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I moved to Singapore

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Re: I moved to Singapore

#191

Post by cageface »

vpdn wrote: post #108
cageface wrote: post #64

Singapore seemed a little to squeaky-clean and expensive, so I did the same thing, but in Vietnam instead. Internet infrastructure here isn't great but other than that I haven't regretted it for a second. The U.S. and Europe just seem so boring now when I go back.

> Internet infrastructure here isn't great I was in Vietnam last year for a longer trip (worked remotely for a client in Germany). I found the internet to be working extremely well in Saigon, so it might just be your region. For two weeks I worked off Phu Quoc Island. A few times, we had power outage on the island, yet I was able to go online through my 3g connection. Pretty amazing change compared to the last time I…

I haven't tried 3G here yet. WIFI in hotels is generally very slow and unreliable here. Now that I have my own DSL line things are better. It's not always fast enough for video chat but for routine use it's fine.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#192

Post by cageface »

cletus wrote: post #122

I love Singapore, except for the climate, which is oppressive. There is amazing hawker (street) food everywhere and, thanks for strict enforcement of health regulations, it's pretty cheap too. At least it was. It's been a few years since I was there. I kinda view Singapore as the Zurich of Asia. Zurich (and Switzerland in general) is very regulated (although Singapore more than Zurich; there are no rules against chew…

I think Berlin has managed to strike an excellent balance. It's quite safe, but has a uniquely vibrant artistic community and has as much "grit" or cleanliness as you like.

I like Vietnam for similar reasons. It can be edgy but not really dangerous.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#193

Post by gcb »

mikemaccana wrote: post #82
gcb wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

laws are only for the undesired. here in california I'm a criminal for having a gps on my wind shield. but as long as I'm not a minority/pissing an officer/disturbing the status quo/etc, I'm fine. "to my friends everything.to my enemies, the law."

Wouldn't most people have a GPS on their dashboard?

The same with people with expensive cars not having front plates. When was the last time you saw a new Corvette with the front plates in california?

as I said, you only have to worry with petty laws if you are not rich.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#194

Post by randallsquared »

kablamo wrote: post #185
bluedanieru wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the rules that keep me out of Singapore it's the disproportionate response for breaking them. I don't mind if a place I'm visiting doesn't want me to chew gum or has a law about flushing the toilet, and I think for both of these the punishment is (high) fines so it's only money. But death penalty for drug possession? Count me out. Not that I would bring drugs there, but in any civilized nation the worst thin…

I'm not a fan of the death penalty. But to be afraid of dying in Singapore is silly. Singapore is probably the safest country on the planet. There is no crime. No natural disasters. A good, cheap medical system. A great transportation system. A booming economy. All things that make you safer and live longer. I just moved to London from Singapore and I don't understand why westerners put up with such high levels of cr…

And above all its safe to go for a run at night!

...unless it turns out to be illegal to go for a run at night, in which case it's terribly unsafe, and there's no way for a person from a "legal to run at night" country to know without checking.

Now, you might say, "Well, that's ridiculous; there's no reason why it would be illegal to run at night," but I think I can come up with at least as good reasons for making that illegal as for banning chewing gum. Making things illegal when there is no obvious reason for them to be illegal creates uncertainty and doubt; mixing in life-altering punishments provides fear, as well.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#196

Post by yzhengyu »

Welcome to Singapore! I'm a native and I am glad you are enamored of our little island so much so you applied for permanent residency. :)

On the flip side, if you stay long enough and pay more attention to what goes on around you, I hope you will realize under the facade of shining steel and glaas, our society is also very dysfunctional.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#197

Post by kokatoo »

bluedanieru wrote: post #188
kokatoo wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised how misinformed you are. There's no law about flushing the toilet and even if there is, it's not easily enforceable. But then again there's fine for littering, but then again it's hardly enforceable. No one is watching your back to make sure you throw your trash in the right place. You are just expected to be civil enough to do it. And btw, possessing drugs does not give you the death penalty. Smuggling…

You shouldn't start a reply like that when you're wrong on both counts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Singapore#Criminal_law

Ok if you want to go into such legal details I will try to accomodate. When I talked about possession of drugs, I am referring to possession of drugs for your own consumption and not for sale (or caught during drug trafficking). Check this out: http://www.mha.gov.sg/basic_content.aspx?pageid=74 (Search for "possesion") One of my recruit was caught with possession of drugs and I was ordered to escort him to court and to witness his sentence so that I could report back to my commanding officer. Then I learned that possession of drugs only constitute a minor offence and he only got 6 months of sentence.

Turn out I was wrong about flushing the toilet! Good gracious...anyway I have never seen people get caught in Singapore for that neither seen signs saying it's against the law to do that. I have lived in Singapore for more than 30 years and have seen countless of unflushed toilets in "coffeeshops". As I have stated earlier, even if it's against the law it's not easily enforceable. Anyway if you want to go down to nitty gritty legal details, I have to nothing to say. Go to Singapore yourself and see it for yourself.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#198

Post by kokatoo »

bluedanieru wrote: post #188
kokatoo wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised how misinformed you are. There's no law about flushing the toilet and even if there is, it's not easily enforceable. But then again there's fine for littering, but then again it's hardly enforceable. No one is watching your back to make sure you throw your trash in the right place. You are just expected to be civil enough to do it. And btw, possessing drugs does not give you the death penalty. Smuggling…

You shouldn't start a reply like that when you're wrong on both counts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Singapore#Criminal_law

Oh and when I queried for "flush toilet crime" in Google, this came out as the first result: http://www.fongnet.net/stories/singmyths.htm

Re: I moved to Singapore

#199

Post by georgemcbay »

cubix wrote: post #180
georgemcbay wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, the motorcyclist in that video was never once "at gunpoint". The officer drew his weapon because he did not know how dangerous a situation he would be in with the motorcyclist and he was in a tactically weak position by having to pivot around to face the person he was stopping. He never pointed the gun at the motorcyclist and quickly reholstered it after assessing the situation was non-threatening. And as you c…

True he wasn't technically at gun point. However, how was the rider a threat to anyone by that point? He couldn't run the officer down like you could with a car (he would just end up on the ground). He was boxed in. I would also challenge the notion that the rider is an 'idiot' and a danger to himself or others. Of the 3m39s long video, there's only about 10 seconds (starting at about 0:35) where he accelerates signi…

I read the entire page you linked and I can't find the recommendation that states that after having just cut off a tractor trailer and wishing to pass a bus, you should pop a wheelie while accelerating at a very high rate of speed... but it must be in there somewhere, right?

If he dumps on that wheelie, you're looking at a multiple vehicle pileup involving a motorcycle, a tractor trailer, a bus, and other cars. It is virtually a given that people(including but not limited to the motorcyclist) will die.

The motorcyclist in this video is a total prick and if you don't see any of the many things he did wrong (both in the sense of being illegal and just plain dangerous/stupid) in that video you must not be paying attention.

Re: I moved to Singapore

#200

Post by bluedanieru »

kokatoo wrote: post #197
bluedanieru wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shouldn't start a reply like that when you're wrong on both counts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Singapore#Criminal_law

Ok if you want to go into such legal details I will try to accomodate. When I talked about possession of drugs, I am referring to possession of drugs for your own consumption and not for sale (or caught during drug trafficking). Check this out: http://www.mha.gov.sg/basic_content.aspx?pageid=74 (Search for "possesion") One of my recruit was caught with possession of drugs and I was ordered to escort him to court and…

It's not "legal details." It's mandatory death sentence for possession. And possession, regardless of the amount involved, is not proof of intent to sell. (And proof of intent to sell is not equivalent to actual sale, either, not to mention that such extreme separation of sale and possession is ridiculous.)

In Singapore, you can die for possessing a key to a residence with drugs inside. In fact, if convicted, the law is that you must die. So I will not go see for myself, thanks.

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