Living In The North Of Singapore
Ahhh the North, The empty fields and desolate plains many of us call home. Few understand the pains of living here, and even fewer still understand the joy of it all. So here’s a list for those who just don’t understand, and for those who do, something to nod your head to.
For all my homies in Woodlands, Yishun, Marsiling and Sembawang this goes out to you.
1. Your idea of a weekend out is to go to JB for cheap food.
It’s cheap, good and it’s faster going to City Square than it is going to Orchard anyway. Who needs overpriced Eggs Benedicts when you can have awesome Nasi Lemak at a fraction of the price? Incidentally, check out our JB street food guide or how to spend $3 watching movies in JB.
2. Everywhere else seems like a million miles away.
Meet in Jurong? That’s 20 minutes away! Meet in town? That’s almost an hour away! Harbourfront? Forget it. Nothing seems to satisfy you and you always end up at Causeway Point in the end.
3. You spend your late nights at Upper Thomson.
It’s almost impossible to find good food after 11pm unless you count McDonalds. But Upper Thomson is a haven for hungry Northies craving prata or ice cream, if you can find a parking spot.
4. You dread clubbing because no one will share a cab with you.
Clubbing is expensive for us! A cab from Zouk can be more than $30 plus cover and drinks? No thanks, I’m staying home, unless we have somebody we can share a cab with.
5. You’re the only ones who are actually near the Zoo.
It can be hard to find things to do in the North especially if you haven’t read our guide on things to do in the North. But the zoo is one of our coolest attractions, and when it’s just a hop on a bus away, why not? Getting a year-long pass doesn’t even sound crazy.
6. You get claustrophobic in the city.
All those high buildings in the CBD freak you out. Where are the barren wastelands and undeveloped state lands just waiting to be bought by developers? I need my open spaces, I need the fresh air, I miss the North!
7. You stay at home on New Year’s Day.
You laugh at your friends when they crowd in town with everyone to see fireworks, because you just need to turn your head to the nearest window. Plus you can do it in your pajamas.
8. You occasionally get SMSes welcoming you to Malaysia.
Your phone vibrates in the middle of the afternoon and you leap to it thinking your crush has finally texted you back, but NOPE.
9. Your friends would never come over without a lot of convincing.
You’ve tried every excuse in the book: “I’ve got alcohol”, “I’ve got video games”, “I’ve got a rotating bed” but it never ever works until you appoint yourself as the leader for school projects and force them to come over.
10. But you had the most sleepovers.
After all the hard work your team makes put in, they still have to pay a $30 cab fare to wherever they live after 11pm. Might as well stay over for a Disney marathon!
11. You think “We have a hot spring” is a legit defence to “The North is boring”.
You think it’s super cool we have a hot spring in Singapore and it makes the north soooooooo much more interesting. It’s the only place in Singapore that has one and you’re so proud.
12. “So far away” for everyone else is an everyday commute for you.
You roll your eyes when your friend who lives in Outram complains about how far Orchard is because you travel for 3 hours a day to and from school.
13. Good quality coffee is impossible to find.
The hipster coffee shops have yet to find a footing in the North, but that also means there’s not really any good coffee. Eventually you just give up and go to a kopitiam or Starbucks.
14. Your MRT last forever because the space between each station is madness.
When you tell your friends your place is only 5 stops from town you neglect to tell them the space between Yio Chu Kang station and Khatib lasts 5,000 years.
15. Despite everything you’re still glad you don’t live in the West.
Whatever we have they kinda have it worse and we’re glad we’re not at the bottom of the food chain.
🙂
Also read: 20 Signs You Grew Up As A West Kid in Singapore.
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