It’s an Asahi dark beer. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I was again so tired chasing people, talking to people all day, and I had to write one story while half-listening to the panel discussion at the conference. I’ve been on my feet for more than 8 hours.
At the networking break. Photo by CallMeCreation.com On the bus on the way back to my hotel. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
My colleagues from HK and I finally decided, enough is enough. Singapore is boring. So we went back to our respective hotels to change from our business clothes to something more casual and met at Chijmes to have drinks.
At Chijmes. Yes, there are bars next to a church. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
And have chili crabs. Or pepper crabs. Or whatever, I don’t know the difference because I can’t eat crab. I had kangkong sambal and so sad sweet and sour pork… Because I’m allergic to crustaceans or else I will have anaphylaxis. 🥴 I lead a sad life.
Chili crabs at New Ubin Seafood Restaurant. Photo by CallMeCreation.comOne pint for SGD 17. Cheers! Second pint.
Nah, that’s just drama. It will take more than this to get me drunk. 🤣 Believe me. Three shots of Patron and I was still normal.
I woke up at 6 am so I can start preparing for my Ms. Universe pageant, as I call my networking events. Had tea and instant cup noodles because I can’t be bothered to go outside for a proper meal. I just needed some carbohydrates to last me the day because in networking events, I barely eat.
All I do is talk and be charming. And get info.
So now I have two stories I need to write down. If I find the time to write them. 🥴
Anyway, just as I was about to leave my room, I noticed that my new dress had split a seam on the shoulder part. So I had to quickly change clothes 🤦♀️
Full house for the small conference today. There were more people at the back of this hall and some were standing. And to think the main event is still tomorrow. 🫣
A lot of GPs, LPs, fund of funds, family offices, etc. Moreso tomorrow, which is a bigger event than the one we organized in July.
I started talking to people at past 8 am, got back to my hotel for a bit (about four bus stops away) to get more business cards because I realized the stack I brought with me were not enough. 🤦♀️
I stopped at 7 pm because my throat could no longer take it. My legs, too. I’m just too tired. I’m supposed to attend the awards dinner but they couldn’t find my name on the list despite being registered by my colleagues. I finally had the perfect excuse to go home back to the hotel and rest. 🫠
Good thing I brought a lot of Strepsils and Bactidol candies for my throat. My capacity for talking even astounds me. 🤣 One company I had been covering had a presence there and I told their rep that ohhhh I know you guys pretty well. You were bidding for this and this and you have some pending xxxx with yyyy. He laughed and said you have a photographic memory and I wish I have that. I said, in my line of work, it’s a requirement because how else can I gather the things I need for my stories? 😬 And I featured one of your companies. “Yup, I read it,” he replied and I said, “You don’t have any complaints?” Nope, he said. Oh good, I said. This is one of my worst fears when I talk to the people I write about, I told him.
So I have five pending interviews/requests for connection and some more introductions for my contacts, because that’s how I am generous with them. That’s how I keep relationships.
Ahhh, these guys. They don’t give me the time of the day. Photo by CallMeCreation.com Bus on the way home. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I bought dinner from Plaza Singapura because I don’t have the energy to eat in a restaurant. I just want to put my feet up, have a very hot shower, and retire early.
Sushi for dinner. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
And a lovely tea pack from one of the booths at the conference.
Very relaxing blend for the tired body and soul. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I always choose the earliest flight so I can maximize my day. In any case, I can sleep at the terminal and in the plane.
4 am at NAIA Terminal 2. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Before arriving at Changi Airport, I topped up my Starhub via app. No need to bother myself with looking for a convenience store, which I did since 2014. Then finally Starhub launched a wonky app in 2018-2019 so I could do everything online.
Then I got robbed by UOB at their money exchange kiosk in T1. Their exchange rates at the airport is nuts! PHP 11k for only SGD 239! I may have to use my credit cards more. Annoying.
Here is the worst part. My Dizo phone is not working here in Singapore. I bought this so I can use my Smart SIM so I can receive my OTPs for online banking and other transactions. And damn it, it’s not working. I didn’t check that it’s only capable of 2G, which I think Singapore has already retired.
I wasted PHP 1,300 for this thing. I’ll just give this away. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I was forced to buy a new base model Oppo (A17 = 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM) from Challenger @Jewel because I cannot NOT have my Smart SIM dysfunctional. I will just pass this on to Twin I when I come back (since hers is only 3GB, 32GB ROM) and I will use her old phone for my travels. I just need the SMS capabilities of a phone for an OTP.
OMG, I promised that I will not spend so much here but here I am…
Still feeling under the weather so I had bak kut teh to relieve my colds. Photo by CallMeCreation.comI have yet to arrive at my hotel, I was already tired….Photo by CallMeCreation.comPark near my hotel along Penang Road. I could hear some of them speaking in Tagalog. Probably domestic workers on their day off. Photo by CallMeCreation.comI went to a ceramic exhibit at the nearby Visual Arts Centre. Photo by CallMeCreation.comMore ceramics. Photo by CallMeCreation.comThey are for sale. Some ceramics were dainty and lovely to have at home…but my cats will kill them. Photo by CallMeCreation.comNext door is a studio where they have art lessons for kids and adults. They have various courses there for different media. I talked to the manager there and it was interesting. You can have an a la carte class for SGD 45 for watercolor. Something nice to do on my weekend day off. Photo by CallMeCreation.comAt the back of the National Library. Interesting to sketch. Photo by CallMeCreation.comResting for a bit at the National Library. Not much visual interest here. Photo by CallMeCreation.comAlong Raffles Hotel. Looking for some interesting angles to sketch. Photo by CallMeCreation.comFinally found the Straits Art supplies store at North Bridge Road. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I found Holbein, Rembrandt, Schmicke, some Russian brands, and Old Holland. I held back and reminded myself that I just spent SGD 229 on a cellphone because of my idiocy.
Second-hand bookstore. I have to keep myself from buying random stuff that would add weight to my luggage. Photo by CallMeCreation.comI wonder if I can sketch this with complete details…Photo by CallMeCreation.comWent to find a nearby Kopi Tiam because I was hankering for hawker food. I was generous with the chili oil because, again, of my colds. Photo by CallMeCreation.comFinally, my bed! I’m so tired. Photo by CallMeCreation.comNo closet and the sink is outside the bathroom. And bathroom is all glass. Good thing I’m not with someone. It would be awkward seeing your partner pooping. Photo by CallMeCreation.comBig-ass TV that won’t get used. This is a 65″ Samsung. Photo by CallMeCreation.comAh lovely. Tea to calm down my throat. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Sleepy. Big day tomorrow…Awards night in the evening. And there are only two journos. What am I going to do? How will I stretch myself. Better get some sleep.
This is the face of anxiety. It has been under extreme pressure the past few days. It will be moreso in the coming days.
My best reporter called me up today. She will be leaving the company by the end of the year. She has two job offers and she’s just waiting if her E-pass will be approved under her chosen company. If it all goes well, she will tender her resignation after two weeks then give one month notice.
I cannot, for the life of me, think of somebody else to replace her because she’s that good. But I knew this day would come soon because we had been talking about this for quite some time even before I got promoted.
Now it’s really, really hard to hire good journalists in Singapore because there’s a dearth of good homegrown talent there when it comes to honest-to-goodness journalism. What can you expect from a country with an authoritarian government, right?
I have a lot of problems on my plate right now. I am just compartmentalizing each problem because I will melt down if I tackle them all. One of my problems is the Bangkok coverage, which I must solve soon.
Basically, there is nobody left in Singapore. And my company is limiting my movements. I honestly do not know what they want.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Quick watercolor book mark to manage anxiety. Art abd photo by CallMeCreation.com
I arrived early at the conference today because 1) I wanted to do ambush interviews so I can go home and avoid Marcos; 2) I didn’t read the program 😂
I really did it. I wore pink accessories in silent protest. The Leni R watch was very obvious.
Pink!
I had four interviews, four stories, and a follow-up interview. Not bad.
I left the venue right after lunch so I won’t have to suffer Marcos.
Went to Ikea to 1) eat at the cafe and write my stories; 2) buy household stuff that I neglected to buy a long time ago. Their shipping rate of PHP 300 for small items is too much so might as well go there when I have coverage nearby. I almost carted off a kitchen sink and ceiling lamps 🤣. I need to check first with my contractor.
The pediatrician already gave me Rx for it yesterday, as she anticipated.
What’s curious is that Twin I also has aplastic left frontal sinus, which I hope is just a developmental issue that will correct over time. But then I have to wait for what the doctor will say. The rest of her sinuses are intact, the report said.
Her hematology results are normal except for her RBC count, which is above normal. If I got it right, she couldn’t breathe, hence the low O2 level. Which could be traced to her congested nose.
Her prothrombin time test is normal, so blood clotting is normal. Her nose bleeding could be traced back to her undetected sinusitis that irritates her nose and causes too much mucus production. When it dries up, my girl picks her nose vigorously and there you go—bleeding. 😑 So just like the pediatrician said, her membranes might be thinner than normal.
Tired. Need to pick up Rockwool insulation/soundproofing tomorrow and deliver to the construction site. And write two more stories before I bounce off to my week-long vacation.
If I didn’t go crazy before my APAC boss this afternoon and subtly threatened that I would go to the competitor if the company goes with its 6-month contract bullshit for non-office-based employees, she wouldn’t push the red button in London. Ghaaaad. Some calls and emails later, the global head said that there were some fuck-ups in HR that’s why our contracts were flagged again.
Ignore, she said.
I hate doing that to my APAC boss because she’s nice but my goodness, I need to stand up for myself and the rest of my team. I am underpaid compared to my peers in other news orgs. I am just sticking with this one because I like working from home, especially critical now that I am building my house and moving away from the city.
Let me just finish my house and I will revisit my options. I need to play hardball; if they would touch again our contracts, then I will have to ask for a much higher rate because the terms would be changed. The amount of work and the stress they are giving me should be compensated.
Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com
I was so incensed today that I procrastinated. My brain refused to function so I did a quick sketch to relax me.
I really, really need that week-long break. I’m already too tensed, my patience is running thin.
My gear for urban sketching.
Doing the new color swatches relaxed me, too. I removed the student-grade Tokyo Finds watercolors and left the higher grade ones from the same brand, with Winsor & Newton and Holbein thrown in the mix. I wanted to go to ArtWhale this afternoon to buy more half-pans but I had to bring Twin I to the polyclinic nearby to have her checked.
At the nurses’ station at 2ndF, waiting for Twin I’s name to be called to the pediatrician’s office. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Her temperature was elevated but I refused to administer the antigen test because she has sensitive nostrils = ridiculous nosebleeds. She was frequently urinating. So the pediatrician recommended some lab tests to check for UTI and also to check the cause of her severe nosebleeds (she lets out a lot of fresh blood, like lots). She had her nose X-rayed to check for polyps.
Waiting for our turn at the x-ray room. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Then she would be referred to an ENT specialist if there are polyps. She surmised—as a nosebleeder herslf—that Twin I has sinusitis that’s why she always has mucus in her nostrils. Later it hardens and then my girl frequently picks her nose to remove the hardened mucus, then irritates her thin membrane in the process, causing her nose to bleed. She saw that her nostrils were inflamed.
Anyway, lab test results would be out tomorrow but I would be attending this huge conference in Manila so I need to leave here at 6:30 am. Because the presidential security group will close the doors of the hotel promptly at 9 am—for security. BECAUSE DAMN THESE BUSINESSMEN, THEY INVITED MARCOS AS GUEST SPEAKER.
I don’t know how I can stand to be in the same room with this demon. He who wanted the people in EDSA strafed during the 1986 uprising. He who milked this country of billions when he was a senator and I was part of the investigative team who tackled the pork barrel case for my news org. I still have the photos of the evidence submitted to the anti-graft court in 2013.
I must shove my earbuds down my ear canal to block out his voice during his speech, which would be drivel anyway.
