This was published in Straits Times. The writer is a Canadian-born copy-editor with The Straits Times. He is moving to Cairo, Egypt, after 15 months in Singapore.
This month marks my last in Singapore, and during the past few weeks I’ve been bombarded with the same question: ‘What did you think of the place?’
It’s a query that every expat faces in the waning days of his time abroad and, in the case of this country, one that defies a neat answer.
Singapore is a model nation amid a sea of uncertainty. Almost everyone has a home. The country has redefined urban planning. Public transport here is the best in South-east Asia. And the tax rate makes most avowed, Western social democrats blush.
But at the same time, Singapore lacks some of the character of its neighbours. And then there are the fines…
At the risk of sounding self- indulgent, here are the things I will miss, and those I won’t.
Top seven things I will miss
MRT: During my first trip on the system, I saw a public service message that featured a terrorist who blew up a train car, presumably killing everyone on board. While officials might want to consider axing that video from tourist-laden airport trains, it’s hard to argue with anything else MRT-related. Punctual and clean, they almost make standing shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of strangers a pleasure.
Little India: A genuine, vibrant area, it is one of the few places in Singapore that have not lanced all of its warts. It shows just how far a little character can go.
Taxi drivers: They don’t make this list for their driving, but for their honesty. This is one of the few countries in the world - and certainly the only one in Asia, besides Japan - where passengers have even a fighting chance of getting back something they left behind.
Trees: It’s amazing to walk through Toa Payoh, where I have lived for the last year, and stare up at the 15-storey-tall trees that line the town’s main streets. They are an example of forward-thinking urban planning, and a repudiation of the scorched earth policy of many Western developers.
Apartment living: While North American cities battle urban sprawl and all the problems that it entails - especially a reliance on carbon-emitting cars - Singaporeans can sit back and relax. Sure, people don’t have the manses of the West, but the local model of development is infinitely more sustainable.
Precision: There is a lot to be said about things working the way they should. From the police to baggage handlers at Changi Airport, Singapore enjoys an efficiency that is almost unmatched.
A forward-looking Government: Unlike many other places, Singapore’s leaders have a coherent plan for keeping the country competitive in a rapidly changing world. Serious investments in everything, from cancer research to the video-game industry, have the country poised for the future.
Top four things I won’t miss
Chinatown: With its sanitised shophouses and overpriced tourist trinkets, it looks more like a slice of South Florida than China.
Fines: The list of things you cannot do here is voluminous, and the fines that accompany even the smallest transgressions can be harsh. A $500 fine for sipping a Big Gulp on the MRT? Yikes.
ERP and COE: There’s no denying that keeping cars off the road is a good thing. Along with improving traffic flow, ERP and COE have prevented a massive amount of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. But this system of owning cars benefits the wealthy, and is this fair?
The kid gloves: There is a prevailing sense among officials that Singaporeans are not ready for everything from a no-holds-barred Internet to a Western-style democracy. Well-educated and discerning, it seems to me, most are.
These days, it is not difficult to be disheartened (and distracted) by headline figures of jobs losses and economic slowdowns. A recent Reuters poll showed that Singapore‘s economy will contract by 1.1% in 2009, a substantive reversal from its original projection of 4.9% growth only 2 months before. This shows how confidence can be easily eroded by the relentless onslaught of negativity in the past 6 months.
Underlying the gory headlines, there is a silver lining. That is, skilled talent will be in demand, in good times and bad. A recent Economist article highlighted how while the businesses in Asia will slow, the demand for talented and skilled managers will not. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12638634
Recruiters are still very much looking for talent in the engineering, research & development, professional services (accounting, legal and consulting etc), and yes financial services sectors. This is borne out by a recent trip by Chinese financial institutions to global cities like London and New York to recruit displaced professionals. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2bd85a12-bd7f-11dd-bba1-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1
As at end Nov 2008, there are still more than 600 professional job postings (each posting may refer to more than one vacancy) on Contact Singapore’s job portal put up by employers in the very same sectors mentioned above. www.contactsingapore.sg/jobs
We always hear how talent is mobile and will go where the gold is. In the inter-connected world that we are in today, fortunes of developed and emerging economies rise and fall almost in tandem (notice how nobody is talking about the Asia decoupling now). It will be interesting to see how the global war for talent pans out as the world enters into possibly its worst slowdown in 70 years, where almost no country (not even China and India) is spared. It is almost like the deck of "fortune" cards are being re-shuffled and odds of success re-calculated. Which card will come out on top? Which will move up the heap?
We hear well-argued debates on what monetary and fiscal policies different countries should adopt to stabilise their banking systems and reboot their economies. One suspects it would also be the countries with the most progressive work pass policies to attract and retain talent that would emerge stronger and much more prepared to catch the next wave of growth.
PS: Professionals who wish to go to Singapore to explore business and career opportunities can consider applying for the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) which facilitates entry, stay and work in Singapore, without the need to secure a job first: -http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/communities/work_pass/PEP.html
Singapore is the best place to move for those seeking a new life overseas, according to research.
The city state has topped a survey of the ideal destinations for ex-patriates, based on living standards, financial opportunities and accommodation.
The research, which was based on the opinions of 2,155 ex-patriates living in four continents, also asked how easy arrivals had found it to integrate into their new surroundings, how much they were enjoying their new lifestyle and how their children had adjusted to the relocation.
The United Arab Emirates and the United States are the next best choices for emigrants, according to the survey, which was done by the bank HSBC International.
However there was bad news for destinations closer to home. Jersey was ranked only the 15th most desirable places to live, with apparently poor accommodation and a low level of luxury on offer to ex-pats.
And the channel island only just propped up the mainland, with the United Kingdom finishing in 14th place. The UK was found to be the most expensive country for new foreigners to find accommodation, with more than 85 per cent of respondents saying that their living costs had increased after moving here. Even France did better, finishing 13th.
Hong Kong was found to be the place to go for ex-pats seeking to boost their pay packets. Almost half of all foreigners living there said they were now earning more than £100,000 a year, with those in the financial and management sectors claiming to be the most handsomely rewarded.
For those moving abroad and able to afford it, the report also provided details of the most luxurious locations. Based on countries’ access to private healthcare, opportunities to own more than one property and availability of domestic staff, the United Arab Emirates was rated most highly, followed by Singapore and India.
Of the countries surveyed, the United Arab Emirates comes out top with expats earning an average salary of £79,000 a year. Expats working in Italy and France can also expect to earn more than they would in the UK, with the average salaries £76,000 and £73,000 respectively.
In many countries a reduced cost of living means expats are financially better off. Among expats living in Spain, 95% of those surveyed estimate the cost of living is cheaper.
David Isley, head of NatWest International Personal Banking, said: “The wage packets of expats are very encouraging for people who are looking to move abroad. The expat wealth rankings shows that people who are willing to move abroad not only benefit from bigger earnings in countries such as Spain and Italy, but also have the advantage of a lower cost of living.
“This means that people living in places like Spain and Italy are financially better off overall.”
Of the countries surveyed, Singapore came in fifth with an average expat income of £67,000 a year.
SINGAPORE, May 8 - U.S. broker Cantor Fitzgerald & Co is expanding its Asian equities and derivatives business to Singapore, targeting sales to institutional clients such as hedge funds, an executive said on Thursday.
"We chose Singapore due to the fact that it has become one of the newest destinations in Asia for hedge funds," William Selig, a managing director at the firm who will head the local office, told Reuters.
"The Singapore government’s foresight in developing a global financial hub attracted us here."
New York-based hedge fund manager Galleon Group is also setting up a Singapore office to manage its $1.1 billion Asian long/short equity fund, and to venture into new fund products, banking sources told Reuters last month.
Cantor’s expansion is in contrast to a number of large financial institutions, which have shed jobs aggressively in recent months.
Wall Street investment banks, stung by debt losses, have axed tens of thousands of jobs, but even more significant reductions are expected amidst a bleaker earnings outlook.
Selig said the focus was to provide execution services to institutions, such as hedge funds and corporates. It has a team of five sales staff, but plans to hire more, he added.
The number of hedge funds in Singapore rose 76 percent to 190 in 2006, while assets managed by these funds rose 150 percent to $26 billion, according to central bank data.
With the addition of Singapore, Cantor Fitzgerald has offices in 30 locations around the world, including Hong Kong.
Market downturn forces executives to quit London and New York
From the Times April 21 2008
by Rhys Blakey in Bombay
The tale has been circulating since the new year of a beleaguered Wall Street bank that told its senior rainmakers to prepare to relocate to an emerging market or to leave the firm.
As one executive is reputed to have said, with deals drying up in London and New York, it was a case of “Mumbai, Dubai, Shanghai - or goodbye”.
Now that story is looking less and less apocryphal. As jobs are cut in the City and in Manhattan, the pace of the bankers’ exodus to the East is accelerating.
Naomi Molson, a senior private equity banker based in London for Merrill Lynch, is the latest. She will move to Hong Kong to head the group’s Asian general industries division.
Ms Molson had chaired Merrill’s European financial sponsors group, which caters to private-equity clients, but that is a sector in which deals have all but died in the wake of the credit crunch.
The internal memo announcing her transfer spelt out the reasons: “Within the Pacific Rim, China and India, in particular, represent some of our greatest opportunities,” it said.
“Accordingly, we must align with them our most senior and successful bankers.”
The City had already lost several big-hitters in the same way.
Morgan Stanley has moved Scott Matlock, a mergers and acquisitions star, to Hong Kong from London to become chairman of Asian M&A, a newly created role. Owen Thomas, the bank’s head of asset management, was appointed Asia chief executive.
Late last year, Barclays Capital moved Ivan Ritossa, its global head of foreign exchange, from the City to Singapore.
Citigroup shifted Ted Kuh out of London to Hong Kong to head the Asian consumer and healthcare investment banking division, a path since trodden by others at the same bank.
Back at Merrill, Jayanti Bajpai, who had worked in London previously, was appointed chief of investment banking in Bombay.
Frank Hancock, the head of corporate finance in India for ABN Amro and one of the architects of Tata’s £4.3 billion acquisition of Corus in 2006, says that the trend for talent to be drawn to India has gathered pace over the past three or four years.
“It’s happening not necessarily because of the troubles in the West - where today there are certainly fewer deals to be done - but because of the rise of India as an economic power,” he said.
A spokesman for Merrill’s Asian business said that the division was now “lucky enough to be able to cherry- pick” senior talent from Britain and the United States.
“The engineering behind deals here is very different and far more attractive to a senior banker than the plain vanilla stuff and 1 per cent growth you may see in the West,” he said.
For dealmakers unhappy at the prospect of standing idle, Asia, which has emerged from the sub-prime debacle relatively unscathed, is an obvious destination.
So far this year, mergers and acquisitions activity involving Asian companies has fallen by only 1 per cent, compared with 2007, according to Thomson Financial, the data provider.
Globally, there has been a 27 per cent drop. Not including Japan, Asia accounts for nearly a fifth of global M&A, a share set to rise as the financial pendulum swings East.
Not all institutions are pressing on at full speed. UBS, which has taken Europe’s biggest sub-prime hit, is dithering on long-term plans to launch a wealth management business in India after an upheaval in its top management, according to sources close to the process.
Yet how long can it cling to the old way of doing things, to the era of the suitcase banker, who flies in to meet clients before jetting back to London, Hong Kong or New York?
In the past two years, Goldman Sachs, Merrill and Morgan Stanley have left local joint ventures in Bombay to set up independent operations.
Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers have opened new offices. Moreover, most of them are hiring and few are finding it difficult to attract Western personal.
Sudarshan Narayan, managing director of Clark & Kent, the Asian-focused headhunters, estimates that there has been a 20 to 25 per cent increase each year in the number of Western bankers heading to centres such as Singapore for the past two years.
He expects the trend to increase sharply this year: “Dealmakers don’t want to sit on their hands back home.”
Alan Rosling, executive director at Tata and Sons, the holding company for the Indian conglomerate that has bought Land Rover and Jaguar, said: “The investment bankers have woken up to India. You can have a hell of a lot of fun in Bombay these days.”
Which cut is the deepest?
—Citigroup announced 9,000 new job cuts last week, on top of about 21,000 globally at the bank in the past year. About 300 of the latest losses will be in London
—Merrill Lynch revealed a further $6.5billion hit on Thursday and said that it would cut another 4,000 jobs worldwide, of which about 400 are expected to come in the City
—On the same day it emerged that UBS was preparing to cut 900 banking staff in London. About 10 per cent of its workforce in the City will go as part of a larger global cutback that could involve the loss of 4,000 jobs
—Cuts are expected at Bear Stearns, which employs 14,000, after its merger with JPMorgan
—Wachovia, the fourth-largest U.S. bank, plans to lose 500 jobs
—JPMorgan estimates that 40,000 City jobs could go in the wake of the credit crunch.
—The dot-com crash cost an estimated 15,300 jobs in London, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research
Contact Singapore Immersion Programme for UK and US Undergraduates!
Contact Singapore is organising the inaugural Contact Singapore Immersion Programme for undergraduates in the UK and the States! Apply and win a subsidised trip to Singapore! Listen to top employers in the finance industry share why you should come to Singapore to pursue your dream career in Asia and possibly get a job offer!
On 5 April 2008, Contact Singapore (Europe) jointly organised Careers@Singapore (Financial Services) at Millennium Gloucester Hotel London where more than 350 finance professionals and students heard from senior representatives from Contact Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and senior management of Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Credit Suisse and Citigroup on the latest developments in the financial sector, and had the chance to network with 10 headhunters from leading placements firms with offices in Singapore. More than 200 Singapore-based job positions (and many more vacancies) in the financial services sector awaited the eager crowd.
And a diverse crowd turned up. Many were professionals working in the City, some with more than 10 years of working experience. Others were postgraduates of top Business schools in Europe, eager to take in lessons outside their classrooms, and of course, seek out job opportunities for their next career move. Even freshmen could be spotted hobnobbing with top honchos from the finance industry paving the way for their first job, perhaps in dynamic Asia.
Questions came fast and furious when the session was opened to the floor. Most tellingly, many were interested as to whether Singapore could weather the current crisis in the U.S., which looks increasingly likely to envelope the world. While most panelists reflected that no one in the global economy is immune, one participant perhaps summed it up best during networking lunch – the fact the financial institutions in Singapore are still steadily recruiting in London and New York (on 17 May) in this period of uncertainty was glowing testimony of how far the finance industry in Singapore has come. Such resilience would only increase the confidence of job seekers that Singapore could yet chart a steady course in the choppy seas ahead.
Shouts of jubilation rang through Singapore Centre in London when it was announced at 11am (GMT) that Singapore will be the proud host of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
While part of the joy undoubtedly has to do with some of us meeting our performance targets with this announcement, the pride in the atmosphere is unmistakable.
This Olympian effort epitomises what Singapore as a country is all about - vision, desire to succeed and common purpose. Around the world, we are recognised for our honesty, integrity and commitment to fair play, and we share the IOC values of excellence, friendship and respect.
Come 2010, over 5,000 athletes and officials will descend upon our shores to participate in what promises to be the highlight of our youth sporting calendar in that year. What an opportunity it will be to showcase to the rest of the world what Singapore is all about!
Recently, I visited 3 German Universities to talk to students about career opportunities in the healthcare industry in Singapore.
The response was indeed heart-warming. We spoke to over 120 students. Each presentation session ended with raucous table-knocking by attendees (their way of showing their appreciation, in place of applause). The questions posed also displayed genuine interest in wanting to find out more about Singapore and/or her healthcare industry.
While most Germans are very well-traveled, many who attended our sessions have not been to Singapore and asked about quality of life and cost of living issues. As luck would have it, the Sunday Times today featured an interview with a German currently living and working in Singapore, which covered some of the questions asked. I attached the article below.
It can be hard trying to understand a faraway island just by reading or hearing from 3rd parties. For what it’s worth, my advice would be - come experience Singapore yourself! The Ministry of Manpower will be launching the Singapore Work Holiday Programme on 1st December. This allows undergraduates and graduates of selection locations to holiday and work in Singapore for up to 6 months! Details as attached.
GERMAN Claus Trenner professes to be a great lover of Singaporean food, especially durians.
But he stops short of putting any sort of animal internal organs in his mouth.
‘Intestine soup, I’m not there yet. I’m still sticking to my pork knuckles,’ said the affable 36-
year-old lawyer who specialises in international business and has a doctorate in law.
The local food obsession comes in waves. At the moment, he is all swept up over rojak sold on the fourth floor of Far East Shopping Centre.
His current food craze also include mangosteens and, yes, durians.
‘I thought durians would be wonderful with beer but I got scolded immensely for suggesting that.’
The permanent resident and partner of law firm Thummel, Schutze & Partners had done his master’s in law at the National University of Singapore.
You could say love made him stay. His 37-year-old Malaysian wife, Meef, was also working as a legal counsel in a bank here.
‘Also, my wife calculated earnings after tax in Germany and Singapore, and thought she would definitely get more massages for that in Singapore,’ said the Munich native. The couple have a five-year-old daughter, Helen.
Q Germany’s fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world at 1.39 children per mother. Why aren’t the Germans having babies anymore?
A There is a general lack of support services for working parents. Maybe Germany being one of the largest producers of contraceptives is another reason. Or no one is having sex any more.
Q People talk about German engineering like they talk about American hamburgers. What’s the secret to world-class machine-making?
A We are just genetically geared that way.
Seriously, I think it’s a matter of perception. It’s like American hamburgers. I know for a fact that German ones are far superior and taste better. On the bread alone, we win hands down - no one can re-create German bread.
Seriously, there is of course the time immemorial tradition that German companies stand by - vocational training. Over 60 per cent of Germans do it, and it forms the basis of the German economy.
The Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC) is championing such training in Singapore.
Q According to the World Trade Organisation, Germany is the world’s top exporter. What do you wish the country would export more of?
A I find you can get almost anything in Singapore, provided it is legal of course, and usually at cheaper prices than in the country of origin.
I think export of technology on green energy would be a good start.
Q What’s your one tip for a Singaporean driving down the German autobahn?
A No tips needed here. I think Singaporean drivers are all well and ready for driving on the German autobahn.
Q What’s the biggest difference between German beer and local beer?
A German brewers adhere to the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, which is a purity requirement, allowing the ingredients of beer to consist of only barley-malt, water and hops since the 1500s.
For breweries which use other ingredients such as wheat and rye, the beer must be top-fermented. More recently, yeast and sugar have been permitted in the making of German beer.
As you can see, I take beer quite seriously. Having said that, they both still get you drunk!
Q What’s the one law in Singapore you’d like to change?
A At the moment, nothing comes to mind.
Q Albert Einstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Friedrich Nietzsche: Rank them according to contribution to mankind.
A Well, in terms of real contribution, Albert Einstein for his important works on relativity, physics, philosophy and many others that are very relevant in our daily lives.
Beethoven for his truly remarkable musical pieces. Then I guess Friedrich Nietzsche for his philosophies, which many deem to be highly provocative.
This may sound strange but I find that a visit to other countries always helps me cope. You enjoy the break and then you start comparing, and in the end, I always feel quite good about living in Singapore.
Singapore: Opportunities and Careers in the Technology Sectors
The Biomedical Sciences, Chemicals, Electronics, Precision and Transport Engineering sectors account for more than a quarter of Singapore’s GDP today. Focused in pushing the frontiers of technology, Singapore offers exciting opportunities ranging from R&D, design, production to supply-chain management , regional and global strategic business planning & development.
Choose a US or UK city near you and attend the free information sessions by Contact Singapore and the Economic Development Board to hear about latest developments and opportunities on working and living in Singapore. Attendance by registration only. To register, go to the following URL
Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang officiated the opening of Singapore Centre London on 21 September 2007.
Contact Singapore, the Economic Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board are now housed under one roof in Grand Building on Trafalgar Square.
My landlord sent me an email the other day asking me whether I would like to renew my lease.
It is stated in my current contract that my lease can be renewed at an increment rate of 4% to 8%.After some haggling, the final rate of increment is fixed at about 6%.I was told if my place is put to the market today, it would fetch 15% to 20% higher than the current rate I am paying.
This is insane.
I had lunch with GW (again, when will I ever learn my lesson), SH, N, A, P and E today. I realized they are also in the process of moving house.Their landlord raised the rental rates by a hefty 20%!They decided to move and have found some temporary accommodation while they look for a more affordable place.
It is interesting N mentioned FT published an article today on the escalating property prices in the UK, especially in London.My landlord told me the CPI (a proxy for inflation) rose by 4.5% in London in the past 12 months.I am still trying to find some credible evidence to substantiate/refute this claim <finance students out there, help me out here>.But the ground feeling is he is not far off.
Property prices in Singapore have seen its own phenomenal rise in the past 3 quarters (see Economist article).Rental rates have also moved quite significantly though anecdotal feedback still points to it being more than a decade behind HK and of course London.
It is even more coincidental that it was mentioned in The Sunday Times today saying that a studio apartment costing $1,400 to rent in Singapore would rent for $4, 300 in London! <Erm for those of you who unfortunately/indignantly do not subscribe to ST can refer to the article I attached below>
A recent article in ST stated that Seoul is now the most expensive city in Asia for expatriates mainly due to the strong won. Within Asia, Tokyo was placed second followed by Yokohoma, Kobe, Hong Kong and then Taipei. Rounding up the top ten rankings were Beijing in seventh spot followed by Shanghai, Singapore and Jakarta.
According to ECA international, the differentials between Singapore and the rest of Asia have also narrowed significantly as living costs in the city-state have risen above average levels.
This is a league table I hope Singapore will never top.
ST Article dated 12 August
S’pore stalkers are oh-so-sweet
By Serene Goh
DYLAN Foster, 29, is known to most at The Bellini Room at StJames Power Station as the Down Under crooner.
The native Australian from Sydney (for those who must know, he is single) fronts the club’s local jazz talent - including its house band led by Stephen Francis - and performs alongside Dawn Ho and Jeassea Thyidor from Monday to Saturday.
He arrived here after spending eight years in London, where he worked as a composer, live performer and sessionist. With the a cappella group the Flying Pickets, he composes and arranges music; he also sings tenor and baritone.
What audiences might not as readily notice - between his somewhat smarmy renditions of standards such as Sway - is his wisecracking side.
At the Flying Pickets website, he counts among his ambitions his aim to be a ‘professional dragon slayer’ when he grows up, and believes that in a previous life he was a ‘lesbian’.
He also compares Singapore and London, like so: ‘Our Australian skin perspires somewhat more so here in Singapore. Australians don’t seem to sweat as much in London, other than that it’s the same.’
Q With the world-famous Flying Pickets a cappella group, you have performed at The Royal Albert Hall, Alexandra Palace, Grosvenor House, The Savoy and The Ritz. How would you compare the audience at The Bellini Room to that?
A I don’t really play at clubs like Bellini in London, most of my work is in the ballrooms of London and the theatres of mainland Europe. Bellini does remind me of some Sydney clubs I used to play before I moved to London. I think the main difference between the audiences is the fantastically high percentage of beautiful women here. Londoners may be funky but the audience at the Bellini Room is definitely more beautiful.
Q What effect does local cuisine have on vocal chords that need to be kept as grease-free as possible?
A Most of those singers- can’t-eat/drink rumours are old wives’ tales. Whatever you swallow doesn’t go anywhere near the vocal chords, and Singapore food is one of the best parts about being here. It’s great, I love it!
Q London has gone smoke free, so has Singapore. What’s the effect on a performer?
A For me it’s like a dream come true. Cigarette smoke is one of the worst things for the voice, and Singaporeans smoke a lot. There is no performer who wouldn’t benefit from this.
Q One of Madonna’s stalkers threatened to kill her, Hollywood director Stephen Spielberg’s threatened to rape him, but in Asia, you hardly hear of stalkers. True?
A You mean Singapore stalkers? Oh yeah, there are some here, but they are really clean and polite and wear really little shorts and all in all are an absolute pleasure to have around.
Q Just how often do Singaporeans make requests for Hotel California, Sway and New York, New York compared to Londoners?
A Yeah...the request thing...we don’t really do that in Europe, or if we do, I am never doing the gigs that are doing requests. It is a cultural thing I think.
But those three are pretty high on the request list anywhere, slightly below Fly Me To The Moon and Home. In Singapore though, I would say that two of your three may actually be of the most requested in history.
Q Here, a 350 sq ft studio apartment costs about $1,400 to rent, although a similar unit in a similar location in London costs about $4,300. What else has Singapore got going for it, in terms of living costs?
A Food! Cheap and very good. Taxis - you nearly have to mortgage your house to afford a taxi ride home from a gig in London. Basically, everything is cheaper in Singapore - except alcohol.
I have always been interested in people. I like to know how they think, why they react in a certain way and basically how they view the world and the people around them. I am also someone who is extremely fascinated by stories of humanistic triumphs against unbelievable odds. The strength of the human spirit never fails to amaze me. I am continually inspired and energized by stories of people who commit themselves wholeheartedly to their causes and make Herculean efforts to achieve them. I am an avid follower of sports and politics also partly because it is in these areas that stories of extraordinary human endeavor are most prominent.
