Comments on: Why Private Space Is Worth Nothing In Singapore

By: annoymance

annoymance — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:22:13 +0000

I can understand that people got uncomfortable when their personal space is being interrupt. However, this might be a culture issues as well. If you look at people in india, their personal space is so small, almost like no personal space. This is also partly becos of their population.

By: Ro

Ro — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:08:43 +0000

I’ve unconsciously developed a natural defense mechanism for flyer harassment, diamond salesmen and restaurant touts in Boat Quay. I only realized this recently, when a friend from my country came to visit and pointed that out, but I think I have been doing it for some time and it actually works! Here’s my tip. I hope it helps you cope with the invasion of your private space and enjoy (even more) the experience of living in Singapore ;-)

When you see the annoying individual approaching towards your direction, look relaxed like you are not bothered by their presence. Without lifting your arm, raise the right hand a little bit. Then shake your head slightly saying no, and for a short moment close your eyes matter-of-factly. The hand will avoid a further invasion of your space. The nod and long blink will most times save you the “No thanks” that will naturally come to your mouth and prevent them from even asking further. It works with all except with the Israelis that sell dead sea creams, nail polishers and electric hair curlers in some malls. They are really nice people if you have time to talk to them, but so aggressive that even westerners have issues getting rid of them, and I’ve heard that some locals have complained about their techniques.

By: Peishan

Peishan — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:44:22 +0000

I’m born and bred Singaporean and have been in Canada and Australia for the past 9 years. Only just returned home 2 months ago. Agree the ’squeeze’ factor is pretty high here, especially when you compare it to those in Canada and Australia but I would pick a city with a high squeeze factor over one with a low factor anytime. Why? I don’t particularly like living in ‘ghost towns’–the more people I see, the more alive I feel… totally love people-watching… especially aunties and their antics. I admit it can be challenging getting on/off MRTs what with people crowding by the entrances/exits, refusing to move inwards AND people rushing to get on without letting passengers get off first–this is not unique to SGP… happens in Sydney as well and I dare say, many other cities.

Akira – Re: Singaporeans being too lazy to walk up the stairs… yeah, think this is prob true… but perhaps people who still prefer taking packed escalators as opposed to heading up stairs coz they are green? I mean, electricity’s being used up anyway—if no one takes the escalators, electricity used would go to waste… (^_^)

By: admin

admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:57:05 +0000

Akira, thanks for the comment, i made a long comment about that exact issue you discovered in the MRT in this post http://www.angryangmo.com/2008/12/18/singapores-mrt-system/
Check out the comment section where you will find my text

By: Akira

Akira — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:34:42 +0000

I get what you mean with this private space. In the US it’s called personal space. It’s the smallest distance between two people before one starts to feel uncomfortable. I recently returned to Singapore for a visit and was annoyed that my private space was being constantly invaded. I instantly gravitate towards areas where the density of people are the lowest. This led me to an interesting discovery. In the subways, people get in line and squeeze themselves tightly on the escalators. However, the staircase right next to the escalator is empty! I was only too glad to take advantage of the fact that Singaporeans were too lazy to walk up the stairs.

By: The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 50

The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 50 — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:05:20 +0000

[...] WayangParty Club: Will the PAP allow Singaporeans to review its ‘welfare’ system? – AngryAngMo: Why Private Space Is Worth Nothing In Singapore [Thanks Florian] – The Lycan Times: Random Discourse – The Itch To Write: A coin has 2 [...]

By: admin

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:47:27 +0000

JustPoppingBy, thanks for your comment, i think you made a good point with “the squeeze factor killing the cities livability”, i think its still ok compared to other cities, but…everybody knows about the governments plans to raise the population another 2 million people…

By: The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 19 Dec 2008

The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 19 Dec 2008 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:55:49 +0000

By: JustPoppingBy

JustPoppingBy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:03:43 +0000

I realise that I didn’t articulate it very well, what with eating and typing this at the same time. But I hope you get the gist of what I’m trying to say.

By: JustPoppingBy

JustPoppingBy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:01:41 +0000

It (the concept of loss of private space) got worse in recent years – was more bearable in the past.

I left SG and been abroad for the past three years, each of the three return holiday trips I made to sg during this duration made me feel agitated and claustrophobic

Compared to the past, the squeeze factor contributes towards my thinking that it’s killing the city’s livability. I’ve definitely seen better days, and it saddens me because SG is my country, my home