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Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts

Tomorrow in South Africa women are encouraged to "enjoy their femininity" and celebrate National Cleavage Day. Seriously. The event is sponsored by..drum roll.. Wonderbra, and it goes with a "socially-relevant" pitch:

Rejoice in your femininity, have fun with Wonderbra and celebrate being a woman on National Cleavage Day! In the morning from 7-9am gorgeous Wonderbra girls can be spotted in the traffic in BMW’s & Harley Davidson’s, and that evening at Franki Bananaz and Billy the Bums in Durban and Johannesburg, and at Sobar and Rooseveldt in Cape Town. All proceeds will be donated to The Sunflower Fund, which raises awareness and funds for the SA Bone Marrow registry. So, while you party up a storm at a Wonderbra National Cleavage Day Party you can also affect people’s lives!

This sounds more like a pathetic pitch to sell breasts-enhancing brassiere rather than raise awareness for bone marrow registry. My advice to Wonderbra is that they try to raise awareness first among themselves on how not to objectify women.

A brassiere is seen to symbolise the repression of women's bodies. If indeed you want to feel free and unrestrained, you simply don't wear one. If they really want to celebrate femininity (and even freedom), they need to look at how UP does the Oblation run, female-version, au naturelle, without cleavage by Wonderbra.

It is also interesting to note that this event is celebrated in South Africa every year to "celebrate and rejoice women's femininity," the same country where rape statistics are so high it's unbelievable (one is raped every 26 seconds.) How can one rejoice in her being a woman in a society where mere possession of breasts and a vagina makes one a target.

We live in a world where a woman's beauty is judged by the color of her skin, the smallness of her waist, and yes, the size of her breasts. This is a society where people, through relentless advertising, are encouraged to want and buy more. And they'll tell you it's alright to give in by cleverly icing the real intent under the guise of social responsibility. While you party up a storm at a Wonderbra National Cleavage Day Party you can also affect people’s lives!

It's making me sick.


Napagdesisyunan kong gumamit ng chop sticks para kainin ung natirang egg omellette at kaning lamig. Di ko alam kung bakit. Tapos pinagkaabalahan kong kunin at panoorin yung DVD ng The Social Economy in Glasgow (anlupet ng accent nila) habang kumakain ng Lay’s at mocha drink na recipe ni A.

Ang daming nangyari mula ng huling post ko (nga pala, kakabasa ko lang ulit ng dalawang libro ni Bob Ong kaya ganito ako magsulat ngayon, ABNKKBSNPLAko saka Stainless Longganisa).

Skip muna yung kwentong Glasgow tutal wala namang masyadong happening dun bukod sa nasira ko ung camera namin ng ‘partner’ ko, araw-araw na makulimlim at malamig, pero sabi nila summer na daw yun at 11pm na saka palang madilim, astig!

Backtrack muna pagdating namin ditto sa Joburg nung July. Nakuwento ko na pala sa huling post yung nadatnan naming sitwasyon sa Greenside, with luggage, jet lag and all, nadatnan naming wala kaming toilet and bathroom at may mga walang habas na nagmamaso ng pader. Eish.

Dahil pagod natulog pa rin kami dun siempre. Kinabukasan, ginising kami nung landlord at gumamit na raw kami ng banyo dahil andyan na yung mga workers. Unahan naman kami kahit na gusto pa naming mag-stay na lang sa bahay at matulog maghapon. Hindi ka nga pala makakatulog kung may nagmamaso ng pader sa ulunan mo.

May side story pa pala. Pag gising namin nung umaga ring yun (yes, that fateful day), merong mga pulis sa labas at loob ng bahay dahil may nagnakaw nung electric box namin sa gate. Shet, first time to!

Kahit na expected na namin na mangyayari to (ang attitude kasi dito sa hijack/rape/burglary/death: a disaster waiting to happen) dahil sa kawalan ng electric fence o barbed wire para man lang magdalawang-isip yung mga magnanakaw, medyo shock pa rin kaming tatlo. Kasi nga bangag pa kami sa jet lag e.

Dumating yung punto nung araw na yun habang nagra-rant kami sa isa’t-isa (si A, J, at ako) na naiyak na ako sa sobrang depressing na sitwasyon. Ok lang to dahil sinabi ko na sa kanila dati pa na iyakin talaga ako. Si A nga medyo may sakit pa rin nun (may sakit sya buong duration ng ICSI at World Assembly) at ako nagsisimula ng magkasakit. So understandable kung bat cranky kami.

Pagod ka dahil sa dami ng trabaho sa ofis, pagdating mo sa bahay, marumi at may ‘ïbang tao’. Kaya pala maraming nagdi-divorce sa ganitong grounds J (Dito sa Joburg lalo na pag expat ka [naks], paranoid ka sa ‘ibang tao.’)

Nag-isip na kami ng solusyon pagkaraan ng dalawang araw dahil mukhang wala kaming makitang liwanag sa dulo ng tunnel. Hindi pala magagawa ng dalawang araw yung banyo. Kung alam mo yung bricks na gamit sa mga lumang simbahan, ganun ung itsura nung banyo dahil tinuklap yung mga tiles, dahil ditto nawala rin ung katiting na insulation, kaya pagpasok mo sa banyo para kang pumasok sa meat freezer.

Ang brilliant solution namin: kapalan ang mukha at makitira sa kaibigan. Dahil wala naman akong kaibigan, kaibigan ni J ang nilapitan namin. Si A, Pinay at katulad rin nyang volunteer. Nakilala ko na rin si A bago pa man yung bathroom disaster, nung nagpaparty kami sa Greenside bago kami umalis pa-Glasgow.

Fast forward dahil pagod na ako magsulat (sinulat ko muna sa notebook to!). Nahalata namin na hindi na nga matatapos yung grand construction sa bahay. Ang ending pagkatapos naming makitira ng ilang araw kay A: ako mas kinapalan pa ang mukha at nagtanong kung puwede bang dun na lang ako tumira hanggang October 13 (flight ko pabalik sa Pinas) at si J lumipat naman sa Newtown kasama yung isa pa naming ka-opisina. Walking distance lang sa ofis yung place nya. Sabi nga nung Austrian PM namin kay J, now you can work more. Joke lang pero medyo hindi nakakatawa dahil alam naman ng lahat na halos sa ofis na nakatira ang CSI team dahil sa trabaho. Kasama na ako dun.

Ngayon, almost one month na mula ng dumating kami galing sa mahal at nakakapagod na Glasgow adventure namin, pero hindi pa rin tapos ang banyo at wala pa ring electric gate. Nabalitaan rin namin na dun na natutulog si landlord sa loob ng banyo hehe Joke lang ulit, kahit naman medyo nagkasamaan kami ng loob, like ko pa rin sya. Saka maayos akong nagpaalam sa kanya nung gabi ng farewell party ni A (American housemate/officemate/close friend). As in naiyak pa ako (best actress!), habang nasa harap kami ng bonfire at may mga lasing na nagsasayawan at nagdedebate tungkol sa kawalan ng kaalaman sa world geography ng mga Amerikano (!). Dahil dito, nalaman niya na hindi ko naman talaga gustong umalis kaya lang logistics-wise hindi praktikal na tumira pa ako dun. Malayo kasi at mahirap maglakad ng 30-45 minutes papuntang sakayan ng taxi, lalo na kung apat sa sapatos mo ay stillettos. Sabi nya, bilhin ko na lang daw yung kotse na binebenta nung isa kong ka-opisina na paalis na rin. Sabi ko, (patawa ka ba) hindi ako marunong magmaneho. Kaya yun, feeling ko nakumbinsi ko na rin sya na wag na akong singilin sa renta hahahaha

So yun bale yung last party namin sa Greenside, kung saan ako tumira ng limang buwan. Nagluto, namasyal, tumawa, umiyak, at naglasing kasama ang isang Amerikanang nagserve for 2 years sa US peace corps sa Mali at isang Kenyan na 2 years ding volunteer sa India. Last party bago namin isinara yung chapter na yun ng buhay namin sa 102 Gleneagles.

Endless dinner parties at night outs, yan halos ang summary ng Gleneagles experience ko. Pero tulad ng maraming dinner parties at night outs, pag may lasing na, kailangan ng magpaalam sa host at umuwi.

Learning points sa Greenside:

  • Ang Mali ay bansa sa West Africa at ang capital nito ay Bamako.
  • Ang salita nila ay Bambara (Nanikama=Good job)
  • Huwag uminom ng vodka kapag hindi pa nag-dinner
  • Mag-isip munang mabuti kung gusto mo ba talagang mag-volunteer sa India
  • Okay lang maglakad ng 45 minutes pauwi ng bahay basta may mga kasama kang naglalakad rin at may baon kayong cashew nuts
  • Okay lang maglakad ng 45 minutes pauwi ng bahay kahit na nakasuot ka ng pointy shoes, basta alisin mo to 5 minutes after magsimula kayong maglakad
  • Puwedeng gawing curry ang kahit anong gulay
  • Mahalaga ang cumin at turmeric para sa authentic na curry
  • Pwedeng ilagay sa freezer ang brown bread para tumagal ang shelf life, ganun din ang gatas
  • Ang dhal ay isang uri ng legume (ang alam ko lang munggo e) at kinakain to (dhal curry)
  • Pwedeng araw-araw kumain ng curry ng hindi ka naman bumabaho
  • Makakasurvive ang Pinoy ng walang tabo (water dipper) sa banyo J, para-paraan lang

Just got back from the extremely exhausting week in Glasgow. We travelled for more than 15 hours and the thought of finally being able to stretch our legs and get a long warm bath made us more excited to get back home. But murphy's law was definitely in motion yesterday as we were greeted by a distraught housemate outside the gate (she arrived from the airport 15 minutes ahead of us).

Our landlord decided to start the re-furbishing of the bathroom on the day of our freaking arrival. So we went inside and saw chaos. Sledge hammers pounding the wall, dirt all over, no food on the fridge. Totally unbelievable.

I decided to ignore everything and plop down on my freezing cold bed. I turned up my heater and prayed that I won't die from frostbite. Let me just rant that despite the grey and cold weather in Glasgow the buildings are very well insulated that getting inside is actually a respite. But here in Joburg, the office where I'm seated right now is bitterly cold that my fingers are numb. They simply just don't believe in insulation. Or opted to ignore it.

Oh and by the way, we were greeted this morning again by sledgehammers and a burglary of our gate's electronic box. I was told that being hijacked or burgled or meeting a road accident here in Johannesburg is not an issue of if but when. And all I can do is pray and fervently hope that it won't be tonight.

Organised by World Vision, this event aims to raise awareness on the plight of hungry children all over the world. Ultimately, its goal is to end child hunger by 2015.

The global event is scheduled on Sunday, the 21st of May.

I'll be walking with friends and strangers here in Johannesburg but I hope my friends in the Philippines would walk with me in support of this cause.

Unfortunately, I've accessed the Philippine website of WV, but they don't have postings yet. The WV website here in SA provides more info.

http://www.tswinfo.com/walktheworld.nsf

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