From Isarog to Singapore Part 2

At last! I finally found the time to blog about my one-week experience in Singapore :)

To start, let me give you a glimpse where I live :)

I live at Maysprings Condominium. It is located on the North area of Singapore, Bukit Panjang. The name says it all, it's the Bukid Area of Singapore. This is where my Auntie Let and Uncle Philip stays. I am staying with them. They used to stay at Holland Road but then they decided to buy a unit here instead because the old condominium was too big for them.

Here is the view from our floor. We're at the 19th floor by the way. Part of the facilities of the condominium is a swimming pool, a clubhouse and a tennis court. They also have a gym but I haven't tried them yet.

When night time falls, which is usually at 8:00pm (7:00pm here is like 5:00pm in the Philippines), the view from our floor is really nice. The lights from the cars passing by and the lights on the pool and the trees give me a serene feeling.

The interior of the house is also gorgeous. This is how it looks like :) (See picture below)

Uncle Philip bought this 3D TV which is about 42". Too bad, I haven't been able to try the 3D feature yet.

They really have a nice house plus the kitchen is so neat :) 






Moving on, really, the cost of living here in Singapore is quite expensive compared to the Philippines. Perhaps because I would usually convert the Singapore prices to Philippine prices whenever I would go to the grocery or just buy a top-up card. Eventually, I would end up buying nothing.

Anyhow, for those who would want to try their luck here in Singapore, you may find this helpful, hopefully. Am sharing this out of experience and of course, from the tips that I got from fellow travelers. I hope you would get something from it :)

First is transportation. Transportation is very convenient here in Singapore. The first thing that you have to do is to buy your EZ LINK card.

The card costs $12 with a $7 stored value. The $5 is the actual cost of the card which is non-refundable. You may purchase 'credits' or it's usually referred to here as 'top-up' at General Ticketing Machines at all SMRT Stations and Add Value Machines. The EZ Link Card can be used both on the bus and the MRT/LRT.

Note: Always check the remaining credits of your card. There are cases when the card is not accepted by the machine in the bus or the train if the value is $2 below.
Also, buses have designated numbers here. The numbers reflect the route of the bus. To better guide you, you can use STREET DIRECTORY for the directions (http://www.streetdirectory.com/) and I would also personally advise that you get a copy of the SMRT map, in this way, you can check the line that you should take. You may also check the map here -- http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp

Second is the purchasing a prepaid sim. The most popular telecommunication company is SINGTEL (am using SINGTEL). The sim card would cost from $28-$50 with a pre-loaded phone credit. I bought the $50 sim and it has a $50 stored value plus a $10 bonus. International text would usually cost 18 cents per message, so it's quite cheap. Singtel also has a lot of freebies like when you top-up a $20 card, you'd get a $3 bonus. Also, incoming calls are not for free here in Singapore however Singtel offers a 10 or 20 day free incoming call if you top-up a particular amount.

As for me, I still have $46 as of today but I decided to buy the $20 top-up in case I ran out of credits. The $20 top-up card looks like this :)

Note: As soon as you get off Changi Airport, look for a store where you can buy a prepaid sim. It would be better if you have exchanged your money to Singapore dollars by then. They would also ask for your passport when you buy the prepaid sim.

Third is the board and lodging. I am lucky that I was temporarily adopted by auntie and uncle, everything is for free. However, if you will try to maximize the one month social visit pass, make sure that you have enough money with you. The usual rate for room rent is about $350-500 then you have to add up your meals per day. A decent meal may cost about $5-10 but a $2 meal is also available. Make sure that you have at least $1000 for you to survive in a month. Good thing if you have friends who can adopt you for the mean time while you're looking for a job.

I think that's all for now. I have to explore Singapore still. I am enjoying the place and am trying to see how it feels like to live here. I also experienced getting lost but GPS is good companion. If you can have a phone that has GPS then you're good to go.

Thank you for reading my blog :)

Minsan May Isang PUTA

by:  Mike Portez-Borromeo

Tingin ng mga bobong kapitbahay ko, puta daw ako. Nagpapagamit, binabayaran. Sabi nila, ako daw ang pinakamaganda at pinakasikat sa aming lugar noon. Di ko nga alam kung sumpa ito, dahil dito naletse ang kinabukasan ko.

Tara, makinig ka muna sa kwento ko, yosi muna tayo.

Alam mo, maraming lumapit sa akin. Nagkagusto at naakit. Ang hirap pag lahat sa iyo, virgin eh. Tinanggap ko naman silang tao, bakit kaya nila ako ginago? Hindi ko maintindihan ang mga nangyari sa akin. Bukas palad ko naman silang pinakitunguhan, ni hindi ko nga itinuring na iba. Iniisip ko na nga lang na kasi di sila taga rito kaya siguro talagang ganoon.

Tatlong malilibog na foreigners ang nagpyesta sa katawan ko. Sabi nila na-rape daw ako.

Sa tatlong beses akong nagahasa, ang pinakahuli ang di ko makakalimutan.

Parang maski di ko ginusto ang mga nangyari, hinahanap-hanap ko siya. Kasi, ibang-iba ang hagod niya. Umiikot ang mundo ko sa tuwing ginagamit niya ako. May mga pagkakaton na nasusuka na ko sa mga nangyayari sa aming dalawa. Parang ‘pag humahalinghing siya, nararamdaman ko na nalalason ako.. Gusto ko mang umayaw, hindi ko makuhang humindi. Hindi ko din alam kung bakit. Ibang klase din kasi siya mag-sorry eh, lalo pa at inalagaan niya ako at ang mga naging anak ko.

Alam mo, parating ang dami naming regalo – may chocolates, yosi at ano ka! May datung pa! Nakakabaliw siya! Alam kong ginagamit niya lang ako pero pagamit naman ako nang pagamit. Sa kanya namin natutunan mag-inggles, di lang magsulat ha! Magbasa pa!

Nung kinasama ko siya, guminhawa buhay namin. Sosyal na sosyal kami! Ewan ko nga ba, akala ko napapamahal na ako sa kanya. Akala ko tuloy-tuloy na kaligayahan namin, yun pala unti-unti niya akong pinapatay.

Punyetang buhay! Sa dami ng lason na sinaksak niya sa katawan ko, muntik na akong malaspag. Ang daming nagsabi na ang tanga tanga ko. Palayasin ko na daw. Taon ang binilang bago ako natauhang makining sa payo. Iniisip ko kasi na parang di ko kakayanin na mawala siya sa akin… Sa amin! .

Sa tulong ng ilan sa mga anak ko, napalayas ko ang demonyo pero ang hirap magsimula. Hindi nga ako sigurado kung nabunutan ako ng tinik o nadagdagan pa. Masyado na kasi kaming nasanay sa sarap ng buhay na naranasan namin sa kanya, kaya eto nabaon kami sa utang. Lubog na lubog kami sa pagkakautang, kulang yata pati kaluluwa namin para ibayad sa mga inutang namin.

Nakakahiya man aminin pero hanggang ngayon, sa tuwing mabigat ang problema ko, siya ang tinatakbuhan ko. ‘Yun nga lang, kapit sa patalim sabi nga nila. Para akong isang aso na nangagat ng amo, na bumabahag ang buntot at umaamo kapag nangangailangan.

Usap-usapan ako ng mga kapitbahay ko. May nanghihinayang, namumuhi at naaawa. Puta na kasi ang isang magandang katulad ko. Ang dating hinahangaan at humahalina ay nabibili sa murang halaga. Alam mo maski ganun ang mga nangyari sa akin, nilakasan ko pa rin ang loob ko. Kailangan makita ng mga anak ko, na masasandalan nila ako maski ano pang mangyari.

Maski ano pa ang sabihin ng iba, sinisikap namin na maging maganda ang buhay namin. Nag-aambisyon kami at nangangarap. Ayun, may mga anak ako na nasa Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi. Yung iba nag-US, Canada, Europe. ‘Yung iba ayaw umalis sa akin. Halos lahat, wala naman silbi. Masaya daw sa piling ko, maski amoy pusali ako.

Sa dami ng mga anak ko na nagsisikap na tulungan ang kalagayan namin, siya din ang dami ng mga anak ko na nanamantala sa kabuhayan at kayaman na itinatabi ko para sa punyetang kinabukasan naming lahat. Eto na nga ang panahon na halos di na kami makaahon sa hirap ng buhay. Napakahirap dahil nasanay na kami sa ginhawa at sarap.

Alam mo, gusto ko na sanang tumigil sa pagpuputa kaso ang laki talaga ng letseng utang ko eh. Palaki pa ng palaki! Paano na lang ang mga anak kong naiwan sa aking puder? At paano na lang ang mga anak kong nasa abroad? Baka di na nila ako balikan o bisitahin man lang? Hindi na importante kung laspagin man ang ganda ko, madama lang ng mga anak ko ang pagmamahal ko. Malaman nila na ibibigay ko ang lahat para sa kanila.

Sa tuwing titingin ako sa salamin, alam ko maganda pa rin ako. Meron pa din ang bilib sa akin. Napapag-usapan pa din. Sa tuwing nakikita ko ang mukha ko sa salamin, nakikita ko ang mga anak ko. Tutulo na lang ang mga luha ko ng di ko namamalayan. Ang gagaling nga ng mga anak ko eh, namamayagpag kahit saan sila pumunta. Mahusay sa kahit anong gawain. Tama man o mali.

Sa dami ng mga anak ko, iilan lang ang may malasakit sa akin. May malasakit man, nahihilaw pa.

Mabigat dalahin para sa akin, ang katotohanan na ni minsan ay di kami naging isang pamilya. Halos lahat ng mga anak ko, galit sa isa’t isa. IIlan ang gusto magtulungan, naghihilahan pa. Madalas kong itinatanong sa sarili ko kung naging masama ba akong nanay para magturingan ng ganito ang mga anak ko?

Kanino bang similya ng demonyo nanggaling ang mga anak kong maituturing mong may mga pinag-aralan pero nakakadama ng saya at sarap sa paghihirap ng kapatid nila? Di ko lubos maisip kung saan impiyerno nanggaling ang kasikiman ng ilan sa mga anak kong ito. Sila pa naman ang inaasahan kong magbabangon sa amin. Nakakabaliw isipin na natitiis nila ang kalagayan ng kanilang mga kapatid na halos mamatay sa hirap ng buhay. Parang di sila magkakapatid sa tindi ng pagkaganid at walang pagmamalasakit.

Ang di ko akalain ay mismong mga anak ko, ang tuluyang sisira sa akin. Kinapital ang laspag na ganda ko. Masaya sila sa mga nabibili nila mula sa pinagputahan ko. Buong angas nilang pinagyayabang ang mga pansamantalang yaman at ang kanilang hilaw na pagkatao sa mga makakakita at makikinig. Talaga bang nakakalula ang materyal na kayamanan at mga titulong ikinakabit sa pangalan? Hindi ko maintindihan.

Minsan sa pagtingin ko sa salamin, ni hindi ko na nga kilala sarili ko.

Dadating na naman ang pasko, sana maalala naman ako ng mga anak ko. Ilang linggo pa, magbabagong taon na. Natatakot ako sa taong darating. Ngayon pa lang usap-usapan na ang susunod na pangbubugaw sa akin. Gagamitin pa nila ang kahinaan ng mga kapatid nilang alipin sa kalam ng tiyan. Sa tagal ng panahong ganito ang sitwasyon namin parang eto lang ang sulok na gagalawan ko. Sana may magtanggol naman sa akin. Ipaglaban naman nila ako. Gusto kong isigaw: “Ina ninyo ako! Pagmamahal nyo lang ang kailangan ko!”

Sensya na, ang haba na ng drama ko. Masisira na ang make up ko nito eh. Salamat ha, pinakinggan mo ako. Malaking bagay sa akin na nakausap kita. Ang tagal nating nag-usap, di man lang ako nagpapakilala.

Ay sorry, di ko nasabi pangalan ko.

Pilipinas nga pala.

From Isarog to Singapore Part 1

I am currently at the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, bound for Singapore via flight 2P 800 arriving at 8:20pm.

This is basically my first time to travel abroad. Before, I thought that my first international flight would be a vacation trip with Tim but eventually it turned out that I'd be traveling alone. I am not literally alone, I am traveling with Kuya Ryvin, a very good friend of mine and of my brother's good friend. Perhaps it just so happened that we both dreamed of finding our luck in Singapore and we just felt that we had to do it now or we might regret not risking to make our dreams come true. 

I am quite excited to see how Singapore looks like. I am looking forward to explore what is in Singapore that drew me go there :) Anyhow, am writing this blog to share the must do's of a first time traveler, particularly in Singapore. This will be divided into parts, I just don't know how many it will be. Part I, I will be sharing my experiences in our own airport.

Ok, first things first. Yes, please do follow what the guideline at the back of your ticket says. You really need to be at the airport at least three hours before your boarding time. Checking-in early will save you the hassle. In our case, we are expected to be on board by 4:20pm, we arrived at the airport by 12:45pm. I checked in at Gate 6 and met Kuya Ryvin inside. 

We checked-in our luggages by 1:00pm, paid the travel tax (p1,620 each) and then proceeded to the departure area. We again paid the passenger service charge (p550 each) and filled in the departure card. BRING A BLACK PEN. For those who have plans of working in Singapore, make sure that you have the address where you will stay, especially if you're going to pretend that you will just tour around the city. Memorize the address, if necessary. 

Moving on, a crucial point is the screening by the immigration officers. Good thing, on my case, he just asked about my job and an ID. If you have resigned from your job in the Philippines, make sure that you still have your company ID, you will really need that to assure the immigration officers that you will still go back to the Philippines because YOU ARE STILL CONNECTED WITH A CERTAIN COMPANY. Be confident and memorize the details of your flight like the duration of your stay in Singapore and again the address of the house or the hotel where you will stay.

Furthermore, the immigration officer might still ask you about your itinerary. You can just tell him or her that your friends will tour you around Singapore and that you did not avail of the Singapore tour package offered in travel agencies. Just be confident. Do not let the immigration officer rattle you and never ever mention that you will try your luck in Singapore or else the first step of achieving your dreams will fade in an instant. Another thing, just bring enough clothes for your 'pseudo-trip', bringing too many clothes might ring a bell. 

Anyhow, that is all that I can share as of now. I will be blogging more when I get to Singapore. God bless everyone :)

Tintin Risked

by: Karl Llorin

Tintin laughed
Tintin wept
Tintin reached out and got involved
Tintin shared her ideas, dreams to each one of us
Tintin loved us and is loved in return
Tintin lives
Tintin believed
Tintin tried
Tintin risked
Tintin is really something
Tintin suffered
Tintin learned
Tintin changed
And if you did not notice, Tintin grew
Tintin is free

(Based from risk poem)

Courage

Funny how I suddenly remembered ‘Courage, the Cowardly Dog’, a cartoon series on Cartoon Network, while I was trying to look for a good title for my blog. I am not good with taglines nor coming up with creative names or titles for any event. Maybe creativity is not part of my system, maybe not yet or perhaps I am creative, it’s just that I can express it in a different outlet.

Courage. My personal definition of courage is simple; it is an intrinsic drive that can surmount any fear. I think all of us are afraid of something. It could be fear of insects, events or circumstances or simply fear towards another person. In my case, I have always been afraid of spiders and the water.

Fear of water. Don’t get me wrong here, I meant that I am afraid to drown that is why whenever our family would go out for a swim, I would usually enjoy the part where we would savor the flavorful scent of the food and let our taste buds complete the craving. I love being in the water but since all I do is to submerge myself in the pool eventually, I would end up shivering because I am literally doing nothing. I even remembered when my brother and I were still young, I dared him for a water race. I pretended that I was swimming but the truth was, my feet were guiding me in the sands while I was trying to move my arms as if I was doing the usual arm movement of a swimmer. He eventually realized that I was cheating.

I honestly cannot recall where my fear of water came about. What I know is that it was a struggle for me to trust my life to the water. I enjoyed going to the beach or the pool but it would have been more meaningful if I knew how to swim. Then alas! Another pool gathering was on the way. It was the annual Ateneo Personnel Club’s rest and recreation. It was an event that everyone was looking forward to. This year, the officers agreed to extend the invitation to the family members, I decided to invite Tim.

May 12, 2012. A day that I can never forget. It was the day when I gathered all my courage to try again to learn how to swim. Tim has been teaching me for a while now but I seem too hard-headed to listen to him. ‘I will drown’ was always my mindset whenever I tried to do the most basic in swimming, to float. I did not know what came across my mind that night but I said to myself ‘it’s either I learn now or I will never enjoy the water’. Drowning was no longer an option.

I tried to relax, inhaled all the air that my lungs can accommodate and suddenly I found myself floating, with my eyes open and appreciating the luminescence of the stars. I did it! I conquered my fear! I never knew it felt this good. I never imagined that I could stay in the pool until 2:00 in the morning without getting bored. I never knew that I could also do the breathing techniques. I never knew all these things if I did not try. Finally, I can partly cross out ‘Learn how to swim’ in my bucket list. Yes, partly because I intend to practice more. Hopefully, I could do the same with my fear of spiders but it will be a process, a long process.

Trying and risking. These are one of the few things that I learned in life. One will never know if they will not try, if they will not risk. I did these a number of times, particularly in my career. Just like now, I risked my job to try my luck in a foreign land. I am bound for Singapore on May 19, 2012, it will be a new chapter that will be unfolded with God’s grace. I remembered one of my aunt asking while we were having the usual family breakfast after the church service if I was nervous. I said no, I knew in my heart that this is what I wanted. I knew in my heart that it is what God also desired for me. I knew these because I prayed for it and God gave me the signs that I needed. I am not afraid because I know HE will be with me. What would you fear if you have God beside you right?

Perhaps this is the reason why I am never afraid to risk. I am never afraid to let go, because I know that HE has greater plans for me. I don’t know but everything will REALLY fall into place if you pray for it. To be honest, leaving the country was already my plan 3 years ago and it took a while before God gave me the sign that I am ready to go. I think He prepared me for it, He prepared my family for it and most importantly, He prepared me spiritually. It really took a lot of patience on my part to wait. I am not fond of ‘patience’ but He taught me the true meaning of patience, it is leaving all your worries to Him and just let Him work. After all, there are a lot of circumstances which are out of our control.

Maybe, just maybe, I have found a new definition of courage. It is trusting God to work in your life because He knows what is best for you.