I feel like an oddball in Singapore.
I don't know - I follow American football, really following the pulse from the Lions' recent loss to the 49ers, to the Friday Night Lights in six-man football - and after Super Bowl, I'll follow March Madness and NBA.
I went to a writers' meetup and showed one of my sports pieces, on the Green Bay Packers (before they won Super Bowl the previous season). I was told that I needed more 'local' pieces. I just said I watched a local soccer match, and I didn't like it, people aren't playing their game with pride and passion as the sportspeople in Texas, Michigan or even Hawaii (with their surf and good Warriors football program) do.
Soccer wise, isn't it not surprising to have Liverpool FC, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United having substantial numbers of fans here? It's said that in one friendly match against Singapore's national football team, Liverpool attracted more people in Singapore than in Anfield, their home ground. And Liverpool are actually also-rans in the Premier League, so that's the state of Singapore soccer for us all.
I also think that Singapore has no music scene.
Unlike Michigan, where we have alternative rock and maybe some hip-hop - unlike London, with its new innovative music - and unlike Austin with its SXSW - what Singapore has? She exported singers to Taiwan, Hong Kong - but no singer ever makes it big here just by singing here.
If two of my interests already put me off, let's consider what feeds us - our employment.
Singapore is currently the 3rd richest country in the world, just after Qatar and Luxembourg. Singapore's richest top 1% have more money than Australia, Canada and Ireland, for the time being. In addition, Singapore has a big international airport, a big seaport and an even bigger financial center.
At a great cost.
Singaporeans has a oressure-cooker education system. Only 20% of Singaporeans get into publicly-funded universities, which monopolise the local education scene. Out of this number, only perhaps 5% or less get graduate-level jobs, including dentists, medical doctors, lawyers and pharmacists. For the record, 70% of Singaporeans are eligible for minimum criteria to get into university in Singapore. I don't know whether our education is ineffective, or that we as a whole are unrealistic in the limitations of university education or our economy.
Singaporeans don't work 4 hours a week like Tim Ferriss - we don't even work for only 30+ hours like Europeans do - it's more like 44+++ hours a week, with a low pay of $850-1000 a month for the usual worker. Housing prices are through the roof, beyond affordability levels - imagine paying one-third of your income for 30 years for a small 3-room apartment!
In addition, Singapore is now gearing itself to a service-led industry. We are now less productive because the service sector is hard to be more efficient, though we Singaporeans can try our best to do exactly that. Currently, no industry in my country grows. If only there had been high-tech manufacturing like Germany or Sweden do!
Well, now I feel like a stranger in a strange land, unwelcome to my living needs. I don't know what to say, really! Where am I - and where am I most suited to be myself?
I don't know - I follow American football, really following the pulse from the Lions' recent loss to the 49ers, to the Friday Night Lights in six-man football - and after Super Bowl, I'll follow March Madness and NBA.
I went to a writers' meetup and showed one of my sports pieces, on the Green Bay Packers (before they won Super Bowl the previous season). I was told that I needed more 'local' pieces. I just said I watched a local soccer match, and I didn't like it, people aren't playing their game with pride and passion as the sportspeople in Texas, Michigan or even Hawaii (with their surf and good Warriors football program) do.
Soccer wise, isn't it not surprising to have Liverpool FC, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United having substantial numbers of fans here? It's said that in one friendly match against Singapore's national football team, Liverpool attracted more people in Singapore than in Anfield, their home ground. And Liverpool are actually also-rans in the Premier League, so that's the state of Singapore soccer for us all.
I also think that Singapore has no music scene.
Unlike Michigan, where we have alternative rock and maybe some hip-hop - unlike London, with its new innovative music - and unlike Austin with its SXSW - what Singapore has? She exported singers to Taiwan, Hong Kong - but no singer ever makes it big here just by singing here.
If two of my interests already put me off, let's consider what feeds us - our employment.
Singapore is currently the 3rd richest country in the world, just after Qatar and Luxembourg. Singapore's richest top 1% have more money than Australia, Canada and Ireland, for the time being. In addition, Singapore has a big international airport, a big seaport and an even bigger financial center.
At a great cost.
Singaporeans has a oressure-cooker education system. Only 20% of Singaporeans get into publicly-funded universities, which monopolise the local education scene. Out of this number, only perhaps 5% or less get graduate-level jobs, including dentists, medical doctors, lawyers and pharmacists. For the record, 70% of Singaporeans are eligible for minimum criteria to get into university in Singapore. I don't know whether our education is ineffective, or that we as a whole are unrealistic in the limitations of university education or our economy.
Singaporeans don't work 4 hours a week like Tim Ferriss - we don't even work for only 30+ hours like Europeans do - it's more like 44+++ hours a week, with a low pay of $850-1000 a month for the usual worker. Housing prices are through the roof, beyond affordability levels - imagine paying one-third of your income for 30 years for a small 3-room apartment!
In addition, Singapore is now gearing itself to a service-led industry. We are now less productive because the service sector is hard to be more efficient, though we Singaporeans can try our best to do exactly that. Currently, no industry in my country grows. If only there had been high-tech manufacturing like Germany or Sweden do!
Well, now I feel like a stranger in a strange land, unwelcome to my living needs. I don't know what to say, really! Where am I - and where am I most suited to be myself?
