From another viewpoint..............
True. At my age, the open skies and big park lands are less of a concern. But to be honest, most people who come here from these developed megametropolis (like Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai) go nuts pretty quickly, because it's actually so inconvenient and slow-paced. It's almost like some outback city. Even the airport feels outback the moment you land - I certainly got that feeling when I landed back in Melbourne. It wasn't just that it's small and old (and that it certainly is) - it was also dirty and the queues were sooo slow.
Hiya
I actually have another point of view if i may share...(small voice)
Having been born and bred in Singapore and then lived in Sydney for the
past 10 years, i trust my view carries some credibility??
Yes, a modern metropolis like Singapore is a very good place to earn money (low taxes, capital taxes what's that?) but do you know the average Singaporean pays a very high price .....eg.
a) one of the most expensive real estate in the world: when i go back to Singapore, most of my friends (of my age ahem!) are staying in apartments averaging 1 million and over Aussie dollars..but hey! it is still a small 3 bedder 120 sqm apartment! No backyard, no view... Throughout their lives, they would be lucky to own it outright....
b) very little green parks, beaches; public amenities are always overcrowded: leading to a lot of ugly social behaviour; imagine shopping at Coles where the aisles are half the width; (and that's why, there's very few obese people in Singapore altho it is changing), the average waiting time at a local suburban post office is 15 minutes...
c) a stressful education system:kids start being "hothoused" from age 5 onwards (before starting school) and average 3 to 4 times a week; kids not wearing glasses are not the norm but a rarity! A large part of your after tax income will go into these....there's no room for blue collar workers; if you are not academic, you are seen as a social failure...builders, butchers, electricians, plumbers are amongst the LOWEST paid in Singapore...
d) very little social welfare and pension : what's that?? that's why you see a lot of old old people working at menial jobs in Singapore, very very sad.
e) the constant relentless refrain by the Government to work harder, achieve more, "you have no one to help you in your old age/sick except yourselves"!
You have no time to smell the air, to appreciate your kids for what they are (and not just mini study machines), to even bring them up on your own (90% of women in Singapore work and entrust kids to their Indonesian/Phillipino kids)
You get the picture, what i am trying to say is living and working in Singapore on the surface is really good; scratch the surface and try living there all your life is another matter....