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Filipino American Expat in Singapore

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Jollibee Singapore opened about two months ago but the queues were so long! There’s even a holding area next to the restaurant.

My boyfriend and I decided to give it a shot earlier. We arrived about an hour before closing. The end of the queue was at the holding area but not as crowded as our first attempt.

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Within 15 minutes we were already at the counters inside. Quite fast! I heard it took half an hour before when it opened.

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We ordered the staple Chicken Joy with rice and gravy. I got Jolly Spaghetti for takeaway while Neil got a Yum (the Jollibee burger).

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The restaurant is pretty large. It was filled with Filipinos from all walks, and there were many Singaporeans too (usually Lucky Plaza is swarmed with fellow Pinoys). I’m excited to bring my local colleagues to give our crispy chicken a try.

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The selling point isn’t the taste though. Jollibee is a Pinoy brand, a household name, a childhood memory, a go-to tasty alternative to McDonalds or “Mak-Doh” as my fellow Filipinos say. It’s like Coca-cola. It comes with that fuzzy feeling, a brand that connects you to the past. Well… that’s how i describe it.

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So nevermind if we notice small things like the chicken may taste a little dry (compared to a Philippine branch), the spaghetti being 85% close to one at Jollibee Quezon Avenue… it’s the fact that a visual of the “jolly” bee mascot connects you instantly to “home” when you are thousands of miles away.

A 2 pcs. Chickenjoy meal with rice and drink is SGD 6.60 (PHP 214.00+). Jolly Spaghetti ala carte is SGD 4.00 (PHP 130.00+). They also serve Burger Steak and Jolly Hotdogs. No palabok (thin noodles with tasty orange prawn sauce gravy) yet. They have sundaes.

A second branch is rumored to be opening in Singapore. Serves it right since Singapore is 2nd highest origin for remittances to the Philippines behind Japan. The Filipino community is large and busy here and we also want to share a piece of Filipino culture to our Singaporean friends.

Jollibee Singapore is located on the sixth level of Lucky Plaza. Closest MRT is Orchard. Open from 10am to 9pm.

Read: Attempt

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It was my first time to prepare breaded pork chops. I used Pagoda Fried Chicken Mix which, if I’m not mistaken, is a legacy product from Singapore. Yes, not imported?! The taste was pretty good. I’m thinking of trying a different technique similar to the one demonstrated in the video below.

So far I’ve cooked taco rice and butter garlic shrimps. I’m having fun learning how to cook. 🙂

Loved every part of it. How they blend an old favorite Star Trek movie to a new visually-powerful one is awesome. The film is littered with easter eggs for older Star Trek fans like myself. It was a real treat.

I caught the advance screening last week at Shaw Lido thanks to a company perk. I saw it again in Imax format in Shaw Lido earlier. It’s a real sci-fi/action film that blows the competition away. Hello, Oblivion?

JJ Abrams and crew… Love!

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For Filipinos who love to snack on junkfood, it may look like a floating display of giant Granny Goose Cornets. But it is actually a beautifully crafted “floating stupa” art installation by Thai artist Jakkai Siributr. Look closely at the divisions.

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore currently features “Exploring the Cosmos: The Stupa as a Buddhist Symbol” an exhibit which runs until August this year.

Stupas are structures that shield relics. These are found in many Asian countries from Myanmar to Japan. The exhibit features almost 30 artwork stupas representing the different kinds you can find in the region.

One particular series of stupa I want to see are the ones found at Borobudur in Indonesia.

The exhibit at the ACM is free as long as you pay the entrance fee for the whole museum at about SGD 5.00. The museum itself is a lovely escape from Singapore’s humidity and a welcome introduction to Asian culture. Worth about 1-2 hours stay.

ACM’s Website 🙂

I think I’m beginning to pick up slightly with a Singaporean accent. Or some of my terms are uniquely Singaporean. Like can and cannot. I think I utter lah sometimes at the end of sentences. I’m quite certain I’ve said “aiyooh“. But not alamak! It still sounds funny to me.

In short, I have been living and working in Singapore for a little over a year. Definitely it’s been an experience to work away from your own country. I’ve adapted well and know I can do better to integrate.

I’m living in an HDB with my partner. We are trying different recipes for cooking. We invite guests over occasionally. I enjoy the ayam penyet a few blocks from where we live.

Money has been an adjustment. It’s about balancing what you need to buy from what you want to buy. If you are not careful, all the hard-earned money you make can be spent in one go. And Singapore is a fast-paced and active place where expenses can double quickly.

But then again you work so hard so why not splurge a little?

A cheap meal for me would be anywhere between SGD 3.00 to 6.00. A meal at a burger joint near the office can reach about SGD 10.00 to 13.00 including the drink. Expensive would be anything SGD 16.00 onwards.

I came out to my parents.

It was a beautiful experience and I’m still over the moon to have my family supporting me. I’m excited to share how it happened. Wait for it!

After 11 years in blogging, I decided to call it quits a few weeks ago. But now that I’m formally “out” as a gay man, I believe I have so much I can share once again. I can blog freely without fear. I have never felt more comfortable in my own skin.

It is time to start something new. 🙂