Many stores here sell Japanese products, most of which are make-ups, shampoo, conditioners and hair-styling stuff. But I want those sprays, body soaps and roll-ons that help minimize sweating. Yes, I used to buy those things and they made summer in Osaka a lot bearable. The solution is either go back and work again in Japan which is quite impossible, or as my friends to buy those stuff for me and have them shipped. A friend who also worked in Japan and is now in Singapore even wishes to ask our friends there to buy a Nintendo Wii for her. Well, that is doable, but it would be in Japanese! Just like the Sony digital cameras. International (English) version is more expensive.

Now speaking of Nintendo Wii. I wonder where in Singapore Nintendo Wii fans line up for the new version releases. If we have Namba in Osaka and Akihabara in Tokyo. Here in Singapore is…?

There are five Daiso stores here in Singapore. The nearest one is in Plaza Singapura, which is about 1-hour bus ride from my place, or 30 minutes train ride. I’ve just made my latest visit there last weekend to buy stuff that I need in the new apartment. New place means new stuff after all. That Daiso branch is the smallest one in Singapore but I spent more than an hour window shopping (in the end, I only bought 5 items)! I wonder how long will I spend when I have the chance to visit Singapore’s largest Daiso store.

One thing I like about Singapore is that people here love Japanese products. So it’s quite normal to find Japanese toiletries in the supermarkets. Lately I’ve tried Shokubutsu body foam which serves as acne body wash because it has helped alleviate my bacne. I don’t miss Calbee because they’re also available in all grocery stores.

Almost a year ago, I had so much to bring from Japan that I was left with no choice but to buy a wheeled luggage. It was a bit pricey but I loved what I bought: bright red and really durable. I care for the things I buy that it pains me a bit to see my bag acquiring scratches here in there after each trip. I hope I wouldn’t have to replace it so soon before I could even buy a smaller wheeled luggage. A Kipling bag caught my eye, still a red one. I don’t know why but recently, I prefer red bags, wallets, and shoes. Before, I just stick to black or dark brown.
The photo below was taken when I left Japan in March last year, and the first trip my bag took:

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…

I grew up in a rural area in the southern Philippines. We did not have a telephone until in the late 1990′s. But then, cell towers were put up before telephone lines, so when I went off to college in Cebu City, I did not have to solely depend on snail mails to communicate with my family. My parents gave me a gigantic Nokia 100 cellular phone! Those foldable Motorolla units were expensive, so I had to make do with it. It was impossible to stuff it in my pocket so I always had to bring my backpack. It is really funny how we tend to want more. Because at that time, I was really satisfied with the Nokia 100′s two-liner LCD. I couldn’t even send SMS messages with it! Now, because cellphones have tons of features in it, I tend not to know everything about what my phone could do.

I have heard about Miami, Florida from the movies for as long as I can remember. But just recently, I found out that there is a Panama City in Florida! After looking through all the photos that I could find in the internet, I added it to my “places-to-go” list. By the way, anybody knows whethere there’s a stopover at Florida if you’re heading for Mexico City? If this is so, and if I were given a chance to go to Mexico City, I would definitely drop by the beaches of Panama City and take photos as much as my cellphone camera can.

The internet has brought about many changes in our lives, both positive and negative. For me, it is one of the factors why I became an anime addict. Animes are but a few clicks away. For some of my friends, it brought about their Facebook addiction! But the internet has helped me a lot in my type of work. I’ve been a programmer for years and there are so many things that I have to learn. Without the free resources online, I wonder how could I have finished those projects with limited time! I also love to do banking online. Now I can pay my bills online, view information on insurance online , and most of the time, do some “window-shopping” online! When I was still in Japan, I sent money to the Philippines online, too. I wish I could do that here, too.

Just like in Japan, advertising pamphlet always fill our mailbox. Mostly are apartment sales and rental ads. A few weeks back, we got a 2009-2010 brochure from Ikea. I’ve browsed it a dozen times but I just don’t get tired of doing it. After all, I really love looking at home and office furniture. Sometimes, I just go to Ikea to visit their showroom. I often daydream having those furniture in my dream house. Visiting Ikea is one of my stress-relievers. I also go there to look for items on sale. When they are on sale, you could get them at 50%-75% lower than the original price. My beddings are from Ikea and bought each set at S$12 only! I got my full-length mirror at S$5.

We usually go early to the staff lounge during lunch break, primarily because of the tables. They’ve only placed few tables to make room for the pingpong table. Early birds also get to hog the TV remote control and the daily newspapers. I usually read the news online but good vacation package deals are in the classified ads section. Last Friday, I saw some Vegas vacations for at least 7 days that cost less than S$1,500. Europe tour packages for 11 days only cost less than S$2,500! There are even deals that offer 50% off! I don’t have finances for that but I just love daydreaming.

When I was still working in Japan, I had to undergo a series of interviews each time a project is finished. And yes, all of those interviews were done in 100% Japanese. The most common question I encountered was: “How long do you intend to stay in Japan?” The answer I often gave them: “for at least five years”. I may have wanted to stay in Japan for at 5 least years, but I had doubts of staying in the previous company for that long. Because of recession, I had to let go of that plan.

Months after staying in Singapore and I’m still being asked the same question! This time, if it is God’s will, I am very much contented to stay here in Singapore for five years. After that, I may try to relocate elsewhere. Why? Because by that time, I may find Singapore too suffocating. It’s like almost every piece of land is filled with buildings. Even if I have an RV, there’s no place where I could go rv camping! The place I’ve been dreaming of visiting again: the land down under.