2008: Uniquely Singapore!
I’m now fairly settled in Singapore; most of the practical things have been taken care of, I’ve had the mandated medical check-up, collected my employment pass, got set-up with local telephones, started working, and found a condo that should be ready for me to move in in a couple of weeks. And so far I love it!
I am currently staying at the Parkroyal Serviced Residences close to the CBD and five minutes walk from the office. It is thus very convenient and a good place to start out, but I am still looking forward to getting settled in ‘my own place’. That is supposed to happen at the end of the month, where I move to a small apartment at The Icon, a brand new tower of condominiums in the CBD and close to the water (harbour). Although it is mainly an office area, I find the neighbourhood very charming with lots of small shops, restaurants, and hawker centres. The location is also excellent, within walking distance of Boat Quay / Clarke Quay and just next to the Tajong Pagar MRT (subway). The apartment itself is nothing special, but the building has 10 jacuzzi’s on the 31st floor with views of the Singapore skyline and the harbour, as well as an indoor/ outdoor gym (also on the 31st floor), a theatre, a 50m pool and two tennis courts (outside, on the 7th floor)...
It nevertheless looks like I won’t be spending too much time at home, as work is likely to take up a significant part of the week - the ‘set’ office hours are 8:30-18:00, compared to the 8-16 in Denmark, and I expect a lot of overtime. That is nevertheless what I was anticipating, and so far it doesn’t matter much as my job and tasks are both interesting and exciting... And if it ever gets tedious, my mind tends to refresh itself whenever I look at the downtown skyline from my window desk on the 32nd floor - that’s the view on the main picture above :).
The culture here doesn’t come much as a surprise to me, as I have visited Singapore a number of times before and am lucky enough to have some great local friends. Everybody is extremely friendly, helpful, and courteous; the food is amazing, plentiful, and cheap (compared to Denmark), and the city is very ‘happening’ all over. And so far the climate is quite comfortable - sure it’s humid, but it’s not that hot (yet), and the evenings are actually quite pleasant outside. But of course that’s bound to get worse as we get into the summer :)...
Hope all is well back home and wherever you are! Come visit soon!
Sunday, 13 January 2008
