Singapore: diverse, not dull

Singapore: diverse, not dull - Financial Times

This video has just been published by the Financial Times and outlines how life is for Expatriates living in Singapore.

As mentioned in an earlier posting, this was not the lifestyle I chose to lead while living there but many did, and seemed quite happy doing so.  The old Black and White colonial houses along places such as Tanglin Road really are a throw-back to the faded days of the 'Raj', but it is good to see that many are still in existence.

Preparing for the Future

I was pleased to see that Singapore had won the award for being the best prepared city for the future, for the second year running. Pound for pound it leaves other cities dead when it comes to infrastructural planning and development.

OK, maybe the maintenance of some of this infrastructure still leaves a little to be desired from time to time (for this read the recent MRT problems) but in the main the country can rightly boast to be at the forefront when it comes to future-proofing.

It also scores well for economic potential and business friendliness but it has to be of concern that it has slipped down the rankings in human resources and quality of life.

The PM has signaled more investment in "new housing estates and upgrading old ones, improving public transport with more train lines and buses, and introducing more green spaces in the city." But is will be the human cost that will keep the government occupied in the years ahead as they try to maintain a balance between building a society that is even more compassionate and encouraging greater immigration from skilled and foreign workers.

Gardens By The Bay is an eco-initiative that impresses me greatly. It was just commencing its ground works when we left Singapore and now it has been officiallly opened with reportedly 70,000 people visiting the complex in the first two days of its opening.


Spanning 101 hectares, it is part of the Singapore's 'City in a Garden’ vision, cost over $1billion Singapore dollars and houses more than 250,000 rare plants.

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Uncle Roger Remembers

Today marks the second anniversary of our departure from Singapore, returning to New Zealand on the evening SIA flight.

It's a date that fills me with some sadness as I felt blessed to have been able to work in a country I had for so long admired.  Better still to be able to live and work under a local contract conditions and be domiciled in Queenstown away from the Expat hot spots.

There are some , and I am not one of them, who regard Singaporeans as being somewhat distant and remote.  I never found it so, having made some good friendships with colleagues that I still maintain.  As with any culture and country if you are prepared to make the effort to assimilate and learn the local customs then your experience will be the richer for it.

Use a country as a temporary halt and only mix with your own expatriate community and you will selling yourself short. If that's your approach then you will also miss out on the real friendships that can be forged.  It is the same all over the world and I observed similar traits and reactions when I worked in Papua New Guinea in the late 1970's/ early '80's.

There's a 'buzz' about Asia and Singapore in particular that I really enjoy; it's vibrant, everyone is focused on making their lives better because you can't expect the government to mollycoddle you if you are not prepared to get stuck in yourself.

And then there are the tropics themselves - the luxuriant foliage, the warm and torrential rains that announce themselves with deafening thunder, the bugs, birds and flowers that are larger and more colourful than those found in temperate climes.

The diversity of cultures in a country like Singapore is a delight and in the main harmonious.  I worked with Singapore nationals and PR's of different ethnicities and from many countries; a rich mix that makes life in the Little Red Dot even more interesting and rewarding.  We can all learn so much from the customs of others.

My admiration for the founding fathers of Singapore, the relative safety of the streets and of course the richness of Asian cuisine were all reasons that first attracted me to Singapore on my first visit there in the early 1980's, and remain with me still.

So on this day I remember with great fondness being called "Uncle Roger" by those whose friendship I value in Singapura.  I count myself very lucky to have lived and worked there and my heart remains in the Heartland with my soul (as I wrote in an earlier poem) in places such as Fort Canning.