Seriously, I don’t know what made this happen, but it did!
But then again, I ain’t complaining because it’s the closest I can get to blog stardom!! So to that, I say…
LOL!
But seriously, thank you so much for sharing, reading, commenting and liking! It’s great to know that I’m not the only one who feel this way about our ‘Malaysian way of living’!
I’ll post more after my exams, I promise :)
Till then, why not go around my blog to read some pretty awesome posts about…
Before you go about enjoying your fabulous life, why not read this excerpt from a favourite book of mine; ‘Female Chauvanist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture’ by Ariel Levy | Page 27.
I am a Malaysian and I love Malaysia and Malaysians as a whole. Unfortunately however, there are small things about my fellow Malaysians, and dare I say it, myself as a Malaysian that I don’t like and should stop doing. Thus, this is where this list comes in.
Top 5 Things Malaysians Should Stop Doing!
1. Being proud of our ‘Malaysian Timing’.
Fucking annoying invention ever, I swear! Whoever invented this term needs huge slap on the butt. I hate that everyone use this as a reason for being late. It’s not cute or cool to be late regardless of whether it’s a ‘Malaysian thing’ or not! You’re late and you should be punished for it by having everybody glare at you with utter disappointment. What’s worse is that people are proud to be late for they are now ‘true Malaysians’ and even make fun of people who are early! How lah Malaysians want to maju like this?
Malaysia, a place where you are made fun of for being on time. [source]
2. Saying “on the way” when you’re not really ‘on the way’.
*Phone rings*
You: “Hello?” Friend: “Oi. Where are you?” You: “On the way! On the way!” Friend: “You’re still in bed aren’t you?” You: “Uhm…”
Doesn’t matter if you’re still on the bed, in the bathroom, sitting down somewhere or in deep slumber, when someone calls you and asks you where you’re at, saying “on the way” is a sin. Whether the reason is that we don’t want to hurt their feelings or that we simply do not want to be shamed for being late, when you say “on the way”, mean it. Impress us with your ability of really being ‘on the way’.
“Hello? Oh me? On the way.. Yeah, on the road already, arriving soon…”
3. No courtesy on the road.
Malaysians have an ability to be total bitches on the road.
Drivers are notorious for not giving way to other drivers
Ignoring other drivers existence when not giving ways to other drivers to cut in
Driving faster when seeing another driver trying to get out of a parking or junction instead of slowing down
Not saying thank you when other driver give way
Driving really fast on the slow lane
Honking at any slight delay by other drivers when the light turns green. (No patience!)
Honking at drivers who take their time leaving a parking space despite having to wait for just a short while.
Taking their sweet time to leave a parking space
Talking on the phone while driving hence not paying attention to road
Not putting up the signal sign when turning to a junction or roundabout
Road bullying
Motorcyclists and drivers who race and/or do stunts on the road, endangering other drivers and padestrians
The list is endless!
Me.
4. Asking or wondering about someone’s ‘race’ all the bloody time.
This happens especially when I moved to KL. Every time I get into a taxi, the first thing that taxi driver would do is to ask what race I am as if to decide how they should ‘treat’ me according to my race. It is not only limited in taxis too but practically everywhere else. Because I do not look like the typical ‘three main races of Malay, Chinese and Indian’, often times, people are confused and would question me. This happens to anybody too, especially if you look ‘mixed’. It gets really annoying sometimes especially when people insist in putting you in the ‘Malay, Chinese and Indian’ category just because your mixed race do not make sense to them.
Man: “What is your race?” Woman: “I am mixed of Kadazan, Irish, Korean and Indian.” Man: “Ah, so you’re Indian lah!” Woman: “No, no. I’m 50% Kadazan, 20% Irish, 20% Korean and 10% Indian. I’m pretty mixed.” Man: “Why make so complicated. Say lah you Indian, done! Or Kadazan, done!” Woman: “Fine. I’m mostly Kadazan.” Man: “But in Malaysia there are only Malay, Chinese and Indian. So safe to say that you’re Indian lah!” Woman: “(*&*%&*$%^$^&%!!”
A fab project called ‘Inside Our Project: We’re All Mixed’ which showcases the extremely mixed population of Malaysia. [source]
5. Being ignorant of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Do they have roads where you came from?”
“Is Sabah and Sarawak a part of Malaysia?”
“Do you speak Malay there?”
“Are you Indonesian because you sure sound like one!” (No hate for the Indonesians though, ignorant people mistake us all the time, fucking annoying :/)
“But you don’t look Malay, Chinese or Indian! Are you sure you’re Malaysian?”
“Do you live on trees?”
“You don’t sound like us.”
“Don’t you have your own language or something?”
“Omg! What language is that!! It sounds so weird!”
“Do they have malls there? Or clubs? What do you do for fun there?”
“What TV channels do you guys have? Do you have Astro there? Or Internet at least?”
“I bet you see orang utans there all the time since you live in the jungle!”
“Sabah is 2.5 hours away by flight?! I always thought that you could just drive there!”
I wish I could tell you that these questions and statements are made up, but they’re not. They are actual questions and statements that my friends, family and I get from Malaysians and tourists/visitors living in Peninsular Malaysia. But of course, not everyone is clueless about Sabah and Sarawak and even if some of them are, at least they try not to be rude about it. Some people are just plain horribly rude! Those people are the annoying ones!
How I cope with all these bullshit.
Top 5 Things Malaysians Should NEVER EVER Stop Doing!
1. Speaking ‘lah’, ‘mah’ etc…
Love it!
How To use LAH
2. Changing accents when speaking with friends of different ethnicity
Because of our extremely mixed background and friends, we are able to adapt into each other’s accents when needed. What’s interesting about Malaysians is that we all have a neutral English accent, but when we are mixed with our ‘own’ people or with someone who has a very thick (Chinese, Indian, Malay etc…) accent, we in turn switch to the appropriate accent. I was talking to my sister’s boyfriend the other day using our ‘neutral’ accent, but when he talked to his mom on the phone, his Indian accent came on! When I talk to my Chinese friends, my “mah”, “hor”, “ah” etc… comes out. I love it!
Don’t get me started on my accent when I speak to a non-Malaysian! Boom! Some American + Australian + British accent would come out, courtesy of Astro’s channels :D
3. Having a nice Mamak session
Mamak, bringing friends together for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, later dinner, supper, late supper, after supper supper and post-party since like ever and with cheap food too!
Spending time with friends over drinks (albeit non-alcoholic) and hookah.
4. More halal restaurants (i.e., Malay-Chinese restaurants, halal dim sum restaurants etc…)
Although Malaysia is a Muslim country, our love for food goes way beyond that. Hence the creation of fusion food! Malay-Chinese, Thai-Malay, halal dim sum, beef bak kut teh… Dude! The boundaries of good food are bent through fusion!
5. A very rojak (mixed) bunch of friends
Friends. MIXED friends. Need I say more?
Sabahans man, can you pin point your finger as to who is Malay, Chinese or Indian? Even if you can, you might be wrong because we’re mixed as hell with a huge pinch of Kadazan, Dusun, Brunei, Bajau, Murut etc…
Lol. I know the feeling. I was single since fucking ever and then out of nowhere, I was un-single. Still miss my single life though.
I love being able to make plans without having to think of other people, I love being able to just take long ass holidays to go back to my hometown after months of being in school in a foreign land without thinking that I am neglecting someone else in that foreign land… You know how it is…
There are pros and cons to being single or being in a relationship. One advice, don’t let the thought of not being able to have sex dictate the suckiness of being single. Lol! Just go and masturbate and that feeling will go away. Temporarily, sure, but it will go away right now at this point of time. :P
It was a hot Tuesday afternoon and all I wanted to be at is inside an air-conditioned room, preferably blowing straight at my face and not at the bus stop beside a very dusty road. As cars rush by and as I tried so hard to not let the wind blow my skirt off to expose my, you know, yes that, I waited there for the taxi. Unfortunately, my wait was wasted when the free shuttle bus and a bunch of taxis refused to take me in, of all days right! So I had to walk to the nearest taxi stand to get one (which was still quite a walk away).
When the taxi dropped me off, I rushed into this foreign university hoping I won’t get lost. I didn’t, thankfully. I saw two familiar faces at the Student Services Centre and I knew I was at the right place. A few pictures with the whole group later, we were ushered into the bus to go to the airport. Here it is!
When we reached the airport, we assembled ourselves for another group photo then finally situated ourselves strategically at the corner of the arrival door of the airport while holding the banner high up, our eyes looking at the door like a hawk.
Twenty minutes later, we were still there, waiting and wondering. The banner by now was only supported by very few people. 40 minutes later and after a lot of eyes our way from arriving and waiting guests at the arrival door, we were still there. Now, the banner which was held by the little amount of people were slowly slipping onto the floor. Everybody groaned in exhaustion while Ken, the student coordinator, was going around and cheering us on. “Smile everybody! Smile wide, eyes bright! He’s coming!” He has been saying that for the past half hour and yet, he is still not out, but we didn’t give up.
Patiently waiting for Nick’s arrival.
All of the sudden, he rolled in, literally. It was Nick in his electric wheelchair ‘driving’ himself out of the arrival door and towards us. Hugging some VIPs first, he slowly made his way to us and greeted us. “Hi guys! Thank you for the warm welcome!” he said, after we shouted, “Welcome to Malaysia, Nick!“
A group picture with Nick. Spot me!
He was just beside me!
After the group picture, Nick was ushered away by the crowd of university photographers and videographes and the VIPs, even some random individuals, while we the students stood by the sideline trying to register what just happened. “He’s here!” I told myself.
Some students managed to go to the car that he was in and took pictures with him then proceeding back in to the airport and proudly showing the evidence of their achievement to their friends. “Wait what! You managed to take pictures with him! How unfair!” I heard some said.
When the excitement died down, we made our way back to the bus only to be greeted by Nick’s producer and videographer; Jens and Lance. As the journey back home was halfway over, I decided to gain the courage to sit beside them and talk to them. Although awkward at first, the awkwardness and tension slowly eased away as we got to know about each other and their work more.
According to Jens, this was Nick’s South East Asian tour and they are to make a short documentary out of it and will feature this documentary on Nick’s Youtube channel. Previously from Manila, their plan after Malaysia was to visit Vietnam; all three countries within the span of three days! What a hectic schedule! I told them about Malaysian food and some Malaysian phrases that they could use during their short stay here.
When we arrived at the hotel where they stayed, Jens and Lance introduced me to the whole crew as Lance excitedly greeted everyone with “terima kasih sama-sama”. He’s a fast learner! Everyone of the crew was really friendly and I felt right at home. After a quick photo, I walked back home to get ready for the big event of the day; the garden dinner that Top 10 slogan contestant winners were invited to!
Fellow slogan winners with Nick’s crew.
DINNER TIME!
When I arrived at the dinner, I was in awe. The setting was beautiful and we were beside a lake glittered by small yellow lights. It was so romantic! We made our way to our seat and I chatted with new friends who was just as lucky as me to be getting in to the Top 10! We sharedour experiences about how we created our slogans and the process of urging inviting people to LIKE the slogans to normal topics such as school and life in general. Everyone was really nice and we had a lot of laughs while waiting for Nick to arrive.
Top 10 slogan winners! It was incredible to know that we beat 330+ other contestants!!
Then finally, the man of the hour came and dinner was served!
Nick Vujicic!
Half of the crowd with Nick just at the table beside mine.
Everybody got to say hi to Nick personally, even us! All of us said hi, and took turns to hug and took pictures with him. It was surreal especially when you’ve heard of him from such a long time ago and watched his interview with Oprah Winfrey and here he is, hugging you! It’s crazy! I was ecstatic!
Nick and I!
Throughout the night, I was hanging with Nick’s crazy crew. They were hilarious! I enjoyed being with them. We talked about a lot of things and I was telling them about the food that was there that night; roti boom, laksa and teh tarik. Everyone seemed enthusiast at guessing the ingredients of the food too.
I have no idea why we did this, but we did it.
I love how the boy just photobombed in the picture. Hilarious!
Then they had a teh tarik pulling performance which was normal for us, but interesting for them to watch. Some of the guys also tried in the teh tarik pulling fiesta! Though some failed, some were actually pretty good at not spilling the tea!
After the teh tarik fiesta (or fiasco? Lol.), we ended the night with some pretty wacky pictures.
Look ma, boys!
I love the last picture! When I shouted, “Pose like a sexy model!“, everyone did their thing! Haha!
After a few hugs and goodbyes, we went back home; bellies full and laughs laughed (does that makes sense?). Lol. Needless to say, the night was a fun one! I had tons of fun. Obviously right? *points up* Haha!
Two people in my life have claimed their lives. I knew one of them personally while the other one is a brother of a friend; both of which took their lives by hanging themselves in their home. While one of out by construction workers, the other one was found out by his own grandmother who couldn’t get over the sight of seeing her own grandson dead in front of her.
I too used to know someone who never gave up in making it his mission to kill himself (he always failed in dying because people would come to his rescue and every time he survives, his hatred towards those people multiplied in anger). I tried to be there for him, to support him however I can but it was too much and too depressing for me. He was always very angry and incredibly possessive over me and his depression in turn, made me depressed. I’m not sure if he is alive today though I have a very strong feeling that he is dead.
I could never quite understand why people have suicidal tendencies, but then again, I have never been in their shoes so I wouldn’t know the emotions they go through. I am in no position to tell someone to not kill themselves when they feel so much pain and I don’t. I am though, in a position to tell you how the life for your loved ones will be like because I am one of the loved ones too.
You know, when you die, people you don’t know existed or those who once existed in your life will be sad. They will start to reminisce the good old days and start to question what went wrong in your life. Those who love you will slowly come together and mourn for your death, trying so hard to piece together the reasons as to why you killed yourself when they didn’t see any ‘symptoms’ whatsoever and that you have always been “a very happy person who never fail to make everyone laugh“. Your family whom you thought were never there for you (and perhaps, they never did) suddenly come together and cry hysterically while looking at your lifeless body which bares scars around your neck or wrist or the hole in your skull from the gunshot you fired.
Others will not even look at your body because they do not want to be associated with someone who have sinned, while others look at you with utter interest while thinking to themselves how utterly cool it is to stand before a body of someone who committed suicide. Though many will remember you for your nature of death or the life you lived, many too will forget you just like that as your death is insignificant in their lives. Perhaps too, you death will be the topic of discussion for many years to come where people question the reason or witness the result to your suicide.
Either way, your death is not without vain as it will be talked about for a long time. While many will try to remember your life and the joys your bring to their lives, I cannot deny that it will be hard to not feel sadness when we think about the nature of your death. It pains us greatly to not have been there for you as you suffered in silence and finally made a decision to take your own life. You must have thought greatly of how your family and friends must have reacted to your death and how you are conflicted by this, but it is a choice you have to go through nonetheless and you hope they will understand eventually.
So here we are again; you contemplating whether you should take your own life of not. See, I can’t tell you to stop thinking about killing yourself or that suicide is the wrong thing to do because you already know that. But I can tell you this however… That whatever your decision is, know that although your suffering may end once and for all, the suffering of others is just beginning.
I kind of wish that I could maintain a close bond with friends from my past and still have them today. Isn’t it super weird to know that you are strangers today when last time, you used to be inseparable and share secrets and stories with one another? Ideally of course, you’d want to keep being friends but distance, different click of friends and different way of thinking stops you from ‘being friends’ like you used to.
I guess you can’t blame anyone though, not them, not you. You just sort of grow up and stop making effort, which is okay I guess. Maybe life’s like that. You forget some to make room for new ones. I don’t know. Just seemed pretty depressing when I think about it, especially when your lives were filled with history and now you just sort of pass each other like you don’t know one another.
I would go through my pictures and be all, “We used to have so much fun last time but now, we barely talk”.
Oh Aaron, I wanted you. It doesn’t matter that I was 14, but my ovaries explode when I saw you on my favourite show! You were so cute! You and Hilary were perfect for each other!
An image created with Malaysian prime minister’s face on it to criticize the government’s choice to bring in illegal immigrants to vote during the recent general elections.
I’m not sure what I feel about the results. I guess the best word to describe my feeling (if I have to) is numb. I knew this would happen. Why wouldn’t it? They have ruled for so long, why stop ruling now?
“Five more years. Give us five more years.” They said. They had 56 years to make things right, now the country is more divided than ever. I don’t think there would be any changes within the five years.
Waking up to a text saying, “BN won” is like waking up to a text about a friend who died. Both equally depressing and sad. Come to think about it, the text is about the dead anyway. What’s dead is HOPE; our hope for a new and better Malaysia. I guess I kinda expected that. I knew it was too good to be true.
“Stop having high hopes, they’ll win anyway,” I told a friend the day before 5th May 2013 (election day).
I knew too well about their dirty tactics and the amount of corruption. I mean, I should know, I am studying about these things.
The supposed ‘indelible’ ink that was used during voting to indicate that they person have voted to avoid multiple votes by the same person. Citizens were told that it would last for a week or at least 3 days, but as you can see in the picture, it went off on the same day and within a few minutes of scrubbing it with soap and nail polish remover.
They played dirty, of course they won. Sad thing is, no amount of complains, anger, Facebook/Twitter updates and noise made by the international and Malaysian community would be enough to topple down the ruling party. Malaysia is too corrupted, we’re too dirty.
Well, they are, but who cares? They have supporters to back them up and the system to manipulate and although we may have supporters, we don’t have the system on our side. THEY are the system.
A non-Malaysian given free Malaysian identification card (I.C.) and voted two times caught by the public. A staggering 30,000 foreigners from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar etc were reported to be given free I.C. and were flown all around Malaysia to vote for the government.
But on a brighter note, at least we had the international community talking and pressuring the government to keep up to their promise. I’m incredibly sad still, especially knowing that this is one of the most dirtiest election ever. If they didn’t play dirty, I’m sure things would end differently.
Due to this depressing downfall, opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim urged Malaysians to wear black.
Some took this urge to the next limit. In Kota Kinabalu for example, a group of people decided to wear black and tapes on their mouth and walked from Suria Sabah to the UMNO building (BN who won the elections are supported by 3 parties – UMNO, MCA and MIC) – a 10-15 minutes walk.
Groups of people in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, wearing black and taping their mouth while walking silently and peacefully from Suria Sabah to UMNO building. The walk ended with a police raid.
I’m honestly not sure what the future will hold but I do hope that the government will be pressured to do better than last time. I’m sure they are scared out of their minds now for what the opposition and citizen will do and fear that they will fall down if things get exposed.
One can still hope right?
But anyway, congratulations on winning the elections! Too bad you had to cheat your way through it!
