may nakakatawang nangyari sa akin kaninang umaga pag-pasok ko sa opisina…yung security door ng floor namin, pilit kong binuksan gamit ang electronic ticket sa MRT train ng singapore. nagtataka ako kung bakit ayaw bumukas ng pinto sa office – kaya pala. hehehe… tawa ng tawa sa akin yung cleaning lady ng floor namin dahil nakita niyang kabobohan ko. yan na nga bang sinasabi ko eh…puyat ng puyat.
tulog ng tulog, puyat.
kain ng kain, payat.
alas tres na ng madaling araw gising pa ako… tinatapos ko lang ang trabaho ko dahil uuwi na kami sa friday. medyo pagod na mga ako lalo na itong last two weeks, ako lang ang naiwan na engineer sa opisina. lahat ng technical support sa akin bumabagsak. ok lang iyon. at least pag bakasyon ko, mararamdaman ko talaga na bakasyon nga yon.
ika nga eh hirap muna bago sarap… kabaligtaran ng pagbubuntis, in a way.
maganda ang city planning ng singapore, especially in the new blocks at pasir ris – they made sure that all the facilities are near the living areas: markets, malls, restaurants, parks, resorts, bus and train stations, hospitals, police, etc. if you play the computer game called “simcity”, you now that you get high points for this kind of strategy. in pasir ris where we live, talagang magandang tumira.
one thing good as well is that we are near the changi airport. it’s cheaper to ride a cab going there. dati, i pay $20 every trip. now it’s only around $7. we are also near the seaport that isi the jump-off point to the nearby resorts of indonesia.
lumipat na rin kami ng bahay. from the west coast of singapore, we moved to the other end – pasir ris, at the east coast of the island. pasir ris is a lot better than west coast avenue. for one, it is more quiet. wala na yung ingay ng mga bus at motorsiklo na naririnig namin dati. it is much cleaner than our already clean surroundings over at Block 701.
our flat is bigger – we have a five room flat (too big for jet and i). but we only rented two. yung may-ari ng bahay is a co-worker who was permanently assigned in china. ayaw niyang ipa-rent sa iba, so, in a win-win situation – he rented his flat to us really cheap. he gets a monthly payment from us and in return, jet and i take care of his home. fully furnished with really good furniture at air-conditioned (di pwedeng hindi dahil pawis-singit ng init dito sa singapore), really big and clean. we have cable and internet connection. we got promoted – mataas na ang position namin: dati third floor lang kami, ngayon fifth floor na!
back in singapore. back to jet. back to work. jet and i will be moving to a new flat next saturday. going to the east coast… oh yeah!
august marks my 1st year here in singapore. i’ve been riding a fast car this past 12 months. seems like it was only yesterday when i boarded the plane to fly over here. now its been a year and i feel as if everything’s happening so fast.
what’s in store this coming year?
next week i’ll be in the us for a showcase – it’s more of a company conference really. so it’s a week in florida for a big world wide POWOW. then jet and i will be moving to a new flat in the east coast. the same time, our office is moving to changi. then manila in october – hopefully india as well. november in china for the asia version of the company distributor conference. indonesia as well.
december – vacation home! two weeks in the philippines and then… and then… and then its 2003 already.
ZOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
kakadating lang namin ni jet galing sa labas. umaga na pala… init pa rin dito sa singapore, pero di tulad ng march to july. attached ay pic ng isa sa mga pinakamatandang coffee house dito. sikat ang kapihan na ito: the red house at east coast road ang tawag nila. parating may mga nag-shoo-shooting na mga artista dahil historical ang dating. masarap mag-kape dito, mura pa – 80 cents ang isang cup, may kasama pang history. kompara sa starbucks na $4.50, pag-yankee products talaga eh mahal.
kakadating ko lang sa office. yung katabi ko sa bus, ang lakas mangulangot. gusto ko ngang sapakin eh! kakadiri… tinitingnan ko nga yung pantalon ko, dahil baka nahulugan ng tiny bits and pieces.
last friday, national day dito sa singapore – version nila ng independence day. parada ulit ang mga politica, led by LKY. good news: no decrease in our CPF (pension plan), no price increases on basic goods, pwede pa ring installment ang bayad sa taxes at tuloy pa rin ang $35/month rebate sa kuryente, LPG at tubig.
balitang singapore: may isang case na naman ng maid abuse dito… indonesian maid na-plantsa sa kamay ng amo. gusot siguro ang kamay.
balitang hongkong: filipina maid wins discrimmination case against amo. she was sacked because she only had 3 fingers.
balitang malaysia: one datu in malaysia wants to eliminate all the tigers in their province dahil it interferes with his rubber harvest. sayang…
21 july 2002
remember yung amo na pumatay sa indonesian maid nya? 18 years and caning ang parusa for the murder. bummer… bakit si flor contemplacion binitay on suspicion pinatay nyang anak ng amo, etong among nang torture before murder, kulong lang?
only in indonesia: kahapon isang eroplano ang nag landing sa expressway ng jakarta causing a massive traffic jam – gusto atang magbayad ng toll ng pilot dahil pasok siya sa tollgate.
the cranberries and no doubt will have a back to back concert here in singapore on 18 august. nood kaya kami ni jet, mura lang ticket eh… “Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken, And if islands cause the silence, Who are we mistaking, But you see it’s not me, It’s not my family, In your head in your head, They are fighting, With their tanks and their bombs, and their bombs and their guns, In your head in your head they are crying………..In your head…In your head…zombie zombie zombie ei ei, What’s in your head…In your head…Zombie, zombie, zombie, ei, ei, ei , oh…..do,do,do,do,do,do,do,do
august 6 – my first year in singapore! happy anniversary to me.
has my life changed? yes
or the better? yes
how so? no more rushing to here and there, no more tension at work, no more looking behind your back in fear that somebody will harm you
any regrets? to far from family, friends, my house and favorite pets
Batang Kaning Lamig 