A San Francisco-based Singaporean entrepreneur has stirred online debate with his remarks about Singaporeans confusing “boring with functioning” by idealising life abroad instead of appreciating the country.
In an Instagram video on June 13, Felix Lee, 28, claimed that Singaporeans are misled into thinking that life in foreign cities would be much rosier.
The video has been viewed 173,000 times, with more than 7,200 likes and over 550 shares as at Thursday (June 18).
“You are trading the best functioning city on earth for a Netflix version of London that doesn’t exist,” said the co-founder and CEO of mentorship platform ADPList, who relocated to San Francisco in February 2026 to expand his business.
In the video, Lee listed the many cons of living abroad starting with London, Britain being grey and rainy for nine months a year, on top of the high living cost, including rent of a single-bedroom flat costing around $4,000 a month, while public transport commuters in Melbourne experiencing lengthy delays of up to 40 minutes.
“We have confused boring with functioning,” said Lee, adding that “we thought sterile means soulless.”
He highlighted Singapore’s safety, healthcare, internet reliability and government responsiveness as reasons why Singapore remains as the top choice to live in.
“Meanwhile, in Singapore, you tap on the MRT, the next train is in two minutes. You eat a Michelin-star meal for $6 at a hawker centre,” he said.
As Lee himself admitted, Singapore is “quite frankly the best”.
‘Go out, bring back goods to your people’
When asked by AsiaOne about the reason behind his decision to post the video in the first place, Lee shared that he loves Singapore and wanted Singaporeans to share the same sentiment as many are “always thinking to go overseas then leave home for good”.
Read Full Article At Source
