A Singaporean In Australia

When somebody ask you where do you want to go, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Probably a physical destination. Like Tampines Mall for shopping, Bangkok for shopping or even migrating to another country. Other times, the destination might be a vision instead of a physical location. Such as 6.9 million population in Singapore, which would probably be revised to 10 million in the near future. Do you want to go there? I didn't but I found myself being moved towards that reality despite me being rooted to the same physical location. As such, have I moved or not moved? Did I experience a migration without physically moving an inch? If I did, wouldn't you have, too? So why the fear at the thought of migration when you have already done so? I believe the two differences between the instances were whether it was done with or without your approval and whether you need or not lift a finger. From that, I observed that lifting fingers may be a more frightening prospect then moving into a dreadful future.

"No, you have to."

"But why?"

The answers were straightforward, even logical, had been aggressively iterated and weaved to be the truth. The hard truth perhaps, not completed without a heavy dash of fear. The men in charge had warned that if we give up on this strategy, Singapore is heading for doom. There is no turning back now, not unless we can accept a bleak prospect of falling behind other countries. Such unjustified claims were powerful, powerful enough to push the masses to muck on, playing on the basis of "what if the claims are true?"

So, what if the claims are true? So what, if the claims are true?

What does it really mean if Singapore falls behind? Behind what? Is there a race going on that I do not know about and is there a prize or price of winning the race?

The talk about the only way for a country with no resources to win the game is to populate. The talk about a government transforming a fishing village to a cosmopolitan stalwart that the rest of the world salute to without realising that fishing itself was a resource, just ask Japan what they would be without the fishing industry. Granted that fishing and the conveniently forgotten granite reserves in Singapore were insignificant to be worth mentioning, so were our deep waters. Just ask Mongolia, Laos, Slovakia and other landlocked countries if they would trade some of their resources for deep waters. And a god-given geographical position without natural disasters, a perfect location as a trading hub. No resources? 

Over the years, Lee Kuan Yew made several notable digs towards Japan, whose economic miracle from the 1950s to 1990s dwarfed Singapore's own self proclaimed miracle around the same period. A mountainous, volcano island country with inadequate natural resources to support its growing economy, the country built up a very diversified range of advanced world class industries. When Japan slumped to a decline during the mid 2000s, Lee Kuan Yew took the opportunity to attribute that to Japan's refusal to embrace foreigners and strengthen the government's justification of their strategy. After more than a decade of decline, Japan remains the world's 3rd largest economy at 787 billion, much to the envy of Lee Kuan Yew and his party members. Singapore meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen playing catch up, despite claims that a massive injection of foreign population would bring us there.

After working with South Korean tradesmen in Perth, I realised how far Singapore had fallen behind in terms of improving the quality of their human resources. In the 1960s, the World Bank described South Korea as an "African standard nation." (on par with Ghana). Today it is a leading industrial powerhouse. You may be reading this from a mobile phone designed and manufactured in Korea. On top of that, South Korea boast major exports of semiconductors (Singapore being a major export during the yester-years), automotive, computers, high grade steel, ships, petrochemicals and high tech electronics While the Singapore government claims to be the people behind Singapore's "miracle" every year during the NDP, they mention little of South Korea's er.. 'bigger miracle', considering the fact that a war-torn South Korea worked with very little natural resources for the same 4 decades. In contrast the rich resources are situated in North Korea, which has substantial natural resources and is the world's 18th largest producer of iron and zinc, having the 22nd largest coal reserves in the world. It is also the 15th largest fluorite producer and 12th largest producer of copper and salt in Asia. Are the South Koreans importing foreign workers by the doves because "no one wants to do the job"? Why are we going the cheap route instead of going for the excellence route like the Koreans?

So is this the race we are talking about?

What are the consequences of losing such a race, falling back far behind our competitors. Will we become a fishing village where we first began? Will Singapore cease to exist as a country and Singaporeans wiped out as a race? As much as we would like to overestimate our importance, the physical land we call Singapore will still be around long before we are gone. As a transient nation, people come and go all the time, much more so during the recent years. There isn't much meaning for the term, "Singaporean" these days and neither does "The Singapore Way" makes sense. We are merely living to make the GDP numbers look the way somebody else prefers. In exchange, we get to make overseas trips, "rehabilitation shopping", buy overpriced cars to fill our empty souls and make ourselves feel better for grinding the wheel of life. That is where many choose to go.

Can you recommend me any idea or concept on how this works or is there any agencies which process this kind of request of oversea jobs.

which candidate would you choose to match the job with, to wrap out the deal in the least possible time? To job agents, job seekers are merely numbers to chalk up their sales figures. Unless specified by a company to look for a candidate with key skills that locals do not have, such as market knowledge of Singapore, it will be extremely difficult to get a job through an agent without stepping a foot here.

To date, I have only met one Singaporean who secured her job in Singapore before coming over. Even so, it was a direct application to the company without going through an agent. I tried to dig out some details behind her little feat over dinner when she visited Perth from Sydney. It turned out that it wasn't a regular job opportunity. More often than not, employers will try not to consider job applications from overseas so that they would not need to go through the hassle of helping the employee relocate. Usually, some employers have to fork out money to provide some form of relocation package for their selected candidate. In some cases, the candidate even ask for an expat package during their negotiation. Thus in general, I assume employers would rather not go through the hassle to look for overseas candidates. In the lady's case, she was employed by a Malaysian boss who probably thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to work with a Singaporean and had specifically told her the company would not be able to afford an expat package nor offer anything about the market rate. She agreed to the terms and took it up. Even so, I believe such cases are few and far between.

Don't let me discourage you though. Every time I thought I had seen it all, someone comes along and surprise me with an unlikely feat. If you want to do the near impossible, you will have to be prepared to be very tenacious and unyielding in the job search and work many times harder at it. Don't limit yourself to conventional methods such as sending a resume. If there are chances for you to communicate with an employer directly, even if it is just a discussion and not related to job search, it may just give you an edge when opportunities come knocking.

"You did, you wrote that in your blog."

After a quick check today, I realised 876 entries was posted on this site since its initiation. Barring the geniuses with photographic memories, most of us wouldn't remember half of what we wrote or spoke about ten of thousands of words later. I cringed a little when I read the previous post. Did I really write that? Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean I made that up and it has became a cheesy read today. Just imagine reading your own English compositions during your school days, you will be likely to find yourself amused while you rediscover your chain of thoughts and the way you expressed yourself in writing in the past.

I came to Perth because my wife wanted to. So I came over with very little understanding of the place and struggled through culture shock. Even up till this stage, I am still coming to terms with the differences between both countries, misses home when fond memories of the past pond my mind and I have wondered on many occasions about where should my future be. Since I got here because of somebody I love, what does this place mean to me today, 2 years on? I reckon this is suitable time to examine my own perspectives on our rather rash move.

From time to time, I can't help but to be amused when I meet people who had already formed an opinion of me before I meet them. Apparently all bloggers represent some kind of online persona, even if they did not create one on purpose. So beyond the government bashing foul-mouthed autistic guy behind asingaporeanson.blogspot.com, lies an ordinary Singaporean who loves his country like any one of you. I rarely put down the beautiful memories I had in Singapore that annoying replay like movie clips whenever my mind was free to roam, such as driving alone on the journey home. A part of me yearned for the familiar places and activities I used to frequent and engage in. The other part of me died, as I knew things would never be the same again.

So do I have a future here? Truth to be told, I would one of those foreigners that the Singaporean minority love to hate in Singapore. I would be a foreigner that didn't seem to assimilate and embrace the "Aussie Way" with his soul. Fortunately, at least I live like a hermit and pretty much leave everyone alone just as they do. With that, at least I don't annoy any locals with my foreign-ness. As it appeared (to me, least) so far, I had been ridiculously adaptable in terms accepting different levels of living conditions, types of jobs and expectations of life in Australia as a whole. However, up to this stage, I could not imagine myself giving up being Singaporean and calling myself an Australian. Given the fact that nothing really bothers me and life have been good to me (barring cancer) in Australia, what is the missing key? I am still searching for an answer. But if you suspect any Singapore romanticism here, let me put it straight - there are none. Though I feel like a foreigner in Australia, I feel the same way when I am back in Singapore once I am out of the company of my family and friends. So what we have here is an identity crisis, I'm the ghost that doesn't fit in anywhere. Meanwhile, I suspect I may secretly have a wanderlust gene in me that I never know about. "Where now," is a question that pops up my mind frequently.

The move to Perth made me understand myself better. I realised I was more easily contented than I thought. Most Singaporeans dream of a new car, a nice house, lots of money, a status or popularity. These are widely accepted as yardsticks to measure success and it is believed that each of us should strive to be successful in life, by hook or by crook. That explains the long queue at Singapore Pools kiosks, the majority haven't given up on success having failed to achieve them with conventional methods. Here, I have none of the above and I am far from success - at least the type success commonly defined.  

But I am happy.

So if I could accept the imperfections of Perth and live a contented simple life here, why couldn't I accept the imperfects of Singapore and live a simple, happy life without chasing any of the deliverables of success there? This is something I may only figure out in future, or never at all.

While it still feel empty somewhere, as if something is missing from the puzzle, the bottom line is why am I still here hesitant to move elsewhere, or even back to Singapore to have another go at unfinished business, is that I am still cloaked in a surreal sense of happiness. So much so I tend to be wary this may not last and before long, I must be on my way walking an unfamiliar path. Until then, I will soak in my pool on contentment. This will not be the end.

Hi Jayson,

You must be referring to these.

Now about overhead bridge. Ah, I know a thing or two about overhead bridges so you found the right person. A little-known trivial nugget for you guys. Singapore has the most over-head bridges than any other countries in the world. Don't bother to check the internet, just use a little common sense. Building over-head bridges in Singapore is no small task these days and a simple proposal would require the approval of at least four statutory boards, namely URA, LTA, PUB and NParks unlike the good ol' days where our ancestors simply slap a good piece of Chengal plank across a ditch and their people used it for a couple of generations without fuss.

Most of us wouldn't spare an overhead bridge standing in the sunny afternoon of Singapore a second look. But behind one, tells a story of the progress of Singapore. In its earlier days, an overhead bridge was a simple structure built with the sole purpose of providing a form of safe, unregulated crossing for pedestrians. I could remember how afraid I was as a child to climb up one of these to cross the road even with my mother's guidance.

I would peer through the gaps between the slab and railings and shivered with the sight of motor vehicles zipping past in a thunderous harrow. Though simplistic and cheap to build, these structures stood the test of time. One of the last ones I walked on before I left Singapore was one across Upper Bukit Timah Road, near the Ten Mile Junction. It had since been demolished, not because of structural issues but relevance.

The first problem arouse when pedestrians, from young children to the elderly, began to jaywalk and totally avoided using the overhead bridge that was built for them. In order not to appear foolish for building so many white elephants on the roads, the government decided to fence up the central divider to dissuade pedestrians from jaywalking. It worked for the ladies in skirt and the old folks but not agile teenagers and NS men who were well trained to clear a fence easily like clearing "The Window" during SOC. At least it drew some businesses back to the overhead bridges and the officials gave a sigh of relief.

In some point of time, the great leader made a casual remark (so I heard from the lao jiaos in NParks) that overhead bridges looked too stiff. So government officials panicked and began to derive a method to beautify a otherwise rough structure that stood out like a sore thumb to some. Introducing the next generation of overhead bridge, "The Trough." This generation of bridges come with a trough so that gardeners can plant an entire stretch of hardy species on it, such as Bougainvillea. Soon, the gardeners discover that maintaining plants 4.5m in the air wasn't as easy as they thought earlier. The plants, while achieving its beautifying purposes at first, soon wilted under the hotter days at the extreme end of Singapore's afternoons. The brains began to work out a new solution for the new problem and came out with an automatic irrigation system so that plants would always get their water supply at stipulated timings. This solution is costly, because it didn't end with a high installation cost. The water tank for the irrigation system was not A truck carrying a water tank must be hired to fill it up on routine. If you look closely, every overbridge with a trough has a reserved truck space near one of its stairs.

A Berlingo parking illegally at the lay by

It is called a "Water Tanker Lay-By", a feature any developer must provide before the building proposal would be approved by the authorities today. If you look closer, there will be a water inlet not more than a few metres away from the Water Tanker Lay-By, there is where the truck fills the water storage tank.

If these are not enough costs for the taxpayer to bear, citizens soon demanded for a covered overhead bridges, looking towards Yuhua, where the first covered linkways were pioneered, in envy. The government gave way and learnt a hard lesson about doing the right thing, not the popular thing. Soon, that would become the minimum standard for all overhead bridges in Singapore. Before long, trouble arose again. The overleaf of the covered linkways shielded the plants from sunlight, causing them to die of skew awkwardly towards light for survival.  Designs were changed, costing Singaporeans millions while they sleep tight at night.

New generation bridge with aluminum  cladding and stainless steel railings

The government soon gave way for demands to be more caring towards the handicap, probably rightly so because the older overhead crossing was a bane to someone on a wheelchair, new bridges were built with the handicap in mind. They were either built with long ramps that took away the already precious land we were desperately running out of,  completed with bollards later because somebody complained of a motorcyclist riding his motorbike across the bridge; or installed with lifts, incurring even more maintenance costs and hefty designer costs with stainless steel finishes to complement with the stainless steel railings and fluorocarbon cladding that spans the new generation bridge.

Back in the Great Australian Summer,  the senior holding the stop sign for the occasional car driving past during a lazy Australian afternoon wouldn't possibly know he or she was doing much good than drinking coffee at home. They wouldn't guess why a miserable sod in his dirty old golden Daihatsu Pyzar gave them a nod of acknowledgment each time he turtled past. The stranger might be still lost, searching for his way but he knew where he wanted to go.