[Veloce]

Hey guys, this is still a very uncertain, but I might have a job offer in Singapore. Without going into the details, I'll put it out like this:

If you were making 125K/year in Singapore and did mostly night game, where would you live? Which district/area? I know nothing about the place besides what some friends have told me, but they were mostly broke and just passing through.

Any info appreciated.

[booshala]

Think long and hard about this, OP. I remember reading that you're in the food industry and there are a couple of things that I'd warn you about:

1) Singapore is a great food city with a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian, British and other influences in their dishes. Fine dining has been blowing up too but diners are extremely fickle and trends tend to get crazy and then fizzle way faster than even trend centric LA and NYC.

2) Singapore is hugely expensive: I would estimate it's at least double the cost of LA, with rental prices being triple. Expect to pay $3000 a month for rent, if you want to live in a decent spot around the main drags (orchard rd or Scott rd). $125k is decent balling in any American city minus NYC and maybe SF, but you're going to be middle class at best there.

3) building off of #2, I'm assuming that you are going to go party a lot so let me tell you, the sin taxes in Singapore are out of control. Cigarettes are $15 a pack, pitchers of beer are $60, clubbing and bar hopping will always set you back $2-300 bucks unless you go to local grind joints, and if you're moving there for an adventure, why would you do that?

4) Don't underestimate the weather: 90 degrees and 100% humidity 350 days out of the year.

That being said, I have some good friends and biz partners there, English is universal, the girls are just my type (petite and spunky) and there are a huge number of expats there so you can meet people from all over the world.

If you need help finding a realtor there, pm me and I'll put you in touch with someone. As I said, around orchard and Scott rd. is good although there's a huge expat population in Bukit Timah off of Holland rd.

Most of the new megaclubs are on the new reclaimed island by the MBS casino but you probably need to add another zero to your salary if you want to live there.

[Veloce]

Pretty much what I've heard so far.

Can you tell me more about Orchard Rd and Scott Rd? What are the nightlife venues like? Mostly expats? Are the girls mixed SEA or mostly Sing/Malaysians? I'm more curious about the nightlife.

Appreciate the heads up but I'd have a pretty good idea what I'm getting myself into as far as the job and finances go. I've got an interview Tuesday to flesh out all the solid details. I'm only doing this if it's a VERY good deal for me. The restaurant biz in general is fickle and I wouldn't do shit without having an ironclad contract first.

Also, what's the cost to travel in the area? If I wanted to spend weekends in BKK what's the best way to get there affordably? If I've got the right cash flow I might just set up a regular weekend getaway there or something. The fantasy in my head is I'm based in Sing making cash, and can spend my free time travelling to BKK, Phils, KL, island hopping and shit. Is this totally delusional?

[Cyclone]

I also just got done with a Skype interview with a Singapore institution, for a 2-year contract there. However, their financial "package" is not nearly as lucrative - I'm guessing I will have to settle for a studio a bit far for $700/month. [im gonna die?]

I've heard a *shitton* about Singapore myself, and honestly 125k salary is still pretty insane out there.

With regards to travel, it's a haven, of course. A girl I just talked to last night (from Brunei, but lived in SP for 4 months) said people would often take 3-day vacations, skipping Mondays, and round-trip tickets would often be less than $100 (tho I find that hard to believe). I too am attracted by the "based-in-singapore, have-fun-in-BKK/Manila/SGN" lifestyle - it's up to you to pull it off!!

(03-08-2013 02:04 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Pretty much what I've heard so far.

Also, what's the cost to travel in the area? If I wanted to spend weekends in BKK what's the best way to get there affordably? If I've got the right cash flow I might just set up a regular weekend getaway there or something. The fantasy in my head is I'm based in Sing making cash, and can spend my free time travelling to BKK, Phils, KL, island hopping and shit. Is this totally delusional?

[ManAbout]

I know a fat, ugly 50 year old guy who lives in Singapore, making somewhere in the same range, and apparently he is considered quite a catch over there, regularly dating early 20s women, local and from the surrounding countries.

[psyrus]

I booked a room at MBS and headed to Clarke Quay for the night. There is a pretty good live cover band at The Pump Room. There is a concentration of night clubs and venues there.

I wouldn't stay in Little India, too far from the action. Orchard Rd, as I recall, is just a huge, connected shopping mall.

It sounds like a lucrative offer. If SG is good enough for Jim Rogers, it should be good enough for you. SG is a great base for the rest of SE Asia. Two hours to BKK I believe.

Boa sorte

[trey]

I'm based in Sing.

One of the largest advantages of the place is that it is indeed <2 hours on direct flights to a large number of excellent destinations - BKK, Thai islands, Indonesian islands, Bali, Jakarta, KL, Phils, etc, to name a few. The airport here is the best in the world and makes weekend trips super easy, as do the budget airlines. We're talking arrive at the airport, through checkin, immigration, security in 5 minutes. As such, yes, many people with a decent salary take off pretty regularly on the weekends. It's doable.

Re: nightlife: Singapore actually has quite a bit to offer depending on what your tastes are. Maybe you could elaborate. The bar scene is actually very good, club scene also underrated. Mix of people at these venues is very wide: Singaporeans, and lots of people from the west, SE Asia, China, east Asia etc whether they be locals (ie working here) or tourists (there are lots).

In terms of living, I'd say get a cheap hotel for a week and get a sense for where you're working and where you'll want to be. Most of the stuff I just mentioned isn't more than 5 stops from the CBD in any direction.

Downside: as Booshala said it's expensive to live here and hit the town here. Numbers he quoted were right. Don't forget though that you bank a lot more of your paycheck as the taxes are very low.

Any more targeted questions let me know, this is all off the top of my head based on what you've written.

[Veloce]

(03-08-2013 09:50 PM)trey Wrote:  

I'm based in Sing.

One of the largest advantages of the place is that it is indeed <2 hours on direct flights to a large number of excellent destinations - BKK, Thai islands, Indonesian islands, Bali, Jakarta, KL, Phils, etc, to name a few. The airport here is the best in the world and makes weekend trips super easy, as do the budget airlines. We're talking arrive at the airport, through checkin, immigration, security in 5 minutes. As such, yes, many people with a decent salary take off pretty regularly on the weekends. It's doable.

Re: nightlife: Singapore actually has quite a bit to offer depending on what your tastes are. Maybe you could elaborate. The bar scene is actually very good, club scene also underrated. Mix of people at these venues is very wide: Singaporeans, and lots of people from the west, SE Asia, China, east Asia etc whether they be locals (ie working here) or tourists (there are lots).

In terms of living, I'd say get a cheap hotel for a week and get a sense for where you're working and where you'll want to be. Most of the stuff I just mentioned isn't more than 5 stops from the CBD in any direction.

Downside: as Booshala said it's expensive to live here and hit the town here. Numbers he quoted were right. Don't forget though that you bank a lot more of your paycheck as the taxes are very low.

Any more targeted questions let me know, this is all off the top of my head based on what you've written.

Much appreciated. I like all sorts of venues, everything from local bars, upscale lounges, international-vibe raves, dance clubs, etc.

You basically answered the gist of it; just wondering how easy it is to navigate around SEA from sing, the costs, etc.

I would take this job understanding that the bulk of my paycheck would go directly into my lifestyle. I've got a decent savings so that's not much of an issue. I also understand I won't have a car so insurance/gas/repairs money would go towards my rent. $3000 a month is a lot of fuckin money but again, if I've got a hefty salary I'm not too concerned, especially considering I live a modest lifestyle. I'd rather live somewhere with very solid logistics, walking distance to nightclubs and bars, and just pony up the money. I can easily go out at night and not drink, are there huge covers at most venues?

Probably not looking to live in Singapore for more than a year if this happens, unless some crazy shit happens like get offered a corporate exec position. The idea would be to maximize my time there; if that means I spend almost all my income on partying and travelling, so be it. I'm cool with that.

[booshala]

(03-08-2013 10:11 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

(03-08-2013 09:50 PM)trey Wrote:  

I'm based in Sing.

One of the largest advantages of the place is that it is indeed <2 hours on direct flights to a large number of excellent destinations - BKK, Thai islands, Indonesian islands, Bali, Jakarta, KL, Phils, etc, to name a few. The airport here is the best in the world and makes weekend trips super easy, as do the budget airlines. We're talking arrive at the airport, through checkin, immigration, security in 5 minutes. As such, yes, many people with a decent salary take off pretty regularly on the weekends. It's doable.

Re: nightlife: Singapore actually has quite a bit to offer depending on what your tastes are. Maybe you could elaborate. The bar scene is actually very good, club scene also underrated. Mix of people at these venues is very wide: Singaporeans, and lots of people from the west, SE Asia, China, east Asia etc whether they be locals (ie working here) or tourists (there are lots).

In terms of living, I'd say get a cheap hotel for a week and get a sense for where you're working and where you'll want to be. Most of the stuff I just mentioned isn't more than 5 stops from the CBD in any direction.

Downside: as Booshala said it's expensive to live here and hit the town here. Numbers he quoted were right. Don't forget though that you bank a lot more of your paycheck as the taxes are very low.

Any more targeted questions let me know, this is all off the top of my head based on what you've written.

Much appreciated. I like all sorts of venues, everything from local bars, upscale lounges, international-vibe raves, dance clubs, etc.

You basically answered the gist of it; just wondering how easy it is to navigate around SEA from sing, the costs, etc.

I would take this job understanding that the bulk of my paycheck would go directly into my lifestyle. I've got a decent savings so that's not much of an issue. I also understand I won't have a car so insurance/gas/repairs money would go towards my rent. $3000 a month is a lot of fuckin money but again, if I've got a hefty salary I'm not too concerned, especially considering I live a modest lifestyle. I'd rather live somewhere with very solid logistics, walking distance to nightclubs and bars, and just pony up the money. I can easily go out at night and not drink, are there huge covers at most venues?

Probably not looking to live in Singapore for more than a year if this happens, unless some crazy shit happens like get offered a corporate exec position. The idea would be to maximize my time there; if that means I spend almost all my income on partying and travelling, so be it. I'm cool with that.

Hey thedude,

Trey dropped some great information. I guess I should've read your original post a little bit better... I was thinking Orchard Rd was perfect for day game as there are tons of malls there (Ion being one of the biggest) and the amount of cute girls that congregate in the malls is out of control. As for where to live, I suggested a few spots but he'd definitely be a better resource than me as I only go once or twice a year for a week at a time.

If you're looking to focus on night game, I'd try and hit all of the different scenes. Most of my friends are locals and they've been going to Zouk for the past decade... one of the few clubs in the world I know of that hasn't rebranded in over 10 years. They still book decent DJ's... expats tend to integrate into the native groups a little bit better, but I think a lot of them still tend to hang out in "expat" areas and some of the posher hotel bars tend to attract them. Then again, the bar at the Grand Hyatt (I think it's called Brix) and a couple of the other upper tier hotels are just full of prostitutes and a lot of tourists like going to "Four Floors of Whores".

For traveling around, you should look into Air Asia and Scoot which is Singapore Air's budget carrier line. Sometimes they both have ridiculous deals and Singapore is very centrally located to all of SE Asia. I tend to fly in from Hong Kong, or Seoul, but even East Asia is only about 5-6 hours, basically the same thing as a transcontinental US flight. It's very feasible to go to BKK and MNL from SIN.

I have a buddy who owns a chain of Brazilian churascarria joints in Singapore and he keeps on saying that the locals there are well poised to try new and different things. Good luck in your ventures if you decide to make a go at it. I second Trey's suggestion that you should perhaps try it for a week. I always spend way too much money when I'm there - even when my finance buddies tend to pick up the really big shit - but it's clean, safe and a lot of fun despite being insanely expensive.

[Menace]

I don't know why, but I hope you do this. Sounds like it would a great adventure and experience.

[Vicious]

thedude3737, I have an acquaintance that took up a job offer of working at renowned restaurant Equinox for a year. You'll be working pretty hard but unless the restaurant is a complete no-name you can write your own ticket after the year is over to any place in Asia and most 2nd Tier cities in the Western world.

This is a no-brainer.

[Veloce]

Thanks for the input guys. Cheffing is hard and long hours by nature, especially when taking a new gig. I typically don't have a day off for my first month and after that it's one day off a week for the next couple months.

The sweet part of this job is at the 3-6 month mark, when all of your hard work pays off, your employees are trained, and you get to watch this insane machine work independently of your supervision (if you're good at what you do) That's when the cushy 50-hour workweek starts in and I'd be able to start hitting the gym, going out more often, chasing new bangs, etc.

Interview is this Tuesday, I'll update.