British man gets emotional becoming a Singapore Citizen

[@MaxChernov]

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[@1changi]

The father-in-law of my friend passed away when he was in US recently for business. He has to fly back immediately to attend the funeral wake. He just went to the airline counter at the airport and produced the obituary of his deceased FIL. He got his flight changed without paying any admin fee or worst to buy another air ticket. He flew by SIA. Talking about having compassion. Kudo to SIA.

[@alanbgtan]

You definitely don’t get that from QANTAS as maybe they may charge you much more. Profit is what Alan Joyce wants. And his A$28M golden handshake soon when he retires. No humanity from AJ, pure commercial transaction

[@CrossbredmiMiyang]

I misses countless times or changes frights but never charge me a single cent. That’s why I only fly through SQ

[@CrossbredmiMiyang]

@@alanbgtanBA is the worst k experienced .

[@gelinrefira]

Well, those box meals were definitely not compassionate 😂. But seriously, kudos to SIA.

[@Kazuyoz]

Well good news is they have reverted to the pre COVID meals now, so SIA all the way.

[@hiroyukishinichi9873]

One of us! One of us!😊👍

[@kalearasi1]

You are now our brother. Welcome to Singapore, brother❤️.

[@Real_Matt]

This is why I love life. I'm from Manchester and am moving to singapore next year. Great to see someone's journey after all these years.

[@dragb6281]

Blue or red ? Don’t worry we welcome both 😊

[@Lelnubhax]

You're making a big mistake bozo. Don't come to Singapore and stay in Europe. I was in manny for an exchange programme recently and my life there was infinite times better than being in Singapore.

[@Koriolis]

@@Lelnubhax Because calling someone a bozo is going to make them change their mind. Welcome, Matt!

[@cecilialim2296]

Welcome to Singapore in advance!

[@kf510]

@@Lelnubhaxgoing overseas on an exchange program and thinking life is better. Duh because you were an exchange student. Try live as an adult first bozo

[@MelisaOngMiQin]

Thank you for your Kind Contributions, Mr Mason! It may be a little late, but for what it's worth, Welcome! And Thank you!

[@J20666]

If Singapore continues to attract the better talents, it would only become better and better. It is a virtuous cycle. Human resource is the most important resource in the world.

[@chenyinmei6466]

Welcome, welcome, welcome, congrats, congrats, congrats..and thank you for your nice opinions of singapore..good vibes to you now and everyday..

[@Cococokieful]

Govt hire influencers to put out fake positive views or hype things.

[@hillary8929]

Welcome to become 1 of us, really like your accents.

[@abcxyz7529]

Hey Dom, er, just so you know. I always thought Vivocity just meant Living City. For close to 2 decades it had never occurred to me it was a pun on the word vivacity. Thanks for blowing my mind.

[@kingbolo4579]

What do you make of Katong I12?

[@TERUBOTSU]

Mom had always been fascinated by China and yearned to move there. She had her wish come true when I had the opportunity to relocate there. For just under 2 years, she had had it! Having stayed in the US and China, Mom changed her mind about Singapore and thought home was a much better place, after all.

[@Blinkonceifyougay]

Bro thinks he slick trying to say Singapore is in China knowing damn well they are different countries. Attention seeking

[@GlowofLife]

Welcome to the family! thanks for the interesting fact about VivoCity!

[@carolc9267]

another great content, non bias, honest questions.. good to turn the table around to hear what foreigners honest views of Singapore, its people and culture.

[@OnMusicSoon1]

haha when Mr. Mason retires in Penang, he orders his food saying "I want that penang laksa, no balachan, no dao geay", the price drops from 20 ringgit to 9 ringgit magically.

[@panda63725]

It is okay to retired elsewhere. You would have contributed and it is time to relax where u want to and how u want to. Love Vivo city story and learn how to convince clients with extra miles, impressed!

[@alvinkuo]

Never know the story of the how the name VivoCity came about despite almost going there for 20 years. Tks to Max for doing this video and great sharing from Dom.

[@handsomewong2469]

Good things always need to wait!

[@Summerlife888]

Intriguing content & Mr Mason provided vivid pic of WTC progress to Vivo, nice! 👏🎉 Keep it up!

[@Farmersyoungseniors]

Welcome to singapore citizenship Dom 👍

[@user-fb7rf4kr5k]

What has made Singapore work all these years has been the lack of an us-versus-them mentality. If the people of Singapore continue to value open-mindedness, skills, talent, innovation, and productivity, the country's future will be very bright; but if it goes the opposite direction like in many other countries today and start judging others based on their religion, skin color, and ethnicity, it will be doomed as a small island.

[@user-fb7rf4kr5k]

@wahhwahhbunchababies please elaborate.

[@rifqimujahid4907]

​@@user-fb7rf4kr5khe assumed you live in a cave like flinstones, no need for further elaboration

[@danieljlea]

I wish I could give up my US Passport and become a Singaporean. I have lived and felt Singaporean for 34 years. It's a long difficult journey. When traveling with my Singaporean partner, I often tell people I am Singaporean and try to explain to foreigners how wonderful Singapore works. I hide my US passport. I'm 73 and we are completely financially independent in a GCB however it's still taking a long time. It will happen one day. However now I just must be grateful to the Genius of LKY. GCT, LHL and PM Wong for continually listening to the people, upgrading programs ( I might say here LKY never wanted all the social programs as he believed in Filial Pity. ) However the population has changed and the good government of Singapore is listening and always supporting its people as one people , one Singapore. Honestly I think some of the young Singaporeans do not realise how wonderful Singapore is. My partner always laughs at me during National Day as I'm singing all the songs at home with tears of joy, excitement and gratitude for being allowed to be a part of this MIRACLE CALLED SINGAPORE. 🇸🇬

[@davidnhc]

Many would plan to retire elsewhere but mostly not….

[@idoit5005]

If you have passive income after retirement like Jim Rogers, then sure, Singapore is not expensive at all, quite affordable in fact, for all the benefits like security and quality of services

[@jahnsega5599]

With his feng shui expertise on vivo city, can we get him for another project and change this dangerous estate name which is called YISHUN

[@MaxChernov]

Hahaha

[@Nothingmore1313]

Too late. Yishun has created its branding since.

[@Jalanampas-h6l]

Now Lady Halimah have stepped down, Yishun probably gonna revolt for independency and call for a republic state ....

[@Soul-eee]

Really love this video ❤

[@SeanStableD]

The client was right maybe. Some older Singaporeans who do not speak English, call it "Wewo city". That said, having done branding before, it was a good call to convince the client otherwise.

[@Laughandsong]

It seems to me Singapore blends the best of Asian and Western values.

[@JTRAVEL4K]

Welcome to Singapore🎉❤

[@kennySg101]

Half SG in the first place, now we are 100% Congrats

[@hahatheresa]

I do think that the weather has become hotter and more humid in recent years 😢

[@evfdurs]

You should interview Neil Humphreys, he is an author who also is from Manchester. I remember reading his funny books. He also did some serious stories. He's also an oasis fan, and I've seen him on kidscentral programs I think (defunct TV channel for kids in sg)

[@ThePrestoul]

Your channel growing faster than the clueless overkill channel, good job !

[@russrichard7114]

Congratulations on becoming a Singapore citizen.

[@tongfattho6913]

I like the name vivo. What's wrong with V? da Vinci, vanilla, Vancouver, Victoria and Vegetables? Harbour City sounds so boring.

[@calumsowhat]

Love the videos as usual, but noticed in the last few videos the audio has gone a bit weird. Like different mics or mix, sounds like the high end has had a hard cut. It sounded nicer before with room noise/ambience.

[@MaxChernov]

Yeah, the mics were off at this one and Jim Rogers one. So we had to recover audio from cameras using numerous tools, including AI

[@calumsowhat]

@@MaxChernov Well all things considered then, that's pretty impressive and pretty cool. :)

[@mohamedgoldstein5565]

Agreed on the embassy help to citizens. Singapore values its citizens.

[@mlu8395]

You are lucky. After 33 years SG still accept you as a citizen. 😊

[@kevina2907]

I wish this dude can teach Singaporeans some authentic British English. So proper and soothing to listen how he speaks.

[@finding_aether]

Cor blimey, mate! Oi agree, we should learn some bleedin' better English, innit, bruv! Polish it up a lil' so others can have a butcher's at what we're sayin' innit?

[@LKT508]

@@finding_aetherNAHH 💀

[@LKT508]

Singlish makes us singaporeans uniquely singaporean

[@chowwh308]

Dude english is easiest of foreign languages especially for the predominantly mandarin speakers in Sg. Most choose to speak local Singlish but of course they can easily make a switch when the need arises.

[@ashtoncap2161]

To me...as long the message is relayed.....can already mah😂😂...everybody has their own style own way of speaking...

[@joyLoveC]

Welcome to the family, Dom! I appreciate that you embrace the culture here. That was a very interesting story about VivoCity. I’m a frequent visitor there so it was fun to know. I’m just curious about why you’re choosing to retire in Penang and not Singapore? ☺️

[@xJ9pQw2sR5]

The grass is always greener- as an ex Singaporeans who has very deep ties in Singapore. I left Singapore right after NS. And it seems like a genius move, reaffirmed daily by the stories I read.

[@ddonlee]

But u never tell us where you moved to

[@kengleetan63]

Guess you found out much earlier the truth behind the phrase..."NS for Sinkie, Good jobs for FTs"😆😆😆😆

[@Philson]

LOL How the tables have turned since the colonial times.

[@guru6831]

The ball is round.

[@livklopp2526]

Penang. First choice for me too ❤

[@leongyet9896]

Went there almost every year for 20 years. The traffic getting worst and worst. It's the traffic it's killing. Prefer Butterworth or bukit metajam.

[@WelloWelp]

the sound is a bit choppy im not sure what is the reason but it feels like it

[@paretho]

Congrats ... , be generous , be kind ... they need someone to took care the food volunteering , mechanism , etc ... to reduce cost of product walaaa...

[@well-blazeredman6187]

Surprised to see that he had to renounce his British citizenshio - but Singapore's policy is the right one. As for his not understanding Brexit, would he ever be in favour of Singapore subordinating itself to an organisation like the EU? Interesting video.

[@gelinrefira]

UK might be in EU for some right and wrong reasons but Brexit was definitely all for the wrong reasons.

[@gelinrefira]

@wahhwahhbunchababies I doubt that. Dunno where you get this fantasy from.

[@gerrelldrawhorn8975]

Singapore was once a State of Malaysia. That was a much tighter union than Britain and the EU. Independence was not an easy road.bzThere were many privations and difficulties. It could have easily failed. BREXIT may not succeed. There were many promises of fantastic trade deals and other treaties (each which subordinates sovereignty to some degree as they lift trade barriers, tariffs, and subordinate laws to commissions that oversee the treaty). That fantastic trade treaty with the USA, promised by DT has still.not manifested. He did nothing to move it forward on equitable terms. It was, as should have been expected, "America First". Many British expats living or doing business in Europe face additional hardships of residency, travel, and trade. Retired expats living for ages in Europe have seen their lives upended.

[@normanking3937]

First you get the Singapore passport which is the most powerful in the world and then retire in penang which is alot cheaper than in Singapore. You are really very smart 🤣🤣🤣

[@idoit5005]

Yup he’s smart and as he said there are some similarities in Penang but the cost of living will be much lower which is great after retirement

[@AlexDrastico380]

Not sure why he said that, but it's not true. The most powerful passport in the world is the US passport.

[@idoit5005]

@@AlexDrastico380 that’s because a recent ranking was published with SG being no.1 while the US passport has fewer visa free destinations

[@kf510]

@@AlexDrastico380references please

[@AlexDrastico380]

@@idoit5005 Ah that kind of "powerful". Just the places where you can go without paperwork for a tourist visa.

[@Cococokieful]

Although UK has bad weather, Singapore also has bad weather, just the opposite of cold, wet, and gloomy which is hot, miserably humid, and sweltering.

[@sherwinh1661]

hi max, do you take the B-roll videos by yourself? the b-roll videos are amazing and alot of effort

[@scottie934]

Giving up your British citizenship because of Brexit really is next level remoaning. Ironically, many of the people who complain about Brexit do so because they’re worried about it becoming the Singapore of Europe 😂

[@dexterspeights3484]

SINGAPORE is "THE MONACO" of SOUTH-EAST ASIA where you have to earn your rite of passage to get citizenship!

[@bluelingen]

7:29 Hard to imagine if the name is really Harbourfront Mall. 😅

[@paulhandidjaja1579]

Like your content very much..

[@MaxChernov]

Glad to hear that!

[@harisadu8998]

Former British man. Once Singaporean, British must be renounced.

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

i still find Vivocity VERY very hard to navigate hahah

[@MaxChernov]

Lol me too

[@bambooex]

oh god i remember when vivocity first opened and the biggest thing about it was getting lost in it xD

[@yoominbi]

The first ang moh that I've seen that knows Sambal Belacan. Big upz

[@cuclainne]

There are more out there. My husband included - he also eats durian, stinky tofu, natto... He's strange. 😂

[@etchvee]

The most meaningful bond immigrants create is when their children do NS

[@etchvee]

@maxchernov do you agree? Try asking your interviewees about this.

[@magdalenevillarliberg6104]

I am thinking the same thing too. That's when they really show true allegiance to S'pore

[@etchvee]

Besides allegiance, it’s a sure way to integrate in the society. To see beyond shiny buildings, efficient public transport and affordable hawker food …

[@adamtay-zp2bx]

Once you get PR, you can get citizen after 5 year

[@Futariyome]

lol the "because theres no v in chinese language" reason cracked me up😂😂😂

[@dryden28]

Harbourfront mall is definitely too mainstream for mall as special as Vivo City

[@Nothingmore1313]

Same thoughts of retiring in Penang. Lots of similarities w SG. Not to mention Penang delicious food n snacks.

[@matthewchiayongxuan2251]

Hey Max this video is kinda weird, why does both of your voices sound a little bit robotic

[@altheachan5597]

Toyo Ito is still around though?

[@klausschumacher7126]

I don't see any sense in changing my German citizenship when I live in foreign countries. I left my home country 1989 to the Philippines and after 2 years to Brazil and 3 years later to Indonesia where I lived for 22 years. Married to a Filipina made me descided to retire in the Philippines since 2017. I have been in Singapore so many times that I stopped counting but it was always a nice time. I agree that Penang is one of the best places to retire and prices are lower than in Singapore.

[@willsmith39]

There are many advantages to becoming a naturalised citizen. The main one is that you're no longer just a guest so your life there is no longer conditional on anything, you can't be booted out because you don't have the right visa because obviously you have a visa. If you are a US citizen and therefore subject to global taxation there's an obvious MASSIVE advantage which is why the Facebook co founder did it and pays 16 percent income tax not 40 percent. Plus you can vote or even run for some local office yourself. Finally as mentioned the Singapore passport is strongest in the world so gives you visa free access to more places than even an EU or US passport. However if I was going to end up with one of the weakest ones - like a Phillipines passport then yes I'd be much less keen.

[@gerrelldrawhorn8975]

I think the Philippines accepts dual nationality. While the US does have a global taxation regime it applies to both citizens and residents. So a Singaporean (or a Brazilian-American dual citizen) is subject to US taxes generated within the USA, and globally...subject to tax treaty. So even if one renounces a US citizenship escape from taxes earned there is not so easy. And there is a period of time (2 years) when one still has to file and pay taxes on global income. The US has fairly liberal tax rates and tax relief for those who do live, and are taxed abroad. Usually the US Citizen ends up only paying taxes on their gains on US income plus whatever local tax there is. Renouncers often discover that they have made a worse deal than they had before. They may be restricted from doing some types of business in the US esp. as a majority stakeholder. Fortunately a foreigner can still own land and be a minority shareholder. Some renouncers simply don't want to pay so much of their taxes to a government they don't like..but they will anyway unless they entirely pull up stakes. It's usually not smart to renounce unless one has fully looked into all aspects and really has cultural, familial and emotional tied to the new culture. He seems to have few regrets on breaking his links, but I bet on a Quiz night he'll do really well on UK history and pop culture and not so well on Pop Yeye or Shaw Brother films😂

[@willsmith39]

@@gerrelldrawhorn8975 If the US genuinely had such a "liberal" global taxation policy then self evidently you wouldn't have people going through the lengthy, expensive and almost vindictively punitive process of renouncing citizenship in the first place. Pretty much everything you wrote here is objectively false, which makes me wonder why you wrote it. Perhaps you work for the IRS I don't know, but amongst my many expatriate friends here in Hong Kong, most democrat voters but a few republicans I've yet to hear one of them have anything remotely positive to say about their country's global taxation system. In point of fact it's so illiberal that they can't even open a bank account here with many ( actually almost all) major financial institutions as if the incredibly onerous reporting and auditing isn't perfect then the US gov will come after the bank itself - so it's simply not worth it to them to have US clients. I have a number of friends with net worths in excess of 5m USD here and looking to open an account with a private back and none will touch them with a ten foot pole. Meanwhile I'm worth less but I'm from the UK and I've had banks falling over themselves to take my money. As I understand it there's actually a branch office of the IRS now physically in Hong Kong to cover SE Asia and track down anyone in SE Asia they suspect of not being fully compliant. Certainly if it was easy many of my friends here would have renounced citizenship by now or at least seriously considered it as with 25 plus years here ( like me) they have to pay the difference every year between the 15 percent top rate in HK and the US top rate, which on their incomes is a lot of money. And yet they haven't lived in the US in decades and so aren't getting any of the benefits of their tax dollars. Not that there are many benefits of course as unlike being an EU or UK citizen it's not like you guys enjoy great free/ very cheap tertiary education or healthcare. And speaking of EU and UK citizens, we don't have Global taxation - thank god as I wouldn't be able to afford to live here if we did - so have none of the massive expense and hugely time consuming shennegans my friends have to go through.

[@amyg1073]

👍👍👍

[@caoshehuixian]

oh, that‘s how Vivo came about.

[@kwekxh2108]

I believed Mr Toyo Ito (mentioned at 7:10) is still alive as of today.

[@HumanTherapy]

It's definitely the climate change, I live my 80s-00s in the North Eastern part of Singapore, which was arguably one of the last parts in Singapore that was underdeveloped in terms of housing estate and amenities. There were trees everywhere and an afternoon even with sun blasting had cold breeze even if there was no rain. Now it's hot even DURING a rain.

[@HamtaroEL]

*NE singapore is further away from the equator.* that's why there is a slight cool breeze

[@ashtoncap2161]

"Can't put the name vivocity because theres no letter V in chinese/mandarin"......that kinda ticked me off abit...😒

[@fangwong8778]

Yes, it has become hotter over time. In the 1980s and before, 28 degC was considered a very hot day and not common. Over 30 degC was unimaginable! Today, 28 degC is almost a regular day in cooler months and having a temperature over 30 degC is not uncommon either.

[@HamtaroEL]

30 degrees C and over as hot day right on the equator, Singapore is a little north of the equator so 28 degrees C is about right back then.

[@tedlai6624]

Honestly if I were from 3rd world or developing cty I will take up sg citizen. If I'm from 1st world cty just a PR will be sufficient...to me la

[@letitiaprincess1125]

I wept renouncing my BNO; although it was a queer kind of British nationality, it was the identity I was very much attached to. Also, British passports enjoy a 3-month visa-free stay in Malaysia, whereas Singapore passports only enjoy a 30-day visa-free stay.

[@gerrelldrawhorn8975]

Yes...a bit weird that the Malaysians are harsher on their former colony😂 than they are to their colonial masters😂.

[@letitiaprincess1125]

@@gerrelldrawhorn8975 US & Japan passport holders also enjoy a 3 month visa free stay in Malaysia. I guess Singapore passport is classified as a non 1st world passport in the eyes of Malaysia government 🤣

[@79chgoh]

Wah.... after almost at the end of his economic value, he still eligible for citizenship, very lucky

[@kennyzeng21]

i still get lost in Vivo City lolz

[@MaxChernov]

me too lol

[@nbkhsg]

He can always get back his UK citizenship should he decide to go back to UK.

[@scottie934]

Truthfully, I’ve never heard of someone renouncing their British nationality before. Hopefully it isn’t a revolving door.

[@angdarren5832]

Good man

[@ChristinaTeoLiCheng]

No wonder it's hard to find cheap property in Penang. Everyone wants to retire there.... Must be Colonial vibes etc

[@idoit5005]

Lots of interest from not just SG but INA CN HK TW people too who have been buying/renting in Penang. There are also direct flights to Penang from these places which is really convenient

[@OrgKgTV]

So you support man u or man city or spore fc mate?..

[@MaxChernov]

I should’ve asked

[@rolandyeo6311]

Liverpool😜

[@jchuask]

Yes... definitely Liverpool! YNWA 😂

[@christophers8467]

7:09 lol Toyo ito will be very surprised to learn about his supposed death if he watches this

[@idoit5005]

Yes he would be quite surprised or he could be laughing too lol. He is very old though, so sometimes people make mistakes about whether he is still around

[@林柏辰-m7i]

Despite small in the country Singapore is very stable Uk and US have lots of social problems like drugs illegal immigrants

[@radenbahagia164]

That is how the Durrian fruit tastes Like 👍

[@ManlyHK1]

How can this guy be a Singaporean without speaking Singlish?!

[@mohmeegaik6686]

It would seem smarter westerners would migrate to Singapore lately. Everything coming up roses.And even smarter westerners will move to Johore - a channel away & a lot of value for your dollars.

[@edwinpoon]

Can we call this reverse-colonialism? As in a colonial or ex-colonial prefers to become the resident of a colonial or ex-colonial territory.

[@krisnanstravelvlogscomings3893]

It’s easy nowadays to obtain singapore citizenship lol it’s a joke new citizen. Government should reduce the approval rates of Singapore citizenship

[@darkwofe]

he is true blood singaporean lol many singaporean will retire in malaysia

[@jiayueyang2894]

Looks like Singaporean already

[@WShan1966]

Why?🤦‍♂️

[@audreychoong7323]

Hmmm ... worked hard to become a Singaporean then retired elsewhere ?

[@bell-xk5dd]

That’s put me off too...😳😅

[@rolandyeo6311]

Many friends of mine are thinking of retiring somewhere else where the cost of living is lower, safe and advance. Penang is a common choice for many, not to mention JB. So its quite normal for Singaporean to consider retiring elsewhere.

[@bell-xk5dd]

@@rolandyeo6311 Genuine Singaporeans are not likely to retire elsewhere as you said. Those who do are most likely nationalized citizens, who have no qualms of moving yet again to elsewhere coz their roots are not really in Singapore...

[@7eeYeaH]

Well, many Singaporeans are thinking of retiring elsewhere too. 😂

[@xijingping7684]

​@@bell-xk5dd Thats ok, many ppl retiring in other countries still missed sg and still wanted to come back to sg.

[@landebadalge2641]

Foreigners come in...Singaporeans get out, migrate elsewhere. That's what its about.

[@1changi]

The world is the oyster for those who can. Good education all the way to the university, big house, car(s), and weather all play a part to stir the hearts of those who are pining for greener pastures.

[@lucyfiniarel2347]

Lots of Singaporeans take a few years abroad and come back home in the end. Those who don’t return will always have a tie to this place. So it’s fine really, sons and daughters of Singapore should be allowed to see the world. And those who don’t leave should be allowed to experience a little bit of the world and work alongside international colleagues.

[@idoit5005]

Population must grow, either organically or through import. People need spacious homes at least, never be like HK, flats smaller than a car parking lot.

[@pjs20thetube]

I am sure Singaporeans can also take an arrogance attitude when going to Malaysia too 🤣🤣

[@samuelfan2971]

Toyo ito is alive and well tho😂

[@fariachua4466]

Lol precisely😅 I shocked when I heard the late of my fave archi of Sendai Mediatheque. Oh no, better edit that part Max …

[@anrashid47]

Are you truthful ???

[@banbbc2921]

Singaporean pronounce wewo, not vivo ;)

[@NEAAFFAIRS]

Er nope. Not the many people I know age 10-50

[@P53eud0nym05]

That’s broken engrish.

[@Tony-nr8dp]

Join a political party or form one . Wow!! an ANG MO on the prowl!!

[@dutchylondon]

You’re still ang moh 😂

[@MaxChernov]

thats mean

[@Shahir-e2t]

i was born in 1989 😅

[@lightspeeder]

Oh the irony

[@sneo7470]

👍👏💪🇸🇬

[@eventhorizon3117]

The football here sucks

[@xxslysinxx]

Propaganda