A Singaporean In Australia

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This had been on my mind for years. I never got around writing because the complexity of my thoughts, perhaps already at a neurotic level, which handicapped my ability to put them down in words that make sense. This attempt may end up in shambles but that's alright. At least I am allowing myself to detox the mind. Such a coincidence this will be my final post for the year.


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.


The child within asked, "Daddy, can I not go?"

"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.
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The boss walked in late this morning, looking like a despondent lobster. He confided that his annual fishing trip down south ended with unprecedented low yield. I nodded sadly and told him it was probably the weather. The crabbing outing I was invited to told me so. We went home with nothing that afternoon. According to the wise pelicans, they had never experienced a 'cooler' Christmas week in the last 5 years. Indeed, last week was bearable even for my standards. Everyone was prepared for this: 


But we had strong lukewarm wind instead. I peered through the water from the jetty and observed virtually no fishes or crabs in sight. It was generally accepted that the Blue Swimmers would advance towards the shores during the hottest period of Summer, which was a little off tune for Christmas week this year. The optimistic fools were smiling but I wasn't taking anything for granted. We are likely to have a mother of all heat waves that last more than 7 consecutive days in the second week of January to make up for that 'loss' last week.


The boss agreed it was the weather and told me how rough it was out in the sea last week. His buddy and him had a hard time and it showed up on our return to work after the break. Having next to nothing after all those hard work was hard enough, without taking into account they had crates load of catch last year. He also commented they were getting old and it was a lot more physically straining to get the boat out to sea in the shallow Peel region. I wondered for a while when the boss would call it a day at work. It might not be as far in the future. I should be prepared for a big transition again, looking for jobs and such or even selling fried noodles or something somewhere.


Anyway, you might be interested in Woodman Point, where we hung out during the crabbing outing.

Woodman Point, a place for everyone

Haven for boys

A quiet spot for men

A peaceful moment for mothers

A space for lovers

Opportunities for Pelicans

and little boys who gets a kick chasing them

"We will be back, always"
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Christmas is over but the festive joy isn't. If you can take a joke, read on.


If Jesus Christ Was Singaporean
by asingaporeanson


Jesus was born in KK Hospital some years ago. For 30 years, Jesus lived a traditional Singaporean life, working as a carpentry contractor. During this time, Singapore was under the PAP's dictatorship for half a century. Jesus introduced himself as 'Ah Chris' to his clients.


In his thirties, the liberal embrace of foreign workers affected Ah Chris' small business. He found his company unable to win job tenders due to the increase in competition with the emergence of many small teams of foreign workers led by one of their countryman who managed to turn Singapore PR. As a result he took on a second job after regular office hours as a self-motivation trainer. His teaching were popular with clients because of its effectiveness. Some students began to claim that their new uplifted spirit as miracles and great recommend Ah Chris to friends as their personal coaches. Soon, Ah Chris' make-shift office turned into a big business.


Ah Chris' key messages in his training some also includes

  • God loves you and is with you, unlike the government
  • Love one another, don't sinkies pwn sinkies anymore
  • Invest in true blue Singaporeans
  • Democracy has come to Singapore
  • Reality of judgement to a good government
  • God forgives those who question

Many have asked, "Who is Ah Chris ah?" Ah Chris' most controversial act was that he repeated claimed to be God, which was a direct violation of the Singaporean law. Due to Ah Chris' increasing popularity, religious leaders, damn dulan of their decreasing tithe in their Suntec City Church, asked the Singapore government to apprehend him. In each of his official trails, the court found Ah Chris not guilty of breaking any Singapore law. Some government officials even believed Ah Chris was God. Still, the religious leaders, using the argument of political disfavour, convinced Pinky that Ah Chris was a threat to his dragon throne.


Pinky threw Ah Chris an ultimatum, ISD or Hougang Chalet. Ah Chris knew ISD was a straight route to erm heaven where he was supposed to be, he chose Hougang Chalet to punt for a chance to be released later so he could continue his work. Instead of sending him to Hougang, the armored van where Ah Chris was detained went straight to Changi. In the prison, Ah Chris was subjected to ISD torture in their mobile van, parked within the Changi prison premises without coupon for a week. Ah Chris, for all his visionary prowess, certainly did not envisage that. Eventually, Ah Chris was hanged for having drugs in his possession, in which the media explained that Ah Chris used drugs for mind control over his faithful clients.


Three days later, Ah Chris' Facebook follower were shocked to see an update from him, a simple phrase "YOLO" was all it took to convince many that was the conclusive proof that Ah Chris' claims to be God were real. According to residents in Tampines and Pasir Ris, on that evening Ah Chris left the earth by rising up into the polluted sky. Somebody even managed to take a low resolution video of Ah Chris' rising and posted it online. The video soon went viral. 


As a result of these miraculous events, the number of Ah Chris' Facebook new followers increased dramatically by a few thousands every day. The religious leaders responded by trying to get Facebook to shut down Ah Chris' page, citing a dead man should not be allowed to own a Facebook page but Facebook response was short and curt, "Balls."


Within a few years, people throughout the world became Facebook followers of Ah Chris, though there wasn't anymore updates after his last, "YOLO" comment. Although some of Ah Chris' messages and teachings were diluted or communicated through the expansion of a new religious institution, Ah Chris' original Facebook updates and life still speak loudly for themselves.
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"If you think it is the right time to leave, you're right.
If you think it is the wrong time to leave, you're right."

Let's put this straight. If you find yourself asking people if it is the right time to leave Singapore, you are putting your fate right in the hands of the others. So what do you do when the answer you get is always, "No," for whatsoever reason? Stay put? I've seen enough people hesitant to make a move even when their friends screamed, "Come fucking now!" So you are doing yourself no favour by asking an irrelevant question to help you make a sound decision. 


Put yourself in your friend's shoes. Who is in the right mind to risk souring a friendship by telling you it is a good time to come and risk your annoyance after you find the going a tad less smooth that you expected? Moreover, it is human nature to be pessimistic. As much as people around like to put up an optimistic pretense, they have the same fears and worries about the future as much as anyone else. Think. If human beings are optimistic by nature, there will not be a billion dollar motivation industry. And you will not find cheesy motivation post circulating Facebook or pasted on your office toilet walls - because there is no need to. So what is the point of asking for the right time to move? At any one time, one of the following; financial crisis, the inflation doom, housing bubble, unemployment crisis etc. taking place in some part of the world or your actual destination itself. Face it, the yesteryear was always the better time to move. That's the general final answer you'll receive. So why ask?


Many regarded an emigration decision as a balance between the "push" and the "pull" factors. If the balance tip towards home, you stay. Else, you move somewhere else. That is the common understanding. From my personal experience, it isn't quite about the push/pull balance. Say if I do a push/pull balance between Perth and Vancouver today, my balance will tip towards the Vancouver end. So why am I not considering a move to Vancouver like the way I left Singapore for Perth 2 years ago? Is it because the balance is skewed enough towards one end?


For me, it is all about the final straw that drew a motivation so strong, strong enough to push someone to explore uncharted territory. The 'aha' moment. Whenever I talked to immigrants here, I would ask them casually why they chose to move to Perth. They would blabber about the usual stuff but I would always look out for that 'aha'. I found that these special motivations were almost unique, varying from person to person, if you listened hard enough. It is almost like a secret code that even your spouse may not know.


I received emails from people who were already Australian Permanent Residents, panicking because they needed to consider the big move as their validity of their PR visas were running out fast. What they did not understand was that nothing, not even an expiring PR visa, was a reason big enough to make such a drastic change to your life. The PR status was granted because they were qualified for it when they applied a few years ago, with the assumption they would have the 'aha' moment by the time they were awarded the visa. Later on they panicked and they thought it was about the expiring visa. In fact, they did not realise they were fearful because they could not find the last straw that didn't exist in the first place. In such a situation, it would be a rational choice to allow a status quo instead of forcing a unnecessary move.


After meeting people who went through a harrowing fortnight dancing with death in the sea, people who 'jump the plane' and people who bit the bullet and came legally but with little resources, I had observed common traits and mentality among such people. It convinced me that the technicalities or legalities of emigration were merely a formality because people who got their 'aha' moments would find their ways around if they could not go through the conventional processes. When you want it hard enough ... overused cliche but as real as it gets.


I am unsure if you really get what I am trying to convey. Perhaps I should simplify things for you. If you find yourself asking, "When should I leave?" That is not the time.
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You do not need to read flowery accolade about Australia from a tourism board website. You do not want to hear 'life is great' accounts by your Singaporean friends who, you suspect, glorify just about anything to justify their decisions to move to Australia. What you need is an honest post to tell you the things as they are. I wrote this because I wished somebody did when I was searching. You would be surprised to know how little literature there was in the seemingly unlimited vault of the Internet. Like you, I searched because I wanted to better mentally prepared if I could have a glimpse of what to expect here. You might have noticed I could never stress often enough throughout the blog how mentally tough one must be to overcome the odds of a new migrant in Australia. And preparation is the process of toughening up the mind.


Most of the Singaporeans I met in Perth knew somebody here before they moved. I didn't know a single soul I could depend on back then. If something happened to my pregnant wife, I wouldn't know where to look for help, who to cry to and what do do. On hindsight, that was such a chilling thought. We were fortunate that things turned out alright in the earlier days and somehow fate brought us a small group of reliable friends that we could trust.


Don't get me wrong. The message I was trying to convey was not to be as prepared as boy scouts with contingencies for every little detail. In fact people who expect a well paying cushy job and a clean house with a hot bath tub filled with scented flowers all waiting for them before they decide it is a good idea to migrate irks me more than anything. No one, be it your friends, migration agent or even God, can or will guarantee you absolute security for a move. For even if you receive an expat package bundled with a filled hot tub with scented flower, and a blonde leggy babe waiting to serve you grapes straight from the Swan Valley, you can die in a car accident the moment you turn left to Tomkin Highway. With so many different people I've met with their own unique stories, I came to learn that the level of preparation is not relevant to how things will turn out.


I came to Perth with the mentality that everything was going to turn out fine at the end, somehow - though I didn't know how. I didn't have a job and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I would be contented to do anything to get by. Washing cars, stacking stock on supermarket shelves, picking fruits, whatever that could help bring back the bacon. So it was natural for me to pick up an unusual job for a Singaporean as a trade assistant in a steel fabrication factory. Boy it was the toughest time of my life, dwarfing National Service by a mile. I didn't expect two eye surgeries and a burn that left a permanent scar on my thigh as memento. Still, things didn't turn out too bad for me in the end, to date at least.


My apologies for bringing up old memories. I didn't mean to sound like a broken record. But the more new people I met, the more I realised people have different definition of the word 'anything'. In Singapore, it was universally accepted that 'anything' means 'chin chye'. So when I had someone wasn't eligible by conventional methods and claimed he would do anything to get here, I thought he wouldn't mind taking up a Cert III in Aged Care and punt on a reasonable chance to find sponsored employment upon graduation. But no, because "I cannot see myself working in that profession." I was dead wrong about Singaporeans defining 'anything' the same way as I did. Due to adequate conditioning, I had became apprehensive when I was told anywhere, any job, any house or any car. I realised even when someone tells me 'any girl' it could very well mean a buxom leggy blonde drizzling Manuka honey on her luscious body. So it is beyond me why will anyone already with something in the mind bother to ask for an opinion.


The formula about what to expect is simply a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think there is no job, you won't find a one. If you want only a IT Project Manager job, you find one eventually even though everyone else tells you there isn't a possibility. You'll survive a lot better with plenty of common sense and realism. To find a $100k job will be of a much higher level of difficulty and require more time, tenacity and luck as compare to a job on minimum wage. A house which is of a good location, mint condition, good size and low price - doesn't exist. You'll be surprised to know how many people I've met who seemed totally out of touch with reality to me. Or perhaps they didn't even know what they really wanted. 


So manage your expectations carefully. If you think you are stepping into a racist country, you will receive racism. If the mind habours doubts, it will breed regrets. Happiness will seek you if you always remember the balance between expectations, reality and compromise. Instead of expectations, come with an open mind to learn and most importantly, enjoy the audacity of your adventure being the 1% of the Singapore population who walked the path before you. 
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Isn't this slave trading?

Hi Friend,
I am just emailing to see if i can receive guidance and advice or help from Singapore Perth"ian".
I received my Perth Sponsorship and became a PR in Australia. I have been scurrying around online for job opportunities for past 2 to 3 months.
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.
I did my bachelors in mechanical from RMIT in Melbourne and have 3-4 years work experience.
Please do advice me. I am open to any suggestions or ideas.


******


Hello,


Thank you for calling me a Singapore Perth"ian" instead of "ex-Singaporean".


I'll keep this simple and go straight to your question. Agencies - Forget about them. They work like lightning bolts. No, I'm not referring to their speed but their tendency to choose the path of least resistance. So consider three candidates,
  • one with no "local experience", residing outside Australia
  • one with no "local experience", residing in Australia
  • one with "local experience", residing in Australia
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.
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Hi Nix,

Good day to you. I've been an ardent reader of your blog and wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts on life in Perth and issues facing Singapore so candidly. I hope your family is well and your treatment is coming along well.

Your recent post on moving pavers for Steph was the reason that inspired me to write to you. 

I studied for 2 years in Perth back in 2005 and got a business degree from Murdoch Uni. I was working a few months there but had to return to Singapore as my father had a heart bypass and needed me to come back to help him recuperate. So in 2007 I left Perth and came back to SG and joined the rat race in Singapore while my father recovered. He is much better now and healthier. Since then I always harboured my dreams of going back to Perth but with all the recent changes in migration rules, my degree and my course of work (marketing) became irrelevant in the SOL list. I had buried my dreams of going back as I got sucked into the daily toil of living and working in Singapore.

I got married in 2010 and this June I became the father of a beautiful baby girl. And ever since I held onto her, I cannot help but think of the childhood and future I can give her here in Singapore. As a result, I have been considering of any way to going back to Australia and recently read about taking on an apprenticeship in a trade industry. My brother who also studied in Perth just recently got his PR last year. The smart chap did a Accountacy degree so he's doing well for himself there.

I understand Steph did some course with SilverTrowel (saw his testimonial in a YouTube video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA5sugmrAt8 - 0:42 secs) and I wanted to know if you could help link me up so that I can ask him some questions with regards to the trade industry in Perth. Any help will be much appreciated.

Ultimately, I'm willing to step out of my "cushy" office cubicle and work hard to get a better future for my family and I hope this can be a first step in the right direction.

Thank you Nix.

Best,
J.J

******



Hi J.J,


Congratulations on your baby girl. She should be crawling around by now. I understand what might have been running through your mind regard her future. It has always been a debatable topic, as some of us came to Australia to allow their children to go through a more holistic education but there are some who feel that the education system in Singapore will give their children a stronger foundation and are contemplating going back. (at least for a few years) Since you are not new to Australia, I suppose you know what you are doing so I will not discuss this further.


I'm surprised an account of my Saturday labour can inspire someone to write to me. Of course, I know the star of the story isn't me but Stephen, whose inspiring migration story too had me in awe. I attached Steph's contact at your request, check your email.


Today, I met a young Malaysian chap who is working as a bricklayer. Upon his graduation in his course, he found an employer who was willing to sponsor him for his working visa (subclass 457). His intention is to work hard and stay long enough in Australia so that he can try his luck to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa when/if he is eligible in future. Bear in mind there is no guarantees for this route but people have came through before. If this is what you are thinking of, you must be mentally prepared for a rough time. After all, the profession is physically demanding.


Good luck bro. Maybe I will hear from you again.


asingaporeanson
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I lost count how many times I watched our Singapore football team losing a crucial game to a Thailand team. We just lost another chance to have a go at the SEA games gold medal after the Thais knocked the Singapore Under-23s out of with single goal. Be it the national or any other age levels, we have never come into a match as favourites against the Thais and I used to wonder why when I was teen.


In 1998, Goh Chok Tong, then the Prime Minister of Singapore, were so inspired by France's unexpected victory against the Ronaldo-led Brazil team brimming with geniuses in each position that he set Goal 2010 to get Singapore into the World Cup Finals in 2010 shortly after his speech during the 1998 NDP:

"Look at the French World Cup football team. In the final against Brazil, I picked Zidane as the most outstanding French player. He is of Algerian descent. Of the 22-players, more than half did not look "French". They looked Argentinian, Armenian, Basque, Caribbean, Ghanaian, New Caledonian. Some were born in France, but of immigrant parents. Others are first generation French citizens. When they went up to receive their medals, President Chirac embraced all of them as Frenchmen. He sent a strong political signal for multi-racialism and against xenophobia: that in France, so long as you contribute to the French cause, it does not matter what colour your skin is or where you were born. 
Last year I told you Singapore would never have a chance in the World Cup, because the rules require all players to be citizens. But after watching the French victory, I have changed my mind. Maybe if we change our immigration criteria to bring in top football talent and make them citizens, then one day we too can get into the finals. In fact we intend to do just this, to bring in sports talent."

Does the strong political signal PM Goh received to liberally embrace foreigners came good? As we know it, we didn't make it to the World Cup Finals in 2010, didn't even come close to a whiff in fact. I didn't bring this up to sneer at our politicians. In all honesty, I was very excited when PM Goh announced Goal 2010. When we were young, we often lament how poorly supported we were in the sports we were crazy over. As a result, Singapore has never been a traditional world-beater in any sports. What I meant was, there hasn't been a sport in every Singaporean's blood like the way the Brazilians seem to be born with a tiny football rolling out of their mother's womb together. So when our favourite sport came to the attention of our government, we were delighted. With money pumped in, we would finally go on to achieve greater heights. Or so we thought, or so we are taught how things are supposed to work in Singapore. We didn't. Goal 2010 was a flop.



Fast forward to 2013, how Saiyidah Aisyah our own Singaporean daughter debunked the myth and reminded us passion is the first ingredient to success.


If any politician wants to set another lofty sporting goal, perhaps winning the first Football Gold medal in a SEA game is worthy enough. Forget about beating the world, let's look at how to beat the Thais first - Every. Single. Time - before we even look further. To build a culture of doing anything very, very well, we have to start from the beginning. That applies to any success in other aspects, not pertaining to football only. Our politicians wanted instant success and we did manage to buy some in table tennis but it didn't spark off the interests and passion it was supposed to. If you want to know what kind of passion I was referring, spare a few minutes to look at this video clip. It won't be a wasted few minutes, I assure you.



Just look at what we are up against. Bear in mind, Panyee FC is just a single football club in South Thailand. Imagine what kind of team the Thais can assemble with the pool of football talents all over the country. Then consider Thailand isn't even an Asia beater among the Koreans and Japanese, who aren't anywhere near world beaters among the Brazilians, Germans and Italians. If you look into sporting success, it is always created from a single building block. After years, decades and even centuries of constant refining, good practices become a culture then a tradition. The instant success our government planned for not just football but in every aspect of our life works exactly the opposite way. We may hit gold once or twice but it goes downhill from there because there isn't a foundation to support our over-achievements or how Lee Kuan Yew previously out it, "Punching above our weight."


Assuming Goh Chok Tong continued to watch football since, he might have already realise his 1998 French team theory was proven wrong if he witnessed how the Spanish national team dominated Europe twice in 2008 and 2012, winning the World Cup in style in South Africa 2010, in the finals that Singapore was "supposed" to participate in. If Emeritus Goh had put on his glasses, he would have noticed the full Spanish squad would have looked "very Spanish" indeed.


The Spanish victories didn't come by luck had little to do with buying instant success. One only had to take a closer look at La Masia de Can Planes and La Fábrica to have a glimpse of their formula of success, to invest in the young, their very own young. If the French victory was a good reason enough to start our government's obsession with Foreign Talents, what make the multiple Spanish victories unworthy to reverse it?
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Grace Town

I wrote about this shortly after I came to Perth. Back then I didn't foresee that I would be revisiting my thoughts, then update my current opinions on this topic. No one, including myself, expected the blog to be still running after 2 years. Perhaps my wife could no longer use that “三分钟热度” character trait on me. 3 minutes are long over, my dear. If you don't already know, I rarely read my old posts and hardly even remember what I wrote before. On a couple of occasions, people quoted sets of theories or philosophies and I retorted, "Who said that?"


"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.


Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Milestone: Breaking Even
Month 4
Month 5
Month 6
Month 7
Milestone: Renting a House
Milestone: Landing a Permanent Job
Month 8
Month 9
Month 10
Month 11
End of Year 1
Month 13
Month 14
Month 15
End of Year 2
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You may think this is an old, dusty receipt but it was barely a week old. I should have taken a picture of the back of the piece of paper which was as clean and bright as an Edelweiss for a comparison. So if it wasn't dirty, what happened? I left this receipt in the car over the weekend and by Monday, it was lightly charred by the intense heat generated by the Summer sun. Tucky asked me if I could fry an egg on my bonnet a few days ago. I should tell him to bring along bacon and chops as well. Who needs a barbie pit under a smelting 41°C heat? I was lucky that it didn't catch fire or I would be hunting for another car by now.


The heat wave was so bad this week that the Duke and Duchess of the Brook drove 5 hours south for a heat retreat and was kind enough to update me the reducing temperature hour by hour as they went further and further from Summer's invasion. She ended up slightly dazed at the end of her long car drive but let out an annoying, "20 degrees! Ahhhhhhh......" before I smashed my mobile phone hard on my bed. It made matters worse to learn friends in Adelaide were wiggling their butts at sub 20 degrees high days. Here, we are going into our final week before the Christmas week and yet again, it looks like Perth is going to be the hottest place on Earth this Christmas. Elsewhere it is snowing in Egypt and Vietnam. If there is such thing as a Santa list, this must be my punishment for being on the naughty list. Burn, asingaporeanson! Burn for your sins.


This is my third Summer in Perth and having stayed in different houses each time, I observed the little things that make a difference to whether our Summer is a terrible one or one that we can cope reasonably well. So I'm sharing some pointers with you to take home with.


Big house good, small house better

Forget about what the air condition salesman tells you. No matter what system you install, a smaller cubic metre of air will cool faster than a larger one under the same specifications. Period. 


Watch the West wall

If you are having normal working and sleeping hours, you would want to pay special attention to the west walls of your house because this side has the least amount of hours to cool down before bedtime, which is arguably the most important period you spend at home if you want good health. I do not advocate switching on the air conditioner throughout your sleep because I believe air quality will be greatly reduced. Therefore the West wall is a crucial factor to your cool nights of natural air.


Thus when looking for a house, look for one with the the least surface area exposed to the West. It could be either a shorter span or a side blocked by a fence, a neighbour's house or even a large tree's shade. A shaded West wall makes a HUGE difference in the level of trapped heat in within your walls. Also, it would be better if none of the bedrooms are located along the West wall.


Timing of air conditioning

If you need to switch on the air con, do it after sun set. It is pointless fighting a losing battle to do it earlier, you will only end up hurting your pockets. Most of us return from work close to sun set timings anyway, so this tip is more applicable for weekends or housewives who are at home during the day.


Shades

What if it gets too hot in the day, shouldn't we use the air conditioner? We found that shading your windows works tremendously well for keeping heat out. When my wife installed reflective windshields (normally used in cars) for all the windows along the Eastern walls (do it to even your walls if you can), we found the rate that the house was heated up during the day significantly slower. Of course, a smaller house with less surface area helps. The interior was actually bearable without the need of air conditioning during 35°C days. On the flip side, the interior would be rather dark like as if we were vampires who hated the sunlight. So long it works..


Drink plenty of water

A human body is a cooling system by itself. However it is a manual process unlike an automatic one of a typical air conditioner. Instead of refrigerant, we use cool (not icy) water to cool our system down at regular intervals. No doubt that will mean more trips to the toilet but you will feel better for it under the blistering heat. Not only that, it prevents heatstroke and other heat related problems such as sore throats.
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Seen this article going around today [link] and the reactions of Singaporeans were hilarious to read. Some surprised comments even sound genuine to me. You mean you didn't know something like that happening in our backyards for more than a decade? Or perhaps you thought they were rumors until someone posted a payslip or employment contract on a blog. Why bother quoting comments of a Minister about how happy he thought foreign workers are in Singapore. If the article actually caught his attention, he would have told you foreign workers used to be paid $2.00 an hour just 2 few years ago when I was signing off the time sheets of workers.


"That is a 12.5% increment! I don't even get a 5% increment!" a Minister would laugh if someone were to bring this up in a public forum. His laughs would be politely chorused by an appreciative audience. That would appear in the papers the next day, beautifully choreographed to bring you the lighthearted side of things, of course. Then the circulation photographs of toilet bowls brimming with feces. Chipped paint walls that resembled a nuclear bomb aftermath. Slum-like claustrophobic dire living conditions of foreign workers. "Oh my god, that's really bad, this is inhuman, this..... oh gtg my pizza is here." *Clicks the forget button and carry on with life*


So I thought, until I read about a student(wtf?!) spotted to distribute flyers in Little India to tell them how much we love them.




I wonder how reporters and camera crew came to the scene so quickly to interview this man to spin their usual nauseating brand, whereas they missed out little small acts by Singaporeans such as this that actually show foreign workers passing by the site that there is still a little compassion left in society. Actions speak louder than words, if you ask me.


Post by Nicole Ling.

A week had past since. Our good Minister Lui Tuck Yew had finalised his future plans for Little India. As a member of the good ol' army, can we not expect a cheesy slogan or acronym for his campaign? Tuck Yew didn't disappoint, announcing that his preventive framework was represented by the acronym PLACE, which stands for Police, Less Alcohol & Congestion & Enforcement. Sounds like another wave of wasting taxpayers' money is on the way. 


Previously, I posted why restricting alcohol is futile and I would not repeat my points today. What caught my attention yesterday was the Minister's intention to reduce congestion in Little India. How is he planning to do that? Don't tell me Tuck Yew read my blog and decided to barricade the whole Little India and build gantry for entries. That was mentioned in jest, Minister, if you are reading this. Please think physics - The throngs that you will be pushing out from your constituency will simply MOVE to another neighborhood, without the ingenious alcohol restrictions only available in your special PLACE. I urge the Minister to spend more time to study into a solution that works better than pushing the *problem elsewhere. 


Hopefully the good Minister will think, much harder, so as to save his place in Parliament after the next election. Meanwhile, Please Limit Acronyms & Cease Embarrassment.


*To my friends, don't ask me to provide solutions on FB again, I have already explained why.
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Question 1: Demonstrate your understanding of the Problem Solving Framework shown above with 4 case studies. (25 marks each)


1)


2)



3)


4)

The second question is for readers.
Question 2: Identify the above case studies. (2 marks each)

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Hey Nix,

Just had this thought this morning and felt that you will be the best person to discuss and analysis this.

School zones in Perth. Very annoying to the average driver.
Sometimes I wonder why can’t they just built an overhead bridge like Singapore? So that the old folks being the traffic warrant can go home and drink coffee on their couch instead. What do you reckon?

Regards,
Jayson



******

Hi Jayson,


You must be referring to these.


I was slapped with a fine and 2 demerit points exceeding 10km/h in a 40km/h school zone last year. Before that I was unaware how the school zone worked. For the benefit of the noobs who are new to the Australia, I'll explain the school zone to my understanding. School zones are demarcated near the roads typically abutting the perimeters of the school. It can typically range from as short as 100m to as long as 2km. At these school zones, law abiding drivers will reduce their speed significantly through the zone, like how KFC inspect our guard-of-honours during the National Day Parade. That explains why some Singaporeans, if you wondered why, may have the inclination to wind down the window and wave idiotically at pedestrians as we turtled by.


The fine was caused me some grief but I wasn't bitter about it. As a parent, I like the idea that community insist on an inconvenience to ensure the safety of the children. It is a common sight that crossings along school zones are manned with a mature or even elderly man or woman. Singaporeans will probably put it down as a job that no one wants to do, since we are so comfortable in handling these sai kang to our elderly in Singapore.

My feel though, about putting a mature one at a crossing here was a strategic practice, since most (appears to me) respect their elderly here and may be more willing to be instructed by one. If things get ugly, uncle or auntie can probably screw the punk off by going, "When Limpeh/Laoniang was young.... " Come to think of it, I have no idea how much these folks are paid, if any at all. Most of them might be just volunteers - because the retirees can afford to retire. Let me know if you know I am wrong. I love being proven wrong.


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.
one of those


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.
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Albany's Quotes

"Daddy, my promise is

painful."
-

Albany showing me her pinkie

"Let's go to the park of living

room."
- she

led me, as she pulled her toy pram along

"A-P-R-I-C-O-

T."
- Albany,

15/8/2015

"Tax."
-Albany, after taking part of the dessert she

served me to her plate, leaving me open mouthed in

disbelief.

"I will hug

you tightly so you cannot go."
-grabbing my arms with both hands

while trying to fall asleep. 25/11/2015

"Daddy, don't get injured at

work."
-

Albany, 3 years old

"Daddy, I love you. Because you cook yummy lunch

and dinner."
-

Albany, 14/2/2016

"Mummy, why are these called shorts?

They look long to me."
- Albany, 20/2/2016

"You

are the best daddy in the world because you did these (pointed to

the house renovations)
- Albany, 1/5/2016

"I left the door unlocked so that you can come in because I love you so much."
- Albany, 21/11/2016

Emails 2017

Hi Nix,

I came across your interesting blog and wish to ask on your honest opinion.

Do you think it's a good idea to pay 6 months worth of house rental in advanced to secure a place to stay before we go over. Our situation makes it a little difficult to look for one in Darwin with 2 dogs that we couldn't leave behind. And we don't have a job there yet. Oh, we have gotten a 489 visa. And we are intending to move somewhere in June with our 2 dogs and an almost 2 year old kid.

Appreciate your intake on this.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Elaine,


The housing market is currently quite depressed so it should not be difficult to find rental properties. I don't think it is a good idea to pay 6 months in advance at all. You shouldn't find it a problem to get one. If you face any difficulties, let me know the details and see if I can give you ideas.


Hi,

Saw your blog while searching on Singaporean based overseas and hopeful can meet a bunch of you all if i ever go over eventually.

For myself after looking at migrating or completing the process before i do not have enough points to qualify.

Basing on my current situation, it seems since my CV is leaning towards the marketing and financial field. Which in this case seems only Adelaide and Darwin is the only option for Subclass 190.

Do you know any fellow Singaporeans based in either place?

Anyway, for me is more towards wanting a more laid back life and changing the environment. Ideal situation would be to work another 10 years before settling with a small farm land in the country in Aussie. But my worry is whether i would be able to secure a job in Aussie especially with my advance in age 38?

Lastly, any good advice for a frog in the well on his migration journey to aussie?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

Stanley

Hi Stanley,

If you cannot qualify for skilled migration on points, you will not be able to work here, unless you find an employer who is willing to hire you for your skill set and apply for a work visa for you. It is unlikely in this economic climate but may be your only chance.


Dear NIx,

Good day!

I have been reading your blog and decided to migrate to Australia.

I have been researching on how to go about migrating to Australia and unfortunately, I seem to have hit a road block, thus writing this email to seek your advice on which type of visa should i apply.

I will be turning 36 next year. BE Chemical Engineering from UNSW (Stayed in Sydney for 2.5 years and graduated in 2008). Msc in Maritime Studies from NTU (Graduating in June 2017). Currently working as a Business Development Manager in the Shipping Industry. I have also attached my CV for your reference.

I am confident of getting 60 points in the Points Test BUT my current job is not on the SOL list.

My mother's cousin is a PR in Australia and she and her family are living in Perth (I do not know whether this information helps)

I was thinking of taking part time courses in ITE in Electrical Wiring, Residential Plumbing or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration since these jobs are on the SOL list.

Any advice will be really appreciated.


Regards,
Colin Soh

Dear Colin,

First thing first, I would like to know how you qualify for 60 points in the Points Test. Will you be able to provide a breakdown ?

*Please note that if your occupation is not on the SOL, you will not be able to claim points for work experience nor academic qualifications.


Hey buddy!

Was scrolling through and landed on your site. Loved the Art of Survival; plain, blunt yet simple.

I'm a local Sporean dude and just got my PR. Currently workin on contract job and planning to move down under. I realise getting a job in Oz from Spore isn't gonna be easy. Thought of giving it a try since its been just a month. Plan B is to just move and get an unpaid internship for 3 mths. Any advise?

Kind regards,
Hi dude,

To be honest, I don't have a single clue about unpaid internship or anything like that. If you manage to get one of those, I will appreciate if you can let us know the details so we can all learn from you.


I apologise for being painfully obvious but if you find it hard to find a job in Australia from Singapore, then come here and look!


Hello,

My name is Adam and I cam across your blog about migrating to Australia. I would love some advice or experience that you can share with me with regards to my questions.

First of all, I am a US bachelor grad in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the US for 2.5 years. I am a Chinese Malaysian and I'm 25 years old by March (2017). Do you have any ideas or suggestions on migrating to Australia? The subclass 189 doesn't allow me to accumulate enough points because of my work experience did not meet the requirement of 3 years which I was told that usually the Australia immigration officer pay the most attention to. If you disagree with that statement, I would like to hear your advice on that.

The other way I thought is by studying my Masters degree there and while studying, I could think of an idea to set up a business there. Didn't research much into this path but if you have experience with this path, I appreciate a lot if you are willing to share.

Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon,
Regards,
Adam

Hi Adam,

It sounds really simple. Choose the path of least resistance. Work for 3 years to gain your 60 points then! You'll need the funds to relocate anyway.


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