Was with a group of Malaysians girls and guys the other day, dwelling on the topic of love and dating and with patriotism running high, the focus inevitably transcends to how Singaporean men are not very good daters.
It is quite sad really, because not only the Malaysians are complaining. The Singaporean girls themselves are complaining about the Singaporean men.
They are too weak. They are not chivalrous enough. They make poor conversationalists. They are not gentlemanly.
A buzz phrase you hear among single Singaporean women is, All the good Singaporean men are either attached, married or gay!
That got me thinking actually. By the way, before I proceed any further, let me just state at this point that I am Malaysian, with a Singaporean PR. And I love my adopted country as much as I love my home country.
Ok, as I was saying, all this talk got me thinking. Is it true that Singaporean men “cannot make it”? Or do they have other redeeming factors?
The truth is, when I was at university, many of my guy friends were Singaporeans. And I was actually quite impressed with them. And many of them are people whom I keep in touch till today.
So, here are some endearing qualities that I find in Singaporean men that I have met…
In the event of war, you are rest assured that they know how to use a gun. Yes, with the compulsory national service of 2 years, they undergo combat training. And to make sure their skills do not turn rusty, they go back every year for “reservist”.
You can always count on them to have tissue paper with them. I am one of those women who never carry tissue paper on me. I can always count on my Singaporean guy friends to have them. Very useful when you are eating katong laksa, and you need tissue to wipe your mouth.
Many of them can cook. I swear. They are fantastic cooks. My girlfriend and I went on a trip with 3 guys. And we did not need to do any cooking. This Singaporean guy prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner and it was absolutely delicious! I don’t know where they learn how to cook… maybe in the jungle while serving NS? 😉
They are really sweet and chivalrous actually. I had this friend who knew the weakling I am, and offered to accompany me to the supermarket whenever I ran out of groceries. He knew for sure I couldn’t carry so much stuff. So he camealong to help me carry stuff. Yeah, yeah, some of you might say that he probably had a crush on you or something. But, seriously, I don’t think so. Think he was just a very thoughtful and nice friend.
And last but not least, you have to respect the “camaraderie” and comradeship. Every Singaporean man would have a group of friends call their “army friends” or their “platoon mates” or their “BMT friends”. Once in a while, they would go out with the boys, and catch up on how they played tricks on each other, or their sergeant or their platoon commander. And when they do that, though I pretend to be bored… it always brings a smile to my face…
Singaporean men might not be as romantic as the French, as passionate as the Spanish, as suave as the Italian, as well-dressed as the Hong Kongers, as good-looking as the Japanese… but they are really quite dateable… once you have taken time to know them better and discover the hidden gems.
After all, I am a trusted authority as I married one. 😉
