Strange Habits in Singapore 🇸🇬 | Expat Insights

Disclaimer: I love Singapore with all my heart and I have no intention offend Asian culture in any way. As an expat moving from Switzerland to Singapore 1.5 years ago, I want to talk about some things that were knew to me and are different from my home-country.
What are habits in Singapore you find strange? Let me know!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:17 - Queuing
01:12 - Discount obsession
02:16 - Breakfast culture
03:21 - Avoiding Sunlight
04:34 - Uncle and Auntie
These videos take quite a long time to make so any like and subscribe really supports my channel🤗
Edited with Gling AI: bit.ly/46bGeYv
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[@davidlfm777]

Nowadays, the Sun’s UV is very bad for our skin, so we are trying to protect ourselves from skin cancer and other bad effects

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes that is true!

[@SuccessforLifester]

I also started using umbrella in the sun.

[@Swizzyinsg]

😱

[@paulinelee7986]

The scorching sun here can cause sunburn and the heat from the sun (very near the equator) can lead to a heat stroke. So either we walk under the shade or carry umbrellas to reduce the risk.

[@haroldlo8624]

You know you have been in Sg/tropics long enough when you start to avoid direct sunlight. It is just too hot! 😂

[@Swizzyinsg]

I love it hahah

[@limbehh8494]

​@Swizzyinsg it is very hurting... those sun ray r killer . Hope u take care of yourself. I am a guy and I carry umbrella out for lunch. Lol.

[@Kakis.Fitness]

Hello auntie welcome to Singapore 🇸🇬 😂 just kidding. We used to it cos everyone is respectful to elderly or older people. Even I call them big brother or sister who older than me. Mutual respect 😊

[@Swizzyinsg]

I think it is so cute!!

[@rosidahariff2365]

Even aunties call each other aunties. 😅 My teenage niece who worked at Starbucks was once called aunty by a Caucasian boy. 😢

[@limbehh8494]

We ...Asian respect the elder. 😊

[@ainonismail9017]

Sporeans call older men and women.en "uncle" and "auntie" because that is how we address older men and women in Asian languages. So it often gets translated into auntie and uncle when we use the English language

[@Swizzyinsg]

I think it is cute😊

[@paulinelee7986]

Addressing elderlies as "Uncles n aunties" is like respectfully addressing them as "sir" & "madam"

[@leewn2319]

Point 4 carrying umbrellas in sunny Sg. - Sg is only 1 deg 15min north of the equator. With climate change for the last 10 yrs and especially these couple of yrs, the sunshine & heat is so strong and hence people carry umbrellas for protection. Also weather changed drastically and may rain anytime unpredictably.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thanks for sharing!

[@eduardoking8402]

Here in Ontario, we are also generally very obsessed with discounts and special offers. We are always sharing where and how we can get the best deals! There's weekly flyers (delivered to mailbox and online) of special deals. Lol. Ontarians also line up where a restaurant is giving out special deals or free promotional meals, or some new tech product is being launched, although it's not quite as bad as the ones I've seen in Singapore from KZbin videos. Also, because Ontario is so huge, 26,000 times that of Switzerland, or 1.5 million times that of Singapore, this occurence is so spread out that it doesn't look as bad as we see in Singapore.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mdsubtil]

Here in Brazil also it uses uncle and auntie, here in Brazil love sun, tanning and people with sunburned skin.

[@Swizzyinsg]

@@mdsubtil ☺️☺️

[@Digital_Squirrel]

I've been living in Singapore for nearly 30 years, your videos are so refreshing and (apart from marrying my Singaporean wife) remind me why I like this place.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Singapore is great!

[@felinelim3425]

In Switzerland, the food is extremely expensive. A simple meal in McDonald's can cost at least 10 CHF with a drink. So far, i was not able to find cheap options around 5 CHF where we can sit and eat comfortably like our hawker centres.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes thats true!! Even more than CHF 10!

[@BB-yi6qn]

Because Singapore is a tropical area, it is summer all year round, and the sunshine is very hot. The weather in Europe is cooler, and the sunshine in Europe is not that hot.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes true!

[@lunazero433]

The weirdest thing for me is how socially accepted it is to skip on using parking tickets and then run like crazy in the middle of your meal to your car when you find out someone is checking parking tickets. Some expensive restaurants even have the staff alert all customers when they see someone checking tickets... and quite often you see people from every table immediately get up and run away while still chewing.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Whattt never seen this??

[@leewn2319]

Well in HDB areas, the carparks are fitted with gantry & IU sensors to deduct parking fee for hourly parking / non seaso parking. Along streets when u park at URA’s car parking lots, u can use a parking app to pay. There’s a GPS that locate your parking area, & u input the street name and u can extend or end early the hourly parking using ur mobile phone.

[@lunazero433]

@@Swizzyinsg the noose (parody news) did a report on this. There they talk about how someone eating something expensive and driving a BMW did exactly this because he didn't want to pay $2 to park his car. Although it's a parody I have actually seen this done by people driving porsche. Apart from "car park lai liao" I've also heard people shouting "Chao pai" (copying car plates) and my favourite "vampire incoming" My personal theory is that, usually, the one in the family who drives the car is usually the father.. and he usually has to always be alert and ready to run back to the army whenever notified... so everyone is used to him disappearing at any time. The link to that noose episode in below. That part starts at 4:27 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHaZYZZ_m5t3a8Usi=f8vTmOpKP7O8KO8-

[@Dennis-kp2bc]

Hi. Swizzyinsg, I. fully agreed with you we Singaporeans really goes crazy that anything that got discounts. Whether we need that items or not don't care buy first then decide.

[@Swizzyinsg]

🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬

[@jamestay8222]

At least we don't fight for discount right?

[@ERthe2nd]

Tolles Video

[@Swizzyinsg]

Vielen Dank💛☺️

[@simonez9197]

Sorry, I don't find it strange, bizzare or weird, it's just the way of life in a different country.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes for sure! Adapting😌☺️

[@LearnsMarketing]

I reckon the terms "aunty" and "uncle" come from the Chinese way of addressing elders - "阿姨" and "阿伯" literally translate to "aunty" and "uncle". 😅

[@Swizzyinsg]

So cute!

[@user-tl9wv6wu9h]

Nope. It comes from ‘pak cik’ & ‘mak cik’ in Malay. Pak/Mak (bapak = father / emak = mother) cik (Mr./Mrs./Miss). Context 1 : Sister/brother of o’s father or mother. Context 2 : Adressing an adult at same age of their parent or elder.

[@jobloei2533]

You are lovely!!!! 😊😊😊

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thank you🥰

[@joeteo6536]

I'll call you aunty if i happen to bump into you, then you will get used to it... haha

[@Swizzyinsg]

Aww okay😄😄

[@cherriemay528]

I've been staying in chiang mai Thailand for 2 weeks the culture there are so shocking and prices there are slightly cheaper 😅

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yess Thailand is much cheaper!

[@wavingatu-23]

Singaporean Q for a reasons,before they go or Q they search first 😅

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes haha

[@meowth27]

Queuing is international. Apple products, moonswatch. Queuing not knowing its just us being us being kiasu. Discount because everything is so expensive and if we can save, why not. Its built in us since young to save and thrift. Water, electricity, money. Breakfast because food generally was affordable previously and its a habit now. Plus prepping takes too much time and work. We are lazy if we can. Sunlight.. simple. Its hot here. No one can be under our sun for 10 min at 1pm.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Sgscouser]

Do you know Uncle/Auntie can be a job title? Usually a janitor or a tea lady E.g office uncle or a pantry Auntie.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@alexandraulmann9270]

So funny!

[@Swizzyinsg]

🤗

[@riprockmusic1]

I’m Singaporean but my mom taught me never to waste my time queueing for food. Especially if you’re gonna have to pay for it anyway without a discount.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Makes sense ;)

[@luckywheatXYZM]

Hi, Swizzyin! Never see you speak Romansh or Franch, or Germany, or Italian in your channel.....😁😁😁

[@Swizzyinsg]

Ich kann auch Deutsch ;)

[@yiguang1689]

Good evening if there are many long long Q…… It must be 10millions TOTO draw lah For Sure Babe

[@Swizzyinsg]

😄😄

[@katetang1372]

I am almost 60 but everybody thought I am 40. Take good care of your skin n don’t regret it.😊

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yes!!

[@___Danny___]

I prefer to dry my washed clothes under the sun , not sure this is weird or not.

[@Swizzyinsg]

😊😊

[@ANDERSWOConceptstore]

you are so funny:)

[@Swizzyinsg]

💛😊☺️

[@kelvgan]

Yes Anything new anywhere new Singaporeans will go Just to be first kiasu

[@Swizzyinsg]

🇸🇬🫶😊

[@Singh-dl9fz]

I am not sure if I live in a different Singapore, but I have never seen anyone queuing in front of the MRT. The passengers boarding, don’t even let passengers alighting get out first.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Noted!

[@ongandrew4953]

Most office working ladies don't like to called aunty..so be careful

[@Swizzyinsg]

Really? How do I know?

[@Sgscouser]

@@Swizzyinsgwhen u called a gen z Uncle or auntie, they will be triggered.😅😅😅

[@kalpanasundi3766]

I'm little surprised to know that... For you calling strangers or shopkeepers uncle and auntiee is not common because as an asian it's so common to call uncle/ auntie if you don't even know them 😂🤭

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yess it was very weird in the beginning for me🙈🙈

[@jetsettales]

Hold up, there’s singles day in SG? 😅

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yess 11.11😅😅

[@darkl777]

Even in India, it's common to call elder people, uncle and aunty.

[@Swizzyinsg]

So cute🤭🤭

[@miklee4834]

Don't know if I will make money selling Swiss cheese fondue in hawker centre?😂😂😊

[@Swizzyinsg]

Hahhaha you should try!!!!

[@steventay5834]

The discount is not real.

[@riprockmusic1]

And yes most Singaporean women aged between 30-50ish don’t like to be called aunty. Even if they look the part. 🤣 my colleague who’s a mom and almost 40 chided her daughter’s classmate for calling her aunty. She wants to be called “older sister”. 🙄

[@Swizzyinsg]

I think its so cute haha

[@user-fb7rf4kr5k]

Well, Singapore is a context rich society, unlike Switzerland and Germany. The woman who said she doesn't know what she's queuing for likely knows what she's queuing for. Singaporeans are not dumb! The woman likely feels shy talking to a foreigner, and it's unfortunate because you are such a lovely person.

[@Swizzyinsg]

Thanks for sharing!

[@fayea78]

Ppl saying Singaporeans love a good bargain as if it's unique to us. 🙄 Isn't that just human behavior? Perhaps not this lady's country... But do some homework perhaps before saying that?

[@Swizzyinsg]

Yess love a good bargain too heheh

[@mokkiemok]

0:51

[@Swizzyinsg]

😂😂

[@matthewpeloso2172]

You have to always congratulate the government for everything and let them take credit, even when they do not contribute. Nanny state SG

[@Swizzyinsg]

Noted!!