WE ARE GOING TO PHUKET

September 14, 2008

I had a last minute decision to buy our tickets to Phuket. Tiger Airways was offering flights at 0.04 cents (exclusive of taxes). The sale is only till  midnight tonight and I purchased our tickets at 11.15.

The cost of our tickets(4 of us) is like the cost of our tickets from Manila to Boracay which is rather cheap. Phuket is only 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Singapore and we will just spend the week end there during the kids school holidays.

Good timing since November is Loy Krathong month in Thailand. Maybe we will have a chance to see the Krathongs and lanterns being lit in the skies of Phuket. 

 

 

IT PAYS TO BOOK UR VACATIONS EARLY

September 13, 2008

By December we are off for our annual vacation to Manila. Normally I book way way in advance to get discounts on flights and hotel.

This year part of our annual vacation plan is a trip to Boracay. I had already booked a flight in May for our Dec 21-23 flight to Boracay. Just to give you an idea of how much we have saved. This is our total package plan breakdown:

Tickets via Cebu Pacific for 2 adults and two kids                                                 P19753.00

Current cheapest Cebu P ticket for Dec 21-23 flight o Boracay                           P26,136.32

 SAVINGS                                                                                                                         P6,383.32

Hotel Bookings

Current Charges for Alta Vista Dec 21-23 (two nights)                                   S$184.00

Our payment booking made in May 2008                                                            S$172.00

SAVINGS                                                                                                                       S$12.00(P390.00)

TOTAL SAVINGS                                                                                                             P6773.32 (S$208.00)

This amount is more than enough for our food and shopping. So if you really want to save up on that vacation, better book early or when there is a sale online.

Happy trip!

PINOY JOB HUNTERS IN SINGAPORE

September 6, 2008

 The most recent Diaspora of Pinoys in SIngapore is a revelation to me…more and more College graduates and mostly graduates from far flung colleges and universities are coming here to this small country to find work as sales personnel, restaurant and hotel attendants, maids(yes maids) and bargirls.

In the 70s,80s and 90s most Pinoys who get jobs in Singapore are oftentimes Engineers,Architects ,Maids and nurses but now almost every nook and cranny of the airport ,Orchard Road shops and Singapore restaurants have Pinoys working as bus boys, helpers, salesperson etc. I am very sorry to observe however that the new crop of job seekers dont know how to speak English well.

I have yet to see graduates from well know universities like UP,Ateneo, La Salle trying to find jobs in SIngapore probably because they easily find jobs in Manila. A lot of those coming here now are coming  from lesser known colleges that sometimes I have not even heard of.

It makes me feel a sense of pity for these young Pinoys accepting jobs that dont really study for. Why complete a course in Accountingm, Commerce etc when you will just end up folding t shirts in Lucky Plaza.

Sabi nga ng isang Pinay”OK na rin yon at least I get paid about S$1,200 or approximately P36000″. The entry level jobs now for people in the service industry(hotels,shops etc) is S$1800 but since there is a lot of competition for these jobs Pinoys normally accept jobs even at S$1000-$1200.

If you are one of those who cannot find a job in  Manila and want to find a job here be ready to go job hunting for about 2-3 months.For this periood you need to pay about $300-400/month for bedspace, about $10 daily for transpo and food and sometimes a one month equivalent of starting pay if you got a job through and agency.

Good luck to your job hunting!