This and That

Getting Hits from unexpected places
I have had people from Canada and the US read this little corner of the Internet. This isn't really all that remarkable when you consider those are the places where I know people and have invited them. What's not
clear is how people in Germany, India, Argentina and Russia have found my blog. Just thought this was a little odd, but then you never know when it is open to google and other search engines.

The devastation in Japan
We are all aware that the devastation in Japan is beyond our grasp unless we happen to be there, I have heard from someone I know living in Kyoto and his position is that it is no where near as bad as the Western media is making it sound. He said that they felt both earthquakes and then went back to what they were doing. He also mentioned that the radiation levels are no higher than normal in his area. So what do we believe? Do we listen blindly to the media who may be sensationalizing the entire thing or do we hope for the best and not watch the news or read the papers?

Admitting a dirty little secret
I have to admit something, its a dirty little secret that only you and I can know about, I have had issues with this in the past and I think the first step really is admitting I have a problem.
The reason I don't do this anymore is that, well it made me sad, I don't like feeling sad and by not doing this anymore I feel much better. So here it is, I will now admit something that I have been keeping a secret for a long time, you may have suspected the truth but now I will confirm it. I don't follow the news any more! Ok there I said it, I feel so much better now. One of the other reasons is that the news here in Malaysia is a little on the biased side, the media has guidelines that they must follow and the government is very strict when it comes to any breaches. So I can now sleep better I have admitted that I don't follow the news!


Looking for Employment Sucks!
Trying to find full time employment is not all that easy and can be rather stressful, not because I don't have a job, but because here the rules are different! For example, when was the last time you saw a help wanted ad that said "Must be female between 21 and 25, sexy and open..." I am not kidding, I saw an ad in the paper that said that exactly and what was the position? An Admin Executive. At times I feel like I have stepped back in time to the 50's, a time where the rules were different. Companies can and do demand that you must be female, under 30, speak English and be very friendly, you are sometimes told to send a picture, this is very common. It is also common for someone to tell you that you are to old for the position, or that you must be a Muslim! It's amazing, every time you go for an interview you are required to not only have a printed copy of the resume you already sent them, but you have to fill out an application.

Things I don't like
As anyone who has read my general verbal vomit, think that I complain about everything, to an extent that is true, but lets be honest with ourselves for just a second and look back at the things you thought about in the last couple of day. For the most part you will all have some sort of complaint in there, if you don't you are a saint and should consider canonization or maybe a position the governments help line. I bitch and complain, I did't it in Canada and I'll continue to do it here and anyplace I maybe. Can anyone really say with all honesty that they never complain?


Why don't I eat more Malaysian food?
I get asked that question by Westerners, these are all ways people who do not live here but are assuming that they would eat everything, they might at first. I grew up eating "Meat'n'Taters", not rice and fish. I like to eat fish now and then, but I don't want it everyday or even every week. I eat more rice now that I did in Canada, but thats mainly because I feel guilty making my wife cook a special meal for me everyday, which she would do in a heartbeat, in fact did for the first 5 or 6 years, part of why I eat less Malaysian food than some.

TV: it's different here ...
Trying to find something to watch on local TV can be a challenge, especially if you have been keeping up with the TV shows you enjoyed in Canada. The seasons are usually a year or 2 behind in Malaysia, which is fine if you haven't watched that show before. TV shows here are censored, meaning someone else is deciding what you can or cannot see, this is fine unless you happen to prefer romance to violence. Kissing is cut out, violent machete murders aren't. Beer commercials are banned, cigarette advertising is also banned. Swearing is censored as long as the censor knows what the words me, they don't so we hear some funny things, the "F" word is caught but the "C" word isn't always. Makes you think.

Please ask questions
Trying to find something to write about every time is getting harder, I can't really write about work, that could get me fired. I won't write about my wife in any detail, I respect her privacy, so don't ask. Pretty much everything is fair game, ask away. If you're shy leave a comment and I'll email you.


Cheers