I heart SG.... (Part 2)

Singapore is one of the  countries where Filipinos are considering to transfer as expatriates nowadays. Given its safe and clean environment, Asian culture which is not that much different from that of ours, it is not really very hard to adjust to the Lion City's way of living.

In my short stay in Singapore I never seen any trash lying around anywhere, I must say also that the people here are so disciplined, everyone of any age is seemingly aware that they all have their share of responsibility in the society that they have to carry through. I wish I could say the same with the Filipinos. Well, no wonder SG is a first world country and we are not.

Singapore offers competitive salary for everyone who would be eligible enough to work there. Your salary will depend entirely on your qualifications as approved by the Ministry of Manpower. There are four types of Employment Passes (P1, P2, Q1 and S).If you are interested to know more about this you can visit their site HERE. The average wage earners I believe is getting more or less 1,800SGD per month, Plus, Plus, Plus other benefits. I could be wrong but as far as I have understood during my stay there it is a fact.

But regardless of the salary bracket you belong, you can still afford to stay in a community as nice as this one..

Welcome to BLOCK 110 of Pasiris St. Singapore, Singapore.

This place has been my home for the almost 5 days...

the funny elevator for a 10-storey building. if you are residing at 1st, 6th, and 10th floor you are lucky but if you are staying "in-betweens"... you should really know how to count.

welcome aboard Tin-Tin's home

this is just 1/3 of the entire living room!

the "sampayan" from the outside..

and from the inside.. this is also the... Tin's.. errr... SMOKING AREA?? eheheh

"fancy some orange? pick it up from my corridor! :-)"

The Pasiris community...

But  before I left SG my friends are considering to move to another place for some reason....

This is the "new place" being considered....

borrowing YUJIN's words...."SYALAAAANN!!

So ... do you want to transfer to Singapore??

I heart SG.... (Part 1)

My friend TIN-TIN has been bugging me to go to Singapore and relocate.

It was my original plan to really visit her in time for my vacation last January. But because Inay was really sick, the trip did not happen.

Before my Inay left us, she asked me not to leave Philippines anymore. Both of us know that it is a request that I couldn't say NO to.. but for an altogether different reason.

She was thinking I will stay because of her condition, 

I was thinking of staying because of HER condition that she knows nothing about..

But before I start weeping again, remembering my dearest Inay, let me just move on to writing this blog and share with you some pictures I took  during my trip to Singapore.

and ladies and gentlemen, please meet my lovely host... (and sponsor!)

Tin on EK uniform.. Tarrrrraaaaay

Spell freshness! Kahit 2 a.m na... di ba?

Let me take this opportunity to say Thanks to you TIN for accommodating me... and for making my 50-dollar-Singapore Budget goes a long long long loooooong way....... may sukli pa! 

But most of all.. Thanks to my dearest MALAU for making this trip possible!

Lab u fwendssss!

freakin' 35,000 feet

no matter how many times i have been ON-Board a flight...

I'm still not really used to a flight turbulence..

don't ever be deceived by the clouds' soft and cottony look! they are as hard as stones at  35,000 feet above the ground.

good thing I've got nice companions..

courtesy of Cathay Pacific

And yet....

I still love flying...

the FOOT-mate

When flying... I always try to make things as comfortable as possible. That means, i need to dis out the "appropriate"footwear that the Staff Travel dictates in compliance to a certain "dress code". I always have my flip flops easily accessible in my hand carry. On my way back from Bangkok to Dubai.. I was happily hopping up and down the aisle of the A380 double-decker airbus.. relishing the 'extra' aisle width and extra seat pitch.... of the aircraft. Once in a while I'm getting an odd glimpse thrown my way from the other passenger s. I wouldn't be bothered.. told my self. Don't really give a fig on whatever they thought about me. It didn't take long for me to

realize the cause of the the odd stares...... nyeeeeek!

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The other pair of slip on was obviously ...NOT mine! It belongs to the Cutie who's seating behind me.... hehehhehe.... (it was a pity, i was not able to take his pics! just his footsie! )

I have discreetly slipped the "big foot"slipper behind my seat to cover my act and no-one's-the- wiser...while Glo was obviously dying in guffaws beside me.

Haay... the lesson: Next time one would u would wear slippers on board... make sure its BOTH yours!

A DAY in HK (HK Diary Part 4)

Sept.17, 2009

129 Old Pun Chung St.

Tai Po, New Territories

Hongkong

I woke up early despite the fatigue got from the "pasyal-marathon"with ate Debbie last night. For a moment I couldn't really figure out where I was. The unfamiliar clock on the wall says it's already 8:45, I felt a sudden surge of panic! Darn.. I am late for work! Why didn't anyone bothered to wake me up?? Then the I remembered! I'm on a vacation, alright! The activity the other night flashed back! haaayyy.. I am so happy.

When I get up, the all the ladies in Ate Debbie's house (including her) had left for work. Ria was the only one I saw because her work in the shop starts later than the normal working hours in Hongkong. She offered me to have a coffee first, to which I was so happy to oblige.

The whole apartment was clean.. no single trash lying anywhere. The sink was empty of ucleaned dishes. Seems Ate Debbie is really a neat freak! hahahah.. Few minutes more and I was totally alone. I asked my self..Now what?? You want challenge.. then challenge I would have. I need to remember what ate Debbie told me about the MTR.. "get ticket going to Kowloon Tong, then take the Interchange train going to Mongkok and from there take the Argyle St." With that in mind, I took a shower and went out. I took a picture of Ate Debbie's gate, just in case I got lost there is something I could be able to with in finding my way back.

It's a good thing that HK MTR is so effective. I reached my destination without hassle at all. I had breakfast at KFC, chose not to be too adventurous in food at that moment coz first Im alone, If something doesnt agree well with my stomach, Im pretty sure that finding a rest room would took me ages, just like ordering a dimsum that took 30 min. due to LANGUAGE barrier! An upset stomach and a confused Chinese are the last things I want to deal with this time.

Mongkok was such a lovely and lively place. Buildings are almost covered with billboards and signage and although you couldn't understand most of it, the way they play with colors and stylehave given an ordinary market a sense of character and chic.

And the Adventure Begins..HK at Night (HK Diary Part 3)

Based on my research.. Hongkong can be subdivided into 4 major attractions : The HONGKONG Islands, Kowloon, New Territories, and the Outlying Islands. I decided to skip the first and the last and focused my "mini-tour" in Kowloon and New Territories.

( Remember: I need to stick to my 30-Dollar Budget. I am pressed for time as well because I need to take the Flight to Bangkok the next evening to meet a friend for a small business venture.)

I arrived in Hongkong at 17:21 local time. I exchanged my dollars to HK money and a got a total of more or less 220HK dollars. I called BELL (a friend's niece) to ask instruction on how to go to my arranged accommodation. Yes.. I didn't arranged for a Hotel. I opted for a "SHARED Accommodation" in the apartment owned by a kabayan, Ate Debbie, where I paid for only 35HK dollar for a 1-day,1 night stay.

From the airport, I took the E41 bus going to Tai Po RD. At the 2nd Station from the Tai Po boundary, Ate Debbie picked me up.

I stayed at #129 Old Pun Chung, Tai Po.(New Territories) The moment I saw Ate Debbie and her "angels" I know right away that I have made the right decision. They were so accommodating and more than happy to tell me the best place where I can buy good pasalubongs for my family and friends in Dubai. After some rest and few chats with the ladies at the boarding house, Ate Debbie decided to show me around the area. It's still weekdays and so all of them will still be working during my stay there. So nobody could be able to accompany me to where I want to go.

What supposed to be a "show-around"had become a pasyal na bonggang-bonga.. she probably thought that I'm kawawa =( ... because I will be left to fend for myself on a country I know nothing about. So she decided to bring me that night to Kowloon.

We took the MTR going to Tsim Tsa Chui. We passed along Nathan Road, the designer Shops, The Peninsula Hotel with its fabulous facade. We are going to the Harbour, it is where the famous Symphony of Lights is being played unfortunately when arrived the show is already over. But just the same, the myriad of lights is so fascinating. The camera couldn't give justice to it. I saw the famous "CLOCK TOWER"of Hongkong. We went to the Avenue of Stars where I had a chance to be hand-in-hand with Jackie Chan.. =).

Here are some pics I managed to take.. I am not very good with camera, coz when I travel I always chose to capture each moments more by heart.. less in lenses.

haaaayyyy... tomorrow will be another day..=).. laaavvettttt!