How Am I In Singapore So Far?

Well, I'm not really in the mood of writing much, so I'll quickly summarise what I've got to share.

1) Work life has been very satisfying. I got to learn a lot, colleagues and superiors are generally helpful. There are pressures and some deadlines but these are a common problem throughout the world so I'll not bitch much about it. I am lucky to have got into a very good firm and I am more than happy to stay as I have no reasons to leave it at all. No complaints when it comes to work life.

2) Living, on the other hand, is a mix. I like living in Singapore because transport is good. The bus and MRT are reliable and the MRT can get you to most of the places you want to go owing to the relatively diminutive size of Singapore's geography. If you don't mind walking (which you shouldn't, since it is a very good exercise), you can go to quite a lot of interesting places on foot. I've walked from Promenade to Esplanade, and from there to City Hall, then Bugis to Rochor. It's a very small island nation which allows you to travel relatively care-free.

3) I like Singapore because groceries and food are cheap. If, and it is a big if, you do not attempt to do currency conversion. Just remind yourself, you're earning Singapore dollar, spend Singapore dollar like how you should do. If you know how to do proper budgeting and control your finance, savings should not ever, ever be a problem even after you've paid your rents. I have no problems saving 1k SGD every month because I literally do not spend anything unnecessary. Food could cost as cheap as SGD2.5, on average it will cost only around SGD3.5, so your two meals per day should be able to cost below SGD10. If you don't party, don't drink, don't splash money on materialistic staffs like top-notch smartphones or high-end fashions, you can imagine that you've got nothing much to spend.

4) Singaporeans, on the other hand, are downright rude, nasty, and unfriendly. And this is perhaps the single, and biggest, complaint I have in Singapore and the reason I do not enjoy living in Singapore despite all the pluses I've written earlier. It seems to me they were born with resting bitch face syndrome, and wherever you go they are good at grumbling and many of them (to be fair, not all are this nasty, just a very big proportion of them are) are just too entitled because they are so good at complaining you can tell that they have no a hint of what's happening outside Singapore. There are people out there who can't even have a proper meal for 3 days, and some Singaporeans complain the fruits here are not of quality. WTF? People here co-exist, but don't co-mingle. As it is a small, crowded, heavily populated nation, living together is also a problem because people here are too self-centred to sometimes understand that not everything centres around them. They are good at complaining all the time, even if it is because their neighbour has done something remotely noisy and affect them. You wanna ask why Singapore has one of the lowest birth rates in the world? My room-hunting experience told me, babies are a nuisance that bother the neighbourhood and other people's living and I strongly suspect it's why Singaporeans rather have no babies. It sickens me to hear that when I was looking for room, people stressed to me that "no babies here, so it's quiet". If I ever live in a place, I care what I can provide for myself. What other families do, and therefore whatever ripple effects it may to our shared environment, is none of my business and Singaporean should also learn that.

I love working here. But because of these issues, I do not believe I'll stay here for long.

Shawn Mendes Performs 'Stitches' For MTV Unplugged

I first head this version on Spotify, and instantly fell in love with this version of this song.

I've always loved acoustic songs, sang to the tunes of musical instruments that have no electronic interference.

And this version is just so powerful, filled with authentic feelings and sang out his true talent.

Love it. Absolutely love it.

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.

Singapore

On the 16th of August, I departed Penang and headed to Singapore for my first full-time job.

The flight departed on schedule, and arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I was glad to have reached Singapore, because back on that day Penang was shrouded in a thick insufferable haze. Singapore air was clear, temporarily spared from the annoying lingering suspending particles in the pity air.

Well, I don't have much time or much things to tell. But this is where I currently reside in.

One thing I like about Singapore is its public libraries. The one in Bishan is awesome, while the one in Toa Payoh is more inferior but still is awesome! The first thing I'll do when I have got my EP and my first salary will be to sign up for a library membership! Bookworms like me who wish to socialise should never go to Singapore because the library is freaking superb!

For cost of living here, all I can say is that if you earn Singapore Dollar, things are rather cheap. But if you earn any other currency, including Malaysian Ringgit, Australian Dollar or even British Pounds, all products here are cut-throat expensive.

Some of the products are already more expensive than the price you can get in Malaysia if you just multiply it by 2, let alone the exchange rate of 3.

Anyway, I'll update more if I have the time, or any good things to share.

Little Update

Not exactly in the mood of updating anything. Feeling beat now.

Just wanna say now I'm in Singapore. A new phase of life is about to begin.

Actually, it has begun.

I'll update when the time is right.