Last May 20 was my 1st anniversary at PB. By now, I've concluded that time does go by a bit faster here so I'm not at all surprised to realize that I've already lived one year independently (well, sort of) and away from home, or the Philippines to be more accurate :D (in my other blog, I'd been quite pensive to write how it dawned on me that this is also my home now).
In my one year of staying here, locals sometimes ask me how I find Singapore, and I always respond with the words "okay", "(a bit) boring" and "less stressful (in terms of traveling to & from work)". I wouldn't say fantastic but it's a good experience nonetheless. I definitely did a lot of growing up in such a short time.
Anyway, we celebrated this occasion in our new flat by having home-cooked cajun and barbeque spare ribs and banana split. Yep, we've now moved to the other side of Singapore. Our new home is probably 1/3 of our previous flat, but I like it better here (for reasons I don't even want to enumerate!). One advantage of having a small unit is that it's easier to clean. I've been religiously doing the weekly vacuum cleaning every Saturday morning.
But of course, I'd always miss the sights at Pasir Ris.
Can you see the bridge after the trellis?
M
y feet. Me on the breakwater, taking in the sea view. :) Weekends are a tad more boring now though, since there's no park nearby. There's a stadium where we can jog, but after 5 rounds, I'd rather be on a treadmill and watch TV.
Last night, we had a post-celebration at Fish & Co, The Glasshouse - my fave outlet. :) It's the only branch where you'll see constantly long queues, especially on weekend nights. The ambiance and live bands are always great. Here are some photos I took from my birthday last year. One of our must-have when we eat at Fish & Co is their hot fudge chocolate cake - the thing that comes closest to the dreamiest dessert - chocolate souffle at Ritz Carlton. :)
Okay, enough with that...
There are certain phrases which locals (or expats who've stayed in Singapore for quite some time) tend to use often, and one of them is "the path forward". It sounds so un-casual, and yet used ever so casually that's why I've already associated this phrase with Singlish (others might beg to differ but that's how I find it personally). Anyway, I've been thinking of my "path forward" lately. The fact that it's already the middle of the year (almost), and that I haven't prepared for my plans yet worries me a bit. I don't want this phrase to be my motto this time: "To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time." Although I must admit it's very consoling during my cramming days. :P
A few days ago, I got in touch again with a college friend who's doing well in his master's degree. He got accepted in an exchange program abroad but wasn't sure yet if he'd actually push through with it. And he left me with these words that are now ringing in my head: keeping the dream alive. Surely, all of us have dreams, but I don't think a lot of people mind not reaching their dream, because after all, it's just a dream. But when he said that, I know I have to do something with mine. I know it's a long shot and is contingent on a lot of other factors. But as my ex-colleague used to say, "you can only do your best."
So now, I guess my path forward is back to studying on weekends, and have all my requirements ready. The deadline coincidentally falls on my birthday! :D Good thing there's no new GG episodes to look forward to til August!
