[Reflections] A Post-Resignation Family Trip to Sentosa

Peacock watching

​At the beginning of May, I took a family trip to mark my resignation. We just wanted a change of scenery, so we decided to stay on Sentosa Island, which is only about a 15-minute Grab ride from our house. As you may know, Sentosa is an island with insanely high prices. However, since we have a dog, it’s a valuable spot for us—we could leave home before noon, return by the late afternoon next day, and still fully enjoy that vacation vibe. Plus, since it connects directly to VivoCity, you can keep food expenses reasonably low if you plan smart.

​On the first day, we took a stroll near the beach. For some reason, there were plenty of wild peacocks roaming around. After that, we visited the Harry Potter experience. Since it was Sunday evening, we walked right in without waiting. ​The next day, we went to Adventure Cove Waterpark. Since it was Japan’s Golden Week, I noticed a good number of Japanese tourists, but being a Monday, it was fairly uncrowded. After having a great time, I called out to wrap up, but as usual, it took us another two hours before we actually managed to leave.

Didn’t take a photo due to lack of preparation. ..

​The Water parks, the Harry Potter experience, and Universal Studios Singapore (USS) are all very uncrowded, making them extremely time-efficient. This is just my personal view, but it highlights a difference in business strategy. Japanese companies feel obliged to keep prices affordable for everyone, which ends up making theme parks huge and overcrowded. Singapore, on the other hand, uses higher pricing to naturally balance demand, creating far less crowded spaces than in Tokyo.

Anyway, Singapore as a whole offers great time efficiency. Personally, I think it might be the best in the world on that front. ​On a side note, after resigning, your visa status automatically transitions from an Employment Pass (EP) to a Short Term Visit Pass (STVP), which allows a stay of up to 90 days. I traveled under this status. When the hotel asked me to show my passport, I felt a bit bummed out 😟. Even after living here for nearly two years, as soon as you quit your job, you’re treated purely as a tourist... Related to this visa status change, dealing with health insurance was also a major hassle. I’ll write about that in a separate post.

​Next up, I’ll share my experience participating in Healthtech Asia and reflect on the progress of QuiqP3Mapper. ​ ​#Singapore #Peacock #Sentosa　#AdventureCoveWarterPark #UniversalStudios #STVP #EmploymentPass

Expecto Patronum!