FlagWhite and Unexpected Encounters

Today, I visited the famous Marina Bay, even though I've already been there a few times. But today felt like a lucky day because there weren’t that many people around. I took some pictures and walked all the way to the Merlion statue. It’s such a popular tourist attraction—everyone seemed to gather there! You could see people striking the iconic poses, like pretending to wash their hair or opening their mouths as if they were catching the water coming out of the Merlion's mouth. Funny indeed!

My friend, K, and I went to this café called FlagWhite. I’d describe it as a Western-style café since most of the dishes on the menu were Western-inspired. I had their Panko-Breaded Fish & Chips, while K ordered Chicken Parmigiana—it’s like a chicken chop topped with cheese and mushrooms. I wouldn’t say the food was amazing; it tasted like your standard fish & chips and chicken chop. But overall, it was nice. The atmosphere, however, was pretty average. The place is small, and there were a lot of customers, so it got a bit noisy. But the staff were super friendly and polite, which made up for it!

Price: 43 SGD including the drinks

I also asked K about the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa since she went there 10 years ago. She stayed for over a year and said it was the best year of her life. She really encouraged me to go for it. Her exact words were, “Go, you should go. Just go and get a life.” Hahaha! Maybe it’s because I’m feeling so fed up with life in Singapore. I feel like I’m slowly turning into a machine here.

I know there are plenty of entertainment options, but I’ve realized I’m the type of person who needs a lot of natural scenery to heal and find peace within myself. Now, my only concern is what happens after New Zealand—if I do get the chance to go. Will I still be able to find a job afterward? I asked K if she ever thought about this, and she said no. But we’re different. Maybe I overthink things too much and should just take the leap.

Okay, you know what? I’ll just do it!

P.S. I took bus 174 from Boon Lay Interchange to get to FlagWhite today. Not to be judgmental, but there were two passengers on the bus who, based on their appearance, might have been homeless—though I’m not entirely sure. Their physical state and scent made it seem like they hadn’t showered in a while.

I initially sat in the first-row seat on the left side of the upper deck of the double-decker bus, while they took the first-row seat on the right. The smell hit me right away, and I thought, Maybe they’ll get off in a few stops. But nope, I was so wrong. They stayed the entire ride, and the smell only got stronger. It was like they hadn’t showered for weeks and might have even peed on themselves.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and moved down to the lower deck—and I noticed I wasn’t the only one! A bunch of people had also moved downstairs, probably for the same reason. God bless my nose.