Raya-Induced Food Coma

My tummy is still on Hari Raya break. It's been jumping up and down with glee because it was filled to the brim with wonderful Malaysian Cuisine.

This is not good for my diet.

I'm going to start hitting the gym (faithfully) again, soon.

But like my Iranian officemate said last Friday, "Malaysian food is soooooo goooood." It is. And so I present to you some munchies which have been invading my tummy for the past few weeks or so.

1. Cendol

When I first came to Malaysia for a cultural exchange trip last 2008, my mother had only two directives: 1) Take lots of pictures; and 2) Try the Durian Cendol. I did both but Multiply has unfortunately made all the pictures I took back then disappear into oblivion. But the Durian Cendol... mmmm. I didn't try cendol with "stinky socks" at the time (I forgot that she specifically said it should be Durian Cendol) but I fell in love with the dessert nonetheless.

Cendol is made of green worm-like jelly, beans, coconut milk, and gula melaka (palm sugar). It's basically heaven in a cup. Though, at first glance, the "worms" do leave a lot to be desired.

2. Nasi Kerabu

Granted, I only ate the fish and not the nasi, but this Kelantan dish is a must try. Nasi Kerabu is blue rice (made blue because of coloring by butterfly-pea flowers) eaten with chicken, fish (usually cat fish), or beef, sided with fish crackers, red eggs, greens, anchovies, and sambal kelapa (coconut flaked fish). The combination of the different tastes and textures is amazing.

And top everything off with the sauce from Yati Ayam Percik - hallelujah.

3. Dry Chilli Pan Mee

Dry Chilli Pan Mee. Pork Chilli Pan Mee, please. Yes, pork. Though a majority of Malaysians are Muslims and halal eateries are mainstream, many Chinese restaurants still let pork-eating people like me satisfy their piggy cravings with various dishes like bak kut teh, char siew pau, etc. It was my first time to try Dry Chilli Pan Mee this Sunday. It was... yum. Twas a bit hard to eat the thick, savory noodles with chopsticks though. Good thing there were a lot of tissues at hand, because, if there weren't any, my face would have been a complete mess by the time the meal was over.

4. Raya Cookies

One of my officemates brought in Raya Cookies after the Raya Break last month! Wouldn't it be nice if we could eat them all year long? But that wouldn't make them special any more, right? Raya Cookies come in all shapes, flavors, and colors. Take your pick. You have the entire Raya Season to feast on them. Yum, yum, yum, yum.

I have to wake up from a Raya-induced food coma soon. 

Well, enjoy. Makan, makan, makan!

How to Survive Homesickness and Alone-ness

The house is empty again. It gets like this every once in a while. Every other while it's packed full of people, packed full of guests, packed full of family and friends.

But tonight is one of those nights again. One of those nights when all I have are God and words to keep me company. But I happy with God. I am happy with words. Yet sometimes...

Alright, people. Here's how you survive homesickness and frequent bouts of alone-ness:

1. Be productive. Find a hobby. Create. Do you like cooking? Do you like painting? Do you like photography or gardening? Bake a cake. Paint a picture. Experiment with lights and textures, produce your own organic vegetables. I love to write and I find joy in playing around with words thus this blog and my other blog at www.mariscribbles.com. Now you know why I'm able to write so frequently even though I also have a full time job!
2. Be lost in wonder. Ride a train (when it's not rush hour). Drive forever. Read a book and find yourself exploring a whole new world.
3. Surround yourself with friends! Online and offline ones. Laugh no matter how disgusting your lunch topic is (armpit hair, anyone?). Cry no matter how far away the people typing the words into your chat screens are.
4. Be thankful. Count your blessings. Praise God in every circumstance.
5. At the risk of sounding too spiritual, communicate with God. He is our ever present Friend and Comforter. 
6. Do the things you're supposed to do! If you have a mission in life, do it! Don't idle around. Don't procrastinate. Don't dwell in your pity party. "Delays are costly!" so just get up and walk. 

Well, that's all I can come up with, so far. How about you? Any tips and trades to make homesick folks unblue?

Puppydog/Pussycat Eyes. Drama lang to. See? I'm not blue.

How to Survive Airports

I once had to spend the night at an airport. Malaysia's LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) to be exact. My plane landed at about 1:00AM, buses ceased operation at 12:30AM and resumed at 6:00AM, I could only check in at the dorm by 8:00AM, and I knew my friend had a rough week so I felt like I shouldn't bother her at 1:30AM.

I had only one battle plan. That was to find a quiet spot and read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, staying awake until sunrise. It seemed easy enough. Though I hadn't counted on the number of passengers who had the same plan - the staying awake until sunrise part, not the Gulliver reading part.

There were throngs of them. Some laid newspapers on the floor and slept. Some staked their claims over the coveted Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf booths and did not even pretend to drink coffee. Some sat near power outlets and hankered at their phones, laptops, and other gadgets. 

I must have circled the airport five times before I found the perfect spot - an empty space next to a power outlet, next to the ladies' room, right across the already full Starbucks cafe.

I sat on my trolley and went to Lilliput with Gulliver that night.

So how do you survive airports?

1. Bring a book. Or a magazine. My friend who sometimes fetches me from NAIA 3 apparently grabs the free ones there - I found the stowaway inside my bright blue pasalubong bag last November. Words will make the best company especially if you're going to spend much time in the airport alone.
2. Load your music player with lots of awesome sounds. And make sure the gadget is fully charged.
3. Bring a scarf. Or a light blanket. If you're brave enough to sleep through the night, you're going to need something to keep you covered and warm.
4. Have some good movies handy. If you have a laptop, netbook, or tablet with you, yes you can kill time by watching movies, too. While waiting in between Davao-Manila and Manila-KL flights, I was able to watch Crazy Little Thing Called Love and there was still lots of time to kill before I could check in.
5. Bring a friend. This one is particularly for surviving airport departures. For airport arrivals, "phone a friend" would be more applicable, given that you wouldn't be disturbing that friend too much.
6. For artists and writers, make sure you have a pen. And lots and lots of paper. You never know when inspiration will strike.

I wanted to write my own Anjeli's Travels after that night at the airport. Maybe I will one day. But for now, let me leave you with the copy of the book that helped me get though it all. Happy flying!

Yes, my table cloth is osom. No, I never got to finish the book. Will finish it this year though.

How to get an OEC from NAIA 3

Okay, I don’t usually write “how to” posts. But I promised myself that I would write this post out because of the frustration that I felt two days ago having found no substantial information in the Internet about getting emergency OECs. So. Bear with me. This might be useful for some OFW who might find himself or herself going back home to the motherland for a very quick visit. Specifically, a visit that lasts only five days or less. I thank my friend who provided useful information through SMS, but I want to save future “Balik-Manggagawas” from having to go through the same frustrating ordeal that I went through. (Okay, I am exaggerating).

I am tempted to turn this into a long elaborate post, but I’ll be merciful and just cut to the chase. If you are reading this post, I am assuming that:

1. You are an OFW;

2. You are already an OWWA member (i.e. you have already gone through the costly process of processing POEA papers, you’ve already attended the PDOS, etc.);

2.  You’ll be going back to the Philippines as a “Balik-Manggagawa” (i.e. you are simply on leave and, after your vacation, you’ll still go back to the same job and to the same company written in your POEA papers);

3. You’ll be staying there for a mere FIVE DAYS or less;

4. You want to know how to get an OEC (Overseas Employment Certificate) so that the immigration guards will let you go back to your country of employment in peace (oh, and so that you won’t have to pay the airport tax and the terminal fee anymore);

5. You don’t have time to go to the main POEA office in Ortigas;

6. You don’t have time to go to any other POEA regional office;

7. You didn’t have time to get an OEC from your country of employment’s Philippine Embassy (or the Philippine Embassy there doesn’t issue OECs);

8. You are going back to your country of employment from an airplane departing from NAIA 3. (This post is specifically for NAIA 3 users – NAIA 1 and NAIA 2 are all foreign entities to me, unfortunately); and

9. You don’t have friends who’ve gone through this process before so you’re resorting to good ol’ Google instead. That, or you don’t trust them. Hehe.

If my assumptions were correct and you are still reading this, here’s what you have to do:

1. Go to the cluster of POEA kiosks near that corner where everyone else is paying for their travel taxes. There should be a booth next to the OEC validation booth where you have to line up to get a form so that you can apply for an emergency OEC. To get this form, just present your passport and your ticket. They’ll ask you when your arrival date was. If the number of days add up to five or less, they’ll hand you the form, tell you to go to the OWWA booth once you’re done with the form, and then you’ll have to go back to that booth to claim your OEC.

2. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD. When you get to the OWWA booth, you should have proof of your OWWA membership with you. A previous OEC that reflects that you have paid your membership fee will do. Your OWWA membership is valid for 2 years, so I guess the oldest OEC/receipt that you can have with you is a two-year-old one. If your OWWA membership has already expired, then I guess you should be prepared to pay the $25 fee here. I am afraid that I am not sure with this one. But you should be safe, money-wise, if your membership is still far from expiring.

3. Go back to the OEC processing booth with your accomplished form. Be prepared to show proof of your employment (your contract, payslip, or ID). They didn’t ask me for any proof, but it is always good to be prepared. They’ll ask you to pay Php 100 for the processing fee when they’re satisfied.

4. You’ll get an OEC that has a 24 hour validity (meaning you should only attempt to get this OEC if your flight is already on that day). Proceed to the check-in counter. There’s no need to validate this OEC, it’s already good to go.

The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes if there’s no queue. If it’s the peak season and every one is making emergency visits, then I should expect the processing time to be longer.

So there. I hope you (whoever you are) found this post helpful.

Happy flying!

ETO YUN.

Originally posted in my general/literary blog: http://www.mariscribbles.com