Why this American decided to live in Singapore
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- Meet Blake, an American who exchanged New York for Singapore and has been living here for 11 years. He works in the event industry, bringing Broadway shows, A-list concerts, and major sports events to Singapore. We discussed what he misses about the US, what America can learn from Singapore, and key insights for Westerners about Asia. Enjoy!
Blake on Instagram: / blaketatroe
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 INTRO
00:33 New York VS Singapore
03:14 Friendship in Singapore
03:43 How to explore foreign cultures
04:57 Body language is important in Asia
07:20 What does Blake miss about the USA
08:00 What Blake loves about Asia
08:53 Singapore 11 years ago
09:36 No-no things in Singapore
10:11 Walking near the North Korean embassy
10:55 Entertainment industry in Singapore
13:14 Why ONE Championship that popular in Singapore
WATCH NEXT:
► Pros and Cons of moving to Singapore from New York: • Pros and Cons of movin...
► Why I Moved to SINGAPORE from EUROPE and NEVER going back: • Why I Moved to SINGAPO...
► What $4,500,000 Buys You in Singapore: • What $4,500,000 Buys Y...
LET'S BE FRIENDS:
► My Instagram (use the translate button to read the posts 😇): / chernov_networking
► Sponsorship-related requests: maxim.chernov.msc@gmail.com
Hey! I'm Max. This channel is about life and business in Singapore, as well as other South East Asian countries. I interview inspirational people and ask them tricky questions. Enjoy! :)
#ExpatLife #MaxChernov #Singapore
as a Dutch, who's been living in Singapore for 5 years, I liked this video. Singapore is amazing and I never want to leave ever again
You are very rich that’s why
lol stfu. you want just to enjoy white privilledge.
@@muggz73 I wish I was. I live HDB, need to work to survive just like any other Singaporean. Most of my Singaporean friends are financially better of then I am.
You are very quick to draw wrong conclusions and you are very judgmental, why?
@@ferdinand_WS i like singapore too. Its a good country
Max should interview you soon
as a singaporean, this video gave a good insight to the sports and the entertainment industry here in singapore. it’s true that we’re starting to see the music entertainment industry to flourished in a sense that almost every other artists would make a pit stop here in singapore. i’ve seen malaysians in particular complaining why some of their fav artists not making a pit stop there (i guess we all know why at this point). very interesting video! keep it up!
Lies again? American Education Sin City
@@firdaus125 I said most artists would make a pit stop in SG. So, clearly not all would. Pffft.
@@applehead7942 fair enough, sorry
@@firdaus125 hmmmm now coldplay be having 6 shows in SG...hahaha
I think Americans who generally work in entertainment at a certain management level are much more open-minded and knowledgeable about international relations. His vibe is definitely very open and cool.
Yup. I had American friends travel extensively worldwide to film documentaries. They too have the same openly-mindedness and view like Blake (the guest here).
I guess even myself or any nation.. who travel extensively to work, forced to socialise with another nation for work... as times goes..it will make one more acceptable to cultural indifferences and mistakes.
Watch next 👉 th-cam.com/video/iZuizUbSh5I/w-d-xo.html
The story of a foreign woman who obtained Singaporean citizenship. Will she ever truly belong in Singapore? 🤔
as an SG local. its a great insight/interview into an American Expat viewpoint. Thanks Mr Chernov for the interview! also do take care of interview at the sidewalk! and lastly love Mr Blake shirt! Its great to see how Integrated Mr Blake is!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This interview is unique from the others. The choice of venues, a lot of movement in the background. It can be a bit distracting but at the same time, it shows the fluidity mind of the interviewee. The way he talks, he’s like a moving river. It's interesting to get into the minds of foreigners, what they think, how they see things, how they perceive things, their life lessons. What we can learn from them, what they can learn from us. It’s always an exchange.
Well, Singapore is not expensive if you go for hawker food. You can get a really good meal for around 8 bucks, including a drink.
It's always good to get to know perspectives from others. Great interviews. 👏
I felt a bit unnerving when you stood so close to the road for an interview 😅😂
Haha sorry 😅
I’ve worked briefly with Blake on a small project in the past. He is an excellent bloke! ❤
Small world!
great content, good to know and hear what foreigners vision of what Singapore is like.. not everyone could have the opportunity to travel or work overseas but its good to hear the prospective of a foreigner honest opinion of our nation. ...and also I can see why Blake enjoyed his stay in Singapore as not many can be as light minded and open to change as he is. Well done both!
Thanks so much for watching!
This was a nice relatable video to see this as a fellow New Yorker pretty new to Singapore! And damn a Reuben Sandwich sounds awesome right about now!
Fascinated about your choice of place to do interviews.
Another great video👍
Think this is one of the few interviews that is done standing next to a road or walking the street. What a cool interview.
Very insightful video! Love it
🙏
It will take quite a while before culture can develop in Singapore. We're less than a century old. In country terms, we're babies. What we do celebrate is a bit of every culture out there that has been brought into Singapore like a mixing pot of mish mesh. As long as our people continue to be open to experiencing each other's culture with respect and understanding, Singapore will eventually develop culturally. We are already beginning to embrace our own mix of language, which is the first sign of a developing culture. Arts and expression will take some time but might be stiffiled because of our need to constantly be on lookout for existential threat/crisis.
Why didnt he mention Chingay? Cuz tbh up till now idk wth chingay is celebrating
Welcome to Singapore, lots of Best Wishes to you🤗
Thank you! You too!
Max, love your videos!
Great interview; I know Blake, and he was spot on. I miss Singapore. I spent 15 wonderful years there. We left just before Covid and finally got to visit two weeks ago.
Where did you move to?
@@MaxChernov Unfortunately, back in the USA. I left the USA in 1988 and went to the Philippines, and spent 16 years there before moving to Singapore.
Very nice neighborhood he’s loving in, it’s in Joo Chiat! Shot a few portraits there
It’s beautiful!
I live in Joo Chiat too! Love the insights Blake is sharing about his experiences in Asia, and now in Singapore! :> Great content, as usual!
🙏
As a Singaporean... I have no idea why foreigners always claim Singapore to be an expensive city to live in. Apart from housing, food and transport are relatively cheap here.
agreed. im a singaporean based in the NYC right now, and i think the only reason why it's deemed as such is because of the wage. like here i simply take home usd800/week (sgd4.2k/month) for an entry level job. minimum wage here is usd15/hr. like earning american bux is nicer than sgd BUT taking into account that tax eats up a whole lot and returns are only 1/3 of the tax paid? and there's no cpf unless you have a 401k which will also take years to build.
rent is more or less the same as SG. but i think honestly worst here you have to make 40x annual to rent. let's say the space is $2k, you gotta make $80k/year. which is insane and rent keeps getting HIGHER. causing locals itself to not have a house.
food - dont even mention. the amount of times you can't "just spend" and have to resort to cooking because it's so damn expensive. paid usd17 for a pad thai.....usd7 for a smashburger.... tough to find actual good deals without having to travel out to chinatown or sumn. and the whole tipping thing. as a chef myself i find it ridiculous how tipping is expected 🫠
transportation is usd2.90 / ride. they have unlimited pass tor usd127. paying that much for the subpar train / station standards. not to mention your safety on the line. being pushed on train tracks etc.
returning back to SG soon 🙏 cause really as much as the wage is relatively smaller there. i can survive with what
I think Asian cultures teaches the value of self sacrifice for the greater good whereas in western societies / western cultures, self sacrifice for the greater good is unheard of or not taught. This is the difference / main reason why you can see racial (ethnic) harmony in Singapore.
What do you think of Dumbledore’s Greater Good agenda? 😂
That's just not true. We definitely preach sacrifice for the greater good here in the US, especially in team sports. There is also the individual aspect, but the team aspect is also there. Look at speeches by every championship team in the 4 major sports.
I like Blake's Balinese batik shirt. You can tell he integrates well in Southeast Asia just from what he is wearing.
Spot on. As joo chiat is in indonesia
Cool guy, great ambassador for his country.
Blake is a cool guy! Singapore is lucky to have a talent like him (i’m a Singaporean)
What’s your favorite show or concert you’ve been to in Singapore?
definitely back in the days when Michael Jackson performed in Singapore. Mind blowing stage presence, not seen enough of anyone that could bring that kind of magic on stage!
@@carolc9267 That was decades ago...
National Day Parade ❤❤😍😍
Metallica and Foo Fighters. They came the same year (2017 if I'm not mistaken). Coldplay as well. I went to all three, but Metallica and FF were the most memorable....
Anything by SSO.
Go, Learn, Understand.
So succinct
Ahh, Joo Chiat/Katong. The most colourful hipster burg in all of Singapore where people still actually live.
i'm actually curious and hope to see a video about why people leave or not living in Singapore.
goin to school in singapore, i'm sure l'll meet people right there
Though above all for now, what something Singapore can teach America and hope they adopt it.... is ..... healthcare subsidy, and student subsidy. Thig guy is wise and yeah great points. Not just living here, but wherever you go learn learn learn learn. Different country/state, for sure, different style of socializing.
The problem is the ideology focused around Americans about individual freedom thinking that it's for their own personal freedom comes at the expense of the wellbeing of citizens. And it becomes the "end-all" principle to the point that the government sees that it doesn't need to intervene and allocate resources to assist the downtrodden and the vulnerable in society. That's not freedom. That's cowardice.
Welcome to Singapore. I have an American couple friend living in California whom work as film producers for documentaries. They dont find it expensive nor cheap either. More like slightly above average to them.
I see their views quite fair hence they travel quite extensively to film documentaries around the world.
They mentioned most Americans are too adapt to use cars... so most of the American tourists may find Singapore is expensive if everytime they travel need a car or take grab instead of practise to use the public transport. And they eat mainly only at suburbs or at hawker centres to save more money.
I agree with Blake that has the same views as my Californian couple friends it narrow down to cultures.
Uh another great video. Looking to move from New York to Singapore in the near future
Thanks ♥️ Go for it!
I’m from LA and moved to Shanghai years ago. Best move of my life.
Thanks!
🙏♥️
Anyone else anxious about the traffic zooming past or is that just me?
nice!
super rare to find such highly intellectual individual on youtube interviews.
More to come!
North Korean embassy in Singapore is at High Street Centre.
Interesting insights about the entertainment industry in Singapore. And spot on about Singaporean’s reaction to protests. 😂 after living in Australia for 19 yrs, I finally can walk pass a protest without “twitching”😅
I miss Singapore and your video is just amazing and a reminder of me being there. I stayed there for nearly a decade. The location that you guys took the video is probably in the East Coast, I’m not certain but if it is, one of my favourite places to live and the last place I stayed for 3 years in Tembeling. I sooo miss Singapore ❤. I had some regrets of leaving Singapore to explore other countries and it’s just totally different. Singapore and Singaporeans has influenced my being and how I’ve become 😂 in a good way but some people may not like it so I had to readjust things and behaviour depending on the person I’ll be dealing with. Thanks for sharing 🥂
Where are you based now? :)
thats my hood Joo Chiat..Katong is the best place in the world..nice batik shirt dude..
Thanks for showing the neighbourhood! Somehow it looks especially nice on slow motion, from this angle through the lens. That's like a favorite route to walk the dog. Around the school! 😂 Love the engaging sharing too. IIRC the embassy has shifted.
Thanks for watching! :) the neighborhood is lovely
Joo Chiat neighbour here too! FYI, that’s the official residence of the ambassador, not the embassy itself.
Nice batik shirt.
Very helpful for this singaporean living in america lol. So that’s why no one notices when i’m confused/annoyed
I am from Singapore 🇸🇬
I guess its down to personality. I know 2 local girls who moved from SG to NYC instead
🙏 Yes , like a Great Guru once said : It's the Good People that Cultivated & Accumulated Good Merits that would make the Place they lived more Peaceful , Healthy , Better Organised , Prosperous & Happier! 🙏 So Thank You So Much for All the Good People of Singapore & Malaysia! 🌷🌿🌏💜🕊🇸🇬🇲🇾
When the north korean embassy moved in the flag was 3 times bigger. A few years later they fly a normal size flag like now.
😁
According to Mothership the embassy moved from Joo Chiat to North Bridge Road in 2016. Might it be the ambassador's residence now?
Could be
@@MaxChernov I Thought they were in 7500 Beach Rd 😢
Culturally, Most East Asian countries develop slowly.
But economically Singapore propels itself from tiny fiahermen village to one of the most advanced countries in the world for very short time.
You guys were in my old hood. Yeah, the North Korean embassy was just opposite where I used to live. Was weird seeing that flag hoist up high over the trees. Seems that's the residence of the embassador or something.
which road is that?
@@dryowjt You could see the flag from Dunman Road before. It was along Joo Chiat Lane. Very obscure. I think it housed the ambassador then...not sure now though.
Singapore is a (safe country) u know ,🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬.👍👍👍👍💪💪💪🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏
When I was studying in Australia, saw lots of protest outside my uni, which was beside the state government house. Very interesting, because we do not get mass protests here. I've seen nurses, teachers and even police protests.
How did you feel about it?
Cause I'm from alor 🌟 🌟 star city north malaysia
Just because Singapore is near to Batam Indonesia. He could have fun anytime in Indonesia with low expenses.
Meal @ US$ 1.
Accomodation US $ 100 per month.
Internet Access Service US $ 10 monthly.
Welcome to Indonesia.
Wonderful Indonesia.
What is the thing that he cannot stand it anymore? I think I missed it
Asians dreamt of living in USA/Canada/Australia/NZ and Europe. But US and the so - called Countries wanted to stay in Asia.
This guy is well traveled and he respects different cultures. As most Americans do not have a passport, I guess we can conclude most Americans are not as open-minded as him as they have not traveled overseas.
Open mindedness has nothing to do with owning a passport but thanks for your opinion.
@@Not_A_Tourist I apologise for not being clear. I meant "open-mindedness" in terms of understanding other cultures.
@@singalore ah I agree although with internet I think we're much more connected and aware of how others live than we used to be. Nothing like being there in person though. Good day.
Many Americans are not rich enough to travel to the other side of the planet.
I don't have access to the numbers but I suspect those that do travel internationally will likely go to Europe first or one of the many beautiful Caribbean islands south of us.
A trip to Asia is not cheap at all. It takes a lot of planning and then you have to coordinate the time off with your employer.
It takes 24 hours by plane to get to SG or Indonesia or Thailand, etc. basically you lose two whole days with the travel time.
It's easier for the average American to go to Canada, Europe, Caribbean islands .
now I’m having doubts, because i might be moving to NY from SG 😅 Will I regret moving?
Always good to try, right? :)
Just do you research and set your expectation right. You will be happy regardless of where you moving to.
I’m just curious why you’re filming on the side of the road 😂
Yeah i cant stand it anymore here either,how can i get a visa to America?
America can learn that police power in Singapore is respected and absolute. You argue your case in court not on the streets.
And rich people still win and buy justice
@@seabreeze667 maybe in your country. Definitely not in Singapore
@@ailengchiang1059 ya, right! If u compare the sentence on City Harvest Church embezzlement than so many similar cases, Changi Airport not transparent with their figures compared to HK airport, Temasek's loses under someone's reign, and un-GraceFul 800K bin centre. Justice is prevailed.
Top ahbeng in their fields
haha
cant agree more about his perception on individual freedom and community good. It's all about the yin and yang; a tricky balancing act :)
Misleading title for the video otherwise he's a nice guy and he's quite positive and vibrant about Asia. I was just thinking why the title was saying that when he didn't complain about Singapore.
the title meant to be the other way around haha
@@MaxChernov thanks I didn't get that wry twist 😉 . Btw, I'm M'sian American.
Are you disappointed that he didn’t complain about Singapore?
@@BoOmMaGuOpEeP No are you that I'm not ? Best not to stereotype for that you may not need a VPN
Can’t stand the heat/humidity here🥵
Nassim Hill bakery has one of the best Reuben this side of the world!
oh for real?! thanks! I have to try it
You guys have balls of steel to walk pass NK embassy with a recorder.😅
We are in Singapore anyway haha
Singapore give free visas?
Why on the side of the road?
Singapore needs more talent, and is being encumbered by domestic politics and the locals' belief that they can fulfil certain leadership and corporate roles that SIngapore wishes to create. That's where their own method of education and training falls short. It is impossible to create an entire population of c-suite personnel. My advice is while foreigners work in Singapore, Singaporeans should work overseas to gain experience and see where the global market places them for their skills and knowledge.
Because they kept asking is tiktok connected to the home WiFi.
The honesty of the Politicians will be hard for the US to follow.
New York City may have a greater number of nationalities, but Singapore is more mixed.
No drugs, no gun violence
An unrelated question but is it necessary to stand at the side of the road like that? It made me nervous throughout the interview😅
Sorry sorry haha
@@MaxChernov you should go to Kuala Lumpur to see which is much better city in term of cost of living and facilities
If you are an American and live in Singapore, you get your first $100K+ salary tax-free. Also, the essentials (ex Foods, public trasnport, healthcare, education) are also much cheaper in Singapore vs America, let alone NYC.
I'm really not sure how you figure education is cheaper for Americans in Singapore than it is back in the US...
Count how many times did he say "Cultural" in this vids 😋
Does TH-cam access to my WiFi?
Hey Max! Ask Blake to bring Taylor Swift here! 😆
На какую камеру снимаете?
GoPro + dji osmo2
Isn't it a bit unsafe to do an interview on the side of the road?
for sports, talk about the NBA.
I lived in Singapore for 7 years and it's almost impossible to make a fair comparison to any other country. As a tiny island with a population one third the size of NYC, it is able to make accelerated progress across many sectors of governance and ensure social regulatory enforcement etc - it is simply very manageable in size. For me personally, I could not see myself staying much longer owing to the manufactured fabric that kinda frames society in Singapore. But I highly respect its history and the legacy left by LKY and many others.
lovely interview ....but please be careful when you decide to interview ON the road ..was so worried that a vehicle was going to hit you guys .😊😊
We were on the side and I was checking upcoming traffic. But thanks for your care :)
Individual freedoms and community good
我只能说，这是你一生中最明智的选择之一。
Of all the places why stand beside the road to do the interview is very dangerous cos of the oncoming vehicles, won't it be more comfortable to find a place and talk over a cup off coffee?
I would just like to point out how well he says things and answer the question but if you really read into what he says... he actually doesn't answer many of the questions. He just makes a point that seems like its answering the question and it moves on..
Maybe thats how many of his colleagues get 'confused' at what he says according to himself.
If you remove the accent/sound and carefully read the subtitles, the answers do not really answer the questions.
Hmmm interesting 🤔
Hey, an American that doesn't think Singapore is in China
New York many black Nero people from Nigeria.. Sierra leone..
lived there for 7 years. and Im glad im not there.
Is America safe to travel to?
Of course
@@MaxChernov But aren't there mass shootings everyday?
@@MaxChernov I absolutely have no worries visiting Taiwan, the UAE, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Australia, Japan, Korea, Bahrain, or Czech. But I'm just not sure about America... Everyone says I must visit the USA at least once.
Can’t be the embassy, maybe the ambassador residence
Is he Australian who happened to live in the US for a while..?
I found it a little peculiar to hear his Aussie twang with American pronunciation😂.
Nah
I always amazed at how American addressed her citizens eg. Asian Americans Asia is just to diverse too group in one group cultural, religion, language even skin colour. All in one group?? Who can represent this group in congress?
This is actually explainable. The thing is even in smaller cities there's a lot of Asians from many different countries to the extent that it's really difficult to not put people under a more broad banner. Even Asians tend to put themselves under the banner and there's a lot of intermarrying between many ethnic groups.
It is a matter of convenient for ordinary people, I can understand. But it is just not right. This is not how USA should view the world. USA should try to understand the rest of the world.
@@kennySg101 I'm also south asian... Most Asians are fine with it, we use both Asian-American and Country-american. By the way I've lived outside for a number of years
We also use Indian-American, Chinese-American, Korean-American, Hmong-American etc. this also happens in other countries with diverse large populations
@@aswinhanagal4293 I mean the media steotype and politicians using this classification to make policy. American's diversity does not reflect in your whole society don't u agree.
@@kennySg101 It actually does, when you go to work you get people from all backgrounds. When you live in any city or suburb, most of your neighbors will be from various ethnic groups. Also stereotyping and any other such behavior here will land you in an unemployment line as they take it incredibly seriously. After living abroad I had to get more careful when I came back to the US. There's some bullshit politicians who say nonsense for votes but it's not very prevalent in society anymore these days. Americans are very self critical about their countries history with immigrants and minorities with the intention to improve. But in reality most of us are very integrated into broader American society.
we don't need Train car performers (hooligans) in our MRTs.
Thank you.
Strange place to carryout the interview.....at the side of the road 😂😂😂
Just read a news article yesterday that alot of the expats are leaving Singapore due to the high rental fees of housing. First World problem 😅
Me too. 40% increase is like cheap
Nobody owns a gun in Australia, I found that comment confusing, we don't have a gun culture like the USA in Australia.
There's actually an increasing number of armed robberies with guns and shootings in Australia