As the only female (for now) contributor in this blog, I guess I am just here to provide some female insights and to digress away from the NS crap. I currently live in Sydney and have been here for 4.5 years. I was one of the ones who managed to secure a job and a sponsorship from my company so coming here was relatively smooth and easy. However, for those who are reading this in a bid to convince themselves to move to AU, they may feel a little discouraged from what I have to say. (Disclaimer alert) However, below are just my thoughts and what I experienced and it may not hold true for everyone. After all, everyone has a different life and career path and some people may have different experiences.
Firstly, pros of moving here:
1. The weather is really perfect in Sydney. Never
really too hot or too cold. Yeah, we get a few heatwaves here and there but it
is really just that 1-2 days and the rest of summer are like 25 degrees max or
something. Hence, it is really a joy to be out in the sun. Ok, a bit of a bimbo
trash talk here, but I also get to walk around in my skimpy bikini at Bondi
Beach with no one to fat shame me because half the population is obese anyway.
I also don’t have to worry about buying a new Gucci wallet or LV that latest
iphone 7 because no one cares. The idea of wearing whatever you want and nobody
cares is something I truly appreciate about life in Sydney. Of course there are
always materialistic bitches around but seriously, there is probably 50% less
of such people in Sydney than in Singapore.
2. Because of the culture that no one really cares,
if you are LGBT or a single mum or have 20 kids from 20 different fathers, no
one really gives a damn. There is no such thing as you must get married before
30 years old and then go and queue for a BTO or buy a resale from HDB kinda
standard protocols. If you are single at 40 and renting, no one will say
anything. If you are married at 18 with 3 kids, saddled with mortgage and had
20 boyfriends before, no one really cares either. Feel free to move in with
your partner (can be of any gender) and you can live like a proper couple
without much discrimination.
3. Working hours here are relatively shorter than
in Singapore and I get 21 days of annual leave. I work 38 hours a week and
really, no one cares if I am 30mins late or if I have to leave 1-2 hours
earlier. I also get to work from home from time to time if I have urgent issues
to settle at home. Due to this, I get ample sleep. I know, you guys are gonna
say I am like a pig. But adequate sleep makes me feel healthier, prettier, more
vibrant, more relaxed and less hot tempered. This enhances my overall
wellbeing. Better than any vitamins or fad diets.
Now, the cons:
4. On paper my salary looks good. It is perfect if
I want to use it to apply for a housing loan or something. In reality, the
amount of money that is deposited into my bank account is so little due to the
high tax rates. Without kids or property, I don’t get to claim much back from
my taxes. In Singapore, I can walk into almost any restaurant without thinking
and have dinner with my friends every night. Here, I have to look through the
menu to ensure I can afford it before I dare to walk in. It took me at least 2
years to get back to the kind of life style where I can dine out with my
friends and enjoy a nice night chatting.
5. Although my colleagues aren’t overtly racist or
anything, it can be seen that most of the senior management team are whites.
They do treat me ok and I have not heard any racist or disrespectful remarks
but really, if you are thinking of climbing the corporate ladder, you can
forget about it.
6.
Every single damn thing here needs to DIY or it
is damn expensive. Maybe everyone thinks I am pampered. Fine. I am single,
petite and a GCP. I am sure plenty of Singaporean women are. They all just have
husbands to rely on to do menial tasks.
So it makes life really hard when I just moved here when I have to
assemble my own bed, assemble every single piece of furniture I have in 1 week.
Try calling a handyman to do all this for you?
Response: “Hey mate, I am kinda
busy recently. Can you wait a couple of months?”
7. The people are here really quite kao bei.
Whinging all the time. I guess you can tell when they are changing prime
ministers every year. Building a train near the house? Complain noisy and the
view no more. Cutting that tree in the park? Complain that their dogs have no
more place to pee. I know, most sinkies like to kao bei kao bu too. But really,
we are all talk no action. The most we do are to be keyboard warriors and rant
online or go to speaker’s corner and hold a rally. They will really fight to
make sure that they are heard. As a result, nothing ever progresses here.
Constructing a new airport take 15 years or more. Ezi link card aka opal card
only started 2 years ago. This relates to work as well. Imagine you want to
propose something to an angmo… wait long long ba…
So… why am I still here? Because point no. 2 and 3 are my priorities right now. I just want to lead a simple stress free life and do whatever I want to do. My priorities may change in the future and I may end up moving back to Singapore after all. Until then, I should be hanging around in Australia. But really, no country is perfect. Don’t assume the government here is any better than PAP. A hateful political party exists everywhere. Ah tiongs and pinoys are infiltrating the world and there is no way you can escape them. Moving here should be based on your personal preferences and priorities and not because you hate a certain political party or you want to escape the FTs.
Comments
Post a Comment