31 Jan 2009
by irenein Health
Belgium is very proud of its health care system. And today, I finally got my long awaited medical check up.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not a hypochondriac. This is my yearly practice since the death of a young friend named Catherine. It is awareness, precaution and taking good care of myself.
Most people I know do not visit the doctor for physical check up. And there are several reasons:
- They are afraid.
- They are not in extreme pain or severely ill.
- They leave health and life to destiny. My dad is known to say ‘If I go, I go’.
I am glad to have mine done this year. It gives me peace of mind. If there’s any unpleasant discovery, I will be in the fight early and have a better chance of winning the battle. When it comes to health, ignorance is not bliss.
29 Jan 2009
by irenein Belgium
Curiosity got the better of me today. I bought mass produced bread from a grocery store. I have no qualms in buying bread that are already sliced and prepacked in plastic. This will be the horror of horror to my boyfriend though.
What I find really weird is the price. The bread from the grocery place is more expensive than the fresh ones I get at the local bakery. My slightly Americanized mentality just can’t figure this out.
Unless the Belgian wonder bread tastes heavenly or contains mind altering drugs, this will be the first and last time I pull the bread stunt! Promise.
27 Jan 2009
by irenein Belgium
How long does it take to tell one’s life story? For me…90 minutes.
Yesterday, my friend and I spent 3 hours at a cozy little cafe drinking and chatting away. I met Pam at a friend’s birthday dinner a month ago. She is from Thailand and is married to a quiet non-typical Belgian whom she said is her best friend in life. The couple moved back to Belgium 3 years ago. I think her husband, the only child, just can’t bear to leave his aging parents alone while he tries to make a life in Asia.
Pam had an IT career back in Thailand. She is ambitious, strong and not afraid to speak her mind. Definitely not some village girl waiting to be rescued. Between the 2 of us, we got plenty stories of past career experiences, our challenges as foreigners, her Thai society here in Belgium and my life in the US. We both laughed tiredly at how we are perceived among the Western society. She had unpleasant experiences with immigration everywhere. Not me though, I never had it bad. Probably because I am a fair skinned Asian and she’s more tanned. This world we live in can be so stupidly unjust…
The coffee break gave me a chance to know more about my new friend. It made me look at myself via an Asian point of view. Because Pam is a couple of years ahead of me on this route, I got a glimpse of my possible future. Three hours is a good amount of time to recall, review and redefine one’s path.
26 Jan 2009
by irenein Happenings
Today is Chinese New Year! The following are some peculiar things that people do when celebrating the 15-day festival…
Good luck
- Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a “sweet” year.
- Some believe that what happens on the first day of the new year reflects the rest of the year to come.
- Changing different things in the house such as blankets, clothes, mattress covers etc. is also a well respected tradition.
Bad luck
- Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one’s own luck.
- Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year.
- Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral color.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
25 Jan 2009
by irenein Food & Drinks
Today is my personal Thanksgiving Day. As a simple genture of thanks, I am treating D and his parents to Sunday lunch in Gent. Coincidentally, it is also Chinese New Year Eve where families travel home, celebrate and feast. I got the next best thing. 
D is very particular when it comes to eating in a restaurant. I won’t call him a picky eater because he has eaten authentic Japanese sushi, Korean barbecue and Borneo Stone Crab and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Well, at least that’s what I think. D’s mom is a great cook and can probably re-create most of the dishes on the menu if she chose to. D’s dad has specific liking for dishes ranging from farmers fare to French delicacies. Me, I’m blessed with an adventurous palette. We are not an easy crowd to please…
From the outside, Korenlei Twee does not look like much. But I guess this is again a case where inner beauty prevails. The interior is warm and cosy and can easily be a beautiful old house for a rich family. After I threw frugality out the window, we ordered everything from cocktails, appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Except for coffee…which D’s mom insisted we can have somewhere else. Everything was simply delightful. I know, I know…I say that almost everytime. How’s this? I give Korenlei Twee a 97%, whereas Belga Queen gets a 95%. I refuse to rank fast food chains like Pizza Hut or McDonald’s.
Korenlei Twee is definitely one of Gent’s (if not Belgium’s) gastronomy gems. No surprise that it was mentioned in local magazines. Tripadvisor reviews ranked it the second best restaurant in Gent. How great is that? Here’s something that both experts and lay people agree on.
23 Jan 2009
by irenein Creative Business
After a year of residing in Belgium, I finally withdrew some cash from my American savings account via the ATM here. It amazes me how easily things went. The ATM even gave me language options when it detected a foreign bank card!
I have the option of using either one of my 2 American accounts. Most people would probably just withdraw the money they need and disregard the bank charges. So what if one financial institution charges a few dollars more. Oh, but not me! The financial geek in me won’t let that happen. I went online to check on exchange rates, emailed each bank to find out about their policies regarding foreign ATM withdrawals and made calculations.
One bank is definitely better than the other. By not paying the higher fees, I can save enough to buy a nice sweater by end of this year. I think being smart with money is really essential, especially when I am starting to chip away my savings. It never hurts to do some homework. There won’t be a global financial crisis if loan officers have been a bit more mindful in the past decade.
22 Jan 2009
by irenein Jibber Jabber, Simply Green
It floats on water. It was discovered and confirmed in the mid 80s. It spans from Hawaii to Japan. It is two times the size of Texas!
No, it is not a gigantic alien mother ship that has landed in the Pacific. It is not the water villages of Lake Titicaca,Peru or Chong Kneas, Vietnam. And it is not an international joined effort to create a water world.
This horrendous creation of ours (yep, it’s our baby) is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Over the years, ocean currents have formed an island of plastic debris in the Pacific. A synthetic island has been created from our garbage since the invention and usage of plastic. For most part, it is invisible to the naked eyes because plastic does disintegrate. But that means it can be small enough to be ingested and thus entered the food chain.
Next time I have seafood, I will be consuming plastic. Everytime I throw away non reusable plastic items, I shall wonder when it will come back to me. Can someone please start charging a fee for using plastic bags in America and Malaysia? The Belgians seem to have instilled this in their daily lives quite successfully. Reuse, recycle and reduce in one simple system.
21 Jan 2009
by irenein Human Nature
There is a Chinese saying that goes:
One inch time,
One inch gold,
Difficult to buy the inch of time with the inch of gold.
My time wasters:
- Watching TV. I have spent years sitting in front of the idiot box.
- Playing free computer games. In general, I waste plenty of time when I switch on the computer but playing games is the main culprit.
- Preparing meals and eating. The good thing about this is I actually enjoy the whole process of grocery shopping, cooking and enjoying my meals. I save money from not eating out. I eat healthier.
- Spacing out.
- Over cleaning. I like a tidy and clean living space but sometimes I tend to overdo things.
- Over planning. Planning and organizing stuff over and over.
- Keeping in touch. Facebook still creeps me out, but it has helped me keep track of my social network. I know it can easily turn into an illusion, that we are maintaining meaningful friendships with 500 so call friends…
Time is money say the Americans. Time is precious and we want to savor it say the Belgians. And the Malaysians will lament that time can not be recovered once it has passed.
Time is priceless. That thought is so deeply ingrained in me that I can become anxious and impatient too easily. At times, I plan too much and over organize my life because I do not want to make expensive mistakes and waste time. The irony huh?
20 Jan 2009
by irenein Happenings
Today, my nephew turns one. Happy birthday baby Oliver.
Today, the fact that I have permanent residency in Belgium finally sank in.
Today, Barack Obama will be inaugurated and become the 44th president of the US. So much expectations, so much work to do.
Today is a wow day.
19 Jan 2009
by irenein Belgium
Woohoo! I finally got my Belgian identity card. The electronic card is valid for 5 years and I am now a permanent resident of Harelbeke, Belgium. I am calling myself 1/3 Belgian for I also own a Malaysian ID and an American one.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. It has taken me an entire year to get to this point. But I must say that the Belgian process has been much easier than my experience with the American INS. And I was not even migrating to the US!
Dutch classes start in 2 weeks. Intergration classes projected to start in June. Maybe a job by end of the year? Let’s hope…
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