Fanny Pack

I bought a fanny pack today.  I know.  But it is so worth it.  Its blue.  Double zipper + internal department zipper.  Nike.  Water resistant cordura technology.  Looked cool on the manikin.  I love it, it takes all the weight off my back, no more sweating back that never dries until you go home and take a shower.  No more sore shoulders or back.  And best of all it forces my companion to take all the teaching materials :)  Day one of ownership=total consumer satisfaction.  I will tell you though, the switch to the fanny pack was not an overnight decision, it took contemplation and eventually a leap into the unknown.  I have had my eye on the particular fanny pack that I purchased for quite some time.  Every time I walk into the store I tell myself that I am going to buy it, but never do.  It turns into a vicious cycle of desire, determination, and then no follow through.  I always walk out of the store empty handed.  Today was a different day, my fanny pack was 25% off, it beckoned me and I answered with a definitive and resounding YES.  For the first time, and not the last, I am the proud owner of a fanny pack.  The versatility and style go hand in hand to create the perfect "stuff" carrier.  I would be doing you all a disservice if I did not recommend the fanny pack to all of you.  It’s not for everyone though, and I think I might have to put a caution label with my father's name on it :) Love you dad, but the fanny is not for you.

Anyway, life is good as always, fun is always within desire's reach, and I desire a lot of it!  Love you guys a lot, hope you guys love life, have a great week.

Identity Crisis

So for those of you that really know me, you know that my nationality has been in question for a long time.  Am I Asian, Jewish, Mexican, Filipino, very difficult to say.  This makes it really easy to fake my nationality here in Malaysia.  Whenever I speak Malay people are always taken aback, they don't know what to think of me being able to speak their language.  According to most people, I almost look Malaysian, but not quite.  As I have been in the sun biking for quite a few months now, I have gotten a lot darker.  The other thing is, there are so many races here in Malaysia, and all of them look so different.  Just to name a few there are; Malays, Ibans, Bidayuh, Penan, Melanau, Sungai, Dusun, Katazan, Chinese, Filipino, Tamil, Nigerian, and so many more!  Anyway, I’ve been getting in the habit of telling people I’m from Sabah, the northern state on the island of Borneo.  I get tired of having to explain my nationality, because Japanese-American is the last thing that people expect me to tell them.  For some reason they just can't see it.  So I tell people I am Katazan or Dusun, it works every single time!  They generally say something like: Patut lah kamu pandai cakap bahasa.  Oh betul, mukah kamu macam orang Sabah lah!  Sometimes people don't really see it.  First they ask me, is your father white?  I say no.  Is your mom white?  I say no.  Then they ask me if there was a scandal in my family... I laugh and tell them no.  In the end though, they always believe that I am a fellow Malaysian.  After that, me being able to speak Malay is normal to them and life is good.

I also have this picture album of my family that I carry around and show my everyone.  The first thing that they always say is wow, your mom looks Chinese!  I say, well, she is Japanese, sort of close.  They then say, oh of course, of course.  Then they see a picture of Misha and they say she looks Korean, they also ask me if she is Korean.  Then they see another picture of my mom and they say she looks Chinese.  It take a few rounds of me telling them that they are both Japanese before it really sinks in with some people.  And EVERY SINGLE TIME people think Misha is my older sister by about 4 years.

Well, that is my life here in Malaysia.  I have officially integrated myself into the culture to the point that people think I am one of them.  Now I just need to ditch my super white companions and the transformation will be complete!  haha  Well have a great day and don't forget to pray!