Migrating down under? Come share your experiences

[Katz2282]

Ultimately, one always does something for a payoff, whether it's tangible or not. Otherwise, it's just irrational.

 

What about conscience? Not doing something cause your conscience stops you from doing so would be deemed irrational by your logic isn't it?

[1fast1]

What about conscience? Not doing something cause your conscience stops you from doing so would be deemed irrational by your logic isn't it?

 

I included that in the "feeling good inside" bit. The converse is to feel bad inside, when you do something against conscience. People tend to avoid things that make them feel bad - that's perfectly rational.

[Kiadaw]

It is a human trait to be racist to some degree. Funny thing is that you hear about the people who dislike Sg cos, too expensive, competitive, too many foreigners coming in, calling them derogatory names, and say want to migrate to Oz, where they will end up on the otherside of the racist coin.

 

So treat people in the manner you wish to be treated.

 

If you treat people nice, say hi or smile when see them, people will eventually warm up to you. Asians tend to give people the impression of being unfriendly, & many do not smile, say thank you, or greet strangers.

[Zanter]

Religion is not rational. Nor is morality. If you live life always thinking of cause and effect its rather cold and worst if you think people around you are like this, you'd be very cynical. Your family treats you well so that they can benefit? Your children love you for allowance? Gf love you cos you can buy hangbag? Parents love you cos want your financial support?

 

If one subscribes to strictly cause and effect, life would be w/o love, w/o compassion and we would have everyone being sociopaths.

 

People do treat you well..sometimes for no reason. I have done it and have it done to me and I recommend it highly.

[Sotong_kia]

Racism will never die out.. There will be all types of racism too.. even Asians against Asians..

However, by and large, Australia has come a long way.

In my job, I have travelled to very remote regional parts, and still do not feel much... one or 2 hoons here and there, but they are just bloody teenagers with nothing better to do..

 

Someone earlier talked about whether Whites get sacked first..

My company has about 35% Asians (Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Singaporean, Indonesian, and Australian).

Top management all Whites. (My company is Asian Company by the way).

Last year, 10 people were retrenched. Only 1 Australian Asian was retrenched, all the rest all Whites.

It is about job redundancies, not race..

 

I guess if you are unlucky , get hired with a boss that is closet racist, then too bad lah..

 

[Solar]

the other thing about age... 40+ and that's it..happens so frequently in sg.

does it also happen down under?

 

[Katz2282]

the other thing about age... 40+ and that's it..happens so frequently in sg.

does it also happen down under?

 

Nope, they are all entitled to long service leaves, payouts etc I have colleagues who are working into their 60s as the company can't afford to pay them out. Not kidding, they are not shy about wanting to retire and are waiting for the golden handshake, which is not coming.. only reason I can think of is the company can't afford to pay them out.

 

If you are in your 40s and looking for work, you can still get a job, no discrimination of age. But you might find it hard getting a full time job as companies are leaning towards contractors or fixed term employees than full time ones.

[Maseratigood]

throwing your IC and passport at ah gong?

wah, this is a big decision to make..... trying to figure a way to sit on the fence and enjoy the best of both worlds..... sgp is not totally unattractive also mah....

[Maseratigood]

Religion is not rational. Nor is morality. If you live life always thinking of cause and effect its rather cold and worst if you think people around you are like this, you'd be very cynical. Your family treats you well so that they can benefit? Your children love you for allowance? Gf love you cos you can buy hangbag? Parents love you cos want your financial support?

 

If one subscribes to strictly cause and effect, life would be w/o love, w/o compassion and we would have everyone being sociopaths.

 

People do treat you well..sometimes for no reason. I have done it and have it done to me and I recommend it highly.

yup, real human beings do things not only base soley on cost-benefit reviews.... especially in relationships outside the commercial realm.

[Maseratigood]

If you treat people nice, say hi or smile when see them, people will eventually warm up to you. Asians tend to give people the impression of being unfriendly, & many do not smile, say thank you, or greet strangers.

maybe asian females treat a smile from the males as a sign of "tiko" intention? so asian males are more careful about giving a smile? and vice varsa

 

when i jog/walk in the park, i can smile to another male park users (the kind of smile that they will not relate to gayish stuff). i will never try smiling to female park users.

 

just looking at this from the lighter side

[Maseratigood]

What about conscience? Not doing something cause your conscience stops you from doing so would be deemed irrational by your logic isn't it?

the pay-off could be in the form of making the conscience feel good? it is still a pay-off regardless whether it's physical/monetary, or emotional?

 

however, i will try not to 'downgrade' genuine kindness from the heart to the level of being a kind of pay-off

Edited March 11, 2013 by Maseratigood

[Maseratigood]

I could go into the game theoretic aspects - if you really expect no returns (even metaphysical ones like karma), then there's no expected utility in going out of your way to do good anyway. Why expend the effort?

 

Most people believe in doing good because they expect, even implicitly, something down the road - be it good karma, or heaven or whatever.

 

Even the secular folk who do good without believing in all the metaphysical garbage generally adhere to a philosophy of "be the change you want to see", hoping that their own good action will inspire others (the beneficiary and/or witnesses) to do good themselves, thereby perpetuating the cycle of good actions. Some of them do it because it makes them feel better inside - and that's a physiological/biochemical reaction. There's nothing inherently wrong with this philosophy (if this is what you meant), but if you don't even believe this, then there's really no point in specially doing anything "good" for anyone.

 

Ultimately, one always does something for a payoff, whether it's tangible or not. Otherwise, it's just irrational.

let me try:-

 

if you see a injured cat (not yours) and no one else lends a helping hand, most likely you will try to do something to help the cat knowing you will gain nothing out of it. i feel there are people who will help the cat without thinking about karma or reward (now or next life, if he belives in the latter). somehow it's human nature to help the unfortunate (especially when it will not cost him too much). The difference between individuals in this regard is how often they display such a helping spirit. Some people hardly do it, some do it more often. One has a hardened heart, the other a softer one.

 

I could be wrong though

[Boyboy]

I guess its all relative. Base line tax is low, so you dont feel the pinch but say you buy a car at crazy coe, then you immediately go pay additional 10-15k a year in taxes, how wonderful is that?

 

Btw, in Oz, tax is deducted from your pay even before you get it.

 

Bad for those who leverage to the hilt, but I think it feels better that I don't even get the money in my pocket. Here, must set aside around a month's salary. Effectively 13th month used to cover the tax, plus minus a bit.

[Boyboy]

maybe asian females treat a smile from the males as a sign of "tiko" intention? so asian males are more careful about giving a smile? and vice varsa

 

when i jog/walk in the park, i can smile to another male park users (the kind of smile that they will not relate to gayish stuff). i will never try smiling to female park users.

 

just looking at this from the lighter side

 

I think verbalising a greeting is better. Some people's faces are too humsup. Speaking from my personal experience here so it's usually a "good morning" or "hi" when I cycle on the trails in SG. Usually it's the ang mohs and cyclists (of any race) who are friendlier.. Not surprising, I guess.

[Boyboy]

let me try:-

 

if you see a injured cat (not yours) and no one else lends a helping hand, most likely you will try to do something to help the cat knowing you will gain nothing out of it. i feel there are people who will help the cat without thinking about karma or reward (now or next life, if he belives in the latter). somehow it's human nature to help the unfortunate (especially when it will not cost him too much). The difference between individuals in this regard is how often they display such a helping spirit. Some people hardly do it, some do it more often. One has a hardened heart, the other a softer one.

 

I could be wrong though

 

Agree with u fully.

 

Maybe Turbo had a rough week? No offense. I sometimes feel that way when life gets me down. When I'm more upbeat, I can find it in me to do more small acts of kindness. It's only human.

[Maseratigood]

I think verbalising a greeting is better. Some people's faces are too humsup. Speaking from my personal experience here so it's usually a "good morning" or "hi" when I cycle on the trails in SG. Usually it's the ang mohs and cyclists (of any race) who are friendlier.. Not surprising, I guess.

Oh yes, making a simple greeting or a word or two remove the doubts in the other person's mind. Thanks for the reminder

[Zanter]

Btw, in Oz, tax is deducted from your pay even before you get it.

 

Bad for those who leverage to the hilt, but I think it feels better that I don't even get the money in my pocket. Here, must set aside around a month's salary. Effectively 13th month used to cover the tax, plus minus a bit.

 

You didnt hear of Giro b4?

 

Well I have friends who are high earners there >180k, so they come here to SG instead. So we have lower end going there and higher end coming here.

[1fast1]

let me try:-

 

if you see a injured cat (not yours) and no one else lends a helping hand, most likely you will try to do something to help the cat knowing you will gain nothing out of it. i feel there are people who will help the cat without thinking about karma or reward (now or next life, if he belives in the latter). somehow it's human nature to help the unfortunate (especially when it will not cost him too much). The difference between individuals in this regard is how often they display such a helping spirit. Some people hardly do it, some do it more often. One has a hardened heart, the other a softer one.

 

I could be wrong though

 

You're not wrong (and I guess I was in a nasty frame of mind when I made my post). True, I will definitely help an animal in distress, even to the extent of risking my own safety - in fact, I've done this before (stray cat stranded on a neighbour's roof for a few days - don't ask. I got nothing in return from the cat (which promptly ran away - I'm just glad it didn't scratch or bite me, haha). I did feel good inside, but I think it would be too cynical to say I did it just to get that good feeling. If I'd done nothing (as the blardy SPCA guy suggested ), my conscience wouldn't have stopped nagging me. I guess we all do things to assuage our conscience, and we should be very glad that we did evolve to have consciences. Society would simply not function without this. Think of how much damage the few psychopaths in society already do. Now think about the situation if everyone was like that.