**sINGAPORe PART 7**

[sydxoxo]

^^visit na lang tayo sis. ok na yung ma-experience ang snow kahit once (well, for me at least  )

i think kahit saang country naman may sablay at sablay pa din, it's a matter of accepting and dealing with their flaws. besides, nakikitira lang naman tayo sa kanila d ba?! i-respect na lang siguro natin kung ano man yun, i'm sure sa pinas madami din sablay and palpak 

[sardonyx]

^ yes sis, for vacation lang talaga ang gusto ko doon

[Grayce]

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!

ay ang gulo ata ng pagkasabi ko sorry! mas mahirap ang curriculum satin compared dito. mga pinsan ko pumepetiks lang rin sa studies. may exams pa nga daw na parang tipong tulad sa NSAT ba yun and NEAT sa atin in order for you to get into a good school for the next level.

^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

thru agent yan? or mano mano kayo naghanap? agree ako dun sa plus points pag pinoy. ang mga taga China dito ang dudumi sobra sa bahay may iba rin palang landlord/agent na ayaw ng indians...

[yapeegurl]

blooming, hindi ako sure sa local schools like PCF. Ang kaibigan ko doon nya pinasok anak nya but her feedback wasnt good. The teachers were conversing in strong singlish and her son's peers were very singlish din. In turn, the son didnt have any choice but to speak in singlish kasi hindi daw sya maiintindihan ng classmates nya. And meron teacher na masungit kaya initially hesitant ang child pumasok. Sis, ano school ng anak mo sa pinas and dito? You may want to enroll him at British council. Sa Cambridge they have penmanship classes in the afternoon if you take up their full day class. Plus $200 nga lang pag full day.
 
trendy, the one we went to last Monday was at Raffles Hospital at Bugis. This was where a local nurse failed to get a blood sample twice. Prior to this, a week ago, nagkaron sya ng parang galis sa area where they took the blood sample. Another example was at Mt. Alvernia where I gave birth. No one informed me that I had to and need to pass motion (poop) before giving birth AND no one gave me a stool softener after giving birth. Then a month ago I had a tooth extraction at Paragon where I declared that I am allergic to amoxycillin and its family pero family pa din ang prescribed pala resulting to a severe allergic reaction.

But I agree with you that it's not country specific. Maybe malas lang talaga kami. Maybe everything was just coincidence. It is just frustrating to think that the hospitals we went to are private. And mahal kasi.

Pero ok naman ang Gleneagles kasi my son was confined at Gleneagles when he was less than a year old due to bronchilitis. Pero diagnose sa pinas was asthma.

sydxoxo, true na sa pinas or sa ibang country din siguro may kanya kanyang sablay. And true din na nakikitira lang tayo dito kaya no choice but makisama. Hehe. Feedback ko/namin lang naman namin yan regarding the PROS and CONS of SG based on our experiences to help others prevent/avoid encountering them.

But other than hospital issues AND singlish, we're good. Tatagal pa kami dito I think. Malaking bagay si SG samin. Mabilis makaipon and SG gave us the opportunity to travel. Life's easier here. Malapit sa pinas. And mabilis makuha ang mga bagay bagay (shopping ito hehe). And I like their CPF system din. Ang laki ng percentage share ng employer at ang interest ng money.

[sydxoxo]

^of course of course  nasabi ko lang naman, hehe!

ako i like singapore pero way back 2002 pa and i'm sure magugustuhan ko pa din siya when i visit again 

[yapeegurl]

^For sure sis magugustuhan mo dito pag balik mo. May plans ka ba of working here?

Another advantage pala for us ay ang Mutual Funds investment namin dito. My first investment was with Aviva (Money Smart for Ladies) nung 2005 noong dalaga pa ako. Afterwards, we bought some from Prudential in 2007 na nagagamit namin ngayon for our son's school fees. Malaking bagay ito. This is something that I would be hesitant to do sa pinas. Yun bang mag invest sa funds. Natatakot kasi ako magoyo sa pinas. Unlike dito sa SG na controlled ng govt.

[blooming]

speaking of CPF, mga ilan years ka ba kelangan andito para masabi na ok na ang amount na andun?  Kasi 1 yr palang ako nagc contribute sa CPF and since naghahanap kami ng flat, sinasabihan ako ng agent na puede ako magloan sa CPF. Eh kung kakapiranggot lang naman na-andun, bale wala.

Pero totoo ka sis pia, mas panatag talaga ang loob ko contributing to CPF kesa sa SSS.  Sa SSS, parang hindi nako umaasa na may makukuha ako when we retire. Pano naman kasi sa pagmanage palang ng pondo, nakakapagduda na.  Pautang left and right, tapos pag hindi nabayaran, "forgiven" nalang ang penalty at interest, pati ang principal, di na bale.  Kaya aabot ang time na wala na maicontribute ang SSS sa mga contributors nito (huwag naman sana). 

[yapeegurl]

^Jen ikaw ba ito? Nakalimutan ko na mga handle name hahaha sorry. On CPF, if you're hitting the maximum bracket, you'll approximately have around $70k on you're 5th year. Around $40k on you're 3rd year. Assuming no claims sa medisave, etc.

Yung claim namin sa SSS para sa daddy ko noon ang liit lang. Siguro kasi 20yrs employment Lang. Ang hirap din magclaim kasi wala sila list Ng requirements kaya pabalik balik ako. But with SSS meron maternity claim. Sayang din yun. :p

Ang CPF claim Ng kaibigan ko na nag withdraw Ng PR got their $16k claim a week after they filed. One day filing Lang. Actually half day Lang nga kasi they went to ICA afternoon na.

[Grayce]

blooming, hindi ako sure sa local schools like PCF. Ang kaibigan ko doon nya pinasok anak nya but her feedback wasnt good. The teachers were conversing in strong singlish and her son's peers were very singlish din. In turn, the son didnt have any choice but to speak in singlish kasi hindi daw sya maiintindihan ng classmates nya. And meron teacher na masungit kaya initially hesitant ang child pumasok. Sis, ano school ng anak mo sa pinas and dito? You may want to enroll him at British council. Sa Cambridge they have penmanship classes in the afternoon if you take up their full day class. Plus $200 nga lang pag full day.
 
trendy, the one we went to last Monday was at Raffles Hospital at Bugis. This was where a local nurse failed to get a blood sample twice. Prior to this, a week ago, nagkaron sya ng parang galis sa area where they took the blood sample. Another example was at Mt. Alvernia where I gave birth. No one informed me that I had to and need to pass motion (poop) before giving birth AND no one gave me a stool softener after giving birth. Then a month ago I had a tooth extraction at Paragon where I declared that I am allergic to amoxycillin and its family pero family pa din ang prescribed pala resulting to a severe allergic reaction.

But I agree with you that it's not country specific. Maybe malas lang talaga kami. Maybe everything was just coincidence. It is just frustrating to think that the hospitals we went to are private. And mahal kasi.

Pero ok naman ang Gleneagles kasi my son was confined at Gleneagles when he was less than a year old due to bronchilitis. Pero diagnose sa pinas was asthma.

sydxoxo, true na sa pinas or sa ibang country din siguro may kanya kanyang sablay. And true din na nakikitira lang tayo dito kaya no choice but makisama. Hehe. Feedback ko/namin lang naman namin yan regarding the PROS and CONS of SG based on our experiences to help others prevent/avoid encountering them.

But other than hospital issues AND singlish, we're good. Tatagal pa kami dito I think. Malaking bagay si SG samin. Mabilis makaipon and SG gave us the opportunity to travel. Life's easier here. Malapit sa pinas. And mabilis makuha ang mga bagay bagay (shopping ito hehe). And I like their CPF system din. Ang laki ng percentage share ng employer at ang interest ng money.

singlish na sobra ang mga pinsan ko after a year of going to this school in AMK, kaya pag sa bahay madalas namin icorrect

[p3ntium4]

@blooming.... pwede raw magloan sa CPF? parang ngayon ko lang ito narinig...
sana nga pede rin magamit ang CPF sa flat rental haha.... kahit pang deposit lang

[blooming]

^ sis, puede ata in buying a flat, pero di ko pa narinig na nagamit sya for deposits.

sis Pia - oo hehe.  it's ok, sobrang bihira nalang kasi ako makapagpost dito.  anyway, 1 yr palang kasi ako nagc contribute ng CPF, kaya kulang pa.  pero kahit maliit sya makatulong din, sana puede. mag-i-inquire palang ako next wk.

[yapeegurl]

Hi Jen! Long time no see! Mabigat ang CPF pag 3rd year na. 360 degree change sa budget. The last time I checked, we can only withdraw the money upon reaching age 55. Ang layo ko pa! hahaha Pero magagamit nga pag bumili ng HDB. Pang down payment din. Saan mo pinasok kids mo?

[sydxoxo]

^For sure sis magugustuhan mo dito pag balik mo. May plans ka ba of working here?

nah, visit lang. i'm still loving my life here, living like a princess  unahin ko muna US, UK and Canada kasi mahirap kumuha ng visa. SG is always there and no visa needed 

[blooming]

^^ anywhere near our area    kung lumipat, lipat ulit. kaya feeling ko importante talaga maganda ang location ng place mo para ok din ang school na pasukan. very limited din kasi ang Catholic schools. pero feeling ko iba parin kasi kung Catholic kesa sa non-sectarian.

[kayesl]

re: Schooling and SingLish
depende sa bata at depende kung pano sila kausapin sa bahay. my daughter has been going to preschool for 2yrs now. hindi talaga maiiwasan na makakuha sila ng singlish from her teachers and friends. pero kung kakausapin mo sya, you'll not hear singlish. kasi kino-correct namin sya. i always tell her what is the proper way to say words. sorry kung maarte pero yon naman talaga ang dapat. even the government discourages speaking in singlish.  i also have friends na nasa primary na ang mga bata. they have perfect english pag kausap pinoy. pero sa school daw at pag kausap ang friends nila, hala! ang tatas ng puntong singlish!
ang mahal lang dito is preschool. di kasi subsidized ng govt. pero merong iba na mura naman. yung first school ni ela nasa $300/month lang. church-run school kasi sya. ok naman sya pero meron lang ako hindi nagustuhan kaya kami lumipat (maarte lang ako ).  we transferred her now to montessori school so mas mahal. buti na lang isang taon na lang kami at primary na. malaki na matitipid


re: checkups
yup, you just need to find the right doctor. buti na lang may HMO sina hubby so pede kaming papalit-palit. so far, ok sa amin yung Healthway clinics. yung neighborhood clinics lang medyo olats.

we are here for almost 3yrs. like sis jen (blooming), we find it ok naman to raise a family.  i specially liked how she compared it to other countries she's been.  we also have friends in canada/australia/US.  matagal na din nila kami kinukumbinsi na lumipat na.  pero dito siguro muna kami.    i like the peace of mind that i have esp when we go out. grabe pag umuuwi kami ng pinas, hindi nawawala paningin ko kay ela.  pero dito, i can let her play on the playground (even in the mall's) and just sit on the side. 
public transpo here is also very efficient. ewan ko ba ang daming nagrereklamo na ang sikip sa MRT. na-try na ba nilang makipagsiksikan sa rush hour train ride sa japan? WE DID! and it was horrible! ang aga aga sardinas na kayo at itutulak ka talaga nila. keber kung babae ka.  swerte lang din siguro kami ni ela kasi lagi kaming napapa-upo sa train at bus 


pia, i think Cambridge is chilcare type kaya mas mahal. kasi sabi mo they have half day and full day rates.  kung kindergarten type kasi 3-4hrs lang sya talaga per day, with multiple sessions.  at medyo konti lang ang kindergarten type dito.  madali nga silang mapuno.

[icee_star]

Hi pretty mommies in GT 

I am campaigning in behalf of my friend, her daughter just joined the Model search here in Singapore and needs your VOTES by just like the picture in this link:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150314491610698&set=a.10150314479770698.338877.313645335697&type=1&theater

Also, to confirm your votes, please like the page as well:

http://www.facebook.com/littlewardrobesg#!/thelittlewardrobe.sg

You can unlike na lang po if you don't want to receive updates from them after the voting period on oct 12. Thank you very much!

[hime]

hello sisters! pa-join sa thread.

working here at SG already. my bf & i were blessed na nakahanap ng work when we came here as tourists. i must say that it will really take a lot of faith, guts and hard work. finding a job was not that easy plus finding a place to settle down then transition sa work. it was very very difficult and i am learning a lot. though tipid mode pa kami as of now, i'd like to know where we can go out for a weekend bintan or batam maybe? nice place na medyo affordable. i heard about nirwana gardens but i trust fellow GTs testimonials kaya i am asking here. thanks in advance!

[maryodette]

hi mga sis... we are thinking ni hubby na pumunta in sg to look for a job.... we are currently working... im in hotel industry aNd hubby is in logistics/ warehouse industry... balak namin to go there as tourist then look for a job... possible din ba kami magsettle down down dyan with 1yr old baby kapag nakahanap ng job.... kasi parang walang nangyayari samin ni hubby dito sa pinas... 6yrs na ako sa work while si hubby is 3yrs na... wala pa rin kami ipon... nauuwi lang sa bayad sa house, expenses ni baby, water, electricity, grocery and everyday baon... dumadaan lang ang pera sa kamay namin... taz ubos na... kung makahanap sana kami ng job abroad then i-invest yun sa pinas, much better... kasi malaki ang value ng money nila dito....

sa tingin nyo po ba may future kami dyan?
nag-apply na rin ako ng epec namin... sana ma-approve...

[hanson15]

Sis hime pashare naman pano ka nakahanap ng job sa sg. san ka ngapply. Balak ko pumunta dyan next year sana naman may mapala ako.

[maryodette]

got an email na rejected ang EPEC application namin ni hubby...

pwede bang kumuha ulit?... may tips ba kayo kung pano di mareject?