Home. Ah, it is nice to be back in familiar surroundings. It would have been perfect if the sun was actually shining and the temperature 10°C higher, but otherwise it is nice to be home again.
After being thoroughly checked through by doctors – Swiss one’s this time – I am now officially on the road to recovery. Yippee!
Uni has started again and my days are filled with lecturers spouting their wisdom and eager minds clicking away.
The autumn fair is upon us, so town is filled with the sweet smell of “Magebrot” and “Rahmtääfeli” (the latter is a caramel sweet only the Swiss know how to make and the former a kind of bread coated in a black sugar / honey icing – absolutely delicious). All sorts of adventurous rides, designed to make the anxious parent fear for the life of their offspring, have sprouted out of the ground. Shouts and laughter as well as the occasional shoe or vomit being hurtled through the air are all apparent throughout Basel’s favourite autumn pleasure.
Last week I had a rather interesting experience:
On Wednesday morning I was chatting away with colleagues at break time, when suddenly a loud voice nearly inducing a heart attack booms out behind me:
“Congratulations Ms Ross!”
I turn around and find our Swiss headmaster beaming away at me.
“Well, thank you Sir, but for what exactly?” I replied somewhat confused.
“You mean you don’t know?” he asks incredulously, his smile vanishing from his face. “But I sent them your name and address, as well as your telephone number!”
“I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is this some kind of joke” I inquire suspiciously.
By then practically my whole class had gathered round to witness this spectacle. They egged him on in turn, trying to get some coherent sense out of him.
“Well, I entered some internship reports written by students who had interned abroad in a trinational prize draw and you have won second prize!” he finally articulates.
“Oh!” is all I manage. But that’s not all: “there’s prize money of 1000 Euros for the second place,” he continues. “And the award ceremony is tomorrow at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (F).”
That was my highlight of the week.
At the award ceremony I was receiving my prize graciously, smiling for the camera etc., when suddenly I hear a stage whisper behind me: my Swiss headmaster was enticing the speaker to let me say a few words of thanks. My blood ran cold. I had not prepared anything! After a brief moment of panic (camouflaged by an idiotic grin) I stammered out some “Thank you’s” to all and sundry, then shot back to my seat as fast as my legs would carry me. Unfortunately my new shoes were rivalling for the position of “shoes made in hell” but I managed to get back to my seat without further mishap.
The apéro was nice, an elaborate mix of cheese, salmon, mini-sausages, wine and orange juice. Very yummy.
October 31, 2004
October 15, 2004
Back again
Have you heard the saying: “you always meet a person twice”? Well, it certainly held true for me: I am currently back in hospital, back in the same ward with the same nurses and doctors. (Ok, no surprise about the doctors there!)
After overdoing it slightly – I went back to work for two days – my body decided to take matters into its own hands and I developed a fever. To rule out infection, I was readmitted and put back on antibiotics. As they weren’t quite sure what was wrong with me, they decided to do a colonoscopy. This procedure includes sticking a 1cm wide (and I do not want to know the length!) flexible rubber tube with an attached camera up one’s behind, enabling them to have a good look at the inside of the intestines. Thank goodness they knocked me out first!
Luckily everything seems to be alright, so I’m getting out of hospital today.
For the rest of my stay here in Malaysia, I am under strict orders to lie down as much as possible, which basically means being cooped up in my room. Well, could have been worse; they might have actually found something!
After overdoing it slightly – I went back to work for two days – my body decided to take matters into its own hands and I developed a fever. To rule out infection, I was readmitted and put back on antibiotics. As they weren’t quite sure what was wrong with me, they decided to do a colonoscopy. This procedure includes sticking a 1cm wide (and I do not want to know the length!) flexible rubber tube with an attached camera up one’s behind, enabling them to have a good look at the inside of the intestines. Thank goodness they knocked me out first!
Luckily everything seems to be alright, so I’m getting out of hospital today.
For the rest of my stay here in Malaysia, I am under strict orders to lie down as much as possible, which basically means being cooped up in my room. Well, could have been worse; they might have actually found something!
October 03, 2004
Recovery
Well, I'm on the road to recovery at last, having been released from hospital last Tuesday. Haven't been able to do much so my life now consists of lounging around in the Executive Suite of the Swiss Garden Hotel (what irony, they even serve authentic swiss potato salad!). At least if I'm completely bored, I'm bored in the lap of luxury!
Seriously though, the rooms here are so cheap, we're paying something like CHF120 per night for the Executive Suite in a four-star hotel!
The parents arrived in full force on Saturday, to make sure their darling daughter has been brought back from the brink of death (har, har) and have subsequently shattered the peace and quiet of my own method of convalescence: retail therapy! On the brink of boredom-induced madness, I'd just managed to convince my brother that shopping is actually beneficial to my healing process. So I spent a few days happily cruising around the malls, when in come the parents and freak to see me popping my daily painkiller (which incidentally happens to be quite similar to Viroxx, a drug just taken off the market as it can cause cardiac arrest).
Apart from shopping I had managed to convince my bro that a drink at a bar would not be too much either, so on the second day of my release (ok, I'm the first to admit I get bored really quickly, but so would you after reading eight books and watching hours of TV, cooped up for seven days in a small boxlike room) we went out. The bar was hopping, the decor was stunning – a Balinese theme, all dark stone & dark wood, water running underfoot with goldfish swimming in pools, cushions everywhere, and huge golden Buddha statues scattered around the place. Really nice.
Seriously though, the rooms here are so cheap, we're paying something like CHF120 per night for the Executive Suite in a four-star hotel!
The parents arrived in full force on Saturday, to make sure their darling daughter has been brought back from the brink of death (har, har) and have subsequently shattered the peace and quiet of my own method of convalescence: retail therapy! On the brink of boredom-induced madness, I'd just managed to convince my brother that shopping is actually beneficial to my healing process. So I spent a few days happily cruising around the malls, when in come the parents and freak to see me popping my daily painkiller (which incidentally happens to be quite similar to Viroxx, a drug just taken off the market as it can cause cardiac arrest).
Apart from shopping I had managed to convince my bro that a drink at a bar would not be too much either, so on the second day of my release (ok, I'm the first to admit I get bored really quickly, but so would you after reading eight books and watching hours of TV, cooped up for seven days in a small boxlike room) we went out. The bar was hopping, the decor was stunning – a Balinese theme, all dark stone & dark wood, water running underfoot with goldfish swimming in pools, cushions everywhere, and huge golden Buddha statues scattered around the place. Really nice.
September 26, 2004
Minus my appendics
Well, thank goodness that’s over and done with. How something about 5cm (2inches) long can cause such acute suffering is beyond me! But once the little fiend was out, he’s now out for good. At least that’s one headache less. Now all that’s left is a pain in my side and waves of nausea. But they’ll pass too.
I’ve just discovered that one side of the hospital gives a great view of the Petronas Towers and city centre (view from my window) and the other side looks out into the deepest jungle! Talk about contrasts.
I actually really do not want to leave Malaysia, especially not KL. Somehow this city has woven her web of magic tightly around me. Just thinking about going back to cold, cold Switzerland in October gives me the shivers.
I’ve just discovered that one side of the hospital gives a great view of the Petronas Towers and city centre (view from my window) and the other side looks out into the deepest jungle! Talk about contrasts.
I actually really do not want to leave Malaysia, especially not KL. Somehow this city has woven her web of magic tightly around me. Just thinking about going back to cold, cold Switzerland in October gives me the shivers.
September 24, 2004
I'm in hospital
Well, aren’t I having a grand old time in KL. Wednesday, I was admitted to hospital with acute pain in my lower abdomen. Since then I have been put through various tests, some more uncomfortable than others, the most memorable of which (til now anyway) was definitely the CT scan. The pain when they injected the dye coupled with having to hold my breath whilst being scanned was a sensation I never want to experience again. That, and of course this horrific abdomen pain which has lodged itself firmly in my gut. Thankfully antibiotics do provide some relief until they know the definite cause of my discomfort. They’ve just ruled out acute appendicitis as well as urinary tract / kidney infection so I’m happy. (Thursday 23rd September)
*News flash* in 45 min I’m undergoing surgery to remove my appendics after all. That’s the latest after waking up to a horrific pain this morning.
At least having Wireless Lan in hospital distracts me from the pain a bit and keeps me from getting bored!
*News flash* in 45 min I’m undergoing surgery to remove my appendics after all. That’s the latest after waking up to a horrific pain this morning.
At least having Wireless Lan in hospital distracts me from the pain a bit and keeps me from getting bored!
September 20, 2004
Pulau Tioman
Well, the 2 M’s, K and I finally managed to lug our bodies out of KL this weekend, despite a minor hitch in the proceedings. Originally K & I had planned to take Fri & Mon off and go off with the boys to Pulau Tioman, for 4 days of rest and relaxation. But, on Tuesday our boss suddenly informed us that he’d taken up an unexpected offer to go to China the next day (!), so now he needs someone in the office on Fri and Mon! After some doubts as to our destination for the weekend, we decided to continue with our original plan, with K following us a day later and me going home one day earlier.
Anyway, the 3 of us boarded a bus on Thursday evening after nearly collapsing from carbon monoxide poisoning – they make the passengers wait down in the garage for the bus and although there are some environmentalists out there, most locals remain unconvinced by their campaigns and fimly believe that if you turn off the motor you risk that the engine will die on the spot! Well, judging from the state of the busses, I would tend to agree with them.
So, we started our 5 hour trip down to Mersing (East Coast) and after 5 minutes we started to get out towells, clothes, anything to protect us from the actic cold gushing out of the aircon above us. Shivering we arrived at 5.30 am, were welcomed by a tout who sold us our tickets and recommended a beach on Tioman in about 5 minutes. Desperately trying to stay awake and not caring where we would land, we made our way to the newly opened food stall and braved the local delicacies of fried rice and hot noodle soup at 6 am. Yummy.
3 hours later we were proud holders of two aircon chalets (complete luxury) and 7 hours later I had laughed myself silly over the first “shopaholic” book (something along the lines of Bridget Jones Diary), had snorkelled around our fantastic beach (Tioman is known for its diving and snorkelling) and was burt to a crisp as I had forgotten to put sunscreen!!! My whole body could rival a lobster, that’s how bad it is. Especially my legs, sitting is almost agony!
Well, as the day drew to the end we come to a part of island-life I I love: dinner! Usually the fishermen bring in their booty and you wander from beachside “restaurant” (shack is more like it) to the next, deciding which fish you’d like. We chose a huge parrot fish on the first night and then a jet fish on the second. Nothing beats eating fresh fish grilled in banana leaves, watching the sun set on clear blue sea and knowing that a pullover would cost more then that experience!
We befriended a Singaporean Malay group, who were real drinkers! (Most Malays are Muslim and alcohol is forbidden) Everybody got together in the evening, a guitar was produced, as was ample alcohol, and then the singing and merry making began. They really do like singing / karaoke here. Doesn’t mean they’ve all got good voices though (on that night alcohol mainly improved the confidence of those without an ear for music).
On Sunday I took the first ferry back to Mersing. The ferry stops at every beach to pick up passengers on their way back to the mainland, so we gaily turned the corner to the next beach and I was just thinking “hmm, I’m actually really enjoying myself”, when my eyes lit upon grey / black spots and to my horror I counted 18 huge (and I really do mean huge) army ships slowly gliding into the bay! Whilst the new passengers boarded, more and more ships appeared on the horizon and as we left for the next beach I counted 22 ships. 2 of them actually had a flat helicopter landing area! It was like a scene out of a war movie.
Army seemed to be the order of the day, because as I rode back to KL my neighbour turned out to be a military officer, in charge of making bombs! Well, I guess it’s a job too!
Anyway, the 3 of us boarded a bus on Thursday evening after nearly collapsing from carbon monoxide poisoning – they make the passengers wait down in the garage for the bus and although there are some environmentalists out there, most locals remain unconvinced by their campaigns and fimly believe that if you turn off the motor you risk that the engine will die on the spot! Well, judging from the state of the busses, I would tend to agree with them.
So, we started our 5 hour trip down to Mersing (East Coast) and after 5 minutes we started to get out towells, clothes, anything to protect us from the actic cold gushing out of the aircon above us. Shivering we arrived at 5.30 am, were welcomed by a tout who sold us our tickets and recommended a beach on Tioman in about 5 minutes. Desperately trying to stay awake and not caring where we would land, we made our way to the newly opened food stall and braved the local delicacies of fried rice and hot noodle soup at 6 am. Yummy.
3 hours later we were proud holders of two aircon chalets (complete luxury) and 7 hours later I had laughed myself silly over the first “shopaholic” book (something along the lines of Bridget Jones Diary), had snorkelled around our fantastic beach (Tioman is known for its diving and snorkelling) and was burt to a crisp as I had forgotten to put sunscreen!!! My whole body could rival a lobster, that’s how bad it is. Especially my legs, sitting is almost agony!
Well, as the day drew to the end we come to a part of island-life I I love: dinner! Usually the fishermen bring in their booty and you wander from beachside “restaurant” (shack is more like it) to the next, deciding which fish you’d like. We chose a huge parrot fish on the first night and then a jet fish on the second. Nothing beats eating fresh fish grilled in banana leaves, watching the sun set on clear blue sea and knowing that a pullover would cost more then that experience!
We befriended a Singaporean Malay group, who were real drinkers! (Most Malays are Muslim and alcohol is forbidden) Everybody got together in the evening, a guitar was produced, as was ample alcohol, and then the singing and merry making began. They really do like singing / karaoke here. Doesn’t mean they’ve all got good voices though (on that night alcohol mainly improved the confidence of those without an ear for music).
On Sunday I took the first ferry back to Mersing. The ferry stops at every beach to pick up passengers on their way back to the mainland, so we gaily turned the corner to the next beach and I was just thinking “hmm, I’m actually really enjoying myself”, when my eyes lit upon grey / black spots and to my horror I counted 18 huge (and I really do mean huge) army ships slowly gliding into the bay! Whilst the new passengers boarded, more and more ships appeared on the horizon and as we left for the next beach I counted 22 ships. 2 of them actually had a flat helicopter landing area! It was like a scene out of a war movie.
Army seemed to be the order of the day, because as I rode back to KL my neighbour turned out to be a military officer, in charge of making bombs! Well, I guess it’s a job too!
September 13, 2004
2 Ms in KL
Well, M&M, my 2 visitors sure have discovered the delights of KL! Barely here they’ve already hit the shopping malls and are going strong! To understand my shock you must know that these two normally flee if one even dares to mention the word shopping, so it’s all the more surprising that they’ve mutated into hardcore shopaholics! Supposedly out for a nightcap they return with shopping bags full of t-shirts, leave them to amuse themselves for an hour and they turn up with 4 pairs of shoes and 38 (!) DVDs between them.
Another week
On Perhentian Islands, we spent 1 night luxuriously reclining in a beachside chalet at Flora Beach Resort on Besar, the big Island.
We’d booked our flight with Airasia and true to their no frills policy you really do get what you pay for! The landing on arrival in Kota Bharu was memorable; it nearly broke my back so hard did we touch down on the runway!
The flight back was a bit better, although the plane was delayed for over an hour, a bit rich for a flight that only takes 55 minutes.
Back in KL I sped of to another audit on Monday. Barely able to keep my eyes open I had the privilege of observing how shoes are made (very interesting, but so hot in that factory! AND we have to wear business clothes too!) .
This past week saw me climbing up ladders in my finery to count stock, so whoever said auditing is boring (could actually have been me!) should really rethink their attitude. After having to edge along a 20cm wide gap, 4 shelves and 5 meters high, scared stiff that I would plummet to the ground and frantically keeping a good lookout for spiders, I definitely have!
A minor setback to all this auditing is that most companies do not have English as their corporate language in the factories or subsidiaries. The previous company we audited had all their flowcharts and daily business documents in Chinese, but luckily most of it was translated into English. So that was ok. But this company… help!
On the first day I was standing in the office, trying to make head or tail of a document when someone approached me and started babbling along in Malay. After establishing that I did not speak the language, he started waffling on in really bad English about 19 shoes. Ah, I thought, not really understanding him, my boss must have requested some documentation on those particular goods. After a few minutes of us trying to understand each other, (and failing miserably) a rescuer appeared and it turned out that this person was a customer who was here to pick up some previously ordered shoes!
The setbacks of not understanding the language…
As from yesterday, my brother and boyfriend arrived in KL, they’re here to do some travelling and eating, as the latter seems to be their preferred choice! Well, Malaysia is known for its fabulous food, so I guess it’s a reasonable goal to pursue.
We’d booked our flight with Airasia and true to their no frills policy you really do get what you pay for! The landing on arrival in Kota Bharu was memorable; it nearly broke my back so hard did we touch down on the runway!
The flight back was a bit better, although the plane was delayed for over an hour, a bit rich for a flight that only takes 55 minutes.
Back in KL I sped of to another audit on Monday. Barely able to keep my eyes open I had the privilege of observing how shoes are made (very interesting, but so hot in that factory! AND we have to wear business clothes too!) .
This past week saw me climbing up ladders in my finery to count stock, so whoever said auditing is boring (could actually have been me!) should really rethink their attitude. After having to edge along a 20cm wide gap, 4 shelves and 5 meters high, scared stiff that I would plummet to the ground and frantically keeping a good lookout for spiders, I definitely have!
A minor setback to all this auditing is that most companies do not have English as their corporate language in the factories or subsidiaries. The previous company we audited had all their flowcharts and daily business documents in Chinese, but luckily most of it was translated into English. So that was ok. But this company… help!
On the first day I was standing in the office, trying to make head or tail of a document when someone approached me and started babbling along in Malay. After establishing that I did not speak the language, he started waffling on in really bad English about 19 shoes. Ah, I thought, not really understanding him, my boss must have requested some documentation on those particular goods. After a few minutes of us trying to understand each other, (and failing miserably) a rescuer appeared and it turned out that this person was a customer who was here to pick up some previously ordered shoes!
The setbacks of not understanding the language…
As from yesterday, my brother and boyfriend arrived in KL, they’re here to do some travelling and eating, as the latter seems to be their preferred choice! Well, Malaysia is known for its fabulous food, so I guess it’s a reasonable goal to pursue.
September 11, 2004
Pulau Perhentian
What a relaxing weekend I´ve just had! On Thursday K & I spontaneously decided we needed sun, surf and relaxation so Friday evening saw us boarding an Airasia flight to Kota Bharu; we were off to one of Malaysia´s most beautiful islands Pulau Perhentian!
Kota Bharu´s claim to fame is a bustling night market – pasar malam - which unfortunately was not as spectacular as usual because the place where it’s usually held is under construction at the moment.
Whilst wandering from one hostel to the next looking for a place to stay without any unwelcome guests (bedbugs / fleas or similar) we met 2 German girls. Now 3 blond girls can attract quite a lot of attention, too bad it was negative this time. A group of pathetic guys desperately sought our attention and even resorted to throwing plastic bottles filled with cigarette butts at us! One actually followed us into the hotel, but got scared away after I complained bitterly to a very understanding receptionist (you could almost see a speech bubble appearing above his head with “just let this crazy woman speak, she’ll get over it soon, just keep smiling, I wonder what’s on TV later”).
The next day we took a taxi down to the pier and one of the little speedboats out to the Perhentian Islands. Zooming out on a very narrow, extremely shallow boat for one hour, jumping over waves with the wind making your hair stream out behind you is pretty exhilarating! We were racing along until suddenly, a huge bump jerked us forward, and the boat stopped! We’d swept over some kind of chain or rope which was attached to a nearby ship. But everything seemed to be ok, so they started the motor up again and off we went. Just as I was thinking “this is life” I felt the boat slowing, til it stopped, quite near to the little island. Hmm, everyone went, and looked back to see 2 Malay guys frantically tugging at the motor string, then when that didn’t work, they packed out their tools and proceeded to fix the motor. The trip which was supposed to last 30 minutes was prolonged by one hour (!).
Anyway, we finally arrived and spent a very relaxing 2 days pigging out with a backdrop of the deepest jungle and the clearest, bluest water imaginable. What a change from KL!
Kota Bharu´s claim to fame is a bustling night market – pasar malam - which unfortunately was not as spectacular as usual because the place where it’s usually held is under construction at the moment.
Whilst wandering from one hostel to the next looking for a place to stay without any unwelcome guests (bedbugs / fleas or similar) we met 2 German girls. Now 3 blond girls can attract quite a lot of attention, too bad it was negative this time. A group of pathetic guys desperately sought our attention and even resorted to throwing plastic bottles filled with cigarette butts at us! One actually followed us into the hotel, but got scared away after I complained bitterly to a very understanding receptionist (you could almost see a speech bubble appearing above his head with “just let this crazy woman speak, she’ll get over it soon, just keep smiling, I wonder what’s on TV later”).
The next day we took a taxi down to the pier and one of the little speedboats out to the Perhentian Islands. Zooming out on a very narrow, extremely shallow boat for one hour, jumping over waves with the wind making your hair stream out behind you is pretty exhilarating! We were racing along until suddenly, a huge bump jerked us forward, and the boat stopped! We’d swept over some kind of chain or rope which was attached to a nearby ship. But everything seemed to be ok, so they started the motor up again and off we went. Just as I was thinking “this is life” I felt the boat slowing, til it stopped, quite near to the little island. Hmm, everyone went, and looked back to see 2 Malay guys frantically tugging at the motor string, then when that didn’t work, they packed out their tools and proceeded to fix the motor. The trip which was supposed to last 30 minutes was prolonged by one hour (!).
Anyway, we finally arrived and spent a very relaxing 2 days pigging out with a backdrop of the deepest jungle and the clearest, bluest water imaginable. What a change from KL!
September 01, 2004
Hungry Ghosts and Audits
I have now discovered the pleasures of auditing, a field where one’s sadistic streak can come to the fore and cause pain and suffering to the poor auditee as one stands over them checking their work / business practices with an eagle eye!
We were on an island for the entire week, checking out a company which manufactured jeans – right up my street! The brand is moderately well known and I found it extremely intriguing to observe how my favorite trousers are made, from the ordering of raw material in huge quantities to the cutting, sewing, washing and ironing. I’ll say one thing about auditing: it sure gives you a good overview of all sorts of jobs available.
The audit itself consists primarily of following a checklist, asking questions and trying to establish where one could improve business practices.
In the evening we (my boss and I) generally went out for an Indian meal. In my enthusiasm to be as culturally aware as possible I tried eating with only my right hand and nearly broke my wrist trying to tear chicken off its bone! At least I managed not to spray food and fragments all over my boss, a nice impression that would have made!
On the last day of the audit, the whole company celebrated the Hungry Ghost season. Comprised mainly of a Chinese workforce (People are quite race-conscious here, the Chinese are perceived as industrious, the Malays as lazy and the Indians as sly; In a job interview the employer would most likely employ a candidate of the same race as himself – no joke!) almost the entire staff turned up laden with as much food (=offerings) they could carry. I’ve never seen such a spread of Chinese delicacies. They then proceeded to stick incense sticks into the offerings and lit them under prayers. Someone pushed some incense into my hands and told me to go round the table, holding up the burning sticks, jerking them at intervals and ask for good health for myself, my family and also for a good husband! Quite funny that was, they tried to sell me on the perks of a Chinese husband. When the incense burnt down, they lit a fire in a metal cauldron and proceeded to throw in paper symbolizing money, passports, clothing and gold. Judging by the amount of paper we burnt, the ghosts are complete shopaholics, they must have been influenced by the worldly pleasures of Merdeka Sale (whole of Malaysia has a sale on for the entire month of August every year).
All that done (yes, we did actually manage to get some work done that day!) the women practically charged up to the table where the food was spread out and took all the incense sticks out, dusted the stuff off and shot away with their treasures. We then ate all the offerings for lunch, as the ghosts had thoughtfully left the physical chow for us, having only eaten the spirit of the food. The fare was all homemade, absolutely scrumptious! These Chinese women can really cook! Hope my brother ends up with a Chinese woman one day; the men are apparently terrible in the kitchen…
Yesterday was Merdeka Day – Independence Day in Malaysia. We went to the Petronas Towers to witness the event, and got caught up in the surging crowd. It was quite awful actually, there were so many sexually deprived imbeciles out that night we went home left that place quite quickly! Moving along to Bukit Bintang (the main shopping street) we encountered people spraying colourful streamers around, out of aerosol cans. That was far more fun, seeing them really go wild!
Before I left for the Audit, K & I relaxed in KL’s largest park, the lake gardens. They had a huge aviary, with hundreds of bird species. I’ve never seen so many funny looking birds on such close quarters before!
Today our coworker just suggested that we need fattening up, as Malaysia is famous for its fantastic food and our parents would feel that we’d been well cared for! Funny their mentality! And contrary to expectations it was not a Chinese women who suggested it, but an Indian (!). (Most Chinese women I’ve encountered tend to ply one with food, one woman at the office practically shoved stuff down my neck - I nearly had to be rude to get her to stop.)
We were on an island for the entire week, checking out a company which manufactured jeans – right up my street! The brand is moderately well known and I found it extremely intriguing to observe how my favorite trousers are made, from the ordering of raw material in huge quantities to the cutting, sewing, washing and ironing. I’ll say one thing about auditing: it sure gives you a good overview of all sorts of jobs available.
The audit itself consists primarily of following a checklist, asking questions and trying to establish where one could improve business practices.
In the evening we (my boss and I) generally went out for an Indian meal. In my enthusiasm to be as culturally aware as possible I tried eating with only my right hand and nearly broke my wrist trying to tear chicken off its bone! At least I managed not to spray food and fragments all over my boss, a nice impression that would have made!
On the last day of the audit, the whole company celebrated the Hungry Ghost season. Comprised mainly of a Chinese workforce (People are quite race-conscious here, the Chinese are perceived as industrious, the Malays as lazy and the Indians as sly; In a job interview the employer would most likely employ a candidate of the same race as himself – no joke!) almost the entire staff turned up laden with as much food (=offerings) they could carry. I’ve never seen such a spread of Chinese delicacies. They then proceeded to stick incense sticks into the offerings and lit them under prayers. Someone pushed some incense into my hands and told me to go round the table, holding up the burning sticks, jerking them at intervals and ask for good health for myself, my family and also for a good husband! Quite funny that was, they tried to sell me on the perks of a Chinese husband. When the incense burnt down, they lit a fire in a metal cauldron and proceeded to throw in paper symbolizing money, passports, clothing and gold. Judging by the amount of paper we burnt, the ghosts are complete shopaholics, they must have been influenced by the worldly pleasures of Merdeka Sale (whole of Malaysia has a sale on for the entire month of August every year).
All that done (yes, we did actually manage to get some work done that day!) the women practically charged up to the table where the food was spread out and took all the incense sticks out, dusted the stuff off and shot away with their treasures. We then ate all the offerings for lunch, as the ghosts had thoughtfully left the physical chow for us, having only eaten the spirit of the food. The fare was all homemade, absolutely scrumptious! These Chinese women can really cook! Hope my brother ends up with a Chinese woman one day; the men are apparently terrible in the kitchen…
Yesterday was Merdeka Day – Independence Day in Malaysia. We went to the Petronas Towers to witness the event, and got caught up in the surging crowd. It was quite awful actually, there were so many sexually deprived imbeciles out that night we went home left that place quite quickly! Moving along to Bukit Bintang (the main shopping street) we encountered people spraying colourful streamers around, out of aerosol cans. That was far more fun, seeing them really go wild!
Before I left for the Audit, K & I relaxed in KL’s largest park, the lake gardens. They had a huge aviary, with hundreds of bird species. I’ve never seen so many funny looking birds on such close quarters before!
Today our coworker just suggested that we need fattening up, as Malaysia is famous for its fantastic food and our parents would feel that we’d been well cared for! Funny their mentality! And contrary to expectations it was not a Chinese women who suggested it, but an Indian (!). (Most Chinese women I’ve encountered tend to ply one with food, one woman at the office practically shoved stuff down my neck - I nearly had to be rude to get her to stop.)
August 19, 2004
Virus
A dark and mean virus seems to be spreading around KL. My boss, her boss and my two colleagues (one of which is my flat mate), have come down with high fever, chills and sore throat / cough. What a depressing environment to work in! Luckily we had one 2 day conference here in KL where most of the participants were quite jolly and an internal audit is looming on the horizon (help!). Today we went to visit 2 clients for whom we will do the audit in the coming month. The one good thing about poking one’s nose into other people’s business professionally is that I can get a good overview of various jobs. Today for example, we visited a shoe manufacturer, and it was very interesting to see how shoes are made. We went for lunch with another client, all Chinese women who were very friendly, despite the fact that they plied me with food incessantly (I even ate duck as not to offend them, a bird I normally won’t touch, but I drew the line at chicken foot soup!). The food was delicious; absolute first rate.
I had an issue earlier this week when my flat mate and I tried to wash our clothes. It’s been about 3 weeks now since I arrived and buying clothes isn’t always the answer. Especially as it seems to be impossible to buy a normal bra here, each and every one is filled with some kind of silicone pad, water cushion or just plain padding to give the illusion of a larger bust!
So we went to a local laundry and the guy there tried to rip us off! One Ringitt for one bra two ringitt for one tshirt etc!
I had an issue earlier this week when my flat mate and I tried to wash our clothes. It’s been about 3 weeks now since I arrived and buying clothes isn’t always the answer. Especially as it seems to be impossible to buy a normal bra here, each and every one is filled with some kind of silicone pad, water cushion or just plain padding to give the illusion of a larger bust!
So we went to a local laundry and the guy there tried to rip us off! One Ringitt for one bra two ringitt for one tshirt etc!
August 11, 2004
Rest and Relaxation
Having finished work late yesterday, my flatmate and I decided to walk down the Jalan Bukit Bintang (the main shopping street) in order to buy some water and get a little exercise. Off we went, our eyes drinking in colours and vibrant settings, people streaming in and out of the mall (it was nine pm!) and traffic zooming up and down the road. We were quite shattered so battling our way down the sidewalk wasn't really a relaxing thing to do. Suddenly we were accosted by someone touting for customers for a foot reflexology massage. 25 Malaysian Ringitt (about 9CHF) for a whole half hour may seem like a lot to some, but for me this was too good to pass up! Ah, the utter bliss (well, not quite, some of his efforts were downright painful! but absolutly worth it) that followed is highly recommendable. We left feeling refreshed and energized.
Now we've decided to go the whole hog and look for a spa to be pampered to the nines! It's kinda tricky though to know if the spa you're interested in is what you had in mind or if the ladies in there cater for a more, let's say, intense experience. Karaoke venues are just as bad, hairdressers are pretty straightforward, luckily. I was planning to get a haircut.
Now we've decided to go the whole hog and look for a spa to be pampered to the nines! It's kinda tricky though to know if the spa you're interested in is what you had in mind or if the ladies in there cater for a more, let's say, intense experience. Karaoke venues are just as bad, hairdressers are pretty straightforward, luckily. I was planning to get a haircut.
August 10, 2004
Toilets
Just came back from Johor Bharu yesterday. Was on a business trip, the usual, a conference. Forced to dress up nicely (Mum, that suit we bought is a real asset) and with a beaming smile in place I registered the participants. All went well until I needed the bathroom. Well, the details of my toilet are not going to be the subject of this post, however when it came to flushing the innocent looking monster I found that appearances can be very deceptive!
When you looked at the toilet there was this thing you could turn (no sign of the obvious flushing device), so I enthusiastically did so. To my absolute horror, a strong spurt of water came rushing out of the toilet, aimed straight at my chest! (Not a little trickle or anything like that, this was a full blown attack! As if you were squeezing the garden hose to increase the pressure of the water flow!) Luckily a split second reaction of mine saved me from being drenched from head to toe - how I would have explained my drowned-rat-appearance to all these high powered people I would not have known! I shudder at the thought!
On a happier note: Malaysia is swamped at the moment with a Mega Sale, the whole country has gone shopping mad for the ENTIRE AUGUST!!! Ah, absolute bliss, the malls stay open til 10 every night…
When you looked at the toilet there was this thing you could turn (no sign of the obvious flushing device), so I enthusiastically did so. To my absolute horror, a strong spurt of water came rushing out of the toilet, aimed straight at my chest! (Not a little trickle or anything like that, this was a full blown attack! As if you were squeezing the garden hose to increase the pressure of the water flow!) Luckily a split second reaction of mine saved me from being drenched from head to toe - how I would have explained my drowned-rat-appearance to all these high powered people I would not have known! I shudder at the thought!
On a happier note: Malaysia is swamped at the moment with a Mega Sale, the whole country has gone shopping mad for the ENTIRE AUGUST!!! Ah, absolute bliss, the malls stay open til 10 every night…
August 05, 2004
KL
I arrived back from Kutching (Sarawak) last Tuesday evening. Dr. B had told me that I would be living with another intern who had already started working at his office 2 weeks ago. She's from Germany, my age (10 days younger to be exact) and very nice. She'd never been to KL before, so after chatting we deicided to go out to Chinatown for some late night shopping (they only close at midnight!). Not heeding the warnings by well-wishers, we stayed out quite late and 2 girls (especially with C being blond) can also attract negative attention. We made it home eventually, after having to duck into hotels pretending to be guests and walk a longer route back to our appartment to mislead a overenthusiastic shadow (guess what language he spoke: French! I hadn't really expected that!).
The attitude to work here is pretty intense, going home early means around 7pm, generally one gets out at around 8.30pm or so. One hour lunch break (very strict about the times) and work begins at 8.15am.
My boss and his co-worker are both Indian, so we DID NOT HAVE ANY TOILET PAPER at the office! I'm not quite sure how the Muslim girls who work here as well handle the situation, but I've not seen them smuggling any paper past me. Whilst we're on the subject of cross-cultural issues: the other day I squashed a bug walking along my arm and earned a reproachful: "that could have been your grandmother!" from my boss (happens to believe in reincarnation)! Hmm, I wonder if he feels that way about mosquitos too... Better watch out for the odd insect, I could never forgive myself for accidentially treading on the pope, or so. :)
You'll never believe it, but if it were not for the humidity, I could wear a pullover quite happily (outside, not in an air-cond office builiding). So much for the swealtering heat of the tropics.
The attitude to work here is pretty intense, going home early means around 7pm, generally one gets out at around 8.30pm or so. One hour lunch break (very strict about the times) and work begins at 8.15am.
My boss and his co-worker are both Indian, so we DID NOT HAVE ANY TOILET PAPER at the office! I'm not quite sure how the Muslim girls who work here as well handle the situation, but I've not seen them smuggling any paper past me. Whilst we're on the subject of cross-cultural issues: the other day I squashed a bug walking along my arm and earned a reproachful: "that could have been your grandmother!" from my boss (happens to believe in reincarnation)! Hmm, I wonder if he feels that way about mosquitos too... Better watch out for the odd insect, I could never forgive myself for accidentially treading on the pope, or so. :)
You'll never believe it, but if it were not for the humidity, I could wear a pullover quite happily (outside, not in an air-cond office builiding). So much for the swealtering heat of the tropics.
August 03, 2004
Malaysia - first impressions
Malaysia, a rich diverse country, where spirits, ghosts and ghouls feature heavily in small talk (everyone tells me at least one ghost story, it's getting quite hard to fall asleep peacefully!), the food is incredible and the air-conditionning freezes the air in your lungs: what a country!
After been picked up at the airport last Saturday, I was driven to the appartment I now share with a German girl who is also interning at the same company (Smartfocus; they deal in Risk Management and Internal Audit). I haven't met her yet, as she went off to Singapore for a few days.
After settling in, I was whisked off to Kutching in Sarawak (on the Island of Borneo) to assist my boss in a conference. After making sure all the participants were there, I took center stage with my heart in my mouth and welcomed these multimilionnaires (one is a prince, no kidding!!!!) to this gathering. I was soooo glad that our studies place a heavy focus on presentations, as I nearly died when I saw these calculating eyes on me. They turned out to be quite nice, but it was so daunting to speak in front of these high profile men (no women).
After been picked up at the airport last Saturday, I was driven to the appartment I now share with a German girl who is also interning at the same company (Smartfocus; they deal in Risk Management and Internal Audit). I haven't met her yet, as she went off to Singapore for a few days.
After settling in, I was whisked off to Kutching in Sarawak (on the Island of Borneo) to assist my boss in a conference. After making sure all the participants were there, I took center stage with my heart in my mouth and welcomed these multimilionnaires (one is a prince, no kidding!!!!) to this gathering. I was soooo glad that our studies place a heavy focus on presentations, as I nearly died when I saw these calculating eyes on me. They turned out to be quite nice, but it was so daunting to speak in front of these high profile men (no women).
July 26, 2004
Swissness
Sunday morning found me up, bright and early (well, 10.00am is early if you’re on holiday!), ready for some good old-fashion Swiss action: hiking!
M and I took the train and bus up to the Schwägalp, all intent on walking up to the top of the Säntis. So off we set, striding along in good spirits. After half an hour we’d mastered the hiker’s etiquette (greet everyone you meet by saying “gruezi”) and had come to one of these yellow signposts that indicates which path to follow. Hello, we thought, the Säntis doesn’t seem to figure on this post! So we stopped a fellow walker who told us that yes, we were heading the wrong way and should hurry back if we wanted to reach our destination (2502m) before the rain came. Having said this we glanced up and saw ominous rain clouds gathering at quite a speed. “Don’t you have a map?” Our friend asked us (he was an old grandfather figure). When we admitted that no, we’d thought we would rely on these signposts, the father (grandfather) in him came out full force and we had the pleasure of him rambling on about various other paths and the dangers of mountaineering.
Nearly falling over ourselves to escape, we thanked him profusely and shot back to the Schwägalp as fast as we could. There we discovered that a cable car goes right to the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes. Hmm, M said. Hmm, I replied. 30 minutes later we were freezing at the top of the mountain, the panorama completely obscured by heavy clouds! The only thing we managed to see was a bit of the glacier, which had once covered the mountain.
So this is it?! I asked myself.
Frozen, we took the next cable car going down. After that temperature drop we thought a change of scenery was the order, so we took bus and train to the beautiful city of Rapperswil.
Rapperswil is situated on the boarder of the lake Zürich, with lots of little cafés along the water and a charming old town. After relaxing we boarded the boat to Zürich, and hunger made me crack open a packet of biscuits. Suddenly we saw a seagull following the boat, so I threw a bit of a biscuit out at him. 30 seconds later, 10 – 15 of his feathered friends had turned up and another family had started to throw bread at them too!
Arriving in Zürich, we stumbled upon a huge open air salsa party with many bars and food stands, serving up all sorts of ethnic dishes. But it was late and after sampling some Indian and Thai food we set off towards the station.
We heaved our bodies into the train and whilst speeding homewards, I believe my sleepy mind located my Swissness: It resides in the cities, lakes and towns of this beautiful little country and not upon mountain tops.
M and I took the train and bus up to the Schwägalp, all intent on walking up to the top of the Säntis. So off we set, striding along in good spirits. After half an hour we’d mastered the hiker’s etiquette (greet everyone you meet by saying “gruezi”) and had come to one of these yellow signposts that indicates which path to follow. Hello, we thought, the Säntis doesn’t seem to figure on this post! So we stopped a fellow walker who told us that yes, we were heading the wrong way and should hurry back if we wanted to reach our destination (2502m) before the rain came. Having said this we glanced up and saw ominous rain clouds gathering at quite a speed. “Don’t you have a map?” Our friend asked us (he was an old grandfather figure). When we admitted that no, we’d thought we would rely on these signposts, the father (grandfather) in him came out full force and we had the pleasure of him rambling on about various other paths and the dangers of mountaineering.
Nearly falling over ourselves to escape, we thanked him profusely and shot back to the Schwägalp as fast as we could. There we discovered that a cable car goes right to the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes. Hmm, M said. Hmm, I replied. 30 minutes later we were freezing at the top of the mountain, the panorama completely obscured by heavy clouds! The only thing we managed to see was a bit of the glacier, which had once covered the mountain.
So this is it?! I asked myself.
Frozen, we took the next cable car going down. After that temperature drop we thought a change of scenery was the order, so we took bus and train to the beautiful city of Rapperswil.
Rapperswil is situated on the boarder of the lake Zürich, with lots of little cafés along the water and a charming old town. After relaxing we boarded the boat to Zürich, and hunger made me crack open a packet of biscuits. Suddenly we saw a seagull following the boat, so I threw a bit of a biscuit out at him. 30 seconds later, 10 – 15 of his feathered friends had turned up and another family had started to throw bread at them too!
Arriving in Zürich, we stumbled upon a huge open air salsa party with many bars and food stands, serving up all sorts of ethnic dishes. But it was late and after sampling some Indian and Thai food we set off towards the station.
We heaved our bodies into the train and whilst speeding homewards, I believe my sleepy mind located my Swissness: It resides in the cities, lakes and towns of this beautiful little country and not upon mountain tops.
July 23, 2004
Heatwave
At last, summer has deigned to rear its lovely head! But to be honest, after these three days of over 30°C I welcome the sun’s toning down of its enthusiastic beaming. Although watching lobster like individuals lumbering up and down Basel’s city centre has added to the evening’s amusements.
Now, drum role please: I have decided, slowly but surely, to get in touch with the Swissness inside me (I’m not sure that I really possess much, but hey, growing up in a country must count for something!). This soul searching was brought about by a certain M who talked me into walking (!) up a hill in Appenzell (a canton in the deepest darkest midst of Switzerland). Now this idea is almost revolutionary for me, as
1. it involves walking without shops or cafés and
2. I've always believed that wandering aimlessly around a hill or mountain where it might pour with rain at any moment is kind of pointless.
But I learnt recently that the Swiss seriously believe any visitor is capable of managing a 5 hour hike through cow dung infested slopes and along murderously narrow paths in street shoes (now for all their practicality wouldn't it be fair to warn the unsuspecting guest to bring proper shoes?). So if this poor person can endure the lavish Swiss hospitality, shouldn't I discover the delights of rolling about in cow muck too? Well, I wonder.
Now, drum role please: I have decided, slowly but surely, to get in touch with the Swissness inside me (I’m not sure that I really possess much, but hey, growing up in a country must count for something!). This soul searching was brought about by a certain M who talked me into walking (!) up a hill in Appenzell (a canton in the deepest darkest midst of Switzerland). Now this idea is almost revolutionary for me, as
1. it involves walking without shops or cafés and
2. I've always believed that wandering aimlessly around a hill or mountain where it might pour with rain at any moment is kind of pointless.
But I learnt recently that the Swiss seriously believe any visitor is capable of managing a 5 hour hike through cow dung infested slopes and along murderously narrow paths in street shoes (now for all their practicality wouldn't it be fair to warn the unsuspecting guest to bring proper shoes?). So if this poor person can endure the lavish Swiss hospitality, shouldn't I discover the delights of rolling about in cow muck too? Well, I wonder.
July 20, 2004
needles
Appearances can be very deceptive...
Last week I had the misfortune of running into a brutal battering ram camouflaged as a pretty, friendly nurse. Under doctor's orders she stuck a little needle into the cradle of my arm, took gallons of blood from my poor little vein and left me to recover slowly from my fear of needles.
Throughout the day my arm felt heavy and slowly but surely a black bruise the size and consistency of an acorn formed over the wound.
The next day the bruise had spread to mid upper and mid lower arm, covering the entire surface with streaks and patches of black & blue, green & brown. My arm looks like it had been in the ring with Mike Tyson and had managed to hold on til the last round!
So beware nurses who decide to puncture the entire vein, by inserting a needle that comes out the other side of it!
Last week I had the misfortune of running into a brutal battering ram camouflaged as a pretty, friendly nurse. Under doctor's orders she stuck a little needle into the cradle of my arm, took gallons of blood from my poor little vein and left me to recover slowly from my fear of needles.
Throughout the day my arm felt heavy and slowly but surely a black bruise the size and consistency of an acorn formed over the wound.
The next day the bruise had spread to mid upper and mid lower arm, covering the entire surface with streaks and patches of black & blue, green & brown. My arm looks like it had been in the ring with Mike Tyson and had managed to hold on til the last round!
So beware nurses who decide to puncture the entire vein, by inserting a needle that comes out the other side of it!
July 19, 2004
the telephone call
What a day.
I woke up full of apprehension about a certain telephone call I had to make. As the time for the call drew nearer, I began to panic, switched on the computer and immersed myself in information on this certain person who had the power to change my life for the next three months.
Punching the numbers I hoped and prayed that everything would turn out alright. 2 minutes later saw me putting the phone down, absolutly elated: guess where I'm going... my favorite country of contrasts: Malaysia!!!
So, you know lah, needless to say lah, I am SOOOO PSYCHED!
I woke up full of apprehension about a certain telephone call I had to make. As the time for the call drew nearer, I began to panic, switched on the computer and immersed myself in information on this certain person who had the power to change my life for the next three months.
Punching the numbers I hoped and prayed that everything would turn out alright. 2 minutes later saw me putting the phone down, absolutly elated: guess where I'm going... my favorite country of contrasts: Malaysia!!!
So, you know lah, needless to say lah, I am SOOOO PSYCHED!
A nice cup of tea
A little girl made a cup of tea for her mother.
"I didn't know you could make tea", said mum taking a sip.
"Yes, I boiled some water, added the tea leaves like you do, and then strained it into a cup. But I could't find the strainer, so I used the fly swatter."
"What!" exclaimed mum, choking on her tea.
"Oh, don't worry. I didn't use the new fly swatter. I used the old one."
"I didn't know you could make tea", said mum taking a sip.
"Yes, I boiled some water, added the tea leaves like you do, and then strained it into a cup. But I could't find the strainer, so I used the fly swatter."
"What!" exclaimed mum, choking on her tea.
"Oh, don't worry. I didn't use the new fly swatter. I used the old one."
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