Cartoon For Life

Tolga, his Mum and I went to the Labour And Social Security Department to inquire my social security application, pension later in life and insurance.

But what I really liked and blog about today is the Cartoon and Humour Museum (close to the administrative building). Ooooohhh.. it brought the level of leniency to a higher level. Not only the museum was free admission, photography - goes without saying a OK and surprisingly, there wasn't any security! (there were actually but both of them were fixing the entrance sign ;P)

I felt compelled to steal a sketch of two. If I did get caught.. I'd just say "I was just trying to be funny". Hahahahahahahaa I'm good.

We went through the gates and they were like, "Make yourselves a comfortable visit, ya"

Established on 27 February 1989 but cartoons have been drawn in Turkey as early as the 1800s

Nasreddin Hodja (1208-1285) is the master of Turkish humorists
His oral stories have been passed down for generations.. reminds me of Cerita Pak Pandir

Hahahahahaa we couldn't stop laughing at this one

Hmmmm.. if only it could be applied to real life on global scale

Teodor Kasap the cartoonist was imprisoned in 1877 for publishing this sketch
His cartoon was meant to criticize the law of censorship of the press at that time

Some pretty Americanized drawings, including Uncle Sam LOL

All of its display have English translation. The museum consists of the permanent and temporary exhibition halls, the Humour Library that houses collections of published humour and other works, the Archives section, and the Original Printing Workshop. Enthusiasts may come to learn in the workshop taught by an expert cartoonist without payment. Exhibitions are then held to display the works produced by the students.

Maybe I should get my hands on printing some, one of these days! ;)

Avni, a popular cartoon character who is retarded and always up to no good LOL

Hehehehee the symbol makes me wanna laught already

One small corner of the library

Tolga checking out their stash (ooohhhh.. he's such a bookworm LOL)

This lady is prolly one of the expert cartoonists in the workshop!

And a little bit about the Valens Aqueduct (Turkish=Bozdoğan Kemeri) before I finish.

The Cartoon and Humour Museum is located next to the ancient water cistern in the Byzantium times. It was a major aquaduct system built to convey water for the city. It's one of the most notable Roman architectures, definitely one of the most important landmarks too but only a small surviving section of it remains. I've passed through the gates twice while in a car but after we got out of the museum, I managed to take a picture of it :)

In the courtyard, as you can see the partial arch-wall in the background

A full view of it from the sidewalk ;)

Lying Through Teeth

Tolga saw 3 dentists in 3 different countries in 2 months
1. Malaysia 2. Russia 3. Turkey.. enough to last till next year

I fucking hate Russian women (those stupid sluts, bitches without hearts so rotten they should eat shit).

When we were in Moscow, Tolga went to the Dental Hospital to fix his 2nd molar because it gave him pain between hot and cold temperature. The temporary filling from Dr.Chew was supposed to be removed and his nerve retracted, if the pain prolongs which was what the Russian dentist did last month.

Except, she did it in another tooth!

That bitch assured us that she took out the temporary filling, retracted the nerve and patched it up nicely. Did the x-ray a couple of times and charged us a bomb, grinning from ear to ear. We were naturally relieved because Tolga didn't have to be in pain again but a couple of weeks ago, he was complaining of the "sensitive feeling".

We quickly went to the family's dentist, Dr.Tezulash for consultation. By the way, Dr.Tezulash is such a sweetheart, soft-spoken and friendly. Tolga conveyed to me that we were cheated. WE WERE CHEATED. That bitch didn't take out the temporary filling. She instead took out the 3rd molar and God knows why she retracted the nerve.. or if she even did do it! She left the 2nd molar to rot.

Stupid bitch.

The pain which returned to bug Tolga turned out to be some minor gum infection :( Poor thing. But it's all good now. Both 2nd and 3rd molar are treated accordingly. I can't stop cursing that bitch of a dentist. She and the rest of her dishonest race of Russian women should be executed.

Enough said. Blyat!

Local Level Election

It's so funny that I went with Tolga and his family to vote this morning. You know, I've never participated in an election. Hahahahaa at least not in my country. I supported Obama in the US Election 2009 and witnessed in person today ;)

The title is local level election because voters stamp for their ideal candidate to run their city/district/neighbourhood. Good thing it's over now because I can't stand the party banners and flags. Wind in Istanbul is so strong, they are usually blown all over the place or fallen.

Hehehehe it was held in the public school down our street which was great because we just walked there. Roads were pretty jammed up today. Other districts could have theirs in public schools or any public institution that can accomodate the population of that area. Tolga's parents stopped here and there for a chat whenever they bumped into neighbour friends.

Façade of Sariyer Public School

Tolga, his parents and the others waiting in line to do their part

Drawings the elementary schoolkids did! So cute.

Tolga's Dad closing in to his turn

The volunteers in charge of the ballots, who also happened to catch me snapping pictures

Tolga behind the carton
Hahahahahaa a bit the primitive right?

Sorry, can't disclose who they voted for! ;)

Absorbing Sunshine

Weatherman decided it's time to bring in the sun so that we can have some fun now! :)

Tolga practically dragged me out of the house and we went to explore Beşiktaş (pronounced as Beshik-tash). It's a lovely district by the coast of the Bosphorus. OMG. The seawaters were so pretty, shining under the bright blue sky. It wasn't too windy which was good because the wind always messes my hair.

I'm sure the place is often crowded but I'd like to think the weather played a part today. It was extra crowded. There was a Bazaar selling miscelleneous items ranging from clothings to magnets, hair clips to collectables.. Everything was so pretty! But cutthroat prices meant for tourists LOL The sidestreets were very lively. Most people were seated on the benches, getting their share of Vitamin D.

Haven't seen me in action for a while, eh? LOL

Tolga doing what he does best, snooping at old books

These tear-drop/eye-looking ornaments are called Nazar
Also known as Evil Eye believed to protect against the evil eye (curses/jinx by others)

Wooden decos hand-made by this good man.. too bad they were rather costly :(

More of the stalls lined up at the Bazaar

We came to the pier for the Ottoman Neo-Baroque style Ortaköy Mosque. Here, you get the most scenic view of the district. It's the background of the unique religious building of the Muslims and the Bosphorus Bridge that connects European and Asian Istanbul people stick around for.

Hahahahahaa Wikipedia has the same shot.. well, almost!

Schools of jellyfish.. yuck!

Tolga and I *giggles*

See? Even the cat wants some sun! :)

Send Me Your Résumé

When the announcement of the SPA interview being brought to Russia, we frozed.

We predicted it to be 50/50 meaning it could either be dead serious or easy-going since the entourage were on semi-holiday mood. In addition to the scare, we were told to come up with a CV, together with other necessary documents. I remember it was so ridiculous that we needed our original birth certificates and MyKad.

But a CV?

What is a CV?

Curriculum vitae?

I've never worked in my life. So I can't pull one out of my ass or make up stories. But after hours of surfing the net and exchanging ideas with Boss and Pisa, we managed to fill 2-3 pages. Since I updated mine today to send to a couple of hospitals, I would like to share my knowledge (improvised with Tolga's help) on how to write one. Especially to fresh medical graduates like me, without working experience nor have much to make an impression :P

I'll use my CV as an example.. it's not as difficult as it sounds

HOW TO START?
- Do not panic. Do not feel like you've never achieved anything in your life. That's important for starters.

1. Your personal information. Address. Contact number. E-mail address.
Now, you should decide arrangement of the contents. What would you like to present first to the reader. The aim of a CV is to summarise the history of your job/education experience so that your employer would have some clue in a glance.

2. Career Objective
Well.. you can't write that "I want to take over the company" or "I want to show how good I am" LOL
The title is pretty straight-forward. Be modest, needless to say and now you have to show it with words.

3. Education
List them out in a reverse chronological order. In my case, I began with the name of my university followed by the year I graduated. I also added the results of my final exam. Next, I list down each course, the year and all its subjects. Hahahahaa to add length to the CV.

I deleted my high school history, but I included a little bit for the SPA interview.

4. Clinical Experience
We all did attachments in summers, I think. Again, in reverse chronological order, list down the name of the hospitals, duration and in short and what was practiced.

5. Certificates and Training
Do feel free to brag here, show them what you've got! LOL
But keep in mind which has proof and which, none. I categorised project titles as Training too. Reverse chronological order, ya.

6. Extra Curricular Activities
Anything you did in the past, held positions/committee, contributed in non-medical (or not related to the work you are seeking) activities come here. At least that's what I wrote in mine. Hahahahaa I wrote "Netball player representing MMA on Annual Sports Day, 2005-2006".

7. Skills/Hobbies
Uhmmm.. language, computer skills (but I think everyone knows MSWord LOL today).

ANYTHING ELSE?
- It should be sufficient. Through time, once you (well, and I) get more work experience.. it naturally gets longer and more juiced.

Hope this helps! :)

Terd Sek

When you are in a foreign land, you might turn to your embassy for help or seek advice. Some people, even make it known that they exist in the foreign land and perhaps try menjalin hubungan silaturahim with the ambassador and crew.

So this was what I did today, only resulted in disappointment and hopelessness of my countrymen.

My aim was to find out about permanent stay/residential permit, whether the embassy should be involved and more about the 3-month visa’s validity etc. My enquiry was passed on to En.Z (he isn’t the ambassador but he’s supposedly ranked).

This was how the conversation went.

Me : Hello, I’m from Malaysia and I’m currently in Istanbul. I have a few questions about staying here. Can you help me?

En.Z : Ahhh.. ahhhhaaaa…

Me : I understand that I can stay here for 3 months without visa right? What should I do when 3 month period is up?

En.Z : Aaahhhhh, yayaya… you can hev 3 month stey without veesa.

Me : Yes, I know but I’m planning to stay longer and I would like to know how to prolong the visa.

En.Z : Tsk, tsk… dis metter, aiyaaa.. tsk, tskkk, dis metter… how to sey… you hev to go back Malaysia. We as diplomet oso lek dis. Go bek Malaysia and then kam bek.

Me : You mean I must return to Malaysia? Can the embassy help in any way? I mean, through the embassy can I have an extension or something like that?

En. Z : Aiyaaaaa… ni… ape kate… susahlah ko ni macam… you ade kontek nombor tak? Bila dapat info, I call bek. Ape kontek nombor?

Me : Encik, saya faham working permit mesti apply dari Turkish Embassy kat Malaysia.

En.Z : Haaaaaaaa! (as though he solved Enstein’s equation) Betulah, ni! Aiyaaa… apasal tak tanya baikbaik dulu? Buat apa datang kat sini? Ape kontek you? Saye perlu gader infomehsen baru boleh bagitau.

Me : *gave him my number* Encik ambassador, ke?

En.Z : EH! Terd sek.

Me : Ohhh… okay.

And he hung up.

Hahahahahaha I didn’t know to laugh or to cry.

Whatever Terd sek is for. There is something seriously wrong with the system or the people in the system. I’m not sure if I was frustrated at his manner (not his language ability) or the fact that I couldn’t get some answers nor additional information but I can safely say, it was useless.

I was slightly embarrassed that our embassy has such an inadequate staff. Terrible.








Continuation.

Me : What if I told you I’m a Terd sek?

Tolga : What? You are a *Turkcell?

*Turkcell is a mobile network provider, like Maxis in Malaysia

Damn The Decisions

So I've been here for almost 2 weeks now.

First week was mostly about relaxation and home deco, flitering our lungs with fresh breeze from the Bosphorus and getting used to the idea we ain't in Moscow no more.

But we've begun to get down to more serious business. Tolga has started his work deals and my Turkish vocabulary is enriched. We also learned a lot about my stay here in future. You see, Malaysian passport holders are allowed to stay in Turkey for 3 months' duration without visa. Malaysia and Turkey's religious brotherhood ties I suppose, so basically I'm a tourist here. Seems to be my profession nowadays ;)

We went to the Foreign Office and I dislike bureacracy because the departments give me headaches, still we learned much from dropping by. Good news is, I can stay until 3 months period is up, then get an extension for another 3 months without reason of stay. Should I get employed, then I'll be on a working permit/visa.

I won't be an illegal immigrantlahhhhh, sorry to burst your bubbles LOL

I sneaked for this pic.. I know when to be really careful rather than defying authorities

Until I can properly understand and be understood, until I overcome the language barrier.. I don't think I'll be getting a job anytime soon. So yeahhh, I'm on holiday mode whether I like it or not. But guess what is really heart-breaking?

Doctors who are willing to work in Eastern Turkey are paid US$8000 per month.

Eastern Turkey is poor, undeveloped.. an undesirable part to make a living to most people, that's why the government's forking so much for volunteers to serve there. There are also social-cultural tensions with the borderline countries so that's the catch. Just when I thought I struck the jackpot.

It's prolly equivalent to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). But I'm pretty sure it'll also be without rooftops, without handphone, without proper foods, without good sleep, without bras and without security.. I'm just kidding :P

US$8000 per month!

US$8000 perrrrrrr month!!!

(=RM29,273)

It's service. It's noble. It's humanatarian work. All in the package of being a doctor. The big plus point is.. a shitload of money! What's there to think about?

I should be on the fucking plane now! I don't mind not wearing bras.

But it really isn't an option for me, is it? I don't know their ways and I'm gonna get rejected anyways! I'm a stylo-milo city girl. So many reasons to dismiss the thought but..

Most of all, most of all..

Love > Money

We can work a life time for money but the one only appears once in our life time. So cheesy, so not me but it's true. So if one day, God forbid, if I'm fucked upside down in the name of love, I'm so gonna break the computer when I read back this post! LOL

As for now, I rest my case :)

Haircut Frenzy

Tolga finally got his haircut!

At the barber's

He nearly looked like Nelson Mandela (hairstyle, hairstyle I mean) whenever his hair grows too long. He has the potential to grow an afro even but good thing I never let him.

And I do have a reputation to keep you know *burst out laughing*.

Looking at his (former) barber's apprentice doing his thing on my boyfriend's head reminds me of the good ol' days when I carried the pair of scissors. I guess a lot of things naturally change and return to how it used to be for him, unlike life in Moscow before this.

Tolga actually said that the haircut I gave him was the best he ever had ;)

Miniature Rooms

Hehehehe it's nice that our exhibition-visiting practice is continued here in Istanbul.

It's also nice that there are many events going on in the city. Unlike Moscow, it is scattered all over the place. All over the place meaning both on the European and Asian side. Traveling might take up a bit more time and hassle compared to the convenience of Metro we used to have :(

Anyhoos, nothing stopped us.
And guess what, Tolga's parents enjoy arts in every form too!

They love musicals, concerts, theatrical performances and the whole list. It was Tolga's Mum's idea to go to Henry Kupjack's exhibition of Miniature Rooms. Henry Kupjack's a famous American miniaturist for his delicate crafts of rooms complete with all the minute details in line with their real-life originals.

Henry Kupjack's feat of 21 Miniature Rooms display

19th century saloon (bar) in San Francisco

A room of Victorian/French influence in New Orleans

Oooohhh.. I fell in love with this spiral stairs!

Again, I must emphasize on the freedom of taking pictures at these places. I still cannot fathom why Russians are so anal about cameras, what the hell is wrong with them. You know, when I was going to bring out my Sony.. I had to look left and right, took it out slowly as though it was a gun.

Hahahahahaha I need to get used to the freedom, really.

Hahahahaha check out the security guards yakking away

Tolga's Dad and I share the same hobby!

Can you see me in the mirror of Louis XVI Dining Room? ;)

Tolga's Mum observing the minute details of an ancient Japanese kitchen

An amazing 3-month work of a 18th century Turkish coffee-house

"My aim is to make the rooms so real that they give onlookers a feeling as though they were inside the room" - Henry Kupjack.

He definitely did alright!

Different Shape

My boyfriend is so sweet, sometimes he makes me wanna cry.

He asked me if I wanted to eat mooncake. I was surprised because the round-shaped Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake was already formed in my mind. Then before I responded, he quickly corrected it's Turkish-mooncake. I was soooooooooo curious about their version and it turned out to be like this..

I can't scold him because it IS a moon, only crescent-shaped LOL

It's called Aycoregi in Turkish, meaning Mooncake/-cookie

Tolga's Dad bought it fresh from the famous pâtisserie in the next district. It's very soft, and baked stuff are always appetizing. I'm not sure what's for the filling.. it has a combo of crumbling chocolate cake-ish texture, with slight raisin flavour (prolly I bit on some) and some marzipan flavour. Not forgetting the nutty aftertaste from the crust. Not Red Bean or Green Tea! Can dream about Lotus Seed LOL

Round or crescent.. it's still so yummy! :P

A Turkey Blender

I might sound a bit of a fake if I were to say I love everything there is here. But sincerely speaking, there isn't anything to complain about. Food is good, weather is fine and I'm very much looking forward to spring! I can't wait to strip wear light clothings.

Yesterday I might have fallen ill. I woke up with a throbbing headache (on my left temporal) and became nauseous after breakfast. I threw up shortly. Oof, it smelled so bad.. I slept through the day. Tolga's Mum says it's the breeze from the sea front, I caught a wind chill. Hmmmmm.. anyhoos, I am much better today so don't worry :)

We went to a Burek (Turkish=Börek) restaurant for lunch. I'm really getting Turkish-fied pretty quickly because I'm enjoying the Mediterranean flavours more than I imagined. This yummy baked pastry Burek is made of thin slices of dough, either with minced meat/cheese/potatoes stuffings. Sometimes I get a bloated from eating this! Ah! Börek is like traditional Italian lasagna, without the tomato sauce ;)

Partly cloudy.. partly sunny weather

Small portion of my plate of Cheese Börek

Turkish tea cup, shaped like the tulip-flower

Common sight of guys walking arm in arms
I found in kinda funny but I'm used to it now

Later after lunch, I went shopping with Tolga's Mum. We were in an electronic shop looking for some gadgets. An electrical juicer caught my eye, a local name which was quite cheap. Ooohhh.. my love for orange juice. The nosy sales assistant was hovering us the minute we walked in, so we conveniently asked him about the item. He explained the functions, the watt and then guess what he also said?

"I believe it's Made In China".

Hahahahahahahaa he was so damn proud of himself when he said that.
OMG. I should have made him pose with the bloody juicer, snap a picture of him then load it up here!

What an idiot. Best yet, it was made in Spain.

But overall, Turkish people are relatively friendly and harmless. They don't mean to offend really, and in this case, this sales assistant was prolly trying to impress me (by saying the goods Made In China??? :P). He definitely left an impression alright! LOL

Newsflash. I'm turning into this packet of potato chips.

Ala Turca = Turkish