Comme chaque 31 janvier, il est temps de faire le point et de s’arrêter un peu, tant le temps, lui et c'est bien connu, ne s’arrête pas. Et je commence par une dédicace a ma petite Lili des Oxymorons, dont la promptitude a écrire est toujours une source de motivation et en l’occurrence, un rappel judicieux a l'exercice du bilan!
2013 a été une année intense, étrange, chaotique et déconcertante a la manière d'un grand huit qui aurait été construit en alternance par un architecte a la fois résolu, confucianiste, masochiste et épileptique.
Évidemment, il y a eu certains motifs extérieurs de réjouissance: un pape joliment activiste, la fin de l'hypocrisie sur les écoutes generalisees (d’état, par les réseaux sociaux,...), la victoire du mariage pour tous. Il y a aussi eu des motifs de tristesse, comme la mort de Nelson Mandela et Lou Reed, les attentats terroristes de Boston, Nairobi et ceux, innombrables au Pakistan, et au Moyen-Orient...
Liste non exhaustive bien évidemment...
1983 - 2013: 30 ans. C'est écrit comme ça, noir sur blanc, que je me rends mieux compte de l'importance du passage, car le quotidien ne permet pas souvent de prendre le recul nécessaire!
Je ne sais pas encore vraiment comment définir cette année, mais je sais que celle-ci s'est construite dans les difficultés:
- les tentatives de vendre des produits innovants dans une culture conservatrice, l'effort d'avoir a se motiver seul pour pousser toujours un peu plus loin.
- la difficulté retrouvée de finir les fins de mois, les choix, et sacrifices que celle-ci implique.
- la routine qui s'installe, même a des milliers de km de chez soi, alors que l’éloignement se fait lui bien sentir et que les mois passent de plus en plus vite.
- les besoins de réassurance, d'une projection sereine dans l'avenir ou de réinvention personnelle, pas toujours possible de satisfaire ou a concilier entre eux.
Mais je souhaite bien sur remémorer les moments forts qui ont aussi contribue a mon bonheur:
- tous les bons moments passes avec Zohria, et notre relation qui se bonifie de jour en jour.
- la satisfaction d’être, en quelque sorte, a "mon compte" et
capitaine de mon petit navire dans une mer économique chahutée et imprévisible.
- les folles soirées de Singapour, et la sensation d'avoir passe un cap dans la connaissance de la ville.
- les bons plats que j'ai cuisine, avec plein de nouveaux ingrédients locaux (tofu, kailan, bak choy, paneer, dou miao,...
- m’être essayé au pilotage d'un petit avion au dessus de la jungle malaisienne.
- vecteurdelutece.com dépassant les 10 000 visiteurs
- avoir fait le DJ lors d'une soirée folle sur un bateau (avec cela dit, un résultat mitige...).
- plonger avec des requins renard aux Philippines
- 6 voyages en Indonésie, et une meilleure connaissance de ce pays fascinant.
- une célébration de trentaine marquée en Thaïlande avec mes meilleurs amis
- la reprise régulière du football, ses victoires et des défaites, sur les autres et sur soi...
- il y a eu de la bonne musique a écouter aussi
Alors oui, si je fais le compte des plus et moins listes ci-dessus, le positif 2013 bat le négatif 10 a 5, et je pourrais m'en tenir la, mais j'aime bien aller un peu plus loin et penser a la façon d’améliorer l’année a venir, c'est ce qu'on pourrait appeler des résolutions:
- au registre des mauvaises habitudes:
arrêter définitivement de fumer, car je n'en suis pas loin!
arrêter Candy Crush au niveau 200, car 200 niveaux * 30 minutes par niveau, c'est déjà 100 heures de loisir qui auraient pu être consacrées a des choses plus intéressantes et constructives!
arrêter la sur-consommation de séries TV, ou en tout cas, les remettre a leur place, c'est-a-dire en ordre d'importance: après le sommeil!
- continuer a mettre le paquet, professionnellement, tout en continuant a
identifier ce qui me fait vraiment vibrer, et devenir le meilleur
dans le domaine! Travailler sur mes plus grosses faiblesses, par tout
moyen.
- lire plus, me remettre au sport du matin (ce qui nécessite une bonne dose de motivation a se sortir du lit...)
- méditer plus régulièrement
- reprendre l'apprentissage du malais/indonésien...
- mieux planifier pour voyager un peu plus souvent qu'en 2013
- rester au contact de mes proches, et écrire des lettres manuscrites!
- donner un peu de temps a une cause associative ou caritative, vivre a l’étranger ne doit pas être une excuse!
Voila, vous savez tout (ou presque :) ce qui s'est passe, et ce que j'attends de ma propre part pour cette année! Je préfère ne pas trop mettre d'espoirs sur les facteurs extérieurs, car je suis convaincu que les "planètes s'alignent en notre faveur" des lors que l'on donne le meilleur de soi-même!
A vous, je souhaite évidemment une excellente et heureuse année 2014!
Qu'elle soit une aventure!
Qu'elle soit une avancée!
Qu'elle soit un refuge!
Qu'elle soit remplie d'amour, de santé, et d’amitiés!
Asian
in general are known for their appetite in technology and gaming.
Singaporeans are the
most well-off and can afford the latest smartphones and other
socially-isolating gadgets. The result sometimes is that public places
(MRTs corridors and trains, especially) look like they are crowded with
lifeless bodies.
Singapore has been recently ranked as the most emotionless nation on earth.
Whether this is an objective assessment or not, the overall mobile addiction is not going to help...
2. Recycling, what?
Singapore is a very clean city, on
its surface at least. Many european I know in the city-state are
actually very shocked by the lack of recycling policies in place. At
home, I guess that less than 5% people recycle anything. There are
rubish chutes in most appartments and what is dropped down there
probably has sports vegetal waste, but also plastic and glass, all at
ones. I feel really sorry for the people who have to sort this dirty,
inconsiderate mess. Or maybe it's not being sorted at all and dumped
somewhere no one wants to know or care about.
In
low-rise residential areas, you can see "yellow" recycling bins,
alongside regular one. Sounds like a progress, but you just can't
believe it when you see that these bins are emptied undistinctively in
the same garbage trucks.
Last but not least, due to
the environmentally-nasty takeaway habit in Singapore (not exclusive to Singapore though, most of Asia is affected), the amount of trash generated is insane.
You can get take-away in virtually any restaurant, and even some
stalls in foodcourts will serve you in disposable plastic ware while you
are eating on the spot... Sure, it is faster to clear a table and there is no foodware cleaning but this is really nonsensical, especially in these times of climate change and environmental awareness.
Except making you pay a couple cents more, no
one seems to actively tell citizens that all this disposable foodware
is dramatic for the environment, and probably in their health too.
3. Hyper-competition, a.k.a "Kiasuism"
This
is mostly affecting singaporeans themselves as they enter a highly
competitive society from the youngest age. Pupils have to undergo tests in the local school system at the youngest age. People will walk in front of you nastily while you are queuing, just to get in first (in subway, buses, etc...)
'kiasu' is a word from the Hokkien dialect which means 'fear of
losing'. This mentality is what has defined the country and influenced
a whole generation of Singaporeans.
While
meritocracy in important, and one could argue that this prevents mediocrity to settle in, this mentality has also pervaded in the
society systems and in many instances, it creates many collateral damages and stress for the population.
In a system where failure is not
tolerated, there is also less room for trial-and-error iteration,
risk-taking and innovative mindsets.
Do not forget to feed your kids with essence of chicken (??), it will make them smarter too :)
4. Car prices...
Unless you are millionaire,
or benefit from a great expat package from a MNC, it is super hard to
own a car in Singapore. Buying a car now requires a down payment of 40
to 50 per cent of the car
purchase price in cash, including relevant taxes and the COE.
At the end of the day, many cars will cost you double or triple the price you would pay in Europe or USA.
5. Table reservation at public food tables
All
newcomers to Singapore wonder why so many objects are left behind on
tables at foodcourts, until they realize that it is the singaporean way
to reserve oneself a seat...
Particularly annoying when the place
is already packed, that you have been served your food and that many
empty seats are theoretically available...
If I have been served, and therefore ready to eat before you, why shouldn't I be able to seat before you?
6. Cockroaches, ants & lizards (cicak)
Nasty kitchen intruder (dead version)
The nasty fuckers are everywhere, however clean the city might be...
Regular fumigation in the city just can't eradicate these guys, who enjoy the profusion of leftovers and warm, humid climate.
Usually, I know many northern western expats that find lizards cute and let them live (probably because we were in awe at the rare sight of lizards as kids...), while singapore just consider them as pest, just like cockroaches.
One thing is for sure, lizards will shit on your walls regardless of your liking of their race. BUT, it is also found that lizards eat cockroaches, so choice is yours...
My advice: do not leave food in open containers outside of closed cupboards...
7. Aircon overdose
Aah, Aahh, Aaaaaaahhh TTCHHAAA!!!!!
Outdoor Aircon unit
This is how I sound after a couple of days being back
in Singapore. The air-con being on and powerful everywhere, I cannot
help but getting a cold when I get back to the island.
At home, in the
MRT, at the office, in the malls, the theaters, you just can't avoid the
cooling and sometimes freezing effect.
Don't get me wrong, I probably couldn't live
in Singapore without air-con, but the average setting is unreasonably
cold (at a hotel i went to lately, it was set to a default 16 degrees
Celsius!!).
8. Friendships
I have been living in Singapore 3
years, and although the city is rather welcoming to foreigners on the
paper, it is hard to really integrate with the population properly. And I
say this while my level of integration probably ranks quite high
amongst the other expat I know (having a local girlfriend, a local
contract and colleagues, playing sport in local team, being a fearless
foodie and having learnt a bit of Malay, but not Mandarin, I have to
say).
This seems confirm by recent polls, in which Singapore has dropped to the 3rd place when it comes to the expats' favorite countries to live in.
9. Lack of personal sense of responsability and ownership of decisions
Without
being too political, I believe that Singaporeans are not so creative in
general. Yes, it is true that if you take Singapore as a whole you get a
very modern mix of components for the city life. However, if you look
at the details, you will see many things that are not unique to
Singapore and have been imported from elsewhere. Singaporeans are very
good trend watchers and benchmarkers, and they are fast to
replicate modern success recipes from abroad, but I find them they are
less creative when it comes to inventing their own.
My personal guess is
that it has to do with the citizens' kiasuism, because if you are
afraid to lose, well, many times you won't even bother trying...
To
be an innovator and creative in general, you have to be willing to take
risks, disclose more of your personality, and navigate complex thought
processes where no "point" has to be made on the spot, all the while not
being afraid to be considered irrelevant.
Many times over, I have been
involved in business processes where creativity was expected and could
have moved things forward faster for both companies benefits, but I got
frustrated by the lack of creative input from my business contacts. I
could sense that ideas were lying underneath but no one was willing to
shoot them out.
Another issue is that people do crazy things in
order not to be responsible for anything. One example of that, as Singaporeans admit it
themselves, many hold the government responsible for many aspects of
life, and are not keen to take charge of a specific subject and try to
make a difference. This is quite paradoxical in a country where free economy rules.
10. Having to leave Singapore
OK, I have been a bit hard
on Singapore in the above, because the worst thing about here is
probably to have to leave the place!
Read the following with you need more reasons...
The Good
1. Badass equatorial storms
Why do I like stormy weather? Well, it cools down the insanely hot Singapore, and give a good excuse to stay home to relax or work. And of course, it is always fascinating. Singapore is actually one of the most thunderstruck place in the world! 186 times per yer, on average.
Some dudes really don't give a shit though, like this guy from my condo.
2. Rooftop bars
or Singapore as the perfect jetsetters place (for dummies?).
There must be easily more than 30 restaurants or bars nestled on rooftops throughout the city. While it sounds like nothing special to many, the good thing about it is that, in Singapore, you can enjoy them all year round, you'll never be cold. Although it can be slightly breezy at times, you will still be sweating your a$$ off.
For a handsome 360 view, I suggest Prelude, on 3 Fullerton Road
For the best clubbing and jaw-dropping, 1-Altitude and Ku De Ta (on top of Marina Bay Sands Hotel) should be your destination.
My other personal favorite is Loof which sports delicious, creative food to share (although bit pricey, but hey it's Singapore), and has a varied music program.
You can also check Screening Room and Kinki, which are nice but very crowded and noisy most of the time.
Hmmm, what could be more refreshing and vitaminated than a freshly squeezed tropical fruit. To me, it's both one of the best assets of Singapore foodcourts, and also the best way to get your 5-a-day fix. Street food do not otherwise comprise many veggies, so if having a balanced nutrition is important for you, you should go for the delicious tropical fruits available in Singapore.
I recommand you to try mangosteen and mangoes (my two favourites), but also durian, longans, rambutans, pineapple, snake fruit, melons, ...
4. Safety
It's when I come back to France (especially Paris), that I realise how comfortable it is to be able to leave your wallet and phone by your side on an outdoor dining table.
It's the kind of thing you can let you do in Singapore, where there does not seem to be as many pickpockets as anywhere else in the world.
Maybe it has to do with Singapore's severe penal judgements, or maybe people are just less theft-minded.
One night, a friend had forgotten its phone on a bar table. He came back to the bar 3 hours later and the phone was still there, with people mentioning that previous customers had let them known that the phone was not even theirs, with the instruction to leave it on the table...
Warning though: as it is often said in Singapore: "low crime doesn't mean no crime"...There are even some apps out there to report crimes.
5. Singaporean Breakfast
A creamy, strong coffee.
2 soft boiled eggs to mix with soy sauce and a white/black pepper mix (I also add salt)
2 toasts with Kaya (a sort of coconut jam)
About S$ 3 at any food court. What better way to start the day?
Instead of kaya, you can also indulge in peanut butter, thick floss, ham & cheese in some places.
And since you are in a foodcourt, you can also start your day with heavier options like chicken rice, nasi lemak, mee rebus, curries, etc...
I'm a big fan of the two all-day breakfast chains that are Toastbox and Ya Kun Kaya Toast
6. Funny signs
Besides touristic T-shirts claiming that Singapore is a "fine city", there are quite many signs that will attract your attention and make you giggle.... Quick selection:
7. Sports & Green living
Singapore might not have a lot of space, but you will probably notice that there are trees everywhere, which contribute to pollution reduction and make the city super-livable!
Many people run and you will find activities and challenges all year round, in and around Singapore.In Singapore:
Try one of the activities offered at East Coast Park
Walk in MacRitchie Nature Reserve, Labrador Park or Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Outside of Singapore:
If you have not enough with what's on offer here, you can always hitch a low cost flight and...
- climb a volcano in Indonesia,
- or the highest mountain in South-East Asia, the Gunung Kinabalu in Sabah
- trail the jungles of Borneo,
- pay an underwater visit to the marvels of tropical seawaters...
8. Multiculturalism
I just love this. Yet communities are not always so mixed, and sometimes misunderstanding each other, you cannot help but notice that racial harmony is there. It was not always the case, and in fact, it is a key pillar of the national identity nowadays to embrace the different cultures.
For example: the facts that there are 4 national languages (english, mandarin, malay and tamil) and national holidays that cater to the important moments of each population's religious and cultural heritage, is a good testimony to the city-state multiculturalism.
9. Beach parties!
If you have heard of the infamous Full Moon party of Thailand's Koh Phangan, be aware that you can have some crazy parties on the beach in Singapore too! Happening mostly in Sentosa, the resort / entertainment island at the southern tip of Singapore, some nights can be really wild!
Besides the yearly ZoukOut electronic music festival that gathers thousands, you can also dance to the morning at Tanjong Beach Club's quarterly full moon party, but also at clubs like Mambo, Azzura, Wavehouse, Costes, and for NYE on the whole Siloso beach at Siloso Beach Party, and probably more opportunities to come!
10. ...All that is to come
People who return to Singapore, even after a year only, are usually in shock with regards to how fast the city is changing...
New land is created on see and extend the playground.
New towers and condominium grow off the ground like mushrooms.
New restaurants, bars and entertainment destinations are opened.
New airline destination take you to remotely exotic south east asian destination.
New cultural events are created, concepts imported, and the city incorporates international influences into its already cosmopolitant urban mix.
New pedestrian streets will be created and entire neighborhoods will be created from scratch, and you can be sure it will integrate the best in class architecture, food, and atmosphere.
Warning: good times ahead :)
Photo credit: http://facialcanvas.wordpress.com/
Thanks for reading! So tell me: if you leave in Singapore, do you agree with the above?
What are the things you love or hate about Sin City? Feel free to drop a comment below!
If you are not from here, what makes you excited? What do you want to know?
You can also check my map of the best spots in Singapore!
OK, these are weird for me, as a frenchman, and these might seems completely normal to others...
I know we eat snails and frogs, but that's what funny.
Ice Cream Soda: tastes like a more liquid McFlurry
Rhinoceros or Deer Cooling water: dunno what that is or worse, what it contains, or how Rhinos extracts can cool you down.
When you have been on holidays in the mediterranean and some of your days were ruined by insanely irritating jellyfish stings on your skin, the last thing you want is to put them in your throat
Fries + Ice Cream??? Are you kidding me??
To be continued...
Send me the pics of the weirdest foods you spotted by email to vecteurdelutece@gmail.com
1. Blog posts that teach the 10 things to do to be happy / successful / productive...
Admit it, you probably clicked on this post for its shocking title and the promise of quick and striking facts, as easy to swallow as a cheeseburger on a drunken Sunday morning. Using numbers in post titles acts as a measure gauge for readers to let them feel like they are in control of their time (10 facts to read can't be that long...), while they are just going to waste it.
In 95% of cases, you will only find poor, plagiarised "pret-a-penser"content that is so obvious, that it even ends up sounding authentic and truthful...
Well, it is true that it does work wonders as a blogging strategy in order to increase traffic to a post. It does however lead to avalanches of posts that do not generate anything valuable, except visibility for its author... The love of clicks and followers does not help bring quality to the web... And since I willingly used that trick for that post, I apologize and really hope you still find this whole post relevant ;-)
2. Cyborgs 1.0, i.e smartphone addicts
I am one of them, and you probably are one of them too. Mobile phones certainly are awesome tools, but come on, don't you find it scary when you are people watching? It looks like the phone is commanding to their souls, with an invisible chain between eyes and screens. Heads tilt down like lost and pitiful creatures. Smartphones are great personal entertainment in public transport, but this time could also be used to zone out and deeply think, observe and even connect with strangers, which I don't think many people do enough of.
It is probably important to set up rituals of disconnection, otherwise, as our attention gets attracted by media and screens, like butterflies to lights, we are certainly drifting away from human interactions.
3. Candy crush
This smartphone game on its own deserves a medal for the most childish, yet evil, addictive time waster out there. As a bonus, it also sucks up more battery than your charging cable can deliver... No kidding. Your phone might switch itself off with no more juice, even with the charger connected...
I would be keen to know how much money this game costs to the global economy. Very good virality work overall, and excellent game design. I completely hate it for the time I spend playing it, instead of being productive. I'm on level 103, and you? :@
4. Narcissistic personal branding
On the individual level, the
growing need to differentiate oneself from another in the global
business rat race has led many personal branding maniacs to supercharge
their profile headlines on LinkedIn. Many do not hesitate to proclaim their own grand selves
with humble qualifiers such as "visionary entrepreneur", "change agent",
"problem solver", "thought leader" and my favourite: "evangelist" (most often, of their own greatness). You can spot some supercombo self-description that aggregate all these keywords in one action packed line. Guys, it's OK to be confident, but you have probably slipped to the dark side by bragging so much.
5. Tech superstars obsessive adoration
In the post Steve Jobs era (whom is to be thanked for its heavy and long-lasting contribution to the point 2 above), people do not seem to want to turn the page of the technologists' adoration.
Last week's revealing of Elon Musk's hyperloop plans, was in itself a brilliant case study of unrefrained, anticipated elogy with all technology writers rivalling in their use of the most trending adorational buzzwords: "bold", "genius".
We could not get enough of Marissa Mayer either, who is turning up in tech news feed nearly everyday since she is running Yahoo!
6. Hardcore Apple Fanboyism
Apple has recently released the designs of its new operating systems. See below. It looks like a 5-year old chose colours and draw the icons, but some people had already decided they were going to love it anyway.
I'm not kidding, some people actually find this "clean" and brilliant. Seriously?
7. There will be no point 7, because I have no more inspiration
And you already clicked, so I reached my objective. Irritating, right?
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