Family Abroad: Christmas in Singapore

It's our first Christmas together in a foreign country! Yey! hehehe. On their first day, we went to Chinatown (finally Ate Beth found the tiangge) and mommy was very busy looking for bargain deals.

By the end of some 45 minutes of walking around, dad was quite tired and found solace on the steps of an Indian temple. We chowed down some Singaporean Chinese cuisine and continued on to Orchard Road to take some pictures with the Christmas decor and me to do some last minute remittance.

Then we proceeded home so that daddy can cook our Noche Buena. hehe. Puro baboy and puro KFC.

Anyway, according to Mommy, all that walking in SIngapore on her first day in a foreign country was likened to: "murag gibunalan ko ug tubo" (hit by a pipe). Needless to say, she slept like a log once we got home (and only woke up on Christmas eve).

 

Christmas Eve in Singapore

It's weird here in Singapore, spending Christmas. No sounds could be heard in an HDB-filled neighborhood of endless merrymaking and the increasing cresendo of music and noise and joyous laughter that could only signal Christmas eve is eerily absent.

But even if we seemed to be the only lone apartment in our block celebrating Pasko, we made it as cheerful as only 6 people could. hehehe. We woke our sound asleep Mom and Dad then we exchanged gifts. It was a whole round of taking pics and opening gifts and calling home to our relatives in Cebu (and of course a call from Paui). Then Reys, Ria and Mike dropped by at around 2am too.

We had a fun Christmas eve (and the holiday season isn't over yet). Hope everyone did too. Merry Christmas! :)

Starry Starry Night

Paui took me on a date on the eve of one of our month-sary celebrations.

Thank you God and the weather was very cooperative. We had an al-fresco dinner at Indo-chine. Paui was in his "james bond" costume and I was in a formal dress. The staff at Indochine mistook us for attending a formal event for that night. Which was good because they were so very attentive. hehe.

After the dinner (where we were so pampered by the staff of the restaurant), Paui proceeded to take me to the secret second event. It turned out to be the Singapore flyer.

And there, when our capsule (which we had all to ourselves by the way complete with champagne, chocolates and strawberries) was at the very top, Paui went down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

It was altogether the sweetest, most romantic, most life-changing and most memorable moment of my life thus far. We had some comedic moments when we couldn't figure out which hand the engagement ring has to go to. (we finally decided on the left hand).

So now I'm still smiling like a happy stupid idiot...but an ijeeettt with a ring. hahaha.

 

TGIF weird incident

I was waiting at the bus stop for bus number 37 when this malay-looking boy stood in front of me and started this strange and awkward conversation...

strange boy: today is friday right (with thick accent)
me: Yes, today is friday (trying to get the accent)
strange boy: so today is friday then tomorrow saturday...right?
me: erm, yes, tomorrow would be saturday (already weirded out)
strange boy: (started to tap his head) so today is friday, tomorrow saturday, then sunday then next is Monday
me: um...yeah? (desperately wishing now for my bus to arrive)
strange boy: (tapping his head more furiously now) friday? saturday? tall tall? (starting to act out some gesture)
me: (helpless and scared shitless now) um sorry? (trying to break eye contact)
strange boy: (still tapping his head and doing the hand gestures)
me: (running first to bus 37 when it arrived)

maybe i'm being tested on my calendar skills? hahahahaha.

freeeeddddoooommmmm.....

For my friends who have endured my rant a few months back on this blog (and some who had to suffer my whinings and cryings and bitchings in person), I just want to announce that I have now paid all the huge debts incurred by my family. And I got their assurance (in writing and in the spoken form) that this would never, ever, ever happen again. (sana totoo or else I'm just a poor overworked sucker).

Thank you Lord. I have cried and worried many nights for this. And He has helped me so immensely and humbled me in my initial lack of faith.

I just feel so...so...free....hahahahahahahahahahaha.

shoe shopping anyone? :))

Chinatown with a Chinaman

Kuya Jco and Yoraka were in town for a 3 day business trip. And Kuya's very first mission in Singapore was to find the best Bee Cheng store (according to the very specific map drawn my Palm).

So Paui and I accompanied them to Chinatown where much to the sheer delight of our already hungry stomachs, we found the store on our first try (tamang exit! yes!). So before proceeding with completing Jco's mission (yun lng tlaga pinunta namin sa china town), we had yummy yummy dinner first (oo na tito boy, lumobo na po ako. hehehe. bitter).

Happy stomachs dahil malapit na mabusog...

Ang bawal kay Paui...

Having a taste of the 1 dollar ice cream (Yay!)

Feeling turista itong si Paulito (after two weeks here)

First day in the Land of the Lion

It was my first day of work and I barely had any sleep having arrived at 1am and waking up at 630 am. Unfortunately, this is not Bangkok anymore where I wake up at 8 and expect to be in the office 45 minutes later (via the much loved taxi).



Anyway, most of my morning was spent in the MOM office getting my E Pass.And while waiting to get it, I had breakfast in a nearby cafe. I got my order and naturally assumed I would pay after I ate it. I was a bit taken aback when the waitress gave me the bill and asked me to pay, then she apologetically explained that some people forget to pay their bill. Hmm...already I was feeling a slight stigma of being a Filipino in Singapore. Dorothy is really not in Bangkok anymore.

Anyway, here is my 7 SGD worth of breakfast (which still left me feeling hungry):


After I got my Epass, I went straight to my new office. Hehe . And since there really was nothing else to do on my first day, I started taking pictures of the cubicle I shared with Raine.

Bangkok Farewells

Paui and I had one free week before we were scheduled to leave for Singapore. During this time, in between packing our stuff and sorting them, we found time to meet colleagues and friends with whom we have worked with for a long time in Bangkok.

Dinner with the original ABAP team 2. :)) ---> minus Vineet and K.Pang.

Lunch with the reorg King (K.Ek), Willy, Kuya Jco and Palm.

We also had an ABAP team lunch and impromptu merienda courtesy of Harry's specialty cake. But we forgot to bring our camera then :((

It is a bit sad to be leaving colleagues whom you respect so much. To be honest, I was not sad at all when I left my first company. But for this one, it is simply breaking my heart...

Christmas 2008

Christmas seemed a bit different this year with one family gone (migrated to NZ), two cousins and one sis at work during the holidays and one estranged cousin MIA. But we made it as fun as we could under the circumstances... :))