{"id":61065,"date":"2026-06-16T06:59:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T22:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=61065"},"modified":"2026-06-16T06:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T22:59:02","slug":"sporeans-are-romanticising-every-country-except-our-own-ceos-take-on-moving-overseas-sparks-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=61065","title":{"rendered":"\u2018S\u2019poreans are romanticising every country except our own\u2019: CEO\u2019s take on moving overseas sparks debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">A video claiming that Singaporeans are romanticising life overseas has sparked debate online, with netizens split over whether Singapore\u2019s efficiency and convenience are worth giving up for life abroad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">On June 13, Felix Lee \u2014 a 28-year-old Singaporean entrepreneur based in San Francisco and co-founder and CEO of mentorship platform ADPList \u2014 posted a video arguing that Singaporeans often <a class=\"text-primary-brand no-underline hover:underline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DZhs63ItLKq\/\" target=\"_blank\">idealise foreign cities<\/a> while overlooking what they already have at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cYou are trading the best functioning city on earth for a Netflix version of London that doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Drawing on his experience living in San Francisco and having friends based in cities including London, Melbourne and New York, Lee argued that many Singaporeans compare reality at home with an idealised version of life overseas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">In the video, he described London as grey and rainy for nine months a year, with a single-bedroom flat costing around $4,000 a month in rent. Meanwhile, Melbourne commuters face lengthy delays on public transport, and New York can drain wallets the moment one steps out the door.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"my-lg md:my-xl\">\n<p><hr class=\"flex-1 border-grayscale-100 lg:hidden\"\/><span class=\"text-grayscale-400 text-14 leading-16 font-primary text-center lg:text-left p-sm\">Scroll to continue reading<\/span><\/p>\n<hr class=\"flex-1 border-grayscale-100 my-md\"\/>\n<hr class=\"my-md border-grayscale-100\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cMeanwhile, 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Lee also pointed to factors such as safety, healthcare, internet reliability and government responsiveness as reasons Singapore remains difficult to beat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">In his view, Singapore functions so smoothly that many locals have become desensitised to the conveniences around them and \u201cforget to be impressed by it\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cWe have confused boring with functioning,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe thought sterile means soulless\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">He urged Singaporeans to appreciate the vibrant culture already around them, such as exploring Geylang at night, taking a bum boat to Pulau Ubin, or eating at kopitiams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Every other country would \u201cqueue to be Singapore\u201d, he said, adding that the city-state is \u201cquite frankly the best\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"lg:text-28 lg:leading-33.6px pt-md font-primary text-24 font-bold leading-1.2\">\u2018I think I\u2019m the proof\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Speaking to Stomp, Lee shared that he officially moved to San Francisco in February this year after spending two years living there in three-month stretches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cI wanted to know if I could actually build and live here, not just visit and fall in love with the idea of it,\u201d he said. \u201cBy the time I moved for real, it wasn\u2019t a leap of faith. It was a decision I\u2019d already pressure-tested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Responding to comments questioning why he moved overseas if he felt so strongly about Singapore, Lee said the decision was driven by work rather than dissatisfaction with life here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">He explained that relocating allowed him to tap into larger markets to scale his business, adding that it was never because he felt Singapore was lacking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Lee said living in San Francisco has reinforced rather than weakened his appreciation for Singapore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">While he praised San Francisco\u2019s weather, he described the streets as rougher and said the healthcare system \u201cdoesn\u2019t work as well\u201d, noting that patients often have to visit a separate pharmacy after seeing a doctor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Addressing claims that his lifestyle contradicts his message, Lee said he sees himself as the ultimate validation of his argument.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cI don\u2019t think I contradicted myself; I think I\u2019m the proof,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cYou can have the best home in the world and still go out, get bruised, and come back better. That\u2019s not rejecting home. That\u2019s what a strong home is for.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"lg:text-28 lg:leading-33.6px pt-md font-primary text-24 font-bold leading-1.2\">Netizens divided<\/h2>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Lee\u2019s video has garnered more than 5,000 likes, 2,400 shares and 200 comments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Some netizens strongly agreed with his views.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cSingaporeans don\u2019t realise how good Singapore is precisely because it functions so well,\u201d wrote one user.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">\u201cFacts! Singapore is the best country to live in,\u201d another commented. \u201cPeople who complain never lived elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">One netizen said they felt \u201cblessed\u201d to be a Singaporean, adding that despite the hot weather and lack of seasons, they would gladly trade that for \u201csafety, reliability and efficiency\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">However, others argued that <a class=\"text-primary-brand no-underline hover:underline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/trending-now\/i-feel-guilty-call-spore-paradise-expat-says-foreigners-and-locals-experience-country-differently\" target=\"_blank\">convenience alone is not enough to determine quality of life<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">A Singaporean living in Australia acknowledged the higher costs and transport inefficiencies highlighted by Lee, but said benefits such as \u201cwork-life balance, job opportunities and work culture\u201d were reasons many choose not to return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Similarly, a netizen who moved to Switzerland more than two decades ago said they were \u201chard pressed to return\u201d to Singapore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">They explained that Zurich\u2019s flexible work culture, distinct four seasons, respect for the environment, and affordable property \u201ctriumph over the minor conveniences\u201d offered by Singapore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-secondary pt-md text-18 font-normal leading-1.5 text-grayscale-800\">Another commenter offered a more nuanced view: \u201cThe question is not which city is best, but best for whom, and according to what values?\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"bg-primary-100 h-px border-0 mt-lg md:mt-xxl\"\/>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-xl rounded-xl border border-primary-100 mt-lg md:mt-xxl\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/assets\/stomp-comment-COLiWNMD.png\" alt=\"Stomp Comment\" class=\"absolute -mt-lg -ml-xs w-[203px] md:w-[255px]\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pt-lg md:pt-xxl\">\n<p class=\"text-18 leading-1.8 font-grayscale-800 font-semibold\">Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"py-lg\">\n<p class=\"inline items-center text-18 font-semibold text-black leading-1.2 text-grayscale-800\">See something interesting?<!-- --> <a class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-x-xs text-primary-brand\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/contribute\" target=\"_blank\" data-discover=\"true\">Contribute<\/a> <!-- -->your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-md\"><span class=\"font-primary text-18 font-semibold leading-1.2 text-black\">Get more of Stomp&#8217;s latest updates by following us on:<\/span><\/div>\n<hr class=\"bg-primary-100 h-px border-0 my-lg md:my-xxl\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/trending-now\/sporeans-are-romanticising-every-country-except-our-own-ceos-take-moving-overseas-sparks-debate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A video claiming that Singaporeans are romanticising life overseas has sparked debate online, with netizens split over whether Singapore\u2019s efficiency and convenience are worth giving&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}