So where are you from?

Time and again I have this problem... where are you from? When I'm in New Zealand, I'm from China; when I'm in China I'm from New Zealand. And when I'm in Singapore... the mind boggles. I had a feeling moving back to an Asian country would give me this shock of not-fitting-in all over again.

Last night I watched "881". You see this movie is Singaporean (lots of Hokkien is spoken) and it's about the 7th month - the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, which I don't know much about. Before the movie, I received the following comments: You won't understand any of it because it's so Singaporean. You wouldn't get any of the jokes. You need a translator or something. You'll hate the singing. etc etc.

Despite the cries of a "horrible" movie from expats and locals alike, I braved it with my Singaporean friend Junie anyway. If I didn't get anything, she would be my translator. Turns out... Hokkien's not that different to Cantonese and the singing reminded me of the Cantonese operas my Grandma loved to watch at home. I laughed harder at the jokes than Junie!

"881" is a very moving story and if you like the music (which I did) it is very, very enjoyable. Like the Singaporean version of "Moulin Rouge" or "Priscilla:Queen of the Desert" it has breath-taking costumes and beautiful music.

So at the end of the night, I had new questions to ask myself 1) do people think I'm not Chinese because I don't speak Mandarin 2) do people forget I speak dialect too... and 3) if I'm stuck in the middle...do I need to find more stuck-in-the-middle people to watch local movies with me?

I would have really missed out if I didn't see "881"; I shouldn't live by other people's assumptions. Just follow my instincts and enjoy what Singapore has to offer leh.

It's not always peaches but still...

Why do people stay with people who hurt them and don't care about them?

Most of the time I'm happy... genuinely happy. I love being around people, watching them smile, listening to them laugh and talking about all sorts of interesting theories and observations. But there are times when I'm also upset... usually when someone has hurt me, usually when love doesn't go so right. So what happens? I just go on smiling and laughing. Why? Because if I don't then I would probably cry, and no one really wants to see that... but eventually, I will just walk away so I don't have to pretend any more.

So actually most of the time, I'm happy for real.

Life's too short to be around people who upset you and it's definitely too short to pretend you're enjoying it ;)

So if you find that you're pretending, ask yourself, wouldn't it be better to spend your precious time with those people who make you happy? 80/20 rule. 20% of the people you're with, bring you 80% of your joy and happiness.

A taste of Hari Raya

Every year during the ramadan Muslims in Singapore fast during the day and when the sunsets, everyone goes to bazaars to break fast. These markets cover 2 blocks and are filled with all sorts of things to buy - from household items to clothes and even cars :-\ the good thing is, they're just down the street from where we live.

We had dinner there and walked around a little bit - I had an ayam ramly burger. "Ayam" means chicken. Daniel said it's classic Malay fastfood. It's a pattie wrapped in an egg - spicy and yummy.

"Welcome Hari Raya" this celebration is like Christmas. At the end of the month of fasting is the Muslim New Year - October 13. There will be a big party that night!! One of the shopkeepers said I had to come back for it :D

Learning from each other

Just talking... just sitting at BK (not eating there, just sitting) enjoying the air-con. Ana, Jin and I started talking about this and that. About life and work and things.

At the end of the night Jin said we should share more often about what we're doing and learning at work. At first, it seemed a bit out of the ordinary but then it made more sense as I thought about it on the bus. During our conversations we learnt more about what each other did in our own department - we don't work in the same function with the same managers. We shared interesting facts, talked about how we can improve things. Gave ideas and insights.

The more you talk and share, the more you learn from each other. Duh! It's common sense right? But how many of us actually take that time out to share and learn about what's going on with someone else's work/life? We just assume we know, we just assume they are busy. They assume you just don't care. Interns, AIESECers, AIESEC interns.

You like the sun? How can I creatively take advantage of this..?

My boss asked me today: why do people from cold countries like to sit outside so much? (This is because Singapore is hot and humid and most people hate being outside - aircon rules).

On our way out after making 2 hours of presentations, she asked me where I wanted to go for lunch. I suggested by the highway to enjoy the warmth of outside. Wah lau, she exclaimed and asked the question. I said, she should try living in a cold country and even when it's summer, you have to watch out for the hole in the ozone layer - which will give you cancer. She was not convinced...

BTW, I'm learning what it's like to be faced with a whole room of Singaporeans trying to design, in anyway possible, loopholes and ways to take advantage of your new policies. (Reminds me of someone I've known for years ;)

I almost laughed out loud at the silly things they came up with. I guess after so many years in AIESEC, you're built to face a room full of people who want to find the holes in your ideas, so you have to justify yourself. There were only 40 of them against the two of us =P Girl power!

On the Weather

(Ana, Amy, Jin)

Today Jin and I laughed about the fact that the office is like a refridgerator...

It's so cold inside that you shiver and get goosebumps. Going outside is luxurious and warm. There's nothing better after a cold day at the office than to walk out of the building and have the warm, moist air surround you like a blanket.

Later on in the evening, Jin and I had an appointment to get our haircut. The result was astounding... well at least it was new for me because I've never had my haircut at an Asia hair salon before. They actually gave me the look I wanted about 2 months ago in NZ. You see with Asian hair, you cannot be afraid to take out the bulk to make it straight. In NZ I'm always left with a poof at the back...so yay poof gone :)

In other news I have an AIESEC deadline. Within two days I have to complete an assignment... time to crack my knuckles and give up my Friday night! But I think it will be worth it ;)

Oh and there was a tremour 7.2 earthquake in Indonesia... our work mates felt it in the office and had to evacuate. Jin and I were underground getting our haircut. I hope everyone in Indonesia and surrounding islands are okay!