and just like that: last month in hong kong

I know I haven’t been writing recently. Things at work have picked up (understatement of the century) and I have no time for anything (not even sleeping). There’s so much to say but perhaps the best thing to talk about is celebrating one year away from home.

April, I celebrated one year on assignment by eating the usual thing I ate in Singapore: Spicy Chicken burger. :)) I couldn’t believe that this time last year I was dealing with the sweat-rain combo that is a regular day in Singapore. I know that I was only there for a couple of months but I have such fond memories of my apartment and my neighborhood in Bukit Timah. I also really liked that our office was in Bukit Merah and not in the BCD. I loved the bus rides to and from work. I loved walking from the bus stop and straight into cold storage at the bottom of my apartment, to buy my usual bread and cheese. I liked weekends at Orchard, hoarding books. I even liked my late nights in the office, surviving on the pantry cookies and apples.

   

Then all of a sudden, I was packing my life to move to Hong Kong.

first night in SG

last day in SG

What can I say about Hong Kong? Surely this entry isn’t enough for everything that I need to say. Perhaps a little later this week I will have my thoughts in order, being that this apartment will be emptied (shipment to Manila is this coming weekend). Maybe less clutter will help me talk about life here and how I feel about things changing again soon. 

first day in HK apartment (July 3)

 

 There are a couple of weekends left in Hong Kong. We promise to make it count. Get ready now. :)

2011 (making sense of it all)

This exact same hour last year, I knew a couple of things that I had to face in 2011. An assignment by mid-year. A project that I had no clue about. I was 26, single, poor, typing away on my computer too (much like this), hoping that 2011 will be a good year.

And here I am, having gone through 2011, having lived it. It was so much more than what I expected. Even more than what I wished for.

As early as April, I was already out on assignment. In Singapore, no less. 

and just like that: back in hong kong

While on assignment, we are allowed to go on leave to reintegrate with our “home” countries every 3 months. So far, I have been on assignment since April, and have not gone home since. Instead, I asked for my dependent to fly into Singapore back in June. Moving here (Hong Kong), they already told me that I have no other option but to fly to Manila otherwise I forfeit the benefit. I finally went home two weekends ago.

On things that I miss…

Chicken a la Kiev + Iced Tea at UP Chocolate Kiss, quiet bus rides on the 153 from Jalan Bukit Merah to my Bukit Timah apartment, Ken Afford Stuffed Porkchop and Iced Tea, legit Kopi-O from hawker centers, the sound of rain on the roof of my house, the walk from Cervini to Lucas Infirmary taking that narrow path, sleeping in the shuttle, driving to Makati or Marikina very early in the morning to avoid traffic, driving on Sundays, driving per se, not doing laundry and not worrying about what to eat, Kinokuniya, quiet weekend walks from TEC to Greenbelt, wasting away at Powerbooks, Barcino Sangria, M Cafe Sangria, Singapore Sling, Cold Storage, Ikea Singapore meals, walks with Maki to froyo, movies after work.

Singapore and Manila.

30 day song challenge (a song that reminds you of somewhere)

This reminds me of Singapore! You see I sleep with the TV on and usually I keep it on Star World because the shows help me manage my time (there are shows that mark when I should really get out of bed, when to really get out of the place and not miss the bus etc.). Anyway, this song was used by Star World for a spot that ran every break.  Ah 312, I miss you like cake. <3

 

On sleeping in new beds

Sleeping in a new bed - it’s not something we usually reflect about.  However, sleeping in new beds marks significant chapters in our lives. It can mean independence, when we sleep in a dorm as a college freshman, miles away from home, probably for the first time in our life. That new bed witnessed that first sleepless night of nerves, of fear of the unknown, of excitement. New beds witness our first time with lovers, or future husbands, or boyfriends that will soon become exes and later on referred to as “mistakes”.  We sleep in new beds when we move into new homes after getting married, or after buying our very own bachelor pad. We sleep in new beds when we give birth, or when we get hurt that we need to stay “for observation” or to undergo “a procedure”.

I sleep in a new bed tonight, to mark the beginning of my Hong Kong assignment.

On Singapore’s “My Little Spanish Place”

Last time I had some Spanish food was when Serap, Irenah and I went to Don Quijote in Dempsey. It was pretty good. What I remember best was how I loved the Sangria. The staff asked us if we wanted white wine and my two colleagues were so confused. Sangria? White wine? Sangre? Blood! Red! I told them that in Manila my favorite drink was dalandan sangria from M Cafe and they thought I was being ridiculous.

I decided that since I am counting my weeks here, I will finally visit the restaurants that have caught my eye, either near where I worked (Redhill) or where I lived (Bukit Timah). On one of the trips north, I noticed this small restaurant near Coronation Plaza called “My Little Spanish Place”. So after work last Wednesday, I took the 153 and got off at Lutheran Towers. A good 15 mins. of walking and I finally arrived.

On missing pandesal.

So I am down to my last couple of weeks here in good squeaky clean Singapore and it has been great so far. I realized that I like living alone. Not to the point of comfort, of course. I guess that is the worst, no? If you are so comfortable living alone that the idea of other people coming over suffocates you. I also wonder if that kind of comfort is what spinsters feel. I digress.

On time

Time is a funny thing. Time in Singapore is fleeting. In two weeks I’m leaving for Hong Kong and perhaps will never be assigned to Singapore ever again. Time in Singapore is slow, for when I’m in the office, doing what is expected of me here. Time is never enough on weekends when I want to explore Singapore some more, or on Sunday nights when I want to continue reading a book but end up stressing myself out at the thought of Monday. Time in Singapore is a funny thing.

I received a letter years ago, about being in Singapore and spending time going around and visiting places I have never been. About wanting to be in Singapore together. I was in Manila then, longed to be in Singapore together. And here I am in Singapore now. But then and now is separated by so much time, too much time. Being together is a thing of the past, a lifetime ago. So we walk these same streets in the now, here in Singapore, apart.

Time is a funny thing.

On the barbar weekend…

Barbar spent the weekend in Singapore, in an attempt to escape her stressful (read: very successful) career as the Brand Manager of Ice Cream A Lot of People Like to Eat. Here are some pictures from last weekend:

Thursday night, we ate at Yet Con (Purvis St., near Raffles Hotel) as recommended by my colleague Charmaine. She said this was the best place for chicken rice and steamboat so we decided to check it out (vs. Wee Nam Kee). It was a very old school (think: To Ho in Pinpin) family-run restaurant that served the popular dishes such as Hainanese Chicken Rice, Oriental Porkchop (this was what the tourist guide said to the family at the table beside us. Deep fried pork on top of cabbage with dark soy sauce) and Steamboat. We didn’t know what to do so we just dumped everything in the boiling chicken broth.

I really liked how they cooked the chicken (not a fan so I am not into that sort of undercooked chicken), and the oriental porkchop was also really delish. The steamboat was okay. I suppose we did it wrong. Plus my stomach had a particularly bad memory of a hotpot from years ago which hovered over the steamboat experience.

After that, Carl insisted on Singapore Slings from Raffles Long Bar. Traidor que puta!!!!!

And here are some random pictures from our Saturday.