Antsy Employee

As much as possible, I avoid writing work-related stuff in my blog. But for the last couple of days, all I ever thought about was WORK, WORK and WORK! I mean it’s not easy being new in a strange country where everybody gives me a second look for not being black or white. Or being asked to repeat myself eventhough I was speaking perfect english (asian-standard haha). In my head, I was like “I had an English major and y’all askin’ me to repeat mahself??” Kidding. But seriously, it’s tough.

It’s hard getting used to the American culture of cash-free society, eat-as-if-there’s-no-tomorrow, ride-your-car-when-going-to-the-next-block, etc. And as a Filipina (born in a country under different colony for hundreds of years), I tend to be timid and gracious at everything. I’m just starting to learn how to ball my fist at that guy who honked at me when I was crossing the street (okay, so I don’t have a car and I just take a walk when going to wherever??) eventho’ the light was red. Or to act big and nonchalant to that big “gang-ish” groupie outside Walmart the other day. Or to share my ideas and make it heard to the mixed-nationality group I was with at training yesterday. Yeah, it’s tough.

Even what used to be simple things are becoming complicated now. Like how I can’t hang my clothes to dry because the neighbors will complain? I had to use the laundry, which by the way costs a lot, and have my clothes back still damp from the dryer. The first time I did the laundry, I covered all of our furnitures to dry my clothes..hey..there’s nowhere to hang them! But I have a laundry system now only I can know *wink*

But I do love the ease by which knowledge is just within my grasp..I attended a paid two-day training and I came home with a bunch of resources and teaching materials for free! Back home, I would’ve spent thousands of money to attend that kind of training..it felt good (although I was sleepy for the most part hehe) to have people willing to help me become better at my job. I’m blessed with supportive bosses and helpful co-workers..thank God!

But this I hate most: Crab mentality..crab mentality..crab mentality!

Possibilities

Photography.

Cooking.

Play a guitar.

Sing.

Write a book.

ADB or UNESCO.

Play tennis.

Sky dive.

Jerusalem.

Unbound Learning Foundation.

Passion Conference.

Speak French.

China.

Street dance.

Fly a kite.

Bungee jump.

Bake a cake.

Broadway.

Cruise.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…why not?

 

 

 

 

 

Eating Galore!

Aside from cars, there’s another thing that Bruneian is very, very, very, fond of. It’s deadly, it’s lethal and it’s called FOOD! Nope, there’s no bars or clubs here since liquor is banned in this country. No nightlife! Nada! The closest to a nightlife here is sipping tons of caffeine-filled drinks (at 12mn!) at a few coffeehouses in Gadong that stays open ‘til about 1am. And when I say few, it is really few…about 2 coffeehouses. Looks to me like people are at home at 12mn…just like Cinderella. The only decent place to socialize here is at shopping malls! 

Well, back to food. As I was saying, since there seemed to be so little to do here, the best that one can do to kill boredom is EAT! And that’s what I do (waah! Last night, while I was dressing up for dinner, I discovered that I can barely zip my jeans! So instead of wearing this hot body-hugging shirt I bought at a sale, I ended donning on one of what I call “maternity” costumes!).  

I try odd and weird-looking food. Yesterday, I killed time at a grocery and found out that there’s so many durian-flavored food here. Durian chips, durian spread, durian balls, durian everywhere! I tried durian balls then I realized that the bad thing about trying weird food is that it’s too late to know how bad it would taste. So, there I was forcing durian balls down my throat! I could still taste it in my burp hours after dinner. Eww… 

One dinner,  J took me to this dingy-looking seafood house called Jenny’s where I ate buttered prawn that tasted so good I forgot that J took me to a grimy place hehe. After dinner, we went to Gadong night market. When he first mentioned the word “night market”, I was so giddy with excitement coz’ back home, when you say night market, it meant bargain goodies. When we arrived there, I was a little dismayed to see that, yes, it was a night market, but with stalls after stalls of FOOD (again!)! 

Hay naku, I eat so much, mukha na kong siopao talaga! I wanted to try this pinkish chunks of something but when I asked what it was, the vendor just said “siti”. I said, “fruit?” She said, “Huh?” I repeated a little louder (thinking THAT’ll make her understand), “siti, siti, siti”—she said over and over like a chant. Well, since there’s no way I’m going to eat something that looks weird and nobody can even explain what it was to me, I left in search of something to eat that is more familiar.  

Luckily (??), I found Brunei’s version of Pinas’ halo-halo that the locals call A-B-C (how exotic!) that is as plain-tasting as its name. It has corn, mongo beans, pink sweetener (hmm..seems like pink is a popular food ingredient), something that resembles ube but tastes worse than camote and chunks (not crushed!) of ice. 

(Finishing my A-B-C while trying very hard not to suffocate in this smoky (sobra!)night market. Those at the back are kebab buyers)

Speaking of kebab, I still wanted to eat kebab but it horribly smells of someone’s (I’m not going to be racial here..haha) onion-scented armpit..Ha.Ha.

Next time, I’ll stick to potato chips and buttered prawn..

Today’s sing along song: Lose Your Way by Sophia Hawk  

Mingbai Ma?

(Translation: Do you understand?)

My maternal grandfather is a hardcore, 100% Chinese. I remember him most for his Feng sui, Mandarin, Cantonese and Fokien accent, caligraphy, Binondo houses, Salazar bakeshop, those Chinese newspapers and magazines, incense, astrology, palm reading, those Chinese flying acrobats in their movies and the red Ang Pao every Christmas. Those things and more.

So does that make me 1/4 Chinese? As a friend would say, “I am Chinese blood.” Hehe. But I’d like to think that I’m a hundred percent Pinay (and proud of it). The only trace of being Chinese in my blood manifests only once a year when I go with the family to the Chinese cemetery to observe All Saints’ Day.

But apart from that…I’m Pinoy through and through. I don’t speak Chinese (unless you consider Chinese counting from 1-10), I don’t believe in astrology and feng sui, and I barely watch Chinese telenovelas (let alone movies!). But I still like the sight of Ang Pao especially when I’m the recipient and I love Eng BeeTin and Salazar tikoy.

But guess what? I think I’m 5% more Chinese today…just learned to use abacus! Since the kids with visual impairment rely on abacus for large computation, I had to be trained to use it as well. And it’s cool! I mean, I have NEVER been a math lover, fanatic or what but abacus had finally convinced me that math CAN be fun. I was amazed at how those little beads can do so much math (heck, it can do more math that I can!). I can’t remember a time when I had a great time solving math problems. I’ve been adding and subtracting numbers and saying “set” and “clear” and enjoying the way I couldn’t get the answers right (hey, I’m in Kinder-level in abacus! hehe)! They said abacus can even do calculus..wow. But I’m not prepared to venture into that just yet. Heck, I WILL not venture into that. Period.

I know my grandpa would have been so ashamed had he lived to see that I’m 27 and still abacus illiterate!

Mingbai ma?

Today’s sing along song: Heritage by Earth, Wind and Fire

Geek Talk

I guess you have to either put duck tape all over my mouth or chop of ALL my fingers (yep..those at the feet included) to stop me from yakking all the way down to your tiny eardrums or the entire blogosphere!

If there’s someone who gets excited at the prospect of talking to a group of professional, really intimidating group of people..well…that’ll be me Hahaha.

Three months from now, our class will hold a seminar to a group (100) of (more) experienced and old(er) public school teachers about teaching remediation to students with learning disabilities. And as a final requirement (this is getting better..imagine my professor talking about FINAL requirement on the first day of class hehe), we would serve as resource speakers.

 The good things is, I’ll be talking about Reading..the subject I just took last semester. One of my favorite subject–the intricacies of the reading process…okay, okay, I’m getting nerdy again. Talk about final requirements excites me all the time. Oh, how I wish for February (and no, my excitement has nothing to do with the seminar this time).

Officially, vacation is over. Back to serious(??????) work.

Today’s sing along song: Lose Your Way by Sophie Hawkins