A few weeks ago, Marlon and I saw a window display for a book about the world's happiest countries. Imagine how gleefully we chortled upon seeing how our soon-to-be ex-home and our soon-to-be future home stacked up against each other on the list!
Moving 77 places up the list is not too bad, ey?
Though Singapore and I have not exactly been a match made in heaven, we've had some great times. And for a place that ranks below Kosovo, Bosnia, and Kazakhstan on the happiness list, it's done very well for me these last three years. For obvious reasons, there are tons of things I'm looking forward to in Amsterdam. But to be fair, there are also a lot of things I'll miss about Singapore.
The food. Singapore is where I really fell in love with Asian food. For some reason in Manila, if you want gobsmacking, very authentic Asian food other than Chinese (say Thai or Indian), chances are you have to pay through the nose for it. Not so here. Great food is abundant, very affordable and truly diverse. Unfortunately for me, I have enough added poundage to prove it!
The professional growth. Coming here stretched me professionally. I probably wouldn't have pushed myself to take on production if I had stayed home; being shoved out of my comfort zone led me to discover the little payoffs and sweet spots in what seemed, many times, like a muck of difficulty. Among other things, I learned that being "fast" and "nice" is well and good, but not enough to carry me forward; not when there are other things to be, like "reliable", "accurate", "professional"... and so much more.
Finding the courage to leave a job that I'd loved, but had lost my love for was a daunting risk that paid off. And both learning that I'd done well enough for other people to want to hire me, and being able to sustain a financially rewarding freelance career out of that, have done wonders for my professional confidence.
Our house. I will miss our house! It may be out in the boonies as far as Singaporeans are concerned, but I've loved living in this green, quiet, low-density, sprawling complex.
Note to self: must swim more this week! Barring Boracay and Bohol in December, God only knows when I'll get to swim next!
Multicultural colleagues and friends. The locals may complain about us "FTs" or foreign talents (some even go as far as to call us foreign trash), but Singapore sure knows how to attract people from all over the world. (Whether they actually stay and put down roots is another story.) There are just so many expats here.
The infrastructure. When locals whine about their infrastructure, sometimes I just want to slap them and say "Please travel more! And you'll see that in this world, you're lucky just to have a country that works!" Because public transport here is pretty awesome.
It's why we haven't felt the need for a car for three years (seven years for Marlon). And it's why I don't understand why one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the country prints letters to the editor that are about such pressing problems as puddles (yes, puddles) in MRT stations and heated pleas to the government for an in-train display that lights up to tell you what stop you're at and on which side of the train the doors will open. (People! It's four freaking MRT lines, not rocket science! Have you seen the metro systems in Paris, Tokyo, Seoul?)
But I guess discovering malfunctions in such a well-oiled system can be like paying through the nose for tickets to Disneyland and finding out that Space Mountain is down for repairs. Oh, and I'll miss cabs.
Cabs are my biggest vice here by far. Never mind the cabbies and their driving. I'll miss relatively affordable taxi rides (relative to Europe, that is), being able to book taxis via SMS, and having them arrive in minutes. Ohhhh. If I think about it too much, I might get depressed. On to the next.
The large, and growing, Pinoy community. The number of Pinoys in Singapore has boomed since I first started visiting Marlon seven years ago. And the demographic is changing; for the first time in the history of Singapore, there are more Filipino professionals than Filipino domestic helpers. Nowadays, I catch snatches of Tagalog nearly everywhere I go. It's like living in Makati. Or sometimes, Katipunan.
It's great to be able to speak Tagalog to someone (most often on the customer-facing side of things) to break the ice, get things done, or simply create instant rapport. It's even better to run into old acquaintances and rekindle friendships. And best of all, because of the large Pinoy community, it's easy to get a lot of things home. In the mood for longganisa, daing na bangus, sukang pinakurat, even pan de sal? Lucky Plaza lang ang katapat niyan.
Proximity to home. Cheap flights were a godsend for me in the first few months here, when I was still very homesick and hadn't found work. Later on, as I started to make a home for myself here, the Philippines became our destination of choice for short getaways.
I tried going to a few other beaches (Phuket, isdatchu?), but I guess there really is no place like home. It's just ironic that I could only really afford to travel around my own country once I got out of it. When plane fare home moves up by from three digits to four next year, I am sure going to miss being able to hop on a Philippine-bound plane at the drop of a hat!
Moving 77 places up the list is not too bad, ey?
Though Singapore and I have not exactly been a match made in heaven, we've had some great times. And for a place that ranks below Kosovo, Bosnia, and Kazakhstan on the happiness list, it's done very well for me these last three years. For obvious reasons, there are tons of things I'm looking forward to in Amsterdam. But to be fair, there are also a lot of things I'll miss about Singapore.
The food. Singapore is where I really fell in love with Asian food. For some reason in Manila, if you want gobsmacking, very authentic Asian food other than Chinese (say Thai or Indian), chances are you have to pay through the nose for it. Not so here. Great food is abundant, very affordable and truly diverse. Unfortunately for me, I have enough added poundage to prove it!
Black pepper crab, my all-time favorite Singapore dish
The professional growth. Coming here stretched me professionally. I probably wouldn't have pushed myself to take on production if I had stayed home; being shoved out of my comfort zone led me to discover the little payoffs and sweet spots in what seemed, many times, like a muck of difficulty. Among other things, I learned that being "fast" and "nice" is well and good, but not enough to carry me forward; not when there are other things to be, like "reliable", "accurate", "professional"... and so much more.
My last shoot with BDA for the Disney Channel in Kuala Lumpur
Our house. I will miss our house! It may be out in the boonies as far as Singaporeans are concerned, but I've loved living in this green, quiet, low-density, sprawling complex.
Our home has been an expression of Marlon's and my still-developing identity as a newlywed couple. We've had so much fun decorating it (even if I did end up getting rid of half the furniture), making my first culinary steps (and mis-steps) in it, hosting the many guests of "Hotel Plazo" (or Palazzo Plazo, as Pauline calls it), just holing up and getting cozy on leisurely weekends, and yes, even messing it up when we just get too damn lazy. I enjoyed the comforts of home especially over the last six months when I started working freelance.
The view that tells me the workday is over
It may not be a Town & Country or even a Real Living kind of place, but it's been our home. And I sure am going to miss having a pool...
Singapore = 1, Amsterdam = 0
Multicultural colleagues and friends. The locals may complain about us "FTs" or foreign talents (some even go as far as to call us foreign trash), but Singapore sure knows how to attract people from all over the world. (Whether they actually stay and put down roots is another story.) There are just so many expats here.
Happier times at BDA
I've had the chance to work with people from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Japan, Australia, the US and the UK; some of the dearest friends Marlon and I have made here are from as far away as Colombia and South Africa.
Just like when I traveled to Europe with the Glee Club, meeting people of different cultures and backgrounds makes you realize there are so many different ways to live, so you don't feel completely insane for making certain decisions. (Like going freelance and moving to Amsterdam, for example.)
Just like when I traveled to Europe with the Glee Club, meeting people of different cultures and backgrounds makes you realize there are so many different ways to live, so you don't feel completely insane for making certain decisions. (Like going freelance and moving to Amsterdam, for example.)
But I guess discovering malfunctions in such a well-oiled system can be like paying through the nose for tickets to Disneyland and finding out that Space Mountain is down for repairs. Oh, and I'll miss cabs.
Cabs are my biggest vice here by far. Never mind the cabbies and their driving. I'll miss relatively affordable taxi rides (relative to Europe, that is), being able to book taxis via SMS, and having them arrive in minutes. Ohhhh. If I think about it too much, I might get depressed. On to the next.
The large, and growing, Pinoy community. The number of Pinoys in Singapore has boomed since I first started visiting Marlon seven years ago. And the demographic is changing; for the first time in the history of Singapore, there are more Filipino professionals than Filipino domestic helpers. Nowadays, I catch snatches of Tagalog nearly everywhere I go. It's like living in Makati. Or sometimes, Katipunan.
With Singapore-based high school and college classmates (Justine was visiting)
Proximity to home. Cheap flights were a godsend for me in the first few months here, when I was still very homesick and hadn't found work. Later on, as I started to make a home for myself here, the Philippines became our destination of choice for short getaways.
Happiness in Bohol
I tried going to a few other beaches (Phuket, isdatchu?), but I guess there really is no place like home. It's just ironic that I could only really afford to travel around my own country once I got out of it. When plane fare home moves up by from three digits to four next year, I am sure going to miss being able to hop on a Philippine-bound plane at the drop of a hat!
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