Crazy Macao Climate

The after a week and a half of summer heat, the weather took a change and plunged to the low of 10C. I was absentminded again and forgot my tights when I packed for the gym yesterday. It was not too bad as I stayed indoors all day, but it was rather nippy when I was out for dinner with AO and NC, walking to restaurants in my heels and wearing my summer skirt without any socks or stockings. It was nice as I could totally complain about what I do not like about this place. AO just laughed and NC said that I was bitter about the place. Yes, my prejudices against Macao. I do not deny it. Dinner, however, was wonderful. We had Portuguese near the Senado Square and shared wine and many appetizers. The conversation was heart warming and we did have a great time. I totally forgot that I was in Macao and thought that it was an evening in Tokyo, interrupted only when a young Chinese waiter introducing each dish he brought to the table in Cantonese.

The wine put me to sleep instantly once I crossed the threshold of my apartment, and I could not get up for my work out routine this morning. Hmm, including today, I have not been to the gym for a proper work out for 4 days. What more, I have been snacking loads of chocolates at my cubicle, had past 10pm snacks of chips and chocolates, a huge pizza lunch, and that dinner last night. Ooh, the calories need to be burnt. It was cold this morning and I guess the cold would help burn some calories as my choice of clothes today was not the warmest for the day. I have my jacket on indoors as I only had a turtleneck on. SA asked whether I was cold for I certainly was not dressed for the day. The only thing warm on me was the beanie I wore. "I thought it was cold enough to use this in Macao today." Well, I guess I am able to enjoy my winter fashion and clothing here on cold days like today. I wonder whether we will have more days like such?

Bah to you... The lack of exposure, uncivilized and uneducated!

People often claim that they are misunderstood. I am no exception to that. I admit that my first impression is often one that reflects little of who I truly am. Many have who are now close friends would often recall their first impression of me as a "prim and proper princess, fashionable, well-dressed, and carries herself in a way depicting that she is from a well-to-do background, and from the way she talks (if she does open her mouth on the first occasion being friendly) arrogant and seemingly knows a little too much." Maybe I am like such. I can not control what people think of me, but could only hope that by getting to know me, they would come to see that I am like I am, unpredictable to the common thought and experience.

I was out for lunch with a new found friend on Sunday at a decent Portuguese restaurant (The deco, table settings, and service was decent enough to classify this place as a restaurant in contrast to a coffee shop). He is a westerner/Caucasian, mid to late 30s, and many would consider not the best looking guy around. All that did not matter to me. I just wanted to hang out with English speakers with a compatible mindset and philosophy, being able to cope with this bunny just as she is. I was dressed up like usual and was behaving totally like myself in expressions and words. I received compliments from my lunch counterpart and we did have a good time. Until...

There was this table of Chinese sitting not too far away from us. They were loud and I could not help but notice them eyeing towards our table. At some point, I overheard someone from their party (they were that loud) said in Cantonese, "...mainland Chinese girls with foreigners... she could be... she speaks English... " Sparing you the details of what was being said and getting straight to the point, I was considered as a mainland Chinese prostitute who is only interested in foreigners for sex and money.

Wow! That was incredible. The only people who could speak fluent Cantonese and make such comments would either be a local Macanese, Chinese, someone from Hong Kong or some south east Asian country that has Chinese influence and heritage (I am mentioning these groups of people for I know people in such context who thinks likewise). The context of their allegation was shallow and rude, and I wondered how educated these people are. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I started on a self check. My attire for the day was decent as I was at church in the morning, and I did dress like such before hanging out with my friends who a few gave me an approving nod that I look nice. I was totally myself and did not even try to flirt with the guy I was with. So, what gave them that thought? Friends, do I actually (or ever) look like a whore trying to get a cheap fix with a foreigner?

Am I being stereotyped like such simply because I have very east Asian features? Are people who look like me not allowed to have a good time with someone who does not share my ethnicity on the basis that we enjoy each other's personality and are able to share a good decent conversation? I am just appalled. Like mentioned in the beginning, I can not control what people thinks of me, but I am astonished that the locals, or Chinese who were exposed to a foreign mindset through the colonization of the English and Portuguese, and even those from my home country, city folks with a possible western education could actually think like such. All I can be is upset (for now) but it is not my fault for I did nothing wrong. What I can do is truly not care what others think of me for they are in no position to judge, or for me to judge them. I just pray that we all could be enlightened and share the love of God.

I guess my Asian roots still have a strong hold on me as I do care about what the immediate community thinks of me, and I try to abide by the social rules only because I wish to love and respect others around me. However, if I do bend to conform to an issue like the above, does it mean that I would never find a possible love in someone of a different ethnicity? I am blessed with friends from all over the world, and I have been told that with my strength, personality, philosophy and mentality, I am better off sharing the rest of my life with some one who would love me for who I am, embracing my uniqueness which is highly compatible with a westerner/Caucasian. I can not change how I look (I am not talking about the way I dress but the fact that my facial features do reflect that I am someone who looks very Asian). Should I opt for being very plain then, or start looking like someone who has only been exposed to a western background? I refuse to conform. If I do, I will not be the bunny that people know and love me as.

Thus, to you rude and shallow people out there... BITE ME! KISS MY A**!

Absolutely Annoying Weekend

My weekend sucked. Before I move on to my list of annoyance, I will say that there was some happy moments when I got my plant, felt very much relaxed at my apartment, had a major ego boost during Sunday's lunch, and after that, it was just and endless plunge into the deep abyss of hell.

1. My Absentmindedness.

I was excited as my self addressed parcel from Japan finally arrived. All I needed to do was pick it up at the central post office by bringing the slip left at the office by the mail man. I had it pinned at eye-level at my desk all week. I stuck Post It notes on it to remind me of the errands I needed to run on Saturday. When I was on the bus going home on Friday, I had forgotten about it and left it still stuck at my cubicle. Since I was tired, I decided to collect it the next day before heading to the post office on the other side of the peninsular. (Extra travelling incurred.)

On Saturday, I made a trip to the office and then, to the central post office. While I was on the bus, "Oh man! I forgot my passport! ... Well, I do have some I.D. (Malaysian identity card, Japanese Student I.D., Macao gym card) Hopefully they will work." At the parcel center, I was told that only a blue card (Macao government issued I.D) or my passport would suffice. I had to return another day. (Fruitless visit and extra travelling incurred.)


2. Service Standards.

At the post office, I wanted to know the prices of sending mail in regular air mail and express mail to countries that I have associations with. I asked the staff at the small packages counter (as I was there first), who said he did not know and pointed me to the regular mail counter. I was over there and when told the days needed for my mail to arrive. I then asked how much would it cost to mail a similar package via express mail and was pointed to the express mail counter at the adjacent wing. (Great. Don't they have a general information list in hand?) I was at the express mail counter and had to wait for 5 minutes because the person was speaking on the phone (while working). She was rather impolite to me after she was done with the call, and when I addressed my questions to her, she was curt and a little TOO direct. When I asked the difference in the price of regular mail, I was pointed back to the counter I was at before. (Wonderful, is it not?) I really wonder how friendly and helpful people are in this place. Mind you, these are people who holds white-collared jobs. I am very excited about Macao customer service and service standards now.


3. The Landlord and the Contractor.

They came, they messed up my apartment, and totally ruined my weekend.

After 3 weeks of living in my current apartment, the landlord suddenly resurfaced, to which I am thankful for what needs to be fixed in my apartment can finally get the attention now. An appointment was made for 4 on Saturday, but the landlord and his contractor only came close to 30 minutes later. (Yup, punctuality is unheard of here.) I had a list prepared and walked it through with the landlord. I would give him brownie points for trying to be nice to me in asking the contractor to complete what needs to be done as soon as possible, but my expectation for him being a cheap scrooge was not let down. He wanted everything to be nicely fixed and done for me, but is not willing to spend the extra money to do so. Thus, I would have my apartment fixed up in addition to the filthy second-hand washing machine and fridge he got me. (This was a negotiation which further reflected how cheap he was, as he first said that basic furnishings could be included in the initial rent, but decided to raise the rent later, and yet getting me lousy second hand goods.) I can go on and on about it, but this is not really about him.

Since the first day I moved in, there was a drainage problem in the washing area. A pool of water took several days to dry itself out. Telling the contractor the problem, he decided to try it out, and even tried to flush the pipeline, in which it only caused my entire washing area to be flooded. He then proceeded to use my brooms (without asking) to unclog the drain by ramming the handle into the unknown. (What a good way to season a new broom.) When he was finally content that the drain is permanently clogged and leaving both the washing area and kitchen in a mess, he figured that we should just use another drainage hole instead, in which he suggested to extend a pipe into my kitchen. (That would look aesthetic.) When what he suggested was carried out on Sunday, he did have a heart to dry up the flood he made but emptied all the water, sand, grime, and dirt into my kitchen sink! I was fortunate to see the kitchen sink clogged and caught a hold of the contractors as they were still waiting for the elevator. He then told me that all I needed to do was to flush the sink down with more water and use a plunger. (Well, it would not have been stuck in the first place if you did not empty water with gunk in it in the first place.)

There is more to how the contractor and his worker annoyed me and I will walk you through it. After telling me that they can miraculously make my life better after a day's job, they scheduled a time on Sunday to get the job done. I had plans, but though it was important to get my apartment done when I am not at work. He mentioned that he will be here around 2:00-2:30pm (Yes, he was too Chinese to give a specific time). On Sunday, his worker arrived first at 2:40 and was left alone in the apartment with me. He tried to make conversation and after a dose of church in the morning, I decided to be nice and responded. It was not the best conversations I had as it was shallow and there were some cheap allegations regarding me that was meant to be a joke (NOT FUNNY). He even tried to hit on me and asked for my phone number! Anyways, guess what time did the contractor waltz in? He arrived around 3:50, without a word of apology!

So, the began work and when they were done, they made a huge mess of the place. There was paint marks in the closet room, and foot prints from there leading out of my apartment into the corridor that was a war zone with paint scrapings everywhere, even into the neighbor's apartment. I also heard the contractor telling his worker that he need not be such a nice guy, just finish the job by making it look bearable and coat it with just a thin coat of paint. (Hurrah for the Chinese! They are great at saving cost! [Note the heavy sarcasm]) It was pretty obvious that a mess was made and they tried to clean the place up by mopping the floor with water from the toilet. (Well, it might be common to some, but I grew up living in a house where we used no shoes indoors, and thus walking bare-foot, sitting, or lying on a floor mopped with toilet water is absolutely gross. Imagine telling a Japanese that you mopped their floors with toilet water.) The worker did a rather hurried job and claimed that it was so clean that I need not clean the floors again. Lest he knew that his lame attempt in cleaning left the place a horror as when the floor dried up, the floor was white with water marks mixed with paint and dust! I had to hand wipe the entire floor again after they left. I heard the neighbors gasping to their horror when they came home and I had to apologize profusely.

4. The Substandard Life in Macao

I wonder whether I would be able to find something that is truly value for money over here. Does everything good or of decent quality come in an expensive price? From my description of the contractor experience, it is still rather difficult to gauge the "wit" of the Chinese. I really wonder what would the Beijing Olympics be like.

A cooking hub/ventilation hood is needed in every Chinese kitchen since the cuisine is a heavy frying one. The common model seems to be practical, but with installation and the exposure of the extended shaft that links to the central ventilation of the building looks awful and substandard. Above that, it needs to be fixed exactly at an angle and height for it to have the best performance. I obediently followed the advice of the guy who came to install my unit. But remember the smell problem that I had? Well, while the contractor was working in the kitchen, it started to become really smoky. It was by coincidence that I was checking on the contractor when I started to see smoke coming out of the suction valves on my cooking hub! GREAT! (I included the picture for visual aid. This is not my apartment nor kitchen.)

The contractor started his discourse about how lousy my brand new cooking hub was, and rambled on about how the situation was inevitable since I live on the 6th floor, that ventilation and suction is weak. (Yep, what a guy... He sure knows how to make a girl feel great.) So now, I guess all I can do to rectify the problem is to keep my kitchen door that opens outdoors open, turn on the ventilator whenever it is nearing cooking time for my neighbors, and keep the door to the rest of my apartment closed.


5. The People Profile

Again with the experiences mentioned above, I am starting to wonder about the people over here. I was given suggestions that I should be as curt, direct, loud, and even rude, if I want to get things done over here. Hmm, could that be the reason why I simply dislike speaking Cantonese? Are the people over here like animals that needs to be tamed, whipped, and yelled at for stuff to be done according to a normal human standard? Is it useless and even stupid for me to be polite or asking for assistance nicely? Seems like I would be taken advantage of and be deemed stupid. Should I truly adapt and assimilate into the local culture just to fit in? That is not the whole story of people profiling over here. There was an incident over the weekend that just blew my top. Stay tuned.

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And if you think that these are my dislikes and complaint about Macao, wait till you read what is coming up. My thoughts about this place has yet to change. Even though there were a handful of encounters that might have planted a microscopic chance of me liking Macao, there are too many bads that I am unable to focus on the good, and could understand why people conceived and carried out actions of genocide. I HATE THIS PLACE.

Foggy (?) Friday

Incredible! We are experiencing summer weather today, right in the middle of winter??! It feels like 24 degrees Celsius out there with a high humidity, not to mention that the visibility rate is pathetic. The usual haze? Or could it actually be foggy in such warm conditions?

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Arrgh! I am experiencing a writer's block. There is so much in my mind but I can not write it out. 75% would be what I dislike about this place but I am leaving that for a later date. And the other's are a whines and concerns to which I am trying to argue it out in my head. I guess I should stop before I hurt myself. Putting what I have written thus far aside for another day, I will just leave you with this new game I got addicted to today.

My [Current] Best Friend

My baby sis used to tease me when I was back in Malaysia that I spend a lot of time with my best friend everyday after work, the TV. I have a new best friend here in Macao. We just got acquainted on Monday. Since then, I have been returning home and spending 2 to 4 hours with the idiot box in my living room.

I am a movie buff, and I acquire most of my language skills and information input from the broadcasting media. With my new TV, I am able to receive up to 69 free channels with a few repeating themselves. However, close to 95 percent of them are in Chinese. Most of them will be in Mandarin, maybe 3-5 in Cantonese, and a few in Hokkien, Taiwanese, and other Chinese dialects. I have only 3 channels that suit my palate: TVB Pearl, ATV World, and "Hollywood," a channel that shows really old Hollywood movies.

My expectations for the local TV were rather low; in fact, I just got the TV for entertaining my guests (if they come). I am content with my PC but I think I am spending a little too much time in front of it. I think almost 80% of my hours awake are spent in front of one. I was planning to get a DVD player and start watching box sets to maintain my English and Japanese. But, I was rather surprised to find that they do show a rather good selection of series on TVB Pearl and ATV. ATV covers most British of Discovery Travel and Living programs, whereas TVB Pearl airs some of my favorite series like Heroes, House, CSI. ER, Lost, Monk, and others (even though they are in the earlier seasons). I have no complaints. But for me to enjoy these shows, I have to stay up late. This might not be a good idea since I have to be at work the next day, as experienced last night staying up watching House till around 1am. I am so sleepy and tired right now. (Yawn!)

One day left to the end of the work week. I look forward to the long weekend. Even though I am here in Macao, I will be following the Japanese calender and enjoying a day off on Monday for Coming of Age Day.

I Will Get You... Each and Everyone of You!

毎日のちいさなしあわせを　大切にしようね・・・
I see myself smiling to myself thinking about the conversations we had.

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"DIE! DIE you roaches!!!" I am grossed out by these creepers. Even though I try to keep my apartment spotless, these creatures were found running around my kitchen. Eew! They must go! I bought some roach traps on Monday and place 4 in the kitchen. I was pleased to see that there were none in sight last night apart from one which was over turned, dead, at the foot of the fridge. However, I did spot one on the shower curtain as I did my laundry last night. We need a trap for the bathroom too. Grr... I hope the roach situation will not turn out to be like "Joe's Apartment."

I almost did not want to get up, or go to work this morning. I was too lazy to board the bus, head to the gym and for work. Let me sleep. I wonder whether I should I chosen Option 1 during my apartment search instead? It would just be 2 minutes walk to the gym and 10 minutes away by foot to the office. There will be no need for me to take the bus and go through encounters that cringe me morning and evening.

... maybe not. Even though I am going to enjoy not having to take the public transport, I guess living in my current area still fares better as it is much more convenient for shopping and food. And, I will be interacting more with the local living culture being able to visit their street market and local coffee shops at a more reasonable price. Anyways, I might have chosen Option 1 if the apartment was higher than the 20th floor; otherwise, I reckon the street pollution would be worse than my current place and easily access by roaches too.

Well, since I missed my work out this morning and just had time to sit in the sauna for a while, I will head back to the gym for some "machine time" this evening. I have 2 months to prepare for the big event.

Pictures of My Trip to Hong Kong

Please find the slide show to pictures of my trip to Hong Kong with SS and EC at the left of this page. I will leave it here for sometime. If you find difficulties viewing them, please check them out on my Picasa page. You will find more details to the pictures in the captions I inserted.

Thank you, SS for taking tonnes of pictures. I really REALLY appreciate it.

I had no idea that we had taken THAT many photos. I have selected my stack of pictures from her pile. There are some good ones and some you may use to blackmail me in the future. There are also some where I find myself looking so alike my mom. (Shivers...) Enjoy!