I personally discovered that the more you travel to different countries, the more you appreciate being Singaporean and living here. I used to be very very dissatisfied. Then when I had the opportunity to travel solo whenever I could afford it, I came back with fresh eyes, more grateful attitude and a constant appreciation for our history and culture. Singapore will always be my home. I am super proud of my homeland.
I went to Korea (not Japan) during a 40-41 degree summer. That same year, Japan was having a devastating heatwave. My aircon broke down in my airbnb, the owner felt so bad he refunded the whole trip and brought me water every day. I would wake up (curtains drawn) sweating, I would be drenched the moment I got out of the train station. I literally cried on multiple occasions. I got back to Singapore and never complained about the heat again for the next 7 years of my life.
It is true that we are greatly blessed. Though we are very small and do not have much beautiful nature like Japan, but the govt has done very well in making living here so convenient and comfortable to enhance our living environment. We cannot compare with those naturally well endowed cities or countries but we have a pretty good standard of living comparable to any city in the world. I am thankful especially whenever i return from travelling overseas.
We have been given so much support socially and structurally that we sometimes forget to appreciate how efficiently things work in Singapore. Learn to appreciate the little things and you'll be living a better life instantly.
Thank you for putting this together, Ghib. Really appreciate that you and your wife have taken time to remind us of the little things that make Singapore special!
Hehe true... Im a foreigner in sg... And me with my expat friends are saying that foreigners love sg much more than locals its a bit sad.... And we find it odd why locals love to complain so much abt sg which to us... Its the best country in the world!! Maybe one day i also have a utube video listing all the love i have for sg 😊
I like how you and your wife interact with each other, appreciating each other differences. Thanks for also bringing out the areas that indeed sometimes we Singaporeans take it for granted. :)
One feature that i am very appreciative of - is the Covered Walkways. If one lives in an HDB estate you’ll be adequately shielded from rain or the scorching sun. Not a problem if you do not have an umbrella with you. These covered walkways are linked to bus stops, MRT stns, markets, food centres, schools. This is unique to Sg.
Good informative video, observant Ghib- San. Many Singaporeans are taking the good things here for granted. I like Singapore for safety, especially no natural disasters, varieties of food from Asean, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Western food. Although Singapore is a tiny red city but has good transportation networks like air and sea transport with the regions. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc, easy to travel for short trips to enjoy long weekend holiday.
Thanks Ghib for making this video! In my opinion, there is no perfect country in the world but Singapore is really fine! I lived in USA, Germany and Czech Republic for the past 8 years and have chosen to move back to Singapore for its safety, convenience and most importantly the epic delicious foods especially hawker foods!
I love this video. We need to be grateful for the blessings we have. We are more appreciative and also are more likely to express it… more of us will be happy and more of us will feel like we want to do better to raise standards together as a a community.
The cleanliness aspect is because the upbringing in Singapore and Japan is very different, in singapore the schools have cleaners, in Japan they are taught to clean up after themselves.
Sg need to learn from Japan are (1) Refuse disposal & civic consciousness of not too litter (2) keeping public toilets clean & hygienic with good toilet habits.
#10 is very very true. I've never heard of a Emergency Alert on my phone in my entire life (I didn't even know my phone could do that) until I was in Jeju one day traveling and my whole family's phone started ringing in unison due to the flood warning issued by S.Korea. We are very safe here from natural disasters.
In Spore we were trained to keep clean but with some foreigners who were not taught this at home, they bring their unhyigenic behaviours here. Of course there are inconsiderate selfish S'poreans contributing to this problem as well. It is a forever problem to keep Spore clean.
@@mkngpaulinenah dont simply blame the foreigners. Literally every MRT toilet and every shopping mall far from foreigner hotspots are smelly. All your Ah Peks anyhow pee dont want to flush. The same ppl who spit saliva anyhow
Never nodded so much before in a video and I do share the same sentiments with Ghib San's wifey! I think there is a lot of cultural differences between each country and I think we should learn the good from each other. Being responsible for own cleanliness in public facilities hopefully will become a thing soon. And yes i appreciated the SG/Msia weather after going through summer in Japan. People here don't know what VERY HOT until CANNOT TAHAN is until they experience Japan's summer heat! LOL
Echoing other comments, I agree with the points brought up in the video. Some Singaporeans take things for granted. I have experienced earthquakes in Taiwan, hurricane warnings in US and nearly missed a flight back from Macau due to Hurricane. In Singapore, all we have is some rain and the occasional ponding. For the things brought up about Japanese public responsibility and consideration, Singaporeans can really learn a lot from Japanese and be more civil-minded and considerate.
I do agree that are a couple of singaporean that complain of living in here. But as a singaporean, I am proud and love living in here. I used to work in a Japanese company, so I do agree there are a lot of small unwritten rules. And it can be quite toxic. Singapore feels more relax and safe.
Singaporean don't know how blessed we actually are while many many foreigners know that and are dying to get their foot into Singapore. Let us appreciate our own country more & not complaint endlessly, worst try to bash it.
Ghib, I totally agree with you on so many things! The presence of shade from trees and sheltered walkways make such a huge difference in terms of heat. Commute in Tokyo is something I have not gotten used to in my 6 years here. Having things digital and done online also makes a huge difference in how convenient it is to get things done. Let's not even talk about the rental process in Japan. Key money...plus immediate rejection of application if one is not local. It is true how so many Singaporeans take what they have for granted. On the other hand, your lovely wife made such great points about Japan too! Its nature is truly beautiful especially with the changing seasons. And I always tell everyone that Japan has the best toilets and convenience stores in the whole universe. Unbeatable.
There's no real utopia on this planet but I agree with Ghib on appreciating Singapore. What I never expect Ghib to feel is that he appreciates living in Singapore more than Japan. I guess that the level of freedom to express yourself and be yourself here is the main point that drove Ghib to stay here. I feel that Ghib may apply for citizenship when the opportunity arises. Being a PR is already a step closer that. Ghib, we love you~ 💗
about taxi fares, its actually more related to how taxi companies want to price themselves. taxi drivers here are now mostly renting their taxis from taxi companies. the fare range is also decided by these companies. so this actually forces taxi drivers to work harder to get a better earning (work less and you might not even be able to foot the rental for the day)
I am still ashamed that we need fines before we can start returning our trays. This type of behaviour and mindset as you said rightly take a few generations to change.
The issue is not the mindset. Look at fast food outlets, everyone automatically return their trays. Meanwhile for hawker centers, they didn't even have obvious tray return points before they roll out the concept. U literally have to go to the back near the washing point or find the cleaner's trolley. The whole concept of convenient tray return points was only introduced before the fine period. Ofc there would be an adjustment period
your comments is candid but at the same time makes us think again and appreciate really the fine things in Singapore. always a joy to see things from your perspective. still, japan is my must go place always.
One of my fav Japanese food in SG is also Tori-Q since the beginning & their standard hasn't really changed throughout the years which is great. I love Genki too for affordable sushi but it's not as value for money as it used to be now..
Yes taxi is much cheaper here compared to London, Japan, Australia. In London, I took the taxi to Harold’s Shooping Mall area, my heart was pumping with the meter jump.
Yup, summer here in tokyo is so humid, hot, clammy and drizzly . Most store's AC aren't set as low as in Spore so one can feel really stuffy. Spore 's tori q is very delicious. Our taxi fares are cheap...compared to jJapan and Australia . Also, not all Atms are in operation 24/7 and there are service fees even for withdrawals.
I agree with both ur wife n you on the things about Sg n Japan . Btw I really appreciate the cleanliness of the toilets in Japan . Love it. U r doing a wonderful job with yr channel .
i consider myself well travelled to many countries over the pass 30 years. for me no place is better than Singapore because no matter how good other countries are every time when i come back i feel like i belong to this country, very welcoming, peace, safe and many more good feeling....
A lot of Singaporeans who complained endlessly about Singapore just want more personal influence and power. And they packaged it under the disguise of wanting more freedom from thw government.
When people go on vacation overseas, they are on holiday and they see the tourist sights, they don't get to experience what living & working there is really like.. it's a "neighbour's grass is greener" mentality.
One of the smoothest sponsor transitions I've seen. Natural disaster wise, we have to thank literally every country around us- Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, they are the ones shielding us from like everything. minus Indonesia giving us free haze xd
i actually hear many expats even japanese who do not want to live more than 30 mins away from work and i always thought that was quite funny as they come from a longer commute in their countries.
I am chn indonesian living and working in US. What I appreciate from SG is SQ! From when I was little my family has flown SQ and we are really appreciating the SUPERIOR QUALITY in SQ. I fly SQ biz class on my sfo-sin-medan city Indonesia and I have to say without SQ the journey would have been a dread.
Alot of good things to be grateful for. It still feels like a cage here in Singapore though...on a side note. Sometimes i wonder if Frodo regret leaving his village and embark on his quest or was that a good journey.
Agreed with all your points. Im a Singaporean and in my view, the biggest flaws in our system are the people who dont appreciate Singapore or other Singaporeans enough. Not just in our system and order but also in smaller things like keeping public toilets clean, traffic etiquette, etc. Japan has some good unwritten rules that we all can learn from, mainly stemmed from their love for their country and their people.
i have something to say about point 11 some of 'Abit late' are actually 1 or 2 hours late. last time i got a few friends, we knew their F up pattern, if we meeting at 2pm, we normally at them 12 noon gather , cause they famous for making ppl wait. Or some of my friends , last time we will be like '2pm sharp, u late we ps u' .
I like to correct abt the minimum wage if i utd you correctly. In Sg, we do not have minimum wage but we have Local Qualifying Salary (LQS). And LQS is somehow related how many foreign workers can be employed for a firm. In short, to be able to assess to foreign workers, a firm has to pay minimumly $1400 or more to locals. So in a way. There is a min wage.😊
I like to correct abt the minimum wage. In SG, we have minimum wage, but a modified version called Progressive Minimum Wage which depends on your job type, whether you upgraded/trained for the next role etc
Hello Ghib-san, there are some very nice peaceful areas like Seletar country club, park connectors & parks, Tanjong Pagar area on weekdays, etc. Thank you for sharing, I like your videos!
@Ojisan Yes.. there are times when weather is hitter than Singapore but those period are short where most of time it will be cooler than Singapore especially there are 4 seasons in Japan as compared to Singapore only 1 season.
1. Great Delicious Food Varieties 2. Can travel to neighbouring countries explore at low cost and countless beaches and islands 3. No Crowds 4. Everything Near 5. More freedom less custom culture 6. Low cost living than Japan and more lesser neighbouring countries 7. International Airport : Low flight tickets world acces (Air Asia) 8. All year weather
the 4 seasons, beautiful countryside, etc. Singapore is a tropic city state, this can't change. but i think values and way of living, this can change, and i totally agreed and hope that after a few generations, we can have something like the Japanese society.
I often observe, kopi are usually ordered by older generation , youngsters mostly drink Starbucks type coffee. Maybe by next generation the Kopi will be a dying trade😕
I guess I’m part of the older generation. /s Helps that I think Starbucks coffee is stupid overpriced. Rather enjoy a Teh O Kosong for 90 cents to a dollar in a hawker centre
if you ask me what I like about Japan is they have alot of those all female rock bands. im into those kawaii metal groups also (passcode,babymetal and lots more)
Yes u are right! I stayed in Fukuoka for quite a while and it’s summer is unbearable! It can go all the way up to 37-39 degrees. In addition due to the lack of trees, not much shade is available! I will avoid Japan summer at all cost! 😂
I can attest to the awful hot summer in Japan. It's so so so much worse than Singapore that I will choose to avoid going to Japan from Jul to Sep if I can.😅
Totally agree with the digitalization. Alot of process and legal , work related matters still require physical forms, physical signatures and stamping. Digital signatures are not accepted.
Hi Ghib, you are right about the train, when i was in Shinjuku train, its scary, it was crowded,, n summer is unbearable, well there is good n bad in every country,, well next month i m going to japan, so excited,, for laundry i use LG machine to dry the laundry,, oh i like tori q and genki sushi hehe,, oh yah, everytime i go to japan i always scared of earthquake n d misile too, 😂
Yes, summer is hotter in Japan, but it only lasts for a couple of months at most and it's not always that bad. In addition, you can choose to leave the big city and go to more chilling places to escape the heat once in a while. E.g. there are many day hiking places around Tokyo that are in higher altitudes and are cooler. By contrast, Singapore is hot and humid all the time. There is nowhere to escape except the malls. There are nice places to visit but I've grown to avoid going out. In general, I find life during summer much more enjoyable in Tokyo despite it being hotter.
I dont think he is bashing Japan, just comparing what he likes and dislikes. Every country has its pros and cons which are viewed differently by individual and lifestyle choices.
Nice video, thank you. Comparing Tokyo/Japan & Singapore is very subjective.... Tokyo is estimate 3x the size of Singapore with 13-14M people (?), Singapore is 6M I don't deny your point of angle view, cheers ;)
Yes under appreciated by the local. Agree fully with your content. My japanese frd meet me in Thailand in a crazy fake supreme tshirt he bought at 10dollar. But in Japan he come to me in suit and jacket. And he tell me he will be stare down if he dress like how he dress in Thailand. So he love travelling out of Japan.
Hmmm I gotta admit I was super impressed initially but now I only feel it's wasting my $$ (I am paying for packaging that I will ultimately throw away) and total waste of resources in the world where we trying to save the earth....
the bank withdrawal in japan irks me too much.... just paid 110yen to withdraw on a saturday because i forgot to withdraw during the weekdays office hours.
Many Singaporeans take things for granted.....complain and complain if they have not travelled or lived or find out about other countries neaby, be it Asia or even US or Europe...making comparison...in social/poltical/economic aspect of things. Look at our history, our past and what we have achieved today.... Just the very basic need of having a roof over our top....a place to live in, for local Sinvaporeans, i am already grateful for that. Our government has provided us in an economical manner ,90% home ownership is something uniquely Singapore, not even achieved by many countries. Just base on this, home ownership, is something many have taken for granted....and complain n complain. Our CPF system, has helped many to be able to pay their monthly installment comfortably based upon their ability and choice of size of flats. Looking at other 3 dragons..our peer country like Taiwan, Korea , Hong Kong....in terms of housing...one will appreciate more about Singapore. For HK, their biggest so called public housing size is about 500 sqft, cost 400K sing dollar or more. Hk only has about 17 percent of public home ownership. 50% of residents actually have to pay for much more expensive private apartment with sizes that are even smaller...
there are pros and cons, but pasture is always greener on the other side is a real thing. For me, singapore is still a bit too over crowded. doesnt matter mrt, but in general everywhere.