I relate to the underground wi-fi so much. In Singapore, I used to wonder why Spotify advertised about 'do you want to listen to music even underground?' and I went 'but I can listen underground for free'. Then after I went to New York, I was like 'oh' when I use the MTA... I've been spoiled, sigh.
When I was younger, I would sometimes have to knock on someone's door several floors below to retrieve an article of clothing, because it had blown away and got stuck on another person's washing. I was sent because a child would seem less intimidating 🤣🤣🤣
@@GeorgiaCaney yes my mom's apartment the other day as we came back we all saw a ladies old granny panties on the 1st floor and clothes as well apartment people still uses bamboo sticks to hang their clothes lol , and another time was when the wind blew so damn hard haha guess what the bamboo stick with the owner's clothes fell down on my mom's car windshield and the tempered glass shatter all over inside the car panels lol. Some of the elderly in the uk works at the thrift store's in the uk & other stores as well .
@@blackhorse7553 I think the big difference is that in the UK there's something called "fat-shaming" where people (and generally women) are made to feel in some way "inferior" due to being "overweight", so to comment at all on someone's weight is just taboo and people don't make a point of observing either way on whether someone has gained or lost weight, except amongst family and *very* close friends. This is probably not the case in Singapore where it can be seen as a compliment to tel someone they've lost weight. Though I agree with Georgia that it maybe has gone too far in the UK and people are over-sensitive lol (on many things not just weight comments etc)
I personally think commenting about ones weight during the interview is uncalled for because it is not relevant to the interview and not professional especially if you are not close enough with the person.
Being a Chinese, I can give some insight regarding my interpretation of the "brutal honesty". I personally think it's actually because they're friendly that's why they speak to you with such brutal honesty. If that make sense... Like if someone speak to you with flowery words, everything positive without any contructive criticism, it feels fake. But if they're being honest and is not ashamed of it, it's because they're being friendly and genuine, and there's no such barrier that they need to speak cautiously and at times unnaturally, which in turn sound ingenuine. I do agree it's to do with Chinese culture, I actually prefer the brutal honesty. It must be a cultural shock to you, but be glad if they're brutally honest with you because they're being friendly and genuine.
"You've lost weight" is meant as a compliment. Usually if you start to show things like youtube videos, it has moved from professional to social! For the elderly hitting themselves, its meant to be an exercise to help loosen the tense muscles!
Sarcasm runs in my family..so I guess it really depends on how we were all brought up. Naturally in my family and even the relatives, they dont really take it to heart..maybe that's why our friends, neighbours and relatives loves dropping by and welcoming themselves in whenever our door are open 😅😅 I could just go "mom dad, when you're old I'm dropping you in the nursing homes, you could get free food and people entertaining you all day long" and they would laughed about it and say "well isn't that great, what paradise!" And my grandma would join in and shes almost 100 and she ask if she could join..😅😅 hilarious the people who brought me up and the siblings I grew up with, their honesty and sarcasm which are bewildering at times. I'd rather honesty than two faced any day!
Its cultural honestly, i am personally very straightforward and transparent, its how Singapore culture is, if we have something we need to say we don't hold back, BUT In saying that people these days, modern adults and parents know when to hold back on things that should or should not be said, I think its the more traditional aunties and uncles and parents that just have no filter.
I would think that for many Singaporeans who are blunt and blurt things out of their mouths, they just lack the high EQ and sensitivity without thinking deep enough.
Yeah, when I was in London for a short trip I got so annoyed when I couldn’t get a signal on the Tube. Never thought I would overhear someone say “I’m going into the Tube, I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
The arm thumping does indeed have to do with circulation to kinda "open" up the chi points in the arm and improve blood flow and all that. We don't drop our laundry "all the time". We'll drop the laundry once in a lives, yes. :P And then we learn to master the technique to not drop the laundry and how to make sure sure the clothes are secured and don't fly away. I personally don't like to hang my clothes out the window due to bird poop, litter from neighbours upstairs, and rainy weather. Having to keep an eye on the sky while your laundry is outside can be a bit tiring. The UV rays from the Sun also gives people the mindset that it'll help "kill the bacteria" lingering on the laundry and I know some people love the scent of laundry that have been recently dried in the Sun. Plus, we have sunshine typically all year round and the Sun is free energy which helps us save money on using dryers. I still use the dryer for my bedsheets and blankets though. Singaporeans can be sarcastic but the way we express it will be different from the British. I can't think of a good example at the moment but it can be along the lines of "You think I'm Superman can fly is it?" in response to someone asking a person to be there within a certain timeframe that is not possible to achieve via car/bus. Work-life balance depends on your workplace. Some are supportive of it, some aren't. You'll have to be lucky.
Laundry @ HDB: We do watch out for neighbour’s laundry (while keeping our own) by shouting ‘下雨了‘ (rain’s here) at the top of our lungs at the window so that they get to keep their laundry too before the rain comes ... the ‘kampong spirit’ we picked up from our old folks 😅😂
My dad's 80 and he's still working. I don't think he ever wants to stop working unless he's physically unable to. I can't picture him being home. He'd be bored out of his wits and would be napping all day probably. He enjoys working and does it by choice. I'm certain that some elderly Singaporeans don't have that luxury.
Amidst the "glamour and bright lights" perception that many foreigners have of singapore, herein lies one of the biggest societal problems of the country. A huge percentage of elderly folk do not have the luxury of your dad of working by choice.
@@deathdragonslayer1 Hi, I'm really interested to know what is the "huge percentage" that you are quoting. If you can show the link or report, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
@@brennanchua2079 You can check out this 2017 report by CNA that sheds more light on this growing societal problem in singapore. www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/ploughing-on-the-faces-and-insecurities-of-singapore-s-elderly-8824490
@@deathdragonslayer1 Thanks for the link, but again as in many reports focusing on specific single case study, there is no statistics to show how big a percentage the issue is. I acknowledge that this is happening and I wish we can eliminate this issue altogether. However, I was hoping to get a statistically reliable number to illustrate the gravity of this issue. Thanks anyway.
@@deathdragonslayer1 I would like you to substantiate your statements with statistics on how huge is the percentage of our elderly are suffering from such poverty that they need to work to survive in Spore? I live in a poor neighbourhood and I don't see such huge problem as you claimed.
Hanging clothes on poles, - they do occasionally fly off if not securely clipped; - coz many have washing machine but may not have dryer so hanging them out under the sun helps dry them thoroughly; Also, reduces odour if/when one perspire; just like in the UK, some hang-dry their clothes in their backyard or garden; - possible nuisance, neighbours who don’t squeeze dry their clothes sufficiently & allow them to drip onto our dried clothings. Even worse, if the colour dye drips & stains. Other possible, inconsiderate nuisance (much less these days), fallen clothings, dripping mop, litterbugs eg cigarette buds, sputum, etc - in the past, there were many who even create additional hanging options by tying ropes/wires between the columns in the front of their corridors. It can be quite an eyesore. Thankfully, less these days but you can still spot them easily. Sarcasm, I guess depending on the level of English language proficiency, it could be lost or misunderstood by some. Brutal honesty, - I guess different cultures find different things or topics taboo or regarded as just “matter-of-fat” (I mean fact) 🤪 - Generally, Singaporeans are habitually obtrusive in giving or making unsolicited advice/comments albeit with good intentions; We are like that among Singaporeans (not that all like it). Worse, we do the same to others too. The arm slapping, - believe that such slapping or massaging (or many more variations) improves blood circulation LOL
Yep washing gets blown away. In my experience, usually the culture is when there is a piece of clothing on the floor, people will pick it up and leave it somewhere near the lift lobby.
Okay Georgia, I have watched your videos since the beginning and I say that how you express yourself and topics has gotten exponentially better. Not that the first ones were terrible, but just an amazing improvement in how you take into consideration your audience, realizing there is most likely a wide spectrum. I just think this video is exceptionally well done. I live in Singapore very part-time as I am employed in the USA, but I certainly have seen everything you cover in this video. I especially agree with you in regards to sarcasm as I tend to tone it down in Singapore, but in the USA I let it rip knowing that the people I am talking to appreciate the humor. Nothing bad or downgrading, just making light of not always the greatest situations. Thanks again.
when people drop their clothes on your floor, we put it in the elevator for the owner to pick it up! (because it's assumed? that everyone takes the lift!)) i also love it when when the rain is coming, and u can hear ur neighbours screaming to keep their clothes in! even when u dont know that the rain is coming, the sound of your neigbours bringing their clothes in will act as an alarm :)
I do have non-Singaporean friends who told me that they are either uncomfortable or offended by remarks about their appearance (beautiful, thin, put on weight, lost weight). I usually tell them it is a cultural thing. We have a strong tendency to comment especially to compliment but most of the time there is no malicious intent. It is quite often a subject to talk further about. For example, if someone told me oh you put on weight! I kinda explain that yeah I ate too much recently during lockdown etc. Just to elaborate on my life actually. Or “oh you are thinner now” “yeah I am more health conscious now blah blah blah” So the conversation continues. Not necessarily among close friends only. Could be with acquaintances also. But now of course I am more careful not to touch on these topics with my non-Singaporean or non-Asian friends in case they get offended.
We are not as bad as Koreans though lol. But I never realize how much we are like Korean in this respect. In terms of liking to comment about appearance and weight. Lol
My family hang our laundry by the corridor, in fact everyone on my level do. We have a neighbour who stays on the same floor who steals our clothes and dry them openly by the corridor, sometimes even wear it out.🙄We've made numerous police reports against him but due to the lack of CCTV(have to apply with town council for a license to install CCTV), the police can't do much. It's frustrating but now that neighbor knows that everyone knows it's him so he hasn't been stealing our clothes so yay! HAHA when you mentioned that sarcasm isn't common in Singapore, I have to agree especially the older generations. We can't even tell a funny joke to our Asian parents without getting scolded😅I think that mindset naturally has been instilled in our minds since we were young, unless you have cool Asian parents who can take jokes and laugh with you🤪We're like Sheldon(Big Bang Theory LOL) I guess! Asian brutal honesty is real! Asian parents be like "you're fat, you need to lose weight" but forces you to finish every dish on the dining table. I used to be really conscious of my size because of that but now I just ignore their words. I think health is more important, as long as I'm healthy and have a good appetite. I hope more people who struggle with their body size will see and keep telling themselves this. Health is wealth you guys! Slapping arms: it relaxes your arms when you feel tense! My parents has a huge bamboo cane (like 10 canes tied together) and hit themselves with it as a massage. Sometimes it works as a back scratcher too🤣 Also my dad works with some elderly at the airport as security officers, many of his elderly colleagues, he says that they continue working part time after retirement to pass time and many of them don't like to totally rely on their children so it gives them a sense of independence also despite their old age! Not gonna lie, sometimes it breaks my heart to see an old granny and grandpas with hunched backs clearing tables at hawker centres. :( Thank you for the video Georgia! You look really tired and abit off, I hope you're feeling better! The weather has been crazy lately so drink more water(what an Asian thing to say but it's tru ain't it🤣)Sending lots of love to you gurlll!!!❤❤❤
Hey Georgia, I am born and raised in Singaporean, It is a pleasure coming across your channel. I can't agree with you enough on 7:30 of the video. One time, a guy from the coffee shop was like "why have you become so dark now?" I was like what ??? But I did not anything because I know he did not think it through. I am absolutely with you when you said we are 10 years behind the UK, you are not wrong on that, and the professionalism matter. It just sucks.
I live in Australia and on one of my visits to Singapore, came across an elderly lady who would be my mum’s age of about 70 at the time. She was working in a McDonald’s outlet cleaning up and wiping tables. There was a Disneyland promotion on and she was made/asked to wear Mini Mouse ears on her head. It made me quite upset to see that, thinking that what if she was my mum, how I would feel walking into this outlet. Curiosity got the better of me and I very politely interrupted her wiping the next table. She immediately stopped what she was doing, and gave me her full attention. Like you said, everyone speaks English in Singapore, so I very politely enquired if I could ask her a very personnel question; to which she said yes. With great politeness and decorum I enquired the reason she is working. With great honesty and dignity she told me that she is widowed and has a son who is single and with no grandchildren to care for, she chose to work. I thank her for her time, to which she replied that I was welcomed. I got up with my drink and left, with so many thoughts going through my mind of what I had just experienced.
Sometimes people who hang their clothes upstairs don't squeeze dry their clothes before putting it out to hang, so the water will drip onto the clothes of their neighbours below. And in the older estates there are a lot of crows, so they might rest on your bamboo sticks and sh*t on your clothes
when hanging clothes, clothes do drop (even though we use clips). So whenever we drop clothes we will check out the ground, and also have to check the houses below and we have to go and check with neighbours to ask them to help us get it.
Hi Georgia! A couple of thoughts about the stuff shared in this video: Sarcasm - I think it really has to do with the influences we're exposed to! Perhaps it's linked somewhat to what you mentioned about being brutally honest - people are just kinda straight here. I personally enjoy sarcastic humour and I love British sitcoms like Blackadder, and just recently finished The IT Crowd (it's gold) :) Work-Life balance - I think there probably is a spectrum. For some people, work is work, life is life, and work ends the moment the bell rings. For others, work is life, and they never really "knock off", if you get what I mean. There are a variety of work environments too, ranging from the ones you describe (never leave before the boss, stay beyond your stipulated hours) to those which pretty much "own-time, own-target" or by-the-clock types. I believe that those who say they have work-life balance, simply are people who have managed to find their preferred setting Anyway, just wanted to say that I love watching your videos because I feel like you're honest and real in sharing your thoughts. You seem to really respect us and our culture and not take the extremes of either looking/talking down on us because you're an expat, or describing everything with rose-tinted glasses. I find you rather endearing and appreciate what you're doing - I think it's good for us as much as it's a personal interest of yours :) P.S. love the colours on your nails and dress in this vid, it's really pretty especially when matched with your eyes! :)
HPB used to provide free dance classes before the Circuit Breaker and seeing the elderly dancing their hearts out , having fun together is very heart warming to see. At least for me 🤗
Thumping is like a massage that we do I guess, I'm not old but sometimes like if I have a backache or something, I automatically thump it without realising it haha.
For many elderly people it's some internal qi massage thingy they do... dunno what it's called. You can see them smack their backs against a tree sometimes.
1. Tactless. The word you're looking for is tactless. Singaporeans will comment on things regardless of whether it needs to be said or if it'll hurt the other party's feelings. Drives me mad, to be honest. I still prefer it over the fakeness of Americans, but sometimes I just want to smack them and tell them no one asked for their opinion... 2. I also joke a lot by sarcasm and hyperbole, but the other party (usually not a close friend) doesn't get it and thinks I'm serious. Even my own mother to this day takes everything I say literally and doesn't understand when I'm just kidding around. 3. Pretty sure it's a worldwide thing now, the glued to the phones on the train thing.
The glue to the phone thing isn’t really a world wide thing. I was culturally shocked when I came home after living in US for a few years. It’s very Singaporean.
Yes, hanging clothes out to dry in the sun kind of makes them feel fresher. Maybe it's the UV rays. Yes, clothes do get blown away occasionally. Less fortunate incidents include birds pooping on the clothes or dripping water from the neighbours' clothes. Also, people might drop the poles while hanging the laundry out to dry. So it is best to avoid walking under them.
I think that hanging laundry outside the window used to be way more popular back in the day (>15 years ago). Sometimes you do get bird droppings, or your upstairs neighbors laundry dripping on your almost-dry laundry, or sudden rain. My mum usually hangs the laundry indoors in the service balcony instead of outside unless it is clearly sunny.
yup. Washing in the washing machine & left it out to dry in pole on a sunny day! It does sometimes drop to the other floor. Usually, u could get it back by going down and knocking on your neighbor door. Alternatively, U can make a self hook thing with hanger & string to "fish" your clothes up
Georgia, my family and I are moving to Singapore very soon and I just wanted to say that your videos have been so informative, helpful, insightful and fun to watch. Would love to see more of neighborhood exploring content as we're currently deciding where would be the best place to settle. Thank you and keep the posts coming!
@@lemonadesodapop Really?? Very happy to hear as this is the side we are looking at the most, due to the chosen school proximity. Any specific condo recommendations would be highly appreciated ;-)
@@nataliaegorova9030 Honestly wish I could help, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm the best person to answer this question. I don't want to give you any inaccurate/poor recommendations either! Generally, @Gerry Seeto is right - those that were mentioned are really nice places to live in! You could check out Marine Parade, Katong/Dakota and Bedok as well. Wishing you all the best with the move!
we had a exchange student from UK once and she mentioned that they were briefed on the sarcasm part, like it is not our culture and the message may get interpreted wrongly. Also we were taught during secondary school how to hang clothes out the window (heaviest laundry closer to you, lighter ones further). We had the whole bamboo pole flew downstairs due to strong wind a few times and if items do drop down to the next level, we usually just knock on their door, apologise and get our stuff back.
The hanging clothes thing are a legacy from kampung days. Hdb was supposed to be designed to mimic some features of the old Kampungs and bamboo clothes hanging and communal corridors were intentional to help the resettled villagers integrate. The disadvantage is if you stay on the lower floors, there are people who dump food or spit and land on ur clothes and you'd have to rewash them. So some families living on 2nd floor convert their balconies to hang their clothes out. Growing up we had ppl throw curry and our clothes had such difficult stains after that And yes we save alot on dryer electricity bills and we have such a hot weather, might as well use it to dry clothes under the sun, which kills more germs too
I use the hanging bars equipped in HDB block to hang clothes, it will allow some sun shining on the clothes. I love the smell after the sun shinning. I think it is better than dryer. I do have dryer but use it only for rainy days.
I've had my bedsheets fall to the ground floor before! A really nice girl picked it up though. She even figured out that it was from my unit and brought it to my doorstep lol
The worst one if you had an upstairs neighbour who smokes & then burned your clothes or have ash. Bird shit is ok can rewashed again,but damn smoker or people who just blatantly wash clothes without rinsing it making your downstair neighbour laundry wet. Got 1 time,was drying some blanket on the staircase handrail but somebody throw my blanket until it fall to level 1.
Forgot to comment and was thinking to leave this comment while I was cleaning the apartment today. Few things Singaporeans do when we live in HDB. 1. When the rain pours, some neighbours will yelled raining in hokkien so other neighbors can keep their clothes in. 2. HDB get a new paint for their blocks every couple of years, I think every 5. And when the guys who paint the block, they sometimes get free drink when they are at the level where we live. My mum will give them packet of drinks to help cool them off in that humidity.
I am guilty of the thumping ("dum quat") and you are right it is common among the elderly because it brings relief when your bones ache from osteoarthritis. Learned this from my grandma. Wait till you are past 60 you will understand. Also works when you have a headache -try it.
I live in Japan and the vast majority of people here also hang the laundry outside. In fact, most residences have a balcony for that purpose. Dryers here do exist, but almost no one has one because they’re expensive to buy, and electricity is so expensive as well. I have had a couple pieces of clothing get blown away by the wind, but I have special hangers now and it doesn’t happen anymore.
Hahah we use a lot of sarcasm too but mostly in Singlish, colloquially, rarely in proper English. I think it’s a very different kind from British sarcasm :p And yeah sometimes the brutal honesty thing can get quite annoying, I’ve only realized over the past few years that my parents commenting on my weight etc was not very okay and I’ve told them to stop it though it’ll probably be hard to changw🤷🏻♀️
Thanks Georgia for sharing your experience. Really enjoyed listening to them. 🥰 I have a story to share about my laundry. I had hung my placemats out to dry and when I realised I had one less hanging on my drying lines, I went down my block as usual to retrieve it. However, to my dismay, I couldn't find it; it was the first time I couldn't find my lost laundry (yes, I've had to retrieve my laundry before, about 4 times, as far as I can remember 😆) Three months later, as I was deep cleaning one of my bedroom windows, I happened to be looking at my neighbour's balcony one floor below me, and lo and behold, my placemat was there all curled up, behind my neighbour's air-con condenser unit! I quickly hurried down to my neighbour's and happily retrieved it. 😆
Am 72 years young and am still working. Did retire for two years, and woke up one day and realised I want to go back to work. No regrets, it keeps my mind alive, am healthier and working with the youngsters makes me young and of course I get paid every month. And this, is how I liven my world
if the clip is too weak then yes, your washing will blow away. So it is better to leave the small and lighter items like underwear, socks and handkerchiefs indoors to dry and yes it's mostly seen with the elderly and hitting the arms is for sore muscles and circulation. i personally don't do it but it's quite common.
sometimes our laundry fall into our neighbour's place or onto their laundry bamboo. when that happens, our neighbour will just send it back up. if nobody is home. we will write a note and hang it on their maindoor.
Its not just singaproe actually if u go india pakistan sri lanka nepal or bangladesh (south asia) english is widely understood. It depends what countries were under the british empire.
I’m also a British singaporean in Singapore (lived in the UK for 11 years), and I totally understand her experience when it come to weight, in the UK you just wouldn’t comment about weight... it’s sooo rude, especially when you don’t know the person
I think Singaporean elderly hang out a lot because they worked a lot when they were younger, sacrificing a lot of time for socializing, so they're kinda making up for it 😅
The thumbing wise in elderly is due to arthritis. In sg, it's very varied. And it's based on habit. If it's rainy, and they're used to 32 degrees c everyday, a few degrees makes a diff. Hence the slapping on the arms. And because they do it when it's chilly, it becomes a habit.
I'm still using the bamboo poles to dry the clothes. Letting the hot sun to dry the clothes can dry it thoroughly and smell fresh. But if you are not careful or alert to the sudden downpour in tropical sunny island Singapore then your already dry and fresh clothes will be drenched real quick. Sometimes you also will get some unwanted add on on the clothes from the myna. 😄
Some stories regarding drying laundry outside hdb. The previous house that i lived in(I live at Level 2),my neighbour living upstairs is a smoker.Despite several attempt to talk to him not to smoke at the laundry area(usually where the kitchen is),he won't budge.My family had enough of getting Ciggarates butts/Ashes on our laundry so we decided to move out. 2. Into to our new house,we live in the 5th floor,again we have an annoying neighbour who can't bother rinsing their laundry leaving our laundry wet full of waters.Make a complaint to HDB & talk to the owner to no avails.We move again. 3.Now the place that i live is currently smooth except the location for our laundry area does not face direct sunshine,so it depend on the weather. Regarding Singapore being super healthy,i guess it due to how our grandparents as well as our parents cooks for their kids.New gens parents are still cooking except some days,they will eat out/takeaway food whereas pardon me for saying this,i feel as American tend not to cook as they felt lazy & too long to cook.I think American families should start cooking fresh food.it doesn't matter if it fried chicken with some white rice.It healthy rather than eating fast food everyday.
@@shierlyfadjaray3490 yes i agree that why i mention pardon for my languages. You can watch this series where a chef goes to american house & you will be amazed by what he found in their kitchen. ruclips.net/video/XyHbBPFnvVc/видео.html Btw,he is well known chef around South East Asia & he is muslim too.
Laundry dropping out from the window? Yesssss, I've seen a few in my life haha. My family prefer hanging it indoors thou as we're afraid of the neighbour's drippy laundry or even wet mops dripping onto our clothes. As a kid, what I was taught by my parents is, NEVER walk directly below the laundry hanging out, because "its unlucky/bad luck" or "you wouldnt want somebody's undergarment falling onto your head" but I usually juz shrug it off and continue walking under until i kena someone's drippy laundry on me.
Lucky you living in Singapore, great location , close to so many interesting places . We have been there many times on our Asian travel holidays . We have stayed in Changi village many times . Love it . The Singaporeans work hard and that's the way it should be . We are from the UK originally but our home country is Canada. If I won the lottery I would move to Singapore at the drop of a hat . The UK and many Western cultures have or are giving their cultures away , Singapore will never do this. That's something to be learned right there . You as a foreign person will or should adapt to their way of life .
"Singapore will never do this", wait till you realize how much of our traditions and cultures are being destroyed in place of conveniences, in place of capitalism. It's really easy to see what you want to see when you were not born in Singapore nor lived in Singapore your entire life. Not saying any other country is perfect but Singapore far from fairy tale land, and Singapore is definitely not light years ahead of everyone.
Thank you for making an effort to understand and integrate into Singapore's culture! Being a native resident here who has worked with many different nationalities it's something not to be taken for granted. On that point regarding the hanging of our laundry outside the HDB, the newer HDB flats have moved the hanging area indoors to what we call a service yard balcony of sorts but we still have some external washing lines we can use. It's an eye opener hearing this from your side of things on how unusual this is because well.... we are so used to seeing it lol.. like a public display of their Victoria secret collection 😂...cheers and stay safe !
You are alway lovely to speak your mind , Keep it up with your times in Singapore , It a tiny island with lots of people's lovely and lots of people's like you , just worked up in your mind , How big the world is in this little island . Your future just started with this little island , Good on you
Hanging out "wet" heavy laundry on bamboo poles is not an easy feat at least not for scrawny kids ... always dreaded doing that when I was younger and instructed by my mom, it was very challenging especially during windy day, and there was one time when the pole was too heavy, accidentally lost my grip and it fell all the way down, luckily nobody was hurt ... and this is one of the reasons why aunties always tell their kids not to walk under the HDB "poles" hanging side ... LOLs
Agree - though I am born-and-bred Singaporean, I learnt it the hard way about sarcasm and satire getting lost in translation. Got misunderstood several times!
Yeah the laundry does sometimes fly away LOL especially when you forget to clip them to the bamboo pole. then you'll need to stick your head out the window to see where it flew too and suffer the embarrassment of knocking on some random stranger's door to tell them that your underwear dropped onto their bamboo pole 🙃🤓 its sometimes dangerous especially with bigger pieces like bedsheets cause if the wind gets too strong it blows the whole freaking bamboo pole off tgt with the sheet and you pray to god it doesn't hit someone when it lands!!!
Regarding brutal honesty, it's also a generational thing: my older colleagues and business partners will comment on weight, marital status, etc, etc, and it hearkens back to when such talk is generally accepted as being helpful or even complimentary. and because it's typically the way family members speak to each other, they believe treating other people this way is "treating them like family" or showing that they care about your well-being (which can come across as very intrusive I know). it's often a part of the "small talk" that they like to do at the beginning of meetings etc etc. but younger Singaporeans are generally more sensitive but some have taken up the habit as well, and they usually continue to do this among friends and close colleagues. About sarcasm: I know some Singaporeans also completely misunderstand what sarcasm is (which is saying something in a way that conveys a meaning that is directly opposite) but many of my fellow countrymen believe sarcasm simply means "being rude/witty/mean". so if you're saying something in a dry tone or something less overt, it simply doesn't register sometimes haha
True story: My friends and I were almost flattened by someone's falling mattress, missing us by 30 seconds 😅 Made for a good anecdote but let's all hang/air our laundry responsibly! Lol
since young i have accustomed myself to not walk at the edge of a building, especially the kitchen and toilet row, cause you'll never know what might fall...
you are actually the first person I come across who likes the hanging of clothes outside the window. Well one story about those bamboo poles used for hanging clothes, one actually dropped behind me when I was walking underneath them when I was young. After that I always avoid walking under them.😂
We have so much stories over that. It is not common, but sometimes you can get your laundry fly away, especially fly to your neighbour our down below or just on the ground floor. If it drops to your neighbour, you will knocked onto the door and politely asked. If neighbour is not around... we wait and sometimes stare at the laundry poles to see if they keep their laundry to know they are in before going down. We have those new domestic workers who just work with these laundry poles and do not understand that the laundry shouldnt be all wet. Water has to be squeeze slightly dry before hanging out but these new domestic workers unknowingly hang their super wet laundry that may wet your laundry. Worst comes if their laundry comes off with the dye which you had to redo your laundry. Another thing is the bird... so if you are super super unlucky, the bird may fly pass and shit on your laundry. But i love it because i do not need a dryer and isnt it more environmental friendly to dry the clothes like that? =D
yes!! theres definitely instances where the clothes get blown off, sometimes they get stuck on other people's bamboo poles and we have to go ask for them xD but there are cons to that too, some people dont dry their clothes enough, some people hang their wet mops and it just dirties the laundry, so some of us hang them along the corridors instead, the birds also tend to poop on the clothes HAHAHAH about being brutally honest: i feel like a lot of singaporeans like to "joke" around like that? its not good but its just some peoples way of joking around and being friendly
Yes clothes flew away or they’d fallen to the ground level... typically we’d run down to collect them! :) But yes, love the smell of fresh sun dried laundry!
it’s a myth that the elderly work to keep busy. there is a percentage of them that do it for that reason but there is huge income inequality in singapore, especially without a minimum wage. sending love from the uk! (we are in reverse situations as i’m a singaporean expat over here)
Yup hanging clothes on bamboo poles and putting them out the window is basically drying the laundry naturally with wind and sunlight(which supposedly helps to kill germs too). But many a times we're so exhausted from the weight of the bamboo and bringing them in and out when we suspect rain coming. Here's a joke, if your clothes fly off and fall onto the ground, or into someone's home, its still okay. Once it ends up in a tree...you're never getting it back XD Elderly hitting themselves are often cos their aching and yes, thumping helps them get blood circulation and sometimes pain relief.
Rarely but it happens...the bamboo stick full of clothes fall off 😂 so we don’t recommend walking underneath the bamboos at the back of the blocks. Now there are a second holder built so that the tip of the bamboo stick can rest on to avoid accidents like that.
Hi Georgia, you are very observant and perceptive. You are spot on about many matters. Singapore is better for people like you. Your videos appeal to us because not just coz you are a Brit but because you are human and sincere. As for the slapping, most likely they have aches and pains so they do what works. The govt does a lot to engage the oldies..thank goodness☺️
I am working in a software house in Singapore. Even before Covid, I have flexibility to WFH as well. I think the most important thing to do is to finish your work on time. So sometimes I work till late at night/ early morning but wake up late to start work.
1st abt the hanging outside your hdb. Yup the clothes drops sometimes. If it falls straight down u can go down n pick it up. Where I live, there an unspoken rule, if it drops into someone's flat, we will leave it hanging in the lift. 2nd, when they say you lose weight, it more of a compliment. Cheers
The arm thumping: they're giving themselves a massage. As for the bamboo hanging, my family does'nt usually hang our clothes on the bamboo sticks, but on the window grilles. Sometimes, the clothes on our window grilles drop and we have to go down to the first floor to pick them up from the ground. With regards to work life balance, i work as a nurse; hence i work 3 rotating shifts. Therefore office work life balance doesn't apply to me at all.
Well it's nice to hear a side of the story from someone not born here. First of all, hanging out clothes out is just norm in Singapore as most of us do stay in HDB flats. I do see a few advantages in high rise for doing that is for example, if there is a nice breeze or the sun is out, it do helps to dry the clothes real quick but being in flats also have problems with hanging out your clothes and especially if you don't stay on the top most floor. For example, I could have hang out my laundries to dry and nothing happens for maybe hours but imagine, just when you want to bring in the clothing, some neighbor above your units decide to hang out their clothing as well but if it's dripping when they hang out? Now that would spell trouble for yours. This is some of things do happens now and then. Even though our main language is English but most of Singaporean in Singapore are Chinese roots and culture and our ways and language do get influence by it.
When people say you lost weight...its a compliment. And its very common to say that and sometimes they want to know how you do it cos they wanted to lose weight too.
Sporeans work hard and play hard as well. If you notice, prior to covid, all or most of the travel are fully booked and in fact, for some people, they plan and book for their hols at least 6 months beforehand!
Oh I remember my whole bamboo stick fell down when I was trying to bring it in the window because it was soo heavy and I had to count the floor down and knock on the neighbours door hahaha 🤣🤣🤣
![OhGeesy x Lefty Gunplay - What It Iz [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0yzW9t2ixk/mqdefault.jpg)
I relate to the underground wi-fi so much. In Singapore, I used to wonder why Spotify advertised about 'do you want to listen to music even underground?' and I went 'but I can listen underground for free'. Then after I went to New York, I was like 'oh' when I use the MTA... I've been spoiled, sigh.
When I was younger, I would sometimes have to knock on someone's door several floors below to retrieve an article of clothing, because it had blown away and got stuck on another person's washing. I was sent because a child would seem less intimidating 🤣🤣🤣
haha oh my gosh!
@@GeorgiaCaney yes my mom's apartment the other day as we came back we all saw a ladies old granny panties on the 1st floor and clothes as well apartment people still uses bamboo sticks to hang their clothes lol , and another time was when the wind blew so damn hard haha guess what the bamboo stick with the owner's clothes fell down on my mom's car windshield and the tempered glass shatter all over inside the car panels lol. Some of the elderly in the uk works at the thrift store's in the uk & other stores as well .
@@TattoosLovers omg thats really dangerous!
Hahaha SAME! Great way to get to know your neighbours
i think it's an asian thing but that "you've lost weight" comment is usually used as a compliment;; at least amongst the older generation
Agree...your boss was actually congratulating u that you are currently looking better and good in your weight. Think positive will make you happy😁
@@blackhorse7553 I think the big difference is that in the UK there's something called "fat-shaming" where people (and generally women) are made to feel in some way "inferior" due to being "overweight", so to comment at all on someone's weight is just taboo and people don't make a point of observing either way on whether someone has gained or lost weight, except amongst family and *very* close friends. This is probably not the case in Singapore where it can be seen as a compliment to tel someone they've lost weight. Though I agree with Georgia that it maybe has gone too far in the UK and people are over-sensitive lol (on many things not just weight comments etc)
That will be my usual greeting; especially if I'm meeting a friend that I've didn't meet for a long time.
i was called "you became fat" here in singapore
Cries
I personally think commenting about ones weight during the interview is uncalled for because it is not relevant to the interview and not professional especially if you are not close enough with the person.
Being a Chinese, I can give some insight regarding my interpretation of the "brutal honesty". I personally think it's actually because they're friendly that's why they speak to you with such brutal honesty. If that make sense...
Like if someone speak to you with flowery words, everything positive without any contructive criticism, it feels fake. But if they're being honest and is not ashamed of it, it's because they're being friendly and genuine, and there's no such barrier that they need to speak cautiously and at times unnaturally, which in turn sound ingenuine.
I do agree it's to do with Chinese culture, I actually prefer the brutal honesty. It must be a cultural shock to you, but be glad if they're brutally honest with you because they're being friendly and genuine.
SGapore asked so many privacy questions that make people so umcomfortable
69 like I'm so proud
"You've lost weight" is meant as a compliment. Usually if you start to show things like youtube videos, it has moved from professional to social! For the elderly hitting themselves, its meant to be an exercise to help loosen the tense muscles!
Sarcasm runs in my family..so I guess it really depends on how we were all brought up. Naturally in my family and even the relatives, they dont really take it to heart..maybe that's why our friends, neighbours and relatives loves dropping by and welcoming themselves in whenever our door are open 😅😅 I could just go "mom dad, when you're old I'm dropping you in the nursing homes, you could get free food and people entertaining you all day long" and they would laughed about it and say "well isn't that great, what paradise!" And my grandma would join in and shes almost 100 and she ask if she could join..😅😅 hilarious the people who brought me up and the siblings I grew up with, their honesty and sarcasm which are bewildering at times. I'd rather honesty than two faced any day!
Its cultural honestly, i am personally very straightforward and transparent, its how Singapore culture is, if we have something we need to say we don't hold back, BUT In saying that people these days, modern adults and parents know when to hold back on things that should or should not be said, I think its the more traditional aunties and uncles and parents that just have no filter.
I would think that for many Singaporeans who are blunt and blurt things out of their mouths, they just lack the high EQ and sensitivity without thinking deep enough.
@@natureadventurist956 yea I agree
Yeah, when I was in London for a short trip I got so annoyed when I couldn’t get a signal on the Tube. Never thought I would overhear someone say “I’m going into the Tube, I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
Haha yess
Slapping: they are giving themselves a massage.
This is honestly a good video to remain us singaporeans the culture that might be distinct to us! Refreshing
The arm thumping does indeed have to do with circulation to kinda "open" up the chi points in the arm and improve blood flow and all that.
We don't drop our laundry "all the time". We'll drop the laundry once in a lives, yes. :P And then we learn to master the technique to not drop the laundry and how to make sure sure the clothes are secured and don't fly away.
I personally don't like to hang my clothes out the window due to bird poop, litter from neighbours upstairs, and rainy weather. Having to keep an eye on the sky while your laundry is outside can be a bit tiring.
The UV rays from the Sun also gives people the mindset that it'll help "kill the bacteria" lingering on the laundry and I know some people love the scent of laundry that have been recently dried in the Sun. Plus, we have sunshine typically all year round and the Sun is free energy which helps us save money on using dryers. I still use the dryer for my bedsheets and blankets though.
Singaporeans can be sarcastic but the way we express it will be different from the British. I can't think of a good example at the moment but it can be along the lines of "You think I'm Superman can fly is it?" in response to someone asking a person to be there within a certain timeframe that is not possible to achieve via car/bus.
Work-life balance depends on your workplace. Some are supportive of it, some aren't. You'll have to be lucky.
Laundry @ HDB: We do watch out for neighbour’s laundry (while keeping our own) by shouting ‘下雨了‘ (rain’s here) at the top of our lungs at the window so that they get to keep their laundry too before the rain comes ... the ‘kampong spirit’ we picked up from our old folks 😅😂
My dad's 80 and he's still working. I don't think he ever wants to stop working unless he's physically unable to. I can't picture him being home. He'd be bored out of his wits and would be napping all day probably. He enjoys working and does it by choice. I'm certain that some elderly Singaporeans don't have that luxury.
Amidst the "glamour and bright lights" perception that many foreigners have of singapore, herein lies one of the biggest societal problems of the country. A huge percentage of elderly folk do not have the luxury of your dad of working by choice.
@@deathdragonslayer1 Hi, I'm really interested to know what is the "huge percentage" that you are quoting. If you can show the link or report, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
@@brennanchua2079 You can check out this 2017 report by CNA that sheds more light on this growing societal problem in singapore.
www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/ploughing-on-the-faces-and-insecurities-of-singapore-s-elderly-8824490
@@deathdragonslayer1 Thanks for the link, but again as in many reports focusing on specific single case study, there is no statistics to show how big a percentage the issue is. I acknowledge that this is happening and I wish we can eliminate this issue altogether. However, I was hoping to get a statistically reliable number to illustrate the gravity of this issue. Thanks anyway.
@@deathdragonslayer1 I would like you to substantiate your statements with statistics on how huge is the percentage of our elderly are suffering from such poverty that they need to work to survive in Spore? I live in a poor neighbourhood and I don't see such huge problem as you claimed.
Hanging clothes on poles,
- they do occasionally fly off if not securely clipped;
- coz many have washing machine but may not have dryer so hanging them out under the sun helps dry them thoroughly; Also, reduces odour if/when one perspire; just like in the UK, some hang-dry their clothes in their backyard or garden;
- possible nuisance, neighbours who don’t squeeze dry their clothes sufficiently & allow them to drip onto our dried clothings. Even worse, if the colour dye drips & stains. Other possible, inconsiderate nuisance (much less these days), fallen clothings, dripping mop, litterbugs eg cigarette buds, sputum, etc
- in the past, there were many who even create additional hanging options by tying ropes/wires between the columns in the front of their corridors. It can be quite an eyesore. Thankfully, less these days but you can still spot them easily.
Sarcasm,
I guess depending on the level of English language proficiency, it could be lost or misunderstood by some.
Brutal honesty,
- I guess different cultures find different things or topics taboo or regarded as just “matter-of-fat” (I mean fact) 🤪
- Generally, Singaporeans are habitually obtrusive in giving or making unsolicited advice/comments albeit with good intentions; We are like that among Singaporeans (not that all like it). Worse, we do the same to others too.
The arm slapping,
- believe that such slapping or massaging (or many more variations) improves blood circulation LOL
In london they use dryers cus the apartments are also exp
Yep washing gets blown away. In my experience, usually the culture is when there is a piece of clothing on the floor, people will pick it up and leave it somewhere near the lift lobby.
Okay Georgia, I have watched your videos since the beginning and I say that how you express yourself and topics has gotten exponentially better. Not that the first ones were terrible, but just an amazing improvement in how you take into consideration your audience, realizing there is most likely a wide spectrum. I just think this video is exceptionally well done. I live in Singapore very part-time as I am employed in the USA, but I certainly have seen everything you cover in this video. I especially agree with you in regards to sarcasm as I tend to tone it down in Singapore, but in the USA I let it rip knowing that the people I am talking to appreciate the humor. Nothing bad or downgrading, just making light of not always the greatest situations. Thanks again.
when people drop their clothes on your floor, we put it in the elevator for the owner to pick it up! (because it's assumed? that everyone takes the lift!))
i also love it when when the rain is coming, and u can hear ur neighbours screaming to keep their clothes in! even when u dont know that the rain is coming, the sound of your neigbours bringing their clothes in will act as an alarm :)
Its a compliment thingy when someones say hey u lost weight , which basically means u look good , ur look better in person than in the telly etc
Almost to a 100k G! So proud of how far you’ve come. Keep safe! ❤️
Yay thank you sweet!
I do have non-Singaporean friends who told me that they are either uncomfortable or offended by remarks about their appearance (beautiful, thin, put on weight, lost weight). I usually tell them it is a cultural thing. We have a strong tendency to comment especially to compliment but most of the time there is no malicious intent. It is quite often a subject to talk further about. For example, if someone told me oh you put on weight! I kinda explain that yeah I ate too much recently during lockdown etc. Just to elaborate on my life actually. Or “oh you are thinner now” “yeah I am more health conscious now blah blah blah” So the conversation continues. Not necessarily among close friends only. Could be with acquaintances also. But now of course I am more careful not to touch on these topics with my non-Singaporean or non-Asian friends in case they get offended.
We are not as bad as Koreans though lol. But I never realize how much we are like Korean in this respect. In terms of liking to comment about appearance and weight. Lol
I just love the scent of sun-dried laundry! Sunlight is free and in abundance almost year round here, so I’ve never thought of getting a dryer.
Certified laundry hanger here. No, we do not fear the laundry dropping. We trust in the almighty friction of the clothes peg.
My family hang our laundry by the corridor, in fact everyone on my level do. We have a neighbour who stays on the same floor who steals our clothes and dry them openly by the corridor, sometimes even wear it out.🙄We've made numerous police reports against him but due to the lack of CCTV(have to apply with town council for a license to install CCTV), the police can't do much. It's frustrating but now that neighbor knows that everyone knows it's him so he hasn't been stealing our clothes so yay!
HAHA when you mentioned that sarcasm isn't common in Singapore, I have to agree especially the older generations. We can't even tell a funny joke to our Asian parents without getting scolded😅I think that mindset naturally has been instilled in our minds since we were young, unless you have cool Asian parents who can take jokes and laugh with you🤪We're like Sheldon(Big Bang Theory LOL) I guess!
Asian brutal honesty is real! Asian parents be like "you're fat, you need to lose weight" but forces you to finish every dish on the dining table. I used to be really conscious of my size because of that but now I just ignore their words. I think health is more important, as long as I'm healthy and have a good appetite. I hope more people who struggle with their body size will see and keep telling themselves this. Health is wealth you guys!
Slapping arms: it relaxes your arms when you feel tense! My parents has a huge bamboo cane (like 10 canes tied together) and hit themselves with it as a massage. Sometimes it works as a back scratcher too🤣
Also my dad works with some elderly at the airport as security officers, many of his elderly colleagues, he says that they continue working part time after retirement to pass time and many of them don't like to totally rely on their children so it gives them a sense of independence also despite their old age! Not gonna lie, sometimes it breaks my heart to see an old granny and grandpas with hunched backs clearing tables at hawker centres. :(
Thank you for the video Georgia! You look really tired and abit off, I hope you're feeling better! The weather has been crazy lately so drink more water(what an Asian thing to say but it's tru ain't it🤣)Sending lots of love to you gurlll!!!❤❤❤
Hey Georgia, I am born and raised in Singaporean, It is a pleasure coming across your channel. I can't agree with you enough on 7:30 of the video. One time, a guy from the coffee shop was like "why have you become so dark now?" I was like what ??? But I did not anything because I know he did not think it through. I am absolutely with you when you said we are 10 years behind the UK, you are not wrong on that, and the professionalism matter. It just sucks.
I`m Japanese working in Japan. I guess Singaporean have a good balance for working and private. I really wanna live to Singapore someday.
Do you know SG restaurant dirty than JP
C Chen I do. I couldn’t go into the bathroom at Mustafa center.
I wanna live in Japan
Español David Visiting is the best way to come to Japan.
You’re looking more and more beautiful everyday! I swear!
I live in Australia and on one of my visits to Singapore, came across an elderly lady who would be my mum’s age of about 70 at the time. She was working in a McDonald’s outlet cleaning up and wiping tables. There was a Disneyland promotion on and she was made/asked to wear Mini Mouse ears on her head. It made me quite upset to see that, thinking that what if she was my mum, how I would feel walking into this outlet. Curiosity got the better of me and I very politely interrupted her wiping the next table. She immediately stopped what she was doing, and gave me her full attention. Like you said, everyone speaks English in Singapore, so I very politely enquired if I could ask her a very personnel question; to which she said yes. With great politeness and decorum I enquired the reason she is working. With great honesty and dignity she told me that she is widowed and has a son who is single and with no grandchildren to care for, she chose to work. I thank her for her time, to which she replied that I was welcomed. I got up with my drink and left, with so many thoughts going through my mind of what I had just experienced.
"... if I could ask her a very personnel question" It's 'personal' not 'personnel'.
And the point of your long paragraph being..?
She is physically healthy and seems continued working is her passion, there are many more such case here, both employers and emplees are happy
Sometimes people who hang their clothes upstairs don't squeeze dry their clothes before putting it out to hang, so the water will drip onto the clothes of their neighbours below. And in the older estates there are a lot of crows, so they might rest on your bamboo sticks and sh*t on your clothes
Actually they are kind, as they are helping you to "wash" your clothes 2nd round. Lol
Interesting . Hanging clothes to dry from your window I think it's far worse in Malaysia, penang and Johor Barhu not good .
when hanging clothes, clothes do drop (even though we use clips). So whenever we drop clothes we will check out the ground, and also have to check the houses below and we have to go and check with neighbours to ask them to help us get it.
I lived in SG for 8 years and now moved in England. Taking photos before eating is such a weird thing to do here :D
Hi Georgia!
A couple of thoughts about the stuff shared in this video:
Sarcasm - I think it really has to do with the influences we're exposed to! Perhaps it's linked somewhat to what you mentioned about being brutally honest - people are just kinda straight here. I personally enjoy sarcastic humour and I love British sitcoms like Blackadder, and just recently finished The IT Crowd (it's gold) :)
Work-Life balance - I think there probably is a spectrum. For some people, work is work, life is life, and work ends the moment the bell rings. For others, work is life, and they never really "knock off", if you get what I mean. There are a variety of work environments too, ranging from the ones you describe (never leave before the boss, stay beyond your stipulated hours) to those which pretty much "own-time, own-target" or by-the-clock types. I believe that those who say they have work-life balance, simply are people who have managed to find their preferred setting
Anyway, just wanted to say that I love watching your videos because I feel like you're honest and real in sharing your thoughts. You seem to really respect us and our culture and not take the extremes of either looking/talking down on us because you're an expat, or describing everything with rose-tinted glasses. I find you rather endearing and appreciate what you're doing - I think it's good for us as much as it's a personal interest of yours :)
P.S. love the colours on your nails and dress in this vid, it's really pretty especially when matched with your eyes! :)
The pet peeve of hanging your laundry outside would be your neighbour upstairs might be unknowingly dripping wet clothes on to yours.
Yes , yeah , yaaasss so piss off when that happen to us lol
This is why i live in a penthouse
Hahahahahah
HPB used to provide free dance classes before the Circuit Breaker and seeing the elderly dancing their hearts out , having fun together is very heart warming to see. At least for me 🤗
Thumping is like a massage that we do I guess, I'm not old but sometimes like if I have a backache or something, I automatically thump it without realising it haha.
For many elderly people it's some internal qi massage thingy they do... dunno what it's called. You can see them smack their backs against a tree sometimes.
For better blood circulation purpose for most people and losen their muscles for some.
1. Tactless. The word you're looking for is tactless. Singaporeans will comment on things regardless of whether it needs to be said or if it'll hurt the other party's feelings. Drives me mad, to be honest. I still prefer it over the fakeness of Americans, but sometimes I just want to smack them and tell them no one asked for their opinion...
2. I also joke a lot by sarcasm and hyperbole, but the other party (usually not a close friend) doesn't get it and thinks I'm serious. Even my own mother to this day takes everything I say literally and doesn't understand when I'm just kidding around.
3. Pretty sure it's a worldwide thing now, the glued to the phones on the train thing.
The glue to the phone thing isn’t really a world wide thing. I was culturally shocked when I came home after living in US for a few years. It’s very Singaporean.
Yes, hanging clothes out to dry in the sun kind of makes them feel fresher. Maybe it's the UV rays.
Yes, clothes do get blown away occasionally.
Less fortunate incidents include birds pooping on the clothes or dripping water from the neighbours' clothes.
Also, people might drop the poles while hanging the laundry out to dry. So it is best to avoid walking under them.
I live in a HDB and yes I do hang my washing out the window sometimes birds will casually perch on the pole and so I would feed them raisins. HAHA
I would shoo them off! They poop on my laundry! 😒
@@boonavite3200 😂
I think that hanging laundry outside the window used to be way more popular back in the day (>15 years ago). Sometimes you do get bird droppings, or your upstairs neighbors laundry dripping on your almost-dry laundry, or sudden rain. My mum usually hangs the laundry indoors in the service balcony instead of outside unless it is clearly sunny.
yup. Washing in the washing machine & left it out to dry in pole on a sunny day! It does sometimes drop to the other floor. Usually, u could get it back by going down and knocking on your neighbor door. Alternatively, U can make a self hook thing with hanger & string to "fish" your clothes up
Georgia, my family and I are moving to Singapore very soon and I just wanted to say that your videos have been so informative, helpful, insightful and fun to watch. Would love to see more of neighborhood exploring content as we're currently deciding where would be the best place to settle. Thank you and keep the posts coming!
East side is the best side 😛
@@lemonadesodapop Really?? Very happy to hear as this is the side we are looking at the most, due to the chosen school proximity. Any specific condo recommendations would be highly appreciated ;-)
@@nataliaegorova9030 Honestly wish I could help, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm the best person to answer this question. I don't want to give you any inaccurate/poor recommendations either! Generally, @Gerry Seeto is right - those that were mentioned are really nice places to live in! You could check out Marine Parade, Katong/Dakota and Bedok as well. Wishing you all the best with the move!
knz thank you 🙏
Gerry Seeto I will take a look right away, thanks!
we had a exchange student from UK once and she mentioned that they were briefed on the sarcasm part, like it is not our culture and the message may get interpreted wrongly. Also we were taught during secondary school how to hang clothes out the window (heaviest laundry closer to you, lighter ones further). We had the whole bamboo pole flew downstairs due to strong wind a few times and if items do drop down to the next level, we usually just knock on their door, apologise and get our stuff back.
The hanging clothes thing are a legacy from kampung days. Hdb was supposed to be designed to mimic some features of the old Kampungs and bamboo clothes hanging and communal corridors were intentional to help the resettled villagers integrate.
The disadvantage is if you stay on the lower floors, there are people who dump food or spit and land on ur clothes and you'd have to rewash them. So some families living on 2nd floor convert their balconies to hang their clothes out. Growing up we had ppl throw curry and our clothes had such difficult stains after that
And yes we save alot on dryer electricity bills and we have such a hot weather, might as well use it to dry clothes under the sun, which kills more germs too
I use the hanging bars equipped in HDB block to hang clothes, it will allow some sun shining on the clothes. I love the smell after the sun shinning. I think it is better than dryer. I do have dryer but use it only for rainy days.
Great Video presentation and Observation..Excellent ! We would love to see more live coverage..Welcome to Sg ! 😊😊
I've had my bedsheets fall to the ground floor before! A really nice girl picked it up though. She even figured out that it was from my unit and brought it to my doorstep lol
The worst one if you had an upstairs neighbour who smokes & then burned your clothes or have ash.
Bird shit is ok can rewashed again,but damn smoker or people who just blatantly wash clothes without rinsing it making your downstair neighbour laundry wet.
Got 1 time,was drying some blanket on the staircase handrail but somebody throw my blanket until it fall to level 1.
Forgot to comment and was thinking to leave this comment while I was cleaning the apartment today.
Few things Singaporeans do when we live in HDB.
1. When the rain pours, some neighbours will yelled raining in hokkien so other neighbors can keep their clothes in.
2. HDB get a new paint for their blocks every couple of years, I think every 5. And when the guys who paint the block, they sometimes get free drink when they are at the level where we live. My mum will give them packet of drinks to help cool them off in that humidity.
I am guilty of the thumping ("dum quat") and you are right it is common among the elderly because it brings relief when your bones ache from osteoarthritis. Learned this from my grandma. Wait till you are past 60 you will understand. Also works when you have a headache -try it.
Or at least he’s just saying you look different now. Not stating which is better; then or now
Yep your boss was giving you a compliment 😊 The elderly are feeling achy. If it were my mom, I would offer to give her a massage.
Yes sarcasm / satire is a lost art here. I love Frasier and some British comedies like "Yes Minister", "Black Adder", etc
I live in Japan and the vast majority of people here also hang the laundry outside. In fact, most residences have a balcony for that purpose. Dryers here do exist, but almost no one has one because they’re expensive to buy, and electricity is so expensive as well. I have had a couple pieces of clothing get blown away by the wind, but I have special hangers now and it doesn’t happen anymore.
Hahah we use a lot of sarcasm too but mostly in Singlish, colloquially, rarely in proper English. I think it’s a very different kind from British sarcasm :p
And yeah sometimes the brutal honesty thing can get quite annoying, I’ve only realized over the past few years that my parents commenting on my weight etc was not very okay and I’ve told them to stop it though it’ll probably be hard to changw🤷🏻♀️
That shade of blue is your colour - makes you looks Super adorbs !
Thanks Georgia for sharing your experience. Really enjoyed listening to them. 🥰
I have a story to share about my laundry. I had hung my placemats out to dry and when I realised I had one less hanging on my drying lines, I went down my block as usual to retrieve it. However, to my dismay, I couldn't find it; it was the first time I couldn't find my lost laundry (yes, I've had to retrieve my laundry before, about 4 times, as far as I can remember 😆)
Three months later, as I was deep cleaning one of my bedroom windows, I happened to be looking at my neighbour's balcony one floor below me, and lo and behold, my placemat was there all curled up, behind my neighbour's air-con condenser unit! I quickly hurried down to my neighbour's and happily retrieved it. 😆
Am 72 years young and am still working. Did retire for two years, and woke up one day and realised I want to go back to work. No regrets, it keeps my mind alive, am healthier and working with the youngsters makes me young and of course I get paid every month. And this, is how I liven my world
if the clip is too weak then yes, your washing will blow away. So it is better to leave the small and lighter items like underwear, socks and handkerchiefs indoors to dry
and yes it's mostly seen with the elderly and hitting the arms is for sore muscles and circulation. i personally don't do it but it's quite common.
sometimes our laundry fall into our neighbour's place or onto their laundry bamboo. when that happens, our neighbour will just send it back up. if nobody is home. we will write a note and hang it on their maindoor.
I just wanna say....girl that blue top looks amazing on you!!
Its not just singaproe actually if u go india pakistan sri lanka nepal or bangladesh (south asia) english is widely understood. It depends what countries were under the british empire.
I’m also a British singaporean in Singapore (lived in the UK for 11 years), and I totally understand her experience when it come to weight, in the UK you just wouldn’t comment about weight... it’s sooo rude, especially when you don’t know the person
I think Singaporean elderly hang out a lot because they worked a lot when they were younger, sacrificing a lot of time for socializing, so they're kinda making up for it 😅
The thumbing wise in elderly is due to arthritis. In sg, it's very varied. And it's based on habit. If it's rainy, and they're used to 32 degrees c everyday, a few degrees makes a diff. Hence the slapping on the arms. And because they do it when it's chilly, it becomes a habit.
I'm still using the bamboo poles to dry the clothes. Letting the hot sun to dry the clothes can dry it thoroughly and smell fresh. But if you are not careful or alert to the sudden downpour in tropical sunny island Singapore then your already dry and fresh clothes will be drenched real quick. Sometimes you also will get some unwanted add on on the clothes from the myna. 😄
Some stories regarding drying laundry outside hdb.
The previous house that i lived in(I live at Level 2),my neighbour living upstairs is a smoker.Despite several attempt to talk to him not to smoke at the laundry area(usually where the kitchen is),he won't budge.My family had enough of getting Ciggarates butts/Ashes on our laundry so we decided to move out.
2. Into to our new house,we live in the 5th floor,again we have an annoying neighbour who can't bother rinsing their laundry leaving our laundry wet full of waters.Make a complaint to HDB & talk to the owner to no avails.We move again.
3.Now the place that i live is currently smooth except the location for our laundry area does not face direct sunshine,so it depend on the weather.
Regarding Singapore being super healthy,i guess it due to how our grandparents as well as our parents cooks for their kids.New gens parents are still cooking except some days,they will eat out/takeaway food whereas pardon me for saying this,i feel as American tend not to cook as they felt lazy & too long to cook.I think American families should start cooking fresh food.it doesn't matter if it fried chicken with some white rice.It healthy rather than eating fast food everyday.
Oh my gosh public diplomacy for laundry is reall!
She’s british. Massive cultural/background difference from Americans
@@shierlyfadjaray3490 yes i agree that why i mention pardon for my languages.
You can watch this series where a chef goes to american house & you will be amazed by what he found in their kitchen.
ruclips.net/video/XyHbBPFnvVc/видео.html
Btw,he is well known chef around South East Asia & he is muslim too.
Laundry dropping out from the window? Yesssss, I've seen a few in my life haha.
My family prefer hanging it indoors thou as we're afraid of the neighbour's drippy laundry or even wet mops dripping onto our clothes.
As a kid, what I was taught by my parents is, NEVER walk directly below the laundry hanging out, because
"its unlucky/bad luck"
or
"you wouldnt want somebody's undergarment falling onto your head"
but I usually juz shrug it off and continue walking under until i kena someone's drippy laundry on me.
Lucky you living in Singapore, great location , close to so many interesting places . We have been there many times on our Asian travel holidays . We have stayed in Changi village many times . Love it . The Singaporeans work hard and that's the way it should be . We are from the UK originally but our home country is Canada. If I won the lottery I would move to Singapore at the drop of a hat . The UK and many Western cultures have or are giving their cultures away , Singapore will never do this. That's something to be learned right there . You as a foreign person will or should adapt to their way of life .
"Singapore will never do this", wait till you realize how much of our traditions and cultures are being destroyed in place of conveniences, in place of capitalism. It's really easy to see what you want to see when you were not born in Singapore nor lived in Singapore your entire life. Not saying any other country is perfect but Singapore far from fairy tale land, and Singapore is definitely not light years ahead of everyone.
Interesting observation on brutal honesty. Something for us to reflect and understand why we behave that way ? We didn't even realise it !!
Thank you for making an effort to understand and integrate into Singapore's culture! Being a native resident here who has worked with many different nationalities it's something not to be taken for granted.
On that point regarding the hanging of our laundry outside the HDB, the newer HDB flats have moved the hanging area indoors to what we call a service yard balcony of sorts but we still have some external washing lines we can use. It's an eye opener hearing this from your side of things on how unusual this is because well.... we are so used to seeing it lol.. like a public display of their Victoria secret collection 😂...cheers and stay safe !
You are alway lovely to speak your mind , Keep it up with your times in Singapore , It a tiny island with lots of people's lovely and lots of people's like you , just worked up in your mind , How big the world is in this little island . Your future just started with this little island , Good on you
Once you speak to a Singaporean you're sucked into Singlish and forced to understand it lmao
yes indeed ;)
Man it's a whole other language to decode hahaha I had my Singaporean Friend sit me down and walk me through the slang .
I'm at the point where my friends thought I'm being sarcastic when I'm just asking questions/speaking genuinely 😅
They alaways can not understand about this , like nobody educate them what is privacy
Thank you for loving and appreciation our homeland!! I laughed so hard.....
Hanging out "wet" heavy laundry on bamboo poles is not an easy feat at least not for scrawny kids ... always dreaded doing that when I was younger and instructed by my mom, it was very challenging especially during windy day, and there was one time when the pole was too heavy, accidentally lost my grip and it fell all the way down, luckily nobody was hurt ... and this is one of the reasons why aunties always tell their kids not to walk under the HDB "poles" hanging side ... LOLs
Agree - though I am born-and-bred Singaporean, I learnt it the hard way about sarcasm and satire getting lost in translation. Got misunderstood several times!
Grats on 100k!
Yeah the laundry does sometimes fly away LOL especially when you forget to clip them to the bamboo pole. then you'll need to stick your head out the window to see where it flew too and suffer the embarrassment of knocking on some random stranger's door to tell them that your underwear dropped onto their bamboo pole 🙃🤓 its sometimes dangerous especially with bigger pieces like bedsheets cause if the wind gets too strong it blows the whole freaking bamboo pole off tgt with the sheet and you pray to god it doesn't hit someone when it lands!!!
Regarding brutal honesty, it's also a generational thing: my older colleagues and business partners will comment on weight, marital status, etc, etc, and it hearkens back to when such talk is generally accepted as being helpful or even complimentary. and because it's typically the way family members speak to each other, they believe treating other people this way is "treating them like family" or showing that they care about your well-being (which can come across as very intrusive I know). it's often a part of the "small talk" that they like to do at the beginning of meetings etc etc. but younger Singaporeans are generally more sensitive but some have taken up the habit as well, and they usually continue to do this among friends and close colleagues.
About sarcasm: I know some Singaporeans also completely misunderstand what sarcasm is (which is saying something in a way that conveys a meaning that is directly opposite) but many of my fellow countrymen believe sarcasm simply means "being rude/witty/mean". so if you're saying something in a dry tone or something less overt, it simply doesn't register sometimes haha
True story: My friends and I were almost flattened by someone's falling mattress, missing us by 30 seconds 😅 Made for a good anecdote but let's all hang/air our laundry responsibly! Lol
since young i have accustomed myself to not walk at the edge of a building, especially the kitchen and toilet row, cause you'll never know what might fall...
you are actually the first person I come across who likes the hanging of clothes outside the window.
Well one story about those bamboo poles used for hanging clothes, one actually dropped behind me when I was walking underneath them when I was young. After that I always avoid walking under them.😂
We have so much stories over that.
It is not common, but sometimes you can get your laundry fly away, especially fly to your neighbour our down below or just on the ground floor. If it drops to your neighbour, you will knocked onto the door and politely asked. If neighbour is not around... we wait and sometimes stare at the laundry poles to see if they keep their laundry to know they are in before going down.
We have those new domestic workers who just work with these laundry poles and do not understand that the laundry shouldnt be all wet. Water has to be squeeze slightly dry before hanging out but these new domestic workers unknowingly hang their super wet laundry that may wet your laundry. Worst comes if their laundry comes off with the dye which you had to redo your laundry.
Another thing is the bird... so if you are super super unlucky, the bird may fly pass and shit on your laundry.
But i love it because i do not need a dryer and isnt it more environmental friendly to dry the clothes like that? =D
yes!! theres definitely instances where the clothes get blown off, sometimes they get stuck on other people's bamboo poles and we have to go ask for them xD
but there are cons to that too, some people dont dry their clothes enough, some people hang their wet mops and it just dirties the laundry, so some of us hang them along the corridors instead, the birds also tend to poop on the clothes HAHAHAH
about being brutally honest: i feel like a lot of singaporeans like to "joke" around like that? its not good but its just some peoples way of joking around and being friendly
I have watched this in 2020! Nostalgic
Yes clothes flew away or they’d fallen to the ground level... typically we’d run down to collect them! :) But yes, love the smell of fresh sun dried laundry!
it’s a myth that the elderly work to keep busy. there is a percentage of them that do it for that reason but there is huge income inequality in singapore, especially without a minimum wage. sending love from the uk! (we are in reverse situations as i’m a singaporean expat over here)
Yup hanging clothes on bamboo poles and putting them out the window is basically drying the laundry naturally with wind and sunlight(which supposedly helps to kill germs too). But many a times we're so exhausted from the weight of the bamboo and bringing them in and out when we suspect rain coming.
Here's a joke, if your clothes fly off and fall onto the ground, or into someone's home, its still okay. Once it ends up in a tree...you're never getting it back XD
Elderly hitting themselves are often cos their aching and yes, thumping helps them get blood circulation and sometimes pain relief.
Omg @the arm slapping! Now that you mention it, thats so true!
Rarely but it happens...the bamboo stick full of clothes fall off 😂 so we don’t recommend walking underneath the bamboos at the back of the blocks. Now there are a second holder built so that the tip of the bamboo stick can rest on to avoid accidents like that.
It'd be amazing if you could collab with Ghib Ojisan and explore more food places :)
Hi Georgia, you are very observant and perceptive. You are spot on about many matters. Singapore is better for people like you. Your videos appeal to us because not just coz you are a Brit but because you are human and sincere. As for the slapping, most likely they have aches and pains so they do what works. The govt does a lot to engage the oldies..thank goodness☺️
Yes, the hitting on the body is for blood circulation. Mainly to hit the acupuncture points on our body.
I am working in a software house in Singapore. Even before Covid, I have flexibility to WFH as well. I think the most important thing to do is to finish your work on time. So sometimes I work till late at night/ early morning but wake up late to start work.
1st abt the hanging outside your hdb. Yup the clothes drops sometimes. If it falls straight down u can go down n pick it up. Where I live, there an unspoken rule, if it drops into someone's flat, we will leave it hanging in the lift. 2nd, when they say you lose weight, it more of a compliment. Cheers
The arm thumping: they're giving themselves a massage. As for the bamboo hanging, my family does'nt usually hang our clothes on the bamboo sticks, but on the window grilles. Sometimes, the clothes on our window grilles drop and we have to go down to the first floor to pick them up from the ground. With regards to work life balance, i work as a nurse; hence i work 3 rotating shifts. Therefore office work life balance doesn't apply to me at all.
interesting info. thanks a lot. Nice colour by the way!
Well it's nice to hear a side of the story from someone not born here. First of all, hanging out clothes out is just norm in Singapore as most of us do stay in HDB flats. I do see a few advantages in high rise for doing that is for example, if there is a nice breeze or the sun is out, it do helps to dry the clothes real quick but being in flats also have problems with hanging out your clothes and especially if you don't stay on the top most floor. For example, I could have hang out my laundries to dry and nothing happens for maybe hours but imagine, just when you want to bring in the clothing, some neighbor above your units decide to hang out their clothing as well but if it's dripping when they hang out? Now that would spell trouble for yours. This is some of things do happens now and then. Even though our main language is English but most of Singaporean in Singapore are Chinese roots and culture and our ways and language do get influence by it.
@12:29 - Paid work to keep active is "win-win" ( as long as it's not stressful ). It's healthy and keep healthcare costs down for everyone.
I can feel you are coming out of your comfortable zone and coming into contact with ordinary Singaporeans. Nice 👍
When people say you lost weight...its a compliment. And its very common to say that and sometimes they want to know how you do it cos they wanted to lose weight too.
Sporeans work hard and play hard as well. If you notice, prior to covid, all or most of the travel are fully booked and in fact, for some people, they plan and book for their hols at least 6 months beforehand!
Oh I remember my whole bamboo stick fell down when I was trying to bring it in the window because it was soo heavy and I had to count the floor down and knock on the neighbours door hahaha 🤣🤣🤣