Another Day in Syria

Another day in Syria. Life in Syria, especially in Jisr-Al-Shoghour is pretty routine. Time is definitely on my side - I have more than enough time to do my daily tasks, ponder about life, think about nonsense etc.

I wake up every morning around 6.30 AM. Initially, this was the toughest part of the day coz it was freaking cold in winter. But now in spring, it's much warmer. After a short bath, I will take some breakfast while watching the Al Jazeera news which would be broadcast from the Kuala Lumpur center. Good chance to update myself with world news, especially from Asia. You see, unlike Abu Dhabi, I can't find any English newspapers in Syria. It is ironic, I'm abreast with news from all over the world, but have no idea of what's happening in Syria. At around 7.45 AM, the driver will arrive to pick me and other colleagues to work. The plant is about 15 minutes away.

In the office, the friendly tea-lady Maria will start offering coffee while I prepare for the morning meeting. Thereafter, it's off to work. In between, I have enough time to check my emails, pay my bills, check out the latest happenings in Malaysia and chat with whoever has time to spare. Lunch time is actually home-cooked shared with a Filipino colleague.

At around 5pm, we start to leave the office. On the way, we may stop by at the Bukit Bintang, Chow Kit or Petaling Street of Jisr-Al-Shogour to buy some groceries or even do some marketing. Chickens are aplenty but fish hard to come by. Vegetables are fresh this time of the year. And at the local "supermarket" (we foreigners call it the micromarket), the storekeeper gives us complimentary nescafe packs each time, so that is one thing less to buy.

After that it is off back to home. Cook a bit of dinner, watch the TV. Only thing good is, there are thousands of satellite channels to watch. I have on my favorite list movie and series channel, some with good re-runs of old series like Frasier and Friends to keep me occupy. Hopefully by around 10pm, I will feel sleepy and go to bed. That is for me, another day in Syria!