Learning little things about the big big world

This is supposed to be posted 2 weeks ago but can’t coz need to re-apply for internet connection again. But here it is:

Just read chris’s latest blog entries and brought back some mind-provoking thoughts that have come and gone many times before.

I may not like that the job requires me to stay in dubai, yet I have not regretted making this career decision mainly because it has taught me many things, and I still either learn something new or reinforce what I already learnt with every new trip.
Real eye-opener for me the froggie who managed to jump out of the protected well and see the rest of the sky…things that you don’t and can’t and won’t learn in school unfortunately…I have since emerged much worldlier.
Working and interacting with various cultures and more nationalities, I become more tolerant and understanding to different cultures but at same time also inevitably developed a little racism to some others.
Not proud to be racist, stains my belief that no one should ever be, but am afraid will be quite hypocrite if insist no coz some of these people really ask for it thus deserve it…but do remind self its just some of them coz the black sheep happens to be the majority in this case…I just allow less benefit of doubt to these selected ones.

Also taught me to be more appreciative and thankful of Singapore and being a Singaporean, yet at same time saw more clearly the limitations that Singapore will always face. Will not elaborate here as this is another essay on its own.

The job lets you experience different standards of living from one extreme to the other.
I will always remember my 1st Dhaka trip. Had a frail looking mother and child approaching me. I remember her eyes…one of the saddest pair I have met. She had her free hand outstretched and I know I can’t not help. Before I knew it more mothers with babies came from nowhere and I was giving away my allowance, leaving just enough to pay for the tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel.
The tuk-tuk driver…he spoke little but good English. His tuk-tuk is really one of the oldest and most shitty ones I have been in, I thought it will fall apart like sticks anytime, but he was very proud of it. Said he is fortunate to have that to earn a living for the family and not have to resort to begging. We passed through these main streets with traffic lights that don’t work at all. The smell of the city is unforgettable… a dull stench lingering the hot and dusty air, yet it does not offend when you combine that with what you see. Upon reaching the hotel, he politely beseeched me to spare him soap and shampoo from my room if I don’t mind. How can I mind? In fact, I was too happy to help. I went upstairs and gave him what I can on top of the hotel amenities in a bag.
He thanked me like I just saved his life.
That smile on his face like he just received a bag full of gold.
I have no idea I am such a lucky cow born with so much more privilege that I assume are given and have taken for granted, until then.
Since that trip I developed a habit to offer leftover bread and juices and dates on the aircraft to cleaners from most gulf and asian destinations. They will be binned anyway so why not re-channel them to better use. In some destinations they are not allowed to eat or take anything off the plane during and after cleaning. I have witnessed some mixing the bread bag with the trash in a bid to smuggle it out. Some just bend down in a corner pretending to clean something and scoffing these already hard and dry bread so fast I worry they will choke.
Flying has given me a unique lifestyle that can be hard to let go. Flying has also keep me grounded about life.

Other interesting discoveries:
I should be so lucky to enjoy the luxury of not needing to shave my arms and legs at all and period! I have seen a few hairy arms on girls before I moved to dubai and remembered would always wonder why. I also used to think that girls never get hairy legs and its only a guy thing. Total myth and ignorance on my part!
Also how hairy a human being can be(very very very very hairy!) from my 1st water park visit in dubai.
Oui!! The French can be real snobs. And if you want to force them to speak to you in English, speak really bad French coz they just can’t bear to hear us ruin their language.
The borderline OCD for tidiness goes to the Japs. If there is a destination that EK wants to save on cleaning the cabins to cut costs or whatever, make it Osaka and Nagoya.
The best sausages must be in Germany. Comes in all sorts of lengths, thickness, colour, flavour. I buy them up like a sausage-obsessed freak. And they are yummy except perhaps the ones made out of soy I bought by mistake one time.
The Americans really love to talk about anything including a lot of crap. That is why they triumph in entertainment both big and small screens.
The true essence of the term “go dutch”, as inspired by the “count to the last cent” dutch.

Some people are really racist to the extent they despise their own fellow country-men which up to today still baffles me. I mean, how can you? You forgot you are also one of them? Yes there is always the ugly Singaporean in every country. But these people are not just targeting the ugly ones, they despise all the others like he/she is the one and only superior being of his kind.

Anywayz…this is just to mention some lah. I am sure to share lots of what I learnt here whenever I can.