Ano Daw?! Part 2

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." - George Washington Carver

Well, I didn’t know that you can actually buy air should you opt to. Neither am I aware that you can actually but air for a price of a dozen bathroom tissue. But this is what I thought the first time I read this tag line from this tissue brand. Oh well, never fails to make me smile in that shitty part of my room, lol..

Couldn’t Be Anymore Chinese than Here

"Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet." -Anonymous

It took me to be located in a Muslim country to experience Chinese New Year full blast – open house lunches, afternoon snacks or pika-pika and dinner invitations from Chinese boss and acquaintances, and of course the most exiting part, am pao. The latter makes me feel like a young girl back in our streets knocking on neighbors doors on Christmas day asking for pamasko. Good old times. CNY is the only occasion that I’m actually on the receiving end of money. And it’s been a long time since that happens, $1:PHP25 pesos pa! LOL. I often see news about CNY celebration on TV and newspaper and back in Eastwood, it’s a week long celebration complete with all sorts of psychic reading – from tarot to palm reading and etc. But that’s the closest I was able to get. Not even when I was in college and one third of the class were Chinese. Not even that my Auntie’s husband is Chinese (he’s so Pinoy that he cannot speak Chinese anymore). Not even when I stayed in Penang where only a quarter my officemates were not Chinese and the fact that the island’s main inhabitants are Chinese. Not even when my ex is Chinese (well, that’s another story, hehe). In short, walang nag invite sken, lol (sounds bitter pero nde naman, reality lang).

So I’m glad I experienced CNY here and to personally witness how a big deal it was. My gym even closed on 7^th February, the 1^st day of the year of the Rat. It compensates for the almost non-existence of 31st December eve celebration here.

Muslim Weddings

"When love beckons you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep, And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste in the garden. " - Kahlil Gibran

Another noteworthy experience is going to local weddings. Firstly, I have to thank Jocy and Mimi for lending me their baju kurung. It’s the local dress worn during formal occasions and as office formal attire for girls particularly with government employees. Our equivalent to Baro’t saya. But who wears them now, really? For local guys here, office attire is your regular Makati yuppie. They wear their traditional dress or Baju Melayu for formal occasions and prayer time.

You have to give kudos to the people here for having such true loyalty to their local attire. The more expensive Bajus are adorned with hand woven embroideries. During Hari Raya which is celebrated after fasting season and runs for one month, families usually wore dresses of the same garment. Super terno talaga, hehe.

In the picture is our client dressed in a majestic baju. It’s a week long celebration and we were invited by the groom, hence we were at his residence. The bride-to-be is in her own residence having a feast with her own guests. The groom will go to her place and his less than 6 steps walk from their doorway to the car must be covered under an umbrella.

Though the celebration stretches from 4 to 5 days, the days do not last long. Unlike in the Philippines where it could last for at least 3 hours (yan ay kung walang karaoke session to follow, lol). Each guest was handed a souvenir gift once they arrive. The female relatives will walk from table to table to shake hands or Salam with each female guest. The male relatives will go to the male guests and shake hands as well. Yes, females and males are seated separately. There will never be an opportunity to mingle and eye for single girls and guys here, too bad huh? After that, a prayer will start the celebration and the feast begins. As soon as the guests have eaten, all leftovers are up to grabs. Take-out or Tapao plastics are available and everyone dugs in. Everything usually takes less than 45 minutes and guests starts to go back home.

As for the newly weds, the celebration is ended with a honeymoon. Now that part is universal and no color or religion makes any difference. ^_^

Brain Meat

"One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is to listen to each other's stories." - Rebecca Falls

Another brilliant marketing strategy brought to you by a famous hotel (not just here I’m sure). I love meat but how can I lust for having a piece if it shows a picture of a whole cow? Cowabangga! He looks so cute and innocent that this ad actually forces me to go on fish and veggie diet. Nice job Sheraton.

Ano Daw?!

"Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy." - Dr. Cox

Fitness Zone is promoting its café and is giving away free mugs for renewals and new members. But how can they possibly entice members like me to try their drinks when I get this feeling that it may somehow deteriorate my brain and my sense of spelling. What’s with the drink? Lead? Or maybe it’s a marketing strategy – pa shock effect. Well, if it’s the latter, they got me there, hehehe. I’m still not buying it though.

2007….The Year That Was

"You don't do the right thing because of the consequences. If you're wise, you do it regardless of the consequences." - Jeannette Rankin

It was in general, a fruitful year for me. I was able to buy my dream house, my bio-fueled car and travelled Europe. Or at least, what my dream was about before the sound of the alarm shattered them and woke me back to reality. I’m in Brunei. It’s a day after Christmas. I have work. Bahumbag!

But no scrooge attitude here; My Christmas Eve and Christmas were actually fun. I had dinner at my officemate Thelma’s house and I brought fruits for potluck share. We had exchange gifts afterwards and I got a Stich minus Lilo car décor. Then my officemate Amor invited me to their flat for lunch Christmas day and watched a Migrant Xmas Party at the Church’s ground. I was with our consultant from Taiwan and didn’t know we needed tickets for food stab. We sat there, under the tree just a few feet away from the Bishop’s table. He must have read our minds or our face gave us away (mukang gutom?) that he approached us and asked one of his assistants to usher us to the line upon learning that we didn’t have tickets. God bless his soul. We later went to Brunei’s one and only 24 hours café for dessert and that was how Christmas went for me.

Here’s what I’ll remember 2007 for:
1. Went home to PH and met my sister and her husband whom I haven’t seen in 10 years and my mom whom I haven’t seen in 5 years. Distance was kind to us and we actually feel closer than we were growing up.

2. Took driving lessons, got my driver’s license here in Brunei and bought a car. Special kasi it’s right hand drive here. Feeling ‘Mr. Bean’ every time I have to go thru roundabouts, hihi.

3. Went back to gym. I miss my gym buddies in PH but I like Fitness Zone and the Les Mills classes. I’m currently crazy about Yoga and Body Balance.

4. Bought my own ref. Now, I can do panic buying without ever worrying about space. Sabi ko nga, bawal magutom. And food is every woman’s bestfriend, especially bcoz diamonds are quite expensive, hehe.

5. Travelled to Phuket, Thailand and Singapore with Shawie (who’s getting married, finally!). Went island hopping and saw Fantasea and Simon Cabaret show, both are must-see shows.

6. Dinner reunion with close ex-Trenders: Jojo minus the bf, Pedro minus the gf, super Mario and Jupee and Shawie(also getting married next year). Too bad I missed Jaja but I also met some of Jupee’s friends. So nice to see them again and to know that they have each a happy and healthy relationship.

7. Took IETLS exam. It’s long overdue if you asked me but it was quite an experience mainly because it’s my first time to talk with and be interviewed by an Australian. Umikot ata tenga ko trying to understand her accent, lol.

8. Met Dinky and her friends in Kota Kinabalu. I also got to meet a Filipina local girl there and her friend. She has Filipino parents but was born and raised in Borneo. She speaks fluent Tagalog and Nihonggo which is quite impressive. Filipino kids here in Brunei are like the Filipino kids in the States – can hardly speak Tagalog, sad. They are so friendly and now we are friendster friends ^_^.

9. Bought 4 books and finished reading 3 (Freakonomics due next year) – Paulo Coehlo’s ‘The Witch of Portobello’ and ‘The Zahir’, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt’s ‘Freakonomics’, and the book of the year (at least for me!) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

10. Discovered ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, ‘For One More Day’ and ‘The Tipping Point’ and actually liked them. Although I like Mitch Albom’s first novel better.

11. Discovered the blog of Wanda Ilusyonada and eventually bought her book – uniquely beautiful and superbly entertaining! Di ba pang critic ang feedback?!

12. Got the latest Pugad Baboy 19 and as usual, the humor is worth the maximum star rating.

13. Got Howie Severino’s DVD compilation of his 10 best documentaries (so far). This kind of show should rule the primetime shows of Philippine TV instead of all those telenovelas. Inspiring, intriguing, intellectually stimulating and witty topics. Truly an eye opener.

Now if I can only put anything relating to romance at number 14, it would be complete. But for that, I might need to go back to sleep.

That Once in a Lifetime

Today's Thought: "Time eases all things." - Sophocles

A thriving career and a blessed relationship with a man you will soon be married to and spend the rest of your life with. Practically living the life you’ve always wanted. But acting like a thief in the middle of the night, fate took them all away. All people can say to you probably is that it is a test of faith. But must it really hurt you that bad – strip you of all your dreams while you feel like you’re on top of the world? I felt numb after knowing what happened. All the heartbreaks I felt was nothing compared to your pain right now. I know that whatever I say, it cannot heal you as fast as you want. Only time will or maybe not. I don’t know.

I won’t even try to console you with words; just know that you are always in my prayer. When you are healed, I hope you will come to enjoy and embrace every single moment in life, just like before. If this phase in your life gives a reality check in life – that is to always love like there is no tomorrow and embrace each journey as a once in a lifetime experience. You did, and that’s all that matters.

For Lala who recently lost her fiance 2 weeks after he proposed to her....