Strange British Habits That Singaporeans Just Don't Understand! 🇬🇧 

I moved from Singapore to London 6 years ago for uni and whenever someone said "you alright", I genuinely thought they were concerned about my wellbeing and would always pour out my heart and soul to them and they got very awkward and uncomfortable very quickly. Took me a few months to realise they weren't interested in how I was feeling. They were just saying hi. WELL WHY DONT YOU JUST SAY HI THEN INSTEAD OF BEATING AROUND THE BUSH?? Ok, rant over.

Your 'haarrr??' was so genuine XD

1:48 telling time 2:32 home cooking VS takeaways 3:25 not taking off shoes 3:54 talking abt weather 24/7 4:31 apologizing unnecessarily 5:31 pardon VS huh, what 6:18 you alright? 7:03 cold sandwiches 7:39 hot & cold taps separated 8:23 pleasantries 8:37 holding door open 8:55 ending texts with x 4:45 not switching on heater during winter 10:43 eating cereals 11:02 cheers VS thank you 11:22 tea VS dinner 11:46 hugs and kisses 12:10 sitting on the grass in addition to cheers meaning thank you, it could also mean goodbye or said before drinking.

Since I predate Singapore as an independent nation, I can testify that we used to tell time as "quarter to", "quarter past", "half past", "25 past", etc., since we were once a British colony. This telling of time with minutes after an hour is an Americanism that got adopted as more and more of our people got educated in America. However, what we have *NEVER* used is expressions like "half seven" to mean "half past seven" or "ten of six" to mean "5:50". This is utterly confusing because in European languages like Swedish, Dutch and German, the expression "half seven" means "6:30" so those of us who are polyglots have much more headaches to deal with!!! Groceries are expensive in Singapore, especially in the high end supermarkets like Cold Storage, because all food is imported into Singapore. On the other hand, the UK has a lot of local agriculture. This is the same here in the USA, even if we compare prices before taxes (basic food in the UK and US are tax-free, unlike in SG). Sitting in parks in the West is different because, aside from weather, the type of grass is also different. Grass in Singapore is coarser, less densely matted so you might end up with a lot of earth on your clothing and body and is likely to be harbouring all sorts of biting and stinging insects (Singapore being a tropical country and all, where flora and fauna might harm you, unlike Australia where flora and fauna might *KILL* you) while grass in the UK and the USA, especially in manicured lawns, is much finer and more densely matted by comparison. Hence it feels nicer to sit on a Western lawn than on a Singaporean lawn.

An old person cut in front of me and a British guy while we were in a buffet line. The Brit just goes "ooh naughty, this one." I laughed out loud and forgot to get angry. Thanks British guy.

I used to have a British exchanger as a neighbour on campus. Everytime he asks "you alright" or "what's good" I talk to him about my stress or what I'm doing that day. Now I feel dumb

The Singaporean equivalent of "How are you?" is "Have you eaten?" ... : )

I'm originally from Latvia (North East Europe) and we also always take shoes off before entering our homes, so it's not just an Asian thing! I kind of think wearing shoes in the house is just english-speaking-world thing.. :D Regarding the separate water taps in the UK - that's because years ago these taps were installed to prevent cross contamination. Cold water was drinkable, but hot water was kept in a tank, and many people got poisoned by drinking it. That's why the taps had to be separated. I guess they just didn't bother installing new taps ever since!

I remember when I was a little kid, I would watch British shows for kids. Sometimes they would say,"Yay! The sun is out!" And would be very excited about it. That really confused me because the sun is out every day in Singapore ! 🤣🤣🤣

Actually when i was in primary school we were taught on how to read the time in british way. However, somehow as we grow up we just speak time differently. Some of the old habits like pardon are actually practice here, the older generation, younger generation are more americanised.

I’m a Malaysian chinese that grew up in Scotland and drinking marmite tea is a common daily thing for me. But my Singaporean colleagues find it so weird and call me a weird Ang mo 😂😂

M Singaporean living in the UK for close to 5 years now. Was surprised what "porridge" really meant Singapore(savory with meat/eggs) vs UK(sweet with fruits etc)

Random conversations with strangers in UK is real, I remember I was walking back to my AirBnb in Beaconsfield, where a random stranger was jogging past and says to me "Nice jacket you got there!", and it left me momentarily confused...

I said "haaarrr" to my friends in France when I was there. I swear I could see question marks above their heads lol.

I'm a Singaporean living in the UK! Definitely agree with everything you said in your video :) I've noticed sending cards is a big thing over here, not so much in Singapore although some people do do it. Brits tend to say 'sat' rather than 'sitting' - e.g. I was sat at the bus stop vs I was sitting at the bus stop. Favourite conversational topics tend to include the weather (like you mentioned) or holidays! Especially Florida! Love your videos! I've been living in the UK for the past 10 years and you know so much more about Singapore than I do x

In older UK homes, cold water is connected directly to the mains which meets potable water requirements. Hot water is usually stored hot water tanks in the house which is almost never cleaned. Try drinking water from the hot water tap if you are brave. 😅

I immediately understood why you like to sit on the grass when I went to the UK for a holiday. The grass is so soft and nice! In comparison, we have weeds in Singapore, all scratchy and ants everywhere ! 😀

Even for Canadians, there are British habits that we don’t quite understand or perhaps find rather foreign. Nice to hear your breakdown and analysis. Definitely interesting and insightful content here 🙌💯😎👍

Interesting video!

Hi georgia, Nice to see you looking great again. Stay happy regardless what happen as I always say the key to stay healthy is be be happy cheer!!!

Singaporean here. Here's what I've observed of my British friends during my 3 years in London: 1. Leaving soap on dishes without rinsing them off. 2. Adding tablespoonfuls of sugar to cereal. 3. SHOES IN BED!? 4. Daily baths/showers aren't a thing. 1 & 2 came from the same guy. When queried about the reason for 1, he said why should he. So I told him how humans usually rinse the soap off our bodies in the shower... He was silent for a minute before turning red with embarrassment.

Great explanation.

Older houses have two taps as often there would be a water tank which would be used for washing but not drinking. Most people have combined boilers now so the water is heated as needed.

Sitting on the grass in a park? Yuck! Ants, centipedes, and little crawlies! No thanks! 😀

7:39 Separate hot and cold taps goes back to when it was important to prevent cross contamination. Cold water is from the mains supply and is potable (safe to drink) while hot water used to be from a separate storage cistern. Even today a warm boiler can increase bacterial count in the water. 11:22 Dinner was traditionally the main meal of the day. So in the industrial north for many that was the meal served to them at their worksite in the middle of the day followed by a much lighter meal later in the evening. These days “oop nawrth” when it’s around noon I’d head off for “me dennah”!

Sandwiches are convenient... everything packed in one... full stop... bt here a sandwich is seen more as a snack/ an extra light meal... bt that's changing, it seems

I like that you guys are really polite!! "Pardon" sounds soo much better than "harrr" and I personally prefer saying sorry a lot like the British because I don't want to seem rude.

I remember going to London for the first time and I was saying "I must have Pret A Manger!" cause I like their branding. After 3 days of their sandwiches I was "Nope I'm done. I need hot Asian food".

Actually i did learn the "quarter past 1" way of reading time back in primary school in the late 90s/early 00s. but nobody uses that in real life because it is not straightforward...and singlish prioritises efficiency of words lol

Haha 5:53 "huh?!" Was so cute! Haha

Kindly do more of this, is good to know british way of life, when Georgia say “ haarr” u know she totally converted to sporean

love your tsum tsum ezlink card at the back of your phone!!

Grass here may give rashes. Picnic mat a must

oooooo is cereal not considered a snack to most Singaporeans? :o I eat cereal any time of the day, and sometimes as dessert after dinner LOL

I'm a Singaporean youtuber who has been living in Europe for the past decade, totally relate to many points you mentioned!!😂😂

In Glasgow, people will be out in the grass to picnic and get some sun when it's 5°C in winter 😂 I could never understand...

So true! I've just moved to London from Singapore this year and it's just about weather 24/7!!! But generally, I do say sorry quite a bit even back home so i guess it wasn't a shock for me if someone say sorry when in london :)

Love your ending theme music

Thanks for doing this episode cos I love going to Scotland often. Now I understand “you alright” means hi. But sometimes at supermarket the staff ask “you ok” (probably I nearly trip haha), are they just concern? I do like the gracious and good mannerisms there. Twice the British gentlemen helped out with my heavy luggage (probably the reason I go back there again haha)

I understand the time actually. We are taught in primary school. Maybe it wasnt used often and people forgotten when they grow up.

Yes totally! I did an exchange study programme back in the UK and noticed some difference. I was confused as well even till the simplest word of “I beg your pardon” I used a lot of times during my studies but when I returned home, I never use this word again. That sentence to me it’s like ‘sorry I don’t quite understand, can you repeat’

I love ASDA... it’s like the Giant Supermarkets

In temperate countries like the UK, water from underground pipes can be ice cold. That's why a separate hot water supply is needed. Tropical Singapore has slightly warm water all year round. That meets the need of most people.

We had sandwiches for breakfast but it's toast /steam sometimes with kaya and butter. Ah huet makes them. If not bust sandwiches with room temp bread

Modern homes and offices have single tap that is a mixer. The two tap configuration was common in singapore in the past as well. It based on habit. In the past people would fill the basin or bath sink before using. It wasnt common to use it straight from tap

I have been studying in the UK for 3 year now, and I realised that " see you later" is sometimes replaced with " bye!" (even if you may not be meeting anytime soon)

Two taps save energy. I changed it out in my house and put in two taps. With 1 tap you often draw water from both hot/cold sources. Causing the heater to turn on even when you only want cold. Too easy to just push the tap handle up in the middle causing a 50% hot water draw.

Pudding is dessert! One of the quirks I found. 😝

As a returnee migrant from the US, I've noticed that the degree to which there are common traits between Brits and Singaporeans really depends on the social setting and social background of who you're hanging out with. Really interesting to hear your perspective! (I do think older, English-educated Singaporeans say 'Pardon' quite a bit which confused me when I first moved back here)

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Even though I'm born and bred in Singapore, but because I was brought up the British (European/German) way at home, I can empathized with you.

Studied in UK, and only towards the end of my first year that I understood "You alright?" was not meant to ask how are you? (especially on a Monday) which I normally would reply.. "good..." and when I asked how about you...? my friends would tell me what they did over the weekend..

SGean and had no idea cashiers are tills till I moved to the UK 😆

im a singaporean and i say "sorry" so much for: excuse me, huh / what?, really apologising, accidentally bumping onto someone, for being soft, pitying my friend 🤣

Okay, I’m one of the few Singaporeans that use half past, quarter to, etc. Left over from learning from my grandparents who lived with us.

When I was in Uni in UK, summer was funny. All the brit students were holding their beer under the sun with the Singaporean/Malaysian students still hanging out under the tree

i moved from singapore to the UK and stayed here for 5 years, and one thing living with Brits is that the shops are always shut by 5/6pm and the streets become deserted straight after which is so depressing.

Hi i watched your video on Kampong Glam. Very interesting. Kampong Glam was where the Sultan of Johore (which included Singapore) had his palace. Next to the Palace is the Sultan Mosque. It is rich in the history and heritage of Muslim’s in Singapore. But as in many other places in Singapore,, it has become largely commercial.. I was particularly intrigued to hear that the spiral staircases were meant for night soil carriers! I had thought that they were just fire escapes?! i would imagine it might be somewhat difficult to carry two night soil buckets on a pole slung over the shoulder going and up the narrow staircases? Nonetheless, your videos are interesting. Please keep it up:)

I'm British and the 'you alright' still stresses me out, I hate when people say that cause I never know how to respond!! Also, would LOVE to see you say 'haarr' to someone in the UK hahahah

When I was a child growing up in Singapore in the 1980s, people used to say sorry quite often, although not quite as much as in the UK. Another important point to note is that it is harder to make conclusions about what Singaporean culture is nowadays, when 40% of people in Singapore are not Singaporeans, compared to 10% in the 1980s.

At first I heard “That-Bindy”.. and thought it was about someone named Bindy or something. 😂 Haha.. yes, Vitamin D. Nice to know you still have a strong accent from home while also taking on so much Singaporean-ness. 😊 Always happy hearing from you Georgia.

The football culture there is immense! I remember being in a bar(Arsenal) in North London watching the derby game between Arsenal and Tottenham and the supporters threw their beer at the projector screen whenever the referee makes a mistake or gives a decision to their rivals. That moment was when I realized why they served the drinks with plastic cups on those occasions.

My name's Ludmila, and I from Brazil, and I very like your vlogs❤

I was working in Melbourne few years back and typical British I would always say you alright instead of hello and this girl said Jade please can you stop saying you alright because I don’t know how to answer that and it makes me super nervous 🤣 I was like you don’t have to say your ok or anything it’s just a phrase we say instead of hello. She was really nice about it but yeah I soon stopped saying you alright because people would be sooo confused like are you asking me if I’m ok 😂

Hard water in the UK Difficult to clean the bath having to scrub the build ups

Whenever someone asks me the time I always ask; analogue or digital? 12:15 digital or quarter past twelve analogue. Digital is more efficient therefore more Singaporean. Poms like being analogue.

Extra THUMBS UP!

When you go back to UK do you guys take your shoes off before entering the house? Do you make your family do it? lol I actually say sorry a lot, even when someone bumped into me while i'm standing still. I think it's a good habit.

Been following you since you had 8k followers

Spore small size is its greatest draw back and strict gov rules is another prob for me.. Living in US and originally fr Indonesia, makes me appreciate a little chaos n long road trip. I love Fall too where you chg your wardrobe n deal w snows n hail..

2:50 Making your own pasta dish in Singapore and finding it expensive is like saying that grocery shopping for Chinese produce is expensive in UK tho.

HAARR!! !! it's true, manners totally go out the window in Sg!

yes, the sandwiches are definitely quite bland and left me colder during winter. haha

Georgia I would loveeeee for u to meet us Singaporean’s in the UK it would b such a culture shock haha bc I think UK Singaporean’s are a bit diff and act slightly differently to those acc living in sg😅🤪

In Cantonese we tell the time using quarters too.

We do say sorry for the same reasons as you and pardon as well. 🙂

The quarter/half past time thing, we do learn it in primary school(if i rmb correctly), but we nvr use it cus its a pain in the arse...

The Brits just have the best timing every time the sun is out. I remember seeing them at Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park every time we get the sun, so one day I also did that!

The way you said vitamin cracked me up. I forgot that British folks say certain words different from Americans (States).

Are the hot and cold taps only in old buildings?

It's very funny when you mentioned about the tap. When I moved to the UK, I wondered about that too, if it's in the kitchen i guess that's fine, because it'll be faster for me to get cold water to drink, otherwise i'll have to run the water and wait before it becomes cold. But when it's in the bathroom, unless it's a mixer tap, it's painful, as i get scalding hot water one on 1 side and freezing cold on the other. One guy told me, for this kind of thing, the sink should be blocked, and run both cold and hot taps, and fill the sink to get warm water, and wash hands that way. OMG LOL, immediately i can think of 3 things: a) it's not hygienic i don't think, b) i don't have time for that, c) that's wasting so much water *facepalm*

The shoes part makes sense. You don't want to drag streaks of excrement all over the floor

When I first went to the UK I was totally confused that I always hear the word 'quid'. Turns out its used interchangeably with pounds!

Missed you for a long time.....

but but but... there are alot of bugs in the park! one of the main reasons i dun wanna sit on the grass here is because i will never know if there are worms, shit, spiders or ants attempting to crawl up on me or fall from the trees above.....

I am from Singapore!

The two taps meant that my hands were either chilled or scalded, especially in winter. Also British irony, which can be real easy to miss.

X is a hug... O is a kiss in the UK.. remember xoxo

I'm here just to say that I miss my Sainsbury's White Chocolate Cookies at £1 before the shop closes.

"Sorry hor..." we say sorry a lot in Singapore too. 😁

Singaporeans eat hot sandwiches heated up from the microwave. Same goes for Thai people in BKK. So when i went to London in March for holiday, i had to eat cold sandwiches, it is really not nice, for my case. lol.

I was taught to tell time the old way, half past, quarter past/to. No one does it anymore. I think it has to do with the disappearing skill of reading an analog clock. Nothing wrong with saying sorry or holding doors for others, I do it all the time and I don't exclaim "Har?"but say "sorry? could you repeat that please?". The last time I did do that was when I knew no better as an ill mannered kid, answering my elders at home. I say please and thank you all the time as well. Please hold on to your manners, it's a beautiful culture and it would be such a pity if it disappears. You don't have to emulate everything you see here to fit in. We are a much more diverse society than the circle of locals you've hung out with so far.

“Are you alright?” in American English means “Are you insane?”, but not “how are you?”. Please be careful!😱 I love your channel and will subscribe it. Looking forward to other topics! 😃

Brits always say, hiya. Esp the cashier lady at the supermarket

Quarter past one is not weird, its perfectly normal to me and I am Singaporean. Quarter past is easier to say than One fifteen - I get it. Not sure why so many Singaporeans don't get it though.

Early at last!

"TIME FOR TEA" to me would mean time for a tea-break

I’m Asian living in Asian and I LOVE sandwiches!! Every time I choose sandwiches for lunch my colleagues be like ‘oh are you not feeling well?’ ‘Is it enough?’

The "half past, quarter to..." could be a generational thing. A big part of it, is the extent to which American pop culture and the emphasis on British English has changed. Which I noted about some of your other observations. Which is unsurprising, as the S'poreans that you interact with are likely to be Gen Y or younger.

porridge = oats in the UK, but porridge here means "soup rice"

The habit of saying sorry often sounds like a good habit actually.