real estate lah

the thing that i hate most is paperwork, i remember how dreadful i felt when my dad decided to transfer some of our properties to my name... wah lau. anyways, one cannot escape that especially here in Singapore. well, just now i signed several documents because i will be transfering to my very own room tomorrow. my agent prepared all the paperwork and i had to read, understand and sign my freaking name on all of it. i'm kinda excited... well, a bit sad because i will be on my own, leaving my friend but then, at least, she'll have her privacy again. i didn't want to impose too much.

the cost of real estate here in Singapore is so high that please don't ever try to convert to your currency. the only thing that made me feel bad was when i found out that the cheapest common room i found and will be moving into costs as much as a 2 room flat in Montreal, Canada! can you imagine how much a house costs here? okay, don't imagine. haha! the standard of living here is indeed very high.

a common room means you'll have to share the bathroom with the owner of the flat. a master bedroom is not necessarily bigger but you'll get to have your own bathroom. that's what i wanted to get at first before i heard how much was the rental and fell off my chair. an hdb flat are the apartments that you see all over Singapore. they're like government housing projects. a pte apartment - okay so i never realized before that pte stands for private - well, i don't really know what pte apartments are. maybe like a private apartment minus the amenities. a condo has a lot of amenities available. like today my jaw dropped when i found out that our neighbor back home lives in a condo and i just dropped by and wanted to kill myself for not bringing a swimsuit. there were tennis courts, an infinity pool, billiards hall, playground, sauna (hyperventilating here). a landed house is where really rich people live. while a landed house is very common in the Philippines, here if you have a backyard, wow, then you can probably afford my soul. a landed house is where my boss lives. haha... oh, also some of my officemates. filthy rich yet so humble.

anyways, an hdb flat is already a dream come true for me. maybe we'll get to rent one as soon as my family moves here with me.

Looking For Work In Singapore

Singapore is a booming country. Hmm... to be honest, i am quite ignorant on the subject called Economics. any doubts? well, let's just say managing money is like making me step on several durian fruits - with or without skin. you know what i mean, lah. okay, going back. Singapore is the promise land. Meaning, you find work here and well, your future is kind of secure. you are sure to earn about at least twice your salary back home. i am not really an authority on the subject - finding work in Singapore - but I could share my experience. i cannot say my experience is helpful to others but it could serve erm some kind of example? LOL! okay, i am a very, very lucky person. i am blessed with a good friend who gave me shelter here in this foreign land. my friend blogs www.stupigity.com anyways, living at her very stylish flat alone kinda served as an inspiration for me. first thought, i want a flat like that. this is a self-centered post, i warn you. but let's forget about being nationalistic for a while and think about our future first. oh, well, becoming an OFilipinoW kinda means we're also helping our country right?

okay, so i came here on a Sunday. my friend bought me a Saturday newspaper on a Sunday. "Do you have yesterday's paper?" I heard her ask the lady at the magazine store. In the wee hours of the morning I applied for a job, when i woke up i got an interview invite and the following day, i got hired! my boss treated me out to lunch together with all of my new officemates. of course i wasn't authorized to work yet. mind you, this doesn't happen all the time. you may want to read about the experiences of our fellow kababayans at www.pinoysg.com this is not the reality. truth is, if you are really, really, really, really x 100 sure that you want to work here, first consider these factors:
1. do you have enough dough? prepare to stay for at least a month to look for work. there are stories of people lasting a few months before they can find work here. there are also several ways to extend your stay here. hmm, wonder if i should mention it here. okay, you may apply for e-extend at ICA or try to exit to JB, Malaysia. beware, though. THEY know this tactic. also, the rental here is so high - can you imagine renting a whole condo unit back home is equivalent to renting just one room?
2. do you have enough guts? like me, i left my family back home. i've cried several times already. no joke.
3. do you have enough faith? believe it or not, i got closer to God when i got here. again, no joke.
4. do you have a laptop? although you are here, you need to apply online or just go to walk in interviews that are announced on the newspaper. DO NOT TRY TO BARGE INTO ANY SINGAPORE COMPANY WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT.
5.  are you trying to get away from it all? HAHA this is irrelevant. i just wanted a 5th item. on second thought, here's the 5th - how marketable are you? they look at how experienced you are.

if you are a play safe person... okay, i should have done this but didn't. before you come here: (note: be sure you have a credit card for online payments. good thing my husband has one. oh, i am not allowed to have those cards or else, i might need to sell my child because of debt. but that's beside the point. okay, again, be sure you have a credit card)

1. try to apply for EPEC at the Ministry of Manpower. they say that MOM recognizes only a few schools and if your school is not listed, take the risk. i am not too sure about this but i got approved... and my school is on the list. there is also about a month or more needed to activate your EPEC so start now. EPEC allows you to stay in Singapore for a year to look for a job.
2. try to apply to as many jobs as possible. even if you feel your fingers getting shorter from emailing thousands of companies to submit your resume - DO IT. true that it's more likely to get a job when you're here but who knows. they really call you overseas. i got a call back home. nosebleed!
3. gather and scan all your documents
4. try to get as many certifications as you can (this is for IT people. they have more opportunity here. compared to me - from creatives)
5. prepare yourself for rejection. Hmm, i haven't really felt this but, yeah, you may be really good back home and here, you might not get noticed. you might be barking at the wrong tree.
6. apply for a job that you are good at and not for the sake of just landing a job here. believe me, i am very happy at my present job right now. i know i could do my work well.

okay, that's all for now. hope that helps.

can and can't

let's say we replace "YES" and "NO"with "CAN"and "CAN'T". this is Singapore, man. hmm. a few months more and i will be saying these words. i have this very very persistent urge to say "LAH"at the end of my sentences.

this simply means - relax and wait, the person inside is trying on several clothes.

Singapore Lah!!!

FINALLY... who would have thought I now have time to blog. This blog has become dormant. I guess my brain became dormant... or my life... nah! So this blogger here has relocated. Thanks to her friend who writes the awesome blog www.stupigity.com. This blogger here lah has finally fought against what would have been a not so exciting life.

When I got a whiff of Singapore, I took a step back, focused my eyes again and I said, haaaahhhh this is the country for me. (wink!) What?! I'm talking about the food.

I've never been here really. I went to the countries around it but never ever really felt that longing to explore Singapore. Who would have thought that when I do get to go I refuse to leave. A blend of different cultures and beliefs, it is everyone's country. and oh did I mention shopping? SSSHHHOOOPPPIIINNNNGGGG... I actually swooned when my friends brought me to IKEA where I bought my first and most treasured possession - a weighing scale. With all the food - I doubt if anyone will never gain weight. All I hear are the plok, plok, ploks of each viand being poured on my plate.

aaahhhhh... or should I say, laaaahhhhh...