High-Stress Lifestyle: Living Amid the Never-Ending Pressures 

I’m really looking up to that kind of life

Semi-retired is good. Bow many hours a week do u have to work?

Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?

Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?

Semi-retired is good. How many hours a week do u have to work?

Inilah yang membuat Singapura maju, SDM yang pekerja keras, kompetitif dan kritis tidak bisa dibandingkan dengan SDM kita kalah telak. Liat Singapura sekarang diantar negara terkaya, Teraman, pemerintah tidak korup, teknologi sangat maju, sisi negatifnya ya semakin stress karena tekanan sosial yang kompetitif

Wish you a great life sister.

When there’s no competition at all, there’s zero incentive to improve, and critical thinking becomes superfluous.

it's not competition per se but rather the rewards that come from being at the top - the 5Cs that constitute the main stimuli. This leads to students becoming exam-smart (mugging ten-year series and spotting exam questions) rather than truly learning and understanding. This explains why Singapore hasn't produced many great thinkers or scientists, if any.

Critical thinking banned in singapore, PAP will ruined

​@@DySunwe don't need great thinkers. Karl Marx was a great thinker, as was Malthus. But how much harm their ideas brought to people.

@@DySun If I understood correctly many of them learn by remembering math and not but math thinking. So they can do from head like super hard number from head but the important there should be logic and creativity for math you have calculator or AI

Curious, why did you choose a English teaching career in East Asia? Maybe in the future when chances come up, you can come back States (is that where you were growing up?). Check out how competitive here in high tech in finance. Many employees in corporation world were educated in Asia cramming and cramming. Majority of them are functional like running parts in a big machine, no critical thinking, no imagination.

​@@waysfunot exactly in japanese corporation. freshmen are encouraged to abandon their thinking skill in order not to be seen as menace to existing members. promotion depends on how they please immediate boss. this is waste of talent and academic accomplishment.😅

@@waysfu agreed. Actually I've been based in Spain where I started teaching since the 90s and ventured out to Asia from 00 to 2012 returning to Madrid periodically during those years. Spain has it's challenges particularly socially and dating or lack of because they are often very closed. However, teaching exclusively online nowadays to Spaniards is a God send from my time in Asia. The pay isn't great but my life is essentially stress free.

There’s time to play and time to study. That “edutainment” thing caused a backlash recently students saying hey we’re here to study not to play

I teach English in Taiwan now and can attest this is true.

Proof that forcing kids to learn advanced mental arithmetic is not the way to build a liveable country.

wrong, its money and cost of living

Doesn’t guarantee but may hugely increase your odds. Going to south bronx at 2am and hanging around some murky types won’t necessarily kill you but odds are different compared with you hiking in Vermont. Again, a newborn and an old man in his 80s both may die within the next year, but odds are different, right?

@@user-rt4fw5fk3uif you are right why China is collapsing ?

I think you mean "interesting career"...not "interesting carrier"

But nothing is great about Germany in 2024. You only exist because the US military protects you from Russia's invasion.

I think we shouldn‘t hold the German school system as an example 👍 It‘s legitimately horrible

So sorry to hear about this . Your daughter is only 4 years old , it’s still not too late . Don’t give up as she will need a good level of English to survive anywhere in the workforce . This is something she has to face regardless of which country she studies in , relocating is not solving the problem . Since your wife is not proficient in English , perhaps she and your daughter can learn together using educational videos , games or enrichment classes . Raising a child is a long journey , stay strong and best wishes .

@@bakkwa8705 thanks for the advise. Whether or not my daughter has speech delay, i have been thinking if i really want my children to grow up in a high stress environment. When i see many other kids constantly having to do extra classes just to keep up with the educational level here and also with their peers, i feel that they are missing out on other good parts their childhood could have. So i thought if i could afford to give them an alternative life, why not. There is no right or wrong decision because in every path taken, one can still succeed as long as they are able to bring out their full potential in the area they are passionate about. It doesnt mean you are guaranteed success with the cert in Singapore. Many dont even work in the industry they studied in. Like myself, i did not study what i wanted because my grades did not allow that and i spent years just to complete something i wasnt passionate about but luckily i had the opportunity/support from my family to pursue my passion and succeeded in it. And I wish to do the same for my children. I dont want them to be constantly judged throughout their lives.

So are you saying the child doesn’t have speech delay in her mother tongue? If not, please consider bringing your child for a diagnosis as I have seen many parents who seek treatment too late and their kids ended up going to special education schools. I have a mild autism child and since realising he has speech delays since age 3, my hubby and I proactively seek out treatment for him so that he can enjoy normal life later. Our efforts proved successful as our son improved his eye contact and socialising skills and managed to get a pass from the psychologist who evaluated him to enter a normal public primary school to receive education.

@@ditsygirl5409 sorry to hear that and glad your child has moved on with her normal school. My daughter is not in the spectrum. We confirmed that with the specialist. She has just started speech therapy although i was told that she did not have to. But the school is telling me to. Im not saying that i want to ignore her issues which i am working towards her keeping up with her school. But i can say, being here, this is not going to be the only problem she is going to face

Singaporean govt no brain sometimes

Indeed. Most of these "highly intelligent" children just end up wage slaves.

Yeah some studies for example shows that math concepts are ideal for age above 10 . It is crazy that people learn so many subjects from young age and when they are older they cannot remember almost anything from that.

@@iamfighterman9646 what’s the point in all of that though? Leaving and making the kids later on in life more susceptible to depression and anxiety. This is I still believe in the old adage, “let kids be kids”, because when they are ready to grow and face such things that will be tools for our adult lives then we as parents will just see it. What you resist l, persists. What you accept, transforms.. children learn through playing and emotional bond that parents SHOULD prioritize FIRST in order for our kids to expand their EQ level. it has already been proven time and time again, that people who have higher IQ are the ones who have the highest sui**dal thoughts than those who have higher EQ. If this is what so many parents want- their kids to be monetarily rich but the saddest, discontent and mentally unstable then I wish them good luck and sending my prayers. I am a mother of 3 and currently homeschooling, now idk about SG policies about homeschooling but to be honest, homeschooled kids are some of the most well rounded, polite and smart and happiest kids I’ve ever seen. It is one kf those night and day differences you will see compared to traditional “schooled” children. Too much pressure, after years of observation, no matter how much we want to defend and rationalize it to make it sound as if the best choice for everyone- will bite us at the back.

Singapore is entirely different from Malaysia. Malaysia parents are not as demanding and allow their children more freedom. While the standard of education may be lower than that of Singapore, the children here seem much happier, as there is less stress due to everyone taking things at a slower pace.

Happy? Really? I lived in Japan for four years and although many people there ARE kind and considerate, I dare say that many are NOT happy. There is a lot of jealousy and envy and hiding oneself from others. The nail that stands above others must be hammered down is a paraphrase of a popular saying . Believe me, you wouldn't want to be student there who others (including some teachers) decide to 'hammer' or an adult returnee from a long-term overseas assignment who realizes that they no longer completely fits in nor really wants to!

@@jklmnoqr I said “other countries may not be as economically successful as SG Jp or even SK”…. I agree there are so many emotionally unstable Japanese.. lived in sg for few years and there really were a lot of unhappy and unkind Sgporeans too. As beautiful and well built Sg is, it says a lot that people who can afford still choose neighboring Asian countries of Sg as their ideal retirement place- other than affordable COL, those countries are still holding the gem of what purity in living is..

When humans are treated as automatons and not humans, their miracle human capital will dry out. Singaporean birth rates are dropping. Just as in China snd Japan. Everything has a cost. The cost for being such an ultra competitive society is a declining birth rate and societal collapse if nothing changes.

Ngl that sound very sad...

Exactly..all of us is just a tool for the "rich"... Scary but true. Sad reality right?!!

not if you are talented and whether you are motivated or not is optional . Worried about other people getting ahead of you ? Well that's your problem - no?

this is why replacing man with machine cannot happen soon enough.

@@firstlast-pt5pp that mindset is only for geniuses and the wealthy. Keep it to yourself.

@@oceanblvd8 don’t be discouraged! I had friends who give up on subjects that they struggle in and they did better overall because they are able to reallocate their time and focus on subjects they can work on. I didn’t drop any subjects but my results are mediocre. When it comes to study or in life, a failure may not be a failure even if you don’t see it now! Trust that you are doing what is beneficial for you in the moment and focus your effort on things you can control. Let go of things that you can’t! Sometimes a longer path can still lead you to the place you want to go 😊 Press on!!

Yes, china japan korea are worse

I'm planning to move to Singapore in a few months, but I'm worried about how the education and environment is like there. What is your opinion about Singapore?

@@Aanya8263 singspore primary school education is slow paced n stress free...environment is known to be relaxing to foreigner....education stress is only for those who dont study at all or really stupid and scream stress

@@norman6499 what is Singapore's housing like?

Same in HK.

Try being homeless on the streets, at the mercy of the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or see a doctor if ill. Stress is relative. There are more than 600,000 homeless people in America.

the stress is making the Singaporean accent less appealing. People need to chill to improve their accent. Just sound cool with less stress and fakeness.

Nonsense. You work for minimum wage in Singapore for about 10 years and get to own your own HDB flat with government subsidies (basically free and no property tax). And for about 80% of the Singaporeans, the net tax rate is 0 or negative.

​@@anchored555 u missed the point

Actually it's all over East Asia

Britney you're here❤

I like how your channel is called "Study with Britney" 😂 also I studied in NUS also, it was not that bad since the classes get curved..

what is rm bto?

​@@usenlim43794 rm bto would mean "4 room build to order". I believe built to order (BTO) is singapores form of government subsidize building.

room = room, bto= build-to-order flats, it's the more affordable form of housing to most of us in Singapore. @@usenlim4379

@@usenlim4379 sorry its local singaporean lingo i meant to say 4 room BTO (bto is a type of government housing )

@@usenlim43794 Room Built to Order flat (3 bedroom + 1 living room) in Singapore. Classified as a HDB.

So in South Korea, due to very low birth rates, high suicide rates due to high cooker pressure stress if society. Has the government done anything to address the problems faced by the children 😢?

I don't think it's as stressful as the Middle East

We do have quite a lot of problem here in Norway, for example the companies doesn’t have enough engineering employees, and the citizens doesn’t take a lot of stem subject, compared to social subject. So they have to recruit from other countries like east-Europe or countries like Singapore for engineers

@@bawankhalid1209Engineers are only good in theory or paper work like drawing design of machines . They can’t do real practical work or skilled hands on work like Welding or Machining or CNC operating or Fabrication or Car Mechanic or Electrician or Plumber . For that hands skill you need to go to trade school . And European people can do skilled work with hands . Asians can only draw designs on paper 😂😂 but can’t repair cars or can’t do Welding or can’t install Wires 😂😂

@@bobfaam5215 I cant speak for the whole Europe, and i agree that society need a lot people from tradework. But the problem is that people specially middle class, or higher isnt interrested in trade work, or handy work in norway, that i have seen. However they arent interrested for stem subject either, so they are just taking easy subject like society subject, gender subject rather than high grad math or chemistry. So the biggest crises in norway isnt Russia invading or vulcano explosion, but rather that we need 40 000 engineer before 2040, cause they literally design everthing, like the phone/pc we are using right now to talk, or how the wifie works, or create houses, or upgrade stuff, etc.

@@bawankhalid1209 That is there in every country . Do the middle class or higher class people in India or Pakistan ever do physical jobs or hand work like Construction or Car Mechanic ? NO . Even they do comfortable office jobs and clerk jobs with minimum work . Even in Army in India and Pakistan , it’s mostly Village boys who join , not educated city people

@@bobfaam5215 But the lowerclass in India is taking stem subject, and enginnering degrees to try get rich, if they have the opportunity. But even though we norwegian have the opportunity to take those degrees for free they dont, because its really hard, and you dont really need to try so hard in norway anyways, because of the socialism. So rich people and top class is leaving norway because of the high tax rate, which is reasonable, and i will probably do that myself too in the future lol

Tough love it's irrational aggressive parenting

At some point you as a parent should prioritise your child’s mental and physical health over their potential for a job that is deemed oh so desirable by society.

I don’t think anyone is proud of being stressed and unhappy here. Just that stress is an unavoidable part of living (anywhere in the world). Some stress is actually good as an incentive to improve oneself, but too much is bad, so it’s about finding your balance and reducing unnecessary stress. As for the mental health epidemic, we are not alone. Statistics show higher depression rates in the Middle East, N Africa, South Asia and the U.S. than in other regions. OECD countries, Iceland, Portugal and the UK were the biggest consumers of anti-depressants.

Bagi anak anak brilliant hal itu bkn stress

Right?? I was thinking to myself that this is not a flex 😂

That's basically what many developing or developed Asian countries want, gigantic robot-like workforces for all these companies in the manufacturing industry, pumping out subpar quality products that will still be sold at a high price when they hit the market, while severely underpaying their workers.

we forget we are humans 😢 let just be human not robots

Eyeglasses at an early age is a sign that the student reads a lot books or a screen close to their face. In addition they don’t get much outdoor time to adjust their eyes.

​@@jmatt98No dumbass, eyeglasses means that the child has had weak liver and lacked certain key vitamins while growing up. Processed foods. It's means bad nutrition and personally, I think it's a failure on the parent to provide certain key nutrients in favor of fake number for status. Just... a terrible culture to raise a child.

based on TIMSS/PISA rankings and low crime rates - Singapore has both 🤓

@@iamfighterman9646 @soolinteh Yes, just ignore the fundamental fact that young children are taking their lives because they believe they are not good enough. That is a poor reflection on both of you. You are comparing your experiences to children who do not have any experience and expect them to be grateful for a concept that you only understand but cannot spare a moment of your time to see that they are not you and you are not them. That is what leads them to take their own lives. You are older, you should be wiser, but instead you ignore their cry for help, especially when this is the only life you have. Once it is over, it is over. See if that is worth it for both of you. You may have the best intentions for them, but the road to evil is paved with good intentions. May you never bury a child because you could not listen to them and scolded them for being too weak instead of being themselves.

⁠@@iamfighterman9646 I am a gen z but well said. I feel the young ones recently are kind of getting spoiled.. I guess there is too much entertainments nowadays

well said. Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing?

The so called low graduates fr neighbouring countries can have a more comfortable life and live stress free in their country.

0

The so called low income people in neighbouring countries still can buy massive land properties.. And grateful for Not living in small bird cage country... What a blessing 😊😊

Lol that about u,but why bring down the neighbour people?

of course - same for those who moved to Singapore

In the US, a leading cause of death for sick people is stress - when they see their medical bills.

Even in Africa I was thinking it was only South Korea Japan and china that have lots of stress not expecting Singaporean too

Singapore probably ranks #4 , after China , South Korea and Japan in the stress levels situation .

Which countries have no stress?

​@@Appleorange.1234Thailand

Some degree of stress is unavoidable, so what’s important is learning how to manage it. Leaving SG may get you a less stressful education system that focuses less on academic excellence, but you may encounter stress of a different sort eg racial discrimination, glass ceilings at work, staying safe in a society with high crime rates, drug and alcohol abuse, gun violence, etc. In short, it’s a pipe dream to think you can live totally stress free. Even if you opt out of the high pressured education system and choose an occupation that needs less education, eg farming or fishing, fishermen and farmers also have stress. Dealing with bad weather that destroys your crops or prevents you going out to fish, diminishing catch from depleted fishing grounds, etc.

The middle class are heading to Australia.

I have a feeling that you are basing this on the news and social media - unless you have lived and/or worked in ALL THREE of those countries.

I don't have to but people who have worked in these countries and singapore told me that.@@hc1897

you may have a point. In China, the kids go home at 8 pm, they just stay in the classroom to do homework.

How do u compare stress? It's a race to the bottom. S'pore is stressful enough with the constant changes n trying to keep up; there's no way to run given the small size. China/Japan/Korea are big countries. It's not comparing apple with apple.

Why is there a need for comparison? Is there a competition going on?

Including Japan, china Taiwan Vietnam, i don’t know about Thailand

thai school system is easier @@goodyoflife

I'd rather have little stress to handle in the first place than to have lots of stress that I have to "handle well" 😅

So you assumed everyone will be able to handle high level of stress without considering individual capabilities?

When I was little, my parents pushed me to become the best and that mentality has accompanied my most of my adult life. I can tell you that, always trying to become no 1 is not always good for your health. It’s a mindset that’s hard to shake.

I would rather look into eliminating and avoiding stress than handling it.

@@MaverickEchoJuliet Exactly!!

Hm. You just got all info from the youtube or so called news. Get out of the box & smell the coffee, would you!

Nah, not just RU-vid but diverse respected media sources in the West, plus my own personal observations from traveling extensively. The problems I mentioned may not be an issue for you personally, but I don’t think anyone can say it isn’t true of many western cities in general. Stress is also inevitable if one is homeless, living on the streets, exposed to the elements and criminals, not knowing if you can eat the next meal or afford to see a doctor if ill.

@@anchored555 westerners will always impose their own point of view. i also had a deep debate with my european friend on whether drug addiction is a lifestyle choice. in his view, even addicts have the right to roam around the streets and everyone should have the right to decide to become an addict should they wish to

Sure, you have the right to do anything you want so long as it doesn’t negatively impact others. Unfortunately this usually isn’t the case unless you live in a cave or an island by yourself.

@@anchored555well said overall

What have they contributed to the betterment of mankind?

what is intelligent? 😂

a 1st + world problem 😂

It’s a good thing. Look at how Japan is so horrible in IT when they keep saying that oh we have to help those who are not able to use it bla bla and end up still using paper and fax machine. Can’t even set up a NRIC system in a country

My sister used to say to her children " if you don't study hard and get good grades, how will you compete with the Chinese and indian immigrants in Singapore ? You will have no job " My niece had a mental breakdown a few years ago in JC ... And her family stopped pushing her

What happened to your niece is very sad. Frankly, there are far more career options for young people today than there were 40-50 years ago. There’s also wider acceptance today that academic excellence isn’t the only type of excellence and it’s up to parents to explore with their kids and help them discover what they are good at so they can encourage them to cultivate their strengths. However, parents who try to live vicariously through their kids to force them to achieve what they themselves could not, give the kids unnecessary stress. Far more important to teach them resilience and how to pick themselves up and not give up after a setback. And to remember that they should try to find something they love to do, otherwise work life will be even more stressful. I have friends who didn’t do well academically but went on to become successful businessmen making more money than their classmates who graduated with better degrees. Just remember that even if you don’t ace an exam, it isn’t the end of the world. There are opportunities ahead if you don’t give up and keep trying.

I think this is a generalisation.. just because some parents are like that, it doesn't mean ALL parents in Singapore are like that.

@@rinky_dinkyYour sister wasn’t wrong . Singaporeans have to fight tooth and nail against foreign talents . The only wrong thing was not noticing her daughter’s struggles . Not every child is up to it . Should explore her strengths and interests and find an alternative career for her . Wishing you all the best 🙏

Nah the stress come from n levels not psle