Gabby’s Paradise

For most of us who has lived in Manila for the longest time possible and has had no experience whatsoever of the world outside the country, going out for vacation becomes a surprise. My friends had only one word to describe what i wanted to do when I told them of my Singapore trip: “Sosssssyal!”

Disclaimer: Its not as expensive as you think it is.

I went there because a friend of mine, Lino was celebrating his birthday. The plan was, I and my dear friend Eugene, will stay at their place until the labor day holiday. I booked my ticket which cost me an arm (not too much of the leg though) with the promise of free accommodation and bountiful food. My agenda: to immense myself in the culture of Singapore, to feel the vibe, to see the sights and as a personal quest i also had one more thing in mind, to see the possibility of working there.

I was not disappointed in any aspect.

Singapore has been rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, with thousands of foreign expatriates working in multi-national companies. Filipinos, although not the biggest minority group is still very prominent in Singapore. Many of which serve as domestic helpers and engineers. It is a country that thrives in diversity and tolerance

When i went there, that was the first time i felt different, the first time i felt i had a dialect (i’m tagalog so i have no other dialect i can speak) and it was comforting to know that I was unique. “Pilipino pala talaga ako.” I also realized then that we Filipinos are very good looking. Ang papangit ng mga locals! We are blessed with great skin, our facial features have that mix of chinese, malay and spanish blood. We are good with english, we are happy people and we smile a lot. In short, bentang benta ang mga pinoy sa Singapore!

As a design professional, I also saw the smaller details that made Singapore what it is. The have attention to detail, from artworks at every mrt station, to building facades that exude elegance and style, to landscapes that vividly defines the garden city. Singapore truly is a wealthy country. This Metro Manila sized country is undoubtedly planned. Every aspect of modern day living, thought of and every psychological trick to make you materialistic, planned for. It embodies the cosmopolitan lifestyle where being single and rich is the height of prowess and success. As my first experience outside the country, i got to have a feeling that my head was in an overload of information, ideas of design came into my mind and the question of “why didn’t think of that?” or “why dont we have that back home?” We have the talented people to do it, we have skilled (although quite gahaman)  contractors who can execute it. i guess it all boils down to the country itself. We cannot do it because it is expensive to do it. We are a poorer country. Plain and simple.

In my five days stay, I had a feeling that there was a lurking indescribable haze that envelopes all: It is the spirit of the working man. For those who leave the country and go to other countries for work, what we see is that determination to succeed, to go for overtime and to be efficient indiviuals in the market driven society. Filipinos thrive in this environment with one more “umph” that separates us from most other foreign workers. We are happy people.

In Lino’s birthday I got introduced to a local. His name is Joseph, a half Singaporean, half Taiwanese guy who is working for an ad agency. He was invited by his Filipino friend, JP. Although very much out of place in an all-Filipino crowd, it seemed that he was quite at home. As he described, we Filipinos are very happy people, we laugh a lot, and socialize a lot, we are open to our feelings and we have great food. He liked the embotido that was served in the party. All well said. That is a very Filipino trait.

So beyond all the images that i gathered, beyond all the ideas that i devoured and beyond every experience that i encountered in my five day stay outside my homeland, there is one big realization that i felt. I am happy being Filipino. I am happy to (soon)  be part of this global phenomenon that is the diaspora of great minds. Spreading the news of our existence as a race of good natured, hard working men who knows how to sing and knows the value of staying together and chatting on sundays and holidays, Quiapo style. Wherever you are, as long as you hear a Filipino voice, you know you are part of family and we are just one global community, striving to keep our families well fed and our dreams intact. So i guess what I’m trying to drive at here is that even though I went out to experience another culture, what I experienced more is the value of my own, and that is worth any experience.