I tend to jokingly refer to the Chinese as the Chinese Master Race, which is partly an allusion to the Nazis referring to the Japanese and Chinese as “honorary Aryans” or “Aryans of the East”, but also a reflection on the stellar results of many Asian countries in standardized test scores. Yet, you really need… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (14): The Chinese Master Race?

Let’s for one brief second, assume that the concept of IQ is valid, and that, consequently, the concept of an IQ of a nation makes sense as well. I fully subscribe to that notion, but if you’re not, then get off my blog and educate yourself first before you come back. In every international comparison… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (13): A Highly Intelligent Society

How many Western leaders are there that look like respectable men? Okay, we got Trump. We also have Trudeau, Macron, and a whole bunch of other clowns. There are people in leading positions, sometimes ministers, who dropped out of university. Handing out positions of powers due to quotas is also common. In Singapore, you have… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (12): Meritocracy and the Pressure-Cooker Education System

There is the tried joke that Singapore is a ‘fine’ city, the joke being that there is no end to the fines you might end up paying. It is true, the number of possible violations that come with hefty fines is not insignificant, and neither are the fines. Eating or drinking on public transport costs… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (11): The Joys of Law and Order

While I knew that petty crime was almost unheard of in Singapore, I was nonetheless surprised at how trusting people are. If you want to reserve a seat, you just reserve it by plunking down your backpack or laptop, or by placing your smartphone on the table. Below is a picture of a friend of… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (10): A Culture of Trust

Supposedly one of the biggest issues with Singapore, for natives and foreigners alike, is the weather. Singapore is a tropical country close to the equator. As a consequence, you get to enjoy around 30 degrees Celsius all year round. On top, there is very high humidity, which some seem to dislike. What I found generally… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (9): Dealing with the Climate

There is very little I consider bad about Singapore. I can only think of gun ownership. It would be great if that was allowed. On the other hand, low-life crime is essentially unheard of, i.e. mugging, stealing, breaking and entering. There is still the aspect that citizens should have the power to defend themselves against… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (8): Personal Downsides

I expect my readers to be almost exclusively Western men. If you’re a Western woman in Singapore and reading this, I can only say one thing, based on 100% of Western women I have encountered in Singapore: LOL. The Westerners in Singapore don’t want you, and the local men don’t find you attractive either, so… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (7): The Quality of the Women (Yes, it is high!)

From a geopolitical perspective, the biggest problem of Singapore is that it is a first-world country smack in the middle of a bunch of backwards Muslim third-world countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and many others. I don’t care how “offended” you are by this statement, but it is clear as day that the… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (6): The Geographic Downside

Singapore is a multicultural country. The Chinese are the majority ethnicity. I think there are around 70% Chinese. I’m now pulling numbers out of thin air, but there are more Malays than Indians. Let’s just say there are 20% Malays and 10% Indians. In reality, it doesn’t really matter. During my stay in Singapore there… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (5): Multiculturalism in Practice

The heading of this part is obviously polemical. Yet, even though I think it is a bit of an exaggeration to say that Singapore is a third-world country masquerading as a first-world one, there is some truth to that statement. It is indeed not an uncommon sentiment. First of all, if you stick to the… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (4): The Third-World Core of a First-World Country

Now we are venturing towards an area my girlfriend may heavily disagree with me. I think that contemporary Western democracy is a horrible kind of government as the idea that everybody’s vote should count the same and that everybody can vote is just braindead. It may work if your population consists of nothing but selfless… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (3): Singaporean Democracy

I don’t think Singapore is very much on the radar of the average Western guy. However, there are some preconceived notions flying around, which I’ve heard over and over. The first is that Singapore is a highly developed country that doubles as a tax haven (and playground) for the rich. I think this statement is… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (2): Preconceived Notions vs Reality

When German chancellor Angela Merkel single-handedly ignored German law and opened the doors to well over a million of unskilled immigrants from backwater countries in the middle of 2015, I realized that I may have to seriously consider leaving Europe for good. I wasn’t overly optimistic about the future of the European Union as a… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (1): Prelude

I recently spent around three weeks in Singapore. I have written a series of blog posts on my experience there. In total, they amount to a little over 14,000 words. To put things in perspective, your typical Master’s thesis is normally around 10,000 words long. The typical hack who sells ebooks on Amazon normally writes… Continue reading Experiencing Singapore (18-Part Series)