“Thanks Auntie, keep the change! Wait!! My chicken rice is 5$? Bloody Hell, keep the chicken rice instead, I go somewehere else..”
But going somewhere else though might be a bit of a problem these days too. Scratching Head. What has happened to my fresh cut fruits, my kopi c, always empty Ezylink card value and well, the chicken rice downstairs. Downstairs at my now newly Condo priced – same old HDB flat.
Aren’t we all kind of Walking Backwards here?
I recently took 3 steps and 2 rooms backwards in my groing up process and moved back in with someone to cut short the exploding rent hikes. I’m not sure where to start or whom to ask what went wrong, but looking back those four eventful years I have spent by now in the Lion City, I cant help but say “Those good old days” ..
Now before you jump on to the bandwagon of those comments saying “BUT.. look at all the improvement, look at the casino where you can lose your money, look at the amusement parks with never working attractions, look at the safety and economical health brought to you by a democratic government, now with a record 7% of parliaments seats occupied by the opposition. And don’t forget, look at Hong Kong, well, just look at them, cant you see? We are much MORE expensive now! Hurray!!
A questionable Title
So yes guys and girls, I know Singapore has improved in numerous ways that are actually to numerous to go through right now, which is why I might as well just concentrate on one thing that went bad pretty much, my living quality combined with my living expenses. My money, mullah, dollars, they are disappearing and shrinking in their amount increasingly rapid.
Singapore more expensive than Hong Kong
Singapore is now officially the 3rd most expensive country to live in in Asia, number 10 in the world and yes, overtook Hong kong for the first time this year, which actually fell one place in the ugly rankings. This might be a great thing for our father of the republic any tax collector and pretty much anyone else with a healthy working business, paving a golden sidewalk to increase their prices whereveer possible. “Hello MRT Master , I know you increased our fairs the last time in 2008, but was the maximum of 2.8% really necessary this year?”
I remember very vividly my personal first encounter with inflation in Singapore, it was about 4 month after having started working in the Central Business District and my “breakfast lady” raised the price for a set of Kopi, two halfboiled eggs and a delcious Kaya Toast” from 2.5$ to 2.7$. I was outraged. That’s almost 20%, what the hell!! I will never get a 10% pay raise, neither this year nor next year. And I was quite right about that, my pay hasn’t increased at all and my breakfast is 3.5$ today three years later.
Bring me back…
You can take the breakfast example and apply to to about everything else, the pint at Boat Quay, the Cinema Ticket at Golden Village, my Taxi fair, my praking fair, my library penalty fair. Its not fair, especially if you consider that the counter argument is, that the whole dirty process is just a sign of good economy and confidence. ARE YOU SERIOUS?
So yeah,the “Good Old Days” are a mere 4 years old now and I am not sure if in another 2 years I might be talking about those “Long Forgotten Days”, consider moving to Hong kong, advice to everyone of you, I am just saying.
by an Asia experienced 26 year young expat living and surviving in Singapore since years!
Discovering new interesting and strange things everyday, he provides guides, news and tips for how to survive Singapore and how to best prepare for it.
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9 Comments for this post
Aug 24, 2011 at 9:50 am
Hell yeah, that are things what Mr. PM is proud for. The Casino Royale and the ‘disgusting’ KuDeTa (which has no similarities at all with its first sister in Bali – yes KuDeTa Bali is way much much better) , that crappy Sentosa and it’s unreasonable price of Cafe del Mar… And who said that there’s no beggar and homeless in Singapore?? Last month I went to Singapore for meeting my friend, and when I was back from Zouk for Dash Berlin gig, 4.30 in the morning I saw a man, who speaks Indonesian so fluently and wondering about his accent just like he is the Indonesian-Chinese origin or something, lies down on the pavement, talking and joking with a little lovely cat, and a bundle of plastic bag as his pillow. What a pity old man… How contrast it is with its super crowded Boat Quay at night.
A man at the front desk of a hostel where I stayed honestly admit and complaining on how expensive and difficult the life in Singapore now is. He’s thinking of finding job in Shanghai or somewhere in China instead of staying over in Singapore after he finish his college time. Still proud of your Casino Royale, Mr. PM??
Aug 24, 2011 at 10:51 am
I recently returned to Singapore after having lived 5 years in London and have trouble adjusting to the price differences in everything. Particular grocery shopping!!!
Aug 24, 2011 at 11:45 am
this is so (unfortunately) true! Thanks for sharing!
Aug 24, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Still a hell of a lot cheaper than the UK
Aug 25, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Well, yeah, I’m back in the UK after almost a year in Singapore and although I miss the ‘cheap’ food I think both London and Singapore have the same housing issues. I will never be able to afford a flat on my own in any of those cities!
Aug 26, 2011 at 10:28 am
Increasing from $2.5 to $2.7 does not amount to a 20% increase in your breakfast, but to even less than 10%. Hope you are not working in accountancy… :). Otherwise, this is an interesting article.
Aug 26, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Nice one Flo…indeed we are walking backwards. Linking GDP numbers to growth but ‘growth’ is perhaps only for those privileged few.
Aug 26, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Angry Angmo,
we are just as angry as you ! Even more so when I encounter a 40+ man who wander around hawker centre looking for any leftover food on the table. It really disgusting to see that poor Singaporeans compete food with bird in hawker centre. Angry Bird game should have been invented by Singaporeans !
Aug 26, 2011 at 3:20 pm
I’ve been living in Taiwan for the past decade and each time I return to my country, the more estranged I feel as the landscape becomes the more unrecognizable with each passing year, places from my youth like the Central Library bulldozed away, gleaming temples to capitalism replaced in their wake. The chatter of mainland Chinese slowly but surely taking over the land (even our right to cook curry at home), makes me feel strangely more at home in Taiwan than in Singapore.
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