Meia Gisborn SG Are they having a hard time finding suitable contestants? Why can't they just get an FT to represent Singapore at the competition?
Rhonda SG I think they're either having difficulties recruiting the number of contestants that they want, or, the quality of contestants this year has been disappointing so far!
Rhonda SG MG, I'm still having butterflies in my stomach! I'm nervous, anxious, worried, excited, happy, blah blah!
Meia Gisborn SG No no no no! It's suay ku. Remember, Rhonda has to learn to talk with a western twang now!
Rhonda SG One of my close friends just told me that her nursing friend returned here for a short visit. He's a Nurse Practitioner for a hospital in Hawaii. He took two scholarships to study two Masters in two US universities in two different states and ended up working there. He performs procedures that are performed by Medical Officers here! His salary? A whopping US$90K per annum!!
Rhonda SG Originally posted by Meia Gisborn: No no no no! It's [b]suay ku. Remember, Rhonda has to learn to talk with a western twang now! [/b]AAAAaaaaaahhh HaaRharharhahahahaha!!! That was a good one! *high 5's MG!
Rhonda SG Originally posted by Meia Gisborn: No no no no! It's [b]suay ku. Remember, Rhonda has to learn to talk with a western twang now! [/b]Eh... on 2nd thoughts ah, you know what... suay ku means 'bad luck tortoise' or 'jinxed tortoise'!!
Meia Gisborn SG Perfectly normal. It's a great feeling, isn't it? The anticipation of a major lifestyle change for the better...
Rhonda SG On a budget though, so I'll have to start from scratch over there! I'm prepared to rough it out for the first 2-3 months... and may have to live in barely-furnished apartments for the first 6 months or so. But you know what... this is the opportunity that I've worked hard for. All the tears and heartache, all the lifestyle sacrifices... and now, I'm having my chance! Kinda scared I'll botch it up! I'm going to settle down, learn driving, purchase a 2nd hand car, explore Melbourne, and also get the hospital to sponsor my PR, and then see if I can get sponsorship for my degree and post-grad specialisation dip. I want to see how far I can get! I might just see you in the US someday when I pursue further studies there! But you know what all this means? I'll probably have to stay single for a long, long while!
Rhonda SG MG, when you first started out in the US, were you also on a tight tight budget? Did it give you nightmares?
Meia Gisborn SG At first glance, US$90K may seem like a substantial figure, but it has to be realistically viewed in the context of Hawaii's absurdly high cost of living. (I could probably get by pretty nicely on an annual salary of US$90K over here. )
Rhonda SG Considering the fact that he's single and probably shall remain so (cause he's gay), I think US$90K is a very very comfortable amount!
Meia Gisborn SG It wasn't so much a tight budget as exercising restraint. I've never lived a particularly extravagant lifestyle, and (this might be a generalization, but I've found it to be mostly true) Singaporeans tend to be good money managers. Money was limited at the time I started working here (as I had paid my own way through grad school), but fortunately I got into the job market at a time when the IT segment was booming, and was drawing a pretty comfortable salary right from the start. Given the current shortage of nurses in the medical profession worldwide, I'm sure you'll be remunerated well once you start working in Australia. Time to start thinking about that Lexus you've always wanted!
