10 Years in Singapore!

Ten years ago today I moved to Singapore! I must say that life has changed a lot! I'd like to say there's been a lot more plusses than minuses that happened in the last decade. 

2011, service apartment.

The Plusses

1. Very obviously, my weight! I was just XS when I moved here, now... never mind. I did lose 10 kilograms in the last few months. Still need to lose more to comply with my doctors. 

2. I learned to be more independent. My Mom's always been there for me and she always had my back for anything when I lived in Manila. I was lucky when I moved here because I lived with a neighbor from Manila and she showed me the ropes. 

3. I have loads of new friends from all over the world. Now there's someone I can visit wherever I go.

4. My travel skills have expanded. I once surprised a school principal at her school which is 2-hours away from Tokyo. I commuted by myself and just followed Google Maps to reach her town. I'm no longer the scaredy-cat I was when I first traveled on my own from Manila to the US.

5. I gained a lot of new skills, both for work and my hobbies. My director told me, I can be a GM of a company now. My home skills have also improved a lot. I can cook more dishes and bake bread! I also rediscovered my love for quilting. 

2021, errands.

The Minuses

1. Yeah, my health. The plus is my doctors here fixed my heart. The minus is it's back to where it was when I moved here. 

2. Missed time with family. The LDR life isn't for me and it became very hard at some point. Good thing an angel was sent to me and advised to keep my family close. It happened again now because of the pandemic. 

3. More stuff. By next month we'll be merging all of our things. I dread sorting and fixing stuff again.

I can't really think of any real drawbacks of my stay in Singapore. I'm just grateful I was given the opportunity to live here and grow. I'd like to believe I'm still the same person I was when I moved, just a bit more experienced and learned. I'm glad I got to experience living abroad, but there's no place like home. I can't wait to see Miggy and my Mom!

CB////*Yr2/187 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/208 #NewG260 #Home19 #Xmas71 #StayHome #BeKind

The 10 Things I Love About Singapore

This year marks the 10th year I've lived in Singapore. It took me awhile to call it home because my boys were back in Manila and I flew back and forth a lot for a few years. It became home when my family moved here five years ago.

1. Getting around is so convenient - it's so easy to get around by bus or through the MRT. You pay by using an EZlink card (which you can use also at shops).

2. Wide variety of food - there's a wide variety of food you can choose from especially when you eat at a hawker center. 

3. Toast Box - absolutely love teh peng and their breakfast food. Aside from Toast Box there's also other local coffee chains like Ya Kun Kaya, Killiney, Fun Toast, Old Town White Coffee etc. 

4. Shopping - when you shop you know exactly where you will go for the item. In the beginning I used to just go to Orchard, but eventually liked going to the neighborhood malls more (less temptation!). 

5. Parks - it's only now that I appreciate the park better. I love our evening walks at the park. There's always a nice breeze everytime we go. 

6. Attractions - we still visit the zoo, the bird park every other year. It's just fun to go and re-visit the zoo. We also visit Universal Studios whenever we have visitors. 

7. Staycation hotels - even before the pandemic our family would go on staycations. It's just nice to get some rest from house chores and explore the city. 

8. Healthcare - ahh this piece has been very important for me, I am only still around because of my amazing doctors.

9. Chinese New Year - CNY here is huge! I'm not really familiar with the traditions for CNY, but there's always a lot of snacks available. A friend explained to me that during CNY they basically have to visit all their relatives and that means endless eating. Ahh, it's very similar to our Christmas that's why I love CNY too. 

10. Church - love going to church here especially during the festive season. We've witnessed also how  they celebrate Christmas, New Year, Mama Mary's occasions, first Holy communion, baptism, Easter etc. 

Since we're going to be here for awhile I've been watching some vlogs of areas I still haven't seen yet. I'll make a list and see what else we could explore and experience in Singapore. 

CB///305 #StuckAtHomeDay/335 #StayHome #BeKind

Throwback Thursdays: My Favorite Places in Singapore

You might find it strange I'm featuring favorite places for throwback Thursday. It's a throwback for me because I haven't visited my favorite places for a long time now here in Singapore.

Toastbox - used to meet the boys after the work usually at Toastbox. Miggy and I would usually meet up first, have merienda and wait for Sweetie to arrive. We do this at least once a week. The crew treat us as regulars and already know our usual order haha.

Giant - there used to be a huge Giant supermarket across our place. They left and was replaced by Fair Price. We miss Giant a lot.

Kinokuniya - my favorite bookstore here in Singapore. They have all your regular books and a good selection of craft books and music books. They also have a lot of interesting knick knacks.

Spotlight - the first shop I visited when Sweetie allowed me to go with him to the mall. I just did a quick round to get thread and buttons. I didn't get to check out my favorite fabric selections (I still have too many anyway).

Daiso - I think I visit Daiso at least 2x a month since I moved to Singapore. I always end up buying something there everytime I go. It's a different experience though when I'm in Manila since it's usually cheaper to buy home items from SM or Landmark there.

Sentosa - we usually walk to Sentosa from home a couple of times in a month before. We usually go to catch Pokemon and spin Pokestops. I like walking to the beach since it's so calming. I wonder when we can do this again.

Jollibee at Suntec - I particularly like this Jollibee because it's beside my favorite milk tea ice cream shop hahaha.

24 Hour McDonald's - sometimes we have this odd cravings for McFlurry very late at night. We'd go as a family to the nearest McDonald's for a McFlurry run. We were happy to know that there's also a 24-hour McDonald's near our new place. They changed the hours, but we could still get ice cream until midnight. It's not the same though since Miggy's not here with us now. 

My original plan for 2020 was to explore more of Singapore and visit all Toast Box branches across the country. I also wanted to visit Batam and Bintan again and Johor. Discover more interesting local places.


CB//108 #StuckAtHomeDay/138 #WFH79  #StayHome #BeKind

Two Months Since We Moved!

Two months ago we moved to our new apartment. We love this new place because it's allowed us to try new things. The first few weeks were hard since we had to make our home livable and organized. We are so relieved we made the decision to move before our lease ended. Moving helped us cope better with the movement restrictions. Having a balcony makes a huge difference.

The funny thing is we haven't explored our new area. We are sandwiched between two parks! We have a great view of one of the parks. The park has been empty, but we've been seeing more people jogging the past week. I'm content just to see the park and the birds flying around for now. Someday we'll get the chance to walk through the park.

My lunchmates recommended this area. They are in the building beside us, but we haven't seen them in person since we moved! They've been able to go to the grocery together (social distancing of course!), but because of my medical conditions it's safer for me to just stay home. Someday we'll get to visit the nearby shops and get to know the stores where we've been ordering food.

I think aside from learning to bake bread what makes me happy just being home is learning how to garden! I've been hovering over my plants like a true blue plant parent haha. Head over to my gardening blog to check out my plantdemic adventures!


#CB/64 #WFH49 #StuckAtHomeDay94 #StayHome #BeKind  

Singapore, my second home

Today is a sad day for Singapore with the passing of it's first prime minister, Lee Kwan Yew. I feel sad as well since Singapore has been my second home in the last four years and I have so much to be thankful for what Singapore has given to me - work and an extension to my life.

Much as I try to stay in home in the Philippines as much as I could, Singapore is where I am employed and my second home. I've been sharing an apartment with my childhood friend for the past 4 years, I just travel a lot that's why it doesn't seem I'm around much. I do a lot of brain calisthenics when I'm in Singapore and so normally keep to myself and I'm probably busy hanging out over Hangout in the evenings with my boys.

I remember Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew when I was taking my degree in Political Science. I had a class on International Relations with Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta as my erstwhile professor. We had discussed about Singapore a lot in class and the work PM Yew did for Singapore. He built the country and brought it to where it is today. He was a selfless leader who made sure his countrymen would get the best.

I am thankful for PM Yew for all that he did for Singapore. My move to Singapore just happened which on the hindsight I think was pre-destined since my cardiologist is Singapore's best cardio (yoohoo Dr. Koo!!!) and the most expert surgeon for my condition (Dr. Shankar!). My doctors said that I probably would not have survived surgery if it was done elsewhere (but that's another story, just back-read my old posts). So I would forever be thankful for this beautiful, efficient, clean city Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew has built (the health care industry is so far the best!!!).

Thank you Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew for building Singapore. <3