Recent reports indicated rentals for Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats have hit a 10-year high, with monthly rates soaring past $2,000. According to a Straits Times report on Saturday, the rent for a four-room HDB flat in Lavender is $2,800, while that of a fourroom flat in Jurong East is $2,500.
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Experts TODAY spoke to said the examples highlighted in the media were “sensational” and reflected record sales, which might not give an accurate picture of the situation.

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I so agree with the article. People who don't feel the pinch and just want to earn a quick dollar from the increasing amount of foreigners here who are in need of housing are the ones sabotaging the property scene. Rent has made it really unattractive to stay here any longer than 3 years. Why bother paying rent that could easily cost you $13k+ for 3 years when that amount could have easily paid for 1/4 of the cost of a house elsewhere? What perks are there to live here other than relatively higher pay? There are no rolling hills, no clear seas, no wild animals that are not in captivity for me to see. Concrete jungle? Uhm, I rather not be metropolitan and prefer to enjoy God's finer creations (not humans).

So what if it's all controlled by market forces? On one hand, the government is encouraging more foreigners to enter this place but yet, still putting us all at a disadvantage. A pee-arrr is no more than a 2nd class citizenship. At least back home, the race differentiates your status, not your citizenship. Everyone can actually get equal benefits, if some people change their mindset first. We don't enjoy the benefits of monetary packages, yet we slave as hard or more than locals do. We contribute to the growth of the country but yet ignored in one way or another. A serious talk with some friends over the weekend revealed that none of us have plans to stay nor raise a family here, but yet, we're tied down here indefinitely. For 6 years, we have been living like nomads, never having been able to settle down with a sense of belonging nor certainty, due to our constant moving and packing. I think we've all packed our belongings for more than 7 times at least. We spend a lot of money on taxis and movers so that we can be people living in transit. The feeling is definitely more than frustration.

We are definitely grateful for the opportunity to have lived in a developed nation, but the siren is sounding for us to move on, to graze on greener pastures. I cannot live with the fact that I'm living in an entirely man-made environment, no matter how good it may be. I cannot live with the fact that people do not know enough about their heritage and are trying to create one because they claim that their slate is blank enough to do that. The earth has existed for centuries now. There can no longer be anymore blank slates unless a nation decides to erase it and start anew. Yes, I've made plenty of friends, met some really nice people, some just dumb, as I would find elsewhere in the world. I suppose we just don't want to be confined to a small place, when the world is so big. It may work for some people to stay in one place forever, but I believe we have bigger dreams, hunger for experience and a love for life.

We might just all end up back home one day, I certainly hope we do.


Go read this guy's blog. He is truly amazing. Crazy Guy on a Bike

p/s: Like ben says, he has been really blessed this week. I think so have I. So many friends have kindly treated me to dinner these few weeks. It will be mine next :) But let me save up these few weeks first. Think I need to ikat perut already at this rate. Plus I have to pay rent soon again! Boo!