27 June 2013

DOMA is Down

So the news has hit Asia and I can't help but feel both ecstatic and sad at the same time. Defence of Marriage Act has officially been repelled by the United States Supreme Court, sweeping over two-decades of institutional discrimination away in one sweeping move. Even better, widespread public and political support of the measure means that it is unlikely the United States legislature will ever be able to get another federal law like this one onto the books.

My Facebook and Gmail Inbox has been brimming with congratulations, explosions of happiness and lengthy declarations of support. However all have been coloured with the same running theme...

Now you can come home...

Yes, the chances for us to return to the United States as a couple protected under the law instead of separate beings subjected to discrimination and different rules designed to separate us, has just been increased by leaps and bounds.

Are we going to be boarding a plane right now and heading back to the States... no...

Unfortunately, I am one of thousands of Americans who when given the choice between being separated from their foreign-born significant other or going abroad with them, I chose abroad to stay with the man I loved. The mass exodus of bi-national LGBT-couples returning is not going to happen tomorrow, it can't... because while we'd love to return to grand ole' America, we are also Human beings... we have jobs, homes, bills and uprooting that all, picking up everything and returning them to the States is not something that can be done lightly and not without an immense amount of forethought.

Yes, I left the country very abruptly but we can consider that fortune of destiny. I had just left a job with a start up I really wasn't enjoying (I was running the fine line between over-worked and apathy to said work), decided to downgrade the Manhattan apartment when rents began to rise and was dealing with the fact that my boyfriend's work visa had expired. That was the fate's aligning in my favour.

In Singapore however I have taken a job with a company I find myself enjoying immensely, gotten a nearby apartment who's rent is lower than New York's by miles and have begun to build a small group of friends in this country... now the fates are not in my favour.

But while this is a sad moment for many of my readers who I count among my friends and were rooting for my speedy return to States, it is more of a time to root for the fact that we can now return as a legal couple, protected under the law like never before in our nation's history.

And we all have Edith 'Edie' Windsor and Thea Spyer to thank for that.

Just like my previous post Defense of our (Gay)Marriage Aspirations from almost three-months ago, let's have a quick history lesson. Listen up kiddies, cause this should be filed away with such historical civil rights achievements like the Stonewall Riots, Loving v. Virginia and almost every other great civil rights victory from Rosa Parks to Daniel Savage.

In 2007, these two New York residence, married in Toronto after more than 40-years together. Tragically Spyer passed away in 2009, just as New York legally recognized same-sex marriage performed in other jurisdictions. Spyer left her entire estate to her widow... who had to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes for the right to inherit her wife's estate.

Here's a critical thing to pay attention to, for heterosexual couples, no taxes are owed if the spouse inherits less than $3.5 million. Since DOMA refuses the government to see same-sex couples as not married under federal estate laws and as such, the change of property regardless if they are willed to another is seen as a transfer of ownership and not inheriting to a spouse.

Windsor paid the amount... and then followed it up by suing the federal government for discriminating against her.

With her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan through the ACLU and ran the case through the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York which ruled that section 3 of DOMA was unconstitutional. Though she had won Windsor pushed on and when the Justice Department attempted to file notice on the appeal, the Second Circuit Court upheld the ruling again. It was the first federal court of appeals decision to hold that laws that classify people based on sexual orientation should be subject to intermediate scrutiny. Finally Windsor filed petition for the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, to argue that DOMA violated the Fifth Amendment's right of equal protection.

In a narrow vote in favour, the Supreme Court found section 3 of DOMA to be unconstitutional, stating "as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment." Justice Anthony Kennedy voted in favour of repelling the law, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito voted in dissent to keep the law.

And in concurrence, Hollingsworth v. Perry nullified Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that rendered previously legal same-sex marriage in California illegal. In 30 days post its nullification, same-sex marriage will again be legal in California, raising the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal to thirteen. Now LGBT couples can wed in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, the District of Columbia and five Native American tribes.

With the support of President Obama, the first sitting president to come out in favour of same-sex marriage, a widespread ideological split in the Republican Party who had originally made opposition to same-sex marriage a party platform and 55% public support of same-sex marriage, it is expected that another law like DOMA to again re-establish a federal law against homosexual unions will now be almost impossible, if not subject to much stricter legal review before it ever gets close to vote.

And while we now exist in a legal patchwork, where certain laws and rights exist in some states and not in others, it sets a legal precedence in favour of same-sex marriage, the same precedence that DOMA tried to squash in 1996 when Hawaii was considering such laws in favour.

Gay married couples will soon be able to apply for social security and survivor benefits, file jointly for federal return taxes, gain employee benefits for the care of sick spouses, children, parents or in-laws, gain health insurance coverage and especially in the case of Ms Windsor, estate taxes. Immigration laws will of course follow, but in the interim, we are all existing in a legal free-fall to see where the issue eventually lands. The federal government is expected to pay back all the money they took from her... plus interest.

And that kiddies is the end of our story... for now...

Until next time, this is AngMoh, cheering the homeland on from far across the Pacific and wishing his fellows some luck in the next big step in the Gay Civil Rights Movement and a hope to arrive in time to see it achieve complete fruition.

21 June 2013

401 PSI (Its Not A Radio Station!)

I wake up this morning, in my otherwise dark bedroom and thank all that is holy that our landlord invested in some heavy curtains. However in a second my still sleep addled brain registers something else. At first it senses as hickory smoked bacon and my stomach growls, demanding such a delightful treat. Then it registered there is no bacon (A great act of heresy my stomach declares!) but instead just the smell of smoke.

Most people would wake with a start, screaming fire and desperately trying to discover the source of the smoke billowing into their room.

Instead my feeling is general annoyance, I know its the smell of haze that has invaded my bedroom, through a forgotten bathroom window left open the night before!

One step outside my front door and I can't see more than a hundred or so feet from my HDB flat, the towering cranes of Singapore Harbour are faint outlines in the clouds, the boats and ocean beyond them are lost in the white wash. Every second outside and my throat burns hots from the smoke and the sting irritates my eyes.

A step back in and I can see the faint flush of white between my front door and the kitchen, noticing with great annoyance that the shirts I hung to dry the night before now smell like ash, forcing me to invent several colourful curse words as I toss them back into the washer. I know its a waste but what is the point, even if I won't wear them until weeks after the haze is finally gone, they'll still smell of smoke and make everything else in my closet smell just as bad.

I grumble to myself on my way into work, finding that the streets are lost in this hot haze and everyone has adopted a surgical face mask as their fashion accessory of choice. Those that are not fortunate have taken to hold handkerchiefs over their faces, wrapped scarves about their heads, people have even fashioned palm leafs into woven masks to cover their nose and mouths.

I managed to snag a box from the pharmacy downstairs, though I note after my purchase that the price on the box is barely a third of what my wallet says was stolen out of it. But still I draw the mask over my face and instantly hate the feeling of my own hot breath blowing back into my face, making my cheeks and mouth literally sweat as the heat of the surrounding air seems to double in strength. Silently I thank all that is holy for a second time that morning that I went with my orange flavoured mouthwash instead of the piercing peppermint one. But it doesn't help as my hot breath keeps flushing up and out of the top of the mask, fogging my glasses and forcing me to walk nearly two avenues to work pinching the top of the cloth, trying to keep my spectacles clear.

Arriving at work, trying to work a paper napkin over my forehead to do away with the sweat that's gathered after my barely 10-minute walk to the office, I notice a few responses to my Facebook updates from the night before and have to stifle a groan at the responses some people have sent me:
  • "What are you talking about? Haze?"
  • "Has a volcano erupted in Asia?"
  • "Why are all the pictures you post of fog? I love a foggy morning!"
  • "Why does everyone in Asia wear those face masks?"
To cover all of them at once, here's the story and pardon me if I come off annoyed recounting it, but most people lost in the haze cloud are very perturbed. 


Last week, as the dry season (Summer for South-East Asia) began, farmers in nearby Sumatra, Indonesia, started to clear new land for growing. To do this they went with the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of the otherwise wall of plants and jungle, employing slash and burning tactics. Literally, they set a fire and wait as the dry air and nature's fury goes to work. It wouldn't hurt many other than the locals around the fire but Sumatra lays directly in an array of wind patterns that generally blow northward... into heavily populated Singapore. Worse, the wind patterns of the region tend to circle the island of Singapore, meaning that once the smoke has arrived, nature keeps the white burning clouds swirling around it like a suffocating hurricane. 

If it couldn't get worse, haze (the smoke ash cloud) actually traps heat and sucks up moisture, making the already tropical weather hotter and the air drier. Since the dry season entails a lack of rain, this is further exacerbated because relief from a storm is near impossible. 

The result, a hot, dry cloud of smoke has settled over the island, a fresh breeze now causes your eyes to sting, your throat to hurt and your cloths smell like smoke. 

Of course it makes people uncomfortable but one look at the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) issued hourly by the government can make your eyes bug out. On average, Singapore enjoy's beautiful weather and has a PSI that sits on average below 50. Between 51 to 100 is considered moderate air quality, 101 to 200 is unhealthy air quality, 201 - 300 is considered very unhealthy air quality and above 300 is designated hazardous.

Today for the first in history, the Singapore PSI rating was 400!

Check out the PSI ratings for the last five days below. Hint: Black is considered BAD

What has Indonesia's response to a few of their farmers literally bringing the health of an entire country of five-million into question. To say it was callous and dismissive would be an understatement, insulting and pretentious is what I thought when I first read it. 

According to Channel New Asia, the Indonesia minister appointed to the crisis, Agung Laksono has publicly decried Singapore's outrage at the situation as almost laughable! 

"Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise," Laksono said, while his government concurrently blamed Singaporean and Malaysian palm oil companies (vegetable oil) who own or buy from those slash & burn farmers for allowing their suppliers to continue using the cheap practice of burning forests over the expensive practice of mechanically clearing them.

Laksono's dismissive remarks have of course sparked outrage in the country and the Singaporean government has angry rebuffed the remarks. They have both declared for decisive action to be taken while offer financial aid to help combat the fires, aid that Indonesia has refused, declaring it too small to make a difference and saying the country would handle the issue itself. An idea to use cloud seeding, dropping sodium shells into rain clouds to force them to rain, was floated about between both countries but again, we are in the first weeks of the dry season, a period of three months where rain is scarce... hence why the haze crisis is of even greater concern. 

The Minister's response is a very common one from Indonesia, who have a history of dismissing Singapore as nothing more than an island who's a little too full of itself and too prone to complaining about things. The response is also very common how Indonesia responds to most of Asia, that it can do what it wants... a disconcerting hold over attitude from 90s tenure of Indonesian President Suharto, which generally were marred by economic crisis, institutional corruption and a Western-backed invasion of East Timor, which was known for its brutal violence that led to 100,000 deaths! 

With the politicians point fingers and bicker, the people of Singapore are left to adapt however they can:

  • Surgical face masks have nearly sold out, with stores refusing advance ordering to avoid hoarding. For those that are sold our, specially designed vitamin packs to help against the smoke. (Don't buy from people on the corner selling them unless your desperate, rumour has it they are just sewing cheap tissues together which are good for like an hour before they fall apart!)
  • The Ministry of Manpower is considering a work stop for all individuals who work outside (construction workers, delivery men, truck drivers) because their health can not be guaranteed. Last time that happened in 1997, Singapore lost over S$6-billion in lost revenue, health claims and a slowed economy. 
  • Planes at Changi Airport have been delayed as pilots are advised to take longer periods of time to land during the white-out. 
  • Nurses are handing out face masks on public transit, where most transit stations are open air. 
  • Malls and shopping centres have encouraged patrons to shut doors behind them, even posting security and reception to make sure none are left open to allow smoke inside. 
  • Outdoor temples have begun to deploy overhead canvas, to protect their worshippers. 
  • Offices have advised office workers to stay inside, if they need to go outside take a complimentary face mask to be safe. If you feel sick, stay home (Honestly the windows are better sealed in the office and the air conditioner is industrial size, I feel safer at work then at home!)
  • Restaurants are selling winter melon soup by the gallon, claiming it will help battle the toxins in the air. It honestly tastes like pork broth, if you've ever had Wonton soup and you'll know the flavour! It's surprisingly invigorating. 
Well until next time, AngMoh waiting out haze and wishing all of Singapore good health in the cloud skies.

17 June 2013

White Walls of Singapore

Due to weather, all pictures courtesy of Channel NewsAsia.

Today's weather is a high of 90*F, rain showers in the evening... and a smoke haze all day. That's right, no matter where you are outside, a thin white fog seems to cover everything and the taste of burned ash stings your throat.

The reason for this smoky air is caused by forest fires in Indonesia and according to the weather channels, it is just one of several months to come where the smoke haze is expected to hang over the whole island.

Yep, we are getting hit by smoke from a fire that is 156-mile away (Fine, 251-kilometres!)

It all started Friday evening, I left work happy to sign the lease to our new HDB apartment when I stepped outside. At first I didn't notice it, I was in a rush to grab a nice cold lime juice (a local equivalent to lemonade) and then make the 10-minute walk to the boyfriend's office, then to walk south to our new apartment in the old but surprisingly modern neighbourhood of Tanjong Pagar. It was probably the cold beverage that buffered me a bit but half way into the first half of my excursion and I was noticing a burning smell in the air, a dry and raw feeling in my throat and a small sting in my eyes.

At first I thought it was a fire somewhere nearby, but when I craned an ear to listen, I didn't hear any emergency sirens. In the heart of Singapore known by the impressive and towering title of the Downtown Core (Walk through it once and you'll know the name is deserved), I can usually hear the sounds reverberating off the skyscrapers, the steel, concrete and glass walls like a sound chamber and sometimes when I walk the smaller roads meant for delivery and service vehicles that bisect between the behemoths I swear I can hear voices echoing in the distance.

But it was as I looked up at those glass spires above me, I noticed they seemed a little harder to see. You know when your at the beach and you look at a ship on the very edge of the horizon, it looks a little whited out, details are harder to make out. The intricate and varied towers of the Downtown Core and around Raffles were now harder to make out, like someone had dropped white mosquito netting in my way to blot them out.

I met my boyfriend and was going to voice my confusion that everything seemed 'off' this evening, but we were late and in a rush, he had more work to do and we still had to pack for our move (Hey, its was two suitcases each but in two-months, we've spread out!) so I kept my tongue to myself, instead asked about his day, as we speed walked to our destination.

We arrived on the middle floors of our 24-story HDB and made a beeline to our destination, our new apartment. But here the 'white wall' was all the more evident.

Most if not all HDB's have open air walkways that line the interior walls of their courtyards, causing a spiral maze to grow over your head that seems full of life. Along these walks people hang their laundry to dry in the air, grow plants of staggering exotic variety, line their shoes along the walls, the occasional child's toy or scooter are neatly against the concrete railing and with some homes, a tiny yet lovingly maintained Buddhist or Hindu idol with offerings of oranges or burning incense occupy the corners. But along this almost 200-foot walk (Fine, 50-meters!), I could see the white wall hanging at around the halfway point down the walk, the door of the last apartment on the walk at the far end was almost gone in the mist.

But beyond the white wall was one startling fact of the walkway that I found instantly concerning.

It was empty of all souls... anyone who has been in an HBD in the evening knows its common for windows and doors to be opened, for the sounds of people talking, televisions playing and even children racing up and down the halls while squealing in glee fill the air. It almost always sounds like a cul-de-sac back in the States on a hot summer evening after school's let out, children running free, neighbours chatting from across their porches, the occasional splash of an outdoor pool. You didn't have to see people, you could hear them clear as if they were all right in front of you... ah now I'm nostalgic.

Tonight however the doors were shut, the windows were shuddered, the sounds of those televisions muffled and not a body was outside.

One glance to my left as we walked through this haze, out towards the Port of Singapore, second busiest harbour in the world, I could barely make out the towering cargo cranes that could match our HDB in height. Out on the water, it was like the ocean and the hundreds of ships that floated atop it disappeared into white, not a detail beyond their shadows or silhouettes could be made out.

We signed out apartment lease, hashed out a few details with our landlord, shook hands with a very amicable deal and by the time we departed it was dark outside and though the lights of the harbour and surrounding buildings seemed... off... brighter then they should be... the white wall had vanished and we were heading back up to the Singapore parent's home for the last time.

Fast forward to the next morning and we were rushing about, trying to cram what we could into our four suit cases, two small roller bangs and two backpacks (All we had brought with us from America plus a few purchases), while trying to organize what appliances and extra goodies the Singaporean parent's had graciously gifted to us for our new apartment (Heads up, loving the espresso machine the Singaporean mother added to our pile... my caffeine addiction has been thoroughly quelled this morning!). Again I stepped outside, juggle a plastic hanging rack, an overburdened suitcase and three cooking pans under my arm... and instantly noticed the basketball court that lay atop the parking garage below us was lost in a haze.

The white wall was back, the burning smell of wood hung in the air and I instantly had to stifle a sneeze building in my chest.

Everything packed into the car, we headed out, absently turning on the radio to listen to some music as we made the 20-minute ride down to Tanjong Pagar from Tampines. The music is generally identical to home, Singapore's tastes in music tend to be very American (Western) with a greater preference towards Pop, Rock and Hip Hop... Country thankfully hasn't made a real dent here. But just as we were starting to pull onto the highway, the music ended as the broadcast switched to the local weather.

"All Singaporeans are reminded that due to forest fires in nearby Indonesia, smoke haze is expected for most of the next week. Please remain attentive to the Singaporean Air Quality Service and be appraised of government bulletins. Thank you."

Today's rating is 74, moderate. Anything over 100 is unhealthy to be outside without a face mask, over 200 dangerously unhealthy and over 300... well unless the fire is burning right next to Singapore I think we are safe for the time being.

For someone who has never been near a forest fire in his life, such a 'weather phenomenon' is weird to say the least. I lived in California for too short a time and at too young an age to register the yearly forest fires that plague the dry western states of America, the closest fire I've been to outside our home fireplace or an outdoor wood bonfire was a controlled burn of an abandoned house when I was 14. It was started, supervised and then doused by the local fire department who kept the crowd of curious onlookers upwind for the entire thing. We never were hit with the smoke head-on, we could feel the heat and smell the burning, but never we're we in the smoke path.

Singapore is in the smoke path from an entire forest, not just one house. I wonder if I should invest in one of those sterile surgical masks I see some people walking around with.

Until next time, the AngMoh will be hiding inside from the smoke.

11 June 2013

Asian Apartment Assessing

So if my sky writer is doing his job, you should know by now that we've signed the lease on our first Singaporean apartment. What you didn't know!? But I paid that random stranger I met on the bus in the middle of the night all that money for top notch work!

Fine, back on topic!

For the last month we've been living with the boyfriend's Singaporean parents and while they have been INCREDIBLE (Seriously, by the normal conservative standards of the previous generation that speaks volumes!) I however have lived on my own for nearly 7-years! Living with someone else (barring my boyfriend for nearly two-years now) is an adjustment I have been finding it difficult adjusting to having 'room mates'... and living with your significant other's parents makes it both difficult and a bit uncomfortable.

  • You have to be on your best behaviour all the time, no walking around in your boxers (Don't lie, you know you do it when no one's home). 
  • You have to always dress nicely to present your competence as an adult... how I miss my ratty and worn lounging sweat pants!
  • You can't hog the bathroom or the food, I love to take hour long hot showers where I literally can just sleep standing up... nope not here! My poor back muscles are screaming in defiance at the injustice!
  • You can't curse or shout whenever your pissed or hurt. Don't believe me, stub your toe on the table and try stifling that F-word in your throat as you grip you foot and smile at the parents. 
  • Your decision for meal time are by group consensus and not by what your stomach wants that night. 
  • All forms of PDA even up to overt flirting is now weird because honestly, who wants to get all hot and bothered in front of you 'in-laws'. 
  • Find you boyfriend's mother washing your underwear and instantly you feel both embarrassment and a healthy dose of shame, not to mention your an adult, you feel bad having someone else doing your laundry. (If your mother still does your laundry after college, sorry, you're a wierdo!)

For someone who lived by himself over half a decade, such an adjustment is not easy and the desire to return to some level of freedom I enjoyed before is desperately wanted. Don't get me wrong, its an immensely rewarding experience to get to know the Singaporean parents... but literally meeting them and living with them all in the same week is like watching an antelope on the Serengeti... every second a conversation goes quiet your afraid the time has come and that antelope is about to be hit... by Hummer!

Again back on topic, I know I run off on tangents. I think its because... Oh fine, your no fun!

So to begin hunting for a new place to stay in Singapore, the first desire is to pick somewhere that a commute to work is feasible. Right now going from Tampines down to Raffles means either catching the 552 Bus, riding it for an hour, praying traffic plays nice and then walking 10-minutes to work... or catching the 91 Bus to Tampines Mall, riding the MRT to Raffles and walking 15-minutes to work... both ways are crowded and both require me to be awake much earlier than God ever intended. So it was decided to focus in every neighbourhood that was less than a 20-minute commute from our office (train/bus included).

I am not a morning person... in fact before my coffee I am a DANGER to society... the closer I am to work the better.

Narrowing down our search area, we found apartment hunting in Singapore is very similar to NYC. Realtor's have taken to social media and the Internet with a zeal, many sites specific to Singapore apartment renting or property buying are plastered all over the Internet. We focused primarily on the website Property Guru, mostly because it required all apartment rental posting to come with pictures, both of the property but also the realtor hosting it.

Our area of focus was Tanjong Pagar, an area at the heart of the Downtown Core of Singapore that is an odd mix of old style HDBs and high-rise condos. It's only a short distance from the famed and always crowded Singapore Harbour, one of the busiest seaports in the world... seriously New York Harbour, you don't even rate in the top 10 seaports in the world when you can count nearly a hundred super-freighters representing two dozen countries, each as long as the Empire Star Building is tall, clustering on the open ocean, all vying to be the next to drop their goods at the base of tower cargo cranes that rival skyscrapers in height!

Saturday is the day to show, most people are out and about so you can get a feel for the real life of your desired neighbourhood. This will give you an idea of how crowded or loud your future home could be. If I'd have known my college apartment in Philadelphia was dead on the weekdays but overwhelmed by crowds, ear-splitting club music and drunks falling over at only 4:00 PM in the afternoon, I may have looked a little farther down the road!

Generally most owners will go through a realtor when they are trying to sell their places, the hassle is easier and most buildings require it to ensure nepotism doesn't play a factor in them keeping the rents competitive. In general pick them based on the properties they have, but when you call to schedule your appointment ask if they have similar properties in the area. Most actually will have multiple apartments in the same building complex they will be happy to show.

Now that sounds odd, if you've seen one HDB apartment, you've seen them all. But remember Singaporeans love to buy over rent, which means that as owner they have say in how all of these decade old units are not only decorated but also how they are renovated. The first apartment we saw had a wall between the kitchen and living room. But the next apartment did fit within the same space and shape, but that wall between the kitchen and living room had been torn out and a breakfast counter now acted as a barrier. Another two floors down had redone the kitchen counters with green tiles, the one next door went with stainless steel tops.

Secondary to this, almost all rental apartments in Singapore tend to come fully furnished. The owners know that most people who are renting tend to be working and juts starting out in the world, they have few belongings. Its common for all the basic furniture and major appliances to be installed on arrival. Think of it like how a hotel room is built, nothing fancy but still you will have a couch, television, washer, kitchen table, a bed and wardrobe for each room. If your buying, sorry they expect if you can afford property, you can afford your own couch! This means that the décor and furnishing of the place must also be considered when moving in. I loved a 18th floor apartment in a particular HDB near Duxom Park but the fact that owner refused to remove the ancient and truly gaudy Chinese-style wooden furniture and furnish with a television that wasn't made in the 1980s was the reason we turned it down.

The range of rents you can find will run the gamete and are largely predictable. The fancy condo built less than a year ago, with its own small backyard, a sky garden on the room, private courtyard and garage, even a private hall for functions, along with complimentary bomb shelter/pantry, was of course rated at a price that visibly made us choke. The cheap HDB flat built around the time my grandparents were newly weds and still hosting all the original décor, was straggly cheap... and stomach turning in its filth.

Be clear with the realtors, most are willing to negotiate the rent down if you are willing to offer incentive. Move in right away, but only if you drop S$200 from the rent. Like we'd pay the full rent, but wanted the couch, television and beds replaced with more modern versions. Haggling will be difficult and somewhat exasperating but we managed to chop a good chunk off our rent and get a say in how it was furnished because since the renovations were completed the day before, it lacked furniture when we viewed it.

Once the bid and the your haggled stipulations for moving in have been presented to the owner, they can decide whether or not they'll take your offer. This offer is going to include a check for your first month's rent, plus a security deposit that is usually one months rent and a realtor fee, which is usually another month's rent. So expect whatever price you agree on, the first time out of the gate you'll be paying three to four times that amount, so brace your bank accounts accordingly.

Once the offer is accepted, its time to sign the contract, where your stipulations for moving in are legally documented. Do no skimp on any details and make sure the owner is held accountable for all damages within the first day of moving in. We found while out future home was ideal, the handles on the kitchen windows were broken, a mirror was cracked and two tiles in the bathroom were wobbly. Yes, wobbly is the technical term! These damages must be fixed before you move in and any one's you missed need to be documented the first day in order to avoid a hefty chunk of your security deposit being sucked up when you move out.

There are also some stipulations that have to be made clear on the contract when you move in, in order to save yourself from 'breaking' your lease later on:

  • Expatriate renters can use the Overseas Clause to break a lease without penalty. If you are posted back to your home country or another, you are only required to give two-weeks notice and your lease will be shortened accordingly to end as soon as possible. Just provide you FIN or Passport number to secure this.
  • If ANY of the persons on the lease are Singaporean, the Overseas Clause not only doesn't apply, it voids an early lease break for the whole apartment.
  • Rent periods tend to be 12-months to 18-months, not by year. 
  • Non-Singaporeans can not own property in an HDB. Only Singaporeans can buy an HDB unit. This is the reason the Overseas Clause applies to expatriates and not Singaporeans, we can break contracts early but can never own.
  • Subletting is illegal and strictly enforced. Even to family this is unacceptable unless their names are on the lease.
  • Most buildings come with WiFi and it is average in speed. Enough to browse the Internet but if you want to use some serious power, like online gaming or HD television, you'll have to invest in something more powerful.
  • Unlike in the States, water, gas and heat is not included in your rent. They will be billed to you same as electricity. 
  • You are expecting to service all appliances and amenities in your apartment. No building repairman, unless the damage is to the building itself, then alert the owner for assistance. Remember your air conditioner WILL need to be serviced every three-months, if it doesn't the build up of bacteria, dust and oils can make you sick or worse, start a fire!

And with that all hammer down, we've signed our contract and are set to move in next week! Ang Moh finally has some property to call his own! I think I'll raise some rabbits... yes that seems appropriate... fine I'll just get a mint plant for the kitchen window!

10 June 2013

Registering for Employment Pass

Heads Up: This is a continuation on my blogging about applying for an S-Pass employment visa in Singapore. If you miss part one, scroll to the bottom of the page for links to the corresponding sequences! 


And now the moment of truth. I have all my paper work filled out, every document notarized by the proper professional and I've even put it in a nice purple folder for presentation... hey, purple is super professional looking so stop snickering!

It's time to register my employment pass and have it made official by the government.

So in most cases, if your company has any legitimate Human Resource department, they can make the appointment at the Ministry of Manpower for you. Those that don't... it can require some hunting through the usual bureaucratic nightmare that is a government website. I personally believe that instead of going this route it just easier to call the Ministry and wade through the hour of operators to get a real live person to confirm your appointment. I however lost charge on my battery and was thrown back to step one before my appointment was confirm.

But HR came to the rescue and got in my appointment situated.

Once your confirmation is in the system, they send you a email with all your details, along with a registration bar-code. Print off this paper and bring it along with all your other documents.

With that all nailed down it was just holding out the days until it was time. Now remember this is a bureaucracy... it doesn't mean being punctual, it means being early. Finding the front entrance to just the campus wasted at least 20-minutes and thankfully I was there nearly an hour early, so it wasn't a mad dash to the door.

Inside its crowded, but keep your eyes peeled because Ministry officers are moving through the cluster of confused and waylay people, helping to get you to your appointment as fast a possible. They will take you to a nearby electronic kiosk. This is where that confirmation paper you printed off comes in. A quick scan and all your information is confirmed along with your physical arrival and in response, it prints off what lettered queue you are suppose to head to (A, B or C).

Inside the queue you have to wait in another line, though this is so short it will barely take longer than a few minutes. A screen on the wall will chime when a interview desk has opened and the corresponding number of said desk. Within minutes you'll be ushered into a glass lined cubicle that is so small you'll feel as if one wrong move and you'll be in the interviewer's lap!

Here is where you'll be handing over all your important documents that you've been collecting since the beginning of your journey:
  • Passport (Include multiple photo IDs and your social security card just to be safe).
  • In-Principle Approval Letter (the letter you were sent when your application was approved).
  • Disembarkation/Embarkation Card (basically the long-term visitor visa you were issued at Singapore customs when you arrived).
  • Completed Medical Examination form.
Make sure to note if your American or European, that the sequence your name is in will not match the common naming sequence on naming documents in Asia. To clarify, in Asia it is common to first list your last name, any numeral relation (junior, senior, III, IV), your first name next, finalized with any middle names you have (its common in this region of the world to have none at all or more than one, hence going last). In the case of Americans, who go First, Middle, Last, Numeral, this means you'll have to be issued a name amendment so they don't completely spell your name on the card in a disorganized manner. I had to correct the interviewer twice that she listed my name out of order... interviewers don't like to be corrected.

Next is the picture for your card and lets be clear, make sure you look presentable and wear something that you won't be embarrassed to be seen in. For the Indian man in the ratty, stained and torn t-shirt with Michael Jackson on the cover... congratulations, every official document your picture will appear on in this country will also show your poor taste in fashion.

I will admit I looked damn good in my picture, though at 5-foot 8-inches, I still had to bend my knees to fit into the camera's frame. You get two takes and after that its picking the lesser of two evils. I very much approve of the black and white, high contrast picture of me... whoever the photographer is, I want her doing all future photo shots for me!

With this completed, all those documents you brought (save the official ones like your passport and social security card) are taken for your registration and now are all gone... never to be seen again... thank God!

Now its time to wait. In general, you or your company will get a call within the next four to five business days, confirming that your card is ready. If you work for a major company, generally they will send the card directly to your office by secure messenger. If not, then you'll have to go all the way back to the Ministry office and pick it up yourself. 

Until that day, I'll keep you posted but until then, the AngMoh is now a semi-registered American Expat in Singapore!

For those that missed it, here is the complete S-Pass Application Process. Click below for:

Fire! Both Digital and Real!

I am terrified of the power outlets in our home! Yes, I admit it. Every time I plug in anything that requires a converter I am petrified of the coming explosion of sparks and smoke.

Little background, in Singapore the voltage carried in the outlets is a lot higher than back home. Instead of 120 volts, its around 200-240 volts. The result, plug in any surge protector or device that can't handle that and even with a voltage converter you'll only get a puff of smoke burst in your face. Check here for the different international standards.

It all started nearly a month ago, when my boyfriend believed that by plugging an American surge protector into a converter for Asia, we could plug all our American devices into one easy row of outlets, instead of dangerously overloading the power outlets in our bedroom. Boy were we off by miles. The result, a whine of electronic agony, then a pop and smoke rising from the eight power plugs which all now looked suddenly sad for some reason. Read about it in my first real post from Singapore: Sparks Fly.

Fast forward a month and I am setting up my Xbox 360, all excited to get my hands on the newest zombie game of the year, State of Decay. So blinded by fandom I plugged the converter in into the Asian surge protector, slapped in the plug for the Xbox AC adaptor and flipped the switch. Unlike Dr. Frankenstein who cackled with triumph when lightning struck, my words were entirely different when I realized the mistake I had made.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! No... crap! Oh shit no, no, no!"

But electricity moves at the speed of light and before I could slap my hand back down on the power switch the moment I realized my folly, the AC adaptor had already shrieked in agony, let out a sound like a balloon popping and smoke burst out in a tiny mushroom cloud from both ends of my adaptor. Thankfully it had done its job and protected my Xbox from any damage, but it had died valiantly in its effort... and I was royally annoyed at my stupidity.

I was left with a now unplayable game I had been waiting for months to get my greedy hands on... disappointment didn't begin to describe it... exasperated annoyance at my misfortune and stupidity was more like it.

Shopping for a replacement 'electronic gaming accessory' in Singapore is a annoying exercise in futility and after being spoiled by Best Buy, Amazon and Google Shopper it was even more obnoxious. For the first time in years I had to call stores to confirm if a product was present and most just wrote down my information promising to call back. Of the eleven stores called and left to call me back, none have done so... I expect to hear from them sometime between now and the energy death of the universe.

With the complete failure of this endeavour it was off to the mall to hit the ground running. The Singapore store Challenger is possibly the closest analogue to Best Buy or Circuit City that this country has. But unlike at home, they rarely sell replacement items for full sets, you either can buy the complete assembly of parts or they just kind of shrug at you. Two stores down and while I could see the exact AC adaptor I wanted, it could only be possessed with the purchase of an entire brand new Xbox 360.

I was ready to scream in rage, both at my own annoyance at myself and to the actual fact I had to make an effort to find what I needed. It was only after my third time trolling through another Challenger store, seriously they're as numerous as K-Mart or Wal-Mart are at home, that I achieved some success.

Sales people in Singapore are very aggressive, when compared to their American counterparts. Expect if your shopping in most stores, barring maybe clothing, to actually be stalked by a whole mob of sales people. They will stand very overtly behind you, remaining completely quiet, then the instance you show any interest in something they pounce on you. But ask for something they don't have in store, something they can't sell you and expect to blank shrugs and for them to suddenly scatter before you can ask a second round question.

Customer service leaves much to be desired in Singapore. It was only on attempt three that the kid behind the phone counter at least pointed me towards a store that could possibly provide me with the part I needed. From the way he clammed up as a much older employee walked by him I'd have to guess providing helpful information or direction on products a store does not carry or is held by a competitor is generally frowned upon.

But the mission finally had some concrete information I was dashing to a little out of the way store across from the massive Challenger store, a store called Playtecnix PTE LDT... long name, I know... It barely rated bigger than a supply closet, every ounce of space was covered in shelves stocked to the breaking point, boxes lined the floor with just enough space to allow one person to walk by single file, the distinct smell of some's very aromatic lunch filled the entire shop with stomach turning power.

At first I turned my attention to the younger man behind the counter. As an avid game shopper, I instantly turned to the gentleman expecting that he'd put down the hand held game he was playing to assist me. However instead it was a petite woman with a pair of thick rimmed glasses that stepped up to intercept me. I know that most game shops do employ women and anyone taking a dive into multi-player gaming will eventually run into a female comrade during even the most violent Halo or Call of Duty games. I guess because I was so focused on my mission, I was a bit taken a back when a woman who looked no older than my sister and dressed as if she had been lounging in an old arm chair just seconds before, glass of wine and reading a good hardback novel in hand.

I will admit right out, pastel sweaters are very off putting in a video game store!

I explained my problem, my stupid mistake and instantly like someone who had heard such tragic confessions and mistakes a thousand times before, she offered me her condolences with a knowing grin and then produced the part I so desperately needed.

Now for you gamers out there moving to Asia listen up because this is the wisdom she imparted to me:
  • While the actual power plug for a Xbox or PlayStation can remain the same, only requiring a voltage converter to be plugged in, the actual AC Adaptor (the big black box on your power cord) needs to state very clearly its voltage range. Anything that doesn't hit between 200-240 is doomed. Heads-up, the Xbox 360 Kinetic is safe. If it doesn't say it, assume based on where you bought it, the device will ONLY match the local voltage.
  • American laws on gaming content are some of the most lax in the world... I know surprising! Restrictions in Asian countries are very restrictive, however can be avoided by purchasing a game abroad or on an on-line site for download.
  • Some gaming stations are region locked, meaning it can't be played outside the country of its purchase (less common on American purchased models, more so on European and Asia ones). It is good to confirm on your warranty that your system will work fine because if you log onto the internet, it could assume the device is stolen and lock it down. 
  • Warranty repairs are only covered in the country of your device's purchase. You'll have to hold out long enough to get it fixed on vacation, find a friend to deliver it for you or in some cases, sell it for almost nothing and have it stripped for parts. 
  • Return time in Singapore is 14-days. Anything after that is un-returnable no matter what. Don't bother to argue, they won't budge. 
  • Pirated game versions don't work on Xbox or PlayStation (unless you hacked your system by sacrificing your warranty). Don't listen to people trying to sell bootleg versions at the local market. First off, it the Xbox realizes you have a pirated copy, it can lock you from your system and damage the CD in the process. On the other-hand, game pirates are very good at artistically recreating the packaging and art on the front of the game CD. Only go to reputable places to buy if you're looking for used games, like malls, NEVER open markets or trading posts. 
  • Never declare that you are carrying video games when travelling or when ordering from abroad. On most airport x-ray machines, the cases just look like DVD's and most security forces will ignore them. If you do, you could have the Singaporean Media Development Authority confiscate your things, censor them or force you to send them back. Same goes for videos. This is the same government ministry that also made porn illegal in Singapore... don't ask how I found that out! If it contains anything ranging from violent gore (Gears of War), blatant sexuality or homosexuality (Mass Effect and Dragon Age) or condones violence or criminal activity (Grand Theft Auto), expect that it is either banned or highly restricted for people under 18.
And with that I departed with my new Asia speciality AC Adaptor for Xbox. I instantly dashed home, turned on my game and began smashing the heads of zombies with concerning glee. 

However it was still several hours later than I intended because of my terrible attention to details like voltage and safety warnings!

04 June 2013

Employment Pass Medical Checkup

Heads Up: This is a continuation on my blogging about applying for an S-Pass employment visa in Singapore. If you miss part one, scroll to the bottom of the page for links to the corresponding sequences! 


So even though I was at the doctors less than a month ago to get all my last minute immunizations (Read:  Hurt a Lot) but apparently I am off again! A mandatory medical examination for any application for a Work Pass is required, no if, and's or naked butts in hospital gowns about it.

Yes, that's right, while I've been poked, prodded and forced to turn my head and cough while looking all so uncomfortable, it appears as if I need to go back to the doctors yet again because Singapore prefer's their own medical professionals confirm your health. I guess its only fair, while most doctors in the States are usually pretty qualified, it's probably the only way to remain fair to all the dozens of other countries... who's medical profession is sometimes a bit... off from the modern standard.

So in Singapore most Raffles Medical Centres allow for walk ins... and are also impossible to get onto the phone to confirm their business hours. Seven calls to seven clinics and I was ready to scream. Either they'd put you on hold for an hour and never come back, transfer you to the wrong line or accidentally hangup on you, forcing you back into the wait queue. It wasn't bad customer service, most of the nurses working the lines were genuinely aghast at the mishandling of my calls but I firmly believe it was the lack of phone training that lead to so many mistakes.

Finally I managed to nail down a time to try out the clinic in Asia One, an immense skyscraper which oddly seems to boarder a vast open field. I guess its meant for future construction but still, there is a random stretch of open land in the heart of Singapore's most urban region, that seems to extend for over two miles right to the ocean! It would be like all the land from the Empire State Building to the East River was just forgotten about... it's just weird to see in a city.

I known, shut up on this odd tangent and get back on topic.

So I arrive promptly at 9:00 AM, when the clinic opens and am the second walk-in through the door. I handed over my passport (Bring more than one form of photo ID to be safe!), my approved declaration of my work pass (this was provided by my company Human Resource department once the Ministry of Manpower approves my application to work in Singapore) and the standard medical exam check list. If you lose it, you can find it here.

It is a basic check list to be filled out by the examining doctor, so make sure it is blank when you hand it over to the front-desk nurse. She will hand you a piece of paper with a row bar-code sticker on it this is now your best friend and never let it out of your site until your done. Each sticker will link to an electronic report of your medical test results, it means the doctors doing your exam won't force you to carry around giant tomes of information for them to refer to. Its all going to be on this flimsy piece of paper.

Now it's time to play the waiting game. This waiting room, while very clean and high-tech, with a HD-plasma television play the latest news from CNN and only the most illustrious business magazines on its coffee tables surrounded by fine leather furniture, it still uses the wall mounted number counter that you see at the deli!

After the first woman goes it and returns after twenty-minutes, its my turn. I quickly find myself sitting across from a boy in a doctor's coat... Yes I said boy because instantly I thought the woman before me had forgotten her 12-year old son when she departed. Instead, with a surgical face mask pulled up to his eyes, he asked to see my ID to confirm my identification.

I knew I had given this to the front-desk nurse but one thing my parent's always taught me, NEVER argue or lie with the Police, Firemen, Military and especially Doctors. So I instantly produce my passport, however being that the picture is six-years out of date (Plus I looked stoned in my picture... I WASN'T! I had the flu!) he wasn't too convinced. This is where those extra pieces of ID come in handy, and I quickly produced my US drivers license, college ID and my social security card. That seemed enough to convince him and he quickly launched into the examination once he was satisfied.

The first exam is blood pressure, the chest exam and abdominal exam... which I didn't like because honestly its someone poking you with something cold and telling you what to do... its possibly the reason I also don't like personal trainers... why pay someone to tell you to do something... it seems self-defeating. I also won't give this boy/doctor any points on bed-side manner and my usually liberal usage of curse words were kept tightly under-check... mostly...

The exam of course ends with the standard blood exam. This exam is a deciding factor on whether your pass it approved, failing even one portion of the two criteria points means an automatic reject of your application. If you test positive for pulmonary Tuberculosis and/or HIV... I'm sorry but you can be subject to immediate repatriation.

I know its horrible and discriminatory but Singapore's health system is premier in the world... and few people argue against the local medical establishment when you realize that the country is an isolate island surrounded by medically poorer and larger countries... and a world travel hub... the kind of place where an minor epidemic can spread like wildfire with catastrophic results. Singaporeans have been actively trying to eradicate Dengue Fever and the Mosquitoes who carry it... a species that is incredibly prevalent in this region of the world. At least in temperate zones you have summer to purge the populations, here in the tropics its a year-round threat. Dengue, has a nearly two-week incubation period, while for adults it comes off as a sever cold/flu... complications are common small children who become infect.

Any form of infections disease is an immediate reason for rejection of any form of visa in Singapore and will instantly black list you. You'll have to immediately be repatriated (within reason of course) and you may be barred from ever returning as a tourist.

Back to the blood test... to which I believe I did fine with... except having to watch the needle plunge into my arm. I'm fine with the pain, the blood, the minor ache in your vein after the fact... but the image of that piece of metal piercing my skin always makes me jump and shriek like a little girl... alright not that bad but I go rigid like a board expecting the needle will come bursting out the other side of my arm at any second...

And for those that didn't slam my blog shut after that amazing act of imagery, I can say that was the worse part... physically.

While the medical examination is held in one office, the actual chest X-ray that is required is hosted in another. Now I knew why this office was so beautifully decorated, it was because they hadn't to host any of the more expensive pieces of medical hardware.

The actual x-ray machine was a good 15-minute walk away, this time in Raffles itself. Again this office was walk-in... and being that it was now 9:40 AM... it was packed.

Thankfully x-rays are not as common as you think... but you have to mention that's the reason you are there. Stating your there for a employment pass medical check-up can have them start the process all over again, wasting your valuable time... saying that you were sent from another office for a specific procedure and then presenting the paper with the sticker bar-codes on it. This will save you a ton of time... and not have you waiting in the wrong line for 30-minutes... like me... who then got shifted to a line that took... 2-minutes!

X-ray is super fast, taking less than two scans and completed in under a minute. If you not keen to stand half-naked in a strange room with a crowd of people outside... wear a light under-shirt and they generally will let you get away with it.

When your finished they will be taking your medical card given to you at the start (the one with all the bar-code stickers) and your off, nothing to really show for it. That's because in four to five business days they will call you back and hand you back your medical examination form, filled out by the doctor with all the notes if you passed or not.

As the AngMoh is still in Singapore, you can tell I passed. With this finished, the approved Employment Pass Application and my personal documents/IDs... its time to head onto the Ministry of Manpower to hand in my paperwork and get my pass!

Read about it in the next post: Registering for Employment Pass.

For those that missed it, here is the complete S-Pass Application Process. Click below for: