Greeted by terrible wet weather at 5 degrees Celsius outside.
I absolutely enjoyed going back to SG. It's still home for me. And that's what I'm going to talk about today.
After spending time in Paris, I realized, Paris is a great city. It's like any other city or country. There's plus points and minus points. Same as SG.
I liken it to a economic nasi lemak set menu.
You know, those that we can buy at the hawker centers.
Set A is maybe the nasi lemak, fried egg, fried fish, chicken wing, and chilli.
Set B is maybe nasi lemak, fried fish, otah, fried sausage and chilli.
Set C is nasi lemak, otah, sausage, luncheon meat and chilli.
And for me, somehow, I can never find a perfect nasi lemak set meal which I want. There's always something which I don't really eat, or I always need to top it off myself to add one more item which I really like.
But when choosing countries, it's always a set menu. There's no way to remove or add things.
So for example, in SG, I enjoy the warmer weather. When I went back and it was humid and I was sweating, this time, I kept quiet. Cos I now know that I prefer this over the cold. I enjoy the cheaper food which I can get at around S$3 or so. I like it that I feel safe at night and that I'm used to the culture.
COE sucks, the MRT network isn't as comprehensive as the metros in Paris.
Many Singaporeans are what SMOL would call "beh kambings" which I agree.
Food is more expensive in Paris.
From an intellectual standpoint, I appreciate the ability of the people to hold a protest or strike. It's what keeps the people or organizations in power in check. Otherwise, when governments or companies bully the citizens, the Citizens won't know how to stand up against them... Which is the stark reality in Singapore. BUT, we are considered lucky, the current Government is still considered "good enough" not great, but still ok.
BUT, from a citizen point of view, someone living in Paris, I am also affected by the strikes. And since I am considered to be in a position of advantage, I probably won't ever be in a position that I will need to strike. So Singapore is good for me.
Same as social support systems. Unemployment benefits, etc... These are great ideas for a more gracious society. BUT... Most likely, I won't be able to capitalize on them and chances are, if I were a citizen of Paris, I would likely be the one taxed instead of getting the benefits from it.
So once again, SG is better for me.
Rental is controlled in Paris. Once again, this is a great idea from a society standpoint. So that regular people can get affordable housing and that landlords can't just increase the prices to exorbitant levels. HOWEVER, once again, I'll likely be an investor instead of a renter. So this means that my investment property would not have good capital gains and rental income.
Around the tourist areas in Paris and Italy, there are many scammers and pickpockets. Less so in SG.
There's probably a lot of other plus and minus points between living in Singapore and France or Paris.
And after staying in both these cities, I believe, there is no perfect place.
It depends on the person, the current situation of the person, the personality, etc.
You'll just have to take whichever set menu you prefer.
People who just compare small points just to highlight how some other country is better than SG or how SG is better than some other country... that's just ignorance.
Different people appreciate different things. Different values. Each country has their own issues, their own people, culture, history, and based on the culture and history, the policies and ways that people do things will be different.
Many people love Japan or Korea... cos they see it from their dramas or holidays. But these 2 countries are highly sexist in their corporate culture. Staff hardly take their annual leave, cos that's the societal norm. Many people just work in the first company that they join, etc...
Don't be so caught up in the "Oppa oppa" that you see in K dramas. Most of the folks in Korea that I encountered are crude, very similar to folks from China. BUT, that's normal in their culture. It's not rude to them. It's just that I don't appreciate it.
But yes, both of these are beautiful countries with their own culture. Thing is... is this set menu ok for you? Some folks may like it, others may not.
It's the same for any other country.
When I left SG, I had complaints about SG. Maybe the COE, maybe the Government, the weather, etc.
But... There's a lot of good going on in SG. Cheap food, clean enough, safe, fairly cheap housing, friends and family, most people have a home, a job, food to eat, etc...
I expected to do fairly ok in Paris, which is what happened. Things are ok. Except that I like it in SG more.
In Paris, I also had things I didn't like. Especially the even worse weather than SG, the expensive food, the homeless, the scammers and pickpockets.
But for me, Singapore is still my home. For now, I prefer that set menu.
So until I find a better set menu, I'll take the hot humid weather, the overpaid politicians, the COE, etc...
Singapore is still home for me.
<<PREVIOUS POST // NEXT POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.