4 ms·

The parent is a controversial opinion and one that I do not entirely share, but as a person who has lived in Singapore for a while I am comfortable saying that

The parent is a controversial opinion and one that I do not entirely share, but as a person who has lived in Singapore for a while I am comfortable saying that it's a legitimate, plausible opinion. To the people down-voting it because you disagree, please rescind your vote and supply a rebuttal in words.

fhe 8y ago
agreed.
shaki-dora 8y ago
It’s fine, I was arguably overdoing it for comedic effect. Still, for Americans especially, I believe there are destinations in SE Asia that are far more rewarding than Sing Sing. If you need the economic environment, HK would be an obvious choice, and maybe Shanghai. If you are doing remote work, the list becomes far longer. I spent three years in different cities worldwide in ca. 3-month intervals before getting stuck in Berlin, and I would recommend Barcelona, Florence, HK, Australia’s east coast, Melbourne, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Rabat, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Beirut (check the local war forecast), and Havanna.
- tyu1000 8y ago
  No, it's not. Downvotes are not for opinions you disagree with.
  - CaptainZapp 8y ago
    I agree, but will never ever comment on this (in a thread, where I'm downvoted). The worst is being downvoted for the dissemination of fact, ideally supported by sources. Some lesser smart members of this fine forum seem to even downvote comments like this if they dare to go against the party line. Then again, and as the moderators outline correctly, it's often auto-corrective and I, for one, upvote comments, which are unfairly downvoted. No matter their merits. Edit : Clarification
- Gigablah 8y ago
  At least you didn’t quote William Gibson.
  - kirvyteo 8y ago
    Lol...I was waiting...
- CaptainZapp 8y ago
  I've only visited once and for a weekend. My prejudices were not quite reflected in what I actually saw, since I came totally prepared to hate the living bejeezes out of this place. It's not quite as black and white. What impressed me most was the garden at the bay. Where they invested a cool billion to build a garden on the most expensive (reclaimed) real estate in the world. The food is fantastic too. I understand why my parents loved it. It's instant asia without the hangover you get in places like Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur. That said, and while I didn't totally hate it a weekend is fine and I don't really need to go back. The comparison with Dubai seems apt. If you're not into shopping malls it's mostly a rather drab place. And there's always the slight undercurrent of fascism, which I intensly disliked. I got the strong impression that if you don't go with the flow you're a pariah and a social outcast. It also doesn't help that they charge roughly S$ 20 (and up) for a bloody beer at any place, which is halfway in the city center. It's a place where happy hour really makes sense. So, if I want a huge city with unmatched shopping oportunities, which has still a lot to offer in terms of liveability I rather chose Tokyo.
newen 8y ago
Same. I lived in Singapore for a few years and it can be a horrible place to live. Great place to visit though.
- puranjay 8y ago
  I visited Singapore once to visit a close friend. I had the impression that it was a city designed for work, and that very little of it grew organically. But then, I'm a bad judge of cities since I find comfort in the chaos of Delhi. I did like how walkable Singapore is.
TulliusCicero 8y ago
I once had a comment flagged and had dang personally warn me over saying that Germany was surprisingly backwards at consumer tech (I explained in more detail what I meant, of course). HN generally doesn't like 'inflammatory' comments. It's part of both the culture and policies.
- rdl 8y ago
  I've heard many Germans say that, and it seems pretty obvious from visiting and working with German products. (They love engineering things, but are slow to change once something works, is probably the best description. This leads to really long product cycles and ecosystems of incremental improvement, associated products, etc., which makes it hard to switch. Asia and the US are probably the extreme other end of that (in different areas) -- often not as well engineered, but fast to adopt the newest stuff, and through competition, if one firm's product becomes vulnerable, someone else can replace it, even if the original firm milks their old product for longer.)
- chillacy 8y ago
  I see what you’re saying, it’s sort of typical west coast culture. But I think you can convey the same content with more gentle phrasing.

fhe 8y ago

agreed.

shaki-dora 8y ago

It’s fine, I was arguably overdoing it for comedic effect. Still, for Americans especially, I believe there are destinations in SE Asia that are far more rewarding than Sing Sing. If you need the economic environment, HK would be an obvious choice, and maybe Shanghai. If you are doing remote work, the list becomes far longer. I spent three years in different cities worldwide in ca. 3-month intervals before getting stuck in Berlin, and I would recommend Barcelona, Florence, HK, Australia’s east coast, Melbourne, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Rabat, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Beirut (check the local war forecast), and Havanna.

tyu1000 8y ago
No, it's not. Downvotes are not for opinions you disagree with.
- CaptainZapp 8y ago
  I agree, but will never ever comment on this (in a thread, where I'm downvoted). The worst is being downvoted for the dissemination of fact, ideally supported by sources. Some lesser smart members of this fine forum seem to even downvote comments like this if they dare to go against the party line. Then again, and as the moderators outline correctly, it's often auto-corrective and I, for one, upvote comments, which are unfairly downvoted. No matter their merits. Edit : Clarification
Gigablah 8y ago
At least you didn’t quote William Gibson.
- kirvyteo 8y ago
  Lol...I was waiting...
CaptainZapp 8y ago
I've only visited once and for a weekend. My prejudices were not quite reflected in what I actually saw, since I came totally prepared to hate the living bejeezes out of this place. It's not quite as black and white. What impressed me most was the garden at the bay. Where they invested a cool billion to build a garden on the most expensive (reclaimed) real estate in the world. The food is fantastic too. I understand why my parents loved it. It's instant asia without the hangover you get in places like Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur. That said, and while I didn't totally hate it a weekend is fine and I don't really need to go back. The comparison with Dubai seems apt. If you're not into shopping malls it's mostly a rather drab place. And there's always the slight undercurrent of fascism, which I intensly disliked. I got the strong impression that if you don't go with the flow you're a pariah and a social outcast. It also doesn't help that they charge roughly S$ 20 (and up) for a bloody beer at any place, which is halfway in the city center. It's a place where happy hour really makes sense. So, if I want a huge city with unmatched shopping oportunities, which has still a lot to offer in terms of liveability I rather chose Tokyo.

newen 8y ago

Same. I lived in Singapore for a few years and it can be a horrible place to live. Great place to visit though.

puranjay 8y ago
I visited Singapore once to visit a close friend. I had the impression that it was a city designed for work, and that very little of it grew organically. But then, I'm a bad judge of cities since I find comfort in the chaos of Delhi. I did like how walkable Singapore is.

TulliusCicero 8y ago

I once had a comment flagged and had dang personally warn me over saying that Germany was surprisingly backwards at consumer tech (I explained in more detail what I meant, of course). HN generally doesn't like 'inflammatory' comments. It's part of both the culture and policies.

rdl 8y ago
I've heard many Germans say that, and it seems pretty obvious from visiting and working with German products. (They love engineering things, but are slow to change once something works, is probably the best description. This leads to really long product cycles and ecosystems of incremental improvement, associated products, etc., which makes it hard to switch. Asia and the US are probably the extreme other end of that (in different areas) -- often not as well engineered, but fast to adopt the newest stuff, and through competition, if one firm's product becomes vulnerable, someone else can replace it, even if the original firm milks their old product for longer.)
chillacy 8y ago
I see what you’re saying, it’s sort of typical west coast culture. But I think you can convey the same content with more gentle phrasing.