Singapore

HDB Balcony Gardens

September 24, 2009 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Singapore’s HDB housing blocks can look pretty sterile. From the outside they all look the same. In some areas there are whole groups of buildings that are built in the same fashion. From what I’ve noticed, it seems like tenants have a lot of leeway with what they do to the interiors, but sometimes the hallways and corridors are just plain boring.

So, it’s nice when you’re walking down a corridor and you see that people are taking an initiative to liven the place up a bit, to make it more natural looking and more cozy.

A lot of people have personalized signs in front of their houses with their family name. Some people get custom metal gates installed with designs in them, like birds.

Other people go to more extremes and have lots and lots of plants. It’s very pleasant and refreshing seeing that splash of green down an otherwise drab corridor, especially considering how much extra work it has to be to maintain it all.

Some people get very creative with their plants:

I thought the fish were a really nice touch.

It also reminds me of my mom’s balcony. She has a little garden out there where she grows tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, which is even more impressive considering she lives in New York City and she does it with limited space. She also sets up flowering creepers, morning glories, every year. She attaches string so that they grow to cover the balcony from top to bottom. When they bloom it looks really great and makes the place feel a lot more alive.

I’m looking forward to the next time I’ll be able to see these in person. Photo courtesy of my mom!

It was really interesting to me how much people are able to modify their HDBs, because I’m used to places like this being apartments, where you’re only renting. You can’t make any changes without approval, and who wants to improve a residence that they don’t own? HDBs are owned though, so it makes sense to put some effort into them.

Aggressive Salespeople Are Ineffective

September 19, 2009 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Sometimes employees in Asia can be a little too helpful for comfort.

There’s a stereotype that in the Southern US, people are more friendly. In most cases that’s true. It’s not unusual to have a conversation with a stranger. It’s acceptable to ask a stranger for directions. It’s not uncommon to have a conversation with your server and, depending on where you go, it doesn’t take long to become a “regular”.

Now, take that hospitality and re-imagine it as something aggressive and unwanted and that’s what you get from many sales clerks in Asia. Add being a white foreigner to that and you wind up being harassed almost nonstop when in a shopping area.

It’s not particular to any one country either. I’ve experienced it in every country I’ve visited in Asia so far.

Philippines

The first time I took a trip to the Philippines we stopped by a mall. Which mall it was slips my mind now, but we were in a big department store. I think we were looking for some new socks.

(Picture from the store where the sock incident occurred. This outfit looked really gay so I took a photo of it to laugh at later.)

Distributed throughout the area were dozens of sales people. They looked like vultures. As soon as I stepped off the laminated walkway and onto the carpeting and showed the slightest interest in something on the shelf it was like watching cats descend on a bowl of fresh fish.

“May I help you sir?” “Would you be interested in this sir?” “How about this?” “We have a special right now on…”

All this before I’d even finished looking at the first package of socks I’d picked up. How am I supposed to know what I want before I’ve had a chance to properly browse? And what makes this horde of sales people think I’m incapable of picking out a package of socks on my own? I don’t have to be a local to successfully complete that mission!

Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This one was kind of expected, since it was, after all, a tourist area. But it’s still unnerving to walk down a row of stalls and have people constantly calling, “Sir! Good deal sir! Hello! Hello! Hello!” As if I didn’t hear them when they first started talking, and I’ll stop just because they say hello? I don’t think so.

Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Again, this is somewhat expected because it’s a tourist area, but some of them were seriously aggressive. They would step out in front of you and try to block you from moving on as they waved flyers and menus in your face. One of them even tried to grab my arm. That’s definitely not cool.

You don’t see that sort of thing happening in Singapore quite as much. Well, it’s not as aggressive anyway. If you enter a store and start handling the clothes one person may stop by and ask if you need assistance, but if you decline, they leave you alone. My only issue is that they approach you as soon as you start browsing. Then, when you do need assistance they’re elsewhere, behind the register or in the stock room. It would make more sense for them to approach you after a few minutes of being in the store.

Where it is a bit bothersome is at the hawker centers and food courts. People will call out to you and try to draw your attention. Some of them are more subtle. They try to be friendly, or try to guilt you into buying. There’s a particular woman that sells fish soup at the nearby hawker that tries to win people over with a charming smile. So, like I said, not so bad, but still more than what I’m used to.

It Just Doesn’t Work!

I suppose you could say this adds to the excitement and experience of visiting these places, but I’d rather relax and not have to worry about being hounded by people every time I get near a store, restaurant or bar. Rather than draw me into a sale, what this type of behavior does is push me away. I don’t want to feel like I’m being forced into making a purchase and I definitely don’t want to be hassled on a vacation. Well, Singapore doesn’t really count as a vacation, since I live there, but I thought it was worth adding for comparison.

Oh, and one other thing I noticed is that there seem to be more salespeople in Asian stores than in the US, where you sometimes spend 10 minutes trying to find a single employee to help you with something.

Your Worst Customer Service Experience Was In:(online surveys)

Misbehavior on Public Transportation in Singapore

September 16, 2009April 9, 2023 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

[Update 15 June 2012: Peoples’ behavior when getting on and off trains really isn’t that much better in New York City. In fact, it’s about the same, or maybe worse. I suppose that’s a “grass is always greener” thing, because I may have been remembering NYC better than it was while in Singapore, or I may be remembering Singapore better than it was now that I have to deal with commuting in NYC every day. The trains still smelled worse in Singapore, though. I can’t forget that day my eyes burned and my wife got nauseous and we had to get off the train and wait for the following one to avoid becoming physically ill. Not that weird situations don’t happen in NYC, like vomit, but it’s just much more infrequent.]

I’m sure that at some point, anyone interested in Singapore has read a post about people doing things that are, basically, retarded when dealing with Singapore’s transit systems. After living in Singapore for over a year, I think it’s time for me to weigh in on the debate. So, here’s my list!

1) When there’s a problem with your EZ-Link card, don’t stand in front of the turn-style scanning it over and over … and over … and over … and over … and over. Obviously there’s something wrong with your card, so after at most three attempts, get the hell out of the way and let other people through! Don’t just stand there looking stupid, annoying everyone else that’s trying to pass through to either get in or get out of the MRT station. There’s a customer service desk usually located less than 10 feet away from the turn-styles in MRT stations. Use it.

this

As you can see, it’s made very plain to people where they should stand. Obviously common sense wasn’t good enough and the lines had to be put on the floor to demonstrate how to be courteous and let people off the train before getting on. On top of that most train doors have images of local actors repeating the warning to let passengers alight from the train before attempting to board. It doesn’t really help though.

Here are some photos from the Outram Park Interchange MRT station that should help illustrate this point to people who’ve never been in Singapore:

Don't Play Play Let Me Come Out First — Don’t “Play Play”. Let Me Come Out First

Lines on platform floor at MRT train doors.

3) This is something that can apply in all situations, but is especially annoying if you’re in an enclosed area like a train or bus. Don’t play your music aloud. There’s a reason portable music players are sold with headphones. Even if you want your life to have a soundtrack, it doesn’t mean the rest of us want to hear it. Respect the people that are stuck being around you. Ya, it’s a free world, but that doesn’t mean you should be rude.

4) This follows suit with #3. Mobile calls can come at any time, but it doesn’t mean people in the front of the bus should be able to follow along with your conversation when you’re sitting in the back seat. Have some volume control on your voice as well, ok? You’re not making yourself look important by talking about your mergers or financial transactions either. You’re still just being annoying.

5) This one is perhaps the most deadly of all, and has been addressed recently by an advertising campaign in the trains:

Please, do stop the horror with soap and water. To paraphrase someone I know, if you stink like old rotting flesh at 7:00 AM, sure it’s impressive, but it’s still disgusting. Really disgusting. I’ve gotten on trains in Singapore at all times of the day, whether it be early morning, afternoon or evening or late night and there’s a varying degree of odor. Sometimes it smells like urine. Sometimes it smells like vomit. Sometimes it reeks of durian. Sometimes it smells like someone shit their pants. Sometimes it stinks of body odor the likes of which makes the eyes burn and the stomach churn. I’m not exaggerating. My wife and I caught a train once over in the Jurong area that stank so bad we got off at the next station to wait for another one. My eyes were watering and my wife was trying not to puke. Ladies and gentlemen, Singapore has great plumbing. USE IT! PLEASE! Wash your nasty asses before getting on the train and subjecting the rest of us to your disgusting body odor. Besides the odor, your fetid bodies are leaving trails of harmful bacteria everywhere you go. I’m almost afraid to hold the handrails in the trains now.

6) On buses and trains there are designated seats for the elderly, pregnant and disabled. If you’re a 20 year old stud and you’re sitting in the reserved seat with a 70 year old woman in front of you, you’re not only wrong, you’re a jackass. Everyone else on the train knows you’re a jackass too.

Well, that’s what I’ve got. Feel free to add to this list by leaving a comment in the comment section below!

Hari Raya Sweets For Sale

September 7, 2009 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Two days ago I wrote a post about being surprised to see “Christmas” lights up already, in September. When I asked about it and found out that it was for Hari Raya, a holiday I’d never heard of, I was surprised. I don’t remember seeing any lights up around this time last year. I also don’t remember seeing any candies or sweets set out for sale either, but this year there are stacks of them!

I’m not planning on “switching over” any time soon, or celebrating Hari Raya myself, but I’ve never been one to let a thing like that stop me from enjoying holiday celebration goodies. So, we picked up a container of these called “dumai chipmore”. I’m not sure if there’s any special significance behind the names, or types, but they looked like a safe bet as far as taste would go. They’re not bad.

Durian Is Just Disgusting!

September 6, 2009 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Before moving to Singapore I’d never heard of a particularly vulgar fruit called “durian”. It is sometimes referred to as the “king of fruits”, though how it can even be considered a fruit, let alone the king, is far beyond me.

The first time I encountered durian was when I was still around the corner from it. The most odious smell assaulted my nose and I stopped, near gagging. It smelled like a whole truck load of rotting eggs had been left to sit in the sun. I later found out that this more than unpleasant odor is typical of this offensive fruit. In fact, the smell is so bad that it’s actually illegal to bring them onto public transportation in Singapore.

The above sign is found on public transportation in Singapore. (Image courtesy of Ich bin ein Ausländer).

The taste of these things isn’t much better than the smell. The smell alone had kept me from even thinking of trying them. I mean, how do you put something in your mouth if just the smell of it makes your stomach clench? So, I’d kept an eye on them from afar, typically afar enough way so that I didn’t have to smell them either.

One fortunate but also unfortunate night (I say that because it was my wedding night), I gleefully grabbed desserts from a buffet and sat down to stuff my face. I bit half of a little pastry into my mouth and thought I’d eaten something that had gone bad. Just as quickly as I had bit into the pastry, I spit out a wad of horrid stuff into a napkin and, as discretely as I could, folded it up and placed it on an empty plate that was ready to be cleared. I had accidentally bitten into a durian puff pastry.

Ever since then I’ve faithfully steered clear of durian. Until last night that is. We were in the kitchen cooking dinner when the maid dropped in and handed us two wrapped candies. She invited us to try them. I poked it and pondered it for a bit and then asked her what it was. It didn’t have any real name on the label, or any list of ingredients.

“Just try it,” she says. “It’s good!”

So, we carefully unwrapped them and looked them over once more. My wife sniffed at it and she made a weird face.

“Is this durian?” she asked. But the maid simply assured her that it was good and urged her to try it.

And, try it we did. She said, “I think this is durian!” I might have said something too if I weren’t trying to keep from puking in my mouth. I quickly spit my “candy” back into the wrapper and dropped it in the trash.

The candy was gone, but the taste remained. It was so much stronger and more unpleasant than the taste of the durian puff I had accidentally bitten into. I had to rinse my mouth and drink Coke to get the taste out of my mouth, and even after that I could still taste it faintly. It lingered there, on our tongues and cheeks, like a hot fart lingers in damp underwear.

I hope I never have to taste that wretched fruit again!

Old Man At Esplanade KKJ Concert Gets Dancing Fever!

September 4, 2009September 4, 2021 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

This video came to my attention through Twitter via a friend (@LaiSan_C (sorry, locked profile!)).

Apparently, this older guy got so into the music by this local Singapore band that he jumped up in front of the stage and started dancing. The short of it is that none of this was organized or choreographed and just goes to show that being cool and having a good time doesn’t have an age restriction!

Here’s the information excerpt from the YouTube page:

That’s the spirit! A senior audience got up and jumped in front of KKJ’s stage at the Esplanade and started dancing to their original composition ‘Lemonade’. The choreography and the dancing was all improvised as he grooved to the song, to much cheers from the crowd of more than 500.

King Kong Jane was named “Best English Local Act” by The Sunday Times in 2008. In the same year, KKJ was crowned the Champion of Power Jam, one of Singapore’s biggest band competitions. In 2007, the band was chosen to perform for Baybeats, the largest indie music festival in Southeast Asia.

KKJ is: Jianping (drums), Renquan (bass), Colin (vocals), Ian (guitar) & Ruishen (guitar). For more information, email the band at kingkongjane@gmail.com or follow them at

Twitter: Kingkongjane
Facebook: King Kong Jane
http://kingkongjane.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/kingkongjane

And here’s the video itself!

Livita Energy Drink in Singapore

September 2, 2009 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

I saw this Livita on the shelf in the drink section of the grocery store at Whitesands (Fairprice I think) and at first thought it was medicine that had been misshelved. My wife glanced at it and told me that it’s an energy drink that’s also sold in the Philippines under another name. A quick look at the label and ingredients told me she was right. I asked her how it tasted and she said it was good. The packaging just seemed a bit off to me, though.

So, instead, I bought a can of Red Bull. I drank that a lot when I was in the Army and it seemed to work well, except when I was doing that leadership training (aka PLDC, aka WLC) anyway. I was only getting 4.5 hours of sleep per day for weeks back then. I could have slept standing up!

Another reason I bought the Red Bull is that when I pointed it out, my wife said she’s never had it before so I’ll let her have a taste. She asked me if it’s good and I had to admit that it’s something of an acquired taste. I hated the stuff when I first started drinking it, but it sort of grows on you.

Do You Know What You’re Eating?

August 27, 2009 Bradley Farless6 Comments

Sometimes I sure don’t. There’s a buffet looking hawker stall near where we live. I’m sure there’s one in almost every hawker center. Anyhow, there is a wide range of choices, but there aren’t any labels telling you what the foods actually are.

You just have to look, guess, hope and point. Sometimes you make good choices, sometimes you don’t, but maybe that’s half the fun of eating the stuff?

What prompted this is that a few nights ago my wife and I were eating and I chose food from that particular hawker stall. When I sat down, my wife said, “Oh! What’s that!” And, I had to admit that I had no clue!

Luckily, most of it tasted good.

Surprise!

August 27, 2009 Bradley Farless3 Comments

This photo was taken at the Parkway Parade Mall’s pet store in Singapore.

Asian Shower Design (Much Different From American)

August 26, 2009 Bradley Farless8 Comments

There are some things that you just somehow expect to be commonplace, regardless of where you go in the world, one of which is showers. Well, that’s how it was for me anyway. I’ve spent my whole life, up until I came to Singapore, believing that all showers were created equal. What I mean is that the shower or shower / tub combo are definitively separated from the rest of the bathroom, so that the water stays in the shower area and the rest of the bathroom stays dry. The water drain is located in the bottom of the shower or in the tub and the water doesn’t flow across the floor.

Water and drains on the floor? Wondering what I’m talking about? Check this out:

This is a bathroom in Singapore. As you can see, there’s no real distinction between the shower area and the rest of the bathroom, other than a slight depression in the floor. There wasn’t even a shower curtain in this one. Now that I think about it, two of the three places I’ve stayed in Singapore haven’t had shower curtains or curtain rods. The hose on the wall in this picture goes up to a wall mounted (or optionally hand held) shower head.

Yup. That’s it!

The downside to this is that whenever you take a shower, the whole bathroom generally gets wet from spraying water. The drains for the water are set into the floor, but oftentimes, for no apparent reason, the drains are on the opposite side of the bathroom from where the shower is. Also, the buildings have sometimes settled and are no longer level, so the water winds up pooling before it runs to the drain.

On top of that, spraying your butt with water rather than using toilet paper is a common practice in Singapore from what I’ve seen, which leads to this sort of problem:

Every time you go to the bathroom and you want to sit on the seat you have to wipe it down. Honestly I should be wiping it down with a disinfectant each time too, because that’s not just water. That’s someone else’s butt water.

You expect to miss things when you move abroad, but a dry bathroom and toilet seat just weren’t on my list of things I thought I would be missing.