9 Things Singapore Does Better Than Anyone Else

Besides our infamous airport and the number of millionaires we have in our teensy city, there are several notable things that the residents of Singapore do better than everyone else. Disclaimer: This post was written by a Singaporean for fellow Singaporeans (with a sense of humour;).

Here are a list of 9 things this little red dot excels at:

#1 Complain

Also means, your statement is too outrageous for me to rebutt.
Also means, your statement is too outrageous for me to rebutt.

We complain effectively. No other country does it better than us. The weather, the government, money, lack of freedom & jobs… Why do we complain? Cannot issit? Got problem ah?

#2 Eat

So that's why the government pumps so much money into our hawkers...
So that’s why the government pumps so much money into our hawkers…

If we didn’t have the food we did, about half of our population would have migrated elsewhere. Yes, that’s how integral it is to our lifestyle. Most of our famous hawker foods will give you serious health conditions in the future, but #whocares, #yolo.

#3 Fly

Hmm 4 days can go Batam, 3 days, Bali, then maybe
Chinese New Year can go Batam, Good Friday Bintan, Labour Day can go Bali if Monday take leave. #planningahead

Type “MOM” into Google.com.sg and the second thing on the list is “MOM Singapore Holidays 2014/15”. That’s because we love to fly. Playing tetris with our public holidays and annual leave dates is our nation’s hobby. Where do we go? It never matters.

#4 Shop

It says something when your country's tourism board marks shopping as a main attraction.
It says something when your country’s tourism board marks shopping as a main attraction.

Almost considered Singapore’s unique festival, our GSS (Great Singapore Sale) is the soul of this country. Most of our shiny, developed areas are malls, so you can hardly blame us.

#5 Find a Bargain

"Cheep, cheep, cheep, everything so cheep!"  - Singapore natives on bargains.
“Cheep, cheep, cheep, everything so cheep!”
– Singapore natives on bargains.

Continuing from above, Singapore likes a bargain. Watch us sway at the sign of 40% off and be suckered into a ‘Buy 1 get 1 free’ deal. It’s a siren’s song we can’t ignore, especially if we don’t need the item in question.

#6 Queue

It's not a queue for a cancer cure, it's just H&M.
It’s not a queue for a cancer cure, it’s just H&M.

What’s that? H&M opening? Hello Kitty on sale at McDonald’s? We will queue overnight if necessary. Set up a camp, what have you. Some say it’s part of the thrill, we just say we are kiasu*.

#7 Follow the law

Auto-focus and hard-hitting journalism just do not go hand in hand.
Auto-focus and hard-hitting journalism just do not go hand in hand.

We are great, law-abiding folk. In fact, we’re also a huge nation of tattletales. Combine that together and you get stomp.com.sg, where keyboard warriors furiously shame people who break the law.

#8 Being clean

We couldn't find a picture of actual cleaning, but here's another uniquely Singapore picture.
We couldn’t find a picture of actual cleaning, but here’s another uniquely Singapore picture.

How do you spot a Singapore native away from his/her own turf? We are ridiculously OCD about cleanliness. We will put trash inside our bags until the next dustbin appears and you will spot us cleaning their seats, utensils and tables with tissue before we begin eating.

#9 Being Contradictory

We are Singapore, hear us roar.
We are Singapore, hear us roar.

Although we will grouse about the government and ERP** to no end, it only takes one foreigner to insult us and we will rally like an angry mob of red ants (online, behind our keyboards) to shoot them down. We refuse to admit it, but we really love our country.

*kiasu: A Singlish term meaning, a grasping, selfish attitude. 
**ERP: Electronic Road Pricing, another way for the government to 'ease' traffic on the road by charging vehicles that go through the gantries. 

How many nomads here are from Singapore? Did we miss anything out?

Main photo credit: 1.

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

The Luxe Nomad

Like you, we love to travel but we think that staying at beautiful places shouldn’t come with a hefty price tag. That’s why we’ve gone out there and snagged the best design and luxury hotels and resorts in the Asia Pacific region at rates you won’t believe. WanderLuxe is our little corner of the world where we share our inspirations and thoughts about travel!

2 Comments
  1. French people do actually complain way more and better than Singaporean 😉
    Anyone who has been to France will agree 🙂

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