Asia Light: My second Singapore anniversary

All things are difficult before they become easy!

This picture is from Heathow airport, taken exactly 2 years ago…

Two years ago….I can almost see your minds counting back to check if that is right but I will save you the energy – it is, indeed, already two years I am here in Singapore. Time flies, I know!

Two years I took a decision which some consider crazy (1), some brave (2), some selfish (3), some big and scary (4) while others see it just as ‘another decision’ (5)….some talk about a great new adventure (6) or an ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ (7), and for others I have just boarded another, just slightly longer flight as I am still just a phone call away (8)… Some murmured something about ‘commitment and focus’ (9)…and few didn’t really judge and just said ‘exciting’ and ended it there (10).

And the truth is….they were all to some extent right!

It was crazy to pack life in two suitcases and ship yourself across to a country where haven’t really been before, know much about…and which ultimately meant – again – starting from scratch in a foreign country (those who did this before know it is crazy
It must have been brave in a way as I guess not everyone likes to step in the unknown…but that is maybe linked to the above point 1?
It was a bit selfish, leaving everyone behind. Making a decision for myself, and let other to just get on with it and come to terms with… But then, do you live your life or life of others?
It was a big decision and big decisions are always scary. Being scared is normal, even the bravest of us are sometimes scared…And of course the shit is safe in the harbour....but then, that is not what ships are made for, isn't it?
It was in a way just another decision…not necessarily one I make every day but in overall scheme of things probably one of thousands of decisions made… yet weight of this one was somehow special I must say!
It does take a bit of an adventurous mind I guess…but then some would say it is more as per point 1.
It is said that you should take every chance you get because some things only happen once...and there are surely chances that are likely to come again, but some – like this one – does not really happen every week I guess…even I would call that crazy! But in the spirit of what quote I mentioned a while back, it all makes sense – ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!’
I guess it is true that it only takes jumping on a plane (and sit there for lovely 16 hours) and I am back… and as my lovely grandma often points out – over WhatsApp you can hear me as if I was sat on your sofa in your living room.
It was a commitment, and I think that is why it all worked out. I don’t think I am a career chaser, but if you should focus and dedication, and are prepared to give something up or lose, cards may play well for you and throw an opportunity in front of you….and then we are at point six.
It was exciting, oh hell it was! How could it not be with the new world, new challenge, new opportunities, new me… and I didn’t know half of if when I was boarding that plane two years ago in London!

Either way, the decision was made, that little girl on the picture has landed in Singapore and started writing a new chapter of her life. After two years here, lot of pages were written, lots of pictures taken…but maybe today’s little anniversary is an opportunity to slip through those pages and to see, how those two years in this tropical place here have been, what this time brought, and what did it take….

Equally, let’s not get too philosophical and emotional this time….take it as time for a bit lighthearted summary!

...but it would not be me if i did not have a bit more to say than the picture above (although I thought a quite good summary of my 2 years in Singapore!)

The main reason for me being here is work so only fair to start with that one. And although I kind of knew this will be a great experience and learning, I definitely did not quite expect things will the way they did. New ways of working, different cultures, massively bigger responsibility, diversity of expectations and requirements, new people, new countries….this list could go on for a long long while……and add to it things like adaptation to the timezone differences and working remotely with my boss (thanks Phil for putting up with me, it was painful start but I think we have nailed it!) I think if my learning curve over the past two years was a hill, I would have to dismount my bike and still struggle to push it up….and if it was a skiing slope, I am not sure I would dare to get down…which I think is saying something! So all in all, I would confidently call it super-experience, and thank you, Phil and HAVI teams for having the trust in me, to make it all the way.
People always told me Singapore is great place for travel. And it really is. The number of amazing work and non-work trips I have done, and the places I have been was never ever even in my dreams. I consider myself really lucky, not just because jetting around and exploring new places if fun, but also because some spots I have visited are truly magical, makes you realize how tiny part of everything you are, how powerful nature is, and really beautiful and wonderful is the world we live in. They say that life is a book and people who don’t travel read only a first page….I am grateful to have the opportunity to read what seems not just one book, but the whole bookshelf!
There is a saying that if you want to be happy, you should learn to be alone without being lonely… to learn that being alone does not mean being unhappy. Spending most of the time here on my own, I sometimes remind myself of this. And if those two year have taught me something, it is the power of being myself and with myself. There have always been, and always will be moments I wish to share with people that for any number of reasons are not or cannot be at the same place with me at the same moment. But without learning to keep the chin up and building the confidence to do things on your own, you can just end up sitting home, feeling upset, and ultimately wasting the opportunities to explore the beautiful world (see above point on this one)…and they say that ultimately things will work themselves out…so let’s see!
I have heard many times that you can ‘adapt’ to the weather here. I can however confidently confirm that full adaptation to this sticky humid tropical greenhouse is just simply not possible. Maybe it is my awkward body that has a button that got stuck at ‘sweat mode’…but the long sleeves and pants and jacket that local ladies wear when we walk to work, obviously without a drop of sweat, is just something that will remain a mystery for me. I also went through a stage thinking that you can get used to it a bit….but after a time I just resign – you can never get used to the weather, you can only get used to the fact you’re sweaty like a pig most of the time you move (and usually even when you don’t)!
This one is a bit linked to the second point… with all the travel, the distances will become very relative to you. Anywhere in Europe now feels like almost home…and even getting half-way like Middle East, it feels somehow close, despite it is still good 6 hours flight. Long weekend in local style means probably a flight to Indonesia….different distance of course but travel time equivalent to many of us visiting relatives in other city, or heading to our summer house in the mountains. And after some time, this thinking kind of rubs in you and you start thinking differently …which is not a good or bad thing, it is just something that often makes people laugh, certainly when you call your family to let them know you’ll pop in on your way from work trip in India, because it felt ‘almost home’!
Right, you know I love sushi….and that will be one thing I will desperately miss moving back to Europe. I don’t need any fancy sushi places, just the fact you can get a nice sushi in the supermarket across the road is just AMAZING! And the biggest learning of the past two years is that you can’t overeat with sushi…I have had it so many times (and the pile of the little sachets of soy sauce you get with every package in my fridge tells the story!) but honestly don’t feel I’d ever overeat with it…so yeah, it qualifies to the same category as salads and vegetables! Oh, and also mangoes and mango smoothies. You would rarely believe me that mango was actually one of the very few fruits I did not like….ah well, it only took being stuck in Bali and whole new mango world opened up to me. There is so many types and flavours and colours as well, amazing really! Damn, I must have one for breakfast tomorrow!
Living in Europe, you kind of take all by default that there is four more or less distinct seasons (alright, in the UK these all tend to be rainy but at least mild changes in the temperature). Moving to the equator means you have one season, which is humid and hot summer with occasional tropical rains. Amazing you think? Well, come and stay for a year or two, and trust me, unless you are a lover of hot weather (read: you hate hate hate winter), it wears out. Yeah, you can stop following weather forecast because you know next day you wear to work guess what…a dress!..and tomorrow? Ehm, also dress? …unless you want to cook yourself alive! Don’t get me wrong, sunshine and tropical weather is great (note I do actually work here, not just sit on the beach drinking cocktails)….but I do really miss the diversity, variety of weather and also activities you can do. I am lucky to travel around so you get the chance of scenery (and temperature), but I am damn looking forward to snowy freezing winter…and colourful autumn…and green spring…and just the change really.
8. When I went for a first run here, I thought it is not possible to do more than 5K…it just didn’t run, I was sweaty so if you tried to catch me I would slip through your hands like an eel. But magic happened, and I somehow worked my way through to about 50K per week, and even survived a marathon. So yeah, it is possible. I also have a pool which is great, and even greater is that I might be the most frequent user of this pool of the whole block! When I was going for a swim in Prague in the mornings, there was a lady that always got in the pool, constantly swam freestyle for an hour without stopping, then jumped out of water and went to work. I admired this, swim for an hours non-stop – wow. Well, now I swim almost every day from 30 to 60 laps of my 50m pool, and I can do hour of freestyle without stopping as well! So yeah, it is possible. Lately I also added cycling to it, which is still quite an exploratory discipline (it is indeed, if you are comparing with MTB), but coming to terms with it. Last Sunday we hit first 120K together with my red and black Scott Speedster buddy, and although I initially almost runover few pedestrians before adapting to where brakes and gears are, it all worked out. So yeah, even a ‘never a road bike’ person can actually ‘like’ road cycling if give it a go (but no more favours than MTB, but ssshhhh). But the ultimate of these is that over the past two years I have had the best training opportunity for a triathlon. It did not materialize quite yet, but it has been something I always wanted to try, so maybe I should build on this, what do you think?
I have never been too much into taking pictures. Looking back, I regret it a bit because there are trips and times from which I now don’t have too much memories…and maybe that was partly a driver for me to change it when I moved here. Also, when you are travelling on your own, photos are one thing how you can share all those moments (virtually, but better than nothing). And going again back to the second point, some of the places are so new, amazing, different and beautiful that you want to share these, maybe a bit in hope that people then will be able to slightly better relate to you, to your world. So yeah, as you have probably noticed, I started to taking pictures much more, and actually really enjoy it. Recently I even got a tripod, started experimenting with that, and even with the photo edits. I know, who would ever think I will turn so artsy! And yeah, I know I should maybe get a proper camera, but I would need one which you can buy in a set with patience, know about any?
Last but not least they say….it is maybe one of the most important learnings from those two years, but also nice ones to close out with. I have been writing before about ‘two sides of this coin’, it is not all about fancy nice tropical paradise, there is actually a fair bit I had to give up, and some things I just lost as a consequence…and that is just how it is. But this whole process makes you realise the true value of thing, and people you have around you. It makes you appreciate more moments with people without whom you know you would be nowhere near where you are. You start to look at family gatherings differently, nostalgically take few pictures of sunset above Prague city skyline, and although with many people you somehow lose contact, the hardcore, true friends stay. They are sometimes like stars on cloudy night – you don’t see them (and quite often don’t even hear from them very often) but you know they are there. And you then come back after all the time, meet them, and it feels as if it was a week ago (just the kids grown up, boyfriend is different, and we all have few more wrinkles…)…and that is just so nice and reassuring. I am very lucky to have the friends I have, and really grateful for the supporting family that stand behind me, even though they all are 16 hour flight away (but again, even that is relative as per point five) and probably wish I was much closer than I am. And trust me, living away from all those loved ones is hard. It changes your perspective on things and teach you to appreciate what you would normally take for granted. Not because you would be non-appreciative person, simple because of the circumstance…they say that distance mean nothing is someone means everything…and in it actually somehow sounds true to me. So thanks guys! (and damn I miss you!)

So here you go, things are getting emotional so maybe let’s stop here while we are on high. Honestly, I have had a great time here, Singapore is a nice place and I am sure I won’t ever have the lifestyle I have here anywhere else. But life is not about this, it is about opportunities, experience and learning. About finding yourself and your place in this wonderful world.

Those two years have been an opportunity that I don’t regret taking. Despite the investments that were put into that, despite the tears that we all have sometimes, despite the ‘takes’…. I feel there was more of the ‘gives’. And you all know Singapore is not my final settle down destination, Europe is calling! But that is another chapter which is a story for other time!

So to close this, and celebrate, I am going to eat my home-made banana-blueberry ice-cream (yum yum) and you all have a great day.