How has moving overseas changed you?
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Like many Singaporeans, I used to be brand conscious. I haven't been for a long long time now. As long as the product's well made with no huge ostentatious logo, etc and priced right, it's good enough for me.
I've also learned to enjoy baseball. No thanks to the hubster and his family wearing me down.
There are lots more but these are the two that currently stand out in my mind.
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Oh for sure it has, long r the days where i used to buy "branded" clothes. These days, it's H&M or Gap, unless i need shirts.. i go to Club Monaco. Old Navy for shorts.
I've been watching alot of baseball and hockey ! Go Leafs Go !
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Well...i guess i've learnt to be more independant and sociable? People here are very spontaneous...unlike in sg...so yeah...though there's the culture gap but its quite interesting...
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Yes and no.
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I learn to say "hi" or "how are you?" to stranger
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Originally posted by homer28:
I learn to say "hi" or "how are you?" to stranger
Yeah, "how is it going ?" Thanking the bus driver.
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I became a more patient and considerate driver ! ....
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
Yes and no.
this is...the best answer by far....haha
really.
can't beat it
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Originally posted by Fatum:
I became a more patient and considerate driver ! ....
A few more months of driving on Singapore roads will cure you of that!
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hmm.....can i say i was spoilt in sg? always had domestic help then. so, to come here and si mi gui de DIY, jin jia lat. work lah, cook lah, chores lah, babysitting lah, blah blah blah.......
hmm....also more tolerant when things go wrong bah. freaky weather, traffic,........
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Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:
Yes and no.
Details leh...
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You learn social graces like holding the door open for the person behind you; greeting strangers on the street/store/etc like homer mentioned...
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Originally posted by Fatum:
I became a more patient and considerate driver ! ....
All that went out the window when you returned to Singkie?
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Originally posted by jetta:
All that went out the window when you returned to Singkie?
no .....
for a while I dared not touch the wheels at all .... cold sweat all the time ...
and I forgot the art of reverse parking (plutonians park head first, I think because the engine block heater plug's there, lolz) ....
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Originally posted by littlestream:
hmm.....can i say i was spoilt in sg? always had domestic help then. so, to come here and si mi gui de DIY, jin jia lat. work lah, cook lah, chores lah, babysitting lah, blah blah blah.......
hmm....also more tolerant when things go wrong bah. freaky weather, traffic,........
LS, your fluency in Hokkien is always very very interesting! -
more urban, more cosmopolitan in outlook and thinking...speak better english
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jetta's right... although the younger generation tend to go for designer labels, here, there is no obsession with branded and ostentatious goods, unlike in SG. I'm happy with the fact that in general, people here let you be and they don't place a huuuuuge emphasis on your physical appearance. So yeah... I have stopped focusing on the shallower things in life.
I've seen Aussie men dating plump / fat girls here and it seems as if most of them really do look at the lady's inner beauty, unlike in SG where it's just empty words and promises nia, but seldom put into actual practice. I can feel like shit walking down the street in Singapore no matter how nicely I dress up because you can almost tell what they are thinking, "Pity she's too fat!".
But here, I do get the occasional looks cast my way and it does make me feel good! 
Back in SG, there's a HUGE discrimination based on one's physical appearance - if you're not chio, if you're not petite, it's almost a sin to be alive! I feel so unfettered and free here! I've also stopped going to the movies because the movie tickets are way too expensive. I now wait for DVD sales where the prices can be lower than the price of one cinema tix!
I've become rather houseproud ... in a way. I love love love my apartment! It's the first time I've really felt this way about my abode! Because household goods and bedlinen sales are genuinely fantastic here, I have, for the first time in my life, started to coordinate bedspreads and cushions, etc. I have a few lovely sets of bedlinen that I change according to the season. In Singapore, I did have nice bedsheets but it's just not the same as "dressing up" your bed with quilt covers and stuff!
I thought I was independant back in SG cause I moved out when I was 21, but coming here, I truly understand what it really means to be 'independant'.
I've become more resilient, learnt how to communicate more in a more shallow manner (ie. pepper the conversation with strangers with tons of niceties that don't really mean a thing, which is something the Aussies seem to love ), and I've definitely become more practical. I used to be really 'airy-fairy' back home but being all alone here has hit home the fact that hey, I'd better plan for my future... and plan it well! I've had to swallow a few bitter pills as I learnt about myself and my approach to life, but it's all made me stronger inside. It's strange but where I used to be confident to the point of being cocky, I experience a curious mix of confidence one day, and then I crash the next and lose it all. But it's all good cause I'm learning and I always spring back on my feet.
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Originally posted by Fatum:
I became a more patient and considerate driver ! ....
ha ha ha yes.....actually i wonder does it come with age. But I am more patient.... -
Yes, i become more untidy(appearance) when i go for work...simply bcos they dun care on my outlook
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If I count moving to Perth as my first attempt at living overseas.....and Brisbane as on holiday......
I became more brand conscious....cos DFS shops stocks so many perfumes! And the cosmetics! I still remember my Chanel make up sets.
But that time in Perth, gave me a real taste of how white trash hates asians. We nearly had some issues at Freementle, with them boys in a battered up van following our rented car and screaming & spitting at us.
Otherwise, I cant tahan cold weather, even if its not really cold. And I know I couldnt buy shoes there cos my feet is way too small. I also learnt not gamble, since I am always losing.
In California, I learnt that my body shape is considered petite! And its ok to show breasts! Even if it looks vulgar in too low cut tops! Sg will never condone that.
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You mean show your cleavage with confident..........let it breath.......of fresh Air.
i use to have a sg girl colleague who took offense to that, back than i didn't know but should have told her to go to victoria secret to buy a miracle bra..............
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Well, even the miracle bra thing is built differently for asian or US markets.
Asians ones are tighter together. Bras for the caucasian market are built wider, with some space in the materials in front, between the two breasts. So does their undies having extra materials everywhere.
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Hey Rhonda, high 5.
Re: Movies
Going to the movies is just too expensive, even with our military discount. (Watching movies onbase is free but we get movies that are a couple of months old, which I don't mind one bit.) Sometimes to avoid driving the 30 miles to the base, we just stay home and buy movies off our cable tv service provider. Older movies are $1.95 for 24 hours. Ones that are new to DVD are $3.95. Not too shabby. When we're feeling a little richer, we'll head for the drive in where it's 2 movies for $8 per person. But you know, of late, I tend to fall asleep watching movies.
Re: Stature
Yes, I love being a petite here. Buying something you like, off the rack is a good feeling. I'm not considered fat here whereas in Sg, I would be. Life is good.
Being a military wife has made me a stronger person. Being alone for 6 months or more, in a foreign country, learning to count on myself for everything, such is the lot of a military wife. I've taken away so many positives from each country we've been stationed at. Those experiences have moulded me and tempered my mettle. I'm not as shy as I used to be, I'm not afraid to speak in front of a crowd of people, I was forced to switch gears where making a living is concered. Never ever in my life did I ever think that I would be a preschool teacher's aide, then a preschool teacher, a volunteer in my kids' schools, a fundraiser, and more. It's been one heckuva ride so far.
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Learning the basics of fixing my car, bits of plumbing and piping work, or else, it cost a bomb to get a tradesperson to do it for you. I wouldn't be bothered to learn it if I'm living Singapore. I can survive without television. I was turned off by the amount of crap they show on Australian TV. Learn to enjoy AFL, rugby league, rugby union and cricket with a bucket of KFC and beer.
Also, I've witness a fair bit of xenophobia in Australia. There seems to be a constant fear of Middle Eastern cultures. Miss viciouskitty, you could have note the registration number on the van in Fremantle and call the cops.
Agreed with the previous comments; going to the movies is an expensive night's out. Local dvd rentals are so much cheaper. You can't go wrong with 5 complete tv series for 5 bucks. However, I disagree with Rhonda's comment about Aussie men really do look at a lady's inner beauty. Relationship/dating blogs such as "Ask Sam" would go out of business if Aussie men really do look at a lady's inner beauty.
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Heh heh heh....whitesundays, your advise about noting vehicle numbers and reporting to police is what i always tell the roadusers of sg to do.
I am errr......in that system and knows how errrr.....'well' it does work.
On another note, your comment brings to mind a tiny, small issue about asians and ang moh.
Was in the neighbourhood walking the nephew in a stroller. Stopped to talk to a neighbour about his harley bike. Some time later, the guy always seem to be too engrossed in other things whenever I walk by with the kids.
I was later told that his wife must have given him hell. For talking to a asian female. Even though I was bald and ugly as a bat. ....
It was some kinda issues about foreign females stealing their men. About the same as we Sillyporeans felt about PRC females.