Disclaimer: This is my personal story, which means that I can only speak from my experience. Although I know of people who landed work right away, I even know a few who secured a job before getting there. But many, and I mean many, had the most challenging time finding work! I arrived in Auckland last January 14, 2015. So today is my 49th day in NZ (read: N-Zed). I started sending out work applications a week after that. As of writing, I think I have forwarded more than 120 copies of different versions of my CV/cover letter, both for a long-term skilled job and casual work. But, until now, I ..read more

Table of Contents: 1. MyTransport2. myENV3. Singpass 4. TraceTogether 5. FWMOMCare 6. SGWorkPass 7. Banking App (e.g. DBS digibank) 8. Telco App (e.g. Circles.Life) 9. TL SimplyGo 10. HealthHub 11. Ride-hailing App (e.g. Grab, Gojek) 12. Food Delivery App (e.g. Food Panda) 13. Online Shopping App (e.g. Lazada) 14. Bike Sharing App (e.g. SG Bike, Anywheel) 15. Streaming Service App (e.g. Netflix) 16. Messaging and video calling app (e.g. Whatsapp, Viber, Telegram, FB Messenger) 17. Social Media App (e.g. Facebook, Instagram) 18. Email App (e.g. Yahoomail, Gmail, Outlook) 19. Google Maps 20. Fi ..read more

Disclaimer: I was working and based in Singapore when I applied last July/August 2021. 1. NEW APPLICATION Since I could not find my old clearances, I decided to just apply for a new application altogether. The first thing to do for a NEW application is to accomplish the NBI Card Fingerprinting. (If you have your old clearance, you can skip steps 1.1 and 1.2 and refer to 2. RENEWAL below.) 1.1 Secure an online appointment for fingerprinting at the Philippine Embassy: https://nbisgpe.timetap.com/#/ Note: This sample screenshot was taken on September 20, 2021. The earliest available slot is on ..read more

On my 2nd day in Saigon, I had a rather interesting day visiting one of the most touristy places outside the city. How the day started – I hop on a public bus, camouflaged as a local. I woke up feeling well-rested and adventurous, so instead of waiting for 1 pm for a ‘tourist’ bus to take me back and forth directly to where I am planning to go, I have decided to give this other option a go. Ideally, the trip will take 1.5hrs via public bus plus another 1hr on a different bus, one way. That’s the best-case scenario. 10 minutes aboard the first bus, we’re already stuck in traffic (*Manila feels ..read more

Back in high school, I hardly go inside the mall by myself. I would be so uncomfortable stepping inside alone because someone might see that I didn’t have any companion. The main reason being that it’s been instilled in the deep recesses of my mind that people malling alone is pathetic losers (e.g. they have no friends willing to accompany them there). But during college, that changed. I would frequently find myself going out by my lonesome to the malls. My perspective changed 180degrees. I discovered that it’s liberating, even enjoyable. We (Filipinos) as a society are very clingy – we alwa ..read more

I get different reactions from friends whenever I ask them how they feel about Melaka/Malacca. Some like it, while some don’t. The first time I got here, I was really impressed with it. I fell in love with it right away. Personally, I like it better than Kuala Lumpur (KL) or Penang. This is only my 2nd time and I can say that I feel the same way. It’s a shame that it’s only less than 2 hrs away from KL and I don’t bother to visit more often than I should. What I love about it is that it is such a compact city so you can see the many interesting sites just by walking around the city center ..read more

Is the Angkor Wat found in this Southeast Asian country of Cambodia worth the visit? Most Definitely! This temple complex is the largest religious structure (temple complex) in the world by land area and was built around the 12th century. It’s one of those “popular” tourist sites frequented by throngs of tourists that I feel deserve such attention. The feeling I got while exploring these historical sites felt that I was transported back in time while continuing to blow my mind that centuries ago, people here have built something special. Angkor Wat is just one of the many temple complexes, an ..read more

Kuala Lumpur or KL was the first place I set foot outside Pinas. And culture shock is real, mga Kapatid! No joke. Many of the sights and smells were new to my senses, and when it hit me that I’m in a place quite different from my own, I couldn’t help to have different emotions at the same time… – Love my time in KL. I have so much love for this city. It’s so multi-ethnic/cultural, making it so interesting. I have been to several cities in developed countries. And I can tell you that KL feels to me like it’s from a first-world country except… it’s still relatively cheap! – I always thought tha ..read more

VERY FIRST IMPRESSION Being seated at the window side of the plane, I had a magnificent view of Bali. What I saw from above was very different from the picture I always imagined the place to be. It was a different kind of beautiful. It was already dark when we were landing. The place was illuminated with bright lights which span for miles and miles. I didn’t expect that urbanization has gotten its way easily there. Of all places I had visited, I never thought I’d see the most awesome road structure in my entire life there. It’s a 12.7KM toll bridge. And built on top of the sea! Amazing! LONG ..read more

Tourism has been going on for a long time in Bali. The people there have already mastered the proper business handling and had devised an effective system that benefits both the tourists and their business. If you planned on doing some activities while on vacation there but didn’t know beforehand what things are available, worry not because just like Phuket, they have Tour Booths/Stalls all around the place where you can avail yourself any of the various activities they have come up that their island has to offer. I chose to visit Bali for two reasons. The first is to experience the beach cul ..read more