Stories from the Weekend

Lesson No. 1 in the Expatriate Life

• GO AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS!
• GO AND MAKE MORE NEW FRIENDS!

Studious and obedience I am never. Delinquent and stubborn, that is I. Instead of investing my time to try and make new friends on my first long weekend off, I ran to another neighbouring country for some familiar faces and delectable feasts. The lonely expatriate existence was a tiny detail I seemed to overlooked.

Life is in the now. It is living the moment and taking what you can from the present. Never mind that I had to start 6 am the next morning. Never mind I missed my bus. Never mind the queue of gazillion airshow spectators and the Saturday heat.

Among friends.
My private mastercard moments.
Priceless.

Better Part.2

I never thought that I'd experience the cliche 'older and wiser' first hand. The last time I moved to a different country, it took me two years to learn about acceptance in order to function better. This time, it only took me 4 weeks before submitting to the reality that life is going to be different in Singapore. I am creating a home for myself; a current sanctuary of fluoro lights that need to be replaced, a living space that needs to be filled, but most importantly a soul that craves for change.

We live a life full of contradiction. I said that I'm hungry for change, but at the same I hate the loneliness that comes with it. I said that I realised that life is going to be different, but I wish that my friends are still as close to me as before. We live in a constant pull of what the heart wants, what the head knows and what the reality is. It is what makes it interesting and excruciating.

But it does get better. Acceptance brings about a certain calmness about the new things around you, the scent of the unfamiliar, the harshness of the new. Most importantly, it kinda makes fear your best friend. I'm getting to know my new best friend; we're getting along okay so far. So yeah, things do get better.

HOME

After a few weeks of denial, I finally left the great comfort of JS & SS's house to start my own adventure. I moved into my own apartment last Saturday, whilst still working on the morning shift, and started at 6am for the past 5 days. I can't remember the last time I was so tired. That Saturday, my roomate Kenneth and I roamed IKEA alleyways, running around Giant, shopping for the house. Imagine making an empty house liveable. Trust me, it's more than just furniture.

Our first guest arrived on my third night. My luggage was still lying around, my desk was not assembled, but the kitchen looks like a real kitchen (minus a fridge), and we can have cool drinks, drip coffee and microwaveable meals. City gas was only turned on yesterday afternoon, and Kenneth cooked our first pasta on our own stove. We sat down in our living room, sipping wine, and feeling pleased with ourselves. As our guest pointed out, the place is still barren. We have no curtain, no paintings, no decorations, no dining table. This looks like anybody's house; we have yet to put our marks in it.

This is home. It's not complete and there's still a lot of work to be done, but it is our new home. And when Theresa, my other roomate moves in next week, the house will be even more alive as she has two dogs. And oh, we're going to have curtains!

Have faith.