In short the weather here is like none I have experienced before, the humidity hits you like a wall when you step out the relative comfort of an air conditioned building and cold showers are currently the best part of my day. The closest I came to this heat was Kansas in July. The heat here though is different, 80% humidity means that even after a slow paced walk you sweat like crazy. It rains most days however and this cools things down slightly, the rain is normally very hard but only lasts a short time. Even so this doesn't do much to relieve the humidity. Exercise has to be restricted before 9am and after 7pm. I have no idea how the laborers and manual workers get by here but I have seen tents erected near a building site so I can only imagine they use that to escape the heat.
Although the sun doesn't shine everyday in Singapore and invariably it is cloudy you can still feel yourself getting burnt so its important to consider this when leaving the house. I of course learnt the hard way and after a day at the pool woke up looking a spot rouge !
Although there are no real distinct seasons in Singapore the cooler months are, I have been told, around Oct to Dec, the full humidity hits at the same summer months as Europe so June, July, August.
At the moment though I get to the point where walking more than 10 minutes leads me to call a taxi and I don't want to go into the amount I sweated at my first Singapore Cricket trials.
Hopefully I'll acclimatise soon but this makes a Barcelona summer seem cool ! All I can say at this point is thank god for swimming pools, air conditioning and cold showers...
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Economy
It is clear, even after a week of being in Singapore that the economy here is booming. After a 10 minute taxi drive I saw 4 super cars, Lamborghini's no less, people walk around with smiles on their faces, restaurants and bars are packed with wealthy business people and construction is present everywhere. With more people coming to Singapore to live and work the need for space has never been greater. The old low rise buildings are therefore being knocked down and replaced with high rise condos. The buildings are being constructed much closer together so don't be surprised to look out of your new, smaller, flat and be able to see a family in the other building peering down your neck. This influx of people and construction has created mix feelings amongst the Singaporeans. Some see it as good news with more money coming into the country, more jobs and larger companies moving to take advantage of the low work tax rates (check below table but average tax is about 14%). Some Singaporeans however see it as a negative as the middle class Singaporeans are left to fight for jobs and in addition public transport has become packed.
The construction has resulted in a requirement for cheap labor (Indian and Chinese men have flocked to Singapore. They then transfer money to their families back home) and the economic boom has meant that top jobs are filled not only by Singaporeans but also ex patriots. One lady I spoke to had seen a huge increase in Ang Mo's, an insult the Singaporeans have for us Westerners which literally translates as red haired shit !! I questioned this and stated that not all Westerners had red hair and it would be more appropriate to call us red skinned shits but she didn't seem to understand my point or agree !
In the workplace I get a feeling that it is not as competitive between employees. In Europe I got the impression that everyone was looking after number 1 and there was some back stabbing going on behind closed doors in a bid to remain employed. This atmosphere has been created I believe as companies offered less contract security and coupled with the crisis people were fearful of loosing jobs and it was literally kill or be killed. This atmosphere does not seem to be present here and everyone mucks in and tries to help each other out. That said I have only been here a week so will pick up on this point at a later date.
Another quick FYI, there are absolutely 0 benefits offered by the Singaporean government to unemployed people or child benefits offered to families. There is a tax allowance however if you are married and have children. This may have something to do with the very low 2% unemployment rate in Singapore. Europe (certainly Spain) take note maybe you can learn something here !
The construction has resulted in a requirement for cheap labor (Indian and Chinese men have flocked to Singapore. They then transfer money to their families back home) and the economic boom has meant that top jobs are filled not only by Singaporeans but also ex patriots. One lady I spoke to had seen a huge increase in Ang Mo's, an insult the Singaporeans have for us Westerners which literally translates as red haired shit !! I questioned this and stated that not all Westerners had red hair and it would be more appropriate to call us red skinned shits but she didn't seem to understand my point or agree !
In the workplace I get a feeling that it is not as competitive between employees. In Europe I got the impression that everyone was looking after number 1 and there was some back stabbing going on behind closed doors in a bid to remain employed. This atmosphere has been created I believe as companies offered less contract security and coupled with the crisis people were fearful of loosing jobs and it was literally kill or be killed. This atmosphere does not seem to be present here and everyone mucks in and tries to help each other out. That said I have only been here a week so will pick up on this point at a later date.
Another quick FYI, there are absolutely 0 benefits offered by the Singaporean government to unemployed people or child benefits offered to families. There is a tax allowance however if you are married and have children. This may have something to do with the very low 2% unemployment rate in Singapore. Europe (certainly Spain) take note maybe you can learn something here !
| Chargeable Income | Rate (%) | Gross Tax Payable ($) |
|---|---|---|
| First $20,000 Next $10,000 | 0 2 | 0 200 |
| First $30,000 Next $10,000 | - 3.50 | 200 350 |
| First $40,000 Next $40,000 | - 7 | 550 2 800 |
| First $80,000 Next $40,000 | - 11.5 | 3 350 4 600 |
| First $120,000 Next $ 40,000 | - 15 | 7 950 6 000 |
| First $160,000 Next $ 40,000 | - 17 | 13 950 6 800 |
| First $200,000 Next $120,000 | - 18 | 20 750 21 600 |
| First $320,000 Above $320,000 | - 20 | 42 350 |
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Culture and Customs
After a meeting with a reseller my boss highlighted my first cultural mistake when I accepted a business card with just one hand, apparently a faux pas in Asia. What I should have done is receive the card with 2 hands, look at it and place it down to the side. In addition, as an extra piece of info, you should certainly not write on business cards and most certainly not write in red as red is a colour reserved for death and considered unlucky. Names of the deceased were apparently written, painted, or engraved in red on gravestones and plaques in the village centers.
The idea of wealth here is the opposite of what is is in Europe. Being pale in Asia is considered a sign of wealth, the idea being that people with tanned skin do manual work instead of office work and therefore earn less. Women even go to the extent of buying makeup to tone down their skin colour and Westerners are seen to be well off purely for their pale skin! Having spoken to some younger Singaporeans that ideology however is changing. It is now more common to see tanned youngsters, the thinking being that they are sporty, look after themselves and can afford to have a lavish outdoor lifestyle. Interesting to hear though as all my time in Europe I have wanted to be tanned !
The work environment is different, I have noticed that my colleagues prefer to send emails to our boss rather than bothering her directly. I, if I have a question just turn around and ask, maybe the Spanish directness rubbing off on me, but I get the impression this is just not done. It appears the preference is to send emails rather than disturbing the boss. I also feel I need to tone down my personality a bit to conform to the Asian's shyness. Everyone is very meek and mild, tending to agree with what others say rather than challenging opinion. In the end I feel the Singaporeans will be get their own way however on the face of it everyone is agreeing with everyone else, everything is fine on the surface even though it clearly is not. To give you an example I sat in a meeting and it was all process driven there were no new ideas, no creative suggestions and ultimately the meeting was vague at best. Having spoken to various people about this topic it seems this is not uncommon and the Singaporeans struggle to be creative however ask them to do something specificly and they will carry it out to perfection. I will continue to blog about this topic because its interesting to me. I feel if some of the people I have met in Singapore worked in Europe they would be eaten to death within hours by our directness, challenging, competitive behavior.
A quick piece about eating which I agree with. During meal times the Singaporeans cover their mouth when they talk to you, even if they haven't anything in their mouth. Just a small observation I have never experienced in Europe.
Singaporeans don't move out until they are married so in some cases can live at home for the best part of their life. I would see that Europeans would see this as odd but here but as the island is small it is possible to access any part of the island using public transport in a relatively easy commute so no need to really move out if you are off to university for example.
The idea of wealth here is the opposite of what is is in Europe. Being pale in Asia is considered a sign of wealth, the idea being that people with tanned skin do manual work instead of office work and therefore earn less. Women even go to the extent of buying makeup to tone down their skin colour and Westerners are seen to be well off purely for their pale skin! Having spoken to some younger Singaporeans that ideology however is changing. It is now more common to see tanned youngsters, the thinking being that they are sporty, look after themselves and can afford to have a lavish outdoor lifestyle. Interesting to hear though as all my time in Europe I have wanted to be tanned !
The work environment is different, I have noticed that my colleagues prefer to send emails to our boss rather than bothering her directly. I, if I have a question just turn around and ask, maybe the Spanish directness rubbing off on me, but I get the impression this is just not done. It appears the preference is to send emails rather than disturbing the boss. I also feel I need to tone down my personality a bit to conform to the Asian's shyness. Everyone is very meek and mild, tending to agree with what others say rather than challenging opinion. In the end I feel the Singaporeans will be get their own way however on the face of it everyone is agreeing with everyone else, everything is fine on the surface even though it clearly is not. To give you an example I sat in a meeting and it was all process driven there were no new ideas, no creative suggestions and ultimately the meeting was vague at best. Having spoken to various people about this topic it seems this is not uncommon and the Singaporeans struggle to be creative however ask them to do something specificly and they will carry it out to perfection. I will continue to blog about this topic because its interesting to me. I feel if some of the people I have met in Singapore worked in Europe they would be eaten to death within hours by our directness, challenging, competitive behavior.
A quick piece about eating which I agree with. During meal times the Singaporeans cover their mouth when they talk to you, even if they haven't anything in their mouth. Just a small observation I have never experienced in Europe.
Singaporeans don't move out until they are married so in some cases can live at home for the best part of their life. I would see that Europeans would see this as odd but here but as the island is small it is possible to access any part of the island using public transport in a relatively easy commute so no need to really move out if you are off to university for example.
Friday, 1 June 2012
Population
The population of Singapore is approx 5.2 million of whom 3.25 million are Singapore citizens. Although the national language is English, 49.9% speak Chinese, 32.3 speak English, 12.2 speak Malay and 3.3% speak Tamil. I am assuming these Wikipedia figures are approx correct !
I was surprised on the way to work at the lack of Westerners however later I learnt it of course depends where you go in Singapore. On the MRT (train service) the majority is Asian, Malay and Indian. I can of course not distinguish between the different nationalities but according to my work colleagues there are some unique tell tale signs that help. I am going on what I have learnt from the locals but various Singaporeans' have told me that there has been a huge increase in the population, evident through busy trains, buses and the noticeable construction everywhere on the Island. A large amount of the population has come from increased demand for cheap labor and of course from the higher salary end Westerners looking to ride the economic boom. Singapore has been described by other Westerners I have met as the beginners guide to Asia as it is so cosmopolitan and still influenced by old English rule so not as extreme as places such as China.
I was surprised on the way to work at the lack of Westerners however later I learnt it of course depends where you go in Singapore. On the MRT (train service) the majority is Asian, Malay and Indian. I can of course not distinguish between the different nationalities but according to my work colleagues there are some unique tell tale signs that help. I am going on what I have learnt from the locals but various Singaporeans' have told me that there has been a huge increase in the population, evident through busy trains, buses and the noticeable construction everywhere on the Island. A large amount of the population has come from increased demand for cheap labor and of course from the higher salary end Westerners looking to ride the economic boom. Singapore has been described by other Westerners I have met as the beginners guide to Asia as it is so cosmopolitan and still influenced by old English rule so not as extreme as places such as China.
Impressions of Singapore
So after a week in Singapore I at last have time to update the blog ! In a few words Singapore is clean, humid, organised, regulated and civilised. I have experienced so much in a week I was struggling to break up each piece of writing however I have decided on the following headings, Population, Economy, Transport, Culture and Customs, Food, Weather, and Work Ethic. I am sure a few other headings will pop up but for the time being enjoy..
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