**sINGAPORe PART 7**

[cyber_princesa27]

mga sis, may mga nakapagpatry na ba ng eyelash extension sa inyo dito sa sg? if yes, san po recommended niyo and how much? i had mine done in manila, sa i-lash extension so i just need to have it retouch sana here in sg

[paulavalerie]

sisses, pano ba yung simcard dyan? may nabibili ba kagad na microsim card for ip4? or kailangan ko pa ipa-punch yun? san kaya?

meron sa Lucky Plaza. dun bumili officemate ko

[paulavalerie]

ako i live in orchard, pero bihira na ako din ako lumabas kahit kapitbahay ko lang mga malls. bored na bored na ako sa totoo lang. paulit ulit lang kasi life dito. pero yun nga kelangan lang magtyaga.

[blooming]

naku sis mukhang wala nyan dito. yung mga gamot  dito walang bisa! as in hehe

kaya  kami bumibili  talag ng  maramihan pag uuwi ng  pinas  or  mag papabili nalang sa  mga kakilala. Like,  bioflu, amoxicilin, etc.

sis, anong mga meds na natry mo dito na walang bisa - yung mga over the counter ba?  pansin ko kasi dito, pag nagpapacheck up kami sa mga family clinics, they prescribe the medicines and not ask you to buy from a drug store.  and yung mga pinrescribe ng mga clinics ang effective.  gulat ngako sa ubo/sipon na meds, na dati sa pinas ang tagal gumaling, dito 1-2 days lang, wala na. pero hindi nga sila over the counter meds, have to go talaga sa clinics.

[blooming]

^same sentiments, it's not really a good place to raise a family. IMO pang single lang ang singapore. sa taas ba naman ng cost of living and wala naman family benefits like australia or canada, talo talaga kaya madaming locals rin umaalis dahil din sa factor na yan. and they don't give importance to their senior citizens.

hi sis!  sakin naman baliktad feeling ko.  I have never found another place with a good balance of standard of living and comfort.

Yes, mataas standard of living dito - but that is compared to Pinas.  But if I compare it with UK, US, mas ok dito kasi you can still hire help. sa UK/US that's out of the question.  The same is true for Canada/Australia.  Lahat DIY, for me, ang hirap since I am working. Nagtra-trabaho ka na, then pag-uwi mo, aasikasuhin mo pa yung bahay, not to mention the in-betweens - if you have kids, paghatid/sundo sa daycare/school - lahat DIY. Pero yun nga, case to case kasi satin, kung anong mas nag-f-fit din sa lifestyle natin.

Then the peace and order and safety dito - I like.

Ang lapit sa Pinas, ma homesick ng konti, uwi ulit.    Kaya nga siguro we never considered Canada or Aus as an option kasi layo.  As for HK, Taiwan, Korea, Japan - ok din naman ang safety, at hindi ganun kalayo sa Pinas. Tapos mas mataas pa staandard of living sa Japan and Korea. For HK and Taiwan, dyosko, 4 seasons, mas mataas din ang maintenance.    

Others na ok
- Raising kids - mura lang schools dito, mas mura pa kesa sa Pinas.
- Food may hawker na busog ka na pero di kasing unhealthy ng fastfood sa US (with a fastfood price). Meds/Clinics here kasing price ng Pinas. 
- Kuryente dito mas mura din dito compared sa Pinas. 
- Internet and cable, last time I checked mas mura din dito, mas mabilis pa.
- Transportation is very convenient. I take the bus, airconditioned, without worries na maholdup.  Taxis can be expensive during peaktime, but still very reasonable - clean, cool aircon, honest drivers.  Still not as expensive compared to US, UK, HK.
- Tax! sobra baba ng taxes here compared sa services.
- Check ups and meds - ok din basta you go to the family clinics. very affordable, kasing price lang ng check-up satin.  Ang mahal is if you go to specialists.   

Downside naman -
- mahal ang real estate and tubig.    Pero compared to HK, for the same rental, makakuha ka na ng more space. Compared naman to UAE, mas mura dito relative to your proximity to the city - kasi nga maliit lang ang Sg
- di ko masyado gusto Singlish
- maraming mabaho
- hirap magpa-spa at parlor.  di ako makahanap ng standard sa Pinas at hindi ganun ka-pricey. kung gusto ko ng maganda, pihadong mahal. kung gusto ko ng mura, pihadong palpak. pero may mahal din na hindi ok. 
- konti lang maganda dito compared to HK, Korea, Japan, and China - pero depende naman kasi ito sa personal taste, kaya di naman ganun ka-relevant.  wish ko lang sana hwag naman super pangit mapangasawa ng anak ko. 

[Grayce]

^yung schools dito, sorry pero if you're going to send your child to a decent school para maiwas sa singlish ang bata, nakupo gudlak sa tuition

sa checkups, polyclinic is cheap yes, another downside na iadd ko lang is nagmamadali lagi sila tapusin na tignan ka. ultimo panganganak mo mamadaliin nila if you give birth to a public hospital (this happened to me). kaya mas ok parin sa private hospital talaga magpacheck. meds here are crappy compared to pinas, walang pinagkaiba sa medicines in dubai lol

natawa ako dun sa "maganda" part compared to HK china etc.

[blooming]

^ Tama ka on Singlish.  Sabi ko nalang sa sarili ko, that is something we need to sacrifice siguro.  Pero early on, sinasabihan ko na ang anak ko, 'di kita maintindihan' 

Pagdating sa check-ups, I think you just need to find the right one.  I have been to some clinics na hindi ako happy. Pero may isa, binabalikan ko pa kasi effective talaga meds nya.  Malapit kasi sya sa dati namin place, kaya ngayon, kahit lumipat na kami, binabalikan pa namin. 

On public hospitals, mixed feelings ako. One time kasi na-ER ako.  After ng ER, I have to do follow up check ups and all. Sabi ng officemates ko, hindi nga ok ang napuntahan kong hospital because of its reputation.  na-rush kasi ako sa hospital with ambulance and all.  And you know what, what an experience!  Parang 911 pala sa US.  They come immediately to your house and bring you to the nearest hospital - kaya ako napadpad sa ospital not of our choice.  But you know what, facilities are complete and efficient.  Ang binayaran ko, almost the same rate lang sa St Luke's satin, tapos subsidized pa by the government. Kasi they serve the public talaga. You know where your taxes go. Kaso yun nga, in terms of service - di mo talaga maasahan - kasi naman, kahit din naman sa hawker places, ganyan talaga service nila.  Pero overall, comparing a public hospital in Sg vs public hospitals abroad - sobrang happy nako. Icompare mo naman sa PGH natin, or even sa US/UK - ganun din naman.

Now, going to private hospitals naman.  May healthcard kasi kami.  So ang healthcard namin before nung nasa Pinas pa kami, ang daming exclusions. Di ko lam kung generous lang ang company namin ngayon, pero all covered kasi kami dito. Kaya for specialists, we go to Mt E or Mt Alvernia.  Pero with clinics palang kasi for a check up or pag may sakit anyone sa house, happy nako.  Kaya pagdating lang sa specialists lang kami napupunta sa big hospitals.

Re sa pagmamadali - natawa naman ako. haha  Kahit sa pagsasalita, lagi silang ganyan. nakakainis minsan.

[yapeegurl]

blooming, I'd have to agree with you on many points like transportation, safety, electricity, your comparison with US/UK/AU/CAN cost of living, food, and specially ang tax. There's so many things about Singapore that I like.

Yung school lang talaga ang problema namin since time immemorial. Our son who's turning 3 this year will be joining Nursery 2 this coming January. Ang mahal ng tuition. $730 per month. Cambridge. This is the cheapest amongst the schools I've inquired. Other schools like Josiah Montessori, Chiltern, Julia Gabriel (where he is at right now) are very expensive. Around 1k SGD to 1.8k SGD per month sila. And those that are near our area like Little Skoolhouse, Appletree ay no slots na. Ang hirap makakuha ng school. Either no slots na sa school na mas mura sa $730 or malayo naman sa bahay. Kaya blessing itong Cambridge na nakita namin kasi 5 bus stops away lang from our house. It is a little over our budget but considering the distance, ok na ok na.

Another rant ko ay yung hospitals/clinics dito. Madami ako bad experience. One of which ay wrong prescription ng dentist. I declared sa form na allergic ako sa amoxycillin and their family. Aba! Nag prescribe ng ganon! 2 weeks ako nagka rashes and I was on MC for a couple of days. Hindi ko na nagawang mag reklamo sa MOH. I attempted to write a letter to them kaya lang naisip ko baka mahassle ako. I think dahil sa malinis ang Singapore, konti lang ang mga patients nila sa araw araw. They lack experience. Hindi tulad sa pinas na sa sobrang daming klaseng sakit at taong nagkakasakit ay mas alam na nila gagawin. Kahit pagkuha ng dugo dito ay grabe! Mga pinay na nurse walang problema all the time. Pero ang local, nako naman talaga...

[Grayce]

^ditto! naalala ko na naman nung kinuhaan ako ng dugo sa KKH. Tapos nung nanganak ako my OB herself nagkamali ng tusok for the dextrose, i was having contractions na nga tapos dagdag sakit pa tong ginawa ni OB hay sus!

re: transpo, kung tulad sa canada lang na nasusunod yung mga "reserved" seating policy nila i don't think magkakaroon pa ng problema. madaming bwisit, stupid at arrogante dito na minsan kailangan mo pa sitahin para lang paupuin ang matatanda or buntis, or even parents with babies. tsk.

i'd still prefer canada anytime over singapore. but for now i have to follow what my husband wants di hamak na mas ok ang family benefits kasi doon and mura lang rin magpalaki ng kids, aside from the tax exemptions for having kids, may allowance pa. food is relatively cheap and rent is not as pricey as singapore's. ang mahal lang ata dun is to study in a university my colleagues say australia or nz is much better daw when it comes to benefits but hindi ko pa kasi natitignan tong 2 countries na. CA and SG palang ako so far may personal experience

[sydxoxo]

a friend nurse from Changi Airport once told me na mas madami pa daw siya alam kesa sa airport doctor. meron daw instance na siya pa daw nagsabi sa doctor kung ano gagawin kasi hindi daw alam nung doctor kung ano gagawin and mali-mali pa daw yung sinasabi  i guess pag-dating sa medicine kinda sablay talag yung iba.

a friend also mentioned sa FB niya today na sobra daw racism ng mga agents when it comes to getting a flat.  tinatanong pa daw yung country of origin tapos if galing pinas, ayaw nila. Architect yung husband niya and siya galing US (they chose to stay/live in SG after they got married recently sa SG din) pero mukhang walang effect kahit professional ka or hindi.

[blooming]

^^^ re pre-schools - narinig ko lang sa officemate ko, pero was not too clear. ganyan pala kamahal.  tapos pag ipasok mo sa local - hindi din ok ang quality?

kasi for primary school, wala akong prob eh. sobrang mura for the service na nakukuha namin. secondary din daw, almost the same as primary. ang university ata ang mahal.

^ on agents, totoo ka. may kausap akong agents kasi naghahanap nga kami ng apartment.  may isa grabe sa yabang. sinabi nya na kelangan din nya kumain kaya wala syang time daw. kasi tinanong nya ano timing ko. kako kung may nakita na ok, ok ako pero di ako nagmamadali.  so hindi ko ine expect kasi yan ang sasabihin nya, so sabi ko, sige ok. pero next time ako maka encounter ng ganyan, baka di ako makapagpigil at patulan ko na. sabihan ko - well, ok lang, it's his loss, kainis sila!  point ko lang, how will I know what I will like kung hindi ako tumingin? 

parang agent yan ng headhunter. gusto ko mag explore, yes.  pero for them to ask me to commit na gusto ko talaga na once nag offer, DAPAT kong tanggapin agad. naman! eh sa umpisa naman hindi ko pa alam package, scope ng work, etc. 

[p3ntium4]

mga sis may idea ba kayo how much na ang rent ng 3 room flat sa ngayon?
plano namin magrent ng flat ni hubby... newly wed kami... naghahanap ng makakasama sa flat.... baka may interested sumama jan.... PM na lang..
near bugis at somerset ang target location.....

[trendy]

In fairness naman to Singapore's doctors, marami din namang ok. I'm quite satisfied with the doctors here. I think it helps to do some research first before going to a clinic or hospital. In our case kasi, we always look for a topnotch specialist and we were never disappointed. Actually, mas ok pa yung experience namin sa mga doctors dito compred to the ones in Pinas. And mind you, the doctors we had in Pinas were also the best in their fields.

I think no country naman is exempted in having mediocre doctors. Kahit sa pinas or even US and Canada, madami ding palpak jan.

We got excellent experience with our doctors here in SG but of course, we had to pay the price for it. Mahal kung sa mahal pero ok lang. para san pa na we earn a lot here kung titiprin naman ang health namin di ba?

And btw, we don't go to GPs here. For me, they are a waste of time and money. Magpapacheckup na rin lang kami, dun na kami sa specialist.

[Grayce]

^yan ang mentality namin ngayon pagdating sa doctor. well for me at least. asawa ko 50-50. that's also the reason why sinadya ko talaga na sa private hospital ang pedia ng anak ko after my sh*tty experience with KKH. basic na pagkuha ng dugo and paghanap ng ugat ultimo doctor palpak? and my OB in KKH is one of the popular ones there kaya nakakadismayado.

^^nako kung malapit sa city sis goodluck... mahal pag malapit sa city. dito sa may east inaabot na ng 2,6k ang 3br.

sis blooming, yan din nirereklamo ng auntie ko so far. ang mahal ng pre-school na ok ang quality of education. ayaw nya yung education system here in a sense na masyadong competitive sobra and it puts so much pressure to the child. yung mga cousins ko naman na nasa primary school (eto ata yung grade school dito?) ang sabi nila ang dadali daw compared sa pinas pero grabe daw sobra ang pressure kasi in order for you to get into a good school you need to get good grades.

sydxoxo:
wala pa yan sa kwento ng friend ko. mas malala ang racism dito pagdating sa mga taga CHINA as in tipong makikita mo sa ads nakalagay mismo, no PRC's allowed haha

sis blooming again, nako madaming agents nga dito na ganyan  right now naghahanap rin kami ng flat kasi ayaw ko na macram maghanap and maabutan ng CNY.

[sydxoxo]

Re Flat: yes she said that also about ads kaya bwisit na bwisit sya 

[Grayce]

^so far wala pa ako nakikita na mga anti-pinoy ads dito. normally kasi tinatanong nila country of origin and work kasi i guess ginagauge nila if can afford or not. medyo notorious kasi ang pinoys dito at times na nagpapastay sa flat nila na nagpapajob hunt. naging issue to lalo na last year kaya yung previous landlord namin sinabihan kami na bawal more than 2wks pag meron kami guest kasi meron nagchecheck kasi, mahirap na

[p3ntium4]

grabe na mahal magrent ng flat ngayon..... 3+1 nasa 2,5k na ang pinakamura...

[MauiGS]

^Tama! 2+1 nakita naming beside Dakota MRT (Circle line) $1900 pero as in walang aircon, fridge & beds.
Sa experience din namin sa paghahanap ng place to be rented, parang mas lamang pag-Pinoy kesa ibang lahi kasi malinis daw tayo sa bahay and maalaga

[sardonyx]

i agree with blooming. may mga pros and cons, but overall, hubby and i love it here.  it is also one of the least vulnerable countries to natural calamities.  maliit na lugar lang ang singapore but i actually find this favorable since a 30-minute travel time is already considered far.  hindi naman boring, masaya na ako sa mga malls.   kung gusto talaga ng beach, ang lapit lang ng bintan or pinas.  i also don't dream of living in Canada, US, or other cold countries kasi malamigin talaga ako (tama ba ang term? LOL).   

[blooming]

sis blooming, yan din nirereklamo ng auntie ko so far. ang mahal ng pre-school na ok ang quality of education. ayaw nya yung education system here in a sense na masyadong competitive sobra and it puts so much pressure to the child. yung mga cousins ko naman na nasa primary school (eto ata yung grade school dito?) ang sabi nila ang dadali daw compared sa pinas pero grabe daw sobra ang pressure kasi in order for you to get into a good school you need to get good grades.

ako naman iba experience ko.  mas competitive ang school ng anak ko sa Manila, whole day kasi satin ang gradeschool d b?  dito kasi half day lang. tapos palaging walang assignment. kung meron man, konti lang. kaya hindi ko maintindihan anong ginagawa ng ibang bata.  baka meron akong nam-miss o nasa ibang school lang anak ko?

feeling ko nga mas naging tamad ang anak ko when we moved here.    mas ayaw mag-aral at panay reklamo kung kelangan mag-aral for the exams. tapos ni wala nga silang writing, kaya ang papangit ng sulat.  aapat lang ang subjects, nadadamihan pa sila, eh ano kaya sa pinas, sampu-sampu ang exams sa isang linggo!