this post might lead to a series of nasty verbal attacks on me by authentic singaporeans. but in the spirit of freedom of speech, here goes:
having spent most of my childhood in this country, then coming back to start a career in the very same place i grew up in, i have acquired a few habits my adopted country of residence have been accused of cultivating.
ONE: TIME IS MONEY - RUSH WHENEVER I CAN
it doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing. the common thing is: we are always rushing. rushing to change from one mrt to the other, rushing to be the first one to get in the bus/mrt/building (take your pick), rushing to buy/eat/finish lunch in a mere thirty minutes (less if possible), rushing along the street past volunteers asking for donations...yadayadayada you get what i mean. come on, are we really that short of time?
when i first came back from vancouver, i had a hard time readjusting myself to the change of pace, literally. everyone seemed to overtake me, everywhere. but now, almost three years later, i am turning into one of those fast moving people. and it's not just in action or movement, but also in speech. in short, i've morphed into one of them.
TWO: DRIVE AGGRESSIVELY, INSIST ON MY RIGHT OF WAY
i wouldn't say that i was a fan of "driving miss daisy", but i definitely wasn't an aggressive driver. but hey, i have assimilated. if they ain't gonna let me through even after i've signaled, then i'm just gonna stick my head in there and go for it. ha ha. be glad that i'm not one of those who will SPEED UP after seeing someone signaling to come into my lane, even though i was a safe distance away. i was a victim to lots of those.
THREE: MOMMY SAYS DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS
i used to talk to anyone and everyone. and even when strangers talk to me, i won't think too much of it. but now? (okay i can't believe i'm admitting to this) - i am shy. though i will still respond when strangers talk to me, i won't prolong the conversation, and tend to cut it short with the excuse that i'm rushing for time (see point one). why? i'm not sure. maybe i'm shy?
FOUR: IF WE DON'T LIKE IT, WE COMPLAIN
i complain about lots of things: management not doing their job in maintaining the building - complain; my server is rude - complain; suspect my designer of not doing his job well - complain. okay, maybe i am exaggerating. but i definitely find more things less pleasing to my eye than before. being more of a perfectionist? maybe. or maybe i have higher standards. complaining is a pretty singaporean thing. i attribute it partially to the efficiency and ability of many singaporean workers. since they have high abilities, they would expect a certain degree of excellence from their service providers. and when they don't get it, they are unhappy. subsequently, they complain. i ain't proud of this trait. but i have assimilated.
FIVE: I OBSESS OVER MY TUMMY
now singaporean ladies are known for being petite and slim, despite all the nonsense we eat (high fat, high sodium and OH SO GOOD food). yet many still complain about being "too fat" or having "a big tummy" etc. while i have always been a little self-conscious of my body, i was fine with my athletic and muscular build. but then i lost a bunch of baby fat from training for dancesport and just being generally busy, and developed a taste for the thin look. so now i've become one of them thin girls who are a little "skinny fat" - slim limbs and slim frame with a slight tummy. but boy do i obsess over it! i pinch and squeeze and measure and go crazy if my tummy isn't flat in my favourite berms. what's wrong with me?
SIX: I SHOP FOR A LIVING
when i'm happy, i shop. when i'm angry, i shop. when i'm down, i shop. when i'm ecstatic, i shop. shopping is my cardio, and owning the new dress is my motivation. i've always shopped a lot, so i'm all for this national sport, even though it's the most expensive sport i've ever engaged in.
SEVEN: I WORK TOO HARD
I work an average of 12-14 hours a day, six days a week. this is excluding travel and out of town assignments. why work this hard? why it's the national culture. though not as bad as the japanese or the koreans, singaporeans are known to be workaholics. we work because it gives us a focus, and a sense of achievement. besides, we are motivated by money and what money can buy. this is such a consumerist culture we are living in, that such desire is inevitable. a necessary evil. my generation onwards may try to change this by insisting on having a work-life balance. but let me tell you, if money is what you want, you gotta do what you gotta do. forget about working "just enough". and in singapore, one can live comfortably if one can afford it, for it has all the good things life has to offer. so if this is what we want, overworking is just one of the things we gotta do.
there we are: all the seven habits i've acquired in my time here. i'm not being condescending - not saying that these are bad habits, nor am i advocating them. just some observations and analysis of what this society has made me, and others for that matter. these seven habits have made us the kiasu and kiasi bunch we are, like it or not. it's part of the culture. and believe me, it's highly contagious. i'm a living proof.
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