Singapore is of the most misunderstood destinations in the world.
Misconceptions are abundant, whether it be in print, television, or word of mouth. It doesn’t take much effort to find tired, lazy Singapore cliches like “it’s boring” or “it’s conformist.” A travel writer acquaintance of mine, currently contemplating a trip with her husband that’ll take them through Southeast Asia by rail, starting in Singapore, recently messaged me with “Help! I watched Samantha Brown Singapore and lost all urge to go!” On a recent trip to Tokyo, as I was sipping craft beers at Shibuya’s excellent Good Beer Faucets, I overheard a blowhard American say “Singapore sucks! It’s a military state. They cut your balls off for, like, spitting in the street.” The Australian girl he was talking to unsuccessfully hitting on politely demurred, telling him that she used to live there and that she actually liked it, but he countered by saying he’d visited three times and to trust him, it sucks. Charming lad; too bad Singapore doesn’t actually snip testicles.
As I’ve said before, it seems that everybody has an opinion about Singapore, whether they’ve actually been here or not. It’s a strangely polarizing (threatening?) place, in part due to the bad publicity that surrounded the caning of American teenager Michael Fay nearly 20 years ago, and to the just totally f#*king unthinkable fact that gum chewing isn’t allowed available. (“Oh, god, that just makes me so f#*king mad! What a bunch of godless f#*king commies in Singapore!”).
For the record, I chew gum all the time. I’m actually chewing it right now, and I’m fairly certain helicopters aren’t hovering over the building, paratroopers readying themselves for a raid of my Wrigley’s Extra Professional. (Satisfying, refreshing spearmint flavor, by the way–sh*t is delicious. The good people at Wrigley’s know their gum.)
I’ve been here for just over nine months, minus a great deal of time spent traveling around Asia. (Major Singapore Long-Term Resident Bonus: Changi International Airport.) I’ve lived in Bangkok before, but though Singapore is only 880 air miles away, it may as well be on the other side of the planet. There are indeed no other places quite like Singapore in Southeast Asia, which again contributes to the boring cliches floating around out there. It’s not as immediately arresting as most major metropolises in the region, and doesn’t reek of that intoxicating air of a semi-lawless society that somehow perfectly, barely, wonderfully keeps it together, even if just by a thin thread.
Singapore isn’t Bangkok. It’s not Saigon, or Manila, or Hanoi, or Chiang Mai or Phnom Penh or Jakarta. And that’s okay, because it’s also not what most people think it is.
Living here has been an adjustment. Not always a smooth one, but mostly smooth. Singapore isn’t perfect, but then nowhere is perfect. I don’t know how long I’ll live here–at least three years, perhaps longer–but it’s highly unlikely that I’ll live here forever. I do like living in Singapore for now, though; sometimes I even love living in Singapore. All that stuff you read about and hear about as far as Singapore is boring, there’s no freedom of speech, there’s no arts scene, there’s no this, that and the other? The cliches may have spawned from kernels of truth, but I’m finding they’re just that–cliches.
I’m not inclined to debunk each and every misconception I’ve heard about Singapore because, honestly, the intention here isn’t to “defend Singapore.” Like I said, it has its faults, just like every country (or, as it were, city-state) has its faults. For example, the alcohol taxes hurt. It’s worth noting, however, that this is a very young nation — as in just 48 years young. Growing pains are inevitable and ongoing.
Things are changing here, and fast. I really do feel like it’s on the verge of blowing up, whatever that means. The arts scene has been buoyed by an influx of galleries and art spaces like Gillman Barracks. While the megamall culture is alive and well (and, honestly, fun, when you’re in the mood), the past few years have seen the arrival of a large number of trendy boutiques and shops; places like BooksActually, The Little Dröm Store, Tokyobike, and Cat Socrates, to name just a few, would fit right in at my old ‘hood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Statistics show that people are drinking more; sorry, I feel like in general that’s a good thing in Singapore because in some ways it means people are loosening up. There’s a still-nascent but growing craft beer scene. And the food? Hawker centres are still the best and cheapest way to eat your way through the island, but young, entrepreneurial chefs are increasingly using Singapore as their culinary playground.
I don’t have the energy to get into the “lack of freedom of speech” thing. There are some flaps and concerns, to be sure. However, folks voice their displeasure with the government and some of the decisions it makes all the time. Pick up a copy of The Straits Times next time you’re here and flip to the editorials and letters to the editor section if you don’t believe me. Or see if there’s a protest you can attend. Or ask people at the hawker centre if they have any opinions about the government–you’ll get them in spades. The funny thing about living in a small country, too, is that when one does voice their opposition to something, there’s a much higher probability that your voice will be heard and that action might actually be taken. How many places in the world does that actually happen?
I’m never, ever bored in Singapore; after nine months of exploring as much as possible, I feel like I’ve still only scratched the surface. There’s so much to see and do and taste and experience and yes even drink, but considering how small the island is–274 square miles, to be exact–the pockets of activity and culture and fun are fairly well spread out. You have to dig; many of the best things about Singapore aren’t spoon fed to you upon arrival. I suspect that also contributes to the “Singapore is boring” fallacy, and that’s something I don’t understand at all. In Berlin, you have to dig a little to find the essence of what makes it such an amazing place; same goes for Bangkok, same goes for Brooklyn and New York, same goes for Beijing, same goes for Saigon. The list could go on and on.
You only have yourself to blame if you’re bored in Singapore. I really do believe that.
A few months ago my brother-in-law was in town visiting for a few weeks. He got the grand tour of Singapore on a daily basis, from our favorite food and booze haunts, to the fun neighborhoods to explore, to the wealth of verdant parks and gardens and hiking trails sprinkled throughout the island. Every day was full, and we rarely backtracked. I’m fairly certain he left impressed, and by the time he left, after three weeks of playing tour guide in Singapore, my wife and I both came to the same conclusion, one we hadn’t really thought about or formalized until that point:
All things considered, Singapore can be pretty fantastic.
Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading it and am glad that you are loving your stay in Singapore. Just one thing about chewing gum – it IS allowed in Singapore. The mass import of gum into Singapore is banned and yes, you can’t buy in the shops. But Singaporeans bring it in all the time from their travel overseas and aslong as the quantity is reasonable, the Customs officers don’t blink an eye.
Thanks for reading, Peter–and for better elucidating Singapore’s “gum laws” than I did. 🙂
I haven’t heard most of the cliches you mentioned. All I have ever read or heard is: It’s expensive, it’s clean, it’s wonderful, the food is amazing and cheap, and there are a lot of rules.
And even if gum was illegal, who the hell cares! If someone bases their travels on whether or not they can legally chew gum, they should stay at home.
Hi Talon,
Thanks for reading. I certainly don’t think anyone would base their decision to not visit Singapore because of chewing gum; it’s merely something that often comes up when speaking with people back in the States (and it’s silly!).
Cheers,
Brian
I live here, and most of what you say is true. I’ve been here 1.5 years and I don’t find the city boring, in general. The major downsides come if you’re counter-culture: it kind of sucks to be gay here, there is virtually no metal/goth/industrial/punk scene, and things like art are still censored somewhat. It’s also not a great place to work if you work for a local company; Singaporean HR people are uptight and way too rules-focused. But there’s a lot to see and do, the food is great, and there are a lot of neat hidden gems if you venture out of Orchard and the CBD every once in a while.
Oh, and I’m chewing some gum a friend brought in right now 😛
Spending such a short spam of time in Singapore will be fine to say Singapore is not boreing as there are so many things for you to explore in a strange land filled with different culture. It will takes you couple of years(maybe 3 years) to really make a judgement whether is this place is boring. Whenever I lived in a new country, I always get to like that place a lot and as years go by, you will realize the good and bad of the country you are living.
G – You make some great points, particularly in terms of the arts and, especially, (lack of) good music — it’s bad when Aerosmith coming to town is a big deal. With the arts, it seems like some slow but steady strides are being made, but yeah, I can also see that it’s not a particularly gay-friendly culture here. The “Singaporean office culture” looks absolutely dreadful, but then to be fair, the office life in most places around the world tends to be something of a serious drag.
Born Singapore – You’re absolutely right: living anywhere for three years will provide a much more well-rounded perspective on what it’s like there than just one year will. I’ve lived abroad in Asia before, and can’t say I find Singapore to resemble anything close to being a “strange land” with an exotic culture, but, if anything, it’s certainly one that’s still relatively new to me.
As I’ve said, nowhere is perfect, but all in all I feel confident saying Singapore is a very pleasant place to live for awhile, and the perks are numerous. Long-term option? Well…
I have lived in Singapore for over 4 years now and I agree with Brian that Singapore is not a boring place at all. There is a lot to do and they are expanding and expanding it everyday. The addition of Marina Bay, Resort World Sentosa and Sport hub opening in 2014.
If you can make peace with the Singlish (the Singaporean version of English) and the fact that Singaporean complain about everything then living is not so difficult.
I lived in Singapore for five years. Would NEVER go back. It is not about the chewing gum, strict rules etc. For me personally it is mostly about two things: 1) The place is tiny. Where is the nature? How many times can you go to Pulau Ubin or Dairy Farm? Why is the Woodcutter Trail not open to the public? What about Pulau Kecil? After years being trapped in Singapore all I could think of was leaving Singapore – and I did almost every weekend (like so many others) just to stay sane.. 2) Singaporeans. Almost don’t want to say any more, but let’s just say having satisfying conversations with Singaporeans is very rare. To all the people who say Singapore isn’t boring because it has Sentosa, Clarke Quay, Resorts World, Orchard Road etc. I can only say: You fit in there. If shopping malls, theme parks and expat bars are your kind of fun, then by all means go and stay. Dubai might fit you as well. You might even get used to Singlish – the biggest embarrassment for Singapore… the semilingualism gets quite annoying, and – NO – Singaporeans are definitly not bilingual as they like to claim…
Hi there “FiveYearsFourTooLong,”
Yikes… sounds like you have a bone to pick and/or didn’t have a great experience in Singapore; you’re not the only who hasn’t. I certainly don’t like Singapore all day every day, but that said…
“Where is the nature?”
Well, it’s only everywhere: MacRitchie Reservoir? Southern Ridges? Kent Ridge Park? East Coast Park? West Coast Park? Not sure what you’re talking about, to be honest — one of the first thing friends and family who’ve visited commented about was how green Singapore is — and I agree.
Brian
I can’t agree more with Brian. As with every place in the world, Singapore has its downsides. But I think dwelling on the sterility, the unfriendliness, the Singlish (sorry folks, its an honest-to-goodness proper linguistic thing) is just totally missing the forest for the trees. I’ve lived in Singapore all 30+ years of my life, and I still haven’t seen all of it. And I reckon I’ve seen bits of it that many of you will never see, warts and all. This is far from a boring place.
Where I must disagree is with the point raised in the comment about the arts scene. It’s certainly not as thriving and bustling as arts scenes elsewhere, but it exists and its burgeoning. I can’t say much about theater or fine art (whatever that means) as I’m not very plugged in to those scenes, but as a hobbyist muso I must say that the independent music scene is getting very, very interesting. I used to play in a punkrock band, and while I’m not part of that crowd anymore, I do know that a few stalwarts are still rocking the fort.
For some resources and links to the independent music community in Singapore, please feel free to check out the SGMUSO website – http://www.sgmuso.org – disclaimer: aside from being really chummy with some of the SGMUSO guys, I’m just an ordinary member (no card to carry, unfortunately).
Hope to see you at a show sometime soon.
Brian, I think you must be a very kind person to think that those ugly spots you named are considered nature and beauty when you come from what I think is the most beautiful country in the world.
I lived in the States for awhile and since returning to Singapore, I have lapsed into depression (not exaggerating) about it. After experiencing life in the US, I can no longer pretend that what I learned didn’t happen and I cannot unlearn it. I’ve been having a very hard time coping with how horrific life is here, and I can’t imagine myself living here for long. I have set up a countdown clock to preserve my sanity.
If you had the time, I’d like to ask if you’d talk to me over email or something about this because I will be moving back to the US and I really can’t wrap my head over how anybody from the US would think Singapore is good.
The reason I think you’re in a position to think Singapore is awesome, blah blah, and you’re able to enjoy “living” here is because you don’t have to live here. It’s a choice for you. Not so for the poor people who were born here. Getting out isn’t easy for most people.
You are speaking from the privileged person of somebody who knows he can rest on his US citizenship no matter what and can always board the next flight back to the US and never have to return to this dump.
I have a friend who immigrated to the US about 15 years ago and she often says she misses the hawker food and misses some parts of Singapore. But I think that’s just talking out of ass because she’s saying it from somebody who only has to endure Singapore every five years or so when she visits (she doesn’t visit often due to the long flight time). If I only needed “experience” Singapore every few years, no, even if every year just for a week, I too would be able to enjoy it like a tourist!
This place is a hell hole and since coming back, it’s even made me question my faith.
*typo
You are speaking from the privileged *position* of somebody
i am from the US. pretty well-traveled. here for work on one of your cushy expat packages…
i tried really, really hard to like this place. i cant. there are a few types of ppl who defend this place i’ve found. you have your ignorant locals who are brainwashed into thinking this place is wonderful. you also have geeks back home or losers back home type who have yellow fever who love it, because they feel special and unique here, who couldnt buy a date back home. there are also some expats who just enjoy the tax shelter…
sorry, truth may hurt, but deal with it
Singapore is wonderful if you like shopping malls. Most things outside of that are completely underwhelming or fake, or both.
The people are content free thinkers.
Having spent almost 10 years coming and going from Singapore, i think the greatest disservice that can be done to this country is to continue to discuss ‘how wonderful’ singapore is. The tragedy of Singapore is its own propaganda and the reality is that the repressiveness of the governing body of the country will never allow it to be interesting, creative or risk taking. Money is what the country is about; everything is done to keep making money and unfortunately this is for a privileged few. Singaporeans can be funny incisive and always very clear about what is what. I found it is the expats who do not look long and hard at the government and how it governs through fear and shame. It is a tragedy that the money has not provided a greater sense of compassion, generosity and responsibility to the country, to the world and to the planet. All one has to do is look a little bit deeper and one can see the inequalities in the society. And with that realization you come to the profound dilemma of the country. AND then when you start discussing something real, other than shopping malls and gum how would you continue blogging or living for very long in Singapore. Singapore is a bit like the emperor with no clothes-see what you want and ignore the rest
I would also agree , having spent 10 years in Singapore , nothing but propaganda and repression
Singapore is a disgusting place. People are idiots. You go to Thailand and you can enjoy anywhere, street, beach, supermarket. Everything is alive. In Singapore everything is dead. Locals talk only about food or complain how everything is expensive. I wanted to puke from this place.
And it’s not the government – majority of locals support ban on porn, death penalty for weed, caning and prison for graffiti. They think this way is safer to live. Disgusting under-humans
I was there for 1 1/2 year but had to get out as soon.. Its fish bowl with no soul.
Singaporeans are like no emotions, no smiles, no warmth.. Other south east asians came across very different indonesians etc…Its too small and you get bored in 6 months for sure..
I lived in Singapore all my life, and most people think that its lifeless or its unfriendly. But have you truly talked to the locals? If I’m right, in your country you don’t talk to strangers and they don’t smile or talk to you, but you don’t say they are lifeless or whatever. Same in Singapore. You probably don’t have anyone to talk to in Singapore, you can’t expect us to just go up to you and talk. That’s just strange. And we are a young nation, only 50 years old. Most of the people who can’t speak English well are probably the older citizens who didn’t get education during world war 2. You clearly never went for the right places to have fun. I do agree sometimes that Singapore may be a little boring, but its fun when you know when to look. Or maybe we just aren’t for you.
Not true,
In my country (and in most of the countries I have travelled) when someone sees you even for few consecutive days it does not take too long to acknowledge that person, nod, smile and start a conversation. In SG even you see someone for years they still act like they don’t know you. I have tried smiling at people who I see every day, in my HDB, food court, bus stop etc… but I ended-up receiving nothing but emotionless stairs,looks making me feel like I have done something wrong. They never bothered to raise their heads to look or make eye contact, let alone smile or talk. If this happens for few weeks or few months I could understand and forget about it, but for five years? How come you don’t recognize the person you see every morning coming to buy the morning tea in the food court for the last five years? There is something really wrong about the people but I don’t understand. May be It’s racism, or they are deliberately does this for non-Chinese not so sure, but don’t care any-more. I got what I wanted, what I came here for and will be leaving this place very soon.
SG is an experiment, an evil one. It proves what you can do to humans, how to brainwash and condition them to a point where you will defend the abnormal and will be so deviant and unable to tell what is normal.
Having traveled internationally for over 43 years the cliche “blowhard American” is suspect to me, since I usually see far more bad behavior from the Europeans, although that little tidbit will give you credence for some people who rationalize ritualistic anti-Americanism. I’ve visited Singapore, and to me it’s one of those “great places to live and a boring place to visit” type of cities, although there is no shame in that for the overwhelming majority of people.. There’s is absolutely no reason to change and being another New York or London doesn’t fit the culture or vibe of Singapore. Singapore is a place I would feel very secure sending my children to school or for a visit. Some other cities would be great for partying all night. Don’t go changing Singapore, because your type of city has a very vital place in this world and it would be a great loss for you to change.