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...