Singapore-Malaysia Adventure: Day 1

A week ago today, I was at the forefront of a backpacking adventure with my friends. Mind you, this was my first backpacking trip abroad and my first trip abroad without any family with me. The plan was pretty simple: we get to Singapore, spend the day there, go to Johor so we could take a sleeper train to Kuala Lumpur, spend a day in Kuala Lumpur then take another sleeper train back to Johor where we'd spend the first half of the day in Lego Land and the other half of the day back in Singapore, hopefully shopping our asses off. The plans are usually simple, it's the execution of the plan that gets tricky. In our case, it was tricky with a side of bipolar bitch fits (disclaimer: I am not the source of bitchfits, FYI) and fits of laughter.

Day one, Singapore. We deplaned very early in the morning of June 29, around 1:30 am. Originally, we planned on staying at the airport til there was sunlight, and we did for a couple of hours, but apparently after deplaning passengers should immediately go through immigration. So we had to leave the airport during the wee hours of the morning and resorted to taking a couple of taxi rides around the city to look for a place to stay. In the search for cheap lodging, we sort of felt like we were part of some nativity play. Every place we went to were too expensive, closed or full. We ended up wandering around Chinatown at 5 in the morning before we decided that we could wait for the MRT station to open. That way we could actually start our trip by going somewhere.

that's us walking around Chinatown

That somewhere was Botanic Garden. Imagine us walking amongst morning joggers with our backpacks and cameras! We must've stuck out like a sore thumb. No matter, our brains said, we just wanted breakfast. In our quest for breakfast, we managed to walk around the vast greenery and took some pictures.

Here's an old uncle doing his early morning taichi. 

Botanic Garden is huge. And after a lengthy walk around this huge piece of land, we still couldn't find the food court, much to our dismay. But just when we were about to give up (and I was getting cranky) and find a way out to hail a cab and take us to somewhere with food, we found the food court. Hallelujah! 

Egg and Cheese Roti Prata. Tastes best when you're tired from walking. 

Next on the agenda, Universal Studios. We rode the MRT to get to Harbourfront so we could leave our backpacks at the leave baggage. From there we also managed to get tickets to Universal Studios at a discounted price. We decided to take the cable car to get to Sentosa even though some of us were afraid of heights. 

Thousands of feet above ground. We got a bird's eye view of the city, too. 

Fortunately, by the time we arrived in Singapore, the haze was a thing of the past. We got to enjoy the Singapore heat at its finest at Universal Studios where we got to see some of our favorite characters, like Optimus Prime.

We also got to ride awesome rides like these:

Battlestar Galactica

Transformers 3D

After spending much of the day on our feet, we were tired and sleepy as we left Sentosa. But we still had places to be and trains to catch. After getting our baggage back at Harbourfront, we hopped on an MRT and walked to Maxwell Food Center, the home of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, featured by Anthony Bourdain in one of his travel shows. Unfortunately, Tian Tian was closed when we got there but we still got to eat some chicken rice because of Ah Tai, the place notorious for opening three stalls away from it's arch nemesis, Tian Tian. 

After a delicious dinner of chicken rice, it was time for us to go to cross the border between Singapore and Malaysia to get to JB Sentral where we'd catch a sleeper train to Kuala Lumpur. By some stroke of luck, we got there relatively stress free. 

A welcome message at Woodlands checkpoint. Be sure to have your passport ready.

Taking a bus from Johor to KL would take about 4 hours. Taking a train would take about 7 hours. Why choose the slower route? How else would we get any sleep?! 

This is Franz showing us his crib for the night

Finally, some sleep. 

And thus concludes Day 1 of the Singapore-Malaysia Adventure.

Things I Know To Be True

Twenty-six years of life has taught me a few things, most especially over the past couple of years. Since I collected another year a few weeks ago, I thought that I'd dispense these learnings to the world. Someone might find them useful.

1. The future can surprise you in ways that you never expected, both in a good and bad way. Sometimes, the things that you expect or want to happen never do, and the things that you never thought would happen actually do. 
2. Things happen because they have to. Even if there is no logic as to why, thinking about things in retrospect gives you the answer. 
3. You need strength to be able to accept #2, especially when the things that are happening are your personal version of hell.
4. You can't control everything nor anyone. Like how people think of you, feel about you, or what they say about you. 
5. Change comes whether or not you want them to. Another thing you can't control.
6. Comparing yourself to others is a one-way ticket to negativity street. And it's very hard to get out of there sometimes.
7. Faking a smile can actually make you feel better on a crappy day. It doesn't exactly solve anything, but it makes you feel like some part of the weight has been lifted.
8. Love is a gift, as cliched and sticky sweet as that sounds. Lucky are those who like someone who actually like them back the same way. 
9. In the end, apart from yourself, the only people you can depend on is family (or whoever you consider to be family). When everything breaks down, fails, goes wrong, the people who will love you even at your worst will be the people who love you unconditionally. 
10. The worst things that are said about you are usually the things you say about yourself, when you're looking at the mirror. This I know for a fact. Don't do this. This is the worst thing you can ever do to yourself. If you can find a way to stop this, let me know.

March 8, 2013

So this is going to be a little sad, nameless reader. I begin with a disclaimer because I don’t want you to go, “oh, there she goes again complaining, yada yada yada…” and cast this off as something that’s stupid or worse, not worth a thing. Hopefully you’ll read this as some sort of reflection rather than a complaint. Anyway, here goes.

I graduated from college in 2009. At that time, my 21-year-old self was elated because of a couple of reasons: one, school was over and mine and my partner's thesis was bound and passed (with an uno to boot), two, I was graduating with most of the people I started college with, and three, I thought the hard part was over and was glad that I was done. For someone who completed four years of college, I must say that was a stupid thought to think. But I suppose I thought that way because at that time, everything was pretty much going my way. I had a degree under my belt, friends from college, my family, and a boyfriend that I was crazy about. Fast forward to four years, a broken heart and one job later, here I am. It's hard to really elaborate, but things aren't as rosy now as they were while I was clutching a sunflower and wearing a sash on graduation day. It turned out that after college, it was going to be a little harder to make new and lasting friends and a little harder to keep the ones that you made in college. It also turned out that some jobs, though they mean well, can't give you all that you need as an employee. And it also turned out that some things are temporary, like relationships and friendships. Fast forward to today, I imagine how I looked at life years ago with how I see life in the present. It's a little bleak from where I stand in the timeline, unfortunately.

Through the years, I've realized things that were likened to slaps to the face and I've learned things about myself that I only learned because I was in pain. In short, lots of pain and lots of difficult facts to accept about the world, about the people around me, and about myself. These things really didn't come up when I was envisioning my life at 21. Actually, I don't think I ever really envisioned my life after college at all. Maybe that was the problem. Needless to say, the way I am now is light years away from who I was post-graduation. I didn't know the difficulties that lay before me after college. (People tell you that the “real world” was brutal, but you don’t really believe them until you’re in the middle of a beating.) I didn't know of the uncertainties that riddled every corner, of the decisions you can or cannot make and the stupid mistakes you commit. Basically, I didn’t know how easy it was to be in school until I was officially out of it and things started to get tough. In fact, thinking back, school was where I was probably my most stable. I knew who I was in school. I knew what I was doing. I had classes to go to, papers to write, places to hangout in, friends and classmates I could talk to, teachers to impress/avoid…if I had known about the safety bubble college provided me while I was a student, I probably would’ve stayed longer. I honestly didn't know how much of a good thing I had until it was gone. I didn't value my friends or made more of them when I was in college, now I miss having them because I rarely have opportunities to see them. I didn't know how much fun I was having and could have until I’m left with just looking at pictures of other people’s vacations after getting home from a mid shift. I didn't know that feelings could change quickly and that people change quicker. Priorities change, experiences change, everything changes. And I can't really blame them because hard as I try to stay the same, I've changed, too. Nothing really is "for good” no matter how hard we try to hold on. That’s the funny thing about change, I suppose. It happens even though we don’t want it to.

There seems to be a great disconnect between me and everything else lately. A disconnection between who I was and who I am and who I could be, between myself and the social circles that I swam in, between the job I have and that great “something” that’s supposed to fire me up and make me feel alive (which I don’t completely know yet), between the relationships that I have and the relationships that I lost. Basically, there’s a dissonance between the life that I want and the life that I lead. And it makes me feel guilty because with everything that I have, a roof over my head with a family who loves me no matter what, with a few friends who I feel genuinely care about me and a job in a company that takes care of me, what more could I ask for? Why do I feel like something’s missing when objectively speaking, I have more than enough? Why do I want more? Why do I feel guilty for wanting more? Have I been making all the wrong decisions in my life? Have I really been making decisions at all?

I'm afraid I've done well in school but am barely keeping a passing grade in life. I’m having trouble navigating through the sudden turns, shortcuts, one-ways, intersections and forks in the road and I really don't know how to find my way back. Life is pretty much a series of questions, in my mind. As I write here in my room, I feel more alone than ever. Because other people seem to have it all figured out. They don’t have questions like these running marathons in their heads. Or if they did, the questions don’t seem to be bothering them as much.

Maybe that’s why I’m writing this. Maybe it’s just me overthinking things again. Maybe I sound like every other twenty-something in the world, I don’t know. But I’m writing this because I need to know that this thing that’s happening is going to end and that I’m going to be okay. I’m writing this because I need to know that someone out there might be feeling exactly what I’m feeling and by reading this won’t feel alone. Then I won’t be alone. Maybe by writing this, I’ll find strength to shoulder on and keep patient. If it’s not okay it’s not the end, right? Someday, I’ll get my answers.

sad face reversal

An officemate of mine asked me what I do when I feel sad. Though I really didn't think that I was qualified to tell her what to do, I wanted to help her feel better because she was having a hard time making certain decisions about her life after having a grade A a-hole for an ex-boyfriend in the office. Seriously, this guy is a dick and a half.

Anyway, since I've been thinking about this subject ever since she asked me, I thought I'd write it down. This is pretty self-serving as well because I've been feeling down for the past couple of days.

What To Do When You're Sad

1. Let yourself feel sad. My sister once called me a pressure cooker. I was telling her about a problem I was having at the office and she told me that I  tend to keep things inside until I can't contain them anymore. I suppose that's true. For the past few years I've made a habit of brushing things off just so my feelings won't get hurt. It's effective, I think, but I guess there's a limit. In the end, the pent up irritations/hurt/anger that I felt about an issue at the office was set off by a small incident that could've easily been ignored. With that in mind, I think that if you feel sad, just let yourself feel sad. Instead of talking yourself out of it by telling yourself that you shouldn't feel sad over something, or that you're letting yourself appear weak by giving in to your feelings, allow yourself to just let it out. Give yourself a couple of days to think about things and to feel what you're actually feeling. It doesn't make you any less of a person if you feel sad over something or someone.
2. Write it out. If crying it out isn't enough of a cathartic experience, maybe writing about it will. Write for yourself, write to get things off your chest, write to let yourself feel free. As cliche-sounding and cheesy as that is, it seems to work, at least for me. Another friend of mine said that she writes down all the bad stuff she feels on a piece of paper and burns them. Whatever works, as long as you are able to express yourself. Think of it this way, if you write it out, you won't be able to hurt anyone else with your words or thoughts.
3. Talk to somebody about it. If writing doesn't work and the heavy weight still feels like a boulder on your back, find a friend who you can talk to comfortably and you know won't judge you. Even if talking to that person doesn't end with a solution to your problems, at least the heaviness that you feel regarding them will lessen. Just don't depend on that person to be available to listen to you all the time. This person is your friend, not a private, on-call therapist. 
4. Distraction, distraction, dis...what? One of the reasons why I love YouTube is that it provides me access to all of the funniest, stupidest, most entertaining, thought provoking, helpful, useless videos that I want. Aside from YouTube and streaming video, I read books, surf the internet, do a movie marathon, talk to friends, spend time with my family, return to an old hobby or think about other stuff that I neglected to address because I was so messed up. Do whatever you like. The point is that you should allow yourself a moment's reprieve from feeling like crap, even if it's just for a little while. 
5. Eat something delicious. Doesn't have to be a gourmet dinner from an expensive restaurant. Just eat something that you like. If it costs a little more than usual, indulge yourself. You've been in an emotional washing machine for the past few days, you deserve to eat something amazing after having your feelings throttled around on spin dry. Just remember: moderation is key. 
6. Smile like you mean it. I read somewhere that you can trick your mind into thinking that you're happy when you smile. It kind of comes off as "emo kid" thing to say but it's worth a try. So smile. You don't have to mean it all the time. Smile because you have to. :) (Speaking of which, I should really get into the habit of putting emoticons when I text message...I must sound like the dead when people read my texts...)

One thing that I have learned from the times when I felt sad is this: there will inevitably come a day when you'll wake up one morning and feel better than the last. And when you wake up that way one morning, you can choose to be sick of being sad or bury yourself back into the covers and go on being sad. One thing you have to realize is that being sad over a thing or a person won't change anything. It certainly won't make time stop. Time will pass regardless of whether you're happy or sad, that's just the way it is. Might as well make the time worthwhile. 

Do You Dare To Dream?

This is an amazing video that came to me just when I needed it. Quarter life crisis is a beeyotch and a self-esteem blackhole, so I really needed this a week ago. It got me out of my self-pity stupor and I hope that it helps you out, too, nameless reader.

Enjoy.

Maundy Thursday randomness

There's an air of peace and quiet this Maundy Thursday. Probably because most of the people within a kilometer radius have packed up and left town for the extended weekend. My parents have gone early this morning to bring some balikbayan relatives to a nearby province to participate in the traditional visita iglesia and won't be back til later, I suppose. So it's just me and my sister hanging out with no plans whatsoever. Oh, and Bryan, our friend. As I type, he's busy with his Review of Related Literature for a report that he did about cephalopods (the family where octopus and squids belong to, for you biology dummies like me). When I talked to him for a few minutes, he told me about how an octopus camouflages and that a chunk of coral polyps (which reproduces asexually) is called a polyp colony. It's quite fun to learn about these things when it comes in easy-to-digest bite sizes. Now I want to learn how to scuba dive even more.

We've been distracted and now watching Hanna. Well, we did say anything goes today. 

Maybe I'll get more time to reflect later tonight. 

trying to make sense of a tragedy

Bad news in the headlines lately. A 16-year old Behavioral Studies freshman from the University of the Philippines Manila named Kristel Tejada took her own life after being forced to take a leave of absence because she couldn't pay her tuition fee. She was the eldest of five kids. Her father is a taxi driver and her mother is a homemaker. She was young and she had a future ahead of her. She was studying in one of the premier schools in the country. It's a tragedy that this happened because she didn't deserve this. Nor her parents. 

Presently, the students of UP are outraged and it's easy to see why. UP is supposed to be a public school subsidized by the government. UP is supposed to be offering educational opportunities to those who deserve it but are not financially capable of doing so. UP is supposed to stand for the idea that education is a right and not a privilege. Right now, UP isn't doing a good job of being UP. And they're practically being burned at the stake for it. I wish I could say that they didn't deserve it. 

Meanwhile, opinions about another issue closely entwined with this issue are swirling around social media. That is, the validity of the suicide, which is a completely different issue from the main one. Some people opine that suicide wasn't an answer and that she shouldn't have given up that easily. There are other solutions, they say. She could've taken the LOA and found a job and saved money. She could have gotten a scholarship. There are other solutions. I agree. But then again, personal strength comes in different amounts for everyone. And I can't absolutely say anything for certain because I've not walked a mile in her shoes. 

Which leads me to something that's bothering me about this whole thing. People's reactions towards this issue is understandably violent. But what gets me is that the suicide issue (which is a topic of debate all on its own) can't be separated from the main issue. Some people are throwing stones at those who say that there are other ways to deal with problem other than suicide. Their reply to that is somewhere along the lines of calling others ignorant and burgis, disregarding their opinions altogether (which also bothers me because if their opinions are wrong, shouldn't you try to educate them instead of call them names?). Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Either way, this debate about the suicide distracts from the real questions: why is UP acting like a private school? What happened to education as a right? What is wrong with the system? 

Stop fighting people about differing opinions and just focus on what is true and unquestionable: that this happened because the tuition fee is too expensive and a young girl killed herself over it. 

So the fight for justice begins. And Kristel Tejada will always be remembered as the girl who inspired it all.