I boarded the 2:45 flight of Philippine Airlines and arrived at Changi Airport at almost 7 pm on April 12, 2008. I felt really strange, for the sun sets late along Singapore’s horizon, and the sun is just starting to hide at 7 in the evening. I had this feeling that the clock is only pointing to half past five. It’s a bit disappointing, ‘coz I thought I’ll be witnessing a magnificent sunset while the plane is landing as I set foot on Singapore’s land for the first time. Turns out that it’s not the cinematographic event I had in mind.

I felt like a zombie, an outsider looking in on another person’s life. Slowly, I became an outside observer of the person living inside me. I watched as I mechanically go through the immigration and collect my luggage, headed where the arrow pointed the exit and thought to myself, at the late age of 28, I was able to enter a foreign land on my own. I only have meager allowance loaned to me by my cousins and a suitcase full of hope. I didn’t even get to bring all my favorite things, for fear of paying excess luggage.

Things to Bring: (Dated April 5, 2008, 6 days before my departure)

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:

1. EPEC – Employment Pass Eligibility CertificateI applied for my EPEC online through Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower website. I submitted the application last December 30, 2007 and got my approval on January 2, 2008. I can use this Certificate to apply for an extended social visit pass, so that I can stay in Singapore for a whole year and legally look for a job
2. International Passport
3. Resumes, I printed around 85 sets (these papers took up at least 10 pounds from my 20-kilo luggage allowance)
4. Cover letter
5. Portfolio of my previous design works
6. DFA approved college diploma and transcript of records. My diploma was translated into the English language for UP diplomas are written in the Filipino language.
7. NBI Clearance (although until now, they haven’t asked me to present this kind of document yet)
8. NSO Birth Certificate (just in case I need it)

ART STUFFS AND GADGETS:

1. 1 small sketchpad, hardbound
2. 9×12 sketch pad, a collection of sketches/drawings from my Fashion Illustration Course at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines.
3. A collection of my sketches from college up to present. (Maybe I can sell them if I haven’t found a job yet and I ran out of money)
4. Carandache colored pencils, a remnant from my college days and has been with me for almost 9 years.
5. Prang watercolors, a leftover from my Fashion Illustration course.
6. Aaron’s Mac iBook G4 (I’m happy that Aaron was able to let go of his beloved Mac and lent it to me for a few months)
7. My Wacom Tablet (I’m more comfortable in using the tablet rather than the mouse)
8. My new 80-gig Lacie external hard drive, loaded with gigabytes of Adobe Psd and Illustrator files, photos, music and some tutorials.
9. 1 small figure of Bulul (rice god of the Kalingas)
10.  An Ifugao-woven cloth from my former Art Director
11.  Jessica Zafra’s Twisted Flicks (if I had known that they wouldn’t be strict on the hand carry’s weight allowance, I wouldn’t have left my favorite author’s new book, Laura Esquivel’s Malinche.

 PERSONAL STUFFS:

1. 2 formal jacket for job interviews (I already have 3 scheduled interviews)
2. 1 pair of denim pants (I wish I can bring more but denims are heavy)
3. 1 pair of black slacks from Plains and Print
4. A few of my favorite blouses and shirts
5. 2 pair of short pants
6. Undies (I shopped for new sets)
7. 5 pairs of high-heeled shoes (a bad decision though, coz I have to do a lot of walking and high-heeled shoes are not that advisable) I wasn’t able to fit all my shoes in my luggage and it breaks my heart to leave some of my favorite ones.
8. 1 pair of leather boots the color of old rose
9. 1 formal dress I bought last Christmas for our company’s Christmas Party
10. 1 Single-sized set of bed sheets and pillowcases (turned out my bed’s size is Super Single, though  I’m not sure if we have this size in the Philippines)
11.  2 small bags: a white Mango and a black Nine West (again, I was not able to pack my big bags, and  the ones I’ve brought, I can’t even fit my big wallet)
12.  1 pair of rubber slippers

TOILETTRIES:

1. 1 big bottle of Finesse Shampoo
2. 1 tube of Cream Silk Conditioner
3. Modess feminine napkins
4. 1 Big Dove Cream Bar soap
5. 1 Big stick of Rexona
6. 2 bottles of perfume, a CK and an Elizabeth Arden
7. Body Polish Scrub from Icelandic Waters
8. Touch of Sun Body Lotion from Lacoste
9. 2 packs of Clean & Clear Oil Control film
10.  3 bars of papaya soap
11.  6 pots of moisturizing creams

There…27 kilos of my whole life inside a luggage and a hand carry bag. The things that won’t fit I carried in my heart: guts, hopes and dreams.

I met Camille at around half past seven in a coffe shop located nearby Terminal II of Changi Airport and we boarded the taxi to our apartment in Lorong Ah Soo.