I took Thursday slow and easy. I left my hotel at around 10 am, had brunch at the nearest kopi tiam, then went around Raffles City to find something to bring home to my daughters. Bought a gift for my bff. Had lunch with our office ladies at the dining room. I just listened to them speaking in Mandarin.

I rushed through my edits to jump into the train to a meeting somewhere in the Tanjong Pagar area. I could have walked but it was raining.

I booked Grab going to Ritz-Carlton because I don’t want to walk under the rain anymore.

Dinner buffet it is with the whole Singapore unit of our company (we’re comprised of several subsidiaries) and I was the only one there to represent the editorial department. 👀

This is the main reason why I needed to fly here. The company Christmas dinner.

In the past, they rented a yacht that went around some cove here. They had drinks and dinner. Well, having everyone at Ritz-Carlton is cheaper and less messy (because it’s raining everyday).

Everyone had a headgear of some sort at dinner.

Why did we have an early Christmas dinner party? Well, most people in the Singapore office are non-Singaporeans, therefore, they disappear by mid-December to spend the holidays in their home countries or visiting relatives outside of Singapore.

Philippine Airlines, you suck. Get out of this business.

First, I had a very fruitful meeting this morning 👏👏👏 I scratch your back, you scratch my back; we know what we’re here for. 🤝 Nice doing business with you.

But before that, I had a lovely walk going to the club.

I was tempted to go in myself but I had business to take care of first.

So right after my meeting, I went back to the National Gallery to check out the souvenir shop to see if they have Frida Kahlo prints.

I got myself some prints on fabric! One is by a local artist, a scene from Singapore Chinatown. Then another is a Van Gogh, one of his sunflower paintings, which I have always admired. I like his flower paitings. I was looking for Van Gogh’s almond blossoms but they only came as mouse pads 👀

I will have them framed and hang them alongside the Filipino national artists. ❤️

They did have a Frida Kahlo print on a scarf but it was SGD 85 and I’m a cheap woman so I passed on it. These prints I got were just SGD 34-39 each so roughly PHP 3,000 in total. It’s worth it, especially when these are already framed and displayed on my wall.

I am running out of vacant walls. 😶

First of all, I missed this. I can have this for breakfast everyday for a week.

I got ready early this morning because the interview was near the East Coast. The queue at the elevators was long or the cars were full and it was trying ny patience. I don’t want to book a big hotel again. I chose this because it was very near our office/CBD area. I don’t think I’ll come back here for a while.

And because it was “rush” hour (their rush is different from Manila or HK), Grab fares were higgghhhhhh. I know the office will pay for this but I don’t want to be questioned by my boss why I’m taking Grab when we have excellent trains here. I don’t want to say that I don’t want to get lost (as far as my company is concerned, they consider me a local here).

So I took the bus. I had plenty of time anyway.

So far so good. I was able to locate their office.

So I got a story and needed to go back to our office. That’s when the trouble began.

I thought I could just cross the road because Google Map was not clear which station I should use so I could get off the MRT station where my line passes through. Of course I took the wrong bus. It took me several bus hops before ending up in Bugis to have lunch.

After work, I waited for a good friend from way back grade school and high school at CIMB Plaza to go to this private sale of Louboutin bags and shoes. You know, the brand that costs hundreds and hundreds to a thousand SGD or USD. The kind of private sale where they don’t allow mobile phones in the area because you can’t take photos. The kind of sale that is by invitation only.

I helped my friend pick the right shoes. The kind of shoes that can be weapons because they’re very sharp stilettos. The type that aren’t walkable.

The kind of shoes that will make a podiatrist rich or quit his/her job because these are enough to destroy your spine and metatarsals.

Even in my youth I never attempted to wear these kinds of shoes because my wide feet are ugly and I don’t walk pretty. I was a football player, for goodness’ sake!

Then we had dinner at Boat Quay and walked around to talk about her divorce she filed here in SG that doesn’t have any merit in Philippines. She did it for ceremonial purposes just to get rid of her guilty feeling that she’s already dating even though she couldn’t get an annulment because getting your marriage annulled in the Philippines is hard. And to think she’s already a lawyer…

I was supposed to bring the documents from her ex that he was supposed to sign but he was dilly-dallying because the woman he cheated my friend with was in turn cheating him also with his officemate. Yes. You read it right.

I told my friend, awwww he doesn’t want to lose his comfort zone (you) because he couldn’t live alone. He is using you as a safety net. DON’T.

Men keep their ex and the new flame as safety nets. They dangle the women because they can’t freaking live alone. Use them until they outlive their use. Weaklings.

Got to the hotel at past 10. And because I had three rounds of coffee the entire day, I’m still awake at past 2 am. Good luck to me, I have a meeting later this morning. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I dread that call with my manager. I had another skirmish with our APAC head about staffing issues and coverage. I just pointed out that doing a sector-based division of labor does not work in our region because each country has its own system and idiosyncrasies so we have to split countries among the “surviving” reporters. The fact that sales keep on harping about Thailand means it’s a need.

Sigh. It’s a long story.

Anyway, I was panicking this morning because it was taking a while before I could settle my car/registration at ParkNFly. There were too many people parking and traveling and there was a long queue at 3 am. It took almost an hour before I reached Terminal 1 via their service. Good thing the line at the immigration is surprisingly short and not chaotic like in T3. That terminal is hell on earth.

After an early check in, the first thing I did was to have a one-hour dry massage. It has been more than a month since my last massage. I miss Zennya. 😭 There are no good masseuse in our area because they’re all quitting their spa to go abroad.

I worked a bit in my room, didn’t want to go to our office.

Then I went around, scrounging for good deals (Singapore adopted the American Cyber Monday sale even though they don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving). If I can buy items that are too good to pass up or aren’t available in Manila, then I buy them so I would be done with my Christmas gift shopping. Only a few were worthwhile, like Japanese cosmetics at BHG at 50% off for my younger sister and sister-in-law.

Speaking of sale…I was a victim of Black Friday sale. 😶 I bought *something* from the US that would be shipped again to Shipping Cart’s Oregon warehouse, then shipped to the Philippines. 🫠 This loving thyself mantra is going overboard 🤣🤣🤣.

I have an interview tomorrow, I mean I will be interviewing a CEO so I better sleep early.

You know the drill: Pack, drive, park, and fly. I need a shuteye, even for 4 hours.

Why does it take long for me to pack?!

I saw a post on social media (can’t remember if it was on Instagram or Threads) about a girl begging for her guy to stay. Thinking about the things why he didn’t stay.

Girl, don’t beg. Nobody is worth that much (maybe except your children). If you have to beg, he’s not worth it. The people who are worth your love, time, and effort are those who chose to stay despite everything. If they leave, that meant they have made their choice a long time ago. Nobody leaves on a whim.

The only time I asked someone to stay was when my college boyfriend broke up with me. I made him a copy of Jars of Clay’s song, Tea and Sympathy, and sent it to his apartment. I didn’t get any response (either he was dense or he just didn’t care anymore). But I knew what I did was not right because it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt like I humiliated myself.

I haven’t repeated that mistake.

I did ask some of them why because I wanted to understand so that I won’t seek answers and linger for a long time.

But you know, you will never get answers and better leave it like that. Eventually, the truth will come out. It usually does and when you finally learn that, you are better off knowing that you didn’t lower yourself to their level, especially if they’re a cheater and a liar.

And no, I don’t recycle.

If they hurt, disrespected me, and/or abused me the first time around, what is my assurance that they won’t do the same again? I am basically the same person and the same reasons for leaving me will continue cropping up.

It’s almost three years since I have become solo. I’m much stronger and wiser but I carry with me so many scars and my skin is already battle-hardened. What I went through were just stepping stones to something bigger that is enough to destroy a weaker person.