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Woke up, went to shangri-la with Sissi, then we went for dinner at this grossly overpriced local restaurant. Seriously, one oily veggie dish and rice for 2500 kyat? Screw you. Even more expensive than two pieces of cake combined from four seasons bakery. Zzz.

Then after that we went our separate ways and I tried to find Tawin centre because I wanted to go to the Mango sales. But I couldn't find the place, I think it's too far or something. Then I ended up walking for three hours because I was just walking back and forth. Then I went home to wash my feet and then left for shangri-la. On my way there I bought two pairs of colorful cooling pants for 2000 kyat each. That's about $2.60 for each pair of pants. Then after that I went to shangri-la to use the internet but after sitting down for only five minutes, Sissi and jay found me there and asked me to go along to Chinatown to meet Anna and the Koreans. We went back to the same place that we went to originally. The place that's popular with foreigners. Then there was when I met the three Koreans. Well, being people who decided to come to myanmar I should have expected that they are likely to be different from the rest of the usual Koreans. And they are. Apparently they are big smokers and drinkers. OMG. Why do people here drink so much. I feel so pressured to drink as well. But I guess it's a good thing that they are socializing me because apparently drinking is going to be a very common thing when you are an adult.

Sissi invited us to mojo bar because 4 july is America's independence day and her lover Bart invited her and her friends to mojo bar. Anna and koreans wanted to go to 50th street bar so we went there first and I was quite impressed by the place. It was so much nicer than mojo bar! Anw there wasn't any seats so me, jay and sissi went to mojo bar. It's so loud and crowded and over-rated. Nothing much there la basically. Then we caught the first half of the france vs. germany match and germany scored a goal within the first 15 minutes!

Then we went home.
Met jay for the first time that morning because I was already asleep when he arrived at our house.

I went out with the jay myself for nearly the entire day. I must admit, my first impression of him wasn't that good. Because he commented on a lot of things, like how he thought myanmar was a lot more developed than he originally imagined. And he stopped to take photos many times. Photos of everything! I've never met a guy who loved to take photos this much.

He is also the first person I know who owns a selfie stick. Haha. Honestly it is quite a useful invention and I'm quite impressed by the person who invented it because he met a need that many people have, which is to take selfies or group shots themselves from nice angles.

Then we went to PS Business school, met with nan oo, and then we tagged along to the monastery. The monastery was just O.M.G. It's like myanmar can never stop surprising me in terms of how dirty it can be.

I hate stepping on wet, dirty floors barefoot T.T

Anw at that time their electricity was also cut-off therefore the monastery was pitch-black because it was nearing the evening. We saw the Taiwanese teach Chinese for a while then had a short chat for a while, then the monk offered us the drink Shark, which is they local redbull.

After that went to the local market nearby for a bit so that jay could buy his bed sheets, blanket and umbrella. He nearly bought a women's longyi there -.- Good thing he didn't I guess. He also bought an umbrella which cost only 3,500 kyat. Without using the calculator I guess that's about 5sgd? Which is bloody cheap therefore I'm going to buy an umbrella before going back!

After that the monk sent me and Jay to our apartment. Actually I didn't want to go anywhere already but Jay wanted to have dinner and he kept insisting on a stupid Japanese restaurant that he saw was highly raved on some Japanese travel recommendation site. I think it's called hana restaurant. Since it was on the 20th street I just brought him in that direction. We did not see the restaurant initially and we eventually ventured onto the 19th street which is where chinatown is. And I bumped into Singaporeans there! Actually I saw this girl and guy walking and I had a strong suspicion that they were Singaporean, so I quickly went up to the guy and asked if he knew any Japanese restaurant there.

He didn't, but since we were all Singaporeans we decided to have BBQ dinner together! Learnt from them that they were on a 2-week holiday in myanmar and that night was actually their last night and they wanted to have BBQ dinner at chinatown before going home. We had BBQ and I had the BBQ fish because I tried some from the taiwanese people and I loved it. I also got a few other skewers. Chatted with the Singaporeans and two of the guys work at PwC and EY (Edmund). One girl works at NEA and the other works at AIG (chemistry girl). I was really happy to meet Singaporeans because I have been feeling quite homesick.

After that, we said our goodbyes because the singaporeans wanted to go back to their hostel already.
Discovered that I lost my wallet last night :(

Counted all my money and settled on austerity measures by budgeting max 13,500 kyat a day. Which is actually totally doable unless I do some shopping.

Since I was on a budget, my plan to go to shangri-la was ruined. I ended up waiting for Anna to be done and we left the house together. She was wearing a white and black striped chiffon top, and I was wearing my red checkered shirt and GAP shorts. Finally my shorts have been put to use!! Haha.

We then are at Happy Family again where I bought a rice salad for about 2sgd. It's great to only spend 1500 kyat a meal. After losing my money I became much more mindful of my spending.

After that we went to PS business school, and I helped Mary make a poster. I used the same colourful background that I used to make my first ever sidewalk poster. The grand opening poster.

There was no lesson that day so after I finally transferred the poster to Mary (tried email but internet couldn't make it, then we finally found out that klaus has a thumbdrive), we went to a very local restaurant to have our meal.

I had a huge portion of fried rice for 1500 kyat. Honestly eating out in myanmar can be a very affordable thing! :)

Mary left early because her dad called. I sort of get a feeling that her parents are quite strict with her maybe because Burmese parents can be quite conservative. She also couldn't attend an IC in Thailand because I think her parents don't allow.

Anw Burmese passports suck! Have to get a visa to enter everywhere lol.

After that Me, Klaus and Anna went home by bus and I think that's the end of our day.
Woke up at 10+, washed up and got ready, went to the supermarket near our flat with sissi. She bought a lot of household items and spent 15,000 while I only spent 200 kyat on a bottle of water.

Then we went to cafe KSS to use the internet. I bought a braised chicken dish with rice. It was quite good, cost 3000 kyat, which is about 4 sgd.

Then after that Sissi and I took a bus to myanigone Dagon plaza and to the business school. There we bumped into all the Taiwanese who were there for a briefing.

Then me and Sissi went to IT cafe, where she ordered a mango dessert very similar to mango sago. We stayed at the cafe for a while before going back to the school. Then some time passed before lesson started and for the second time there was only 1 student, the same guy from the previous day. Anna was sick so I ended up teaching for the entire lesson. We covered a few financial ratios and operations management.

after the lesson ended, cate, Anna and I took a bus back home. It was a ride from hell and the worst bus ride I've ever taken. So scary T.T

After going home, Anna, cate, Greg and klaus went to shangri-la to use the internet and watch a football game? Then me and lixia went out because she wanted to buy milk but alas! The supermarket was already closed, so we went to walk around a little...and ended up at singapore food junction. We saw a little show put up by the prostitutes. They did some substandard catwalk which was quite amusing. They all walked so half-heartedly and had such dull expressions. And I dunno how they came up with the catwalk sequence but it was so funny lol. They kept going again and again.

I ordered an omelette there that cost about 2sgd. It was there that I lost my bloody wallet. I think I must have lost 70,000 kyat. I'm very upset with my own negligence and carelessness. At the very least I still have sufficient money to ride me through the rest of my time here. I'm hoping to keep to spending within what I've already exchanged, but that's only possible if I do zero shopping, so I don't know...right now my budget is 13,500 kyat a day. Sigh.

Woke up at 10, bathed, followed Anna to PS business school. Took the myanmar public bus for the first time and it was one hell of a ride. (in retrospect: yuan lai nearly all bus rides in myanmar suck.) Lol haha. Even the mini buses that I took in Indonesia last time is better in condition than the public buses here. Bus feels very unsafe bcos it's very flimsily constructed. There's no aircon, and I'm struggling to stay seated on my bus seat beside Anna -.- 


She brought me to Dagon centre, and we had lunch at Happy Family restaurant. I ordered chinese fried rice and she got a rice salad which I quite liked. After that we went to the supermarket in Dagon centre 1 basement and I bought for the first time the cheapest mineral water in myanmar - 150 kyats for a 1litre bottle. Which is not even 20 cents SGD WTF. It's amazing how cheap things are here lol. At Dagon centre we bumped into Cate, Lixia, Mary and Klaus. I had been looking forward to the arrival of the "china girl" but well, she was quite different from my imagination. My first impression of her was that she's a bratty person. Lol. Me and Anna went by ourselves to get...her milk tea if I remembered correctly, and left the rest at some donut store. 


We went to PS business school which is located in an old dodgy building. We went up the dimly lit stairs and when I entered PS business school for the first time, I was quite shocked. It's an MBA school, but it doesn't seem like an MBA school at all T__T. It looks like someone's big but dirty HDB flat lol T_T We went inside and saw the rest there. It was there that I first met Greg. I saw Lixia with all her luggages in the AIESEC office. I talked to her in chinese and we made conversation. Strangely enough people give off different vibes when they speak in another language. Like she sounded like a much sweeter person when she spoke in Chinese. I guess when people speak in their first languages it shows their natural self. 


Anna, Lixia and I went to some cafe on the top floor of Dagon centre to have some food because Lixia was hungry. It was then that I learnt about her pickiness when it comes to food. Lol. 


Anw when we got back to PS school she gave us some snacks that she brought from china, and I quite liked it. 


The others then soon left while Anna and i stayed to prepare for the lesson. And guess what? Only one student turned up, half an hour late somemore. Maybe because of the rain, I don't know, but anw, I was quite surprised lol. How the hell did this happen? I felt quite disappointed because this was not at all what I was expecting before coming to myanmar. 


And then I can't remember what happened after that lol.

Woke up at 12.45am.
Anna brought me and Sissi to shangri-la at 1 plus and we spent the rest of the day there ahahh.

I bought an almond muffin for 1usd. Then after that I ordered fish and chips for usd13. (in retrospect I realised it was  It was very good!! Muffin was so-so, quite dry in fact. I think after eating the muffins from reedz I will no longer find more delicious muffins anywhere else. The muffins at reedz seriously rock!!

Anw we just lounged in shangri-la and really relaxed. In the evening we went up to the bar to chope seats to watch the match Netherlands vs. Mexico. After some time we shared a table with two men, who are obviously disgusting loaded white men, I didn't quite like them but they bought me and Anna drinks and I got to try Singapore Sling for the first time!! :) haha. One of the guys stayed at the serviced shangri-la apartment. Pfft. Of course he would have no trouble liking his life in myanmar la. Who would?? I would have no complaints.

Anw Netherlands won and one of the guys was so loud in his cheers lol. The bald bespectacled guy lived in singapore as well. I get really pleased when people say they like singapore haha.
My first day in myanmar could not be more different than if I'd imagined it.

I'm just going to give a chronological rundown of how my first day went.

5.45am SG time (4.15am MYN time): woke up, washed up and got ready to leave for the airport.
6.35am SG time: left for the airport
6.55am SGT: reached airport
7am SGT: met Bryce and Kahyan at Starbucks because these two lovelies came to send me off :)
8.05am SGT: made my way to the departure hall:
8.10am SGT: entered the departure hall. Checked the screen to see which gate I was supposed to go.

Beside my flight I saw 'last call' and my heart skipped a beat. Bcos on the boarding pass it said to be at the departure gate before 8.20am so what do they mean by "last call"!!! So I started running, or rather jogging, considering my speed, to my departure gate, which was unfortunately quite far zzz. After I finally made it there, I saw a line of people still queueing to go through the scanners to enter the waiting room. -.-

8.35am: boarded the plane. Majority of the people on the plane are Burmese. Beside me was a sweet lady who less than five minutes on the plane realized she dropped her phone in a shop. After some panicking, made a call and found out that the phone was indeed in the store and she called her husband to pick up her phone from the store. Anw after that was settled we chatted a bit and she told me that she moved to singapore 18 years ago with her husband and they have a ten-year-old who studies Chinese and is aiming to enter RV haha. She also worked in HR for 8.5 years. On the flight I learnt that I had $10 to spend on some food/beverage, probably bought by my parents w/o my knowledge. So I got a coffee + red velvet cupcake cupcake for $6 and an overpriced $4 dasani mineral water. Lol. 40 cents mineral water for $4. Nice. WHY IS WATER MORE EXPENSIVE THAN COFFEE?

11.45am SGT aka 10.30am myanmar time: landed in myanmar but we had to wait 10minutes for an SIA plane who was at our gate connector to leave. Parted with the Burmese lady on a good note and we shook hands. I liked her very much because she always had a smile on her face and she was so motherly. I also like her gold bag which she bought for only $29 at jurong point!!

From now on I'll use myanmar time, which is 1.5h behind SGT.

~11.30am: met up with Klaus. I was quite worried I wouldn't be able to spot Mary, the person supposed to pick me up. But turns out klaus picked me up instead because Mary had fallen sick. The amazing thing is, I saw klaus immediately, and the first thing that went through my mind when I saw him was, he looks so weird. Lol. Long narrow, skinny face with small eyes and a mustache and glasses. I guess he is considered unattractive for a white person. Haha.

12pm: took a long taxi ride (7000 kyat) to the accommodation. The airport was all the way north and the accommodation was all the way south. According to the taxi driver the ride was about 45 minutes. The back of the driver's seat had a few ants crawling around and I was quite disgusted but not really cos my head was spinning and I was just concentrating on putting my legs where the ants can't reach them. When the taxi was nearing our place I was quite alarmed because the buildings looked so old and dirty. And when we went up the stairs to our building I was also alarmed because the stairway was so dark and narrow and the steps were so high. Klaus helped me bring up my luggage and I was so scared that he would trip and fall flat on his face. When I was brought up to the second floor where I was supposed to sleep, I was just in shock. Because the carpet was dirty as hell and there were just mattresses lying around on the floor. It took me a while to recover from my shock because I've never slept in such a dirty place before. Met the other people in the flat:

- Klaus, Austrian, 29
- Catelina, Chilean, klaus's gf, 28
- Sissi Cheng Zi Mu, Chinese/French, 27
- Anna, Filipino, 23
- Greg, American, haven't met him because he's away in Mandalay.

1.15pm: we went for lunch at quite a faraway place, walked for I think 30 minutes, had Chinese food for lunch (1500 kyat).

From now on no more time because I don't rmb the time.

After lunch we went to Easy cafe, opened by a Singaporean. The cafe was small but nice, and all the people there were foreigners lol. We used the internet there for a while and then we went over to the house that the Taiwan monastery volunteers were staying at. (Taxi:1000 kyat) Their house was so much bigger and cleaner!! I was so envious. Lol. And there were two Taiwanese girls, huiming, jinyu, and two guys, zhong zheng han, and su hong jia. We chatted and exchanged info about singapore and Taiwan. So I learnt that the school system in Taiwan is like this: primary school, junior high school, senior high school, university. They also taught me some cuss words in Chinese, but all I can rmb is diu nei lo mo (go and fuck your mother) and gan4. And I saw the Taiwanese keyboard for the first time!! Now I can say I know some Taiwanese people yay haha.

Then the whole lot of us went to Chinatown for dinner. (Taxi 1000kyat) We squeezed in some restaurant that served a mixture of cuisines, apparently a popular place with foreigners. We had tons of food. I rmb the roast beef was cold and apparently it is like that over here lol. I quite liked the egg fried rice that klaus ordered. We also had a tomato salad, some beef dish the Taiwanese ordered, beef burger, taco rice, coconut curry rice, banana and chocolate ice-cream, seasoned fries. I tried a mojito for the first time in my life! It was only 800 kyat, which is about a dollar sgd.

After dinner the Taiwanese people went to the roadside BBQ stalls to buy even more food. And they bought TONS of skewers.

After that we went over to a bar to chill and watch the soccer game. The Taiwanese ordered myanmar beer and Reuben, some Belgium guy, ordered tiger beer. And that also marks the first time I tried myanmar beer and tiger beer.

The football game was Chile vs. Brazil, and Brazil won. I wasn't watching the game though, not very interested. There were tons of mosquitoes that bit me several times on my foot and hands. After the game finally ended at 1+am, we made our way home (taxi 1000 kyat).

I think this is probably the first and last time I will have such a long first day overseas.