Huge thanks to everyone watching and liking this video! Honestly, I never thought that many people would see this little video, but it has had 5k+ views within 24 hours. It has surprised me! I love life in Singapore and will add more videos soon. Tomorrow, I will head to Taiwan for a couple of weeks. I'll also add some videos of my travels there soon. Much love. ♥♥
@@jongetsaround because some of us are easily triggered or love vids of foreigners/tourist/expats opinion of singapore n start commenting which helps with the algorithm n views of your vids. Keep it up brother
@@noorirwan686 Totally! Singapore + Expat + shock are words that usually do well. My other videos are more travel related though... so my popularity (or unpopularity) probably won't last long!
I am the unexpected one (Singaporean) because i love how pyjama is very comfortable when i went down stairs to buy foods and for buying things from covenant shop, i also wear pyjama to sleep. 😅😅😅😅😅.
We do not tip taxi drivers but when a driver is very nice, I would ask him to keep the change. Let's say the fare is $9 and I gave you a $10 note. I would tell him, "Keep the change for your coffee later". Just a side note: those monkeys are macaques.
I'm local and i agree with many of your points! especially taxis , horrible driving. Also Singapore drivers, we're nice people but once we get into our cars, many of us turn into a different kind of monster.
Contrary to what foreigners think, there are a lot of crimes here. My bicycle was stolen once. And another time the handle protector was stolen. And yet another time the chains were half cut (unsuccessful attempt to steal my bicycle). Another time my car window was punched a big hole, so the thief could steal the cash card.
30 years ago the bus driver, were mostly singaporean and Malaysian. Nowadays the ratio should be much lower. I think back then the drivers were better. Nowadays bus drivers, they have schedule to meet. They are connected to the control room and will be ask to act if they are lag on their schedule.
@demo1234-w6l Yes. I guess that is a big issue as the buses are managed by private companies that need to make a profit. Of course, this is the case in all countries. I didn't use public transport much before I moved to SG. My most recent experience in the UK was that buses waited at stops for a long time because they are not allowed to leave early - which is actually very annoying! I prefer the SG rollercoasters. 😁
@@jongetsaround I think is not so much of a profit issue. U know singaporean are famous for complaints. The bus company or LTA will be blast for latency issue. Next thing u know they are the headlines on the media 🤣
Regarding your question about the 2 sections of Holland Road, the wider section used to be connected to the narrower section, but when road widening was carried out for Holland Road and Ulu Pandan Road to cater for higher volume of traffic towards Clementi, Holland Road was split into 2, with the narrower section ending up as a minor road. There are lots of similar cases all over the country as original/legacy roads get widened or realigned over the years due to increase in traffic and population.
re: the umbrella while it's sunny. For me it's not about getting sunburnt etc, more that it helps shade my head from the heat so I don't overheat. re: bus drivers, i havent encountered any like you described. some taxi drives are a lil crazy but most of my rides have been ok
@helinille Good point about using umbrellas for shade. I do it too sometimes. I think buses brake quite harshly when they get to stops. It's a very small complaint and not a major issue. "First world problems" 😊
I didn't mean that the driving is bad. The drivers just stay at stops for a shorter time than I'm used to, so you need to exit the buses pretty quickly. I should also say I'm not from a big city. I'm from Wales - where everything moves pretty slowly!
Correct me if I’m wrong, I was told that the Long pinky nail facilitates in removing dried nasal boogers and could even be flicked further away from the individual once retrieved.. As for the mole with long curly hair growth seen on some individuals’ faces here, perhaps it acts as a deterrent to pesky flies circulating within the peripheral of a person from landing? 🧐
Haha, I think I also read that somewhere (and it's a logical theory 😄). In the west, it is associated with illegal dr◇g use ("c0ke finger"). I did also talk about that whilst vlogging but didn't include it in the final video.
Its a boomer & gen x thing. They're the more superstitious type. You hardly see that in millennials and younger gens. If you watch the old local TV shows & sitcoms, you'll see that a lot. There's this famous sitcom Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd from the 90s, the protagonist has a huge mole and a long nail on his pinky. Its the typical stereotype of the boomer/gen x superstition.
Long nail on the pinky is like a fortune teller hack to prevent being trampled on or bullied in yr life, especially for those whose pinky does not reach the top line of the next finger (wedding ring finger)(it’s believed tat you will be easily taken advantage of)
To be sure, this is more of a lower class thing. Not to sound like a snob, but I wouldn't dream of doing this myself, and if I did my parents would kill me!
My idea of PJs is like what you see Mr. Bean wears when he goes to bed. Singaporeans don't really wear that. We just wear a t-shirt and either shorts or pants, some dont wear anything, or for some ladies they would those kaftan bat clothes. There's many variations. What we wear walking around our neighbourhood, we can sleep in it 😂. As for tipping taxi drivers, just tell them to keep the change if you want to 'tip' them. They would usually start to protest if the amount is too much but if you insist they'll be grateful. About the bus, i love it when i'm in it and am in a rush and the bus doesn't dilly-dally. Even better when it doesn't stop when there's clearly no one at the bust stop. Some bus drivings do that. But it's not great when I have to chase after the bus and still don't make it.😅. But in general they are nice. If they noticed you from afar waving at them, they will stop or wait for you.
at 5:17 he is walking in front of Masjid Al-Huda along Jalan Haji Alias. This road used to be lined with Malay kampong houses and the mosque serves as a communal hub. I was a resident there.
My man your observations are totally true, dont need to second guess, try to be careful taking bus nowadays, those bus drivers are mostly Chinese nationals and they drive like a madman, due to the fact that less and less singaporean/pr would want to take up these jobs, due to long hours Most Taxi and Grab driver are dominantly Singaporean/PR (those who retired as a bus captain etc etc) and it is true that some of them have this weird driving skill, keep tapping on accelerator, the reason why u see so many wild chickens in singapore is due to covid lockdown, people started to keep chicken as pets, when covid subsided, many dump their pet to the wild irresponsibly, thats why u will see some rare looking chicken, those with white feathers
Tipping taxi drivers, I do that often. They didn’t reject the good gestures. They will always give you the change because they are not greedy and rightly so. I worked in another SE Asian country for many years. The taxi drivers mostly try not to return the change by saying they don’t have coins/small notes. Some of them threatened to ask you to pay extra on heavy raining days or else they will let you get off immediately on the toll ways where you can’t get taxis. On two occasions they even threaten to kill.
Ah. I have not been tipping. I rarely use cash TBH. I usually use credit cards for Grab/cabs. For sure, I've had taxi drivers in other countries that tried to rip me off. I prefer to use Grab around SEA, to avoid any issues. Taxi drivers in SG are always totally honest - I could have maybe spoken about that too. It's a similar issue to the minimal amount of crime. People are very honest and law-abiding in SG.
As a Singaporean i only ask the cab driver to keep the changes when i take cab from the airport , home is only a short ride for me so its a good gesture to let them keep the changes.
Most of our bus drivers are from China and Malaysia. We don't have enough locals to fill the positions. Also many white people say hi and thanks to the bus drivers something the locals don't do.
Ah, okay. I usually say thanks if I exit through the front door (not so much from the back/middle). They drive okay, but a lot quicker than in the UK (or Wales at least).I also find they're very nice and will usually wait at the stop if I am running to catch a bus. My main issue is trying to get up and down the stairs on double-deckers whilst the bus is speeding along. I filmed a bit about it but cut it out as I spoke about buses for far too long 😄
@@jongetsaround When in the double decker bus stairs: Try to stretch out our limbs like a starfish and press against the surface of the bus instead of holding the handles. Just like those extendable support beams that you see in construction sites. When you are on a single bus lean against a pole and have one arm wrapped around it. So when the bus brakes you will not be thrown forward. I find it similiar to jiu-jitsu and other martial arts. You need to be mindful of footwork, wrist control, body positioning, head movement etc.
OMG I have to agreed with you on the bus drivers here.. In the past, bus drivers' skills were smooth, not so much currently. I always feel like I am gyming hanging on to the rails. I have even witness elderlies fell or stumbled, trying to hold on to dear life!
@cswong71 Thanks for agreeing! I think I notice it more when I travel with my 4-year-old, as I need to make sure he's okay. But I do like the efficiency too! 😅
For the taxi reason, it was due to the past the fare system was based on the speedometer. Hence, they do the fast and slow way to earn more. However, now the fare system is based on a gps and time
They are not chicken but "Jungle Fowl". Chicken have yellow feet and they have grey feet. The wild cousins of chicken just as wild boars is to pigs and wolves is to dogs.
I'm Singaporean and I agree with many of the things that you highlighted. 🙂 - We avoid the sun most of the time and I'm surprised that after 10 years, you find it weird - you've not lived here long enough???😛. Anyway that's bcos it's super hot here. lol - Taxi going fast and slow is SUPER irritating! I hate it. - Bus drivers driving too fast. hmmmmm.... I've not come across that very often. - Regarding choping with valuables like mobile or laptop, I wouldn't do it as well. I've lost my phone in a mall toilet before!
Gd list. For tipping, I think it depends on context. I personally would tip a delivery personnel but not a restaurant, just cos of the sheer physical labour under tropical climate. Welcome to our sunny island 🏝️ 🌞 🎉
Yes, true. I see it with a lot of ladies in SG (young and old). I could maybe guess the nationalities, but I didn't want to categorise people. I also don't mind if people want to wear PJs - it's just a thing that was surprising to me. I don't dress any better. I hang out in decathlon sportswear most of the time! 😄
@@kennySg101 I'm not sure. I appreciate that FDWs may also wear clothes that look similar to PJs (like tourists always buy before entering temples in Thailand etc). Maybe I should try wearing PJs more too. 🙂
@@jongetsaround I don't blame U. The locals wear those batik wear to sleep too. Foreigners do comment about our dressing as culturally we are more easy going. It is a fact and do not have to deny it. Some may feel such comments a bit direct and degrading and uncomfortable I know.
@urbandiscount Good point! According to Wikipedia, Europeans in the 1600s found people in South Asia were wearing loose-fitting draw-string trousers and took them back to Europe. So you can rightly say that pyjamas can be considered as daytime clothes in Asia although they are worn at nighttime in Europe. Now I have learned something new! 🙂❤️
Yeah cab drivers here have very annoying driving style. Whenever a driver starts tapping the accelerator, i would warn him nicely that i will throw up if he doesn't stop doing it. There are although rarely some driver who cant keep their steeeing wheel straight! I think its just a bad habbit like shaking legs.
Yep. You should say something if you encounter bad driving, but I have ridden many many times and not commented on the driving... I waited a decade and then started a RU-vid channel! 😃 The trait (fast/slow) is less common now than it was (but I see it sometimes). I suggest that everyone should travel with kids as I think drivers also make extra effort to drive smoothly when there's a child in the car.
I lived in Houston, Texas for 2.5 years before SG. Singapore isn't as hot as the Houston summer. I enjoyed the hot weather when I first arrived in SG, but all-year-round humidity (and taking 3 showers a day) can get a bit tiresome after a while.
So sir, what's your 1st impressions towards interacting a local using singlish ?? Our attire is not pyjamas when we head out, just casuel apparel, other nationality would dress that way.. Apparently, chopping seats not just a packet of tissues, umbrella, own lanyard or things which is invaluable..
Hi. This is, apparently, true. I can't find exact statistics, but I looked around and saw some articles saying around 30% of drivers hired each year are non-Singaporean. So maybe 30-40% are non-SG..? Supposedly, roughly a third of all Singaporeans own a vehicle. That figure is much lower than most countries - due to SG's investment into its public transport system. So it makes sense that hiring local bus drivers would be a challenging task.
In recent years especially, Singaporeans drivers are aging and young Singaporeans will not want such long hours shift works. Foreigners coming in to take the jobs now which are paid relatively well in comparison.
I have a young child in Singapore and need to take the bus to take her to school and it is everyday a super stressful experience, I take Bus 13 or 14 or 10 and the drivers are just AWEFUL, they basically don’t know how to drive a bus, even walking down upper east coast road, I am afraid of them, they are so fast and will come so close to the side walks, like if you just raise your hand you can lose it… Need to report these Bus drivers one day..good thing in Singapore the Authorities take feedbacks into account..
Yes, sorry! I forgot that GST is 9% already. I honestly see people in PJs every day (people that stay close to their HDBs and just nip out to grab food or take their kids to the playground).
@@jongetsaround Their population has increased exponentially only recently. You seldom see them wandering around in the open before covid. Now, they're a pretty common sight and we love it.
Thanks for your video, I help you a bit. Umbrella with no rain is because some people don't want to get skin cancer and the umbrella is like walking in the shade - make sense? For service charge, no, we are like Japan. There is a 10% service charge in the bill. They already have their tip in theory. Pajamas wearers are not Singaporeans. Real Singaporeans don't wear pajamas. We just wear a tee shirt and a pair of running shorts or something like that. It is so hot unless you sleep with air-con. It is the foreign China immigrants and the foreign maids who wears it. Your wallet is purely luck and because of CCTV in establishments. Reservation of seats - this is something you should always do. No need package of tissue, can be your car key or something that is of little use to others. Slim is not true, but thanks for complementing. Go to Japan and the real slim are there. Not because of their love of exercise, it is because they need to walk a lot from train station to their next destination. Alcohol is very much due to tax. So expensive and beer is supposed to be cheap in other parts of the world. Yes, Singlish is normal because people want to a conservation to be simplified. Chickens came from the Covid days when people have nothing better to do and buy them treating it like pets. After that, people is got better things to do than looking after chickens. Enjoy.
I got this strange feeling that you characterize the whole people of Singapore over the odd behaviour of a few. Even then, with a large international community living here, who can really be sure if those displaying odd behaviours are Singaporeans or not. Take for example, the F1 bus driver...well these guys could really be from China or Malaysia. The guy with hair on his mole could be someone from Myanmar. Just an opinion...But overall I think you are an awesome guy !!
I wouldn't say SG is peculiar at all. Obviously you find differences when you move to the opposite of the world. If someone from Singapore moved to the UK, they would find many things there to be very different to what they might have expected.
Fitness is not really a choice here imo. For the record the food here is unhealthy. Part of the reason why fitness is a thing is because there's National Service(NS) in the either the military, police or civil defence, where you have to be fit. Once you've served, you're not off the hook yet. You'll transition to NSmen phase and have reservist cycles liable up to 40-45yrs old. Within that period, you're expected to pass your annual physical fitness test(IPPT). If you can't pass it, you'll be required to attend Remedial Training to get you into shape. Failure to do all that, you'll get charged and fined. Repeat offenders will get jailed.
I totally forgot about NS! You're correct, it definitely is a huge factor in why people are slim in SG, certainly for the men at least. I guess you can also say that NS encourages fitness in SG amongst men AND women, as there are many SAFRA facilities etc. Would be great to make a video about how NS works, and how great the SAFRA venues are, but I don't think my little channel would ever get that kind of access 🙂!
@@jongetsaround SAFRA members can bring in guests iirc. You can ask your younger colleagues to bring you in. They usually still have membership. I used to hold on to membership for a few more years due to its perks, no cover charge, free drinks and guest list for select clubs lol. Probably hard to get NS footage, its highly restricted even for those serving. But the gov is a sucker for promoting NS. So yea. You can also ask any guy who has served NS. Approach a couple of them to get a better picture as their service can be very different depending on which force, unit & vocation. I was in a rifleman vocation while my brother was a firefighter, the structure is similar but everything else is different.
Hi. Not sure if you watched to the end, but I have been in Singapore for 10 years. This is just my take on things that I found surprising when I moved to Singapore. If you are Singaporean and move to a new country, I'm sure there will be things that surprise you about that place too, and you should feel free to share your thoughts. Thanks for watching.
Enjoyed your video. Thanks! Singaporeans did wear PJs out of their house but that was in the 70s & 80s when many were still staying in the villages. Those who are still wearing PJ (especially woman) now are from Vietnam. Most of them are married to Singaporeans.
Maybe yes. I totally understand why people wear relaxed clothing in a very hot climate. It is just surprising when you first see it (and I mean clothes that are clearly PJs, rather than just different styles of Asian clothing... if that makes any sense)
