One of the things I wanted to accomplish this year on my blog is to have guests write posts on this space. It took me a while to think of what to ask people to write about, but a couple of days back, JP and I were talking about how different things are in Singapore these days compared to a few years ago.
And then…DING! That’s it, that’s the subject for my guest posts for this first round!
Since National Day is coming up in a few weeks, I asked my friends to write about their Singapore experience. I’ve told a lot of stories about my own life here in the Little Red Dot, and I thought it would be nice to ask my friends how theirs have been. When I set out to find who would be the best people to ask for posts, I didn’t have to look far. Medyo nahiya ako to ask them, but they were enthusiastic about it when I posted in our Facebook group.
This group of friends were my constant companions in museum tours in Singapore (I think all of us were in an “artsy” phase back then), long-drawn out breakfasts, and travel. So here’s how it will go down: from today, and every Friday until the end of August, they’ll tell you all about their own Singapore experience. Ready? let’s go!
My first guest is Diovie, the youngest in our group. I worked with her briefly in our previous company in Manila. She’s one of the people who came here earlier than I did. She’s been in the IT industry as a developer and project manager for almost seven years. Here’s her singapore story.
What I like about Singapore
it’s easy to move around singapore. the public transportation is simple and any newbie will easily adapt to the system. one won’t worry too much about going home late or walking around the malls with their phones out. of course, one cannot be too comfy in terms of security but it’s safer here than other countries. it’s also very easy to just book a flight to another country or back home. i find that it’s easier to travel from here in terms of access, fare, convenience and availability – lots of options.
I like that it is open to different cultures and races. Though it would take time and learning to embrace diversity, at least it allows you to see and understand how things work for different nationalities and how to live with it.
However, it’s a challenge to maintain a certain lifestyle here. The cost of living increases each year and being a country that is brand-conscious, it is easy to be swayed to live like the locals do. It takes discipline to cut down on the ‘wants’ in order to accommodate the increasing cost of the needs.
Also, it takes continuous and conscious effort to fight boredom. For some reason, despite it having lots of options for you to do/explore, Singapore has a way of making you feel empty or bored or just plain sad.
Single in Singapore
As a single girl, it’s hard to find good, straight single guys here. Personally, I think the diversity makes the market bigger but it doesn’t necessarily assure you of getting a partner. Bars would be a good place to meet other single people. So are fitness centers, or maybe try joining activities like marathons/runs, company events, cycling, dragon boat, etc. There are also some groups, like travbuddy or pub crawlers, which are good venues to start expanding your social network. There are lots of ways to meet people but the key, I think, is that you’re open to it and it really requires effort and time.
If you’re single, the convenience and safety of SG makes it easier for a single person to adjust and adapt. It’s a playground–for self-discovery, knowing what you can and cannot do and trying different things out. It’s a life outside your comfort zone, yet it gives you just enough to be comfortable on your own.
While living here is really finding out who you are, it is important that you have your support group. Also, it is not going to be all highs but more importantly on the low moments, you have to learn how to get thru it – whether it is being alone and OCD-cleaning your room, or being with your good friends for dinner/drinks or running marathons. You have to find your own ‘survival kit’.
But what I will not forget about living in Singapore is the friends and people I’ve met all these years.
