Malaysia : Yours? Mine? or Ours?

Malaysia, truely Asia. As a Malaysia, I'm proud to tell people I'm from Malaysia and I'm a Malaysian.

Bu how many Malaysians are as proud of their nationality in their own land. Lets see.

You ni bangsa ape ek? (Insert answer here)
You olang Melayu ah? Boleh makan kedai Cina ka? (insert facial expression here)

And then there's the typical stereotype.

Malays are lazy.
Chinese are selfish.
Indians are liars.
Orang asli stays in the jungle.
Sarawakians live on trees.
KL drivers are crazy.
People with tattoos are bad.
Guys with long hair are evil.
wah, awek Melayu freehair jahat.
... and on and on and you can list some as you comment.

The fact is, living in a multicultural Malaysia is like that. There's nothing positive about stereotyping I tell you. But we still do it. We never try to look positively towards others. We do it. We have kids we teach them, and they teach their children, and their children teach their children and children and another batch of children. In the end, we stay stagnant with such mentality installed in us. That another person with certain skin color or eye shape will do nothing good to us because they are different. And how far can Malaysia go like this? C'mon Malaysia, open up!!

If one day, Malaysia is reset-ed back. Tanah Melayu with only Malays and Orang Asli, no Javanese, All Chinese are back in China, Indians to India, Sarawakians and Sabahan all back in Borneo. No Baba Nyonya. No Portugese decents. All of us are pure blooded. Our History text books are blank. The whites never came. We only speak one language and that is our native language.

Think of that. Will you be happy?
Do you think we will know that oil lies beneath our shores? or gold beneath our grounds? or timber is a currency itself?

And again if British never left Sarawak, how many of us will be engineers, doctors, teacher, researchers and professionals? Most of us will be sitting down being clerks. Our parents farmers. Think the whites will make us brownies above them? Think again. Try walking down Oxford Street London and see how many would want to be your friend or even smile at you.

Like a body without one part is disabled. So is Malaysia without it's people.

We may think our politics are sick, but we are even sicker if we follow their wrong teachings. Don't play racial politics. Don't play anything racially at all. Just take that typical Malaysian mindset off and pull down those dirty moldy racial wall. We may not control the politicians, but we do have our own brains right?

We have come a long way since then. 53 years is enough to break down racial barriers and call ourselves bangsa Malaysia. Long enough to call Ali, Raju, Ah Seng and Peter our blood brothers, look them in the eyes and share rojak with them.

Malaysians, please be proud of who you are and teach your younger generation not to distant themselves from another who's different, but instead to break down racials barriers, fight for the right of Malaysians. To accept anothers for who they are whether they had nasi lemak, curry or nyonya kuih for breakfast.

We are Malaysia for a reason. For a purpose.

Being something you are not

will not get you anything or anywhere.





a lesson learned from Phua Chu Kang.

Best in Singapore and JB, and some say Batam :))

Wayy back then

Time flies real fast doesn't it?
Next week we'll be celebrating our countrys 53rd independance, a week after that it's Aidilfitri, than Deepavali ... and before you realize that it;s already the start of a new day, Christmas will be at your doorstep and thus, another year gone and 2011 will step in. *phew* hard work of 24hours in 365 days.

One of my favorite past time would be to recall back memories. In fact I spend most of my hours thinking about the past, especially happy ones. Not that I'm not the kind of person who does not want to move on in life. I do. But I still do find comfort in my past especially when I'm lonely.

When I was sixteen, life was so much happier. My view of life back then differs so much of what is present today. I had a great company of friends tat provided me endless moments of laughter. Family who would teach me new things everyday, a grandmother who waited for my homecoming from school every afternoon. I am not sure of what sixteen years olds learn in school today but I know I was naive but yet pleasant of the way life is. No I did not have alcohol during parties. In fact my sixteenth birthday was celebrated in Camp Permai with lots of sand and BBQ. I was in love with creativity and no way in my mind was I to study engineering what more to say living n a foreign land.

I did have crushes *blush* but it only stayed that way. No dating no kissing or any of those stuff. One thing, I was really shy. (you may LOL me. I just die aroud guys) and yes, back then things were very traditional and conservative. If caught talking to a boy, the question is "who's he? what's his name? who are his parents?" Things teenagers find ridiculous. But now to think about that, every parent has the right to now who their children are mixing with. You do that now, and your kid will threaten to suicide.

The difference is only a about 5 maybe six years ago. But what difference does that make? We try to be more "westernize", telling the world we love being fed with pastas and strawberries not nasi lemak and durians. How we evolve to be more "connected" virtually rather than going out and interact physically, telling the universe how wasted we are last night with much alco consumption and be proud of it. The expression of the new generation to be more "open" to "LOVE" (that's double inverted commas).

The thing is, the world is getting sicker each and everyday. but are you going with the worldly flow do do you have your stand?

Homey.Home

It's almost one month gone since my semester break started. How time flies really fast. The fact that I'm all alone in my place is what makes it thougher.

I was determined to stay back for this summer holiday. I got a part time job and though it is tiring, I'm actually having fun doing it. In a way, my reason to take a part time job is to improve my communication skills and earn some extra cash. Not forgetting experience goes in as well (of working for almost 12 hours a day!).

To think about it, this year I haven't got myself a well deserved semester break During the winter semester I was doing my 6 weeks practical. And now for my summer semester, it's my 2 month summer job. Last year at this time I was waking up late, cooking lunch, going for dance classes all in the familiarity of Kuching.

The reason why I write this post is that in the midst of loneliness, I'm actually home sick. I don't really miss Kuching in any way. I miss familiar faces, people that makes me feel warm inside and the company of loved ones. May it be in west Malaysia or Kuching itself.

Kuching changed a lot since I left home for the last four years. Not that I've never been back, but last year was the longest time (2 months) I've stayed in Kuching after I left secondary school. Somehow I feel like a stranger.

But some things never change. The warmth of home, the taste of home cooked meal, the smell of rain and the faces that makes me feel loved.

Ouuhh yes I'm deprived. All for the sake of a future. Please have mercy.

cuba kamu teka ini di mana...

Human Language

On the way back from work, I was in the bus.

An old lady was to get out at the next stop. She was walking very slowly with shivery hands and taking her trolly. Halfway out, the bus door automatically closed.

70% of the bus passengers were people above 50.

As the door closed on the old lady, suddenly the bus was full of this familiar sound.

"Eh, eh ehh..."

The bus driver retracted the door. About 5 seconds after that the door closed again. Her trolly was not completely out yet.

Again.

"Eh, eh ehh..."
with the lady behind me hitting the bus railing. *hit hit hit*

I was holding my laughter after the 2nd eh eh.
Typical humans. They make a sound of caution and it's only 1 syllable.

Thank God the bus driver knows the sound of human caution.

I bet you'd be saying that too.
*with ass halfway up from seat, big eyes and hand in position to catch* 
=D

Take.A.Walk

Summer is coming to an end. And what ends every season here is the Dult carnival. (yes again)
It's time for beers, pretzels and traditional costumes. For them not me.

I took a walk to ease my pain.

They once had this in MJC for the Europark funfair or something like that.
TAGADAA~ was its name. A fond memory of my terrified best friend holding her sister.

Trying luck in fishing paper bags.. at least they got free toys.
Tough luck fishing Nintendos and PS3s out of paper bags. Marketing gimmick.

Alladin soars high on his ride.

Seriously the pretzels here are that big. In comparison to the lady's head.

A classic Bavarian culture.

Call me lame, I take comfort in the kitchen utensils stall.

 Than we had grill buffet for dinner.

Today is TODAY

I had panda eyes for work. It's Saturday and I worked at 8am.

Deep down I just wanted to go back and talk to someone familiar. Someone who does not judge me and just love me as I am.

Than someone commented my last post with this video.



Than again, live is about living and loving. (Maybe money most of the time)
There are things that matter more than material things. People who matter to you the most. My three piece family. I felt like I've disappointed them.

But for now, I thank God for today, and hopefully a tomorrow which we are very uncertain of.

And I've been ironing and arranging high end products the whole week.

Keep.it.Square

You own chocolate factory at home.

1. Tempered chocolate, your choice of dark or milk chocolate.

2. Your favorite chocolate filling : almonds, strawberry etc.

3. Mix and mold.

4. Knock all air bubbles out.

5. Wait 30 minutes to indulge in your chocolate creation.

*scratch scratch*

Ritter Sport Bunte Schokowelt, Berlin.

I know you want some.

Make some.

Failing to take risks

is different from risking to fail.

Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, “I have failed three times,” and what happens when he says, “I am a failure.”

Anoynamous

Like no human is perfect, Albert Einstein had speech difficulty at a very young age and some may refer to him as "slow". Now, the world won't be a better place without him.

How many of us had never failed in life?

It's all about how we react to our failures.



We never plan to fail.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

Thomas Edison

But my Jesus will never fail me. He has a reason for everything.

TickTock goes the same old clock

There are times when the hardest thing is making a decision. Sometimes the hardest thing is to give up after all the hard work done. And sometimes its just trying to just have that little leap of faith that everything is going to work out.

When that time comes, tears are even hard to shed because shedding has been done so many times that it does not even matter. Life is tough. Something that everyone knows very well, no matter which ladder you climb in life of how fat your bank account is.

The future is so uncertain that it's just sometimes useless to even think about it. Like how many percent of your present plan would even work out after all your hard work? And at times, things just backfire and it's all gone.

And to most of us, it gets tiring everyday doing the same thing, going back to the same place with nothing that could make a calender colorful. What has this life got to offer you and others around you? How big are your problems compared to those living in tents in the war zone?

Kitchen.Training

Ali's Birthday Cake : Banana Cake

My hand on Hawker Food : Char Kuey Tiaw (is that how you spell it?)

My hands on Mamak Food : Mee Goreng Mamak

Hands on Baking : Kaya Buns (kaya sponsored by Andrina)

Sarawakian Food : Sarawak Laksa (paste brought by Alau)

I made rendang for dinner last night, tried making similar Sugar Bun meals last weekend, baked one of the best Chocolate Banana Cupcakes for Wans birthday last Friday. Which all I did'nt have a picture of. Kind of regretting selling my digital camera. =S

Obviously I'm all for Malaysian Food. Sign me in if there is any Masterchef Malaysia in the future.

What should I try next?

Berlin : With.All.Due.Respect

Some things you may make fun of, not knowing that it hurts others around you.

And some things are taken seriously.

I never liked it when people say, Owh your going to Hitlers country, Hitlers people and what so. As a person living here, I've seen great changes far from what this country used to be back then. So much more developed than home.

And a terribly dark past is not what its citizen likes to be associated with. It's not like Malaysians looking up to the British just because they so called came to give us education. We were once slaves and if it was not for Independence that we fought for, I'll still be carrying water at 5am in the morning. Yet, we are still proud of being under slavery and colonized once upon a time.

Do that to the westerners, they'll leave no room for colonization to grow. They do not want to reveal the dark past under A.H, what more to talk about him. As his name is a Taboo, so is he. No mimicking, no posing like him. Yes, it's taken seriously. If not, you might end up in prison.

So the next time you're trying to make fun of their past, think of those people who died, those who had lost their parents and dead bodies lying around. It's nothing funny.

And don't forget that their deadly past too brought you cars that you'll only dream of having.

Berlin : zurück von Sandinavien

A marathon of not having to bath (for the others except for me!)
I was having my skin disorder and was wailing to have a shower but end up not having one. Bathed with wet wipes for 2 days. I could have showered though. For 5€. In Copenhagen it was 20 Danish Crones for a shower. And and extra 5 Crones to put your makeup, brush your teeth and wash your feet at the sink.
Very strangle blood.

I was running out of fresh clothes. Putting used clothes on again would me more red dots. By the time we reached Berlin Hbf (where I was planning to shower) I instead went into shops to get a few pairs of new clothes and a handbag. Then I called another one in to see my handbag, she came out with a new belt. Women are so weak when it comes to spending money.

Dreading the day un-showered, with no available lockers to put our belongings in we decided to just check-in our hostel. It was around 12pm. Thankfully we can get to our rooms. So than everyone had their chance for a shower. Except one who slept.

Happy after a fresh shower with make-up on.

So we started walking Berlin after my legs almost died walking Copenhagen and Malmö. Now that everyone decided to go to Sea Life. We cracked our heads to get the cheapest price. Schlau.

I've been drinking Punica for a long time cos it's one of my favorite drink. And I have this perangai of looking at its packaging to find something different. You know what I found? Coupons for Sea Life, Madame Taussauds and Legoland. So we had our plan going. Cun betul there was a Netto on the way to Checkpoint Charlie.

Only Multivitamin bottles have coupons on them. With the coupon, one pays a normal price and another gets a free entrance. Tong-tong sorang, only 8€ per person. Pandey..



This is Checkpoint Charlie. The once was a border of Heaven and Hell.

Tangkap gambar sama itu pak guard misti mau bayar woo

Back then, hardly anyone who crosses this border escapes alive. Now, it's all history.

The present ruins of the Berlin Wall. Walk without fear of being shot in the head.

And some turned into artwork. It was a really bright shiny day. The sun was happy.

People drinking on this cycling beer bike were happy.

We were happy.

So semangat with the fish on our heads. I was the last to take it off.

You'll be so yummy on a steamed platter with mushrooms and ginger.

The mystical sea dragon and the deadly jellyfish. Jellyfishes do not have brains nor bones. It's just like sea plastic.

The best of Sea Life Berlin is this enormous tank, the AquaDom which is the world's largest cylindrical aquarium where were we taken up by a lift in it's center.

Interesting ey Berlin?

Berlin : Ich.war.da

Berlin to me has the best to offer. Amongst the other places, things you find in Berlin can't be found anywhere else in Germany.

A city with so much history and so much culture, which at more than eleven years ago, this place was a living hell.

Pretty as it is, Berlin is swarmed with tourists both local and international. Places of interests are all close by and their bus system is the best I've experienced. With generally all buses are double decked, it's even equipped with good air-conditioning. Not that Rapid KL does not have it, but top it of with frequent every 10 minutes punctual arrival. Even on Sundays.

Bundestag : House of the Parliament of Germany

Our hellos to Bundeskanslerin Angela Merkel

Try doing that at the Malaysian Parliament grounds.

Not to be missed : Brandenburger Tor (which is in every German workbook since I've started German four years ago)

There's a massive number of people on bikes. Some tour from Belgium. I'll loose my ass if I ever ride that far.

A tiny detail not to be missed in Berlin is the Ampelmann (which I've also seen in German Workbooks)

 Hotel Adlon : Micheal Jackson Fans wouldn't miss out on this one. The time MJ put his dear Blanket out for show.

The Berliner Dom : Dated back 1451, when dinosaurs still rule. 

Than it started to rain. Obviously shown with the big bright blue umbrella.

This was when we just arrived at Berlin. That night we took the bus to Copenhagen.