Alina Alexa's view on Asia

Moved my blog

alinaalexa — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:11:27 +0000

Decided to make http://alinaalexa.wordpress.com/, where everything i’ve written can be found.

Branding decision

See u there!

Learning To Like

alinaalexa — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:03:52 +0000

I hate change…changing buses, changing houses, changing food. Why change it, if I love it? These were exactly Bazz’s words when I, a 20 year old, was infuriated at his reluctance to change. Does resistance to change come with age? Absolutely. You need time to discover what you like in order to decide to stick with it. So, I did try everything I could in these 26 years I’ve been Alina Alexa, and discovered what I liked.

I like biscuit ice-cream (the sandwich type, Oreo McFlurry, cornetto…)

I like taking baths…hot baths.

I like clean places. Sparkling clean.

I like dancing…a lot…and on elevated “platforms” (can be a chair, table, threshold, stage, etc) and space to move around. Which reminds me of a school desk that broke right in two under my weight in secondary school (I was thirteen).

I like positive, optimistic people. I’m an extrovert: I take energy from people around me. The whining, complaining negative type just suck me dry of my energy.

I like simple things…simple clothes, simple gestures, simple people, and simple love.

I like bread. I could eat a loaf of bread for lunch and be completely satisfied.

I like sarcasm as a sense of humour. And stupid childish humour as well … I do enjoy making a fool of myself.

….and many more…

What do you people like?

Your Digital Identity Under Scrutiny

alinaalexa — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:58:32 +0000

First Timers

alinaalexa — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:56:02 +0000

List of things I did for the first time during my 7 months in Malaysia & Singapore:

Went snorkeling and fed the fish
Went jungle trekking
Held a baby croc
Held a python
Had a full body massage
Went inside a mosque
Attended a Malay wedding
Touched a hibiscus and a frangipani flower
Entered a Buddhist temple
Entered a Hindu temple
Had my feet nibbled on by fish (Fish spa)
Fed an ostrich and ate ostrich meat
Went to a techno club and hated it
Used a mosquito repellent
Met an Iranian, New Zealander, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, Taiwanese and Japanese
Felt white and tall
Saw and ran through paddy fields
Wore a traditional Malay dress
Drove a speed boat
Watched the sun set into the sea
Celebrated Chinese New Year and received many Ang Pow-s (red envelope with money in it)

This is an open list as I feel there are more things to be added…later on!

THREE months left!

alinaalexa — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:25:11 +0000

Arrived in Malaysia on 21^st of July 2009… six months ago. Feels like yesterday I was saying goodbye to my friends back in Galati feeling really sad I had to part with them again. I always seem to do that…part with people. First it was Italy for 4 months, then Czech Republic for 9 months, now Malaysia for 9 months. I’m tired of traveling, I’m tired of starting things from scratch…making friends, making a home for myself, getting used to new surroundings. I know I will correct myself later, but I feel like saying it: I want to settle down! I want a permanent job, I want a place of my own…and all this i want in Romania. I honestly hope i won’t change my mind a week after I get back home.

A list of things done and things to be done seems to be in order. Shall do that later as I admit to being lazy rememorating the past 6 months and scared to think about the loooong list of stuff i badly want to do while in SE Asia. And yet, coming soon…

The Sultan has died! Long live the Sultan!

alinaalexa — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:03:03 +0000

At the age of 77, the Sultan of Johor State, Malaysia died last Friday… Why did he have to die on Friday? The night out in the disco was ruined. Put make up on, pretty clothes, a quick spritz of my sweet perfume and went out with hopes of dancing, drinking and forgetting about the world. Slap slap! On both cheeks!

I wish the Sultan was not dead. I could go to the disco, my friend could wear a colorful scarf, the Chinese tourists could sing karaoke, my other friend could leave his hat at home…it makes him look older!

I want my friends back

alinaalexa — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:47:37 +0000

The boy who served us drinks every morning is gone. He went back to Indonesia, they tell us. Just one of the many Indonesians who try to make a better life for themselves by working in Malaysia. Spared from tsunamis and earthquakes, mixing more cultures together and managed with more sense of responsibility, Malaysia is the escape for many Indonesians. They speak basically the same language, they are Muslim and cultures intertwine in ways that make it difficult to state with heightened certainty where certain traditions stem from. Reminds me of Romania and the thousands of Romanians spread around Spain and Italy in search of the same better life. No one should have to go through this.

I wish my country could provide for all its countrywomen and countrymen. I wish Romania could feed its people. I wish Romania could educate and support its youngsters. I wish Romania could care for the ill. I wish Romania would be the warm home everybody runs to. But it’s not… I’m silently counting my friends that left the country to go study, work or live elsewhere. 1, 2, 3, 4,…, 8,…12! 12 of my friends are gone. Went away with no intention of coming back.

I want my friends back. Romania please bring them back to me! And make me come back to you as well! I just resent living among strangers.

The Almighty Word

alinaalexa — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:15:19 +0000

2010 did not start well…for Malaysia. In an attempt to reach a larger audience, the Herald Weekly, a Catholic Publication, was granted the right to use the word Allah as a translation for the word God in the national language articles. The decision was ruled on December 31st 2009. Watching this on TV, I thought to myself “They had to go to Court in order to get permission to use a WORD? Incredible. Aren’t people allowed to use words and languages freely in order to express themselves?! But..ok..at least the publication was granted that right and thats the end of it.” I really did not think much about it. What followed caught me off guard!

The above mentioned ruling resulted in protest by some Muslim groups and reached it’s peak on the 8th of January when three churches near Kuala Lumpur were attacked with Molotov Cocktails. Churches!!! I was shocked… The reported interviewed a leader of the protest: with anger spelled all over his face he said: “The word Allah belongs to Muslims. It is of utter importance to us and should not be misused by them [i.e. the Catholic publication]. They should leave us and our religion alone and not interfere!” He was not speaking, he was screaming! Later on, the Muslim groups denied any involvement in the firebombs attacks.

Is ONE word that powerful? Amazing… one word, i.e. lifeless combination of sounds invented by HUMANS in order to communicate to OTHER HUMANS, can spark up a conflict. Made up of morphemes, with a root and affixes, the WORD can start a WAR.

I bow down to the almighty omnipotent WORD! The invention of MAN has truly turned against his creator! WORD now makes MEN fight over it!

My Ramadhan

alinaalexa — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:35:14 +0000

Just to remind you of my situation: a non-practicising Orthodox Christian Romanian thrown in the middle of a Muslim society, working in a all-Muslim company. I didnt know much about Islam before coming here, so I am taking it as a learning experience, no prejudice allowed

Ramadan (the 9th month in the Islamic calendar) is a fasting month that started on the 22nd of August and will end on the 20th of September. This means that during this month Muslims are not allowed to eat, smoke, drink or do anything ill-natured … from dawn until sunset. So, people wake up early in the morning (i.e. 4:30 am) to have breakfast, and after sunset (usually around 7:20 pm) they start eating and eating and eating in bazaars all over the city (this interruption of the fasting is called buka puasa and is usually enjoyed with friends and family). Restaurants run by Muslims close or are forced to close during the day as well, even the Iranian restaurant in JB. Exceptions? Sure! If you are really sick/ill, or you have your period or you’re pregnant (it doesnt apply to men ) you can skip a few days.

To make a short analogy, Ramadhan is like the Orthodox Christmas Fasting (ro. postul Craciunului); both of them end with the most important religious celebration of the year: Hari Raya and Christmas Day. On these days, in both religions, you go visit your relatives, have dinner with them or offer them sweets, gifts and money.

And yet we live in the 21st century when youngsters rebel against imposed rules, search their identity on the internet and want to have freedom of choice. What if some of them decide not to fast? and not respect Ramadhan? What would happen? Hehehe..and the answer came: if you are caught eating, you’ll be fined or taken to prison. And if you are Romanian, right now you’ll be thinking about ways around this rule Well, in Malaysia one’s religion is written in his/her ID…so you cannot lie about it. I guess you can still fake an illness I remember the times when crazy classmates from seconday school would eat chalk just to get a little bit sick so they could skip classes…

Strange happenings:

1. Model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was scheduled to be caned in public for drinking beer.

2. Muslims in Malaysia have been barred from attending a concert by the Black Eyed Peas because it is sponsored by Guinness.

As a foreigner, I find myself in the position of a spectator…no Islamic laws are appliable to me, I am not forced to do anything against my will (i can dress the way i want, i can behave as i want, i can eat, i can drink as much alcohol i can afford as it is very expensive). But this doesn’t mean I will also get the respect of the locals.

Although back home I was never succesful in fasting, I will try to fast for one day here in Malaysia. I’ll keep yo u posted when that will happen

Going Back to Europe

alinaalexa — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:28:16 +0000

That’s how the trip to Perhentian Islands felt like. Armed with 2 Canons, 3 lenses, 1 flash, memory cards, batteries and other gizmos, I headed out for the first tropical islands i would see in my life, accompanied by Yasmin (colleague from work) and Alina, her trendy 25 year-old Muslim friend (see the coincidence?!). Because of the matching names, I ended up being called Ali (English pronounciation – eli) for the entire trip. I do believe it’s good for a person to give up their names for a while taking up some other one, as a way to explore your inner movements once you lose the one thing that synthesizes your personality.

Spent another 9 freezing hours on the polar bus, from Johor Bahru to Kuala Besut, where I happily exchanged the bas for the fast boat who gave us the best rodeo ride of my life to Perhentian Besar (i.e. the Big one) and Arwana Resort – small, quiet family retreat. And thus I found myself amidst Germans, French, Italians and Dutch…quite comforting I might say but just as much disorienting as I was still in Malaysia.

Spent 4 days on the island, bathing in the clear water of the South China Sea, floating in the resorts swimming pool and rinsing under the hot shower in my room. Quite a good holiday And oh, yes…work! Took some hundreds of photos of which I made a quick selection for you to enjoy and help you day dream. Sweet dreams, my friends!