Not Doing Great in Singapore

If you want to ask, no, I am currently not okay in Singapore.

My problem is not work-related. But rather living.

Things here are rudely different. For a place that is so densely populated, you would think that living here you would feel less lonely. No. Quite the contrary.

My first month experience has been nothing short of disappointment. People here, they live in their bubbles. A cacoon they never escaped from when they were born. Look around when you are outside, people are constantly on their phones. Even in MRT, in buses, or even in restaurants or malls.

People here co-exist, but they don't co-mingle. There is no exchange of words or interactions of any sorts.

This is really not a place I find enjoyable. It is reducing its people to a less sentient being.

People here are very less friendly. They aren't deliberately nasty but they just lack any semblance of warmth. I miss saying good night and being said good night every time I left the lift or people leave the lift in my sister's apartment in Penang. Here, people just don't give a damn about you.

Speaking of family, my sister just left for UK to study her Master's. My parents are in Penang. While I am in Singapore. I miss all of them.

And I miss my home.

And of course I miss all of you, if you manage to read till here.

Haoren 朱浩仁《我挺你》

I heard this song on 988 Fm. I was instantly hooked.

Maybe because I am away in Singapore, away from my family, and I need someone to give me the warmth I need like how the singer is giving to his friend.

It's a nice and warm song. And btw the singer is a Malaysian.

Problem Owners

I've moved out from my rental room in Singapore, just one month into renting it.

I did not particularly like the place but I don't hate it either. The owner is a 41 year old Vietnamese with extreme OCD in cleanliness. As I was the tenant and he was the owner, I had to oblige as it was the right thing to do.

And so I did.

He had to use the bathroom from 0730 to 0800. So I used it before 0730 else I would be late to work.

He loved cleanliness a lot. So I try to clean myself up whenever I use anything at sharing facilities like toilet or kitchen.

But here's the problem: he never told me whenever I did something he did not like.

I noticed that when he was using the kitchen, even only if making fruit juice, he hated it if I use it even just to wash my cups. He never said it, but his face was blacker than ash and so I stopped doing that. I just find it extremely weird.

He obviously valued his privacy a lot. That's why he's single at 41.

And he didn't like it if I throw thing in the rubbish bin in the kitchen. So I prepared my own bin in my room and threw it out myself. Again, he never mentioned it. But his face can tell a lot of things.

Then the dealbreaker occurred before I was to make the second-month rental payment.

He talked to me, and asked me to move. Apparently he had problems with me using the toilet.

He said I used too much, and after I used it, it's dirty.

I went home every night, I bathed once. Maybe peed once or twice. And used it once before I sleep because I have to brush my teeth. And sometimes poop.

These, according to his logic, are "too much". But to be fair to him, he indeed did use the toilet only once the whole night.

Then, I have nose allergies. I have runny nose and occasionally stubborn phlegm. Hence, I have to clear my nose and spit my phlegm sometimes.

I admitted it wasn't a nice thing to do when I was renting someone's place and I admitted it was awful of me to do that, but to kick me out just because I was sick was a bit too much for me to process.

He could have just told me not to do it in the toilet, or lower down my noise if I had been too loud and disturbed other people. I would be more than happy to oblige as I knew personally it wasn't a nice noise to hear.

But without telling me anything he kicked me out immediately. His reason was I had been noisy, but I have a brain and I knew that couldn't be the case because the other room tenants' sometimes play music that was so loud I can hear it with my doors closed.

He just found my nose clearing and phlegm spitting disgusting. Because he has OCD in cleanliness.

I think this is too much. I apologise if I have been too dirty or noisy, but he just had to tell me so that I do it in my room, to a tissue, and use hand sanitiser to clean myself.

To kick me out because I have a sickness I couldn't possibly prevent is just too much.

Hence, even though he gave me one month time to find a new place to live, I moved out immediately the next day because obviously this guy is not someone I can tolerate living with either.

I think when it comes to room rental, yes, owners would be very particular because it is not uncommon to have problem tenants. I had problem roommates too, but the key to solving them is to communicate and iron out the issues. Kicking someone out should only be the last resort, not the first and only option.

He kicked me out for something he could have told me to stop doing and I would have happily obliged. He did not. There was no communication.

And I'm glad this ended.

I will be much more careful when I'm looking for a new room now.