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List 3 reasons why you think DUBAI is overrated.

26K views 171 replies 59 participants last post by  Rainier Meadows 
#1 ·
Guys narrow them down to three reasons please , even if you have a ton of reasons. thanks
 
#102 ·
@ huaiwei - what do they think of chinese folk? hmm...i'll be honest here, some are alright with them like our friend Altind seems to be :runaway:
others seem to have this view that China is a dirty place, outbreak of SARS didn't do its image any good u see, but thats China only. I know MANY people who love visiting the far east and have been to places like Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. I know many too who were previously Europhiles but after visiting those places just stopped travelling to Europe and went for Asia instead, they loved it that much. I personally haven't been to any places east of the UAE (although one day i hope to), but I have a Singaporean friend, who incidentally is of Chinese origin and he HATES China. I however, respect the Singaporeans. I respect how theyre clean, organised and friendly as my good friend is. Most of his friends are the same too so thats how Singapores picture is painted in my mind at the moment. :)
 
#104 ·
DeiraBoy said:
@ huaiwei - what do they think of chinese folk? hmm...i'll be honest here, some are alright with them like our friend Altind seems to be :runaway:
others seem to have this view that China is a dirty place, outbreak of SARS didn't do its image any good u see, but thats China only. I know MANY people who love visiting the far east and have been to places like Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. I know many too who were previously Europhiles but after visiting those places just stopped travelling to Europe and went for Asia instead, they loved it that much. I personally haven't been to any places east of the UAE (although one day i hope to), but I have a Singaporean friend, who incidentally is of Chinese origin and he HATES China. I however, respect the Singaporeans. I respect how theyre clean, organised and friendly as my good friend is. Most of his friends are the same too so thats how Singapores picture is painted in my mind at the moment. :)
Oh Altind...haha. I wonder if its close enough to produce little Altinds? :D

Hm..not too surprised about those impressions of ethnic Chinese. But as for your Singaporean friend, I am curious. You mean he was a recent migrant to Singapore and became a citizen/PR, or a Singaporean who is ethnic Chinese but has basically had generations living in Singapore already?
 
#106 ·
DeiraBoy said:
oh no he is ethnic chinese and was born and raised in singapore and has had generations living in Singapore
Now that makes sense then. :D I can tell you the "Mainland Chinese", ie, Chiense nationals who are in Singapore for various reasons are sometimes looked upon negatively, but for slightly different reasons. Mainland Chinese men tend to come here uneducated and uncouth, and work as construction or other blue collor jobs, so they are sometimes viewed in the same way as Bangladeshi workers, for example.

Mainland Chinese women are often viewed with suspicion, because they suffer from negative publicity. There has been much talk on "Paidu mamas"...the mums who accompany their children to Singapore, and who often take on temporary jobs here. The problem is there is a social prejudice that many of them go into prostitution (which has a certain degree of truth), and they are also often seen as the "scarlet women" who break up otherwise wholesome and happy families. Indeed, stories of these women coming to Singapore, marrying a local Chinese man, squanddering his money away, and than asking for a divorce or simply dissapearing is quite common place. One such story just appeared in our national papers yesterday!

http://www.asia1.com.sg/st/st_20050508_315737.html

As for the younger Mainland Chinese who often come here for studies, they often present themselves as major competitors, who often excel academically and give local students a run for their money. In my varsity, for example, Chinese and Indian nationals regularly sweep the first class honours degrees in the engineering and IT related faculties, much to the chagrin of locals who complain over supposed "unfairness".

It dosent help that these students, quite a number of whom are on Singapore government scholarships which bonds them to work here for a period of time, are also often depicted as being ungrateful to the country which hosted them and paid for their education, and who leave the country as soon as they can with no intentions to give anything back to their benefectors.

Of coz, there are always scorns of the earth, but there are also angels. But sadly, human society tends to concentrate on the negative, and they are an obviously victim to this. I personally have interacted with quite a number of these Chinese nationals, and I see far more diversity then any of these discriminations and presuptions against them would led us to believe initially.

A waste, I must say.

Whoopps....I am talking too long. But yeah, that was kinda why I asked the question on the impressions of ethnic Chinese in Dubai. I do wonder if such strong sentiments exists towards people in the far east! :D
 
#107 ·
I better post that article before it goes offline in a few hour's time. :D

Beware of my wicked wife
By Ng Mei Yan
May 8, 2005


FURIOUS with his wife for wiping out his life savings of $100,000 and then walking out on him, a 58-year-old man decided to shame the China woman in public.

Mr Tan, a former odd-job worker, put up five posters on community billboards near the Clementi, Outram Park and Commonwealth MRT stations last Monday, asking people not to be taken in by his 'wicked' wife, who is good at 'sweet talk'.

The posters, handwritten and then photocopied onto A4-size paper, include a photograph of the 49-year-old woman. Her full name, address in China and passport number are also listed.

He chose the three locations because these were places she frequented, he told The Sunday Times.

Although the posters have been taken down, he is not bothered.

'It's okay, I can put up more,' he said during an interview at his two-room rental flat near Havelock Road.

Mr Tan, whom we cannot name in full for legal reasons, said he has not seen his wife since she packed up and left in January, leaving him with just $1,000 in their joint bank account.

She has disconnected her mobile phone line. In his efforts to locate her, he has tried asking her niece, her friends in Singapore and her relatives in China, but no one knows where she is.

When asked why he hasn't made a missing persons report, he said: 'It's no use! She's bent on hiding from everyone.'

He wasn't always so bitter.

Mr Tan, who has a son and a daughter from a previous marriage, said he met the woman in 1999 at a bus stop in Ghim Moh. She was jogging and he was on his way to work.

The divorcee, who has a grown-up son, was in Singapore on a one-month social visit pass to visit friends.

'We clicked, so we kept in touch,' he said.

Days after they met, he took her home to see his bedridden mother, and she offered to take care of the elderly woman while he was at work.

Soon, she suggested getting married, but he made her promise him three things first.

'I told her, if you want to marry me, you must stick with me through thick and thin, you cannot cheat me of my money, and you have to help look after my mother,' he said.

About a month after they had met, they got married.

Their old neighbours in Commonwealth, where they used to live, said the woman was friendly, but added that they sometimes heard the couple arguing.

One neighbour, a 42-year-old sales coordinator, said: 'She dressed very sexily in high heels and spaghetti-strap tops even when she was only going to the market.'

But a 54-year-old gardener said: 'She was very friendly to the neighbours. It is hard to think of her as a scheming woman.'

Mr Tan said his wife started taking money from him in 2000, after she became a permanent resident. She would withdraw money from their joint account, sometimes with permission and sometimes without.

There was the $10,000 she needed to pay off her son's gambling debts in China, then $30,000 for his wedding, and money to rebuild her parents' tombs and to buy shares.

He said the nest egg was made up of his savings, and the $70,000 he got from selling the Commonwealth flat after his mother moved into a nursing home.

He added: 'She always managed to get her way because she would cry and threaten to kill herself if I did not give her the money or said I wanted the money back.

'My heart is too soft.'

Last September, Mr Tan claimed, she threatened to kill him after he asked her to return some money to him.

Court documents show that she was charged with criminal intimidation, but he said he asked for the charge to be dropped as he still cared for her.

Then came the final straw. In December, she withdrew $19,000 from the dwindling bank account, leaving Mr Tan with only $1,000. They had a big row when he found out and she moved out.

'I was so mad. She took away money meant for my medication and for my mother's funeral in the future,' he said.

Mr Tan suffers from coronary heart disease and a spinal condition that makes his limbs weak.

Because of his health problems, he stopped working eight months ago.

His brother-in-law, 67, who wanted to be known only as Mr Leow, now helps him out by occasionally giving him some money.

'I keep telling him that he's not that old,' he said. 'He can still take up some jobs that are not physically demanding.'

But Mr Tan said: 'I can't get my money back. I am sick and I can't work. I am as good as dead.'
 
#108 ·
anniyan said:
ofcourse SINGAPORE..very friendly country , suitable to all ethnic group.
huaiwei said:
I can tell you the "Mainland Chinese", ie, Chiense nationals who are in Singapore for various reasons are sometimes looked upon negatively, but for slightly different reasons. Mainland Chinese men tend to come here uneducated and uncouth, and work as construction or other blue collor jobs, so they are sometimes viewed in the same way as Bangladeshi workers, for example.
now huaiwei I'm deeply offended by your comments. Quite a constrast to the beautiful singapore that appears in the various shots, isn't it? Any explanations?

Anniyan's comments are proven wrong without a shadow of a doubt. Huaiwei, frankly I'm having a hard time not hurling obscenities at your ******* nation....you get the drift, just from the ****** out words, right?

Singapore's the only racist nation that I've heard of in modern times. It's a total total total shame....in this day and age, for someone to openly proclaim the way you do about others.....shame on you..
 
#110 ·
Dhakar Odhibashi said:
now huaiwei I'm deeply offended by your comments. Quite a constrast to the beautiful singapore that appears in the various shots, isn't it? Any explanations?

Anniyan's comments are proven wrong without a shadow of a doubt. Huaiwei, frankly I'm having a hard time not hurling obscenities at your ******* nation....you get the drift, just from the ****** out words, right?

Singapore's the only racist nation that I've heard of in modern times. It's a total total total shame....in this day and age, for someone to openly proclaim the way you do about others.....shame on you..
And could you tell me in what way should my comments offend you?

I simply relate how Chinese nationals are sometimes being viewed amongst the populance here. Sometimes....ie, not all the time, not towards all Chinese nationals, and not by every Singaporean. You seem to take my comments completely out of context, dont you?
 
#111 ·
huaiwei said:
And could you tell me in what way should my comments offend you?

I simply relate how Chinese nationals are sometimes being viewed amongst the populance here. Sometimes....ie, not all the time, not towards all Chinese nationals, and not by every Singaporean. You seem to take my comments completely out of context, dont you?

huaiwei said:
I can tell you the "Mainland Chinese", ie, Chiense nationals who are in Singapore for various reasons are sometimes looked upon negatively, but for slightly different reasons. Mainland Chinese men tend to come here uneducated and uncouth, and work as construction or other blue collor jobs, so they are sometimes viewed in the same way as Bangladeshi workers, for example.
What did you mean by "..they are sometimes viewed in the same way as Bangladeshi workers, for example..."? How do Singaporeans view Bangladeshis?

What I gathered from your comment was Singaporeans discriminate against Bangladeshis on account of their nationality alone.

I am surprised you have the gall to open your mouth even after being from a nation that is openly racist.
 
#116 ·
Dhakar Odhibashi said:
What did you mean by "..they are sometimes viewed in the same way as Bangladeshi workers, for example..."? How do Singaporeans view Bangladeshis?

What I gathered from your comment was Singaporeans discriminate against Bangladeshis on account of their nationality alone.

I am surprised you have the gall to open your mouth even after being from a nation that is openly racist.
I state what I observe, and yes, that is precisely what happens here. Singaporeans do have a tendency of showing discrimination against foreign construction workers in general, because of perceived notions of them commiting crimes and harrasing women (yet statistics show they hardly do so any more often than other social groups). For Bangladeshis and South Asians in particular, their perceived lack of personal hygiene, and their usage of certain oils in their hair puts off locals, and that even includes local ethnic Indians.

But I must point out one important disclaimer. If a Bangladeshi comes to Singapore as a well dressed and well groomed person, it is unlikely for him to face similar discrimination. The same thing for Indians, many of whom also come here as professionals and tourists. I see it more as an example of discrimination against blue collor workers and those engaging in menual work, and the accompany impressions of dirt, poverty and uncivilised behavior (whether true or otherwise). It is not so much of nationality alone. As I said above, Chinese nationals who come here as labourers and construction workers often face similar discrimination. But when they come as students and such, they tend to face discrimination for a different reason, provided discrimination does take place.

No society, country, or city on earth is immune from discrimination or even racism. This, most of us know and accept by now. I am surprised you are insisting that I keep my mouth shut and abstain from discussing this just because I am from a "nation that is openly racist." Could you mind explaining this logic? As I say, I will say what I observe. How does it make things better by keeping quiet about it? Isnt that a sign of accepting and condorning racism and discrimination?
 
#120 ·
@huaiwei

歧视在哪里都有,东南亚人(包括汉人)在中国大陆也会遭到歧视

很多北方人视东南亚人(有时甚至包括中国南部的一些省份的居民)为“畸形人”,认为他们是“黑、瘦、小、穷和未开化”的代名词

对于这个情况我是知道的,但一直羞于言表...
 
#121 ·
@ alonso: loool...WE DONT TAKE CRITICISM WELL ok?!?...actually we take none at all :D :D ... i think Dubai_Boy intended for this thread to educate those who had distorted views of Dubai based purely on what they think rather than what they KNOW about Dubai. This is good, but not everything turns out as intended...but i think it has helped in educating more and more about the real dubai

and to prove that dubais underrated...

where's dubai?
...lol
 
#123 ·
oh...sorry thought u were making a joke there...lol

Dubai is one of seven Emirates that form the country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is located in the middle east and is one of six Gulf states. It shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia.
 
#125 ·
Dubai is overrated because:
1. Looks can be decieving...I mean it looks good, but remember 30 years ago the arabs there were camel herders.

2. No substance. Hollow. No development in any form, just sucking in money from oil.

3. Human right violators!! Few women on the streets, all covered up, the citizens look like arabs from thousand years ago.
 
#126 ·
neon said:
@huaiwei

歧视在哪里都有,东南亚人(包括汉人)在中国大陆也会遭到歧视

很多北方人视东南亚人(有时甚至包括中国南部的一些省份的居民)为“畸形人”,认为他们是“黑、瘦、小、穷和未开化”的代名词

对于这个情况我是知道的,但一直羞于言表...
True true. In fact, I also see the same thing in the way some HKers view Mainland Chinese.

I suppose the Chinese people are a proud and materialistic lot who seems to use matrial gains as a means of discriminating against others...even if we are of the same ethnicity and skin colour!
 
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