Grooming, 2020

 

Islington, 2020

 

Particularities for Casual Living

J Press
Classic shaggy dog sweaters.

Drake's
Scarves and shirts that also work for women.

Tartan Tweeds
Best wool blanket for picnics.

Dale of Norway
Wool jackets for skiing and lounging about.

James Smith & Sons Umbrellas
Not worth carrying anything else.

Pedemeia
Colorful, consistent socks from Portugal.

Nanami Seven Seas Writer

Everyday, unlined notebook, thin pages, lasts forever.

Tretorn
Classic white sneakers, never on trend.

Prose
Customizable shampoo because your hair needs it. 

Jono Pandolfi
Ceramic plates for at home. 

La Perla
Splurging on one or three sets will do you no wrong. 

Three J NYC
If you can't afford Olivia van Halle, these will do plenty fine. 

Uniqlo
Perfect for everyday cotton white t-shirts.

Saint James
Heavy cotton striped tees in blue and red. 

Brown Betty
For no-spill tea time.

Chantal
Stove top kettle. 

Imperial Porcelain, Russia

What else are you going to bring back from Russia?

Zojirushi
Best rice cooker, best thermal flask.

Kusmi Tea

Lovely bergamot in the Anastasia or Prince Vladimir blends. 

Yorkshire Gold
Everyday English Breakfast. 

Bric
Italian alternative to Rimowa.

Masunaga
Spectacles. On the expensive side but lasts forever and also looks better than Oliver Peoples.

Muhlbauer
Beautiful Austrian hats. 

Jo Loves
The lady herself still concocts these bold perfumes. 

Stubbs and Woolton
Velvet loafers. Not nearly as fussy as Belgian Shoes, which require you to wear them in and return them to get soled.

Mimbreria Vidal
Woven baskets from Mallorca. 

La Manual Alpargatera
Espadrilles in Barcelona. Cheap and classic. 

Castaner
Mallorcan espadrilles. The more expensive cousin.

Vicens
Ikat placemats. 

Mason Pearson Pocket Bristle
A hair brush... costs a fortune but so does your hair. And it lasts forever.

A La Maison
Traditional French sea salt deodorant. No aluminum, you still sweat but you don't smell. 

Smythson
Tiny diary.

Lele Sadoughi
Hairbands and clips. 

Golightly Cashmere
The only cashmere scarf you'll need. Machine washable, too.

RM Williams
Chelsea black boots that last an eternity.

Manduka
Yoga mat. 

Lululemon

Align biker shorts. Align tights. Socks. Everything else has worthy competitors.

Barbour
Has so many pockets, and water proof. 

Manolo Blahnik
No need to look at other shoe programs if you commit to them. 

Today in London

I'm sitting in a borrowed flat in Islington. The rent is USD1200, and we are here for the primary reason of living together. And, of course, establishing humane work hours for my job still based in Seattle. It is Saturday night on midsummer, which means it is not only bright out, but also a celebratory day for many in Europe. This year's midsummer must be particularly celebratory for everyone, as Britain entered the Level 4 health warning over the weekend, which is actually a good thing, all things considered. 

Today we went to Clissold Park, sitting on a new wool blanket purchased for the exact purpose of sitting on grass all over Europe. I purchased it on Amazon from a tweed maker in Scotland...which is the kind of thing you can do in Europe. When I am sitting in a park surrounded by dogs, pliant grass, spires from a nearby church, and an old Victorian home now repurposed as a park cafe, I have to wonder, why do I even bother with America? I left in 2012 after a year's stint in Paris elapsed. That might have been a mistake. (But then I wouldn't have met New York!)

Not to mention we were drinking rosé out of plastic cups, and also a burger, fries and cookies, those were present. Can't veer too far from my American palate honed from the last 8 years, I guess. Living in Islington is new for me, as I often exist in London byway of the benevolence of my mother's family, which lends me a flat at no cost in the heart of London, Mayfair. I like the Mayfair flat, it is surrounded by office buildings that are none too occupied, and also the Playboy Tail Bar, which is a fantastic place to walk by at night. Once, returning from dinner, I witnessed the bum of a bunny smashed up against the sides of a larger-than-life champagne glass. This is the kind of thing you can witness when you walk by the Tail Bar at night. I wonder if our building's doormen take their smoke break right outside the Tail Bar. It's not exactly perverse as they have a reason to be there, seeing as their job is around the corner.

Now I live in Islington, which is north of London and infinitely more livable. For starters, we spent USD900 last week living it up in Mayfair, as in buying cornichons and clotted cream from Fortnums no less. And of course ordered-in divine crab meat pasta from Olivo, because I do not live in London and I believe religiously that I am supposed to treat myself when living in proximity to the restaurant. This week we spent not more than USD500 between two people. Which is significantly under our Mayfair expenses. Although I have to wonder what on earth we are buying, because I spend so much less than that when living in America. I have to conclude that I am enjoying myself a little too much. 

Now where I live, everyday I am graced by the presence of a grubbed up mongrel cat. She is a mixture of orange, black, and sooty-white. She jumps onto the sills of the bay window facing the street and watches a black cat that presides the bay window next over. She doesn't like looking at me and has no interest in interacting. But yet we co-exist and she is delighted to continue ignoring me every day. I in turn love cooing at her through the window, because it is the closest thing I have to owning a pet. Her eyes hint at a beautiful emerald green, but she continues to squint at me because she likes to keep me hoping.

Down the street is Highbury Road, which is the main drag and filled with wonderful shops like the Italian bodega Da Mario, and Israeli cafe Highness Tea, and of course the butcher and fishmonger, which are both incredibly hip despite the reliquary nature of their narrow trades. I am not an adventurous home cook and so I only buy sausages and salmon respectively. But both the sausages and salmon are delicious, and I can only imagine other cuts of meat or fish being even more delectable. We have been eating well, as my wallet shows.

A lot has happened the last few weeks. It is ridiculous to consider in total the apocalyptic nature of news we have subjected ourselves to. It ranges from the abominable oil spill in Russia, to Hana Kimura's death, to the Black Lives Matter movement finally taking international hold, to sickening stories of police brutality, to Trump's immigration bans, and of course to Covid. But today, this lazy Saturday, as I listen to Stan Getz on repeat, with the promise of my mongrel cat returning tomorrow morning, the world is perfect. 

We're all grieving but there is some light at the end of the tunnel

These days, every article on Covid 19 cannot help but include a commentary on how we are adapting to change. Change is hard for everyone; some cannot help but be depressed, others choose to lean into their grief as a form of self-care, and others choose to see the bright side. Like most people, I experience the troughs and peaks of this period in a single day. I wake up depressed, but by mid-day I am thankful for what I have. By night time, I am in despair about anything from my living situation, to productivity, to Trump's immigration ban, to my inability to commit to an exercise schedule. Even though we know harmful thoughts are self-inflicted, we continue to be so hard on ourselves.

Like most people, I have reflected on what has changed, what will change, and what remains constant. Like most people, I find it overwhelming. And, like most people, I need to share my thoughts because writing them down and publishing is today's version of catharsis.

At the macro level, the food economy will look increasingly domestic. For sustenance reasons, what can't be grown within a country will find a way. Be it through labs, industrial greenhouses, hydroponics, or newly established supply chains within the region. In Singapore, this might look like an increasing reliance on local startups to scale hydroponic systems built atop housing blocks and public garages. Italian restaurants may need to work with local labs to grow sweet and succulent tomatoes instead of flying in datterino's from the south of Italy. Cocktail bars may look to their surroundings for inspiration, like using pandan or belimbing as star ingredients, instead of replicating 'classics' born from an occidental past. I will likely mourn the lack of cosmopolitanism because of closed borders, but I will also celebrate the ingenuity forced by a limitation on circumstances. The future of cuisines and restaurants will be intriguing spaces to watch.

Xenophobia will loom larger. When Trump was first elected to office in 2017, I remember going to a bar on the Upper East Side and being verbally accosted by a drunk elderly woman: "go back to your own country!" How original. The cowardly bartender, who I am confident overheard her shouting, did not throw her out. I guess he didn't throw me out either. But this virulent behavior has since been given the space to fester. When we close off our national borders, we close off our minds, too. People remain comfortable with what they know. They shun difference and grow intolerance to unknowns. This nation-centric attitude will be the next humanitarian crisis. Potentially, the makings of the third world war. Already, we see cases of violence against ethnically Chinese students in international cities like London and Melbourne. Because of skyrocketing unemployment rates, angry rhetoric, goaded on by POTUS, suggests immigrants are taking the precious jobs of skilled Americans. Immigrants, like myself, can no longer work and live safely in the US. The silver lining to this? Perhaps, the evolution of jobs to suit local skillsets. Perhaps, a GDP adjustment to what can be realistically earned at home. Perhaps, then, stable currency, reasonable tuition fees and attainable home valuations. But when we put our tribes before common ground, history has shown the implications promise to be stunningly disastrous.

Closer to the heart, friendships will take a hit. Living digitally means that in-person friendships will need to convert to long-distance formats. If a friend cannot put in the time and communication needed for the friendship to survive, it won't. The reality is, some people cannot look past their own noses to be a friend. Narcissism and selfishness, once passable in-person, is no longer acceptable when distractions, tone and touch are missing. You'll quickly weed those friendships out. Friend or family dynamics once ignored are now impossibly obvious when taken online. These realizations may hurt you, but they also develop in you a reassuring sense of where to put your effort. Happily, there are several friends that will prove themselves to be lifelong companions. These friends, you can be sure, are invested in caring for you and loving you through the ages.

Food; globalism; family and friends. These have been on my mind lately, as they often are, even before Covid 19. What remains the same appears to be my obsession with contenting myself through my stomach, place and relationships. What I grieve the most is also what makes me the happiest. So while Covid 19 has taken away my lifestyle, changed where I live and work, and forcibly streamlined my friends, it's also made apparent what I innately value and what I consider worth fighting for. Clarity. Now that is a happy thought. 

Reflections on my 29th Birthday

As I spend my birthday in lockdown, I am reading on my great grandmother Tan Cheng Hiong, who was a capital bad ass:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Cheng_Hiong
- https://www.swhf.sg/profiles/tan-cheng-hiong/

I can only hope to do as meaningful work as she did in my lifetime. 

Singaporean H1B1 For Employers and Employees. What's the Process, Timeline and Cost?

The H1B1 (Singapore) visa is a treaty visa between the U.S. and Singapore, quite like the current arrangement between the U.S. and Canada or the U.S. and Australia.

Like Canadian and Australian work visas, the H1B1 (Singapore) visa process is nowhere near as expensive or drawn out as the H1B (other countries), which most employers and lawyers are familiar with and loathe. Yet, many employers and lawyers conflate the distinct visa groups because of their similar names.

For context, the H1B (other countries) is a visa lottery system for countries that do not have visa treaty ties with the U.S., such as China, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, or Africa. Because there are multiple workers from multiple countries grouped into a limited H1B (other countries) pool, the H1B (other countries) pool is incredibly saturated. H1Bs (other countries) are therefore costly and can take anywhere from 1 to 9 months to process. U.S. employers, particularly smaller firms, decide against hiring non-U.S. citizens for these reasons.

In this short article, I hope to illuminate how the H1B1 (Singapore) process is simpler, cheaper, and quicker for U.S. employers hiring Singaporean employees.

Please note that the process I'm detailing focuses on the consular processing route. This means that the Singaporean employee goes to the U.S. embassy in Singapore to complete the process instead of the U.S. employer filing the visa while the Singaporean employee remains in the U.S. The main difference is I won't discuss the I-129 form.

PROCESS FOR U.S. EMPLOYERS

Timeline: 2-3 weeks, or 10 to 15 business days

Visa fee: $1250 or $2000. The cost includes a $500 fraud detection fee, and a $750 or $1500 American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act Fee. Companies with less than 26 employees pay $750 while companies with equal to or more than 26 employees pay $1500. I don't make the rules.

Legal fee: $0 to $3000. The legal fee depends on if you file the LCA yourself or chose to work with an immigration lawyer. Previously, lawyers have quoted me as low as $900 and as high as $3000.

Steps:

1. Make a standard job offer. This means offering a salary and benefits you would typically extend to U.S. citizens. 
2. File the Labor Condition Application aka Certified ETA 9035. Annotate the application as a H1B1 (Singapore). If you chose to use a lawyer, he will fill out this form for you.
3. The LCA will be approved by the UCSIS in 5 to 10 business days. Once you have the LCA, sign the last page and then send a copy to your Singaporean employee. Your part of the process is done!

Notes:

If a lawyer advises you to file the I-129 form, please know that this form is only relevant for the H1B (other countries) not the H1B1 (Singapore). You only need to file a I-129 if your Singaporean employee is in the U.S. and remains there while his visa is processing. If the Singaporean employee uses consular processing, there is no need to file a I-129. Simply put, if your Singaporean employee is outside of the country while you are filing his visa, then disregard the I-129 entirely. 

The H1B1 (Singapore) is ineligible for premium processing. Do not pay this fee. This is because the H1B1 (Singapore) is not part of the H1B (other countries) lottery. The quota system used to grant H1B1s (Singapore) has historically never depleted itself. Therefore processing for a H1B1 (Singapore) takes a fraction of the time needed to process a H1B (other countries) application. 

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CONSULATE PROCESS FOR SINGAPOREAN EMPLOYEES

Below is a brief insight into the consulate process for Singaporean employees. I have not detailed the process as thoroughly as I have for U.S. employers because there are excellent resources available on the internet. See here and here.

Timeline: 3 to 10 business days, depending on when you get your embassy appointment

Cost of visa processing: US$190 paid at Singpost or Standard Chartered

Legal fee: $0

Steps:

1. Pay your visa fee of US$190 at Singpost or Standard Chartered. It takes 1 day for the post office or bank to process your payment. 
2. Complete your DS-160 form. This may take you 1 to 2 hours. 
3. Book your embassy appointment. You may need to wait a few days or a week to get your appointment.
4. Get your signed LCA from your employer. You can complete steps 1 to 3 without the LCA, but you must have the LCA for your embassy interview.
5. Once you pass your embassy interview, the embassy will take your passport and affix the visa sticker. It takes about 3 working days to return your passport to you. With passport in hand, you can now fly to the U.S.

I hope this article is helpful for U.S. employers hiring Singaporean employees. Please note I am not a lawyer and I cannot give legal advice. I have only been through the H1B1 (Singapore) process myself three times now (2015-2019) and wanted to share my experience with successfully filing the H1B1 (Singapore) visa.

If you have questions, or would like a lawyer referral, please let me know by leaving a comment.