Social stratification

=> a theory of social hierarchy that describes the spectrum of wealth and resources within a population. (taken from: http://www.ehow.com/info_8263447_theories-social-hierarchy.html) 

Differences in socioeconomic positions is found in every part of every country, but somehow I find it much more prominent/significant in Singapore. Even when I was visiting as a tourist, I could see/feel it too. The rich are really rich (huge cars, huge house/condos, million $ handbags, dine in posh restaurants etc), an unspoken-about percentage are low-income families who somehow manage to make ends meet (there's no welfare state assistance here, that's why you often heart-breakingly see really old people still having to work), and those in-between who are neither 'rich' nor 'poor'.

Ok what's my point in stating the obvious in differences in socioeconomic classes? Well I don't come from a rich family, nor was I a high-earner in my job in Glasgow, but I was comfortable and never felt that big discrepancy as I do here in Singapore. I find the gap between the "upper/middle class" and working class extremely huge...especially in attitudes!

When I first visited Singapore, I went for a pedicure and saw the lady beside me play with her iPad through her entire session, whilst the therapist knelt at her feet scrubbing, painting varnish etc....my experience of therapies in UK is there''s conversation between therapist & customer! About the weather, plans for the day, the news, whatever! Chat! Not this aura of superiority "I'm a paying customer, you are the peasant, just do your job & I'll pretend you don't exist!" (Needless to say I could not have chat with my therapist because she spoke Mandarin & couldn't understand English *sighs*)  Other examples...

• People who drive big cars think they own the road
• Professionals (eg doctors, lawyers, bankers etc) are "better than" those who do auxiliary jobs, stay-home mums, construction workers, social workers, beauty therapists etc
• People who work in hawker centres clearing the tables, seldom/never receive gratitude from customers, in fact, you often see people aggressively signalling to the men/women to hurry up & clear the table that they want to sit at. 
• People at hawker centres who take your drinks orders, often don't even get eye contact from customers (I was appalled to see this one guy: dressed nicely in a shirt & suit trousers, continued poking at his phone whilst giving his order to the drinks man standing behind him! :O Would it have killed you to put down your phone for a few seconds to turn round to speak to the drinks man?!)

The cleaning staff & drinks staff are only doing their job. Is there any need to be so rude? What makes people think they are better than them? They are only human too! They deserve eye contact and a thank you for clearing your table and serving you drinks!

Staycation
Prior to coming to Singapore, the idea of a staycation was somewhat alien to me because if I wanted a wee getaway, I would never think to stay in a hotel in Glasgow! I would at least go to somewhere on the outskirts (the only hotel I've ever stayed in in Glasgow was with some friends the night before my wedding). Hotels vary in price range but generally quite reasonable especially since there are often offers/discounts through different websites (my Deluxe Double room in Hilton was £99 plus breakfast).  

However, hotels in Singapore are really expensive so a staycation in a hotel in a real treat!
It was my birthday last week and hubby Nick decided to treat us to a 2 night stay in Marina Bay Sands (RRP minimum $360 per night with no breakfast). It was amazing! We had every meal in restaurants and were certainly pampered by high standards of service.

It's kinda strange just how different standards of living in Singapore are depending on where you are on the social hierarchy...perhaps because in UK, people are less arrogant/cocky about their 'wealth'/status and there is much less of a superiority hierarchy in attitudes &  mindsets between service users and service providers....

A more 'balanced' perspective....

So I've been told that some readers are uncomfortable with my "I hate Singapore" posts so my husband requested I write some nice things...It's not about hating Singapore or not, I am merely documenting my perspective on things from the eyes of someone who has grown up in Scotland. ...But I suppose Chinese culture expects 'loyalty' and that means one should not have/voice any opinions that conflicts with the norm. so through those eyes, then yes I am a rebel who 'hates' Singapore....(this is how I struggle with life in Singapore, because UK culture encourages free thinking, the preservation of human rights etc but Chinese see that as being disrespectful etc...)

Moving on...there are things I like about Singapore (believe it or not!) :E

Gyms
The gym we have joined in Singapore has a variety of exercise classes, similar to that which I had at home :) (The downfall is it now takes 1hr door-to-door....back home, I drove so it only took 10mins to get to my gym...)

Our membership allows access to all branches & the ones in central areas provide tshirt & shorts which is really convenient for having less things to bring...hand towels & bath towels are provided too (which I would have had to upgrade my membership back home to get). There's also a free 48hr DVD rental service here! 

I like that the particular branch I frequently go to, has an iron & ironing board so I can iron out any wrinkles in my tops :P

Credit card benefits
There's a million & one different credit cards available in Singapore, and with each one comes an array of benefits similar to that back home, eg: accruing airmiles, reward points that are converted into monetary value, % cashback...


The major difference in SG Vs UK that I really like is that certain shops in Singapore offer % rebate/discounts if you pay with certain cards....which means I can get 10% rebate off my favourite coffee shop, discounts off certain retail shops, 5% rebate off groceries in my favourite supermarket...
(The catch in that is you end up with a purse full of credit cards which accrues a load of bills so good money management is essential!)


My favourite Singapore credit card benefit thus far is:


- Entry into airport lounges! :)

This comes in extremely handy when we are flying home and transiting in Dubai....so instead of having to sit around in the busyness of the gigantic airport for 3hrs, we can relax in the designated lounge and enjoy food & drinks :) The last time we flew from Dubai to Singapore, we were so relaxed in the Lounge that we lost track of time & given how far the gate was from where we were at, we ended up late boarding the plane ooops haha!
So for that reason, we are flying home this summer with a 7hr transit! :P

Public transport charges
Commuters in Singapore are charged according to the total distance travelled (whether on bus or train) which allows transfers to be be during the journey without incurring additional costs.
This is something people in Singapore take for granted, & in fact, I hear of complaints that pricing is too expensive!

Whilst the "charge according to total distance travelled" applies in UK , costs incurred by train and by bus are charged separately, with no ''discounts'' when using both modes of transport.

For those who aren't familiar with SG or UK transport, it may not be clear what I mean....ok example:

Singapore:

• I take the MRT from Bugis to Ang Mo Kio - $1.23
• Bus from Ang Mo Kio interchange to where I stay - normally 73c but because the system calculates I have already travelled X-km distance & spent $1.23 so far, the charge for the bus ride becomes 21c (saving of 52 cents)

Glasgow:

• I take the bus from home to City Centre - £1.90
• Train from City to South Side - £3.10
  
  
   Charges for trains and buses are separate. 

I suppose UK transport system gives commuters options of Return ticketing & multi-journey, which helps bring down the cost per travel...there's also the option of buying Zone Cards where commuters pay an amount upfront (weekly, monthly or bi-monthly) for unlimted travel, but again, such fares are exclusive to bus or train only. (I think the only one you can combine is SPT bus and Subway?)

But I suppose given the size of Singapore, the actual distance travelled isn't always far hence people complain about the costs incurred...

Drinks to go

There's generally 2 options when buying drinks to go from Singapore hawker centres: "plastic bag" or "cup" (the latter tends to be 20 cents more expensive)

The plastic bag

Having a drink in a plastic bag with a straw, is a really strange and rather mingin (that's Glasgow slang for disgusting, filthy etc) concept to me...not only because they remind me of those urinary bags seen in hospitals, but also because even HOT tea & coffee etc are put into them!

I'm quite a health-conscious person, so I'm aware that the heat dissolves particles and chemicals from your straw, which are leeched into your beverage and consumed by you! :O
It seems to be widely known that research has found increased BPA ingestion to be linked with serious problems such as increased risk of cancers, diabetes, decreased sperm production, alterations in hormones...so why is it such a common takeaway method here in Singapore? (because it is a cheap & convenient option?)

Furthermore, a flimsy thin bag like that can't withstand much...there was once Nick & I bought sugar cane juice & I was happily poking at the wedge of lemon inside that I ended up piercing the bag and leaked sweet sugar cane juice all along the street....*frown* 
The ants would have loved that! I, on the other hand, wasn't so impressed...

The cup
The other (healthier?) option is the cup. Which I have discovered not only costs more, but it is not made for drinking on the go! In all the hawker centers (except one!) that I have bought tea/coffee to go in a cup, I get given a polystyrene cup with a lid. Not a lid with the wee drinking hole but just a lid! So if you wanna drink it, you have to physically stop, open the lid (dripped the tea/coffee everywhere), drink, replace the lid then resume walking! *frown*
 
The places who provide drinkable lids, tend to be the higher end cafes & not hawkers. Which means it'll cost more per drink but unfortunately they serve you it in a paper cup, the cup is 'hung' on something that resembles a plastic bag's handle so you can carry it, but without a cup sleeve so holding it to drink is challenging because it is hot!

Of course if I buy from big chain coffee shops I'll get my hot beverage the way I expect it to come  (coz "you get what you pay for" & all that) but my dissatisfaction comes in the fact that I can go to small 'qiong' neighborhood cafes in the UK and still get my drink in a properly insulated cup with a drinkable lid....but here in Singapore, if you desire such so-called ''high class standards'', then you've gotta go to "atas" places....*frown*

The definition of takeaway
Singapore's definition of "takeaway" doesn't appear to mean "consume on the go" (as it means to me, particularly when it comes to drinks) but it means "take to consume elsewhere".

I once bought congee in a hawker stall "to go" & found the congee poured into a bag (like that urinary bag holding my tea, but bigger in size!)
The wun tun noodles I ordered were also poured into such a bag! With the soup put into a polystyrene soup container. That's so disgusting! Imagine I was buying that intending to have a picnic somewhere! How is one supposed to eat congee & noodles out of that bag?!
(thankfully they were bought to bring to a hotel for my mum & bro, so they had to ask for bowls from the hotel staff haha! But untying those bags were a challenge too! *frown*)

Maybe this is Singapore's way of forbidding people from consuming food & drinks on public transport....or anywhere that isn't a house/staffroom/whatever!

Privacy and Personal Space

Singapore is a densely packed island (let's not go there about how many million people there are & is projected to rise to & what proportion is comprised of 'foreigners' blah blah blah...) but I've noticed that, people here have no concept/respect for privacy & personal space!

It seems to be the common thing for people on buses & trains to spend their entire time engrossed on their phone (I do it too, it helps distract me from the discomfort of the travelling experience, but I'm not sooo engrossed that I have no idea what's going on around me, like most people are!)
But nevertheless, does that warrant the person/people beside you to nosy into what you are doing?

(NB: I have concealed the persons' faces for respect for privacy & anonymity...its a shame that dude never respected the guy in blue's privacy)

I think I have been on enough train and bus rides to observe that it is mainly the Chinese (as in black-hair-yellow-skin, so Singaporean, whatever!) who don't respect people's privacy.
I once saw a kid doing some homework/textbook exercise and the adult passenger beside him was staring so much I wondered if/when he would fall into the kid's textbook! *frown*

So it is rather interesting how Singaporeans complain about the number of foreigners here etc etc, but yet even on a simple social level, you can see the 'foreigners' are keeping to themselves whereas its the Chinese dude who is being intrusive...

PERSONAL SPACE
=> is the region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their personal space and feel discomfort, anger, or anxiety when their personal space is encroached. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else's personal space are indicators of perception of the relationship between the people. There is an intimate zone reserved for lovers, children and close family members. There is another zone used for conversations with friends, to chat with associates, and in group discussions; a further zone is reserved for strangers, newly formed groups, and new acquaintances...(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_space)

I used to work in a rehab for women offenders with drugs/alcohol addictions, & one of things we taught was personal space and the respect for another's, particularly because different people may have differing proximity which they deem to be comfortable/not.

I've noticed people here in Singapore have no concept or respect for personal space.
(I'm not talking about the times when buses/trains are crowded) because I have found that even on the odd occasions when the train is busy, in the sense that there are no vacant seats, but not so busy that you are sardined....people still willingly choose to stack themselves right in front of me? (why??)

 

| That's my feet

| that's my feet and bag!

There's plenty of space elsewhere! Why do you have to stand so close to me?

It appears to be "normal" for people to behave like that....and have no regard for other passengers around (???)  

Also, in the gym exercise classes, people stand far too close...on two occasions of Combat class I've been kicked full force because people don't care that they are way too close to me! ARGH!!

"It's a really busy lifestyle" is not an excuse/reason...

I guess that justification would mean parents here have one less thing to teach their kids: respecting other people's privacy and personal space.

Doctor Doctor...

In the UK, we have the NHS (National Health Service) which governs GPs, hospitals, dentists etc. Healthcare in Scotland is free (but for things that you have to pay towards eg: your dental treatments & glasses they're often at subsidized rates).  I have always had good service & experiences with doctors back home...my family GP is very thorough & will even print off info &/or arrange to phone me to follow up on any information that I may be unclear about. Doctors ensure you are fully informed to help in your decision making.

I have had a very different experience in Singapore, and you have to pay for healthcare here...

Since coming to Singapore 8 months ago, I have been a magnet to mosquitoes, not only do I get covered in bites, but they also turn infected! So from the beginning of August all the way to January (when, thank God, I met someone who gave good advice), I would have infected bites every month!
Thus, I had several encounters with GPs here which I found to be rather appalling.

EXPERIENCE #1

One GP I saw, began by asking the basic registration questions:
"What is your name, address, occupation..." which he wrote down.

I showed him the massive swellings on my hand, arms & legs (caused by the bites being infected) and told him I was extremely concerned, particularly as it was a recurring problem.

He took a look and agreed: "Yes they are infected. I will prescribe an antibiotic for you"

I asked what the cause was (whether it was mosquitoes or some underlying skin problem)

He replied:"It could be caused by anything! A scratch, a bite, anything! It is infected so I will give you antibiotics. Do you need a medical certificate?"

What?! I already told you I'm a homemaker so why would I need a medical cert? & it is not helpful to discard my concerns & my need explore whether or not there is something underlying or could be prevented!

I asked if anti-histamines help to alleviate the itch, I told him I have them from home & showed him which one I am taking.
He said "It doesn't make much difference but you can take them if you want. Do you need some? I can prescribe them for you" (I just told you I've got some!) So do you need me to write a medical cert?

At the point, I was extremely displeased at how blatant it was that he was not listening to a word that I was saying, so I answered:
"I don't know, my boss is over there *pointing to my  husband* why don't you ask him?"

The doc stared blankly at me, so Nick politely told him I do not require a medical cert *frown*


EXPERIENCE #2

Nick went to see his GP about sciatic-like symptoms he was having. Again, he was informed
"it is scaita, I will refer you to the physio & orthopedic surgeon".
No explanation nor exploration of causes, things that alleviate/worsen the problem, what to do in the mean time etc.

The worse thing about Nick's encounter??  The doctor appeared like this:

Ok so it is common in Asia for people who are unwell to wear those mouth mask things (or in the case of the doctor, maybe she didnt want to get infected by people) but the sunglasses?!
Why does eye contact not matter? Especially when consulting with patients? I got the shock of my life when I went into the room with Nick & I could not take her seriously because not only did I struggle to hear what she was saying, I had no eye contact or anything!


My husband is really nice & considerate, stating she probably had some issues with her eyes hence she needed to wear sunglasses. I, on the other hand, find it extremely unprofessional & was not impressed whatsoever!

EXPERIENCE #3

Nick attended the polyclinic to request a referral to the Physio...after a few hours of waiting, we were finally seen to. The doctor, whilst in consultation with Nick, answered phone calls discussing things about other patients and other members of staff entered the room to take files!

EXPERIENCE #4

I attended Nick's appointment with the orthopedic surgeon (we had been advised by our physio friend that the condition did not warrant surgery but we still wanted to see what the doc had to say)
The door ajoining the room to the next doctor's room was left wide open despite having an A4 sign on it that said "please keep closed at all times". Noise was coming through from the next door's consultation so I requested this lady doctor close the door as the noise was a disturbance..
A nurse then came through that door (left it open!) and discussed with our our doctor what time she was going on her lunch break then exited the room. (what???) I got so frustrated!! I got up & closed that adjoining door & advised the doctor that the sign states it should be closed!

The doctor showed us the MRI results on the computer screen & proceeded to explain...when asked to show us where exactly she was referring to, her words did not match what was visible on the screen & she could not identify the corresponding location. She gave out a nervous chuckle and continued talking.

MY THOUGHTS

That is soooo unprofessional! Such standards are unacceptable, let alone the fact that these are treatments/consultations which we have to pay for!

I recently found out if you talk too much, the doc will charge for "long consultation" :O
Why is it "this is your problem, this is your solution. Goodbye"  If you want to know more, you will be feel the crunch because the timer & calculator are watching you?
So do interrupted consultations warrant you a discount?

I was irate! But Nick didn't seem as bothered as me. So does that mean such things are normal/accepted in Singapore? To see patients whilst looking like a masked murderer, the stupidly long queues, disrupted consultations, lack of interest/genuine care for patients??

What happened to genuine concern for patients? To ensure they are fully informed of whats going on? Is it only me who expects standards that high because I'm from an "atas" place?
Has the busyness of Singapore lifestyle and the hunger for money robbed doctors of genuine care & concern?

About me...

 Having been born & raised in the city of Glasgow (in Scotland, UK), life in Singapore came as a huge culture shock for me. I visited twice(?) on two-week holidays to get a feel of how things are here but it wasn't until I moved, did I realise those short holidays was NOT representative of life in Singapore whatsoever. As a tourist, I spent my days being amazed  by the vast number (& size of!) shopping centres, I went for facials, massages, manicures...£1 gave me $2 so everything seemed so cheap! (Like seriously, £2 for duck rice?).

But now that I've moved here to stay, the novelties have worn off & it's a whole different world...every day is crazy hot (coz I no longer spend my days in shopping centres)...the humidity makes my face super oily & hair frizzy...the top-loading washing machine ruins your clothes...water from the ''cold tap'' is lukewarm/hot....foods that I like are really expensive here (dairy products, decent breads, healthy cereals etc)...travelling on public transport is always a squeeze...people are rude...English is NOT as "commonly used" as people are led to believe....housing prices are insanely high: queues for HDB Housing (Government flats for those who don't know) are just as crazy (5 year wait for flats to be built??) and let's not talk about the prospect of getting a car here....

So...from having had my own car back home, to being sardined on buses & trains everyday (not to mention how much longer it takes to get from A to B without a car)
...being able to communication to people not having a clue what I'm saying (I once asked for "durian puff" and the lady echoed "soft shell crab". Eh WHAT??)
...having free health care to now having to pay for everything & be in super long queues at clinics...
...a predominately Caucasian city to a "multicultural society" - the majority of whom are of Asian decent in some shape or form...
...Christian occasions are observed, respected, & are made public holidays to predominately Buddhist, Taoist etc where incense & other toxic burnt offerings frequently fill the air....
(find out many more contrasts as I continue blogging)

People often think "oh moving to another country: so fun!" but the less pleasant sides is often ignored (maybe because humans have a tendency to focus on/only remember the positive points) but the reality is, life comprises of both good AND not-so-good things so I guess my blog serves as an avenue for me to rant, but also because I'm an honest person who likes the truth (as opposed to believing that everything in life is always nice & fluffy) so I hope this blog paints a REAL picture of adjusting to life in another country. And according to some people, keeping a record of my rants will be interesting to reflect upon once I'm better adapted to life here (can't imagine that just now! Heh!)

Oh & just to clarify the misconceptions I have had since coming here:

• Being from the UK does not mean I am an angmor - my parents are not Caucasian: I am Chinese (my dad was from China & mum from HK), & thus I look Chinese too!
• Looking Chinese does not mean I am Singaporean & that I speak Singlish &/or Mandarin (I speak Cantonese & Hakka)
• UK stands for United Kingdom, not United Kingdom of America (which a man at a fruit stall once told me haha!)

So one of the major differences between UK & SG I experienced was in our wedding celebration:

The cake on the left is significantly smaller than the beast on the right but at least it's real! :P
In Singapore, wedding cakes in dinner banquets are huge, extravagant-looking & fake! (thats a really bad photo of it too)  We were told to be careful that our knife/sword thing only rested on the 'cake' to ensure we don't damage it! *frown*  I like cake!

Happy reading :)