Singapore is a "FINE" city!

I'm sure you've heard this line at least once - that Singapore is a FINE city. Meaning, there are FINES for almost anything (e.g. No Durian, No smoking - Fine $1000, etc) but at the same time FINE also means Singapore is a great, modern and clean city.

Now that it's 2011, I just realized that on March I'll be celebrating my 4th year anniversary here in Singapore. WOW. I can't believe it. Really. I honestly thought I would only be here 6 months and pack my bags to head back home. But I guess things happened differently and here I am still thriving and working the daily grind.

But don't get me wrong. I do LOVE it here. I mean hello, I wouldn't be here till this day if I didn't right? But what exactly do I heart about this FINE FINE city. Let me count the ways:

1. The FOOD - Helloooo??! Obviously! I wouldn't have gained 20 effing kilos if the food was no good. I love the fact that there is an abundance of Asian food - from Indian to Indonesian to Malaysian to Vietnamese to Burmese (Myanmar), and the list goes on. Lately though I see more and more western food sprouting about (e.g. Wendy's, Texas Chicken, Chili's, etc) but hey I'm not complaining haha. I just have a feeling though that Singaporeans would be supersized like our Western counterparts a few years down the road. Uh oh.

2. Ease of Travel - Eversince I've been here, I've been fortunate to have travelled to so many places I once used to only dream about. Seriously, I feel its so much cheaper and more accessible to travel around the world. I guess my purchasing power is also higher here plus the fact that Singapore has direct flights to almost anywhere. Oh! and the annual natas travel fair has uberly great travel deals, which reminds me that its coming soon on February!

3. Cleanliness and Safety - Where else on Earth can you walk around at freaking 3am and feel safe and secure?? Maybe on a desert or farm somewhere isolated but definitely not in a metropolis elsewhere. For someone like me who came from crime-infested Manila (no pun intended, just stating a fact), this truly is a luxury. Plus, the roads are so clean you can probably drop your food right smack on the freeway and it would still be clean hahaha.

4. Comfort and Ease of Public Transportation - I really don't mind that I don't drive or own a car here. In fact, I'd rather not with the surging prices of petrol, ERP, parking, COE, etc. I can take a taxi to and fro work everyday and it would still be cheaper compared to owning a car. Seriously, some (if not most) cars are the price of a house in Manila. AND the buses and trains have really cold A/C. So no sweat. Unless you're beside someone who forgot to take a shower or put on deo. hint hint. haha peace.

5. The Internet is fully-utilised - Most, if not all, transactions here can be done online. From banking to food delivery to booking a BBQ pit at the beach, government transactions, etc. You can literally be a slob on the couch at home and do everything online. No need to take a shower, dress up and head out. See, now you can even save on water and soap hahaha.

Hmmm, I guess those would be the top 5 things I luurrrvvvee about SG. BUT, don't get me wrong my fellow kababayans who might be reading this. I'm not bashing the Philippines or trying to state that SG is a much much better country. NO NO NO. In fact, if I didn't love the Philippines I wouldn't be going back every now and then right? I'm just trying to list down the reasons why my ass is still here. Plus, nothing wrong about the Philippines learning from SG right? :)

There are also a few things that I don't like in Singapore of course (e.g. some people being stiff, insensitive and unaffectionate), no place is perfect. But I can't deny the fact that there are a lot of things and experiences that I wouldn't have achieved if I hadn't been here.

So Kudos to SG! One day, I am quite sure I'd be retiring in the Philippines, maybe in some farm with a small bakery or boutique restaurant. But for now, I am truly having the time of my life. Praise God for all the blessings. Without him, none of this would be possible.

Now, can someone please tell me when is Galactica going to open in Universal??? (Oh, Universal Studios is #6 on my list by the way! hahaha)