Singapore: First Impression

Before landing in Singapore, there was a 4 hour-stopover at London Heathrow airport.....a couple of years ago, on my way home from Grenoble to Oslo, I had a stop-over at Heathrow..and I found a really beautiful diary..I've been thinking about the diary for years (yes, Im weird. But, I love stuff like that..pens, notebooks, diaries...). So, as soon as I got out of the plane, I was on a mission to look for that store..I found the store, but the Diary wasn't there anymore (of course). At least now I know the name of the store: Smythson. 

Singapore Airlines definitely lives up to its name, and reputation. Nice people...and also ...nice-looking..I wonder if that's a rule..that you have to look good in order to work for Singapore airlines. 

Free magazines! Among them: Time & the Economist..at this point, I was already impressed by the Airline. I guess sometimes it doesn't really take much to impress me =P 

I always walk pass the business class thinking: ONe day.....one day, Mi..

it's one thing when it's a 2 hour trip..then I don't really care. But, on a 13-hours plane ride, then business class makes a bit of a difference. However, there weren't many on the plane, so I actually got 3 seats all by my self. I slept lying down..with 3 pillows and all..Ah! the luxury..=) 

Menu...

For those of you who are tall, or just average really (=P), you won't understand how important this is...but for those who are short, then having a foot rest is such a big deal! It makes it so much  more comfortable =) You short people out there, you know what  mean! lol

With a list of entertainment like this, I was sure I would be OK for 13 hours ;-) 

"Welcome to Singapore, ladies and gentlemen. And to all Singaporeans, a warm welcome home" 

A warm welcome to Singapore, indeed. I was met by 31c, and it was humid...Like stepping in to a sauna.. One of the guys from the cabin crew asked me whether I was going home, since my luggage was so heavy.,I told him that I'm sure it doesn't look like it, but that home was actually in Norway, so this was pretty much far from home.....

Taxi ride from the airport...the cab driver was telling me stuff I had a hard time understanding,,,but after saying "pardon?", "Im, sorry, could you repeat that?"..."what?" two-three times, I kinda just let him talk..nodded, and smiled politely. 

Had to grab some shampoo, and saw this at the lotion-section...Healthy WHITE? Whatever happened to that "healthy glow" that the white people were talking about on TV in countries like Norway, Ireland, and the States? Here, looking white is the healthy look.. 

HELlloooooo FRuits!!! :-D Definitely one of the greatest things - for me - here :-D YUuumm!

My first dinner in Singapore. I'm staying at a hotel in the middle of China town..what else do you expect me to eat? lol

Two of the apartments I've been viewing. I think I'm going for the last one: Airstream...we'll see. The building just finished this year. It's a bit far from the office (or, far compared to my 7 minutes walk when I lived in Dublin) ..I think its 30 min by mrt, which is fine, but I do need to take a bus to the mrt, then switch over to another line to get to work.... As my boyfriend said, if I'm high maintenance, I need to maintain my own highness...it's gettin' expensive, folks..I'm over budget.. But, I'd rather live in a nice apartment, then having to come home to a dark and crappy place.

The Modules

Airstream 

Chinatown

Today has pretty much just been an apartment-viewing day. I've seen three..even taken the MRT instead of taxi just to learn how to get around. At one point, while looking at the MRT map, som lady started speaking Chinese to me..I ignored her, cause I thought she was talking to someone else..but then I felt someone staring at me, and then she repeated, and started to point at areas on the map. I told her that I was sorry, but I didn't understand. Then she repeated it all..and I just shrugged my shoulders, indicated that I didn't know.... I tend to ignore it when people talk to me here, cause I think they're talking to someone else..but, of course, they assume that I'm a "local" and speak Mandarin.

One of the taxi drivers asked where I was from, and when I said that my ethnicity was Vietnamese, he was surprised and said: "really? You don  look Vietnamese...you look like local"...lol...what does that even mean?! lol...I mean, we all kinda look the same!..Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai...I compare us to the Scandinavians...I mean, the Swedish guys may dress up more and are a bit more metrosexual than the Norwegians, and the Danish guys are a bit more rough around the edges, and sometimes a bit more obnoxious than the Swedes and the Norwegians...but physically, they all kinda look the same-ish...so yeah,,the fact that I look like a "local" and not Vietnamese was a bit hard to understand. Maybe it's the way I dress..that I dress more Western,,and most Vietnamese people from Vietnam have a way of dressing that is a bit particular I guess...

Heading out to meet a friend of a friend now. It's such a small world..6 degrees of seperation,,.. =)

Over-and-out.

packing..

Ive always known that I have a lot of jackets..but didnt know the extent of my jacket fetish until i realized how many empty hangers there were left after packing away my winter jackets..it's crazy to see, knowing that there were two jackets on every hanger...

I know im gonna die of heat if i were to wear  leather jacket in singapore...but i just cant let gooo..so, until tomorrow morning, I'm gonna let them hang there..:-/

Good thing that i can still wear my blazers..wouldve had a mental breakdown if i had to leave them in Norway too:P

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On repeat...over and over,,,,and over again... =)

Sucha good song.... =)

To my True Friends- My childhood friends.

A year has passed since I moved over here. And, I'm gonna go ahead and use the very cliché sentence that people use too often...but, this year has passed by so fast!



 Since moving here, my childhood friend (since toddler years)- who happens to be my best friend- got married,,,so did my older sister, who's also my best friend, by the way=) Then, as 2011 was about to end, two of my other childhood friends- who are also my best friends, got engaged.....I don't have a huge group of girls that I'm a part of, and hang out with. But, I've realized that I actually have more close friend than most people have. I think most people have one, or maybe two people in their life who they can confide in, who aren't their relatives, who they can trust, and truly care about. I have 4, and no- they're not relatives..they're just really good friends =) Quality over quantity, right?

We're so different...same same, but different. Two of them are  atheists. They became that over the past years..one is catholic- at least more catholic than me (hah!)- and the other chick..she's so politically correct that whenever I've asked the question of religion, I don't ever think I've gotten a clear answer, just a diplomatic and politically correct one....so correct that she completely made me forget what I was asking,,lol. One is getting close to her final years of her studies to become a psychologist...and, I'm not talking about the weak kind...(the three year course of basic psychology (=P))  ..Im talking about the hardcore 6 (or was it 7?) years of education and praxis..the other one is taking her doctorate degree in human geography (I think that's what it translates to). The catholic chick is a dentist. And, the last girl is a social scientist, working for the department of health and human services. It's hard not to be impressed and proud of that, don't you think? I think we did pretty well girls!..We may not have been the hottest, and coolest chicks in town..but I'm pretty sure we remember it differently..hahah!

If it's one thing I've learned to become sensitive to, it's how I feel when I'm with someone. If I feel good when I'm around someone, then I'll keep them in my life..if I don't, then it's very easy for me to let people step out of my life. I can't be bothered to  please everyone, or make people like me,,I just can't be bothered. Think of it like this: what is the added value of having person X in your life? Will he/she make your life more fun, or just add crap and BS to your life? If it's the latter, lett'em go. The time you spent getting to know them  - sunk cost . Get rid of them, you'll be so much better off.

As people start settling down, I get a bit stressed and wonder if that's what I'm supposed to do too. But, then the sensible part of me kicks in and, and reassures me that I'm not supposed to force myself to do anything I'm not ready for. I'm supposed to be right here where I am.. at this moment :) I'm restless, get easily bored, and I'm ready for a change in environment again. It's exciting to think about the changes I want in my life, but scary too. A couple of weeks ago I called my two best friends, saying that I wasn't sure  I could make it to their wedding this summer if things go my way - workwise. I don't want to become that person..you know, the person who worked too much,,so much that she forgot the important things in life,,the important people....so if anything, this post is a hail to my friends. My real friends... not the 577 "friends" I have on facebook.

Distance has proven who my true friends are. To the three of you- thanks for the 19 years of friendship...to my Tott..thanks for the 26 years of friendship (yeah, guys,,we really WERE close when we were babies too,,,I have pictures to prove that..=P). Thanks for being understanding, and patient. Thanks for being honest and awesome. And thanks for being in my life. And, Linda....happy birthday=)

See you soon girls!

<3

Whoever says "money can't buy happiness" doesn't know where to shop. * Blair Waldorf*

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