When in Singapore, miss aspects of Australia, and vice versa.
Singaporean here. Have been drinking coffee at the coffeeshop downstairs and across the street for 12 years ever since i moved in to this neighbourhood. I don't know their names. They don't know mine. Heck - sometimes we don't even speak the same language (except broken hokkien and malay) but we recognise each other and, er, well they remember not to fucking bend the goddamn straw gosh
I moved to Singapore since 11 years ago. I agree with him that everything is super fast paced here in Singapore, but fast paced also meant efficiency. It is always so weird to go back to my hometown and everyone moves like they have all the time in the world ^^ Singapore could be really expensive but also could be pretty cheap if you choose your lifestyle carefully.
Haha that's so true. I am a Singaporean here living in Singapore. We definitely are not used to waiting and slowing down. I didnt realised that until I started travelling and find myself looking in front to see why the people are walking so slowly or things are just slower. I think this mentality comes from our fast paced living and results oriented upbringing. Over the years I have come to appreciated both modes fast and slow. This is a nice video.
and that is when you realised how much anxiety Singaporeans live in in our daily lives. and if you walk same slower speed like the rest, you feel like your nervous system can relax for the first time
that and it just feels so weird to not be busy. Even from primary school, we start getting accustomed to always working/studying which is kinda sad tbh. Most just have the mentality that you need to strive for the best, aim, obtain and maintain academic excellence. On the other hand, we truly do need to promote more stuff like arts and the like :|
Lol I'm Singaporean but I'm not really comfortable with the fact that so many of us have bad grammar and gloss it over by saying that that's Singlish. Bad grammar is bad grammar
malaysian prefer chill or i should say lazy...that is why less stress, lower efficiency, lower currency value...moreover singapore no racial politic and lower rate of corruption, everything is fair and square in singapore...no i help u , u help me culture
@@loh-4528 Malaysia used to be just like Singapore until the Malay decided to dump their own beautiful culture and started to become medieval Arabs.. once that Ugly headwrapping cult fully took over.. the culture of delusion and hypocrisy took over.. things will get worst..
@@loh-4528 yeah, sure it's good to chill. but when you 'chill' at the expense of your own citizens suffering, it's called 'tidak apa' which basically means 'i don't give afk that you are suffering'.
@@hailyrizzo5428 bumiputra prefer the so called special rights, religion over economy ...so do not cry now...bumiputra is about 70%, if u want it that way....the non bumi could not change a thing......brain drain, quota, race based policies. monopoly hurt our economy for the past 65 years....deep down, u know it...if the so called special rights is good, why we are behind singapore? it is 1 sgd=3.4 myr
I lived in Singapore for a few years and just loved everything about the place, for me, I did not expect perfection, because I am far from being perfect myself and would just like to thank Singapore for accommodating me and having so many fine people. I am from Noosa.
To commute an hour an a half to work is actually not impossible.There are lots of commuters who does that every working day.If you stay in the west and your workplace is in the east,despite commuting by MRT,some will still need to take a feeder service to reach their workplaces.
Yes!! I am one of those ahaha. If the location isn't immediately within the vicinity of an MRT then it's gonna be more than an hour. Try going from the East to Tuas!!!
6:50 - it’s because the older cabbies were driving manual transmission for decades and when they switched to auto, nobody gave them the right guidance and they thought it’s like driving one single gear.
@@hey-yq8bj nah. Trust me… I know relatives who are old cabbies. They really tell me they have no idea how to stop accelerating an auto-trans car. :) they think to hold a speed, they have to lift off… and then they realize they speed is falling too quickly and they step on it again. Even in hybrid cars, lifting off to regen and stepping on it again will use more energy than you gain.
@@eatdriveplay they have no idea how to stop accelerating an auto trans? i could see that if there are lots of hills there where you need to either downshift the auto or hit the brakes going downhill but singapore is pretty flat. I tend to think they do it so impatient passengers think they're getting to their destination faster. Kinda like stirring up bees in a box
@@gregh7457 nah. They really don’t know how to. They have no idea all it takes to hold a constant speed is to ease the accelerator gently… so it’s either on/off in their mind. They can’t visualize automatic gear changes.
HI Max, as a Singaporean, I absolutely love your content! I reckon you should interview Japanese and Korean expats here and get them to compare both cultures. The Japanese and Koreans whom I've met tell me there is a less stressful work culture here in Singapore and pace of life is slower compared to their homeland.
His explanation on transport is so on point! Especially with how he demonstrates with his head bobbing in the taxi, even though it's a straight road, Hahaha.
I live in the West but work in the East. So I do travel 1.5 hrs for work & another 1.5 hrs to get home. Kinda used to it now & I look forward to my commute as it gives me time to catch up on my fav shows before heading home to the kids. Also doesn’t really feel like a long journey as the MRT system is so convinient & comfortable.
As a Singaporean, I actually never noticed about the elevator/lift button situation. It's like a reflex to me. I enter, I press the level/floor button, then I close the door 😅 even when I'm not in a rush. As for the efficiency of Singapore vs Australia.. I think it may be also due to Singapore is extremely small, while australia is a lot more times bigger than us. So it kinda makes it easier to manage Singapore. Therefore it make sense that you can easily get things delivered or travel to another location in a short period of time? (: it's like everything is squeezed into a tiny dot of space.
As a Singaporean, all these points are right. It's just that life can go so fast and I have many times become very impatient.[I always press the elevator button if I don't see anyone coming] The Singapore government is very efficient with where it places it's infrastructure. It's quite cheap to live in here and not really expensive. I didn't know what Australians thought and this was quite enjoyable.
Great bloke. He is definately more down to earth & practical than most of expats living here. Don't be afraid to mix with the locals. You'll save way lot more if you rent a HDB unit than a condo. Enjoyed this episode.
Yeah it’s more of an Asian culture thing, we tend to like ‘minding-our-own-business’ so we appreciate having more formal relationships with our cafes/restaurants we frequent. At most, the uncle/auntie at our local coffee stalls would recognise us and our usual order and they would smile and acknowledge our presence. But they would rarely ask for our name
Great video! Benji was spot on with his points, such as the convenience thanks to our public transport and the cheap food you can find at Hawker Centres. As a foreigener who's moved into Singapore a long time ago, I love it here it as well and saddens me when I hear about the sort of things my friends complain about, saying they wanna move out of here when they are older
This issue on the helmet's standards of manufactures is to ensure that the products are of good quality as they are safety equipment for protecting human lives (PPE). Normally Singapore will adopt well established international standards such as European (EN) Standards for products compliance. In the past equivalent standards from other developed countries such as Australia (AS) are assessed and can be considered as in compliance with the Singapore's requirement. Surprising that this practice is not the case now? Perhaps the Australian manufacturer of the helmets need to do the submission paperwork for consideration? Check that out.
I used to live in Admiralty and work in Tanjong Pagar. Took me 1hr 30mins to get to work. I had to take the feeder bus to train station and also switch train at raffles places. So it can take 1 and half hr to commute to work in Singapore.
I've heard another version about taxi style driving. It came from the time of mechanical meters. Old ankles believed that driving like that make these meters add few more cents that during smooth ride. The new engines, new gear boxes and also new meters can not change power of "wise man" teachings.
- I do have my local SB barista knowing my name if I go often enough, and I get "special service" from them. When one of them was leaving the company, she even left a farewell note to thank me. - The taxi drivers do that reeving because they believe it helps increase the cab fare. They will usually do it more when they think it is an unsuspecting tourist. - Yeap I am one of those who will always press the close button. It may be only a few seconds, but it adds up over my lifespan haha.
About the taxi, no wonder ever since Grab (and what was also Uber) came into the market, I don't think I have experienced that much such driving, because I guess the fare no longer depends on the meter.
Wow he speaks very fast for non-singaporean. LOL, anyway, it's fun to see us from other people's point of view, to see our norm is actually other people's quirky behaviour. Singaporean respect queue so much that, even when driving, we hate people cutting in, not thinking the other guy might be in an emergency or just taken the wrong road. Hope we are more gracious as we progress.
Hi Benji! I'm Singaporean and I get annoyed when the person closest to the elevator buttons doesn't control it. So I would usually stand close to it to control it. 😂
my god, the talks about Malaysian imigration line is so true. It is also true in Indonesia as well, BUT, since I am Indonesian, arriving in Indonesia is easy breezy because the clearance take much quicker, I think foreign passport experienced it rather different. The same when I went to Malaysia, with those painful imigration lines 😅
SimCity was one of my favourite games. I think the last one I played was called SimCity2000. It just goes on and on, I stopped when my city was futuristic and could launch a space shuttle.
...... natural disasters man, natural disasters. lol. After you finish, it's really something to trash the place with tornados, fires, earthquakes and alien abductions lol.
He’s really positive and sounds great to be with whereas us Singaporeans will be complaining off the rails on the inefficiencies, driving etc. On the coffee thing, some of us don’t like to be too close else we’ll feel obliged to buy from them whenever we walk past 😂
About the elevator/lift buttons - I am more impatient : immediately after entering the "lift" I press the CLOSE button first, THEN the floor level. Saved me a fraction of a second. 😂😂😂
Changi Airport is a marvel - you need to experience something like Kuta or Phnom Penh to really appreciate just how good it is. And Singapore Immigration really doesn't care if you are only staying in the city for a single night, it's all export income landing in their country. Bangkok is a more exciting city, but I loathe the queues in the arrivals hall.
Singapore vs HK in elevators. Singaporeans will get in make space press the button once. HK'ers tend to enter. Instantly turn around at the entrance and jam that button has hard and fast as possible to try and stop people getting in... As its like borderline inconvenient lol
This dude nails it. As an aussie (Melbourne) living in Singapore, I saw the title of this video and thought "Ok lets hear it, another video from someone whos just visited or read about Singapore who really has no clue", but nah, this is spot on. I've been in Singapore about 7 years. One thing i'm finding out about now is the cost of child care here is still relatively high, but still lower than aus, but as a foreigner, the cost of school is extremely expensive, unless you are, or are married to a citizen, your kids can't go to a public school in Singapore, so you must send them to an international school which start around $15 -20k per year, not including external school activities, tutoring etc. Having pets in Singapore is majorly different as well, on top of it being upto the landlords discretion, HDBs also only allow certain breeds of dogs, upto a certain height and weight, and only 1 per household without special approval. No cats at all are legally allowed to live in HDBs.
@@arianrolex6456 according to HDBs own website, they are not legally allowed to stay in hdbs. You CAN keep them IF you aren’t caught but that’s the same as speeding, you can speed, doesn’t make it legal if you’re not caught though. There are plenty of people who do keep cats in hdbs, as well as dogs outside of the approved breeds though. You cannot register them with NParks if your animal is not on the approved breeds/species list with HDB, I know this first hand.
In Singapore we don't like to wait. We do everything we can to save 3 seconds riding the lift by making the doors shut early, or getting things delivered instead of just spending 30min going to the nearest shop, just so we can waste 2 more hours watching TV or TH-cam or scrolling through dumb posts with the time we "saved". :-)
Ok, I clicked on the video but then it turn it into a challenge, I just had to find where you two were lmao. So ya, you guys are right in between Galaxies and Fusionopolis, near One North.(I would send an image, but TH-cam won't get me.) Applaud my Geoguesser skills lol.
In all countries, some products are manufactured only for export sales therefore you will never find them sold locally but only in other countries. There are also a minimum set of criteria like x% of the product must originate from the printed country of origin before it can get labelled as product of Australia.
That’s the thing, it isn’t exactly cheap in Singapore, but it can be affordable if you are willing to make some sacrifices. House? Get a one room and share. Food? Coffeeshop mixed veg store gets you a very balanced meal at less than $5. Mind you, it’s $5 with stuff like meat, vegetables and fish thrown in.
love these ...you should interview my son he's dived into the young culture here particularly the music arts seen . He's just written a a thesis on the local music scene which most foreigners have no clue of . They have a vibrant underground scene that isn't obvious to foreigners . He has definitely seen a different view from most young foreigners because most of them leave after school .We arrived when he started a degree here , then a masters and a internship.. we decided to do the opposite and ours stayed here . He has definitely had a special and different experience . Love your videos
I do love the variety of food in Singapore. The tropical fruits and seafood was huge and every thing was fresh and tasty. Great night food markets too.
My coffee (tea actually) aunty may not know my name, but they know my tea order! Pro: They know my tea order, so I don't need to order. Just walk up and pay Con: They know my tea order, so I can never change orders. Most times, they autopilot and make it before I can open my mouth.
Many visitors don't realized that 50% of the people they met in Singapore are foreigners. Most are imported workers and Malaysians who had literally taken over all the tradesman sector.
On the topic of coffee, if you are talking about kopitiam/kofu/hawker centre coffee? No shot with them talking to you. You tell them your order, you pay for your coffee and you go, best they can do is remember your order if you are a regular. If you want your barista to be your friend, you go to those overpriced cafes.
also as a realtor in singapore, when you are renting an apartment, ask the agent to send you the full historical transactions of rents in that building for the last 3 months, they would definitly have access to those figures with the exact unit/floors and rents paid for the condo building. (that way, you can offer close to the most recent prices and get a sense of the rent trends)
HDBs (especially old ones in mature estates) are unique in that they "lack facilities" like pools or gyms or whatnot, but then the public transport is SO versatile. - hungry? there's prolly a 7/11 downstairs or a "coffee shop" beside that has various food - you can take a bus down to the nearby: -- gym -- pool -- community center -- subway station -- shopping centre -- hawker centre -- school -- polyclinic -- park Honestly, i didnt realise how much i take these conveniences for granted. Very free and open. not bounded by gates or what not The whole damn country is your backyard
It's because milk here is double pasteurised as people expect a much longer shelf life at the expense of having that cooked taste and poorer foamability.
At last, a sensible, well-spoken Aussie expat who's not an embarrassment to me or my country (Aust) unlike the drunken yobs we so often see and hear about making fools of themselves while abroad.
Abt the Taxi uncle issue, iirc during the buildup to the street race last year, Lando Norris unfortunately experienced first hand the 'interesting' throttle control the older taxi uncles are known for *you know its infamous even when an actual F1 driver also complains abt that and not just us locals*
I really liked one point he mentioned at the end. Expats and many locals want to live in condos. I never understood why. Why would i pay more rent for a smaller apartment? Just for the security gate, pool, and gym? Most won't need or use any of those facilities other than very occasionally. I think it's more of a prestige thing than anything practical. My condo friends living in 650 Sq.ft. are blown away by my 1300sq.ft apartment when they visit. And i proceed to make them cry by telling them my rent.
Yes, $1 but car COE was much higher. Then the government, nudged by businesses and potential car buyers, acknowledged that there was oversupply of motorcycle COE and converted 4 motorcycle COE to 1 car COE to bring down car COE prices.
I’m a Singaporean and have been living in Australia for about 12 years and Malaysia about 3 years ish, everything this guy said is spot on especially on how Malaysia has a better traffic flow than Singapore. Love it!
![เปิดใจ "อาจารย์เบียร์ คนตื่นธรรม" อดีตเคยสุดทุกทาง ถ้าใช้หนี้หมดไปบวชแน่ l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IxeE0xVhy08/mqdefault.jpg)
WATCH Top Weird Things in Singapore for Australians PART 2: th-cam.com/video/EE4H2nV0wNo/w-d-xo.html
Aussie man nails it ..he really blend into a singaporean habits. N lifestyle....positive thinkings ..n a lively character....
Aussie is correct. Best to live in HDB and integrate into the local community where u can experience great adventures.
Im a Singaporean and this guy nails it. Its true that we're impatient because everything moves so fast, as well as your own lifestyle so we tend to be extremely impatient beings and it shows in such cases like the lift thing mentioned and on the roads. For the foreigner considering to move to Singapore, there really isnt much other than if you want to get a car, the prices are extremely high, and you have to be okay with living in a small apartment (small compared to a normal house). Additionally, as a local, I feel that there isn't much to do here in Singapore. You spend your leisure time mostly staying at home or going shopping. Nature is abundant but theyre not beautiful like in other countries and attractions can be expensive. Other than that, you can probably live by a normal life without spending a lot.
I noticed there are lots of cruise ships leaving out of singapore and some are very short, cheap cruises. Some businesses are finding ways to help people enjoy leisure time there.
I’m a Malaysian and I hate slow people on elevators. Haha
I’m a Singaporean
Can confirm. Singaporean and I can't stand slow walkers. If you want to walk slowly then get out of the way.
I'm a foreigner in Singapore, and I kinda' adapted getting irritated when someone is walking too slow in front of me, and I say "tssk" on many occasions. Didn't notice it at first but now I find it is more frequent.
Singaporean living in Melbourne now. He is bang on on all things different in Australia and Singapore! About elevator buttons, I try to restrain myself from pressing the button😂 as I noticed in Australia, no one does that. And yes, when you order coffee, the barista asked for your name, like Starbucks does. It just takes a while to get used to. Here as well, people greet each other "how are you", instead of "hi" or "good morning". I would say he is accurate on alot of things in Singapore and understands that at the end of day, culture, way of living and politics are just different in any country.
Sinkie in Brisbane(since 2007). Everything you said - perfect.
@@phoebetan7519 just curious. you stayed there for close to 16 years now. do you miss home?
@@jasonlowzesheng555 We visit Singapore around once a year, which is nice. But after a while, just got used to life in Oz. Both countries have their upsides. When in Singapore, miss aspects of Australia, and vice versa.
Singaporean here. Have been drinking coffee at the coffeeshop downstairs and across the street for 12 years ever since i moved in to this neighbourhood.
I don't know their names. They don't know mine. Heck - sometimes we don't even speak the same language (except broken hokkien and malay)
but we recognise each other and, er, well they remember not to fucking bend the goddamn straw gosh
I moved to Singapore since 11 years ago. I agree with him that everything is super fast paced here in Singapore, but fast paced also meant efficiency. It is always so weird to go back to my hometown and everyone moves like they have all the time in the world ^^
Singapore could be really expensive but also could be pretty cheap if you choose your lifestyle carefully.
I thought Korea is as efficient?
@@kplim9873 this video isn't about Korea tho
As a local, I'm really impressed by this guy's knowledge and learn quite a lot about the differences between both countries!
Haha that's so true. I am a Singaporean here living in Singapore. We definitely are not used to waiting and slowing down. I didnt realised that until I started travelling and find myself looking in front to see why the people are walking so slowly or things are just slower. I think this mentality comes from our fast paced living and results oriented upbringing. Over the years I have come to appreciated both modes fast and slow. This is a nice video.
and that is when you realised how much anxiety Singaporeans live in in our daily lives. and if you walk same slower speed like the rest, you feel like your nervous system can relax for the first time
that and it just feels so weird to not be busy. Even from primary school, we start getting accustomed to always working/studying which is kinda sad tbh. Most just have the mentality that you need to strive for the best, aim, obtain and maintain academic excellence. On the other hand, we truly do need to promote more stuff like arts and the like :|
He said "much more easier". He learnt there here in Singapore.
Clearly bad grammar.
Its actually a common Australian phrase
he learnt there where?
Lol I'm Singaporean but I'm not really comfortable with the fact that so many of us have bad grammar and gloss it over by saying that that's Singlish. Bad grammar is bad grammar
“Much more” is an acceptable phrase in native English.
There’s “more” and sometimes “much more”..
Dude is spot on, as a local Singaporean I am ashamed how we locals behave when it comes to certain "kiasu" things, nobody is chill here anymore.
The history of kiasu actually comes from mainland China
@@Zior888 singaporeans have been kiasu since forever lol
'Live and let live' by our late pm. ...
@@idk_wtf_is_going_on9614 yeah it’s the virus brought from the mainland
Wait till U guys work in Japan n Korea 😂
lmao that comparison between malaysia and sg’s immigration is so on point!!!
Jialat, problem so widespread even expats also know haha
@@Cysecsg Lol chill ah, our mb is making an effort, never mind attitude is so seeped in
Yeah he nailed it
@@EGO0808 They've changed that recently
Malaysia has many immigration centres. How many has Singspore? 1? So it makes sense all personnels are concentrated in that 1 centre.
Benji seems like a cool guy to hang out and have a coffee break with.
I am Malaysian and the immigration feedback is on point. We can do better. I might be wrong but the question is the mentality.
malaysian prefer chill or i should say lazy...that is why less stress, lower efficiency, lower currency value...moreover singapore no racial politic and lower rate of corruption, everything is fair and square in singapore...no i help u , u help me culture
@@loh-4528 Malaysia used to be just like Singapore until the Malay decided to dump their own beautiful culture and started to become medieval Arabs.. once that Ugly headwrapping cult fully took over.. the culture of delusion and hypocrisy took over.. things will get worst..
@@loh-4528 yeah, sure it's good to chill. but when you 'chill' at the expense of your own citizens suffering, it's called 'tidak apa' which basically means 'i don't give afk that you are suffering'.
@@hailyrizzo5428 bumiputra prefer the so called special rights, religion over economy ...so do not cry now...bumiputra is about 70%, if u want it that way....the non bumi could not change a thing......brain drain, quota, race based policies. monopoly hurt our economy for the past 65 years....deep down, u know it...if the so called special rights is good, why we are behind singapore? it is 1 sgd=3.4 myr
That must be Islamic attitude. Bad!
As a locally born Singaporean, I love how you present these different views and observations by new residents in Sgp from all over the world.
I love this series of interviews on how foreigners living in Singapore feel about the place. Looking forward to watching more of such videos!
I lived in Singapore for a few years and just loved everything about the place, for me, I did not expect perfection, because I am far from being perfect myself and would just like to thank Singapore for accommodating me and having so many fine people. I am from Noosa.
To commute an hour an a half to work is actually not impossible.There are lots of commuters who does that every working day.If you stay in the west and your workplace is in the east,despite commuting by MRT,some will still need to take a feeder service to reach their workplaces.
Agreed , making matters worse is if you live or work in areas that don’t have a direct connection between or have to change transport multiple times.
I agree. I take 1.5 - 2 hr to commute to school depending on the timing and frequency of the mrt and bus.
Yes!! I am one of those ahaha. If the location isn't immediately within the vicinity of an MRT then it's gonna be more than an hour. Try going from the East to Tuas!!!
I have to agree! Very refreshing to hear somebody compare Singapore to Sim City.
6:50 - it’s because the older cabbies were driving manual transmission for decades and when they switched to auto, nobody gave them the right guidance and they thought it’s like driving one single gear.
most taxis are also priuses/ elantra which are hybrid cars, i assume it would be for the regenerative breaking?
@@hey-yq8bj nah. Trust me… I know relatives who are old cabbies. They really tell me they have no idea how to stop accelerating an auto-trans car. :) they think to hold a speed, they have to lift off… and then they realize they speed is falling too quickly and they step on it again.
Even in hybrid cars, lifting off to regen and stepping on it again will use more energy than you gain.
@@eatdriveplay they have no idea how to stop accelerating an auto trans? i could see that if there are lots of hills there where you need to either downshift the auto or hit the brakes going downhill but singapore is pretty flat. I tend to think they do it so impatient passengers think they're getting to their destination faster. Kinda like stirring up bees in a box
@@gregh7457 nah. They really don’t know how to. They have no idea all it takes to hold a constant speed is to ease the accelerator gently… so it’s either on/off in their mind. They can’t visualize automatic gear changes.
These are the expats we want, takes time to learn the local culture here
HI Max, as a Singaporean, I absolutely love your content!
I reckon you should interview Japanese and Korean expats here and get them to compare both cultures. The Japanese and Koreans whom I've met tell me there is a less stressful work culture here in Singapore and pace of life is slower compared to their homeland.
I will!
Yeah this is actually such a great idea. i really want to know. compared to east asian countries. how is life in singapore. Thanks
Australian here.
Lived briefly in SG. I absolutely agree with him. 💯
His explanation on transport is so on point! Especially with how he demonstrates with his head bobbing in the taxi, even though it's a straight road, Hahaha.
I live in the West but work in the East. So I do travel 1.5 hrs for work & another 1.5 hrs to get home. Kinda used to it now & I look forward to my commute as it gives me time to catch up on my fav shows before heading home to the kids. Also doesn’t really feel like a long journey as the MRT system is so convinient & comfortable.
As a Singaporean, I actually never noticed about the elevator/lift button situation. It's like a reflex to me. I enter, I press the level/floor button, then I close the door 😅 even when I'm not in a rush.
As for the efficiency of Singapore vs Australia.. I think it may be also due to Singapore is extremely small, while australia is a lot more times bigger than us. So it kinda makes it easier to manage Singapore. Therefore it make sense that you can easily get things delivered or travel to another location in a short period of time? (: it's like everything is squeezed into a tiny dot of space.
As a Singaporean, all these points are right. It's just that life can go so fast and I have many times become very impatient.[I always press the elevator button if I don't see anyone coming] The Singapore government is very efficient with where it places it's infrastructure. It's quite cheap to live in here and not really expensive. I didn't know what Australians thought and this was quite enjoyable.
He's extremely articulate. Very insightful interview.
Great bloke. He is definately more down to earth & practical than most of expats living here. Don't be afraid to mix with the locals. You'll save way lot more if you rent a HDB unit than a condo. Enjoyed this episode.
Do you press a lift button to close the doors faster? 😂 (I do 😅)
Of course
It depends. If I'm in a hurry, I'll press it. If I'm not, I don't bother. 😀😀
Always
But of course. Don't you? 🤣
Of course… nobody’s giving me back that 5 seconds!
Good customer service can brighten anyone's day and make them come back again. It should be emphasized in Singapore.
We can only dream!
Nah...know my order is okay, but no need to know my name.
At the crossings, they press the button many times , hoping it will turn green faster
I wouldnt come back to the coffee shop if the barista knew my name and order. I rather they pretend they don't see me everyday.
Lol
Yeah it’s more of an Asian culture thing, we tend to like ‘minding-our-own-business’ so we appreciate having more formal relationships with our cafes/restaurants we frequent.
At most, the uncle/auntie at our local coffee stalls would recognise us and our usual order and they would smile and acknowledge our presence. But they would rarely ask for our name
Me as hell 😂
must be an introverted Asian… 😂 Yes, I am as well, I dont like to be addressed by first name basis with another Asian who are not friends or families😅
Probably we live in a huge condense community. While in Australia, some are used to live in a close knit community.
Great video! Benji was spot on with his points, such as the convenience thanks to our public transport and the cheap food you can find at Hawker Centres. As a foreigener who's moved into Singapore a long time ago, I love it here it as well and saddens me when I hear about the sort of things my friends complain about, saying they wanna move out of here when they are older
He seems like a really nice person:)
He is!
Benji is such a nice guy. Wish he’ll give up his Australian status and to become a Singaporean 😂. He’s almost like a Singaporean anyway 😂
6:32 is so sooooo true. My daughters and I call this elastic driving and you can't avoid it getting on your nerves after a while...
very keen observations about the driving style here!
This issue on the helmet's standards of manufactures is to ensure that the products are of good quality as they are safety equipment for protecting human lives (PPE).
Normally Singapore will adopt well established international standards such as European (EN) Standards for products compliance.
In the past equivalent standards from other developed countries such as Australia (AS) are assessed and can be considered as in compliance with the Singapore's requirement.
Surprising that this practice is not the case now?
Perhaps the Australian manufacturer of the helmets need to do the submission paperwork for consideration?
Check that out.
Sydneysider just visited Singapore 🇸🇬 love it
I used to live in Admiralty and work in Tanjong Pagar. Took me 1hr 30mins to get to work. I had to take the feeder bus to train station and also switch train at raffles places. So it can take 1 and half hr to commute to work in Singapore.
I stay in Bedok area and work in Jurong East, I feel your pain haha
bro iw cry I hv to go to sch at bukit panjang ( why tf are there chickens on the road there ) and i’m from serangoon
Benji is so candid and his observations are so astute and comments, funny!
A lot of Benji's observation are spot on. Great episode.
I've heard another version about taxi style driving. It came from the time of mechanical meters. Old ankles believed that driving like that make these meters add few more cents that during smooth ride. The new engines, new gear boxes and also new meters can not change power of "wise man" teachings.
That’s so funny! Maybe I need to ask one of these uncles :)
- I do have my local SB barista knowing my name if I go often enough, and I get "special service" from them. When one of them was leaving the company, she even left a farewell note to thank me.
- The taxi drivers do that reeving because they believe it helps increase the cab fare. They will usually do it more when they think it is an unsuspecting tourist.
- Yeap I am one of those who will always press the close button. It may be only a few seconds, but it adds up over my lifespan haha.
About the taxi, no wonder ever since Grab (and what was also Uber) came into the market, I don't think I have experienced that much such driving, because I guess the fare no longer depends on the meter.
Wow he speaks very fast for non-singaporean. LOL, anyway, it's fun to see us from other people's point of view, to see our norm is actually other people's quirky behaviour. Singaporean respect queue so much that, even when driving, we hate people cutting in, not thinking the other guy might be in an emergency or just taken the wrong road. Hope we are more gracious as we progress.
perfect description of our Lion City. Proud to be a Singaporean.
Hi Benji! I'm Singaporean and I get annoyed when the person closest to the elevator buttons doesn't control it. So I would usually stand close to it to control it. 😂
Get a life!
Me too n they dun hold the button for incoming. So suck.
Seriously? I would let you hit the button then.
"In Malaysia, there may be 20 counters but only 2 are opened"
😂😂😂
Even he knows.
my god, the talks about Malaysian imigration line is so true. It is also true in Indonesia as well, BUT, since I am Indonesian, arriving in Indonesia is easy breezy because the clearance take much quicker, I think foreign passport experienced it rather different. The same when I went to Malaysia, with those painful imigration lines 😅
The driving is also true between KL and Singapore. People give way minus the motorbikes as compared to sg
Benji, you are right about the lift situation, Singaporeans don't like to wait. Nice video, cheers.
The escalator thing is because there's a standing lane and a climbing lane
SimCity was one of my favourite games. I think the last one I played was called SimCity2000. It just goes on and on, I stopped when my city was futuristic and could launch a space shuttle.
Same :)
...... natural disasters man, natural disasters. lol. After you finish, it's really something to trash the place with tornados, fires, earthquakes and alien abductions lol.
He’s really positive and sounds great to be with whereas us Singaporeans will be complaining off the rails on the inefficiencies, driving etc. On the coffee thing, some of us don’t like to be too close else we’ll feel obliged to buy from them whenever we walk past 😂
The taxi thing is so spot on. Haha and the "tch!" sound he made regarding not closing the elevator door :D
About the elevator/lift buttons - I am more impatient : immediately after entering the "lift" I press the CLOSE button first, THEN the floor level. Saved me a fraction of a second. 😂😂😂
Changi Airport is a marvel - you need to experience something like Kuta or Phnom Penh to really appreciate just how good it is. And Singapore Immigration really doesn't care if you are only staying in the city for a single night, it's all export income landing in their country. Bangkok is a more exciting city, but I loathe the queues in the arrivals hall.
Lived in Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong. It's fast, faster & fastest respectively.
Singapore vs HK in elevators. Singaporeans will get in make space press the button once. HK'ers tend to enter. Instantly turn around at the entrance and jam that button has hard and fast as possible to try and stop people getting in... As its like borderline inconvenient lol
I think the distance he talks about commuting. He's right. In Singapore, nothing is far away
It's far by Singapore's standards because of the humidity lol!
This dude nails it. As an aussie (Melbourne) living in Singapore, I saw the title of this video and thought "Ok lets hear it, another video from someone whos just visited or read about Singapore who really has no clue", but nah, this is spot on. I've been in Singapore about 7 years. One thing i'm finding out about now is the cost of child care here is still relatively high, but still lower than aus, but as a foreigner, the cost of school is extremely expensive, unless you are, or are married to a citizen, your kids can't go to a public school in Singapore, so you must send them to an international school which start around $15 -20k per year, not including external school activities, tutoring etc.
Having pets in Singapore is majorly different as well, on top of it being upto the landlords discretion, HDBs also only allow certain breeds of dogs, upto a certain height and weight, and only 1 per household without special approval. No cats at all are legally allowed to live in HDBs.
no cats are legally allowed to live in HDBs, but as long as your neighbours are chill you can have a cat😊
@@arianrolex6456 according to HDBs own website, they are not legally allowed to stay in hdbs. You CAN keep them IF you aren’t caught but that’s the same as speeding, you can speed, doesn’t make it legal if you’re not caught though.
There are plenty of people who do keep cats in hdbs, as well as dogs outside of the approved breeds though.
You cannot register them with NParks if your animal is not on the approved breeds/species list with HDB, I know this first hand.
Great guest! Learnt a lot and v precise
This was such a lovely interview! Thanks for sharing :)
that random taxi uncle image is so funny lol
In Singapore we don't like to wait. We do everything we can to save 3 seconds riding the lift by making the doors shut early, or getting things delivered instead of just spending 30min going to the nearest shop, just so we can waste 2 more hours watching TV or TH-cam or scrolling through dumb posts with the time we "saved". :-)
Lane changing feedback is spot on. Virtual Q even when driving perhaps.
also...HIM DESCRIBING THE TAXI UNCLES SO ACCURATE... why the comfort delgro uncles be like that
No mention of the humidity 😂 here. Cannot tahan la!
I have been living in Singapore for my whole life and I like living my life here
I chuckled when Benji said Sim City .... ah the good ol' days
Ok, I clicked on the video but then it turn it into a challenge, I just had to find where you two were lmao. So ya, you guys are right in between Galaxies and Fusionopolis, near One North.(I would send an image, but TH-cam won't get me.) Applaud my Geoguesser skills lol.
In all countries, some products are manufactured only for export sales therefore you will never find them sold locally but only in other countries. There are also a minimum set of criteria like x% of the product must originate from the printed country of origin before it can get labelled as product of Australia.
Very balanced answers. Thanks for sharing this from ur perspective 👍🏻
Nice interview, guys!👍
That’s the thing, it isn’t exactly cheap in Singapore, but it can be affordable if you are willing to make some sacrifices.
House? Get a one room and share. Food? Coffeeshop mixed veg store gets you a very balanced meal at less than $5. Mind you, it’s $5 with stuff like meat, vegetables and fish thrown in.
love these ...you should interview my son he's dived into the young culture here particularly the music arts seen . He's just written a a thesis on the local music scene which most foreigners have no clue of . They have a vibrant underground scene that isn't obvious to foreigners . He has definitely seen a different view from most young foreigners because most of them leave after school .We arrived when he started a degree here , then a masters and a internship.. we decided to do the opposite and ours stayed here . He has definitely had a special and different experience . Love your videos
cool! let him contact me on telegram @maxim495
Ok I’ll tell him
Im a Singaporean who lives in singapore and I can agree with this
Based on his comments about pressing close button in elevator, he deserve to get PR😂
Hope the transport minister view this video so you can get your helmet soon
Yes I don't understand why vegetable prices in Australia can fluctuate like stock market every week.
I do love the variety of food in Singapore. The tropical fruits and seafood was huge and every thing was fresh and tasty. Great night food markets too.
What a great guy! Really observant and energetic
My coffee (tea actually) aunty may not know my name, but they know my tea order!
Pro: They know my tea order, so I don't need to order. Just walk up and pay
Con: They know my tea order, so I can never change orders. Most times, they autopilot and make it before I can open my mouth.
Agree. My name is Kopi C-! Hahahaha
@@viviencky miner's kopi-c siu dai 😂
@@capy222b mine's kopi C kosong peng da bei jia C dai zou
@@labznet that is 1 long order 🤣
I'm a Teh C kosong before 12pm, Teh C Kosong Peng after 12pm girl
Many visitors don't realized that 50% of the people they met in Singapore are foreigners. Most are imported workers and Malaysians who had literally taken over all the tradesman sector.
Correct, very few actual true blue Sinkies now.
the KLA airport is just so relatable
On the topic of coffee, if you are talking about kopitiam/kofu/hawker centre coffee? No shot with them talking to you. You tell them your order, you pay for your coffee and you go, best they can do is remember your order if you are a regular. If you want your barista to be your friend, you go to those overpriced cafes.
waiting because weather is hot and humid, it just makes people impatient.
"someone built a perfect sim city" prolly the best compliment anyone can give
Feels like a great guy to hang out and work with/for!
Everytime I'm in a lift at work I think of this video
Hello beautiful!
Sim city is such an interesting perspective of singapore! I didn't think about it this way, but it does seems like it now
also as a realtor in singapore, when you are renting an apartment, ask the agent to send you the full historical transactions of rents in that building for the last 3 months, they would definitly have access to those figures with the exact unit/floors and rents paid for the condo building. (that way, you can offer close to the most recent prices and get a sense of the rent trends)
HDBs (especially old ones in mature estates) are unique in that they "lack facilities" like pools or gyms or whatnot, but then the public transport is SO versatile.
- hungry? there's prolly a 7/11 downstairs or a "coffee shop" beside that has various food
- you can take a bus down to the nearby:
-- gym
-- pool
-- community center
-- subway station
-- shopping centre
-- hawker centre
-- school
-- polyclinic
-- park
Honestly, i didnt realise how much i take these conveniences for granted. Very free and open. not bounded by gates or what not
The whole damn country is your backyard
He understand Singapore well...
It's because milk here is double pasteurised as people expect a much longer shelf life at the expense of having that cooked taste and poorer foamability.
Lovely interview. Nice dude as well.
This guy mind is pretty fast pace himself, he can bring up so many points right away
At last, a sensible, well-spoken Aussie expat who's not an embarrassment to me or my country (Aust) unlike the drunken yobs we so often see and hear about making fools of themselves while abroad.
Well the media don’t get views if they mention the average normal Australian do they..
@@mdee8784 are you saying he's not an average normal Australian?
Get off your high horse
Abt the Taxi uncle issue, iirc during the buildup to the street race last year, Lando Norris unfortunately experienced first hand the 'interesting' throttle control the older taxi uncles are known for
*you know its infamous even when an actual F1 driver also complains abt that and not just us locals*
I really liked one point he mentioned at the end. Expats and many locals want to live in condos. I never understood why. Why would i pay more rent for a smaller apartment? Just for the security gate, pool, and gym? Most won't need or use any of those facilities other than very occasionally. I think it's more of a prestige thing than anything practical. My condo friends living in 650 Sq.ft. are blown away by my 1300sq.ft apartment when they visit. And i proceed to make them cry by telling them my rent.
I used to live in Singapore in the 90s when a motorcycle's COE would only cost S$1.
WHAT?!
@Max Chernov yes, you heard me right.
@@CMCJJT , Yes you are right, the motorcycle's COE was $1. at the beginning.
Yeah. I was exploring to get a Toyota Corolla then. Think it cost around 75k SGD during that eta
Yes, $1 but car COE was much higher. Then the government, nudged by businesses and potential car buyers, acknowledged that there was oversupply of motorcycle COE and converted 4 motorcycle COE to 1 car COE to bring down car COE prices.
I’m a Singaporean and have been living in Australia for about 12 years and Malaysia about 3 years ish,
everything this guy said is spot on especially on how Malaysia has a better traffic flow than Singapore. Love it!