Jason's Trip Around The World, and now life in Singapore

Well recently I have flown across the ocean a fair bit, and most of that time it has been in economy. If your lucky enough to fly in Business Class or 1st class all the time, then you can ignore this.

Airlines are cutting back now, for the most part Asian and Middle East based airlines are a bit better than N. American based airlines, in the way of comfort, and service, and European airlines are in between the two.

Before you buy your ticket, check to see what kind of plane the flight is on, sometimes the same airline will have different planes for the same route. And some airlines have recently refreshed there older planes cabins, for example I recently flew Philippine Airlines, on a 747 from Manila to LAX, and it was brand new inside, and quite nice, much nicer than the old 747's that Singapore Airlines flies, even though Singapore Airlines is generally a much nicer airline, I enjoyed the Philippine Airlines flight more.
Seat Guru or Seat Expert are both handy sites to tell you what plane the flight will be on, and what features that plane has, like in seat entertainment, and power ports. It may be worth paying a small price more for a nicer cabin.

Choose your seat. If you can choose your seat, here are my suggestions, if your traveling alone, pick an Aisle Seat in the middle seats, I find 'G' seats are usually best, but check with the sites above, as different airlines put the entertainment boxes on different sides, so you have less leg room. If your 2 or more, some airlines have 2-5-2, 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 configurations, so if you can get two seats next to each other all alone, then your set.

If you don't have a very tight connection I suggest you sit near the back of the plane, not the very last row, as the seats don't recline much, but 3 or 4 rows from the back. The reason is that I find the back of the plane is usually less crowded, as everyone likes to sit at the front of the plane. So your more likely to get a whole row to your self, which is very nice! Who cares if your the last one off the plane, your generally going to be waiting for luggage anyways.

As for what to bring on the plane with you, here is a list of what I bring

1. Refillable Water Bottle - Planes are dry, around 10% humidity! You need to stay hydrated, once your settled in, and the flight attendants are not to busy, kindly ask one of them to fill your bottle up, if you can't fill it before boarding. They will be more than happy to do so.

2. Eye Mask - if you are wanting to get some sleep bring one, some airlines provide them, but most don't in economy. they come in handy because you have no idea if the person next to you, or in front of you is going to want to read the entire flight, and those lights can be bright!

3. Neck Pillow - At first I never flew with one of these, but I borrowed Tan's one flight, and it really did make a difference, especially if you don't have an empty seat next to you.

4. Ear Plugs - Again if your wanting to sleep, ear plugs can be a life saver, who knows how many babies, loud talkers, or snorers will be around you.

5. iPOD - Or other music device, you can use this instead of ear plugs as well. Load up some familiar soothing tracks to help you fall asleep.

6. Contact Lens Case with Solution - If you wear contacts either don't wear them on the day of the flight, and wear glasses, or take them off before you sleep, your eyes will thank you.

7. A Pen - For filling out immigration and customs forms.

8. Some snacks. - If your flying a nice airline like Singapore Airlines, they will feed you like crazy, so you don't need to worry about this, however if your flying an american based airline, you may get a little hungry I love munching into a nice apple when I wake up from a sleep on a plane. Apples, Granola Bars, are easy to bring in your bag.

9. Toothbrush and ToothPaste - Most Asian airlines provide these, please brush your teeth, if not for your own tooth health, for the comfort of the passengers around you!

10. Something to read. - Even if you have an Inflight Entertainment System at your seat, sometimes you can't find a movie you want to watch, bring a book, or a magazine. Often airlines will have some magazines for you to read as well but you have to grab them quick, check at the back of each section, there are often magazine racks.

With these items, your 12 hour flight to Asia will be a tad less painful, if you have your own suggestions, or have any questions about flying, which airline to choose, or need help finding a ticket, shoot me a message, I will do my best to help!

Posted by Jason Willock

Wow, again I will start the message by saying, where on earth has the time gone.. Here it is 2010, 3 years have passed since I first left Calgary. It really doesn't seem that long ago.
The last few months I have been flying a lot, doing the job as a Hand Carry Courier. For the most part it is not all that bad of a job, pick up a box, take it on a plane, give it to some guy at the other place, and head back home. Don't worry it's all legal, usually electronic components for the Automotive Industry.

Although sitting around on planes and in airports does get a bit tiring, most of the flights are trips to the states, which is handy if I can stop off and do a bit of shopping for some items that are expensive here. Guadalajara Mexico is another frequent destination, which I haven't really had a chance to see other than the airport and one hotel outside the city, but nice to eat some authentic Mexican Food! Perhaps one day I will get to check out the old city.. I did although get to go to Porto Portugal for the day. It had been a while since I had been to Europe, and even though it was a rather rainy day, I did enjoy strolling through the old part of the city, Europe does have it charms that are not really available here in hectic South East Asia. I know Tan prefers it in Europe, who knows maybe one day we can figure out how to live there again.

I still have no cravings for cold weather and snow, although some days the heat here can be a tad annoying, always so sweaty, although it doesn't bother me much.
We spent Christmas and New Years in Thailand, it was a nice trip we didn't go to the beaches as usual, but head into the Wine Country, for some nice cooler weather, in the low to high 20's quite enjoyable, plus the wine was quite nice as well. Tan's mom came to Bangkok as well, was nice to see her again, however I think she was disappointed I could not speak Thai, I try to learn, but get quickly frustrated, and give up, I really wish I had learnt another language when I was younger, as I think that may make it easier to learn a third, although Thai with it's 5 tones, and strange characters would still be a challenge I am sure. In ways I prefer Bangkok to Singapore, and perhaps if I lived there I would be able to pick up the language quicker, trying to learn with Rosetta Stone just doesn't seem to work for me, maybe if they had the new version of there software for Thai it would improve things. But I get annoyed at having to repeat 'the boy is under the table' or the girl is on the horse 100 times.

2010 also means it is my 20 year high school reunion, there are a couple events in August, that perhaps I will come to, since I am sure I will have an abundance of Frequent Flyer miles if I keep up the courier job for a while, although it has been rather slow so far this year. I also am unsure if there is really any point of attending a high school reunion, I don't really keep in touch with anyone from High School except for the odd Facebook Message, but perhaps that is the whole point of a reunion right? Plus if they have a prize for the person who traveled the farthest to get there, I am pretty sure I have that in the bag. Regardless, I do hope to make it back to Calgary sometime this summer, even if for a short little visit, but I think I will wait until all that white stuff goes away.

Once again I will make the promise of updating this more, perhaps instead of telling just about travels, I will give some tips on flying, or some of my cooking experiments, as rather surprisingly there are still a good number of people that come to this website often.

Keep in touch!

Posted by Jason Willock

Well today marks one year for us in Singapore. Hard to believe how fast this year has zipped by.
Had a couple visitors, my mom and Mike, which was nice, had a brief trip home, and went on a few trips with Tan. All in all it was a pretty good year.

Living in Singapore is different than Calgary that is for sure, it's much hotter, and way more humid, which for the most part I like, but sometimes it does get annoying to go outside and be sweating instantly!

I think I miss the seasons a bit too, certainly not winter, but I do miss Fall! I was reminded of that when I had a quick trip to Indiana last month, it was quite nice with all the colors of the leaves, and the corn fields.. However the constant green color as in Singapore is also quite nice too, no long brown/white winter seasons.

I am not really a fan of most of the local food here, we eat at home most of the time, the local cuisine is just to oily, and filled with MSG for my liking, and vegetables are over cooked and covered in sauces, but there are some exceptions, crab being the best, Pepper, Chili, or Butter, all very tasty! I much prefer Thai or Vietnamese cuisine and that is usually what we eat when we go out.

I also find myself missing fruit from our area, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries. Now while they are available here, they are insanely expensive, and don't taste the same, I think they are picked way to unripe, for the long shipping. However the pineapple here can be fantastic, and when it is Mangosteen, or Rambutan season, that is great too, however Thailand seems better for fresh fruit than Singapore.

It's much more convenient having a car here, the first half of the year we went with out one, and while the public transport is fantastic in Singapore, it can take a substantially longer time to go anywhere by Bus, and waiting outside for 20mins for the next bus to arrive in the heat can be unpleasant. The downside of having a car is that they are expensive, finding parking can be difficult and expensive in places, and there are speed camera's anywhere, so even when there is no traffic you can't drive fast!

I do enjoy the mix of cultures here in Singapore, and I do like being a minority here, it is nice to feel unique. Tan however feels the exact opposite, she dislikes how everyone assumes she is local, no matter where we are in Asia, in Singapore, they assume she is local, and speak in Chinese to her, same things happen in Vietnam, Philippines, and China, they just assume all asians are local, even though she is Thai.

I am also discouraged how I am unable to find a job here, it's not great for the self esteem!

That being said, we are considering at looking at relocating somewhere else, however that is a big decision, and we can't make it hastily, so who knows where we will end up, or maybe we will stay in Singapore a while longer.

One thing I know is time is just flying by, as my old high school physics teacher warned us, he told us to enjoy our time while we can, as it just starts going by faster and faster! So True!

Posted by Jason Willock

So I have been searching for a job here in Singapore for quite some time now, and not coming up with much, but things seem to be picking up, I am getting more calls, and there seems to be more job postings in the market, so that is a good sign, a couple recruitment companies are actively searching for a position for me.

I managed to get some temporary work as a Hand Carry Courier, basically I take product, (usually hi-tec product like sensors or semi-conductors) as checked luggage on a flight. I have done three trips so far, one to Toronto, which I got to fly business class there, which was quite nice. Then just flew back to Singapore, I can choose to stay as long as I like if I pay for my expenses there, but Toronto doesn't excite me all that much! Next trip was to Chicago, where I then had to drive the product to Kokomo Indiana, where there is a big Delco plant, it was a nice drive through the mid-west corn fields, on a beautiful sunny day. Since I had an empty suitcase to bring back, I decided to stop off at a grocery store to pick up some stuff that I can't get in Singapore, or is very expensive here, so I stocked up on cereal, popcorn, and some spices for cooking, and a few other things, funny thing is on the way out of Singapore airport, I was checked by customs, and my bag had to go through x-ray, I figured for sure they were going to ask me to open up the bag, but surprisingly they let me through with out a word, I think they look out for cigarettes and alcohol, since they are heavily taxed here.

My last trip was to Hong Kong, I was to stay one night, and then bring back some product to Singapore, however the product was delayed from China, so I got to stay 2 nights, it had been a while since I had been in Hong Kong, I forgot how crowded and dirty it is compared to Singapore, but I think living in Hong Kong would be more exciting than Singapore, which is kind of dull at times, but I am not sure how I would handle the crowds all the time!

So how the job usually works, is I will get a call in the morning, saying would you like to go to Toronto or wherever, and then I go that afternoon or night, so it is quite last minute. I then have to update the company along the way, until I deliver the package, usually I just meet someone at the airport who takes it to it's final destination.

I get to keep the frequent flyer miles for the flights as well, so that adds up, we will be able to fly back to Calgary for much cheaper now, just have to pay taxes, and I am now Star Alliance Gold, so I get to use the lounges which makes things much more comfortable on the longer layovers.

This is by no means a dream job, as the work is sporadic but it's interesting, puts some money in my pockets (or should I say back into Tan's), and I don't have to worry about leaving the country each month now, as I am always coming and going! I am still able to work a bit on the websites I am working on, and hunt for a more permanent job, and in a strange sort of way I do like flying!

Posted by Jason Willock

Hard to believe it has been nearly a month since I left Calgary.
It was a rather short visit of just 10 days, and the time flew by, saw some friends, and family, but didn't get a chance to see everyone I wanted too.

Calgary is still my home, and I feel comfortable there, however I don't know if I could live there again, at least not anytime soon. I do miss a few things about Calgary, but the long winters, and the atmosphere of the city has changed, or maybe I have changed, it just felt like I didn't fit in there any more.

The job hunt still continues, with out a University degree it is difficult to find work in Singapore, as everyone has a degree, and that seems to matter more than real world experience. So I have decided I will start studying and take some exams to get some certifications, I haven't fully decided which path to take though.

In the mean time I have got a strange part time job, I just finished the first shift yesterday, it was a 60hour shift, which has me fly to Kuala Lumpur, pick up a couple boxes, and deliver them to Toronto, sounds sketchy right? It's all on the straight and narrow, it is for a courier company that does rush deliveries, when things are needed faster than air delivery from companies like FedEx or UPS.
It doesn't pay a lot, but I get to rack up the Miles, and since I have to leave the country once a month anyways, it saves on me having to buy a ticket somewhere.

I also got to fly business class on the way to Toronto from Hong Kong, that certainly increases the comfort level a fair bit, and if I do a couple more long flights like that, I will have access to the airline lounges, which are also very comfy, so I can still do some website work, and try to get some studying done. And I do enjoy people watching in Airports, it's an interesting environment.

It was also good timing, as I was going to be all alone for 2 weeks anyways as Tan had to travel for work, and I was going to have to leave Singapore in a week anyways, and had no idea where to go.

Not sure how many of these jobs they need done, I really don't think I could do them more than once a week anyways.

Well thats all from me for now.

Posted by Jason Willock

After a couple days in Manila, it was off to Boracay, it is rainy season in the Philippines, but the weather looked like it was going to be good for a while there, so we decided to take a gamble, and head to the island of Boracay.

The flight there was quite interesting, in a little 19 seater Czech built propeller plane. It was a tad rough at times, and flying in a non pressurized airplane is a bit strange, we flew just at 9500 ft, and could really notice the lack of oxygen in the cabin, as everyone was yawning. The runway to the Caticlan airport, is very short, in fact a couple airplanes have fallen off the runway, causing the government to put a ban on larger aircraft to the airport. We had to get weighed before boarding the flight, and not everyones luggage made it on that flight, it had to come on a another flight, fortunately ours made the flight, since we hadn't picked where we were staying yet, so they couldn't deliver it.

Then it was a short boat ride to Boracay, where we took a tricycle motorbike to the beach area, then the fun began, we started trekking up the beach to look for a place, this was not a great idea, as we were getting mobbed by people trying to take us to places, and to get the best rate we wanted to deal with the resort directly, not with some guy that would want a commission for bringing us there. So since Tan is the more picky of the two of us, I said I would just sit on the beach and wait for her to check out some places. I became quite the amusement for many of the people selling the rooms, as they couldn't believe how many places Tan was looking at. We wanted something nice and cheap, which on Boracay is not so easy to find. However after 1.5 hours of Tan searching, she came across a nice new place called Boracay Pito Beach Huts. It was so new that we had to wait for a while as they put the finishing touches on the room. It's always nice to stay in a new place, nice and clean!

We had some great weather the first day as we explored the beach, it's a long beach with great sand, and amazingly clear water, it was a tad windy which made the sea a little rough, apparently normally it is still and flat. We spent the first couple days just lounging on the beach, trying the various restaurants, beer is cheap, and food is decently priced, perhaps a little expensive for S.E. Asia, but this is a very touristy beach resort area. It was actually nice to be there in the off season, there were still people there, but it wasn't crazy busy, and we had lots of space to ourselves on the beach. However nightlife perhaps was a bit lacking, but we still had a couple of fun nights out.

Took a snorkeling boat trip around a few islands, the other side of Boracay where the water is still not choppy, it was amazing how crystal clear the water was, snorkeling was great. Tan wanted to do some SCUBA diving, but it has been a while for her, so she would have to do some refresher courses, and I of course would need to start from scratch, they had a 2 hour explore diving package, but that was quite expensive for what you get. But I still really want to get my SCUBA certification, and I know Tan really wants to go diving again. Hopefully we can do it sometime soon.

The next days the weather took a turn for the worse, with some high wind, and rain, kind of annoying, but at least it didn't rain all the time, and we still were able to swim in the ocean, as the water is warm enough still.

Filipino's really seem to love Buffet's there were many of them on the beach, the first night we tried one in a nice hotel, it was decent enough, but we ate too much, and said no more Buffet! However a few days later we tried one again, when we couldn't decide where to eat! No more buffets. We had a couple nice seafood dinners as well, nothing fancy, but fresh and tasty, had lobster one night, kind of expensive, about 40USD for a small grilled lobster. We also decided that lobster didn't excite us, and we should stop ordering them on our vacations.. We will have to see if we remember not to order it next time!

There was heavy rain and wind for part of this morning, which made us concerned about if we would be able to fly back to Manila today, but fortunately there was a break in the weather, and we were able to get to the boat, and the airport, and got to fly in a slightly larger more modern 32 seat propeller plane, the ride was quite bumpy, I am glad it was a short flight, a little less than an hour. Otherwise I think I would have needed to use the 'paper bag'.

I am writing this from Manila airport, as I wait for my flight back to Singapore. Tan took an earlier flight with Singapore Airlines, as her work paid for the tickets, to save money I took a budget airline Cebu Pacific, so I have to wait, at least it is in there new Terminal, the old terminals are nightmares, this one isn't great either, no wifi, but at least it's clean and there are some restaurants here, and more importantly somewhere to sit. There are 3 international terminals, 1 domestic terminal, while they are all in the same general area, there is no easy way to get between them. We arrived in the Domestic Terminal, Tan flies out of Terminal 1, and I Terminal 3, so we were able to find a taxi driver that would do the trip, and it took about 20 minutes to complete the journey, at least taxi's are cheap here, if you can find one that will use the meter. The fare came to 100 Pesos, under $3, so I tipped him the small bills I had left an extra 70 Pesos, still a cheap ride. The authorized airport taxi's wanted to charge 300 Pesos for such a trip!

I will have one day back in Singapore, which I am sure will be filled with laundry duties, and packing, then I am off the the airport bright and early to begin the travel home. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Posted by Jason Willock

Well I had to leave Singapore as my Visa expired, and Tan had to go to Philippines for work, so I decided to meet here there.
My first time in Manila, I was not overly impressed with the city, it was too big, crowded, and dirty.
I had one night on my own before joining Tan, so I decided to try the Makati area, it's the heart of the city, where the business section is, and where there is also some nightlife. I stayed in a new hostel Our Melting Pot it had been a while since I had been in a hostel, and this one was great, it was brand new, I was one of there first guests, the owners were very friendly, and it had a great location. While the air in Manila is still polluted, and it is not the cleanest of cities, there is a certain charm to it, and I quite enjoyed it. There were all sorts of restaurants and bars on the same street as the hostel, which was just a loft apartment converted into a hostel. Short walk to shopping malls, restaurants, and nightlife. There is a seedy area in Makati as well, which was interesting to see, it's just a bar street with bar girls, and unlike Thailand, where the majority of the visitors are European, most here where American. Although there are also tons of Korean bars as well. I didn't stay out very late, as I was tired from the long day of travel, and exploring the city, so I didn't get to see the street in full action, but I am sure it was colorful!

I had a great dinner at a Biker Bar / Restaurant that had a huge BBQ outside, and I think the owners were Canadian, as there were some Canadian Flags around and about. It was called The Handlebar I recommend it!

Manila is so much less expensive than Singapore, and service is great, although I am starting to get sick of being called Sir every time I enter a store, restaurant, Hello Sir, Thank You Sir, Your Welcome Sir, Come in Sir. Etc Etc.. It's nice, but it gets a little much at times..

I then joined Tan at her hotel, in another part of Manila, it truly is a huge city, this part of Manila is mostly business related, there is a big mall near by, but that is about it, but it's ok, I have been planning the rest of our time here in Philippines, as Tan will take a much needed break from work, and we will go on a vacation. Problem is, it is rainy season here in Philippines, and most other areas in S.E. asia, however after studying many weather maps, and checking flights, we have decided to give Boracay a try, it is a little touristy, and over priced for Philippines, but is always ranked one of the top 10 beaches of the world, so we will check it out, and pray to the sun gods, for nice weather. Hopefully I will have many lovely photos to post soon!

I am also looking forward to being back in Canada in only 9 days!

Posted by Jason Willock

Well I just booked my ticket for a short trip home, I arrive on July 30th, and head back to Singapore on August 10th. So hopefully I can meet up with as many people as possible! I look forward to spending time with friends and family!

Booking the ticket was quite stressing, I wanted to keep costs down, but also want some relative comfort. I really wanted to avoid flying American based airlines, since Asian service is so much better.
However in the end I ended up booking United Airlines. Singapore -> Hong Kong -> San Francisco -> Calgary. The main reason I picked this flight was the connection times, no long layovers, and get Frequent Flyer Miles, since it's 9600miles each way, thats a fair bit. My next choice was Philippine Airlines, it was a bit cheaper, but involved a 9 hour layover at Manilla Airport from 4am till 1pm. Now for those of you who have never been to the Manilla Airport, it's not the happiest place in the world. Crowded, not many seats, and no wifi! Apparently the new Terminal 3 is better, but I wouldn't have been in that terminal.

Oh well it's only one day of my life on a plane, each way. A plane with no personal entertainment, but thats what the laptop and ipod is for I guess.

Tan has been traveling for work for the last week, and comes back Sunday for 1 night, and then she has to travel again. So I have been on my own, at least I am starting to know a few people here, and I play volleyball with some interesting people, so it's not too bad. Hard to meet new people in a city, especially when you don't have the office environment, but slowly but surely!

Anyhow, just looking forward to seeing you all in a few weeks!

Posted by Jason Willock

My goodness I have neglected this website! Where oh where did the month of June go!

Lets see, some updates, we picked up the car, drove it for 5 minutes and then the Check Engine light came on, so we had to bring it back, they gave us a loaner, and checked it out, it was a bad computer chip, so they fixed it up. Driving in Singapore is interesting, people like to drive in the middle of the lanes, and rarely use there signal indicator. There are speed camera's everywhere, and traffic is crowded. But the roads are in very nice condition. I did manage to get a speeding ticket, doing 91 in a 70, $150sgd ouch.. Have to slow down, just it's such a fun little car to drive. However my license expired on my Birthday (June 12th), so I haven't been able to drive since then.

Went to Thailand for a week, spent a weekend at a little beach town a couple hours drive from Bangkok called Hua Hin, there was a Jazz Festival going on, huge crowds, it was quite fun. Went to the dentist to get a filling replaced and a cleaning, for under $70cdn.

Other than that I have been continuing the job search, promoting our website www.one4sale.net which is a online marketplace like Craigslist only better, we got the website from Tan's friend who is running a Singapore version One2Sell Singapore Also been learning web design, and have started creating a Medical Tourism website, if you need some medical/dental/cosmetic work done, Asia is so much cheaper, and I think the quality of care is much better.

I am planning on coming home near the end of July for a short visit, and to renew my drivers license, as I miss driving the Mini.

More updates to follow, I promise!

Posted by Jason Willock

Well after being here in Singapore for over 6 months, we decided a car would indeed be handy to have. So we took the plunge to buy a car. A first we were looking at used cars. Tan is a bit um picky about what she will drive, so we were looking mostly at BMW's to start, but then the focus became MINI, she wanted to have another Mini Cooper. There were a few for sale, mostly Automatic, and we wanted to get a Manual one, as we figured a car like that would be more fun to drive as a Manual. It seems that Singaporeans don't really like to drive Manual's and there weren't many out there, and the ones that were available, were a funny color, or to old.

So then we did the math, and figured you lose about the same amount of money on a car here if you buy a new one or a used one, if you drive it for 2-3 years. Since we don't really know how long we will be staying in Singapore, that may be all we drive it for.

Let me give you a brief run down on car prices here, for the most part car prices are similar to back home in Canada, European ones maybe a little more expensive, no problem. However they also have a nice thing called a "Certificate of Entitlement" or COE. What this is, is a 10 Year license to drive the car in Singapore, after the 10 years is up, the car is scrapped, or sold to Malaysia or Thailand. That's why it is hard to find a car older than 10 years here, unless it's a classic. Which all in all is a good thing, no smokey oil burning beaters cruising down the road. However, this really adds a lot to the cost of owning a car. I would say on average it adds 100% to the car price!

Anyhow, so we checked out MINI, the Cooper is very nice, but at $95000SGD for the base model, not a cheap car. We then looked at a Fiat 500, a pretty cute high tech car, but not really our style. Then off to the VW dealership to check out the new Golf's. I wasn't really excited, they didn't have the new Scirocco's there, which may have been more appealing. Then we headed to Peugeot, I wanted to see the 207 GTI, a fast little car, but it was out on a test drive already, so the dealer showed us a 308 Turbo, it's a 4 door car, with a glass roof, took it for a drive, and wow I was quite impressed, it was fast, and a very nice drive, then we took the 207 for a spin, this comes only as a Manual, and it's quite fast, it has the same engine as the Mini Cooper S, but for $40000SGD less. It was a fun car to drive, but it wasn't as fast I thought it should have been, the 1st gear was quite slow.

Tan really liked the 308 Turbo as well, and now she had to think what she wanted to get, so after sleeping on it we headed back to the MINI dealer for another look, and this time we took a Cooper S for a drive, it is Automatic, but has the thumb shifters, even though it has the same engine as the Peugeot, it's Tuned different, and wow it felt much faster than the 207, even with an automatic, and had a much nicer ride to it then the Cooper. So we negotiated a price, and we got one for $116000SGD ($92000CAD), which pains me to think about what we could buy for 92k in Canada. But it's a price you must pay to drive on the nice roads in Singapore I guess. We also got $3000 in vouchers for MINI, which we are using to add some Chrome accessories and stripes to the car.

We got a Pepper White one, with Beige interior, I will post some pictures when we get it. Which hopefully will be late next week, you see you can't just buy a new car here and drive it home the same day, you have to wait for the dealer to do bidding on the COE (Which is done twice a month), and fluctuates quite a bit, the government doesn't just freely issue these liceneses, there are certain number available each month, so if car sales are good for that period, then it can really drive the price up. Also they have different prices for different car classes like engine less than 1.6L is cheaper than something with a larger engine, I guess like a gas guzzler tax. You can also get a much cheaper one as well called an off peak car, which your only allowed to drive in the evenings, and on Sunday, but that option isn't very popular here.
They also need to install a little box on the dash, this is how you pay for the many tolls (ERP) and parking, which is quite handy, you just insert your cash card, and load the machine up, and when you drive under a toll road, it makes a beep, and deducts the amount, same with parking garages. Saves time!

So now I need to find a GPS, so we will be ready to cruise the streets of Singapore when we get the car!

Posted by Jason Willock

Here is just a quick recap of the rest of mom's visit. We parted ways with Tan and flew to Penang, Malaysia from Bangkok. I had never been to Penang, so I didn't know what to expect exactly. I was pleasantly surprised, it is a nice small beach city, and we stayed on a quite a nice beach, very clean, and nice sand. There were lots of arab muslims there, I never gave it much thought before, but I guess if you are a Muslim, and wanted to go on vacation, perhaps you would choose another Muslim country, like Malaysia, that can cater to your needs, (diet, prayer, and no alcohol). I still do find it funny to see the Muslim women, dressed from head to toe on the beach. It must be so hot, and uncomfortable with all the sand getting everywhere.

So we just spend two nights there, which is really enough, as there is not a whole lot to see, just relaxed on the beach, and had a pretty decent seafood dinner. Malay food generally does not excite me, but yet many Singaporeans flock to Penang to feast on it's tasty food. I guess just not for my palate.

It was then off to Kuala Lumpur, I thought it would be nice to treat mom to a nice hotel there, since it's one of the cheapest places to stay at a 5star hotel in the world. I booked the Novotel there, and was sorely disappointed, old, and run down. The hotel Maya me and Tan stayed at before, was so much nicer. So if your going to K.L. I would avoid the Novotel. We walked around Petronas Twin Towers, not sure if mom was impressed with them as much as I was the first time I saw them, they are quite amazing, especially at night. So we just stayed there one night, did some shopping, and then headed back home to Singapore.

I truly do like Singapore, after being in the major cities in Asia, but I haven't really lived in the other cities, so maybe it's not a fair shake. I just do like how clean and organized it is here though.

The last few days with mom were just taking it easy, eating in at home as we were tired from eating out everyday, and doing some shopping. I took her to Mustafa Center, I had never been there before, it is just a huge store that contains everything you could possibly need, think of it as a WalMart on steroids. Lots of great deals too. We also hit the garden center near my place, as all my previous plants had to be destroyed, as I somehow got a huge spider mite infestation, so I now have an orchid growing as well, which reminds me of my mom!

I think mom enjoyed her time here, it was nice to have her around, and hopefully she can come visit again soon. Just the 24 hour flight is rather long for her, or anyone for that matter.

Posted by Jason Willock

Well time just zipped by, and now my mom is back home already!

We left Singapore to go to Phuket, Tan picked a really nice apartment/hotel for us to stay in, it was very nice, I recommend it if you go to Phuket. BYD Lofts is the name. We introduced mom to some Thai food, and relaxed on the beach. There was a Biker Weekend festival going on, there were tons of Harley's from all over Thailand and Malaysia there, even saw a couple from Singapore.
Tan has a cousin who is a Physical Therapist there, I have a pinched nerve in my hip that acts up sometimes, so Tan took me there to have me checked out, also gave us some insight into Medical Tourism. I apparently need to stretch more, as I am a little crooked, and need to straighten myself out, so I will try to start some stretching routine. Her cousin was also nice enough to lend us a car for our time there, which was handy to see the rest of the island!

We did a day trip to Koh Phi Phi, did some snorkeling, it was quite lovely water, I took some cookies from the boat into the water, and the fish attached, there were so many, it was pretty cool, I really need to do a diving course, but I have been saying that for ever. I really should get around to it though!

Our last night in Phuket also marked the start of Songkran, the Thai New Year, and a water festival, where basically everyone has squirt guns, or buckets of water, and everyone just sprays each other. My mom wasn't too keen on that, but me and Tan headed out for a little fun. The worst is when people have buckets of ice water and you get soaked. They also apply a talcum powder paste over you as well, I tried to avoid that part as much as possible.. Songkran is pretty fun, I hope we get to go again next year. One downside of Songkran is the traffic accidents, and it's not surprising, people will stand on the side of the street, and spray mopeds with water. Here are the stats for this years festivities, taken from "The Nation" 2009-04-18

Songkran's "seven dangerous days" ended yesterday with 373 deaths and 4,332 injuries in 3,977 road accidents nationwide

Pretty Scary!

We then headed to Bangkok, which at the time was having some protesting going on, we were a bit concerned, but Tan's friends said it was fine as long as you stayed away from the Government houses. There was a military presence there when we arrived, but nothing to major, and after the first night they had resolved there conflict for the time being. We did a lot of shopping in Bangkok, and took in the Grand Palace, which I had never seen before, it was so crowded there, and they are saying how there tourism numbers are down do to the conflicts, I certainly didn't notice! We then took a cruise along the river, it was quite nice and relaxing, and then we hit a residential area along the river, and people were standing on the sides of the river, just drenching everyone in the boats. My mom did not enjoy that, it was refreshing though, since it was in the low 40's that day in Bangkok. We had a nice Thai Seafood dinner along the river, very good and very cheap. I am sure it came to under $50 for 4 people, including a couple drinks.

Then it was time for me and mom to go to Malaysia, and Tan headed back to Singapore.

Posted by Jason Willock

Whew time is zipping by! Been a busy last few days.

Friday night had dinner at Brewerkz on Clarke Quay. Nice setting, ok American Style food, and decent beer.

Saturday we first hit Vivo City, a nice mall right on the Harbour, where we had some famed Singapore Chicken Rice, I don't know what the fuss is about that stuff, it's ok but doesn't really excite me. Then we headed to Sentosa a man made island next to the island of Singapore. It's pretty touristy, it does have some decent beaches, but food & drink prices there are pretty crazy. But the setting is nice. It was a very hot day and by the end of the afternoon we were quite wiped out, so we just picked some stuff up at the grocery store, and I cooked some nice Prawn Pasta.

Sunday was a very long day, it was raining in the late morning, so we headed to Suntec Mall had some Japanese Udon for lunch, did some shopping, and strolled through the endless malls. Finally it stopped raining, so we headed to the Durian's ( it is the Singapore Theater / Opera house, that is shaped like Durians). Then we headed to Merlion, the famed water spitting lion, it recently got struck by lightning, but they quickly patched him back up. I don't know why it's such a tourist spot, it's not that exciting, but every time I have been there it is just so busy! I don't mind as I got to have my $1 ice cream sandwich from one of the old singaporean 'uncles' that sell them in the touristy areas. Followed by a couple other tourist sites, including the raffels hotel, home of the Singapore Sling. Didn't have a drink there though as mom didn't want another Singapore Sling. Good thing, since one drink is somewhere in the region of $26SGD! Crazy!

It was then off to the East Coast of the country, (a 15 minute cab ride), we had a beer at the wakeboard park, one day I will have to try that. It's just a system of pulleys that pull you along a lake on your wakeboard. I would want to go when no one is there though the first time. It was then time for some lovely seafood dinner, Long Beach Seafood was our destination, we ate there before with Mike and it was good, so gave it another try. Had Black Pepper Sri Lankan Crab, (which is great), Garlic Tiger Prawns, Fried Sea Bass, and Seafood Fried Rice. All were very good, we couldn't finish it all, but they packed up the rest for us to take home. Then a stroll along the seaside to help with some digestion, before heading back home around 10pm. We were all pretty worn out.

Today me and mom headed out to the Jurong Bird Park, it's kind of like a zoo, but just with Birds, it's actually pretty well done, and I quite enjoyed it, and we were just about finished when the heavy thunder storm hit, so it was good timing.

Tomorrow we will do the Night Safari, and probably take it easy during the day. Wednesday we fly to Phuket, Thailand. To give mom a taste of Thailand for a few days before heading to Bangkok. Should be interesting to see her take on Thailand, it is a tad different than Singapore.

As usual photos will appear on the website later.

Posted by Jason Willock

Well my mom arrived early morning on April 1st. We took a quick trip to the local grocery store, It perhaps was a bit cruel of me to start her off there. I had gotten used to it, but I guess for a first timer here it is a little shocking. All the pork sitting out where you can select your own bits, so people handling the meat, maybe not so sanitary. Then the fish section, which had some fish still flapping around, and then of course the frogs, both live frogs, and freshly skinned frogs, which are a tad strange looking.

We then headed to the more civilized Orchard Road shopping district, but even there when we stepped into Plaza Singapura, a rather nice mall, my mom said it smelled. I guess the smell from the durian at the grocery store wafts through out the entire mall.

Then we went to an Italian Restaurant, it was quite nice, but the food was only average, and a little pricey, but not too bad. The $75 for a bottle of cheap australian wine, always hurts though!

It was off to bed, my mom was tired, after her long flight!

The next day we headed to the Botanic & Orchid Gardens, which are very near my condo, but I have never been there. It was really quite nice, and the Botanic gardens are free, it's a huge park which is very well kept, and quite nice. The Orchid garden for $5 for Adults and $1 for seniors, is also a pretty good deal. It was a very hot day, and I was pretty beat after just that, but mom wasn't tired, and need to get some clothes for the hot weather here.

Off to Little India we went, it is truly like being in a different city there, all sorts interesting sights, including the nice Hindu Temple. After checking out the shops there, it was off to Chinatown for some more shopping. There are some good deals there, pants for $10, shirts for $5, but the styles may be a tad lacking. Good enough for just bumming around though.

We just had a simple dinner at home, I was quite tuckered out.

Today we just walked around the area, and hung out at the pool. We are meeting one of Tan's friend and his family for dinner at Clarke Quay, a nice area with restaurants along the river.

On a side note all my precious basil and dill plants got infested with spider mites, so they had to all get tossed. No more fresh basil for a bit. I wasn't sure what to do with all the plants when we head to Thailand next week anyways.

Photos to come soon.

Posted by Jason Willock

Again I have been lax in updating the site! We went for a weekend in Malacca Malaysia, or Melaka as they call it there. A nice port town with lots of history, it was occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and Japanese for 3 years during WW2. Oddly though it felt like Singapore, mostly Chinese there, and then tons of Singaporean tourists, as it is only a few hours drive from the island. So makes for a nice inexpensive short vacation, since things are cheaper there. They rave about the food there, but we didn't have anything to exciting, except for a nice seafood dinner, but nothing special.

We went to a night club there, very strange, they had a live band, and rows of small tables, similar to Bangkok, however there was no dance floor, and you could drink Beer or Beer, and since neither of us are very big beer drinkers, it didn't make for a very exciting night. Plus they still allow smoking in the club, which is gross!

I have started playing some sports, to shed some pounds, I play volleyball and tennis, slowly getting better at both, you work up quite the sweat playing in the hot humid conditions. I enjoy it though, and already I can see my waistline decreasing! It's also a good way to meet people as well, slowly making friends here.

The job hunt isn't going to well, I am not aggressively looking yet though, I am finding it a bit tough to get motivated at times, so I have to work on that. We are also getting more serious on trying to do some Medical Tourism website, just doing some competition research now, and then we will move forward from there.

My mom is also coming to visit for 3 weeks at the end of the month, so it will be nice to see her again, and show her around Singapore and a bit of Thailand, hopefully she likes it here, it should be interesting to see what she thinks of Asia, especially Thailand.

Posted by Jason Willock