Laneway Festival 2013 Singapore

I have never been to a music festival and despite the fact that I was in my late thirties, I thought it would be a cool new thing to do for the first time. But being newbies to this sort of thing, I and my companions fell victim to some rookie mistakes. We remembered to come in comfortable clothing and wore tank tops/shirts and shorts, and my husband and I even remembered to put on sunblock (SPF 50+ for kids, since we ran out of adult sunscreen) but left the sunblock behind and forgot caps and sunglasses which would have been helpful on a particularly scorching hot day. My husband at one point told me, 'If this is what hell feels like, then I promise to be good from now on'. Yup. We literally baked under the sun for four hours. When we got home and I took a shower, I nearly screamed in pain - it felt so good and so bad at the same time. 

But was it worth it? Well, any new experience has its share of good and bad. I loved listening to bands I have never heard of - Of Monsters and Men, Kimbra and Alt-J were my favorites; loved the feeling of being out under the open sky listening to music with hundreds of other people; people-watching (there were quite a number of girls in bikinis and short shorts and quite a number of shirtless guys as well, there were people who came in costume, people in face paint and those who just wore funny hats). What I didn't like - the endless queues, especially around dinner when the kebab queue just went on forever. I think there was still a bit of light when I started to queue and it was pitch-dark when I got my kebabs. Oh and don't even get me started on the people who tried to cut in line either by sneakily worming themselves into the queue or asking other people if they could jump in line beside them (go to the end of the line! the nerve). 

But when the sun did set and it was dark all around and you could see the lights from Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer in the distance, and with the band playing, well, that scene was pretty awesome and worth it.  

However, when we did get home, I just had enough energy left to put my daughter to bed though between the two of us, I honestly don't know who fell asleep first. And I was so knackered I woke up at noon the next day. But, that's done and I've gotten that off my list. Now, what else to add to my to do list for 2013?

 

Too Many Interior Designers, Too Little Time

Now that we've completed our first HDB appointment and met up with our lawyer to get the paperworks going, we needed to find the right interior designer to renovate our new home. I've heard lots of horror stories about contractors skipping town with your money, not finishing the project on time or doing a shoddy job on the renovation. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't encounter such problems. And so I researched, went on home renovation sites and requested for quotes. Hubby and I sat down with 5 different design firms and had email communications with about 3 others, here's what we've learned from this long and tedious process.

1. Come prepared - Bring your floor plan and bring pictures of the unit. The floor plan is a no brainer, but we took very few pictures of the unit and so when they were asking us what type of flooring it had and whether we wanted to change the flooring, doors and windows, it was a bit difficult for us to answer.

2. Focus the discussion on the fixtures instead of the design - Unless you're willing to shell out SGD2000 for a 3D drawing, don't spend too much time talking about the design during the first appointment. Normally, all they really need to know to be able to give you a quote is whether you're doing any hacking, tiling, cabinetry, carpentry and whether you're changing doors, windows; doing plastering, painting etc. The design discussions can come later when you're about to shortlist or have already shortlisted your designer. Otherwise, you'll spend too much time discussing details and then you'll have to keep repeating yourself during subsequent appointments with other prospective interior designers.

3. Prepare for a reality check - Normally, you'd come in with an idea of how your dream home should look like (mine had a glossy all white kitchen and a glass-enclosed play area) and think that the interior designer should be able to bring it all to life. Sadly, they're there to also keep things real. And in the real world, all white kitchens are hell to clean and glass-enclosed play areas (where the children can be seen but not heard) are impractical and a safety issue. So buck up, breathe in deep and prepare to listen to suggestions.  

4. Ask yourself, can you work with this person? - Although it seems pleasant to work with an interior designer who will do as you say, it's better to have someone who will tell you why your ideas aren't going to work and recommend something better. Use that first appointment to see if you can feel comfortable working with the interior designer for the next 6-8 weeks, which is how long the renovation usually takes. If you start getting riled up while discussing dividers with the interior designer and having to justify why you don't like them and therefore don't want them in your house, it's probably a sign that you won't be able to work together.

5. Watch out for responsiveness - All is well and the discussion goes smoothly. Now you wait for the quote. Whether or not they submit the quote on time can be a good gauge of how responsive they'll be in future. 

We had a wide range of experiences with the five designers we talked to. The first one talked to us but did not give a quote, only offering to do a 3D Drawing if we shelled out SGD2000 and said he could probably work within our budget but it would be a stretch. The second one was pleasant to talk to and promised to give a quote within the week and never did. The third one sat down with us and painstakingly did a furniture lay-out on his computer, when it would have been easier to do a pen and paper draft, then proceeded to deploy hard sell tactics by asking us to sign on the spot and when we didn't, asked his team leader to come over so she could persuade us. The team leader then proceeded to push on with the hard sell (what is it with these people?) by saying if we signed on the spot we could participate in the lucky draw (it was at an expo), get discounts as well as an electronic door lock. I wanted to kick my husband under the table so he could get the hint and get us out of there but that would be too obvious. It took another 15 minutes of saying no before they finally got the hint and we were able to leave. The fourth one was pleasant to talk to, seemed knowledgeable and submitted their quote on time. The fifth one was also okay but seemed a bit young and was a bit delayed in submitting their quote. 

In any case, we'll be deciding soon and hopefully move on to the next step in the process. Very excited about talking design ideas. I'm especially excited about the designs for my kids' play area. More updates to come.

 

Gone Fishing

On our trip to Manila, my father arranged for us to go fishing in his friend's fish pen in Malabon recently. Though we almost had collective heart attacks as we thought our van would go straight into the water since the road going to the fish pens was rough road and unbelievably narrow, we eventually made it there alive and lived to tell the tale and though we caught very few fish, it was still a great bonding experience especially for the kids. Although they did fight over who gets to feed the fish, who gets to hold the fishing rods and pretty much everything else. Still, fun times.  

Canoe near the shore 

Enclosed area of the fishpen 

 Rickety bamboo bridge leading to makeshift feeding area

 Slightly later in the day, with birds on the horizon

 Lexi under a banana tree

 Lexi and her cousins on the bamboo bridge. New words for the day: bamboo and mud puddle

The cousins on a bigger canoe

Lexi on the bamboo bridge again

 Andi trying to fish, but sadly no catch for the baby that day

Lexi guarding the haul of 3 fishes, though she later on wanted to throw the fishes back into the pond

Lexi looking out over the pond

Our First Appointment at HDB

It's the last day of 2012 and we completed one last major task - which is to have our first appointment at the Housing Development Board so we can buy a resale flat. Admittedly, we scrambled a bit since we just came back from Manila early morning of the 30th and only remembered we still had paperwork to prepare for our appointment. Our trusty printer was still able to chug out most of the documents needed save for one, but we were able to photocopy outside the HDB anyway. In all, it took just one hour to check through the documents and to schedule our next and final appointment. We're one step closer to having our own home in Singapore.      

Scale models of the HDB Housing Estates in the Lobby Area

A map showing the location of the HDB Housing Estates throughout Singapore 

 More pictures at the Sales Display Area

Queue Ticketing Kiosk

 Our documents and queue number

The waiting area, lots of comfy benches, but hardly any time spent waiting - everything done in an hour

UPDATE: What You Need To Know When Getting an OEC

Among Filipinos working in Singapore, there is normally a debate on the usefulness of applying for permanent residency status. For those still wondering though, I would say apply if you can, even if only for the fact that you'll never have to get an OEC ever again.

The OEC is the Overseas Exit Clearance that an Overseas Filipino Worker usually needs to get so he/she can exit the Philippines. It is not a requirement to exit Singapore but needs to be presented at the NAIA upon return to Singapore to exempt OFWs from payment of travel tax and airport terminal fee. It seems such a simple thing but as with all other Philippine government processes, it is usually very time-consuming and tedious.

My husband and I have already been free from the shackles of the OEC-procurement process for quite some time but unfortunately, we had to get OECs for our FDWs so they could come home with us to Manila for the Christmas break.

Here is what we've learned, a few pointers to remember when applying and some useful links to check out before going through the process:

1. There is already an online appointment system for getting OECs which was developed and launched by POEA in Manila last November 2012 and is being pilot-tested in Singapore as well. This means you can set appointments for getting OECs online either in Singapore or the Philippines. While the system is being pilot-tested, the Embassy in Singapore has noted that they will still entertain walk-in clients until OFWs become more familiar with the on-line appointment system. See OEC online appointment system in the Philippines and Singapore

2. In Singapore, you can also apply for the OEC at iRemit in Lucky Plaza but only on Sundays. However, you need to make sure you have all the proper paperwork and have paid all required fees for requirements such as OWWA and Pag-Ibig since they don't process these on Sundays. Note OWWA contribution is on a per contract basis but they require updated Pag-Ibig contribution for the particular month in which you're applying the OEC for. Try to call ahead as well since they sometimes cancel this service on certain occasions. 

3. You must prepare a number of documents and bring photocopies of everything 

See checklist of requirements below:

1. Passport - valid at least 6 months from the date of departure
2. Valid Work Visa / Work Permit or Equivalent Document
3. Proof of Employment returning to same employer
   (e.g., Employment Contract, Certificate of Employment/Company ID/Pay slip)
4. Verified and Authenticated contract - For Household Service Workers (HSWs) only
5. Confirmed roundtrip plane ticket
6. OEC application form (2 copies)

4. You don't need to pay Philhealth in Singapore, but you do in the Philippines. In that sense, it's slightly cheaper to get your OEC in Singapore.

5. UPDATE: If you are an FDW and you have a choice, choose to get your OEC from the Philippine Embassy in Singapore instead of in Metro Manila.

It used to be that you could process your OECs in several counters in Metro Manila such as the POEA main office in Mandaluyong City, Trinoma Mall, Duty Free Philippines in Parañaque City, Global Pinoy Center in SM Manila, OWWA Main Office in Pasay and PAG-IBIG Main Office in Pasay.

But now all Household workers cannot use any other processing center other than POEA. 

My FDWs took 2 hours to process their OECs in SM Manila previously but at POEA, even with a counter dedicated to Singapore OFWs, it still took 6 hours. But at least we found out about this new rule in time. Some people left it at the last minute and tried to get their OECs at Duty Free Paranaque the day they were supposed to fly out and subsequently missed their flight. 

6. UPDATE: This service unfortunately no longer provided.

You can also choose to skip the waiting in line (actual waiting time 3-4 hours) and just have the OEC delivered to your doorstep. OEC is now included in the citizen services provided by the National Statistics Office and Department of Foreign Affairs like NSO Birth Certificate (and Marriage Certificate) Delivery Hotline and the DFA Passport Appointment System services. However, it will mean higher cash outlay since you pay all the fees initially and they just refund you back the fees during delivery, if your OWWA and Philhealth membership are still valid. You also pay additional P560 to cover the service and courier fees. You can access the link here 

POEA Processing Fees	P 100.00
Pag-IBIG	P 100.00
OWWA Membership	P 1,090.00
Philhealth	P 900.00
2GO / ABoitiz Courier Fee	P 160.00
Teleserv Service Fee	P 400.00
Total	P 2,750

7. Important to note the validity period of the OEC before applying. Someone at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore told our nanny that validity was 1 month and therefore when she applied for it early, she was turned away, but if you check the internet, a number of sources say it's 60 days. However, one of our nannies got a 3-month validity (from Singapore) while the other got a 2-year validity (from Philippines).    

========================================================================

Embassy of the Philippines (Singapore)20 Nassim Road, Singapore 258395
Open from Sun to Thurs, 9:00 am-5:00 pm.

IREMIT SINGAPORE PTE LTD.304 Orchard Road, #03-69 Lucky Plaza,
Singapore 238863
Tel. Nos.: (65) 6235 8600, (65) 6235 8914
(65) 6235 8915, (65) 6235 7943
Fax : (65) 6735 8641
Email: luckyplaza.sg@myiremitfo.com
Office Hours
Monday to Sunday 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM

Kids' Stuff in Manila

One of the main activities we look forward to whenever we go back home to Manila is the shopping. Around Christmastime that could mean doing the round of Christmas bazaars as well as going to the malls. We normally try to stock up on clothes, shoes and other essentials for the kids when we're here so we don't shop as often in Singapore where the prices are much, much higher given that the selection is mostly imported brands from Europe or the US.

Here are some of the items we've recently found from bazaars and from other shopping trips here so far:

Pink  backpack (Loopy from Pororo) P400

My daughter saw this and stopped in her tracks, and when her dada asked her what she wanted, she nudged the backpack with her head. This same booth had a Dora backpack as well which we thought she would have preferred, but this is far cuter than Dora. She already named her backpack Paj after a character in one of her Dora books.

(Karl Edwards Bazaar @ The Fort)

 

 

Mickey Mouse shirts P150-P175 each, on sale. We've actually been pretty good about not buying clothes this time around because we recently received a huge bag of clothes from a dear, family friend and there's tons of stuff for the kids to wear for the next year. However, we can't resist cute and cheap shirts like this one.

(SM MOA)

 

Our stash of Sugarbabies shoes. We found this brand last year and now we've come back for more. They have good designs, are made of good quality and quite affordable at P400 each. Compare that to department store shoes at Singapore which cost the equivalent of P600 to P900.

(SM MOA)

We normally don't advocate buying humongous stuffed toys for kids. But Lexi gravitated to gigantic Minnie and asked her Nong-nong for this as her combined birthday/Christmas gift. Now we'll have to figure out how to bring gigantic Minnie to Singapore.

 

 Of course we have to order from Human Nature. We tried the baby lotion, baby wash and the sanitizer sprays last year. We swear by the baby lotion. My then newborn had flaky skin on her forehead which eventually cleared up with continuous use of the baby lotion. The baby wash is okay but not enough to cover up her smell since it's fragrance-free. In our case, our baby didn't have that fresh newborn smell and she can get quite stinky so I'm spending quite a bit on Mustela just so I can take pride when strangers say what a lovely-smelling baby we have. Baby Lotion 200ml P139.75, Sanitizer sprays in juicy burst, citrus burst and tropical burst 50ml P64.75, Cleansing Bar 120gm P59.75, Kids Shampoo and Body Wash in Tangerine Tarsier and Pineapple Pawikan 500ml P289.75.

Shipping charge is flat rate at roughly P50 and I received my order within 2 days.

(Ordered from their website humanheartnature.com)

My daughters got super-excited when they saw their boy cousins' collection of Petron cars and started sneaking them out to play with. And who wouldn't get excited? The cars are quite sleek-looking, heavy, has lights and sounds and with pull-back mechanism. And they come in 5 colors: black, red, white, blue and gray. Their Lolo Boss was a bit surprised that the girls wanted toy cars but he eventually took out 2 cars from his own stockpile and gave a car each to the girls. We're now trying to get the other colors as well and complete our own collection. Petron cars P180 each with every P1000 worth fuel purchase at Petron branches.

 

More Dora books. Lexi already has about a dozen of these which we read to her at night, and we bought a few more to add to her book collection. Dora books P109.75 each.

(Toys'r'us Greenbelt 5)

 

Shopping's all done for the kids and we're only midway in our vacation. I think now it's the parents' turn to stockpile on stuff.

 



Nuvali Lot Turnover

We flew in from Singapore last Saturday and was amazed at the lack of traffic. My husband told me not to comment on it out loud or else we'll jinx it. Our good run lasted until Tuesday and by Wednesday everything went back to the familiar, curse-arousing snail's pace we've come to know and perpetually hate. Case in point, we left Navotas a little past 11 and we arrived at the Venare clubhouse at exactly 2pm. 3 hours! In any case, we were happy to finally see where our hard-earned money went to. And though it would have been nice to have been able to use the pool (no, they're not yet operational) our daughter still had fun exploring the area while we sat down and went through the turnover process. Now all we have to wait for is the actual lot title.

Here are pictures of the site in case you're wondering what Venare looks like.

Our cornet lot. Venare is on rolling terrain so our lot is slightly elevated.

Main Clubhouse at Venare

Reception area with brand new still-in-plastic-covering furniture

Three of the four pool areas

 Clubhouse driveway

 The Venare Welcome Pack and complimentary wine. The four booklets pictured include: Construction Guidelines, Pattern Book, Village Rules and Amenities Rules.

 Lexi playing with mommy's bag

 The lovely mural at the kids' playroom

Lots of greenery

Requisite fish feeding at the koi pond at Solenad