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Filipino American Expat in Singapore

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I’m down with a mild fever today. It was worse on the MRT ride this morning. I was shivering. I still went to work but checked up with a doctor in the late afternoon. Suddenly, he asked me what my religion was before giving advice about finding my prayer center. I told him I was experiencing insomnia. He cited Mr. Lee Kuan Yew too. Waaah. So knowledgeable and so personal this doctor is. Today, I popped in a Panadol and a Strepcil.

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It’s difficult to be sick in Singapore. Your family is away. Your boyfriend isn’t around. I’m tempted to text a friend and ask if she can stay over if my fever gets any worse.

 

I attempted to cook beef with broccoli earlier. I was following instructions from the venerable Panlasang Pinoy. I think I put too much soy sauce as it turned out salty. Or perhaps, I didn’t have much of an appetite today. I really miss my boyfriend. It sucks when you are used to doing EVERYTHING with your boyfriend, and then suddenly he’s not around. In the news today, the HK student protests and the volcano that erupted in Japan. I feel slightly feverish. I’m about to pop open a Panadol and dissolve it in water.

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I want to get back on my feet this week.

It has a nautical theme! Compass Point is a mall in Sengkang. I have never been to Singapore’s northeast regions (Kovan, Hougang, Buangkok, Sengkang, and Punggol) until earlier today. I noticed that the connection between the MRT and the LRT is easier (unlike in Choa Chu Kang).

Singapore’s northeast towns are stringed together by the purple North-East Line (NEL) which cuts through Singapore from Punggol all the way to Harbourfront (passing through Little India, Dhoby Ghaut, and Clarke Quay). It is Singapore’s first entirely underground MRT line (the Circle Line and Downtown Line followed in recent years).

Compass Point felt like a children’s museum because the walls had educational panels on them. The mall has a theme that is apparent as you enter. Though the mall opened in 2002, it has a 1990s vibe to it. (Not that I was in Singapore in the 1990s, but the mall felt a bit dated compared to malls you would see elsewhere in Singapore).

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We took the LRT from Sengkang to Farmway. Wow, an LRT station called Farmway! Farmway LRT is walking distance to the Anchorvale Community Club where a dragon boat race was held earlier. The LRT is more of a local area transport that uses small trams. As of this writing, there are three LRT systems in Singapore: Sengkang, Punggol, and Choa Chu Kang. I think they are developing plans for one in Jurong.

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Like little kids we were. Eyes wide-open. Taking photos of the LRT like a bunch of first-timers. (We were, technically!)

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Great to step foot in northeast Singapore where there are baby trees and brand new HDBs rising everywhere. I noticed how the new HDBs are designed. Bigger windows (floor to ceiling?), brighter exteriors. Taking the LRT was an added treat.

Oh, and they have a waterpark inside the community center at Anchorvale! Or is that the Sengkang Swimming Complex? Nifty.

We tried to catch the Filipino Dragon Boat Singapore (FDS) team compete at the SAVA Sprints International 2014 earlier. We didn’t get to catch them in action because I underestimated the time it took to get to Sengkang (my first time in Northeast Singapore). Lol. The boys (Urduja) won 1st and 2nd place in the expat category. I got to meet some members who were celebrating as well. Lots of people from polys and other expat groups were there. 🙂

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We did get to watch these other teams compete. I’ve never seen a dragon boat race up close so it was exciting to see. We caught the polys/students category. Loud cheers erupted at the conclusion of the 200-meter race.

My last trip abroad was Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam a few weeks back. I have not shared a single photo from that trip. I guess I’m doing a bit of soul-searching since my boyfriend left Singapore. The past few weeks have been a blur. I’m paying twice the rent these days which is preventing me from traveling to two or three Southeast Asian destinations I had originally planned for in 2014. I hope I can squeeze in at least one place in Malaysia soon. ❤DSC_0817

I did enjoy Ho Chi Minh City. It was teeming with motorcycles and a challenge for a guy who can’t even cross a normal street in Singapore without being overly cautious about incoming traffic. It was my first visit to Vietnam.

No leaves were filed since our company had a “summer hours” scheme where Fridays were half days. I flew to HCMC on a Friday afternoon and returned Sunday night. Not bad right? 🙂

 

 

Those frames make the “well done” yogurt cup look very Singaporean, eh? The yogurts are quite tasty. I had a petite serving (x2). The nice lady offered to put the 2nd one in the same cup since I was ordering on my own. SGD 3.50 for petite, SGD 5.00 for just right. (All 1-for-1 on Fridays). There’s a queue okay!

Mission Juice is located at ICON Village, in Tanjong Pagar. It is at the entrance along Gopeng Street.

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Five years ago I was 24 and enjoying a work assignment (raket) in Ifugao with my college buddies. I miss the rice terraces and the little life lessons learnt while traveling with the group I was in. What life lessons are these? Enjoy what you have. Appreciate history and tradition. “There’s no point in living, if you can’t feel alive.” (okay that came from a James Bond movie, but it was a life lesson in Impact size 36 BOLD as we rode on roof of a jeepney running 50 kph down winding mountain roads). All is good. I miss you guys, y’all know who you are.

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This is my second time to experience living in a country where the latest iPhone is released at the same time as the States. The first time was in 2012 when the iPhone 5 was released. I bought mine in Yishun along with a corporate subsidy thanks to my previous employer.

With my 2-year StarHub contract expiring next month, having a new phone is rather enticing. Perfect timing because Apple released its larger iPhone 6 series last week. Singapore is one of the first to get the new iPhone in the region.

There were queues especially on the night before the launch. I’m planning to upgrade my phone in October. So i hope they still have stocks.

Major telecoms in Singapore keep these availability charts posted outside their stores. Saves the staff the trouble of turning people down.

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Are you getting the iPhone soon?