Lessons learned this week:

• Invest in a good UV umbrella for all kinds of weather - the white one is shit for sunshine
• Animals to be seen and not fed: Turtles (Yes), Otters and Monkeys (Nope)
• Bring your passport with you on the first few days at work till you get a key card
• Botanical Gardens: UNESCO’s only tropical garden forest with nut trees (I avoided), Symphony stage by a lake full of huge lily pads and overlooked by Chopin in Bronze, Orchard Gardens (paid entrance) and a literal Swan Lake
• Sentosa is a resort central: three beaches, a free beach shuttle, imported Malaysian sands, WWII relics converted into luxury, Southernmost point of Asia and oil rigs
• Equarius Hotel is the best hotel on Sentosa (biased)
• Most international news from the UK focuses on London which seems fractured compared to Singapore’s integrated community policies
• MRT has jingles for train is approaching/ leaving certain stations/line, nothing compared to Japan that has one for every station (the UK is weak i fear) see this link for more
• Rush hour trains every 2 mins, Normal hours every 4-6 mins
• Digicam Diaries - the cutest place to get second hand digital cameras at an affordable price
• Guild Hall - possibly the safest place to play DnD

Important lessons learned:

• Yes, the weather is that nice and some people are easier to talk to in public
• Even if you have googled maps on the go, check your route before you head out
• Take pictures/remember stores and buildings for signposts even with your map
• Shopping: Sheng Siong, Giant and/or Fairprice for groceries/weekly purchase
• Cold Storage for more fancy items
• The Mustafa Centre for appliances and big household items. Make a day of it like IKEA, they really do have everything, and it’s built like a casino.
• Some toilets (Mustafa Centre) only have bidet with tissues in the vending machine outside, very easy to miss if you’re desperate

As some of you may already know to get your studentship in Singapore you need a TEP - a temporary employment pass that usually lasts a few months but is extended for you to last the two years (will be renewed yearly)....