The Question

A visitor of one of my flatmates asked me if I feel homesick already here in Singapore. Yes, I replied without any pause to think about it. It was a resounding "yes" for me to his innocent-looking question.

For almost four months, I thought I could bear myself to not miss anything from the country I left behind and try to start "a life of my own" - even just a month or two. Everytime I see local families gather and walk together in the nearby beach, I yearn for my family. Everytime I see local youngsters here boisterously play, chat and joke around I do miss my friends and close ex-officemates in the Philippines. Heck, even the sight of imported breeds of dogs tagged along by their owners remind me of my two loving "askal" pet dogs.

Sigh. There are many things I miss about the country (I can't list them because frankly a blog post can't list them all here). It may not be as economically good as Singapore, but I can boast of the heart-warming smiles and energetic laughter of my countrymen (which come in handy amidst a crisis or two).

Sale Items And Food

Seems that there are a plenty of huge sale events that occur here in Singapore. "The Great Singapore Sale" is just one of the events that occur annually (island-wide) in this country, besides other sale events like PC/IT shows in Suntec City and another in Expo, Simei. I try not to fail to attend to these, as I might come across a useful item or two with inexpensive price tags.

I had finished up with purchasing some additional wardrobe (business and casual shirts) before "The Great Singapore Sale" officially ends by next week. I had to get another long-sleeved shirt as my old one had been accidentally burned during ironing last week (more like, melted a medium-sized hole at the back of the shirt). I loved that shirt, even if it was already five years old.

By the way, not all items are truly of "sale value". There are some items being sold with a 25-50% discount but if you look closely at the pre-price they're actually sold at half price of SGD$1000+ (SGD$500+). This is not sale for me - this is robbery to me.

* * * *

As weeks pass, I learn to be aware of places where one can shop for cheap food items. I usually stock on meat/poultry, cold cuts, eggs, bits of fruits and vegetables, and canned goods that would last me for the rest of the month. Stocking up is good as one tends to stick it out with what's available in the fridge instead of buying expensive meals outside. With a budget of around (usually) SGD$50 for a month, I can stock up for the food items I need for a month. It's big savings for me already; buying meals outside cost around at least SGD$2.50 - SGD$5.00.

Conversation Surprises

The more I mingle with the locals here in Singapore, the more I am surprised as to how they react once they learn I am a Filipino.

I was riding a taxi and the driver is a Singaporean but of an Indian descent (complete with a gray turban and beard). Surprisingly during the trip, he asked me if I am a foreigner. More specifically afterwards, he asked me if I am a Filipino. I said yes, wondering how he'd know. Well, apparently, he acknowledged that we Filipinos speak English distinctly with a (take note) "musical kind of tone". He admitted that Singaporeans tend to speak English in a manner like "reading a book" (or seems like reading a thick volume of a British Encyclopedia with alternating halts and breathes - how I understand his perception). I might look like a Malay crossed with some Chinese blood or otherwise but the way I communicate to him gave way as to my being a foreigner here in this small island (with thick British accent: "bloody hell").

So the fact is that I don't need to tell anyone I am a foreigner (Pinoy). I'll just speak up and the mystery will be solved.

Oh yeah, for those fellow Pinoys out there, just a "for your information" only: yes, I saw an umbrella tucked between the driver's seat and the gear shifter before I disembarked the taxi. For those who don't know what I meant by that, ask me about it. :-D

Superman Returned, Superbly

It's been years since I experienced the movie magic of the one of the beloved and iconic super heroes of all time. I did enjoy the latest installment of the Superman series, Superman Returns (I watched it on the opening day, last Thursday). Below are my thoughts and comments (and possible spoilers to some):

• I know it's difficult to fill in the shoes of the late Christopher Reeves who made this movie character so famous that you couldn't forget to mention his name if you say Superman. That guy is really made for this role. He's the "poster boy" of Superman that couldn't be replaced easily by anyone else (think you could bear seeing Superman protrayed by Nicholas Cage?). But that guy is gone; in came Brandon Routh who fairly did justice to the role of Superman that legendary Reeves left behind. I did miss though the more bumbling type of portrayal of Clark Kent that Reeves did. Superman 1 to 4's Clark Kent has more of the comedic relief, this time around you get a milder dose of the same character but done differently by a newcomer. But you couldn't deny the eerie semblance of Routh with the facial features of Reeves.


• Lois Lane was protrayed this time by Kate Bosworth. While doing the rounds in the film, as someone commented, her Lane character seemed to deviated from the feisty yet soft characterization done originally by Margot Kidder. Though I guess, the script suggests that Lane has to change personally (smoking after being stressed out; emotional anger at the mention of Superman) after years of waiting for a loved one that never did say goodbye properly.


• I couldn't say much about Kevin Spacey's killer protrayal of Lex Luthor; I guess he made it a totally different persona unlike Gene Hackman did in the Superman 1. But I bow down to this Oscar-winning guy everytime he acts up as if "he is" the character he protrays.


• I wish the movie had more fight scenes or added other dangerous scenarios that showcase more of the skills and capabilities of Superman, especially since this is a comeback movie; for most of the kids in this generation it will be their first time to be exposed to this great superhero so I guess this is enough reason to add more heroic action scenes. But I'm not the director nor script writer of the film. As they say, the more you add, the more you'll spoil the soup.


• How ironic and puzzling to see Superman succumb to the punches of Lex Luthor and his henchman in the crystal arena were kryptonite were infused in the environment, while during the time Superman was carrying the crystal rock continent large chunks of kryptonite were slowly protruding out towards him, yet he did not budge nor felt weak while carryng the heavy weight. Again, I am not the script writer. So just enjoy the film and forget logic and comprehension.


• I like the small "legacy" twist infused in the story by having Superman fathered a son with Lois Lane. What will be the powers of this boy? Will he be totally like his dad? We'll see in the next films to come.


• Now which is better? Last year's Batman Begins or this year's Superman Returns? I believe you couldn't compare both in terms of their story lines since the former is literally going back to the roots of the hero while the latter tries to connect an unfinished series with another through new adventures. But for me, a story that has an origin (who and how he got the powers) makes a complete story that doesn't confuse the moviegoers especially those who would encounter for the first time a comic book character. So Batman Begins is one notch higher than Superman Returns.

'Nuff said. Enjoy the movie.