GUIMARAS (Philippines)

Becoming a tourist in my homeland made me think that I'm already a certified overseas foreign worker (OFW). I never imagined that visiting some of the tourist spots I had taken for granted before made me sooo happy.  

Instead of going to Boracay which is six (6) hours away from Iloilo, we decided to go to Guimaras Island. Guimaras is known for its sweet mangoes but i can't deny that mangoes from my town, Leon, Iloilo is even sweeter. :))  The Island of Guimaras is also known for its beaches. 

The island was so near to Iloilo City. We took a 30-minute-pumpboat ride going  to the port of Nueva Valencia Guimaras and from their we took the multi-cab to bring us to Raymen Beach Resort.

Island hopping is a MUST TRY in Guimaras. 

 

VISA EXTENSION - MALAYSIA EXIT (Singapore)

My online extension was about to expire on October 14, 2011. So, I needed to risk everything since I was already waiting for my interview result. I had my online extension and I had one (1) option left - to exit or what they say, the U-turn technique. The choice where to exit is still a question. I had been reading forums and it scared me on where to go but of course not to go back to Philippines. Finally, I decided to go to Malaysia.

"U-Turn - this is the common term for the technique to extend a social visit pass. It is by going to a nearby country to exit for a few hours or days and going back to the country of origin hereafter."

Some said that I have to stay there for a maximum of five (5) days and some said, hours stay was already enough. But then, If you think about it, everything was so uncertain. Everything was by luck because  the outcome will depend on the Immigration officers.

I only had limited bucks in my pocket, so I decided to exit to Malaysia.

What did I bring during my exit?

1) Passport 

2) Return Ticket - My exit date to Malaysia was October 10, 2010 and my return ticket was dated October 13, 2010. You should get a real one (though it cost a lot) because some officers might verify your tickets online.

3) Friend - My PR friend accompanied me during my exit to Malaysia. She's a permanent resident already who just came from a training in the United States. She celebrated her birthday the day after my exit so we got a lot of reasons to tell the immigration officers. 

4) Full-packed reason why you want to go Malaysia. We went there to celebrate my friend's birthday, to do shopping for stuffs and presents to my family in the Philippines.

It was 10-10-10 and was my lucky day. I survived all the questions of the immigration officers. It was a nerve wrecking experience but thank God, I passed it.

continuation: 

VISA EXTENSION - MALAYSIA EXIT (Singapore) - Whats and Hows Answered

HAIR REBONDING (Singapore)

For us women, to look great is always a dilemma especially if we are abroad and everything seems to be expensive as compared to the prices in the Philippines. Where to have my hair rebonded  became my concern here in Singapore because my hair was unmanageable. Thanks to our Singaporean colleague who referred us to this very nice lady named, Shirley, who will do the rebonding for us.

To entertain us - Magazines!

This is Shirley and  my friend Yen.

Look at how Shirley cuts Yen's hair! 

Closer look! 

A pose with Shirley's assistant, Pretty Fay. 

Promise, you will not get bored with it. Pretty Fay, can tell you stories and will even give you a complimentary bubble tea. 

The result is fantastic! The secret, Shirley is using the Japanese cream plus her expertise in doing this job for almost twenty (20) years. How much did she charge us for the hair rebonding? Would you believe? It's only SG $150 for my hair up to the level of my hips plus the haircut. We'll I thought everything is expensive here in Singapore but as long as you have your friends, you can get it at the best price.

I will be posting my pictures  soon..

For those who are interested, here are the details: 

HAIR by SHIRLEY

Mobile No. +65 8225 4123
Block 84 Bedok North, Street 4. #01-61
Singapore (460084)
**Take MRT to Bedok Station / bus interchange and take Bus 14.

This is it! Shirley's shop

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HOW TO FIND A JOB IN SINGAPORE?

Finding a job in Singapore is not an easy thing to do.  Gear up yourself with hardwork and perseverance plus  the divine intervention and you will be fine.

I started applying online for the jobs that fit my qualifications when I was still in the Philippines and that was two (2) months ago before my departure. I did it religiously. Until my most awaited day came, August 14, 2010, my departure date to Singapore but sad to say, nobody contacted me for an interview.   

Looking  for a job in Singapore is more of online application, and it is seldom to do walk in application since they will require you also to apply online. What I did, I continued applying online; I also asked my friends about job openings; I even tried to go to employment agencies and paid some registration fees for them to look for a job for me; I went to some companies and directly submitted my resume; and I also looked for some job openings from the newspaper called The Straits Times. 

One of my friends suggested me, when applying online it should be in the morning and you should watch out also for the new job postings so that your resume will be the first one in the list of employers. You can try the following websites in applying for a job in Singapore, I believe there are more but you can try these first:

www.monster.com

www.st701.com

www.jobsdb.com.sg

www.jobstreet.com.sg
www.jobcentral.com.sg

www.sgrecruiters.com

The Straits Times is also one of the best sources.  You can buy the Wednesday and Saturday issue because there are a lot of jobs postings in the Classified ads. You can try cold calling to companies in the newspaper and ask them first if they are hiring foreigners so that you can filter which company to apply.  

Applying for a job in Singapore through an employment agency is also possible. They will look for job for you based in their listings; and they will help you in processing of your working permit. The only thing is you have to pay them, some also offered installment payment.  There are a lot of things you need to discover. Just BE CAREFUL. 

You may visit this link to check the legitimacy of the company:

https://www.psi.gov.sg/NASApp/tmf/TMFServlet?app=RCB-BIZFILE-LOGIN-1B

GOOD LUCK!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SINGAPORE (August 15, 2011)

I keep on SURVIVING SINGAPORE especially my job. whueew! 

I never celebrated my Anniversary on the that day but SOON. :) and then I have here my last year's looks.. I'm still figuring it out on what are the changes..

Oh lala..

VISA EXTENSION ONLINE (Singapore)

It was August 15, 2010 when I arrived in Singapore.  My day 1 of my 30 days visa had just started. As the days passed by, I was already stressed to think that my social visit pass will be expiring soon on September 14, 2010. This was just one of the challenges I encountered here in Singapore. Since, I did not have the Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) because I was rejected, so I needed to extend my visa.

As to what I understand it, EPEC will allow foreigners to stay in Singapore for 1 year to look for a job. It is a 1-year Social Visit Pass that they will give you.  This will be issued only once and cannot be renewed. For more details about the EPEC and application, you may visit Ministry of  Manpower’s website, https://epec.mom.gov.sg/epec/index.do . 

How did I extend my Social Visit Pass?

There were two options for me to extend my stay: to exit to Malaysia or Indonesia or to apply for online extension (e-extend). I chose the latter because for me this was the safest and fastest but of course I could not tell if it was approve or rejected until such time that I receive my result. It was successful.

Based on my experience, here are the things that you need to know for your Social Visit Pass extension:

1. Keep your passport as you will need it at all times. Your passport details are necessary in the application.
2. When I applied my extension, I followed the sequence on how my name was written in my passport.
3. When I arrived in Singapore, I filled in the Disembarkation Card and the IO attached it to my passport. Never lose this one as this is needed for the extension. 
4. I omitted the dash when I wrote the disembarkation card number  in the online application:  1234567890 instead of 123-456-789-0.
5. My Social Visit Pass or Short Term Visit Pass expiry was on September 14, 2010 so, I applied on September 5, 2010 for me to have extra time if my application will be rejected.
6. When I applied I also followed the peak-hour and off-peak-hour. You can find it in the website.
7. After it was approved, I paid $30 using my credit card. 

For further details, you may visit http://www.ica.gov.sg/ .

Good luck!

**Please note that this post is based on my past experience in applying for the extension of my Social Visit Pass. Please take this as a guide only. This does not guarantee that all applications will be successful because all will depend on the Immigration’s decision.  Thank you.

132 MINI STEAMBOAT (Singapore)

I just had my dinner at Old Airport Road Hawker Centre.  Going there was very convenient. It’s in between Dakota and Mountbatten MRTs only. There are varieties of cuisines to choose from. Since, I’m on diet; I decided to eat at 132 Mini Steamboat. 

Food-Dictionary.com

steamboat

"South East Asia An implement for cooking at the table consisting of an annular vessel containing cooking liquor (stock) around a circular chimney at the base of which is a source of heat. Prepared food is cooked by diners using fondue forks, chop sticks or wire mesh baskets. Various dips are usually supplied and the stock is often consumed after all the solid food has been cooked and eaten. "  

(source: http://www.food-dictionary.com/definition/steamboat.html)

For $5, you can have this set of chicken, sausage, crab sticks, mushrooms, egg and leafy veggies (I'm not a veggie lover so I skip to know the name of the greens.)

This is why It's called a mini steamboat. You will only have a cute cooking pot, and mind you no cooking skill is required because the stock has the flavor already. You can choose from original or tom yam soup.

You have to add all the ingredients into the pot before the fire dies out. It will take around 5-10 minutes to cook it. The egg will be the last one that you should add. Let it boil then your  mini steamboat is ready to eat.

 

The steamboat is now ready. You can opt to eat it with a rice and chili sauce or the steamboat alone.

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IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS (Singapore)

You already have everything you need for Singapore trip. Anything you have been missing out? Of course, YOURSELF! And your mission - to pass all the Immigration Officers (IO) in  the Philippines or in Singapore especially if you are not an overseas foreign worker (OFW) or SG Permanent Resident (PR).

We have our reasons why we are going there. You simply want to tour Singapore or you want to try your luck in finding a job there. ME? I chose the latter. But whatever your purpose is, it all boils down for being a tourist.

TOURIST - dress, talk and act like one and do not f orget some doze of CONFIDENCE.

It was my 1st time trip out of the country and I was alone. I had a connecting flight from Iloilo to Cebu to Singapore. Here are some of the questions I encountered from the Immigration Officer in Cebu after I presented my passport plus a form (Sorry, I forgot what form was that. It was almost a year. You should fill that out with your details including employment.)

Me: Hi!
IO: What is your work?
Me: I'm working as a credit analyst with (confidential).

IO: As I remember, your bank is previously Malaya __? (I also forgot the entire name he was referring to.)
Me: (Stunned! - What the ** was he talking about? I'm so sorry but I really don't know the history of my company)
Me: (Smiling) Really, Sir? That sounds familiar but I forgot the exact name. (Smiling again)

IO: Okay, never mind. What will you be doing in Singapore and for how long?
Me: Will just tour Singapore with friends for 14 days.

IO: Can I see your return ticket?
I handed him the printout of my ticket and… Chop-chop-chop!

Whueeew! One down!

Almost three and a half hours, we finally landed at Changi Budget Terminal, Singapore. Next stop is another officer again. I handed her my passport and the disembarkation card.

IO: Why are you here in Singapore?

Me: I’ll be having my vacation and will be meeting my best friend who is working here in Singapore.

IO: Your friend is working at which company.

Me: (I took out the invitation letter from my friend and gave to her) She’s working with (confidential).

IO: Can I see your return ticket?

Then , chop-chop-chop! That easy and that quick. Hello Singapore with 30-day-visit pass!

**Please note that this post is based on my past conversations and experiences only. Please take this as a guide. This does not guarantee that my answers to every question can satisfy other officers and can guarantee positive results because everything is subjective. Everything is affected by human factors and results may vary to every person. Thank you.

ALL ABOUT YISHUN (Singapore)

It's a mixed emotions when I arrived Singapore. I wanted to cry (I really cried. haha!) because I missed home but then my heart was overflowing with gratitude. For some reasons, that I found some opportunities for myself.

My first stop, was Yishun at the northern part of SG. Oh! The place of my friends which they called it HDB, was only 5 to 8 minutes walk to MRT! It was 1 o'clock n the morning when we decided to have some dinner or midnight snacks. Oh my! It was also my first meal in SG! I welcomed myself to the world of the famous Chicken Rice (I'll do some future post on this.)

On the next day, I transferred to the place I rented at Block 660, Avenue 4. I paid SG$15 per day only for a bedspace. Uuurgh! But it's okay. I was with other Filipinos, somehow it felt like I was also home.  I can go to MRT or go shopping for just a 10-min-walk.

This was the view from the HDB flat that I rented. 11th floor view - straight from my room

This way to block 660. :)

For me Yishun is like the rural part of SG, but it's nice. It was like I was in my hometown in Iloilo, Philippines only plus the mall, MRT and the hospital. My place was also just 3min walk to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

MRT, Bus Interchange, Golden Village cineplexes and Northpoint Shopping Center are just interconnected. No hussle for your everyday needs.

 

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WHAT'S IN MY BAG? (Singapore)

It was my first time trip out of the Philippines. I'm scared to bring some stuffs with me to Singapore. Just to let you know what I brought for hand carry and check in baggage.


HANDBAG (hand carry)
Passport
Identification Cards (If possible you can bring your employment ID for immigration purposes, just in case)
Invitation letter from a friend who is staying / working in SG
Electronic ticket (Round trip, please)
Wallet with some bucks (should not be more than 10,000 of any currency. Please check the customs website)
Tissue paper
Candies - Mint (NO chewing gum, please)
Make up (NO liquids)
Laptop (minus the charger)


LUGGAGE (check in):
Clothes
Shoes
Toiletries (all liquids were sealed by tape and placed inside the zip lock)
Documents
Chargers
Canned good (only limited to 4)


It's better to be sure and safe on what things to bring so it will be easier for you to check the immigration check points. Before anything else, please check the Singapore customs' website:

http://www.customs.gov.sg

PROMO FARES TO SINGAPORE?

I've been following different airlines for promo fares. It was last May 31, 2010 when I finally booked my ticket to Singapore. Guess what was the date of my flight? Two and a half months later. It was August 14, 2010. my mom's birthday. I can't imagine how sad she was on my departure day. But that's the only day I can get the cheapest promo fare. Around PHP6,500++  for a roundtrip, ILO-SG-ILO. Not bad, right? I got a round trip ticket for fourteen (14) days! Thanks Cebu Pacific!


This is their Twitter @CebuPacificAir. I find it useful for seat sale and other promos, flight cancellations and other updates.

For other seat sale, please check

www.cebupacificair.com

www.jetstar.com
www.philippineairlines.com
www.airphilexpress.com
www.tigerairways.com

FIRST TIME

We do all have our FIRST TIMES and I think I have lots of it. What led me to do blogging was my first time to travel abroad -- first time to go out of the Philippines not for leisure but for work plus my first time to go to three (3) countries in 2010. Great!