Covid-19 hit us here in March 2020, everything closed down and life got even quieter than usual. I opted not to work from home knowing I would never get anything done there so travelled into work each day. On about day five I started to notice something weird was happening with my car playlists. Music … Continue reading The Pandemic Playlist
Author: Aylssa
Youth Worker turned Counsellor. Cat Mam. Book Hoarder. Stand-up Comic. Artist. Freelance PSHE Trainer. Doer of Random Things.
Oh monkey, you’re so pretty
The Rimba Monkey About a month or so ago a lone male monkey started using our roof and balcony to get from one side of the estate to the other. At first we were a bit wary because the last monkey that wandered the estate on its own turned vicious when the people who were … Continue reading Oh monkey, you’re so pretty
Flying Penguins
Today I had the absolute joy of talking to 40 junior school children about stand-up comedy. As a counsellor I also wanted to get across the idea that it is okay to make fun of ourselves and the embarrassing things we do. Learning to laugh at themselves will come in handy when they hit middle … Continue reading Flying Penguins
Going Dry in January.
Alcohol is integral to the lives of many Westerners. Northern Europeans especially love binge drinking and telling tales that start with "I was mortal...". We use it to celebrate when we are happy and to drown our sorrows. People get paralytic at weddings. People get paralytic at funerals. Had a bad day? Have a beer. … Continue reading Going Dry in January.
Anxious in Singapore
"Do you get beaten up often?" I absentmindedly asked the middle aged Chinese taxi driver as we rumbled through the overly Christmassy Singapore. A look of what I like to think was bemusement, flashed across his face as he sized me up - an equally middle aged, but smaller white woman in the back seat, … Continue reading Anxious in Singapore
Airports.
I (started to) write this while sitting in airport number 1 of the 4 I travel through before I get back to Newcastle. This first one is Brunei - then Kuala Lumpur - then Heathrow - then finally, Newcastle. It being Brunei there is no alcohol served in the airport so I've eaten a lasagne … Continue reading Airports.
How I ended up on a dot in the middle of the Pacific
I always had ambitions to travel. I remember being young and my parents (while they were still together) taking us to places while they tried to get visas for Australia. Aged 11, I remember my mam talking about nurses who'd emigrated to Saudi Arabia who earned a fortune working for people who had gold taps … Continue reading How I ended up on a dot in the middle of the Pacific
The time I got more than I bargained for at the Malaysian border…
Kuala Lurah is an interesting place. It's like the Asian version of the wild west. In Brunei it is illegal to gamble. To buy alcohol. To sell cigarettes 1km from a school. From where I live it is a 40 minute drive to the Malaysian border; to Kuala Lurah. The nearest town after the border … Continue reading The time I got more than I bargained for at the Malaysian border…
Selamat Hari Raya
Everytime I appear in anything for Bruhaha Comedy I'm still left wondering how on earth this happened! And why on earth does my voice sound like that?!
Trying Not to Cry at the Poetry Slam.
I can feel my breathing getting shallower and quicker. I’m nervous. I never get nervous. Six teachers, well five teachers and me – the only female – are sat on stage in front of maybe 200 students and staff… well maybe 100 but the lecture theatre seems full. No one comes with a banner for … Continue reading Trying Not to Cry at the Poetry Slam.
