Cultural differences

I once wrote about the similarities between Malaysian (especially Malays) and Indonesian which are due to the same roots that both country have (the link can be found here - http://howmanthink.blogspot.com/2009/01/indonesia.html). This is true as much as most Malaysian wouldn't be caught dead being said to be an Indonesian. As most Indonesians who work in Malaysia are maids and hard labourers, Malaysian treat them as such. As Malaysia and Indonesia as a country itself had their own conflict which nearly escalate to full-blown war, thankfully averted, the people seems to do the same.

However, as much as we are the same, I sometimes wonder how history can lead us to be so culturally different. The language, the meaning od the same word and the reference to the same brand but different usage for it. Of course the similarities are there but as we chart our own course, we tend to divert from the same path. Malaysia took the road less familiar by transforming itself from a small country to a country vocal on it's stand (regardless of the people's stands) and Indonesia just trying to survive everyday life as it encompass nearly the whole of South East Asia.

Taste of food, how you order certain food, education, politics and culture. Malaysia and Indonesia once even fight over the song's origin as Malaysia used the song 'Rasa Sayang Eh...' to promote Malaysia in Indonesia. In all actuality, all music history teachers knows that a cord or a tone being changed can turn a melody from being Chinese to Malay to Indian. Like the band Queen once asked in one of it's last song "What are fighting for?".

It's not that bad if you look at it on certain point's but Indonesia is to Malaysia is like Malaysia is to Singapore. One is considered poorer in term of economic reach but the other always hated the other's for it. It is the perfect example of  can't live with them, can't live without them. Truth be told, being neighbouring countries, we depend on each other.

What I miss most when I travel

FOOD....!!!!

That one word is enough to sum up the need to dig in into the familiar food that I miss when I travel. Malaysian are known for loving food up to the point of being ridiculous as we can enjoy whatever food which we consider as our ultimate delicacy anywhere from a Michelin's endorsed fine dining restaurant to a small stall under a tree. We are known to look for our favourite food in the wee hour of the morning up until late at night and sometimes at both time we would eat the same dish but at different place.

As much as we love to try new dish in far-off place which we have never tasted before such as that ox-tail soup in central Java or ox innards in southern China or that whole lamb including it's head in the middle east (all these I have tasted and love), I would give an arm and a leg to enjoy all these dishes with my favourite drink, something I never found to be made properly wherever in the world, even in the place of it's origin, a nice tall glass of 'teh tarik' or a glass of tea with milk which are put through a rigorious procedure which make it foaming at the top. It never taste the same except in Malaysia.

I tried it in London, Perth, Indonesia and a few other places but it was never the same as my neighbourhood's mamak. So, that was why I was there yesterday morning drinking the same concoction as if I was away far too long and not just in a neighbouring country with nearly the same food on offer. Go figure!

Hanky

I scoffed at the idea once when my wife suggested that I bring a handkerchief in my pocket. As nowadays most of my shirt don't have a pocket and no one in Malaysia wears a jacket under the hot sun (except so very few, most of my things are in my trouser's pockets and having a handkerchief will just make it more bulgy.

It all started when I have to use a classroom which only had fans to cool off the persons in it (there are still some classrooms using these primitive mode of cooling a room. Although it help the environment, it is never enough to cool the Malaysian weather). Being Malaysia, with it's hot weather and coupled with my easeness of sweating, I will be soaked by the time I came into class, especially the afternoon class. When I have to wipe the sweat of my brow and face and all over my body I actually used my hands. Gross right? One of my students had the mind of passing me some face tissue for me to wipe of my sweaty brows.

My wife bought me a hankerchief when I told her the story of my suffering. I refused to use it at first as it was just cramping my style. I relented after I keep on sweating and would have done so even in the morning. So, I swallowed my pride and now, I have succumbed to being a lot like my father, who always have a hanky in his pocket...

One hanky too many

Recovering from trips

Each time I landed in KLIA or LCCT, the international airports which I used to access my own hometown, I will always struck by the feeling that I may need to have another holiday. Either the trip which I just back from was for leisure or business. Whether I slept the whole time I was in the plane or I was wide awake. Whether it was just a 45 minutes plane ride or a 14 hours flight (which is the most I have been on a plane).

It is not that I don't know how to take care of my jetlag. I have been to a few trips outside of Malaysia which require me to adjust back to the Malaysian time. What I usually do is to sleep like I am in Malaysia while I was on the plane and if I land during the day time, I actually goes straight to work and only sleep at night, albeit a bit earlier. Today I am coming back from Jakarta which include a trip to Bandung. The time different may not really play a factor but the mood maybe different.

Anyway, this is more of the feeling you just want to stay in the comfort zone of the holiday that you just had. This is about not really wanting to go back to reality. Especially of the trip is a good one. I rarely had bad trips as any bad thing which happened in a trip is just another setback which we don't dwell on. Missed connections, missing luggage, noisy passengers and all those things you have to travel during a trip. It is just like another day if you don't go anywhere. Why let it spoil your mood?

Until you really do have to go back home...

From this

To this

Tiger vs. Dragon (Updated)

Today is the second day of Chinese New Year. Being a Malaysian, I am also sometimes influenced by Chinese belief like Chinese astrology. I am a Tiger in the Chinese Astrology. My wife is a Dragon. I think I am a Wood Tiger (Tiger Wood?) and my wife is a Fire Dragon. Not sure but maybe others who were born in 1974 and 1976 can confirm whether this is the right signs. If true, just imagine what the fire can do to the wood although the animals are nearly equivalent in it's ferocity and strength. According to legends we read about.

Those who really believe and understand these Chinese astrology signs taught me about the compability of Tiger and Dragon. The person who taught me this was the partner in the legal firm where I chambered. She was 8 years older than me making her the next generation of dragon. In that firm, she was the other partner who was not my master. I was so 'ngam' or compatible (no thesaurus to check another word for it) with her that we had a problem with my master (the lawyer who is responsible to ensure you learn about lawyering), who is also a lady, who said we were spending too much time together.

The other tiger in the house

When you are doing your chambering, you are supposed to stick to your master like glue on paper. Your lessons will be taught by observing him (or her in my case) do all the lawyerly stuff and do his bidding. In my case, as my master was always out of the office in contrast with her partner, I would always be left with her partner and we would be devising so many reasons to be together. I remembered that the year that I was chambering, it was the World Cup of 1998. We would take bets which team would win the game the night before. The one who wins had to pay for lunch the next day. I was betting on Brazil when they lost to France that year. I bought her lunch that day.

It is also the same with my wife. Our interest in books actually make us closer together. We sometimes just take a book, go read it in a coffee shop or if we are on holiday, one of our activity is reading a book by the beach or the pool. Up to a certain extent, maybe being compatible due to the year that you are born may ring true somehow or another but to build a lasting relationship is another matter. Compatability is just a small factor.

Are there any compatibility in any other Chinese astrology animals, I wonder?

Indonesia

Our nearest neighbouring country which I can connect to easily must be Indonesia. It may have to do most Malays came from that country one time of another. I did follow my mom in 1994 going back to the place where our ancestors came from in Sumatra. Being of Negeri Sembilan descendants, we can trace back our heritage to the exact kampung. When they came to Negeri Sembilan, these Indonesian have divided themselves according to the place that they came from. Being under a matrilineal descent system, the womenfolk of my kampung are said to be more dominant than the men that legend has it, there are a lot of men in other part of Malaysia who are afraid of marrying Negeri Sembilan's girls as they may lost their property to them.

As you, my readers, are reading this post, I will be in the middle of a Java town called Bandung. Legendary for it's beautiful women (so I heard), I am on holiday as the town of Kuala Lumpur shuts down for it's Chinese New Year celebration. I have bought a ticket to this town for a short excursion to sightsee at one of the big town of Indonesia. I have been to quite a few towns in Indonesia including Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Bali and Bukit Tinggi but I have never been to Bandung. In Malaysia, the word Bandung is used to describe certain food and drink which actually does not have any relevant association with the town of Bandung itself. The joke is to go to Bandung and ask for that particular drink or food and you will receive a scratching head. It shows that in Malaysia branding has been in existence long ago...

Another Malaysian eccentricity when it comes to us being in Indonesia, we always seem to switch to talking to Indonesian language. This also happens when we talk to an Indonesian who works in Malaysia. Although nearly most of our words are the same, they have different meaning for different words so much so that a few of our profanities are actually just an everyday words in Indonesia. These are source of in-joke for Malaysians when we are in Indonesia. I am hoping to have a relaxing time in Bandung. They say the town of Bandung is a bit higher than any other town in Indonesia. That maybe also the reasons their women are so fair. Don't worry, I am here with the wife and high on her to-do list is to shop until she drops which is another of Bandung's speciality.

Pangkor Laut Resort

Last year, I had the chance of experiencing one of the luxurious holiday that Malaysia have to offer. It is on an island leased by one of Malaysian biggest company, YTL Corporation which is turned into a resort. Pangkor Laut resort can be considered as one of the dream vacation I had have since I saw it being frequented by a lot of famous people like the later Pavarotti and Joan Collins to name a few. Then when Sports Illustrated did a photo shoot for it's year end issue, I know that I just have to go there one day.

It became a reality last year when I was given a substitute room in Pangkor Laut as a year before I went to YTL's property in Bali but when I arrived, the property was not properly ready yet. This Pangkor Laut Resort trip was as way for YTL to say they are sorry and I should enjoy a complimentary stay there. I upgraded to a better room or should I say chalet, as I asked for the stilted water chalet which is more expensive than what was offered. I had to pay a little but it was worth every penny. Here are some pictures of the trip...

My own fish spa

The pond


I am quiet a lazy person especially when it comes to things which I need to do around the house. However, when it comes to my small pond which can be considered like a small fish spa with guppies by the hundreds in it and with some as big as the size of a thumb, I love feeding them every morning even though the part involving any form of cleaning it usually are left to my wife. The only other part that I play other than feeding them is making such the water spouting device which it has is functional as there's a lot of weed stuck to it's sucker after some times.

The fish

It just when there are so many of them in the small pond, I am reminded of the fish spa that is sprouting all over Malaysia in which the fishes eat the dead skin of your feet and you will feel them as if they are massaging your feet. These fish spas are also offering franchise to those who wants to buy it and I was even offered to do so with an email. I am just wondering whether with these guppies that I have whether I can just make a bigger pond for my neighbours to come and put in their feet into it. My fishes seem hungry enough...

If I can just train them to make them eat dead skin cells...

This is how we partied....

The day : Saturday night

The time : 8pm - 1am

The place : Outside one of the house at the adjacent street of mine

The reason : It was in honour of some South Korean students who was staying in one of the neighbour's house

Participants : That particular street neighbours with us as the only outside guests

The theme : BBQ with one whole lamb being devoured up to the last bone.

The entertainment : A projector with a screen and some singing

The victim being roasted





The chef from a famous hotel in Petaling Jaya




Some chicken for those watching their diet




A would-be chef?



Hungry neighbours...



The utensils...




The big screen





The entertainment

Where's my sex party?

I was reading the Star newspaper last week when I came across an article about sex parties which seem to be the trend nowadays in Malaysia. It is not just among adults but is also rampant among kids as young as 14. It seems it is all the rage now.

I don't actually think it is a new problem if you want to call it that (sex parties among adult I mean) as all those who participate must have been aware what they are getting into, regardless whether the issue is about religion, health or moral. Or whatever other problem you want to associate it with. It was just that during those years when I am still a young strapping young man I was never invited to such an event or let us just call it an orgy. It may have to do with my look which I would say to be below average in the 'look' department. Or it may be the company I kept.

Wait, does being in the apartment while two of your friends past you by, with each bringing a girl into their own room, while I am sitting outside in the living room, trying to ignore the noise coming from the rooms, considered being involved in a sex party? Or how about when you live with don't know how many housemates in an apartment and every night one of them will bring one of their girlfriend home, sometimes more than one, and they will be sleeping all around the house (some were really just sleeping) while you came in and go sleep in your own corner, considered being in one too. In the second scenario, I did wake up a few times with a girl beside me, who seemed always to be locked out of her apartment as she love partying till late and don't have anywhere to sleep. She was really sleeping then albeit there were time it seems we were in a compromising position.

Unless sex parties must be something well planned and there are rules and regualations before it can be considered as one, I must have been in a few too. Oh well, not I have answered my own question, why now does the authority realised this? Those experiences of mine were during the early part of 2000s...




Nowadays, mine just have two participants...