¡hola from malaysia!

i have absolutely NO idea exactly what to include in this blog entry simply because i have too many things i want to write about! i want to share how we supposedly hired a 'budget' taxi at the airport but found out it was a mercedes benz... about my filipina co-worker slash roommate who wanted to give up and go back to the philippines on the first week (among other things)... on how powerful some people can SMELL here... on commuting everywhere we go without knowing how or where to... about seeing the petronas twin towers for the first time... on how kuala lumpur looks like a a renovated metro manila... on how malaysia is really 'truly asia'... on the food and the endless choices and possibilities... on living independently for the first time in my life... on working in a super multicultural work environment... on the pinoys who are here (and i realize are EVERYWHERE)... on being an OFW... ang dami!

it annoys me though that it'll take some time for me to get a digicam and/or laptop of my own so i can easily update and upload anytime i want. my computer in the office obviously restricts certain things from being done while in the office. oh well.

thus, i shall resort to tidbits of information.

1.) the first time i actually step foot in malaysia, i pay an indecent amount for a 45 minute taxi ride.

2.) i have a filipina co-worker who left a husband and two kids back at home. she's major homesick. she's also major paranoid about security because she got mugged a month ago. i am forced to be supportive though since i'll be living and working with her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ack! we're part of the same team kasi. it scares me though since i feel we aren't compatible in that set-up in the long run. bahala na si batman.

3.) not all... but there are some people here who really, really STINK. you know how it is when you actually feel that a person is mabaho and not just smell him? yung tipong may 'aura' of baho around the person? ganun. so you can just imagine being stuck with an entire barangay of those people in an elevator, on the bus, etc. gosh.

4.) after taking public transport everywhere without a map or a guide, i officially conclude that i have a good chance at winning the amazing race.

5.) the petronas twin towers are more than just beautiful.

6.) KL is really like manila... it just has better infrastructure. the roads are insanely well made. highways are everywhere. they obviously spent a lot on public works. uhm.. paging dpwh... hello... hello...

7.) malaysia is definitely a melting pot of asian cultures. on the bus or lrt, you could here people speaking chinese, bahasa, hindi, english, tagalog, spanish, etc.

8.) the food is just wonderful! i feel like i've eaten half of india already! i think i love spices too much.

9.) it feels weird that i'm actually doing things on my own now. and i'm not just talking about the chores at home. planning for the future makes so much sense to me now.

10.) in my team alone, there are two peruvians, a spanish guy, a guatemalan, and two pinoys. there are malaysians on the floor and they are ethnic sri lankan, indian, and chinese. interestingly enough, there aren't a lot ethnic malay men or women.

11.) people say that pinoys are all over the world. it's the same thing here.

12.) i am an ofw. although hindi pa ako bayani kasi wala pa akong na re-remitt. haha. specifically, i am called a foreign knowledge worker. i can't believe i'm experiencing my labor economics class in real life.

up to now, i don't think it has really sunk in to me that i'll be living here for a long time, hopefully, at least. all the pinoys i've met here have been working here for at least two years. ayayay! i take things in slowly i guess. after a little over a week here, there are still so many things you would want to discover.

here's to big life changes! alavit.