Singapore’s Most Annoying Habits
We Are World-Class. Except for These 5 Things...
Singapore runs like a machine.
Changi Airport wins awards. Our trains are almost always on time. Our hawker queues move faster than immigration lines in some countries.
And yet.
Habit #1: The Void Deck Trolley Migration
Supermarkets lend you a trolley. You shop. You wheel it home.
Then something miraculous happens — the trolley achieves independence.
It abandons you. It begins a new life. It takes up residence in the void deck, beside the bicycle rack, or boldly in the middle of the walkway like a public sculpture nobody commissioned.
Nobody knows how it got there. Nobody claims it. It simply lives there now.
Every week, more arrive.
Habit #2: The MRT Door Sprinter
The doors open. Passengers inside are trying to exit.
But a brave Singaporean warrior has already launched forward.
He does not believe in the outdated concept called “let people exit first.”
Time is money.
If he waits two seconds, he may miss the precious empty seat that someone else might claim.
Civilization is built on sacrifice.
Mostly the sacrifice of basic manners.
Habit #3: The Tissue Packet Land Grab
In other countries, you reserve a seat by sitting in it.
In Singapore, one tissue packet can hold an entire hawker table hostage for 40 minutes.
No human presence required.
Habit #4: The Lift Button Musician
One button. One press. Job done.
But why stop there? Press it six more times. The lift can feel your urgency. The lift responds to emotional pressure. The lift fears you.
Science disagrees. The public is unmoved.
Habit #5: The Escalator Statue
Stand on the left, walk on the right. Simple.
And yet — every day, someone plants themselves on the right side like they've just purchased it.
Earphones in. Eyes on phone. Completely at peace.
Behind them: a queue of silent, suffering Singaporeans too polite to say anything, quietly furious in four languages.
We built a world-class country.
Now we just need to return the trolley.
What other habits should be added to this national list?
