I love/hate Malaysia
Hello, Malaysia’s national day is around the corner. 31st August to be exact. That was when we kicked British ass and gained independence from their oppressive rule!
Okay, we didn’t actually fight them, nor did we throw crates of tea overboard. We basically went to London and negotiated our independence (probably having a cup of tea in the process).
There is a lot to complain about my country, and there is a lot to love too!
I’ll start with the bad things:
- Horrible Public Transportation
- The Light Rail Transit is overcrowded, dirty and smelly.
- Buses arrive late ( if they arrive at all).
- Dishonest taxi drivers.
- Racism
I will comment on this on a personal level. During year 3 of high school, I was disappointed when I came back to school after the semester break. There was a visible divide among the Malays and non-Malays. Friends that used to be close didn’t really speak to each other and gangs were formed.The tension was so high that a small spark would trigger of a fight.I once was personally involved in a fight with this other boy. We made up the next day, but the gangs were trying to make a bigger issue out of it and they wanted to fight.
- Bad Service Culture
Every counter staff (at shopping malls or at government offices) seem to be having Pre-Menstrual Stress every hour, every day of the week. If you see one of them smile, you are not in Malaysia.
Enough negativity, here is why I Love Malaysia:
- Food
We have the perfect combination of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western cuisine. There’s even food that you cannot find anywhere else in the world ! Oh how I miss Nasi Lemak, Bak Kut Teh, Char Kuey Teow, Banana Leaf Rice, Nasi Kandar and many more. - Corrupt Cops
When you are stopped over by the police while driving, the standard procedure is to slip a 50 Ringgit note in their notepads when they ask you “Macam mana?” (which translates to “So what do we do now?”). No expensive fines! - Pirated Movies
Say what you want about copyright laws, I love 10 Ringgit DVDs. - Natural Beauty
I miss the trees that line the adjacent street where I live. I also miss the little forest where I used to go for walks and visit the monkeys. - Night Life
Seems that Malaysians have forgotten how to sleep. Even at 4am I can go outside and find some friends or food. Or play computer games. - It’s home
Like they say , home is where the heart is. And my heart is a thousand miles from here.
In conclusion, I love and hate my country. For better or worse, I am still Malaysian and I do hope that it grows in a good direction. Now go hug a Malaysian.
Happy 50th Merdeka Malaysia!
chou chou *pat pat* im sure u have spoken for many other people
haha … when there’s love, there’s hate haha 
There’s a fine line between love and hate.
Banana leaf! haha i still remember the luxurious indian curry house u brought us to. Yummy licious ^_^
Apart from all the similarities and differences, I bet we all still love our country very much. It’s where we call home.
The counter staff at McD’s do smile… but i guess that would count as a small piece of America in Malaysia. lol
You left out horrible traffic in malaysia too… If only the slow drivers would not be so kiasu to think that they need to be infront all the time, then traffic won’t be so bad. :p
yeah ,i love the corrupt cops and cheaplak DVD policy.. Malaysia Boleh
well said. But after a few years in Australia, i dun think you want to return home.
I have a lot of friends who complain at first but eventually they do not want to come home as they realise that they are treated better and have better quality of living in another country….They only prefer to come home to see their relatives and only for a short holiday. Other than that, they do not wish to stay for a long period of time. Sad huh?
I agree on the food though…keke…this is the first thing you would miss when u fly out of malaysia. But good food is just aint enough….Sigh.
Totally agree with some of your comments , except the not friendly counter staff and taxi drivers thingy. Majority of them are dishonest and rude, but you have to remember that there are always ppl like that whereever you are, dude. That said, did you know tere are SHARKS in the Brisbane River? BULL sharks…freshwater dwelling! 6-8 FEET LONG!
Phew, luckily there has only been one human fatality, Jase, waaay back 80 years ago! So, boys and girls, think twice abt going into the water!
Hmm…wonder if you could do a strip on Sharks in Brisbane, LOL..itll be funny, though.
i couldn’t agree more with what you said, but you seems to be much happier in Australia, maybe a couple more years then you will miss home…
[michy]
well, I’m glad I have spoken for you ^_^
[evie]
yes ! the pride of our nation, at least to me …
[cazzy]
ooOOoo . care to elaborate on your blog ?
[voch]
haaha , the place looks so nice but the food so cheap right ! it’s like a treasure in the curve.
[dood]
hahaha , which macdonalds ? I need to see this …
[spookygrace]
hahaha, I don’t really like the cops. It was originally in the HATE section, but funny how similar it is ..
[pk]
I’ll only be in Australia for one year, and yes I love some of the things here. Good hospitality, excellent public transport, really nice weather .. etc.
Better standard of living ? I don’t know yet cause I haven’t worked here …
[adam]
the bull sharks thing was kinda random . hehe.
[niss]
I miss home for the people, the food and the places I used to hang out.
And all the bloggers I could meet in real life .. haha.
THANKS JASE..;p
I AIM TO RANDOMISE! HEH!
Let me pour some fuel on the fire: cops more interested in duit kopi than doing real police duties like catching criminals: the police once didn’t come to a home because the robber was still in the house. Their excuse? ‘Banyak paperwork nanti la’. Their Cybercrime division’s chief activity, as you well know, is catching self-identified Malaysian bloggers for comments by their readers. Mat rempits everywhere. A backward sense of Melayu land ownership that is forced down the throats of 2nd and 3rd generation Malaysians. Idiots leading the country. Of course, government efficiency. It must say something when paying RM1 at a government building to some dodgy character gets your license processed faster (apparently they just run up to the queue for you).
omg, those comments tat came in.
corrupted cops, no comment. remember me receiving the threatening letter from so-call police family member after I posted up an entry bout police? Nonsense!
me>amy>leyOn: OMG! Ahhaa be careful with whatcha write! Not that i am concerned or anything, but you might just get poor jason into trouble with the long arm of the law if you post such a slanderous things! Im no angel and all, just take it easy there, tiger! I know our country is not perfect, just be THNAKFUL to GOD that we are not in war-torn countries or countries with political instabilities and extreme coruption; heck look at China, Philliphines and Thailand = So dammed screwed up and super corrupt! Chinese food and exported itmes all dam crap etc etc
Considering he isn’t breaking any particular laws at the moment (his server is hosted in Hong Kong as far as I know) he should be fine. Add that to the fact he doesn’t have anything too identifiable (or shouldn’t, being an IT grad) and he should be fine
[leon]
You see , the reason why I didn’t blog about those issues, is because I don’t have enough references to back it up. You notice a lot of their “references” come from each other ? That’s not really good research if you ask my opinion.
[amy]
Yeah , but that threat was from a blog reader itself . It’s okay that we blog about our personal experiences. That shoudn’t be a problem if it’s true right ? We’re not being particularly racist , or anti-government. just against that one police …
and yes , they can’t touch me cause i’m hosted in hong kong and i’m blogging from australia.
Me>leyOn>Jase: OK..haha..that makes for a good argument! I didnt know
that your server is Hong Kong Mari…gosh am i a hypocrite or what?
My bad!
=P
See..this is what happens if you dont know where the source of blogs come from! BLOG ON, dude!
Born a Malaysian, die a Malaysian…no matter where you are…Home is where the heart is…home sweet home! Happy 50th birthday Malaysia!
Hey, thanks for giving me an insider’s view of Malaysia. I love stuff like this.
you forgot about the horrible public toilets!!! :O
you know.. i would’ve agreed with you in a heartbeat half a year ago. but now, I think that m’sia is pretty damn great. chat with u online about it nx time
xxox