Weather's cool. It has been raining for the past few days. It's wonderful when it rain. It's more quiet and serene.
What better things to do than to go for a nice massage. So, Alpinesis and I decided to go to this Holistic thingy in Bangsar for a massage. It was very relaxing. While I was day dreaming, an old conversation with an old friend came flashing back to me:
Old Friend: "Why wanna migrate? Malaysia not good meh?"
me: "What's so good?"
OF: "Ai.. you don't know how to enjoy.. good things are cheap here.. like, for example a good massage. It's rm60 here. Try to see how much it is in Western country. IT WILL KILL YOU. Anything labour or services cost a bomb there. Do you want to fix your own plumbing? Or assemble your own furniture? Or, gasp! fix your own car?"
me: "Well, at least their food and groceries are cheap."
OF: "BOLLOCKS!... can you get a nice cup of tea for a dollar? I am not talking about those crappy 3-in-1. I am talking about a nice teh tarik with milk and sugar. What about movies? Have you even tried EATING OUT in USA? The tip itself will turn you pale!"
me: "um.. um.. car is cheap!"
OF: "Petrol is not"
me: "Public transport is efficient"
OF: "Try walking to the train station in winter"
me: "There you go! 4 seasons!"
OF: "You have a/c in Malaysia and with the right technician, you can *cough* cut your lektrik bill by half"
me: "FREE MEDICALLLLL"
OF: "40% TAXXXXXXXX"
I give up.
So, something positive about Malaysia in my blog eh?
Perhaps it is the nice rainy weather.
What better things to do than to go for a nice massage. So, Alpinesis and I decided to go to this Holistic thingy in Bangsar for a massage. It was very relaxing. While I was day dreaming, an old conversation with an old friend came flashing back to me:
Old Friend: "Why wanna migrate? Malaysia not good meh?"
me: "What's so good?"
OF: "Ai.. you don't know how to enjoy.. good things are cheap here.. like, for example a good massage. It's rm60 here. Try to see how much it is in Western country. IT WILL KILL YOU. Anything labour or services cost a bomb there. Do you want to fix your own plumbing? Or assemble your own furniture? Or, gasp! fix your own car?"
me: "Well, at least their food and groceries are cheap."
OF: "BOLLOCKS!... can you get a nice cup of tea for a dollar? I am not talking about those crappy 3-in-1. I am talking about a nice teh tarik with milk and sugar. What about movies? Have you even tried EATING OUT in USA? The tip itself will turn you pale!"
me: "um.. um.. car is cheap!"
OF: "Petrol is not"
me: "Public transport is efficient"
OF: "Try walking to the train station in winter"
me: "There you go! 4 seasons!"
OF: "You have a/c in Malaysia and with the right technician, you can *cough* cut your lektrik bill by half"
me: "FREE MEDICALLLLL"
OF: "40% TAXXXXXXXX"
I give up.
So, something positive about Malaysia in my blog eh?
Perhaps it is the nice rainy weather.
Next time go massage, get your OF - I want to massage sekali and debat on this topic Msia vs USA , or Msia vs other countries ( until i find the suitable country for me) - On USA, 40% tax on higher income earner (same like us)- most US cities road tolls are free, there is unemployment 6 to 12 mths cash to collect, petrol full tank for camry still USD 35 2.0 cc car - and people earning same level of income as us ..eg fresh Uni graduate in CA is USD 2500 to 3500 - for $35 full tank petrol - mahal meh ? Carparks outside major cities are mostly free, chinese buffet is USD 8 - 10 ( dun convert back to RM ) , here buffet berapa digit ? watch musical is USD 50 - 80 nia, here berapa digit here ? US folks buy hse - ready built, can see, can touch, chances of kena tipu less. Of coz there are many negative things in US, but when i think of what i get now in this land that i am stepping on - somehow i get nothing or very less. I asked many people thesedays - most of them give me 2 reasons for staying here - cheap sedap local food and family / parents. Food is not a concern for me. Too bad stuck with family ...sad to say, I'm an anti-msian at this moment ...
ReplyDeleteAi.. don't use America as comparison lar. That is like the RICHEST country in the world. No one country can compare to America. Read this story, Cool Britannia and you will see that a British staying in America is condemning her own country as expensive. Of course, if you plan to emigrate, I'd advice you to go America too. Why not choose the best eh?
ReplyDeleteAlso by this same author, who claimed to be a graduate of Cambridge University in UK, on how to get into America illegally :)
hmm... home is where the heart is! I have always wanted to leave this place but after awhile... i realized that I have so much to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteStill I hope at the end of the day, I will make the right decisions either to stay or leave. But as years goes by, i realized somethings that cannot be bought or compared to all the material things in the world, that is your family. In your times of sadness, or in need who will be there to willing provide that link of support... to provide you with solace?
You can have all the material things in the world, be in the most advance country, but if you feel empty inside - its like being dead. No money can change that...
Hopefully, I too will make the right decisions on where home will be some day.
Well mystic.. home is in KL. But you just want to stay a few years overseas. Don't la go and call the other country home. With this mentality, it is easier to go overseas :P
ReplyDeleteI will call Malaysia my home, the place where I grew up. Some thought I was one of those people that dislike Malaysia after drinking few years salt water but I am not. I couldn't quite fit into the society even before I went over to aussieland. I was Chinese educated, couldn't speak English well. My high school was miserable because schoolmates spoke fluent English. Malaysian men find me too tall, too cool. I don't know what was that for me if I were stayed in KL.
ReplyDeletePersonally, where you were born and raised is very important. Becoz your upbringing were surrounded by the local cultures and ties you had bond with people who grew up with you. These are call memories. Yes Malaysia is someway not up to the supercities or even with 4 seasons weather, but ask someone who lives in Tokyo or Sydney, ask what they like!
ReplyDeleteThey will tell you they wish their train is not as pack and over crowded. Or they tell you they wish summer is here so they can get their nice tan.
The net of it, human never satisifies. You may want to migrate to overseas, however, in the end of the day it's those MEMORIES or the Roots that you had that shape up your life and hence you call a place like Malaysia, my home.
I agree with AR. I am a nostlagic person. I still talk to my old friend, Loochoomus about the good times at school. We still gossips about our friends. KL is still home where the family and friends are.
ReplyDeleteBut it's still ok to go overseas for a few years for the experience. For example, Loochoomus' wife may get an assignment for 2 years in Vietnam. He's looking forward to it and I encourage him to go. It's a lifetime experience.. but home is still in MY.
I want to go AU too to get the experience but I'd still call KL my home.
Unless of course I grew roots in AU, which is highly unlikely.