Ms Valentine 2009 - A Filipino Experience

I was going through our digital camera the other day, trying to free up some space, when I came across an event in February, around Valentines Day as it happens.

The annual Ms Valentine 2009 at the Filipino Overseas Workers Centre in KL. It was the 1st beauty pageant I have seen since the days when Peter Sinclair was introducing the Lorraine Downes and Judith Dobson in the 80’s. I still remember how proud we were as New Zealanders when the future NZ Sports-Great Spouse was crowned Miss Universe back when, like heavyweight boxing, the world title meant something.

So fast forward to Ms Valentine 2009, staged in al fresco, tropical conditions with a very makeshift stage. The sound system had that tinny resonance that really captured the amateur atmosphere perfectly. The reason we were here was the entry of our maid, Ginalyn, in this exclusively Filipino event.

It is an undeniable fact, one only the most guilt ridden expatriate would refute, that having cheap home help is a major player in making the Malaysian lifestyle very comfortable. Fortunately, Lina and I have rich experience in sharing our living space. We did the calculations and of our 10 years together, only 1 ½ years has been shared living with no flatmates, or house guests. We don’t see this as a negative however, as we have made great friends over the years by doing this.

And so during the majority of our time in KL, we have availed ourselves of Ginalyn’s live-in maid services. Ginalyn is from the Philippines and is one of the 11% of Filipinos living abroad. Unlike New Zealand, where there are regular sensational media headlines, bemoaning the ‘brain drain’, overseas workers are considered an essential part of the Filipino economy. This is unsurprising given that this group contributes 13.5% of the Philippines GDP (the money made is sent home to support the family), and besides, there are not nearly enough jobs to go around at home.

From world economics, back to the pageant which was divided into a performance section, evening wear, and interview section (no swim suit section unfortunately). Ginalyn finished a respectable 5th out of 15 contestants. The performances ranged from exotic (not TOO exotic) dancing, to bizarre artistic dancing with the contestant holding a picture of Jesus, and singing of contrasting quality. The audience, made up of expatriate Filipinos, was having a hoot, and overall it was quite an experience. Isaac particularly enjoyed it and was constantly trying to take the stage when Ginalyn made an appearance.

Back stage pass for Isaac

The introductory section

Pre-pageant entertainment

Ginalyns performance

An impressive ballroom performance by one contestant.

Langkawi Holiday

The absence of blog entries lately is not an indication of inactivity. The reason being purely laziness on my part.

Two weeks ago we flew to Langkawi Island on the north-east pat of the Malaya peninsular for our much anticipated sand and sun holiday.

In the run-up to D-Day, Lina had a grueling work schedule with multiple weekly flights to Singapore and Bangkok with late nights to boot. The bags under her eyes had bags under them, poor thing, so Lina was especially grateful for some R & R.

The 1st hurdle when traveling with toddlers (well, our one anyway) is the flying. Keeping him busy and trouble free for previous flights has been…….interesting but fortunately a mere 1 hour duration virtually eradicated any concerns however we were still thankful for a portable DVD player with his favourite movie currently (Wall-E). Because of it’s proximity to KL, cheap Air Asia flights, and lets be honest – cheap booze relative to KL crazy prices, Langkawi is a great option for an ‘easy’ holiday in these parts.

We stayed at the Sunset Resort, a venue recommended by our friend Margaret. Margaret is Australian born, but has lived in Malaysia for many years and has a young family, hence is mine of knowledge on things South East Asian. Our digs certainly didn’t disappoint. A bungalow set in bush right next to a beach with a beautiful breakfast area. Breakfast time in the tropics is a superb time of the day. Warm but not too hot, and a sea view with a good breakfast is a brilliant start.

We met a Norwegian/English couple with a 4 year old boy for play dates in the pool of the resort up the road that we ‘borrowed’. This pool had the compulsory bar attached and one afternoon was spent with Lina + Jono + Cold Beer + Zac napping back at resort, minded by maid = GOOD TIMES.

Unfortunately Isaac’s skin allergy was aggravated during our stay which necessitated a visit to the doctor. For the most part however he was a happy lad and enjoyed spending some more time with Mamma than is normally possible.

And things are looking promising for a further resort holiday as Zac and I may tag along to a conference that Lina is attending in Bali during April.

Yes it’s a tough life……………

The warmest ocean water I have experienced

We stumbled on this Bollywood movie being made on the beach. Like all great Bollywood movies,it would not be complete without the monkey dancing! And no that it is not a racist remark. Even if they had white skin they would still be dancing like monkeys!

Where are my toes!

The sunsets were brilliant

Swings on the trees. Just like back home

This holiday lark can be exhausting

These waterfalls were close by and we found them when we rented a car to explore the island

Shrinkage! The water is certainly colder then in the sea off Langkawi

Unfortunately this as the best shot we got of the biggest snake I have ever seen that we saw whilst driving. It was crossing the road and when stretched out it would have been close too the full road width .

Another beautiful sunset

All holidays must come to an end

Mickey Rourke in 'The Wrestler'

I remember as a teenager, the impact of ‘9 ½ Weeks’ on pop culture of the time. A very risqué movie for it’s day, considered immorally misogynist by many. Although I have not seen it since the 80’s, I imagine, as is usually the case, it appears tame by 21st standards.

Mickey Rourke was very cool during this time. 80’s Brando in style, but without the substance. But, as has been widely reported, his star faded, and he pursued professional boxing and Chihuahua rearing through his awful 90’s. Until the ‘The Wrestler’.

This is a very good movie and I have no issue with his Oscar nomination for Best Actor, despite his role being so autobiographical in spirit, that to call it ‘acting’ would, at times, be disingenuous. This is most apparent when Rourke’s character, Randy the professional wrestler laments to the love interest about the demise of music since Cobain hit the scene. For all that, his performance is fantastically compelling. A massively flawed character, who we can’t help being interested in. In fact, besides the over hyped main performance, the direction and mood of the film is wonderfully dark, thankfully avoiding the Hollywood treatment, and the supporting cast is first class.

The question is begged – where to now for Mickey? There surely cannot be many roles for an over plasticized, long haired, beef cake, 50 something.

Regardless, I will be watching.

All in it together

We have had quite a couple of days. Isaac has had a stomach bug a few days ago which involved some unpleasantness from both ends. We thought we had seen the last of it until Sunday night,when suddenly and almost simultaneously, Lina and I joined the bowl and bucket brigade, closely followed by Ginalyn in the early hours of Monday. And almost as quickly as it arrived, it was gone and thankfully today we are all feeling mostly human again.

You may be pleased to know that this entry includes no photos.