snippets off today's daily rag's forum page, on foreigners' views of the wee isle, both sent in by wee islanders:
by wee islander #1:
Thai man: 'So where are you from?'
Australian woman: 'I'm Australian but my husband's Singaporean. I have lived there (Singapore) for more than 10 years.'
Thai: 'So do you have a Singapore passport?'
Australian: 'No, but I am a Permanent Resident.'
Thai: 'So how do you spend your time in Singapore? Must be so boring... I worked there in 1997/98. I am working for a major oil company and the company sent me there.'
Australian: 'Well, I lived in Thailand for three years before that. My husband works in the telecoms industry and he was posted here. I really missed the people; they are so kind. Singapore... hmmm ... it's the people; they are not happy. It's all about money. When I was here I lived in a big house, had my own driver but now I live in a small apartment and I drive myself.'
Thai: 'Yes, Thai people are nice, especially in the North. We respect the 'farang' very much.'
but of course, thais do 'cos it's the farangs' dosh they're after. and because of it, them provincial slags are so ever willing to sell themselves to the farang, never mind even if it's a pittance. or that the farang are old enough to be their granda's.
also, the aussie woman's comments obviously showed her complete ignorance about the root of wee islanders' problem: high cost of living. and if she's really complaining about having to live in a wee flat, why the fuck did she marry a wee islander then?
by wee islander #2:
Much to our surprise, the article carried more gripes than praises. She ended the article thus: 'I came to the conclusion that the country of lights, lions and laws is truly unique - but for all the wrong reasons..'
...
Neither was the writer impressed with the people. The young girls she saw on the street were likened to Asian versions of Britney Spears; the young men were accused of having succumbed to the David Beckham cult.
Was she appalled by the lack of originality of our youth or was she agreeing with this line from the play performed at the launch of the tourism campaign, 'It is time we stop behaving like bananas - yellow on the outside and white on the inside'?
'Everyone looks as if they stepped straight off the pages of a fashion magazine... Not Cosmo though.'
reet. effin' obvious that this journo hasn't visited other asian countries. besides, what does she actually expect of wee islanders?
cute naive time-warped asians all dressed up in their quaint traditional costumes and blah so that tourist mongs like her could share numerous snaps of locals with their equally mongish mates, and then chorus:
"ooooh, look at those exotic necklaces! do they actually make them for a living by selling them to tourists? i mean, look at the environs around them! they look so dirt poor that's why they need our money to feed their hungry bairn! we should do our bit in helping them third-world dimwits!!"
bint.
which reminds me of a wee tale i came across many many many ::ad infinitum:: moons ago, names appropriately changed to suit the characters:
wee islander: so your heading to the wee isle then?
twit: yep, i'm on a business trip
wee islander: oh, your first time going there?
twit: nope, i've been there a few times already
wee islander: right, what were your first impressions?
twit: it's a concrete jungle, such a boring place
wee islander: if it's a real jungle, would you be making this trip then?
twit:...
excellent.
as enscribed by the letter b @ May 20, 2004 09:50 AMas in?
as blahed by the letter b @ May 20, 2004 10:10 AMYou're just convincing me further about Singaporeans...
as blahed by Simon @ May 20, 2004 09:53 AM