Getting to Know Singapore

Two weekends ago, I finally managed to get out of my very busy schedule from work which allowed me to spend a fairly decent weekend in Singapore.  With my old friend Wena, we spent that Saturday in one of the many museums in the city…

After several times of visiting SG, this is my first time to go to one of its many museums...

The chosen one: National Museum of Singapore!

With the portable audio system provided for each visitor, we navigated the museum in our own pace and started with the basics...

Similar to most of the countries in Asia, Singapore was taken over by the British navigators during the olden days... Just like how Spaniards owned the Philippines and the Dutch for Indonesia...

Same "jurassic" look...

Before the efficient lines of MRT were operational...

The hall dedicated to the local women who fought for their rights...

From the start, the value and passion for education had been very apparent... Similar to how Americans educated the Filipinos, Singaporeans were also lucky to have been educated by the British...

Domesticated life...

The country also experienced a difficult ordeal during World War II when the Japanese attacked! Again, like the Americans in the Philippines, the British lost the battle and Singapore was left in the hands of Japan.

Didn't realize that the use of bicycles became part of the guerilla tactic of Japanese invaders... Interesting!

Japan Japan!

Finally, World War II ended and Singapore was set free... The British went back, but the country opted to be on its own...

The country's post-war look...

Intriguing mix of English and Chinese... which until now is very distinct the way locals talk - Singlish vocabulary and accent!

With its very inspiring, determined and admirable leader, Singapore geared up to becoming a first world country... While it started being a part of Malaysia, the split turned out to be the great turning point which is very apparent in today's world!

Aside from having a leader who was a great visionary, the country embarked into an industrialized society which also marked another difference...

In terms of food, the country has almost everything that most Asian countries offer - I would say it's a mix of both Chinese (North Asia) and Malay (South East) influence that made this possible... Example, satay!

A classic which is my current favorite, Chicken Rice!

Include the tea culture...

Another favorite for now, Nasi Lemak! Just appreciated the mix of pritong mani and malutong na dilis, combined!

The roots of Roti Boy!

In a nutshell, that is Singapore! Now I have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the place where I am currently in...

After the tour ended, since we were perhaps had too much of Singapore already, we ended up craving for something closer to home – Pinoy food!  Hahaha!

One of my newest discoveries - "Bonifacio"! It's just like Manila's "Sentro"... Should I crave for the fattening and high-cholesterol foodies, I know where to go!!!

Nilagang Baka!!!

Crispy Pata!!!

Dessert 1: Turon!!!

Dessert 2: Leche Flan!!!

Looking forward to more great weekends in this new country that I am starting to know, inside and out!  :)

New Home

After a month of staying in the service apartment, I finally managed to move-in to my condo unit in Siglap/East Coast area!  The first weekend got me so busy cleaning up and shopping at Ikea to add some stuff to the 2-bedroom furnished unit.  Check out the pics below to see how it looks like at the moment…

My all-white bedroom...

Black-white-gray bathroom...

Shower!

Brown & white living room...

Current favorite chillout place...

My very unused kitchen (except for the microwave oven and fridge)...

Brown & white dining room...

Yup, I set the table (for the sake of - hahaha!)... but, I haven't actually eaten on this table yet!

So, family and friends from Manila, US, Melbourne, Shanghai or Jakarta (you guys know who you are) – feel free to come over anytime!  I’ve a spare room for y’all at the moment, come very soon as I am in search of a flatmate already!!!  :D

And The New Chapter Starts… In Singapore…

After only a month and a half of resting back home and spending some days in China to celebrate my thirtieth birthday, a new life blessing arrived which opened an opportunity for me to be expatriated again, this time in Singapore.

Country-wise, Singapore is one of the places that I admire the most.  Every time I pay a visit, there’s always something in the compact city that amazes me.  I love its very organized system, its cleanliness, its recreational offerings and its multi-cultural environment.  However, I made myself ready for the fact that cost of living would be so damn high (perhaps the perks of being an expat in third world countries wouldn’t be present in this country at all), so I should expect a “proletariat” life (goodbye to my car, hello to mrt and buses, goodbye to a driver and house help, hello to doing things on my own!).  Hence, if Indonesia taught me how to accept, adjust, appreciate and learn from cultural differences and lower degree of professional competencies, perhaps Singapore will help develop my personal maturity and force me to really live independently (in its purest sense).

Work-wise, I am re-engaging myself in the advertising agency life that I have started two years ago.  It is another challenging post as it would involve learning the ropes of marketing communications in a new market and a new industry.  Thus, it is well aligned with my hunger for continuous learning and objective of outdoing myself all the time.  I am hoping that it would turn out very well and that I would be able to create a positive dent to the new company that I would be contributing my expertise and dedication to.

16 April 2010, I left Manila and flew to Singapore.  The new chapter of my life starts here and I am looking forward to living the most out of it – it is such a perfect way to begin a new milestone as I recently entered the “big 3-0″ mark!

After the plane landed, I went straight to my new temporary home (for a month at least, before finding my own place) – Fraser Place at Robertson Walk.  Such a nice and convenient space which made my first few days easily manageable.