I’ll be posting photos of different Christmas trees here in Singapore. The photo below was taken at Vivo City. This huge Christmas tree had been there when we were on our way to Sentosa on November 1.
Archive for November, 2009
Christmas in Singapore #1
November 30th, 2009
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Technical expert or management?
November 29th, 2009
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For years, I’ve been considering of getting a degree in Business Management or even more particularly, Business-Information Technology Management. In the present company, and I think for all IT companies, the only two options presented before us are: to become a techie expert or go into the management side. I have no plans of digging more into the techie stuff for another 20 years. So, I need to have some sort of qualification on the management side.
But due to financial constraint, it is very hard to keep the ball rolling. Also, I doubt if I could spare more time for travel from workplace to school. The best option for me is to enroll my self in an online university. Most online universites I came across have limited information on the programmes they offer, save for one: Western Governors University.
I’ve browsed their website and all the things that I need to know are in there! And yes, the offer the degrees that I mentioned above. They even offer financial aid! Pretty cool, huh? Before, I was not really sure if getting an online degree is really good or not. But their “Online University Learning Myths” article cleared things up for me. Another surprising thing, WGU even offers an online nursing degree!
Choose your seat well
November 29th, 2009
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When I went home to the Philippines for Shaynna’s birthday, I took advantage of the airline website’s seat selector. I love being seated next to the window but I don’t want to be seated right next to the plane’s exit signs and doors. So I chose the seats right in front of the emergency exit door. I had no idea that those seats are always in the upright position! For my trip to and fro, I got stiff neck. Paying the extra 200 Pesos was not really worth it. Next time, I’ll also make sure that I have a neck pillow in tow.
Sentosa? Been there…
November 28th, 2009
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Sentosa is like the playground of all the visitors and residents of Singapore. I’ve heard a lot about it and my friends kept bugging me to go there. I got curious, but I planned to go there only when Shaynna comes over for a visit. Fortunately, a college batchmate gave me a ticket to the Barclays Singapore Open last October 29-November 1. I’m not a golf fan and the only golf player I know is Tiger Woods. I only took that chance to finally see Sentosa for my self and to first set foot on a golf course! Let’s keep this between us, OK? Moreover, the event took place in the “undisputedly Singapore’s most exclusive and beautifuly golf club,the Sentosa Golf Club“. (Description taken from its website)
Watching the game was really interesting but later on I got disappointed because it was so hard following the ball! All in all, it was really a very good and unforgettable experience. Here are some photos I took using my cellphone. Again, wishing for a better camera:
We explored Sentosa a bit after acting as golf spectators. Will post more photos soon!
Starting a list
November 27th, 2009
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It’s almost December. I am really anxious about this year’s Christmas. I’m excited because Shaynna is already 5 years old, so I could enjoy Christmas with her. But I don’t want January to come because I’m gonna be 30! I don’t even have a complete list of what I want to do before I turn 30. It’s too late to establish one, but perhaps start a list of things to do before I turn 35?
One of those things that I’ve wanted to do is to try skiing. Yes, I’ve spent 4 winters in Japan, one of the good places for ski vacations, yet I haven’t tried it. I intended to try it this year but recession came and I left Japan with so many things undone. I’ll be older then, so I think I’ll have to “upgrade” this to a ski trip to Switzerland… wishing and hoping…
My little artist
November 25th, 2009
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When I went home last October, some of my bonding moments with Shaynna are spent doing arts: color books, spread Manila paperon the floor and doodle anything, paper crafts, etc. Then there was this set of watercolors that was a freebie when I bought her milk. As soon as we got home, she got down to business…
I felt the pride swelling up in me while seeing her so focused on doing something…
I asked the art piece from her and told her that I’m going to put it up in my bedroom here in Singapore. Upon hearing this, she did two more paintings for me. I will definitely share these with you when I get my hands on a decent camera or even a scanner. Oh yeah, proud mommy talking here…
I love Christmas because…
November 24th, 2009
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When I was a child, I loved Christmas because I love receiving gifts! I always look forward to what my parents prepared for me. Though due to financial constraints, I didn’t always receive gifts from my parents. But still, I was happy. My godparents live far from my hometown so I couldn’t collect gifts from them.
Now that I am an adult, one of the things that I love about Christmas is the joy of giving. I also enjoy finding the right gift and scouring for the best bargains. Now, with the help of the internet, the search for gift ideas has never been easier. The good thing about being here in Singapore? Shopping malls websites are always up-to-date.
How I wish I could buy my mother a pair of shoes or a shoulder bag from Cole Haan. I can’t afford to buy expensive gifts to my loved ones but at least it’s from deep within. 
Have you started your Christmas shopping already?
Finding the right gift
November 24th, 2009
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Together with the other Filipinos in the office, we are having our Christmas dinner and exchanging of gifts Thursday next week. I’m so excited but I am still not sure what to give to my “manito”. I wish I had to give a gift to a female, at least I will have a wide range to options to choose from.
I can’t give my manito a shirt because I am not really good at getting the correct size by just looking at a person. I can’t give him a bag also because I’m not sure if he carries a bag to the office. If he’s really a hard-core programmer, I could give him a Honeywell Barcode Scanner so that he could “play” with it. Seriously, I ran out of ideas but now I’m grateful for becoming a BodyShop member. I’ve received a promotional offer and I finally found a good gift! I still have a week to look for another option but at least there’s something I could get from BodyShop.
Survival of the financially-fit?
November 23rd, 2009
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Tuesday morning, I awoke to Arashi’s “Wish”, my ringtone. It was my mother, and her worried voice clearly made me brace for another alarming news: my cousin and close friend had been in (birth) labor for three days! She was admitted to a public hospital in Ormoc City. The doctor advised to perform a C-section but it was impossible to do it in the said hospital because the operating room equipments are broken! The only option left was to transfer her to a private hospital but they didn’t have enough money for the downpayment.
Imagine being in this dilemma. So sad, but it is a fact that many people die because most of the public hospitals in my country are in bad conditions. The best that these hospitals can offer are beds (without beddings!) and remedies to not-so-serious cases. I’m still searching for references on how the Philippine government allocate the national budget, and which sector is responsible for the maintenance of public hospitals. Could it be the local government or the Department of Health?
From this website, I found the national budget outline for 2010. So where will the P28.5 billion pesos of DOH go? How will the local sectors spend the P65.4 billion? Will the public hospitals have their share of new equipments?
Our country fights for the protection of women and children. But what happened to my cousin and I’m pretty sure, more Filipino women, it seems like all we do is lip service. I hope that it won’t remain like this forever. I hope that we will vote wisely and make the 2011 election the stepping stone to stop what has plagued our country for decades: the survival of the financially-fit.
Health rants, again
November 23rd, 2009
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As I am approaching the 30′s (OMG!), I am trying very hard to start a healthy lifestyle. And yes, I am desperately trying to control weight gain. Here in Singapore, I no longer feel much pressure of losing weight because a lot of people are obviously bigger than me. There are times when I find it very difficult to control my cravings. Sometimes, I finish a medium-sized layer of cheese cake in just three days! Other times, I just eat because it is meal time and I’m hungry.
Anyway, I haven’t found a substitute of the vitamin C I’ve been taking in Japan, so I started taking the best one: fruits! Since I’ve made it a point to eat fruits daily, my “monthly flu” has not come back. Also, eating fruit before meal is one of the best appetite suppressants. I still find iced tea here very very sweet, so I opt to drink green tea more religiously. Of course I was a fan of green tea when I was still in Japan but over there, I drank more soda! The next thing I must work on: sleeping habit.
Acne remedies?
November 22nd, 2009
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I have suffered acne outbreak since I was in my teens. Some people said that acne disappears after giving birth. My daughter is now 5 years old, but I’m still struggling with my acne problem. I have shifted from one acne treatment cream to another. The only one proven to be very effective could only be bought in Japan. I think I have found a good replacement here in Singapore but I was proven wrong. Without enough rest and exercise, I still get acne outbreaks. Also, there seem to be some food that might act as triggers. I hope I could sort them out. I’ve had this acne for almost two decades and I think I’ve fought enough.
Interesting challenges and I.T. Fairs
November 20th, 2009
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Singapore is very small. Perhaps, smaller than Lanao del Norte? During my first few weeks here, I thought that “malling” is all people could do on weekends. If one has the finances, then he might want to board a ferry to Indonesia, or take a bus to Malaysia.
But ever since I’ve started tuning on to FM radio stations, I’ve become aware of exciting events here. Last month month, they had the MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2009. The contest was pretty straightforward: the participant should place their palms firmly onto the Subaru cars. The last man or woman standing won the brand new Subaru Impreza worth S$81,000. Another interesting challenge started on November 19, Thursday night. It’s called the Nescafe Frappe’s “100 Hours Chill on Movie Indulgence”. Participants will just have to stay up for 100 hours, with 5-minute break per movie and 15-minute break per 3 movies, to get a chance to win S$10,000 and a trip for 2 to Hollywood!
I don’t have time to try my luck in challenges such as these, but I guess I have to see what this IT fair is all about. There’s another one on November 26-29. I won’t be grabbing an XBox or any gadget for that matter. I just have to experience being in an event like this. After all, it’s the third IT fair since I came here. I just want to see for my self how good the deals really are.
