Rodel and Monet are moving to Halifax, Canada. They’re on a plane on the way there even as I type this, actually.
The last few weeks have been a series of farewells for them, and it has been a mixture of happy and sad feelings for us.
We’re happy that they’re moving because, and I would like to sing for this: “Those dreams of yours are shining on distant shores and if they’re calling you away, we have no right to make you stay.” But on the other hand, we’re sad because they have to leave us. 🙁
Simpang Bedok Impromptu Dinner
My first farewell dinner was last Feb 1 when we had an unplanned dinner at Simpang Bedok. I say “unplanned” because it was a typical Friday night at the office and we just happened to be going home at the same time when Tyne suggested grabbing a bite to eat.
We were just supposed to go to the nearby mall, Changi Citipoint, but on the way there, some gangs were fighting in the construction site that was in our path to the mall and we had to take another longer path there so that by the time we got there, all the restaurants were already closed.
At that late hour we had no other choice but to go to Simpang Bedok, which is open 24 hours (or until dawn anyway), so we took the MRT to Tanah Merah and then, for the second time that night, took another long way to get somewhere when we headed in the wrong direction and got lost for some time before we finally found the place.
By then we were very hungry and thirsty so that we ended ordering way too much: pineapple fried rice, roti john, bbq sambal stingray, crispy baby squid, and pineapple chicken.
Everything was delicious but our most favorite order was not food, but our drinks – super cooler, in large size. Super cooler is coconut juice on top of wheat grass concentrate sprinkled with fresh coconut strips on top. You might get put off by the color of the wheat grass but you can’t even taste it, only the coconut taste prevails and it’s refreshingly delicious.
We were at Spize the Makan Place, by the way. I totally recommend this joint.
That night, Tyne asked Dengs what food he would miss in Singapore and we expected him to say a lot of stuff but he surprised us when he named two: chicken rice (from a specific shop in Pasir Ris) and soya bean curd.
Exactly a week after, Tyne bought that chicken rice for Rodel and left it on his office table with a note. I also left my farewell gifts for him and Monet (Uniqlo sweaters) on his seat.
When Rodel arrived and saw these items, it suddenly hit him that he was really leaving and tears started streaming down his face. =.(
Little Zambo Despedida Party
That night, our group of hometown friends called Little Zambo had a despedida for them which was also a joint birthday party for Mark. We had some good catered food and a few fun games.
Kris had come up with this game called “name that movie line” wherein we were divided into two teams and we had to pick lines out of a bowl and guess the following for one point each: movie, character, and actor. Our team won! Yay! It pays to have two movie buffs on our side – me and Tatsie. Heh.
Then we played the drinking games that we learned from Gelle’s birthday party. There was a worse blooper than the ones we had last time. Tatsie’s category was Christmas songs and she gave the first answer which was wrong: Frosty the Snow White. LOL!
Then for some reason, we ended up watching the horror movie Mama on Mark’s laptop before finally heading home.
Farewell to Office Friends
That Sunday, I headed to Rodel and Monet’s place where they were throwing a thanksgiving party for their office friends.
They had delicious catered Filipino food and we all enjoyed eating them as well as going around in a Phewtick frenzy. Phewtick is this new app that allows you to earn points that are convertible to cash every time you “meet” a friend by scanning his barcode.
On their last day in the office, last Friday, they went around having their pictures taken with everyone. Then Rodel gave Twelve Cupcakes cupcakes as a farewell treat for his team, and he gave me one too, even though I’m not in his team. Nom nom!
The Last Day
Then Rodel invited us to have breakfast at their home before their flight to Canada today, so my housemates Cate and Ann and I went over.
We stopped by the nearby E-con to buy some mineral water and luckily I noticed that they had some freshly made soya beancurd and remembered what Rodel said about that being one of the only two food items he will miss in Singapore. So we bought him one and he ate it for breakfast, ignoring the other stuff they cooked. The rest of us had rice, eggs, sausages, embutido, and spam.
A few of their other friends who are also my colleagues were there as well. They had slept over so they were still in their pajamas when we arrived. One of them was my former manager, and I teased her about it.
After we were done eating, we helped Rodel tape the box of stuff he was sending back to his family in the Philippines.
Then it was time to leave and we all helped lug their stuff downstairs to the waiting maxi cab. The others were still bringing them to the airport, but Cate and I said our goodbyes downstairs, and Rodel’s tears started streaming down his face again, and when Cate and I hugged him goodbye, he sobbed even harder, saying, “It’ll be lonely there.”
We hugged him so long and tight that his perfume remained on our clothes later on.
We hugged Monet as well and they finally got into the car and even as they roared off, Rodel kept on waving to us through the window.
I understand Rodel’s fears and his tears, because this was the exact same thing I went through when I was preparing to leave the Philippines for Singapore back in 2008.
When we talked about this, I asked him, “But didn’t you feel the same way when you left the Philippines last time?”
And he said that was different, back then, he had already made friends with fellow Pinoy applicants, the very same ones who sent him off to the airport this morning. But now he doesn’t know anyone there (except Monet, of course), and he is quite shy when he’s new, so he’s afraid that he won’t make friends easily.
But I know that he eventually will, and my wish for him, well, it’s in the song that I recommended Tyne use in the farewell video she made for them:
I’ll make a wish for you and hope it will come true
That life would just be kind to such a gentle mind
If you lose your way, think back on yesterday
Remember me this way
Remember me this way
Aforementioned video can be seen below:
Thinking back on yesterday made me realize: Rodel and Monet were part of the group who originally welcomed Cate and me to Singapore. They welcomed us to Singapore, and now we saw them off. A circle of life, isn’t it?
Back in 2008, when we first arrived in Singapore
And now it’s my tears that are falling. I will miss them both but I really do hope they will be happy there because they really do deserve it.
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