Happy 56th Birthday Singapore!

Majulah Singapura! Happy, happy 56th birthday Singapore! 

Singapore has been my home for 10 years now. Today I wanted to celebrate what I'm grateful about living here. 

1. My life was extended here thrice - I had OHS to repair my mitral valve and my respiratory doctor saved me twice from PE! This was made possible by my guardian daddies who brought me here. 

2. Miggy's completed schooling - one reason why I grabbed the opportunity to move here was to make sure I could pay for Miggy's tuition. Grateful for the opportunity because I was able to send him to school here. I'm so glad he finished back in 2019. 

3. We were able to buy a home back home - I lived like I was in Manila to be able to save. I was able to live on a SG$50 weekly allowance the first few years (thanks to the free food at work) and that's how we were able to buy our first home. When you really put your mind to it, you can do it. 

4. I met a lot of amazing people - I never imagined I'd meet so many people from different walks of life (and nations!). It never occurred to me that I'd have so many lovely friends from other cultures. 

5. I learned a lot - I'm grateful I've been able to work with a lot of awesome, intelligent people. I'd like to believe I evolved a lot from being the shy, super introverted person I was when I moved here. I learned a lot from the people around me. I also became a better, more confident version of myself. 

6. It was an experience like no other - from just covering Southeast Asia I eventually expanded across Asia Pacific. Wow oh wow, I had so much fun exploring and getting to know other cultures. And key to that was Changi Airport! I always looked forward to traveling and would go to the airport early to complete my travel rituals. LOL. 

7. Appreciating parks - I must admit exercise isn't really in my vocabulary, but when I moved here I learned to appreciate the parks they situated within neighborhoods. We used to walk from Harbourfront to the beach in Sentosa. The West Coast Park became part of my breathing exercise regimen. I'll probably do more walking when I eventually go home. 

8. Efficiency - one of the best things you can experience in Singapore is the efficiency of systems. If the train breaks down, there's a back-up bus that's ready to be used. Renewing your pass is done through an appointment system. When you go to the center it takes just ten minutes and you leave with a new pass. When you go to your doctor's appointment you'll usually see him within 15 minutes of your appointed time.  (Even the Philippine Embassy is efficient with time here!). 

9. The Zoo - my favorite zoo here is the Jurong Bird Park. I'm really grateful they have super well-maintained zoos here. It's on my bucket list to visit the bird park one more time before we go home.

10. Celebrations - one thing I learned more about here are the different holidays other religions/cultures celebrate. I now have better appreciation of CNY, Eid al-Fitr, Edi al-Adha, and Diwali. We'll now celebrate that too when we go home. 

And before I forget, I developed my love for milk tea because of Singapore! I will definitely miss Toast Box, Fun Toast, Killiney, Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Wang Cafe. Sigh.

Thank you Singapore! You will be forever in my heart <3

Day 10 Minimalism Challenge, Ditch the makeup for one day. Hahaha, I rarely wear makeup! I wore lipstick two weeks ago and promptly had an allergy. LOL. I guess for this challenge I'll look through whatever makeup I have and throw the ones that smell like a grandma already. I recently checked my mascara stash and they were all dried up already. Gosh, that's how long we've been just home! Aside from following this minimalism challenge, I've been clearing out "tiny bubbles" in my home and getting rid of stuff I don't use anymore. 

CB///*Yr2/121 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/144 #NewG325 #Home83 #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