Bed and Breakfast + Travel and Tours

I suppose when you live in a foreign, fairly accessible country, you will automatically take on the role of a host and tour guide whenever good friends decide to come and visit. I don't mind. I've seen my pad transform into a Bed and Breakfast + Travel and Tours (thank you, Caleb!) a fair number of times.

"Mamser, our first stop will be at the pink mosque. Yes, the mosque is pink."

I have pictures in the Putra Mosque where you can see me age. Or rather gain weight, then lose weight, then God-help-me-not-to-gain-weight again. But it's my joy to tour people around and show them the fun and beauty Malaysia Truly Asia has to offer. 

"Let's go see the Twin Towers! Let's go to Putrajaya! Let's drive down to Malacca! Do you guys want to go to Bukit Tinggi? Or what about Penang or Laman Seni? Let's go, go, go!"

Much as I love the Malaysian scenery, it is my greater joy, however, to let people try out the local cuisine. Bring in the nasi lemak, the roti canai, the char kuey teow, and the chilli pan mee! You won't want to leave Malaysia after trying those plus the teh tarik from the closest mamak stall!

So, bed and breakfast. Thank God for the abundant sheets and pillows my friends from The Adventure Part 1 left behind.

It looks like we will be back in "business" again pretty soon. We don't charge, though. But you can leave us your smiles and hearts full of gratitude. A free lunch wouldn't hurt either. 

Or you can just leave a tip at the door. ;)

The Lifesquad

We were looking for Indonesian food the other week. An officemate had mentioned there were a lot of those sold in Chow Kit. So, one spontaneous Saturday afternoon (aka Yana's birthday), the girls and I decided to venture into KL's, uhm, red light district to hunt for Indo food. When we got there, we did find our bakso and rawon. But not only that, I happened to stumble upon some heartwarming memories as well.

"Oh, look! There's Krash Pad! That's where we went for our Lifesquad last time. They have a branch for teens in this area, too."

The Lifesquad. Way back in 2011, I came up with the idea of forming a group who could do volunteer services in KL and beyond. The Japan earthquake happened around that time. My heart was just filled with the burden to make a difference in society. Because of what was happening all over the world, the least I - we - could do was make a difference where I - we - was or were at now.

Thus the group. Things happened and we eventually disbanded. But hey, we were able to have four conquests (as we called them then). We went to Fallen Leaves (now Reboot the Roots) to validate and learn from people recovering from substance abuse. We went to both Krash Pad's kids and teens centers to have artistic activities and feeding programs, too.

Anyone could volunteer in our group. There was no such thing as race or religion - just people with a heart for the community, people wanting to learn and share what they have.

I wonder if we could do something like that again. Not really for Lifesquad Season 2, but, you know, just gather and do something bigger than ourselves again. My friends have been going to homeless feeding programs and have been doing some volunteer street arts - I wonder what else we could do?

How about you? Do you have ideas on what you - or we, if you are in KL - could do?

Pantry Talk

I do not recommend sad office lunches. When I started working in Malaysia, I was guilty of this. Very guilty. I brought food from home. I heated them up in our office microwave. And then I ate them. In front of my computer. Alone.

You could probably say I was a loner of sorts. Plus, we didn't have a decent pantry back then, not one with tables and chairs to dine in. So, sad office lunches were always the way to go.

Until I made office friends. Hurray for office friends! Happy is the person who finds fun lunchmates who converse about anything from deep political things to disgusting and often useless information. Happier is the person who finds confidantes among that clique, people with whom one can share deep, personal stuff without fear of anything getting out.

We were talking about seasons the other day. Imagine the lunch table: two women from Botswana, one from Lesotho, one Malaysian Chinese, and one Filipina.

"I hate, hate, hate winter! Winter is the absolute worst!"

"You would not want to go to Africa in the winter!"

I have always been fascinated by the cold, but from the women's descriptions of the season which came to Africa by June, I became increasingly thankful of South East Asia's warm, tropical weather.

"But summer is even worse! You can feel the heat in your head!" The girls grew more animated with each new complaint. I laughed and listened. Sometimes I simply liked to sit back and observe how pantry conversations would unfold. I would jump in from time to time. But it was fun just learning from the lives of my officemates, fun just watching them interact with one another.

* * *

"Someone stole my windshield wiper the other day." 

The times I jumped into conversations were mostly times I got to talk with somebody one on one. Words came easier with kindred spirits, with a closer knit circle of friends. I'm glad for those kindred spirits. They are the ones you could steal a few minutes away from the office with to buy a Chatime milk tea or a Starbucks latte, the ones who'd stand beside you as you oggle at a window of Ben and Jerry's selections until eternity is through. The truth is, the office can be a lonely place to be without those people.

So the next time you go out for lunch, find a kindred spirit. Or jump straight into a crazy pantry conversation. You'll appreciate those so much more than a sad office lunch.

Take it from me, a former S-O-L lady.

Best eaten with  friends.

A Cubicle Warrior

I never thought I would be a cubicle warrior. Someone who sits in front of a computer eight to nine hours a day, changing the world one website at a time. When I finally put my mind into a career path, I mostly saw myself as an educator, changing the world one lab assignment at a time.

I graduated from my MIT in 2011. That ended "The Adventure - Part 1" and ushered in "The Adventure - Part 2". With that additional level of educational attainment, I knew I had an added edge if I decided to apply for a teaching position somewhere.

But how to teach something I have never experienced fully and only through books or theoretically? I decided to gain some experience in the field first so that my lessons would not be limited to journals and research.

And so here I am. Straining my eyes in front of the computer, getting constant back pain day by day. I kind of miss having the compulsive need to drink ginger to ease the vocal stress caused by shouting into a large lecture hall. Now, my saliva would dry up if I merely sat in front of my desk all day, if I neglected to socialize with my workmates.

Some days I wonder why I'm doing this. I'd love to say I'm one of those people who get a high when they breathe in jQuery, PHP, CSS, and HTML code. But unfortunately, I'm not. I'm skilled at what I'm doing. I make it a point that I finish my work well and leave a mark of excellence whenever I can. But to wake up and say "I was made for this!" - pass me a hot cup of coffee, please. I'll give an answer once I'm done with my daily dose of joe.

I believe I have a greater passion for teaching, as I have with writing. But then there are some things that you just can't jump into, not if you want to do it well. There are seasons to wait, seasons to learn, seasons to wander around in the wilderness. When we pass through these, we can then flourish in the promise of the promised land.

I still have a lot to learn. I still have a lot to give in this stage of my journey. Konting push pa.

In the meantime, I shall do my best to bloom where I am planted.

A selfie during one of my first few days of work. Ages ago.

Interlude: 2014 Wrap Up

Before I move on with our "The Adventure" storytelling session, let's have a quick wrap up of 2014 as an interlude. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Thank You, Lord, for a wonderful 2014. Here's to an even greater 2015!

January: Went up to Bukit Broga for the first time with next-door-officemate.
(Photo from Nadiah)

February: Went mural hunting in Georgetown, Penang
with Prescious (not the kid in the photo).

March: We saw hot air balloons! (Photo from Yana)

April: My family and I hiked up Mt. Kalugong in La Trinidad.
(Photos from Quantum)

May: Guess who was here in Malaysia? (Photo from Prescious)

June: ICPM 2014 in Kota Kinabalu!

July: We discovered Taman Botani in Putrajaya
and rediscovered the sights in Malacca. (Photos from Shiela and the girls)

August: Leaders' retreat at Bukit Tinggi!
(Photo from Mrs. Gonzaga)

September: Reveled in the street art found at Laman Seni.

October: We celebrated Hari Raya Haji with friends in Johor Bahru.
First long drive going south. (Photo from Prescious)

November: Christmas card pictorials with the fam at Camp John Hay.
(Photo from Quantum)

December: 4th Anniversary Thanksgiving Celebration
and Christmas Party at the Lake Gardens. (Photo from Amir)