Singapore VS Australia VS Canada VS Pinas

JCsantos · August 2013

Pero sa akin mas concern ako sa ibang aspect like kung maeenjoy ba ng anak mo magaral sa australia or paano ung bullying jan. i heard grabe daw, then mas maaga yata sila jan mag explore, lalo na kung babae anak mo, dahil sa culture. So impt talaga maipasa pa rin yung culture nating pinoy sa mga anak natin at mabigyan sila ng mabuting gabay tlaga.
yes bullying is a problem ... teach your kid how to defend himself

what if your son is the bully? how will you teach him?

then you dont have a problem

...

rooroo · August 2013

i think po hindi po isyu dito kung racist ang mga pinoy, kasi given na naman yun. mas concern siguro ng mga tao dito sa forum is how bad australian racists treat the other nationals especially to filipino migrants.

I think this is the best answer I read from this thread. No need to bash your fellow Filipinos.

orengoreng · August 2013

@doubleDuzi

Singapore VS Australia VS Canada VS Pinas??? hahaha! aba, syempre Pinas! di tayo kasing yaman ng tatlong yan pero tuwing umuuwi kami pinas, naku, ibang iba! ang ingay! ang saya! eh dito ano? sobrang tahimik! christmas?? managinip ka! alang christmas dito. christmas sa pinas da best! yun nga lang, dami loko! at walang satsat na milyo-milyones ngayun sa pinas. 3-4 years pa, mauubos yan.

canada bat di mo pansin? ok din canada. naka stay ako alberta, mga 2 years din sa calgary, red deer, edmonton, palipat lipat hehe, PERO susme, asar ang snow! at ang lamig -30 na ata yun o mas grabe pa, basta! ahahahahaa! mura bahay dun kaso rin ang baba naman ng sahod!!! bwiset! mga naka opisina dun parang 25cad/hr lang! eh langya, 'odd jobs' lang sa australia yan haha! taas ng bill sa kuryente! mga pinoy dun walang trabaho hahaha! totoo yan! ibabasura ng canada resume mo. yang sinasabi nilang "skilled list" na yan, maniwala ka dyan. pagdating mo dun, tim horton's bagsak mo hahaha! tatlong 'odd jobs'?? 12 hour shift?? ano yan lokohan? yang 12 hour shift sa canada para lang mabuhay eh di na tama yan haha! ok lang sana yan kung kagaya kitang slacker, kaso professional ka, ika nga eh, you deserve better hehehe...

@beth, swak ka sa adelaide! o kung san mo man gusto hehe basta sa australia. dami raw IT sa adelaide. di ko alam to ha, nabasa ko lng. sa oz kasi 7.5 hrs a day lang trabaho bastante ka na nun. QUALITY LIFE! gusto mo ba 60" na tv?? walang problema, magtrabaho ka lang 1 week at bili ka next nyan week! medyo matumal trabaho dito sa adelaide pero pag nasa sydney ka, sa opisina ka talaga. tamang desisyon: AUSTRALIA

Thanks doubleDuzi sa sinabi mo, matagal na nagtatalo ang isipan ko Kung AU O Canada dahil family ko sa US pero hoping that the land is greener in AU.

Nadine · August 2013

I

Been working in Singapore for almost 4 years now. Security is the best. Less racist as compared to Australia. If you are single, Singapore is good to earn and save more $$$ If you have a family, in the long run, it's not good. Well, I guess most of you know why - high cost of living.

Singaporeans are so downright racists, it's actually funny.

Case in point, kelangan magsubmit ng IELTS to Singapore Medical council. Not for licensing. Poor daw kasi english natin. Pero at the ward, I had to learn Sing-lish, otherwise I wouldn't understand what was going on. No speak china one mah cannot lah, ayoo can lah. Eto pa, you can't be citizen because that's... uhm, for their citizens only. Alamah.

In aus, there are actually laws against that. Pwede ka mag report and nobody can retaliate. Pwede anonymous. Pero I find that they are careful not to offend kasi ayaw nila ma-report din. If people are rude here, you don't have to live with it. In Sg, it sort of comes with the territory. Accepted norm, if I may.

Mayt, Sg is expensive. But wait till you live in Oz! Hindi lang yata doble, baka triple pa gastos ko dito. But I have to slam your assumption about savings/earnings dun sa mga walang pamilya. Hindi rin, mas ok ako dito.

TasBurrfoot · August 2013

I

Been working in Singapore for almost 4 years now. Security is the best. Less racist as compared to Australia. If you are single, Singapore is good to earn and save more $$$ If you have a family, in the long run, it's not good. Well, I guess most of you know why - high cost of living.

Singaporeans are so downright racists, it's actually funny.

Case in point, kelangan magsubmit ng IELTS to Singapore Medical council. Not for licensing. Poor daw kasi english natin. Pero at the ward, I had to learn Sing-lish, otherwise I wouldn't understand what was going on. No speak china one mah cannot lah, ayoo can lah. Eto pa, you can't be citizen because that's... uhm, for their citizens only. Alamah.

In aus, there are actually laws against that. Pwede ka mag report and nobody can retaliate. Pwede anonymous. Pero I find that they are careful not to offend kasi ayaw nila ma-report din. If people are rude here, you don't have to live with it. In Sg, it sort of comes with the territory. Accepted norm, if I may.

Mayt, Sg is expensive. But wait till you live in Oz! Hindi lang yata doble, baka triple pa gastos ko dito. But I have to slam your assumption about savings/earnings dun sa mga walang pamilya. Hindi rin, mas ok ako dito.

Oh yeah... Previously I inquired about applying for an MBA at NUS; they are requiring me an IELTS, and I asked if this is required as well for Singapore. Ang sabi ng naka-usap ko from NUS, hindi daw... Hmmm, makes me wonder if their English is better than mine. Ahahah!!

Yeah, mas gastos dito sa Australia @rooroo; mas mahal ang food (goodbye hawker mentality na bili lang, dito you will learn how to cook kung gusto mo magtipid), mas mahal ang PUB,mas mahal ang public transportation, mas mahal ang tax and mas mahal dito mag travel. PERO:

On the flipside naman, mas mura ang car, mas mura ang housing (dati we live in a 2+1 HDB and it will come out more expensive than the 2 bed villa that we are staying currently here in Melbourne) - mas relax dito... More expensive but you will get on with it naman and find way on where you can lessen the expense without sacrificing your style of living.

To put it shortly, mas matipid kami ngayon rather than before in Singapore... Maybe because bago pa lang kami ang mejo di pa ganun ka stable.

kickerz · August 2013

sabi nila mas mahal daw lahat ng bilihin sa aus kesa sg. pero how about the salary, mas mataas ba lahat ang sahod kesa dito sa sg? regardless of saang field ka?

vhoythoy · August 2013

^^ i think depende, pro generally mas malaki gross pay sa Australia, pro mababa net dahil sa tax and various expenses. Sa SG you can get salary of 6 digits in pesos and only pay around 2% ng gross pay annually, pwedeng hulugan p through giro after a year pa. Sa field ko and same position nasa around 30-50% ang increase sa gross pay based sa seek. Sa Au mabubuhay ka sa odd jobs salary, sa sg kung allowed ka man malamang hindi or sang kahig san tuka ka lang siguro.

rooroo · August 2013

hello all, i am aware na mas expensive sa oz. although comparing here in SG, mas makakasettle ka ng maayos sa OZ.

I have friends and relatives living there for more than 5 years na din and i could say that life is good for them in OZ.

When I went to Oz, never did I experience any racial slurs. especially ung mtatanda sarap kausap. But from the stories of my friends who went there last time as tourists, may experiences sila like sinuntok nalang bigla pagbaba ng bus, siniko sa loob ng bus, binabato ng kung anu anu. At wala naman silang ginagawa pero Aussies did that.
Kahit sa school nun friends ko, pag asians ka at nagtitipon tipon kayo, sisigawan kayo ng "f*ck *** asians hahaha
pero life goes on, deadma nalang.

In SG, wala naman ganan. usually keyboard warriors lang mga tao dito.
Pero wala lang yan, ganun naman tlga effect ng globalization. we have to live with it.
By the way, im still far from reaching my dream to migrate there. Ang tagal ng ACS!
Didn't expect na magpapalit ng ACS ng rules nun May!

OT na pla hahaha

Nadine · August 2013

@rooroo, hmmm. If something is offensive, why not speak up. Otherwise they'll keep on ridiculing.

Eto sa ospital, may mga puting nurses and midwives kasama pa yung head. Dumaan lang ako, parang nagtawanan. Bago pa lang ako nun. I'm Asian kasi, maliit pa ako even for an asian, parang schoolgirl lang. What I did, I went over and asked: "what's so funny?" Hindi makasagot. So I said, "I will not put up with your crap at this time of the morning, I have patients to see.". Tiningnan ko ang head midwife and told her: "you know that this is reportable and I will report it."

Ni report ko sa HR, and that was that. Ok na kami, careful na din sila sakin.

Bullying is a major problem in Australia. It's in the streets, in workplaces, in cafes etc. But it's worse in schools. May mga students dito nagpapakamatay dahil binu-bully. Students need help, mga bata pa to eh. Pero tayo, tatanda na natin not to say something.

P.S. Si oprah nga nakaramdam ng racism when she was in Zurich. Have you heard of this news this week? Ayaw pakita sa kanya ng saleslady dun ang mamahaling bag na $30k kasi daw, "too expensive". LOL. Forbes' most powerful celebrity.

jengrata · August 2013

@nadine you go girl! Hahaha. Dapat ba ganyan tlga katapang? Ang mahirap tlga sa bata, kung papaano mo tuturuan na hindi mabully. Kasi baka naman sumobra at lagi naman mapaaway. Minsan naman may bata na di magsasalita na nabubully na pala sila.

rooroo · August 2013

@nadine, un isa nakipagtalo sya pero un iba they just let it passed. tourists pa kasi sila nun kaya deadma nalang. ung friend naman namin un anak nya nabully din sa school kaya nilipat nalang ng school.

aware naman ako sa racism sa oz. i will not take it seriously. maliban nalang siguro kung offensive na. haha

pero i salute you!

gmad06 · August 2013

@rooroo...pre curios ako sa IELTS paano mo napa expedit yung results mo,a week lng? :-/

nfronda · August 2013

Eto ha share q lg ang education d2 pag sa highschool na.. Dalawang kapatid ko ksi both in high school na. Yes bullying is #1 tlaga na prob sa mga bata dito.. Nangyari na muntik na mkasuntok ang kapatid ko ksi binully c bunso at umiyak lg. Buti na lg dami nlang pinoy at naharangan ang kamao nya.. but simula nun, wla ng bullying na nangyayari sa kanila..

In regards namn sa mga assignments and working activities nla, naku sobrang dami.. As in.. kaya ako ang kawawa, ako ksi ang tumutulong sa knla.. prang wla ding failed sa kanla.. ung kapatid ko ksi this 2nd term nla ay 60% lg ang attendance nya panay absent ksi..hahahaha.pro nakapasa pa rin sya.. ang maganda lg pagdating nla ng year 11 kasi the student will choose kng anu gus2 nyang course.. just like my bro pinili nya automative, so starting nxt yr every monday sa TAFE ang pasok nya 4 training certfcate 1 and 2 na yan.. And also pinagpili lg sya ng subject na gus2 nya kunin.. so other subject na ayaw nya or mahina sya deleted na sa time table on his year 11 nxt year..

rooroo · August 2013

@rooroo...pre curios ako sa IELTS paano mo napa expedit yung results mo,a week lng? :-/

oops, july 19 un. sorry mali pala ung nasa signature ko. 2 weeks tlaga dapat

Nadine · August 2013

@nadine you go girl! Hahaha. Dapat ba ganyan tlga katapang? Ang mahirap tlga sa bata, kung papaano mo tuturuan na hindi mabully. Kasi baka naman sumobra at lagi naman mapaaway. Minsan naman may bata na di magsasalita na nabubully na pala sila.

Hindi naman, in fact generally, palabati sila and very courteous. Mag-isa lang ako pag nag-aaral sa cafe, very courteous magtatanong if you need anything. Tapos, hahayaan ka na. Queenslanders din kasi are very warm and friendly. May mga punks sa daan at bus, pero di naman sila nang-iistorbo.

Iba ang workplace, parang hazing kasi yan eh. Tingin ko natural lang na susubukan ka talaga ng mga nauna sayo. May mga bago dating dito na mga pana.. naku, tino-toxic ng mga nurses, hehe. Hindi na nila ako pinapakialaman ngayon. Ganun yata talaga eh. Pag nalagpasan mo initiation, parte ka ng grupo. Parang hazing nga.

Sa school, yan ang di ko alam pano. Pero problema din yan ng mga kasama ko. Mga puti mga anak nila ha. And for now, wala solusyon dyan. May napanood ako na may plan for legislation against bullying. Pero sino paparusahan? Yung bata, or yung parents? Tricky, right. Wala naman ganito satin sa Pinas din kasi.

JCsantos · August 2013

Eto ha share q lg ang education d2 pag sa highschool na.. Dalawang kapatid ko ksi both in high school na. Yes bullying is #1 tlaga na prob sa mga bata dito.. Nangyari na muntik na mkasuntok ang kapatid ko ksi binully c bunso at umiyak lg. Buti na lg dami nlang pinoy at naharangan ang kamao nya.. but simula nun, wla ng bullying na nangyayari sa kanila..

I forgot to mention that if bullying is a problem in your school you need to inform the teacher/adviser ... para sa ganun kausapin nung teacher yung nang bubully at maayos ng usapan

kickerz · December 2013

is torrent available in Australia?

KurikongSaTumbong · December 2013

Australia ay ok! Get the most with the least effort dito. Basta me konting diskarte ka eh sigurading ok buhay mo. ganun din effort ko dati sa Pinas pero di rewarding sa atin.

Isipin nyo rin safety. Safe dito at maganda sistema. Me mapupuntahan tax nyo. Libre din healthcare kaya kahit magka brain tumour ka eh libre. Sa Pinas ubos milyon mo pag nagkasakit ka.

cutedrummerboy · December 2013

Here is my take between SG AU and Pinas

SG - Life was really good for us there but we need to moved on for bigger opportunities. Don't get me wrong we love sg so much. Who would not want a clean safe environment, lovely city, I could say good and warm people from our experience and very systematic if you know what I mean. A high paying salary is very possible but it will take you a while

AU - Here in AU, especially in QLD I find aussies are kind and friendly. It's a good place to enjoy balance lifestyle.. after hardwork and you play hard. You can establish a clan here if you want, that's what migrants do here because you have space to expand. You can have your dream house and car here as well. Travelling and see places is part of the culture. Outdoor activities abound. Just lots of things to do. Tax is too high buy if you are a professional here chances are you are one of the best paid in the world in terms of purchasing power.

.......and

Pinas - What matters most are there, you cannot take it away... Our culture, family and friends. Probably most of us here will go back to our homeland at some point in our life to enjoy and share our success to our families back home. Even in Philippines you can succeed expecially if you already proved you can in SG and AU.

You might just simply say... home sweet home..

KurikongSaTumbong · December 2013

Eto ha share q lg ang education d2 pag sa highschool na.. Dalawang kapatid ko ksi both in high school na. Yes bullying is #1 tlaga na prob sa mga bata dito.. Nangyari na muntik na mkasuntok ang kapatid ko ksi binully c bunso at umiyak lg. Buti na lg dami nlang pinoy at naharangan ang kamao nya.. but simula nun, wla ng bullying na nangyayari sa kanila..

I forgot to mention that if bullying is a problem in your school you need to inform the teacher/adviser ... para sa ganun kausapin nung teacher yung nang bubully at maayos ng usapan

Kahit saan naman me bullying. Sa Pinas noon lagi ko binubully mga kaklase ko huhuhu! Kahit saan din me racism, mas racists pa nga tayong mga Pinoy eh medyo umitim lang yung tao sinasabihan na natin ng Nognog o pag singkit eh tsekwa tawag natin. Wag kayong masyadong sensitive, mas mababait tao dito sa Australia kumpara sa ibang bansa. Di hamak na mas tolerant sila kesa sa mga Kano - tumira ako dun sa Tate ng ilang taon eh malala doon.

Kahit saan kayo pumunta me konting problema - walang perfect sa mundo maliban sa akin huhuhu!

TasBurrfoot · December 2013

Here is my take on the countries I have lived previously:

(1) Singapore - nothing permanent as we were just on employment pass; good salary sana and low tax however super mahal naman ang bahay and kotse. and definitely it can get boring after a while.

(2) Philippines - coming from Singapore, you cannot help but compare that stuffs (food, transpo system, groceries, etc) are below par as compared to Singapore. i don't feel safe here - case in point may NPA attack in Bukidnon yesterday, an hour away from my hometown. i cannot stand the mediocre attitude of our gov't here. hight tax BUT ninanakaw lang ng mga corrupt official.

Time will tell if Australia will really be the place that we can finally call home but from the looks of it now, it seems promising naman. At least ngayon, nakikita na namin ng wife ko na magkaroon ng kiddies in around 2 years.

8 months into living here in Melbourne; here are my 2 cents worth:

- Both me and my wife had a pay cut sa earnings namin from Singapore; gross earnings were cut and net became even lesser as a result of the big tax.

- Effect of a lesser earning; natuto naman kami mag-save sa kung man pwede. Case in point us cooking food for our baon - never ito nangyari when we were still living in Singapore. On hindsight, we learned that we were very costly then as we always eat out and never bothered cooking - easily we can spend at least SGD$15/day on food whereas now; we spend around max $75 per week on our groceries including food.

- Mahal utilities dito sa Australia; dati aircon kami from 10PM til 7AM everyday and our utilities would amount to less than SGD$150. Ngayon naman, very basic lang na consumption, walang aircon and it would be roughly the same amount in AUD - one could argue na nagluluto kami ngayon but then again, magkaano lang naman ang gas diba?

- Mahal din dito sa Australia ang internet and cable - if I am not mistaken, sa Singapore out Cable plus internet package would be around SGD$90 per month. Now, it is just our internet at $90. Wala kami cable because it is too costly; a package would set us back mga $75 per month cguro...

- We pay insurance here for our car (di namin ito afford sa Singapore, ehhehe!) and for health coverage - roughly $35/month sa car and around $250/month for both us sa insurance.

- Transportation is expensive here!! I pay $7/day for my train ticket - dati mga less than SGD$4 lang kami per day. And definitely mas better ang transpo sa Singapore - mas maliit naman din kasi na lugar ito compared to here in Melbourne. Here in Melbourne din, mas convenient kapag may car ka to go around the metropolis.

Bottonline is, it is really expensive here in Australia but you will get by... Mejo lesser ang materialism dito compared to Singapore. Nakaka-save naman kami as goal namin to be able to come up with enough cash for the rainy days and then save up for house deposit. And yeah, if I have $20 in my wallet on a Sunday, chances are meron pa maiwan nito by the next sunday... Ehehehe!! Never yan nangyari sa Singapore, at least every 3 days dati, I withdraw SGD$50 for food, etc.

We are enjoying it here in Melbourne; nothing beats the laid back lifestyle especially during weekends. Kahit nasa bahay lang kami, masaya kami - ako doing gardening or jogging around the creek sa likod ng bahay namin while si wifey naman, happy sya baking. If we get bored sa bahay, lumalabas kami and we treat ourselves to gourmet coffee (at least $3,50 per cup). I am happy that my wife finally enjoyed the art of drinking coffee...

Looking forward to the summer here... And after that, 1 yr anniversary na namin when it hits autumn.

Life is good!!

KurikongSaTumbong · December 2013

Here is my take on the countries I have lived previously:

(1) Singapore - nothing permanent as we were just on employment pass; good salary sana and low tax however super mahal naman ang bahay and kotse. and definitely it can get boring after a while.

(2) Philippines - coming from Singapore, you cannot help but compare that stuffs (food, transpo system, groceries, etc) are below par as compared to Singapore. i don't feel safe here - case in point may NPA attack in Bukidnon yesterday, an hour away from my hometown. i cannot stand the mediocre attitude of our gov't here. hight tax BUT ninanakaw lang ng mga corrupt official.

Time will tell if Australia will really be the place that we can finally call home but from the looks of it now, it seems promising naman. At least ngayon, nakikita na namin ng wife ko na magkaroon ng kiddies in around 2 years.
8 months into living here in Melbourne; here are my 2 cents worth:

- Both me and my wife had a pay cut sa earnings namin from Singapore; gross earnings were cut and net became even lesser as a result of the big tax.

- Effect of a lesser earning; natuto naman kami mag-save sa kung man pwede. Case in point us cooking food for our baon - never ito nangyari when we were still living in Singapore. On hindsight, we learned that we were very costly then as we always eat out and never bothered cooking - easily we can spend at least SGD$15/day on food whereas now; we spend around max $75 per week on our groceries including food.

- Mahal utilities dito sa Australia; dati aircon kami from 10PM til 7AM everyday and our utilities would amount to less than SGD$150. Ngayon naman, very basic lang na consumption, walang aircon and it would be roughly the same amount in AUD - one could argue na nagluluto kami ngayon but then again, magkaano lang naman ang gas diba?

- Mahal din dito sa Australia ang internet and cable - if I am not mistaken, sa Singapore out Cable plus internet package would be around SGD$90 per month. Now, it is just our internet at $90. Wala kami cable because it is too costly; a package would set us back mga $75 per month cguro...

- We pay insurance here for our car (di namin ito afford sa Singapore, ehhehe!) and for health coverage - roughly $35/month sa car and around $250/month for both us sa insurance.

- Transportation is expensive here!! I pay $7/day for my train ticket - dati mga less than SGD$4 lang kami per day. And definitely mas better ang transpo sa Singapore - mas maliit naman din kasi na lugar ito compared to here in Melbourne. Here in Melbourne din, mas convenient kapag may car ka to go around the metropolis.

Bottonline is, it is really expensive here in Australia but you will get by... Mejo lesser ang materialism dito compared to Singapore. Nakaka-save naman kami as goal namin to be able to come up with enough cash for the rainy days and then save up for house deposit. And yeah, if I have $20 in my wallet on a Sunday, chances are meron pa maiwan nito by the next sunday... Ehehehe!! Never yan nangyari sa Singapore, at least every 3 days dati, I withdraw SGD$50 for food, etc.

We are enjoying it here in Melbourne; nothing beats the laid back lifestyle especially during weekends. Kahit nasa bahay lang kami, masaya kami - ako doing gardening or jogging around the creek sa likod ng bahay namin while si wifey naman, happy sya baking. If we get bored sa bahay, lumalabas kami and we treat ourselves to gourmet coffee (at least $3,50 per cup). I am happy that my wife finally enjoyed the art of drinking coffee...

Looking forward to the summer here... And after that, 1 yr anniversary na namin when it hits autumn.

Life is good!!

Ayos! Another happy customer! Pero pre maganda pa dito eh madaming raket at madaling dumiskarte para magka extra cash. Kahit pa eBay eBay ng mga bagay eh pwede pagkakitaan - pandagdag sa pang kape.

pmzinoz · December 2013

@cutedrummerboy

+ ako sa sinabi mo though wala pa kami sa australia..

kulotski · February 2014

I like this part the mostest sa post ni @TasBurrfoot

"Kahit nasa bahay lang kami, masaya kami - ako doing gardening or jogging around the creek sa likod ng bahay namin while si wifey naman, happy sya baking. "

Mga home buddies kami ni hubby, really looking forward sa mga days like such *starry eyes* hehe nakaka inspire tong thread nato! Salamat sa pag share

kulotski · February 2014

@KurikongSaTumbong
Na mention nyo po mga raket raket, ano po uso dyan? Ano po pa trip2x sa ebay? Baka maka kuha kami ng idea :-D

KurikongSaTumbong · February 2014

Pede ka buy and sell ng mga 2nd hand tulad ng stereo, speakers etc. bilhin mo sa garage sale i resell mo ng mas mahal.

kookie420 · February 2014

i've never been to canada so i can't compare. but i can say the following abt the countries i've lived in. No offense meant. Just giving my opinion.

ph - no way im letting them see any more tax money from me. but i'll come back when i retire or semi-retire and probably buy something close to the beach in davao or negros.
i worked in mnl, but my family were from somewhere else. so i only had a few relatives nearby. altho the parents would come visit every month or so. manila was fun. i find manila much more cosmopolitan than singapore (just my opinion). love eating out in the multitude of options available, roadtrips, and the "relatively" cheap shopping but after that its just a battle everyday. traffic, pollution, fear of crime, cost-of-living vs. income, all that. Not a place where I want to raise kids.
I'll come back to work in mnl only if expat package or as a businessman.

us - the consumer's paradise. imagine earning something close to what you get in sydney but cost of living is only about half. thats the us for you. kahit magastos ka malaki-laki pa rin maiiwan at the end of the month. would have loved to stay but was not able to work out a more permanent arrangement. only stayed a few years on a work visa. lived in the southwest so I really enjoyed the wide open spaces and laid back lifestyle. people were friendly enough, and where we lived they were very conservative so I fit right in. can get a bit boring sometimes, but really wanted to raise a family there. i don't believe all this media crap about kids in the us going crazy. from what i know, all my colleague's kids all seem to turn out fine. I guess its about how you raise your kids and the community that they're exposed to.

i'll gladly leave sydney if an opportunity in the US comes along.

sg - now, this was an experiment we decided to make. try sg for a year, if we like it we'll stay long term. if not, then leave. we did exactly that. left after 2 years. i wont talk abt sg in detail, tasburrfoot pretty much says it all. but to sum up, the pressure on the kids at school and the local lifestyle just wasn't for us. i do miss my weekly tandoori and laksa fix.

au - been here in syd less than a year so far. applied for pr while in sg. fortunate enough to get a good job, and actually earning more 'net' than in sg. very thankful for that. we like what we see so far, except for house prices, which are crazy. maybe i'll wait for the bubble to burst. in any case, great for kids, great for work-life balance, not as far from ph as eu/us/canada, great weather, free healthcare, and love living near the beach (east coast park doesn't count - hehe).

on the downside, i have some long term concerns on the economy, AU has been lucky that no major recessions have hit it in the past 20+ years. As well as what will happen to au society once the chinese/indians/asians in general become a majority. im starting to see little signs of 'Asianization' already creeping in: like tough competition to selective schools, all kinds of 'tuition' and 'enrichment' after-school classes. but we'll see how it goes.

to the OP, it depends on what you're looking for. no country is perfect, except maybe switzerland

. but make sure you get as much info as possible before you make a decision. worst case, you can always come back to SG or PH.

stolich18 · February 2014

@kookie420 thanks for sharing this! Agree ako with most of your points. I've been to the US (California) for 3 months and yes super cheaper ang cost of living/shopping there compare to Australia. Even property values. Sana nga magcorrect na housing prices dito sa Australia. I'm also beginning to see na mas marami na Chinese/Indians/Asians dito hehehe The Chinese keeps on buying properties, which makes the property values even go higher. Sa mga nice suburbs, the properties are always on auction, which makes it even worse. hehe

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

sg - now, this was an experiment we decided to make. try sg for a year, if we like it we'll stay long term. if not, then leave. we did exactly that. left after 2 years. i wont talk abt sg in detail, tasburrfoot pretty much says it all. but to sum up, the pressure on the kids at school and the local lifestyle just wasn't for us. i do miss my weekly tandoori and laksa fix.

Ahahaha, what did I say ba? lolz!!

I miss SG @kookie420 but unsaon ta man... SG does not need me man!

I miss the food as well; yesterday we went to a Singaporean food place in Melbourne CBD and we had a good hearty fridate with the wife...

Admin · February 2014

Nakakalungkot isipin, most of my olds friends here in SG are either in OZ now or decided to go back home sa pinas. @TasBurrfoot oo nga yan din ang sigaw ng mga umalis na dito at kilala namin paalis na. "SG dont want us or doesnt need me".