I rant. Therefore I am.

I have been blogging at a new address for the past
5 months.

CLICK HERE to see what I have been up to!

This blog is now at THIS address!

One of my favourite photos of the sunset. Photo taken last year in KK.

Happy Holidays everyone! Its the month of eating and drinking and as I gobble more food and drink that I can possibly stomach whilst trying to hold the seams of my dress together I do hope that everyone is in good form. Do take a minute to think of those less fortunate and if possible do your part in every little way that you can. I was supposed to be distributing food to the homeless on Xmas day, but apparently my services are not needed in the little town of Weymouth. So I will wrap up some clothes and books that are still perfectly decent though are of no use to me and send them off to a charity shop on boxing day!

I find that I have come to the end of one chapter of my life and with that I have decided to start a new blog. As I feel it is necessary to move on and close this chapter of my life which has been wonderful, really difficult at times but necessary for me to get where I am today. As I start a new year in a new place with a soon to be husband. I bid you farewell. See you in the new year and I'll be ranting at a new blog so

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 5.

Brief explanation as to why I renamed my blog to chapter 5.
*chapter 1-Childhood, growing up in England.
chapter 2-Teen, awkward years, back in Malaysia.
chapter 3-College, University, experimentation years.
chapter 4-After University, experimenting with different job and professions.
chapter 5-Now...

Delayed Post: written in the UAE, 28th Nov 2008.


Realistically I do have items I need and if Santa really existed I would like the following for Xmas please:

-A USB Internet Dongle.
-An insulated Camelbak for my Platypus (not of the animal variety!) its so I can keep my water nice and cold especially when I'm trekking in the desert!
-A new Ipod with a protective case (suitable for the outdoors and possibly waterproof too!)
-An SLR camera with an underwater case.
-New/more clothes for work. (Not cheap stuff but actually top notch branded outdoor gear so they last longer! My 3quid tshirt and shorts are great but dont last as long and after a couple of washes just lose elasticity and looks as if its been sitting in my wardrobe for decades)
-Water shoes-NOT CROCS: I really despise crocs, they have to be the silliest footwear ever invented (need water shoes to prevent myself from getting sea urchin spines and injuring my feet in some of the activities!)
-A years salary, so I can volunteer for organisations of my choice!
-100 quid Amazon cheque so I can stock my shelves with books (I do seem to go through books alot quicker here as there is very little to do here!)
-Tickets to KK for my friends who are scattered around the globe in July (so they can attend my wedding)
-A blank cheque to actually pay for my wedding!
-A Wedding planner!
-Abolish poverty. Spread joy. World peace. *I wish*

Being in the UAE meant not having the best internet connection and when you somehow manage to fight your way amongst many others similarly wanting access to the dinky dial-up internet in the office; every frickin website is banned/proxy-ed. So here are a couple of posts from my time in the UAE.

DELAYED POSTS BELOW. (September-Early December)

1) from constant rain to constant heat..

So its been a month since I have been working with this new company.

I usually dive into new situations with little or no expectations. Which I didnt do this time! Needless to say, slight disappointments followed. This by far has to be one of the most laid back organisations I have ever worked for! W and I only found out we were flying to Mauritius two days before the flight.. we had been prepared to spend the winter in England. I have to admit, the conditions in the middle east isnt as bad as I expected it to be-there are pros and cons and I can now convince myself that the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The weather when we first arrived was my biggest challenge-I was literally melting in the sun, I am now extremely tanned (Never have I ever been this tanned!). The culture in the middle east is extremely laid back as well-not always a good thing!... the staff are slowly bonding: I was quite miserable when I first arrived but have now learnt to appreciate days off (days off are rare!) but I am being paid extremely well and all my expenses are covered!The 'season' technically ends early May .. W and I are considering the possibility of working a little longer than a season though.

Pros
The money is sooo good.
All my living expenses are paid for by the company.
No taxes.
I work outdoors and am not stuck in a shitty office.
I can swim with the turtles everyday. (we're located along the coastline and the beach is 5 minutes from the centre)
I am living with another girl who is considerate.(being diplomatic - I have mixed feeling about the whole situation)
We have an attached bathroom in our own little cabin. (with our own washing machine)
Unlike other parts of the emirates alcohol is available across the road (cheap too!)
We have 4 months off in the summer (which means we can travel and relax).
We have more than enough money to get us through summer without working.
Our employer is amazingly nice and takes care of his staff.

Cons
I expected a little more out of the work I would be doing, the boss has plans for me but is making me work alot more in the centre than the expedition side of things. (mmm... we'll see how this pans out after a couple of months)
I cant live with W. Its illegal to co-habit. (despite the fact that we are engaged) and he lives in an apartment away from the centre (with my roommates other half!)
We work almost everyday and days off is something that happens once in a blue moon.
Not much of a social life (small staff team of only 10: 6 of us are permanent and 4 staff members are temp staff)
Spending time with W is sometimes close to impossible as both of us are working long hours at times and completely exhausted at the end of the day and unlike some of the staff he stays in the company apartment.

2) Did you know?

-The locals (emiratis) in the Middle East are paid to be alive?
-The locals receive money from the government from the day they were born.
-At 18 & 21 they are given gifts: a brand new car(18) and a nice new villa (21)
-Population in Dubai: 80% expats 20% Locals!
-If you're involved in an accident (as a driver), till the authorities can prove that you're innocent you spend some time in prison (makes me not want to drive!)
-The Middle East has the lowest petrol prices in the world.
-Dubai has the most construction sites (and cranes!) in the world (apparently 85% of the worlds construction cranes are in Dubai!)
-Medical services are free in the the Middle East (no one pays a penny for consultation and medication and the government hospitals-this includes foreigners!)

3) I do

(does the piccie look familiar? pic courtesy of P-I loved this sho!t)
Yes the rumours are true - I am getting hitched. I havent been able to spread the news due to the crappiest internet connection in the world,
I seem to run out of credit every other day and with the fact that I work almost 12 hours a day leaves me with little time to myself. I have 2 days off and have decided to use the days off to update my blog and upload pictures to my facebook account! Rather boring events for a day off but I loved the fact that I didnt have to get up at a specific time in the morning (although it was rather annoying as I automatically got up at 730am!) But it was nice just lying in
bed doing absolutely nothing!The only reason why I have a day off today is because we have a group from an Arabic school (all boys) so the girls were advised against working (they have very little respect for women in this country!)

With the next couple of days off, I am starting to plan my wedding... unfortunately when I tried this morning I went completely blank and thats just trying to decide where to start.
Although I live my life without planning this will probably be the the one time I have to actually plan and in detail! As a little girl I always imagined a big white dress and a huge party...20 or so years down the line I then decided that if I ever were to marry someone that someone had to be open to the idea of eloping..Now at 28 (29 this year!) I have come to realise how important and special the actual event is, not just to the happy couple. If I did have it my way
I would probably keep the wedding celebrations to a minimum... With the turn of events we're actually having 5 celebrations in both Malaysia and England.
So it works out that I will register this December followed by a reception (England). Next July there will be a banquet/reception in a hotel and at my grandmothers house (typical Kg. wedding) and last but not least a ceremony where we exchange vows (the last 'celebration' do is the bit of the 'wedding' that I really want..) I want to walk down the aisle (outdoors), I want to wear a white dress, I want my close friends and family to be present and I want my dad to walk down that aisle with me.

It actually is surreal that by December I will be Mrs. W.
Its actually time to move on to a new phase of my life.

4) my year so far

With the year coming to the end its that time of the year where I spend an hour writing a sentimental post reflecting on the year that has just passed.
I have managed to lead the life I've wanted to live. My passion for working in the outdoors has now brought me to the extremely sunny shores of United Arab Emirates (I havent experienced a day of rain since September!). I started the year in Thailand then Langkawi (where I worked for a company that was rubbish and racist) and then flew to England and spent the first month visiting old friends. I then worked for a company called Camps Int. and spent a brilliant month or so in Kenya leading a Scuba Diving Expedition and was back in England again and visited more friends (some of whom I havent seen in years! The decision was then between working in India or UAE and we finally decided to take the job in UAE which open doors to more travelling and spent a week in Mauritius on another expedition before heading to the adventure centre. *there were other jobs we applied for ie. dolphin trainer in Mexico and another position in Honduras (slightly dodgy as they then requested a picture of us in our swimwear???!!). Another 3 weeks and then we'll be spending December (Xmas and new year) back in UK with possible travel to somewhere in Europe :)

I am still unsure as to where we are off to after our stint with this company. Will keep you posted as I always do...eventually

from a tropical paradise..


to the harsh desert..

Hello and goodbye in both French and Arabic! Am off to Mauritius and then Dubai. Will blog when I actually get the chance-will be back in 'sunny' England in December. This time tomorrow I will be out trekking and doing some community project :)
Till then smile people.

Its been a hectic yet relaxed year for me (I cant actually explain how its been such a contradicting year in that sense!) with my ever-changing plans, my quest to do more charity/community and conservation work and to be in the great outdoors, I've been running from one end of the planet to another sometimes having to go on for 24 hours straight and other times just waiting around doing absolutely nothing. If its one thing I have learned in the past couple years; its to always be optimistic knowing that I can get what I want and to be extremely patient..I do have my down days, my feel-like-crap-days, my-getting-out-of-the wrong side-of-the-bed days but that aside I have manage to do something I really love and get paid doing it! Its a risk, a challenge and there are times when I feel as if I'm not going to secure another job in time and that the money will run out but somehow or another something bigger and better has always cropped up and I'm grateful of the many buddies and family who have supported me in my globet-rotting quest. I left with about GBP400 in my pocket-some might feel a little insecure to wander into the great unknown without even securing a job but I found it somewhat liberating.

I was thinking about my year so far the other day and did some rather bizarre calculations:

*I have been on at least one flight every month this year.

*I have not stayed in the same accommodation longer than 2 weeks in a given place. (even though I am in the same town.. I'm out camping, visiting friends outside the town etc)

*I have taken every transport possible. (Bus, car, 4wd, truck, van, plane, boat, big boats, train, tube, LRT, bicycle, quad bike, kayak, elephant....)

*I have spent 46.5 hours on random flights with Kenya Airways, Air Asia, Malaysian Airlines, Royal Brunei. I still have more flights scheduled and to be honest I am actually a nervous passenger on flights! (I cant even begin to count the hours spent on other modes of transportation!)

* I have spent too much time waiting around as well, waiting for transport and then getting from point a to b.

*Because of all the waiting I have read about 20 or so books (average 250 pages each-although one of those books has about 730 pages!)

*I have met approx a 1000 new people as in spoken and had conversations with them. This is from random people I meet on the streets to new friends/colleagues etc (yes I actually did my math for this!).

Most importantly I have and I'm sure everyone has in the past year :

*Laughed and smiled countless of times.

*Made people laugh and smile countless of times.

*Had fun.

*Made a difference in someones life.

and thats why I do what I do because its not the waiting around bit or the travelling bit that counts: it seriously is the little bit of joy I get from having a good laugh.

*Sigh* The week is almost over. Several happy quotes to inspire people who are having a bad day, week, year or moment. SMILE.

"Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." -- Mildred Barthel.

"Happiness is like a cat, If you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. But if you pay not attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap." -- William Bennett

"If you want happiness for an hour -- take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day -- go fishing.
If you want happiness for a month -- get married.
If you want happiness for a year -- inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime -- help someone else. -- Chinese proverb

Success is getting and achieving what you want. Happiness is wanting and being content with what you get." -- Bernard Meltzer

"Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it." -- Bernard Meltzer.

"Act happy, feel happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will."
-- Dan Millman

"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them."
-- John Stuart Mill.

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."
-- Doris Mortman