It's natural for Malaysians to react negatively when conversations of our southern neighbour arises. The reasons for these negative reactions likely stem from their superior attitude, arrogance and selfishness. And of course, their "kiasu"ness. But that's a pretty harsh verdict to heap on an entire nation of people. Therefore, I would restate the above by saying that many, not all, have a tendency to be like that! :P
Personally, my dealings with them have been relatively pleasant but mostly, lacking in sincerity ~ notwithstanding all of the above. Interestingly enough, despite all these, I got along very well with one Singaporean friend. She is born and bred there although since graduation, she worked overseas for several years ~ a stint in China and another in Malaysia. I used to joke that her "stints" away from home have been character building ones and made her into the person she is today, muting all the negative traits without losing many of the positive traits of a Singaporean.
The other thing I do not like about Singapore is that I feel extremely suffocated in that concrete jungle. High rise buildings aplenty and very few "green" places available to get away from it all. Food is another issue as my first encounter many, many years ago, with the Singaporean sweet sauce wantan noodles there has scarred me for life. My memory of Singaporean food had always been that single plate of wantan noodles. *shivers*
However, a recent sojourn to Kiasuland has changed some of my less than flattering views of our southern neighbour. I was pleasantly surprised by their amateur theatre. It was pretty impressive and I had a ball of a time watching two plays at the cost of only Sgd 30. Over here, we have to pay at least RM50 for a play. Dollar to Ringgit comparison, it's far more worth watching the play in Singapore if I earned Singapore Dollars.
Next, the food. I thought I'd never live to see the day I'd say this. My friend took me to a fish head noodle soup hawker stall in Holland Village. It was delicious and far exceeded my expectations. Even the touristy Newton Circle offered some pretty good seafood dishes. And surprisingly enough, the cost of food in Singapore is much cheaper if I earned in Singapore Dollars.
Overall, the cost of living, other than the cost of condos, seems generally cheaper than in Malaysia. And even though Singaporeans pay a lot for their condos, the maintenance and services are a whole lot better. At the end of the day, the nett nett effect could be that we are better off purchasing a condo in Singapore!
What impressed me most on this trip is the national and public libraries! When the Singapore Government says they want to inculcate the reading habit, they go all out to ensure that the people gain easy access to the public libraries which are equipped with a wide variety of old and new books, CDs, VCDs and DVDs, which could be borrowed by members. Membership is cheap and easy to register. I think all it takes is a payment of Sgd 10 to be a member. Books, CDs, VCDs and DVDs are properly indexed and keyed into a central database that could be access via several computers in these libraries. And borrowers can borrow from one location and return at another as the entire computer system is linked between the national and public libraries. IMPRESSIVE!
I wonder if we could implement this in KL. Even as I say this, I also wonder if Malaysians have the honesty to return the borrowed books; seeing as how many refused to/ pretend to forget to repay the government study loans long after they have graduated and started working. The state of our libraries leaves much to be desired as well. I can't even remember the last time I walked into a public library. All I remembered was that many of the books in the public libraries were old and outdated.
As my soujourn to Singapore drew to a close, I can't help wondering that if I could start seeing Singapore in a better light now, perhaps my perspective of her people might eventually improve if I give them a chance.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
A biking we went ... weeeeee!
Gosh! A full weekend free from work and other commitments! I feel absolutely liberated. But alas, it went by too quickly.
Guess I can no longer deny the fact that I am a child of nature and the great outdoors. The first opportunity I get, it's off to the hills!
With a few of the "siau gang" in tow, namely Supermom Mary and Canadian Kyle of my poetry "The Perfect Man" fame (and a newbie, Aubrey) we went for a short but strenuous bike ride on Saturday evening. Up Kiara Hill we went. For those who frequent Kiara Hill, you would be able to empathise with us. Running or jogging up Kiara Hill is enough to cause shortness of breath. Biking up that hill ... boy! ... I must be mad! OK, ok. It was a challenge from another friend who said that it is not easy for beginners (as in beginners for mountain bikers) to finish the trek, and I so wanted to prove him wrong!
So up the hill we went ~ huffing and puffing. I swear my calves and thighs almost gave way in the initial 100+ metres, but I persevered. Using low gears and rotating between sitting and straddling the seat, I managed to ride the bike to the top and the starting point of the trek. From there, we had an easy downward ride but instead of going straight from that point, we turned left instead so that we could "enjoy" the steeper trail up at the end of the loop.
There was another trail that leads off to the Kiara Equestrain Club, which I had always wanted to explore. So, off the beaten trek we went. Weeee ... It was an exhilarating downward journey! But a painful upward one. At the beginning of the upward trail, Supermom Mary had "chain" problems. The front gear chain was stuck and we couldn't push it to the smaller gears. Kyle and Aubrey went ahead whilst I helped Supermom Mary with her "chain". The night was fast approaching but the "chain" remained stubborn. A nice uncle (who was taking his evening walk) was concerned and told us that we should get out of the place soon as it was getting real dark. Luckily with a bit more brute strength and a turn of the pedal counter clockwise, we managed to "unstuck" the chain.
Finally, by dusk, we have completed the trail. What a ride! But then, the muscle aches were relentless the next day. Oh well, just shows that I need to practise more before attempting the more challenging slopes of KKB and Genting.
I live in hope! :)
Guess I can no longer deny the fact that I am a child of nature and the great outdoors. The first opportunity I get, it's off to the hills!
With a few of the "siau gang" in tow, namely Supermom Mary and Canadian Kyle of my poetry "The Perfect Man" fame (and a newbie, Aubrey) we went for a short but strenuous bike ride on Saturday evening. Up Kiara Hill we went. For those who frequent Kiara Hill, you would be able to empathise with us. Running or jogging up Kiara Hill is enough to cause shortness of breath. Biking up that hill ... boy! ... I must be mad! OK, ok. It was a challenge from another friend who said that it is not easy for beginners (as in beginners for mountain bikers) to finish the trek, and I so wanted to prove him wrong!
So up the hill we went ~ huffing and puffing. I swear my calves and thighs almost gave way in the initial 100+ metres, but I persevered. Using low gears and rotating between sitting and straddling the seat, I managed to ride the bike to the top and the starting point of the trek. From there, we had an easy downward ride but instead of going straight from that point, we turned left instead so that we could "enjoy" the steeper trail up at the end of the loop.
There was another trail that leads off to the Kiara Equestrain Club, which I had always wanted to explore. So, off the beaten trek we went. Weeee ... It was an exhilarating downward journey! But a painful upward one. At the beginning of the upward trail, Supermom Mary had "chain" problems. The front gear chain was stuck and we couldn't push it to the smaller gears. Kyle and Aubrey went ahead whilst I helped Supermom Mary with her "chain". The night was fast approaching but the "chain" remained stubborn. A nice uncle (who was taking his evening walk) was concerned and told us that we should get out of the place soon as it was getting real dark. Luckily with a bit more brute strength and a turn of the pedal counter clockwise, we managed to "unstuck" the chain.
Finally, by dusk, we have completed the trail. What a ride! But then, the muscle aches were relentless the next day. Oh well, just shows that I need to practise more before attempting the more challenging slopes of KKB and Genting.
I live in hope! :)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Random thoughts
A few events have touched me in recent weeks.
The fragility of our health. Our regional director was recently hit by a mild stroke. He lost his speech and is half paralysed. The doc gave him two months to recover but … would he fully recover? Would he still be the same person? Would the mind work as fast? Can he still handle the stress? He is in his early forties, is a vegetarian and lives a pretty healthy lifestyle or so I am told. He got married a couple of years back and the wife gave birth to their first child just last year. And now this! Is the job, the stress worth this breakdown in our health?
The direction of our lives. Am I in control? Or am I allowing events in my life to take the driver’s seat? My intent was to do something worthwhile that contributes to society … but I seem to have lost sight of that goal over the years. What happened to my ideals?
Making unfair judgements. Have I erred in my dealings with a colleague? I do not agree with his handling of his private affairs, i.e. womanising on the sly while portraying himself to be the epitome of the perfect husband and father, BUT that should not colour my judgement of his work. However, he did use company time and events to womanise, and his work has been far from satisfactory with these distractions. Have I been unduly harsh with him? Can I be objective in dealing with him?
Good versus evil. There are lessons to be learnt from Paulo Coelho’s “The Devil and Miss Prym”. Good and evil live within every person and it doesn’t take much for a person to justify doing something evil for what he/ she perceives to be the greater good. It made me take a few hard looks at certain decisions in my life.
Facing up to the truth. Forty nine years after independence and the racial issue is still a political triumph card to be played within certain factions. Can we face up to the truth about ourselves? Watching “Crash”, the Best Picture award winner, was an extremely disturbing affair as the movie portrayed the inherent racism that lives within each of us. But no matter how disturbing it is, we have to face up to the truth, because if we do not acknowledge that the problem exists, how could we then find the solution or at least the anecdote to hold it at bay? I doubt “Crash” made it through the censorship board here, but if you can get your hands on the movie, do watch it. Take note of the characters. No matter how bad they are, there are also some inherent good; and vice versa. You can neither like nor hate any of the characters in the end.
The fragility of our health. Our regional director was recently hit by a mild stroke. He lost his speech and is half paralysed. The doc gave him two months to recover but … would he fully recover? Would he still be the same person? Would the mind work as fast? Can he still handle the stress? He is in his early forties, is a vegetarian and lives a pretty healthy lifestyle or so I am told. He got married a couple of years back and the wife gave birth to their first child just last year. And now this! Is the job, the stress worth this breakdown in our health?
The direction of our lives. Am I in control? Or am I allowing events in my life to take the driver’s seat? My intent was to do something worthwhile that contributes to society … but I seem to have lost sight of that goal over the years. What happened to my ideals?
Making unfair judgements. Have I erred in my dealings with a colleague? I do not agree with his handling of his private affairs, i.e. womanising on the sly while portraying himself to be the epitome of the perfect husband and father, BUT that should not colour my judgement of his work. However, he did use company time and events to womanise, and his work has been far from satisfactory with these distractions. Have I been unduly harsh with him? Can I be objective in dealing with him?
Good versus evil. There are lessons to be learnt from Paulo Coelho’s “The Devil and Miss Prym”. Good and evil live within every person and it doesn’t take much for a person to justify doing something evil for what he/ she perceives to be the greater good. It made me take a few hard looks at certain decisions in my life.
Facing up to the truth. Forty nine years after independence and the racial issue is still a political triumph card to be played within certain factions. Can we face up to the truth about ourselves? Watching “Crash”, the Best Picture award winner, was an extremely disturbing affair as the movie portrayed the inherent racism that lives within each of us. But no matter how disturbing it is, we have to face up to the truth, because if we do not acknowledge that the problem exists, how could we then find the solution or at least the anecdote to hold it at bay? I doubt “Crash” made it through the censorship board here, but if you can get your hands on the movie, do watch it. Take note of the characters. No matter how bad they are, there are also some inherent good; and vice versa. You can neither like nor hate any of the characters in the end.
“What gives?”
“What’s with the MTVs and the movie reviews?”
“No updates on your blog?!!”
“Taking a break from the blogasphere?”
This is my first blog in more than a month. Prior to this were mere jottings on MTVs, song lyrics and movies.
“What gives?” A few friends asked me.
I’m not quite sure really. Just when I thought I had it all together, life threw me this curve ball. There’s a sense of “disconnect” with the “real” world. It’s as if I am on this roller coaster ride, rushing head long into the ups and the downs of life with no real control over it. I’m not unhappy, just disconnected.
Yes, there was madness at work! “Same shit different day.”
Yes, the politics have been worse than usual!
Yes, there was a bit of travelling, plenty of late nights and a hell of a long working weekend!
Yet,
I managed to squeeze in time for biking. We had a few great weekend-rides at Bukit Jelutong and Putrajaya. And we recruited yet another “member” into the “siau gang” biking club.
I held a marathon movie night with friends and we had a ball.
I spent the pre merdeka night with my family and we had a fine time at the street carnival, watching a life concert.
I am, once again, lured back to the annual month-long run-a-muck event; trying to contribute to the team by clocking up as much exercise hours as I can. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
I even managed to get some reading done, frivolous though some of the reading materials may be.
I would have thought that this is pretty much a balance life. True, I am often tired out. My brain is not functioning enough to think deeper than all my current commitments. And time seems to coast along much, much too fast! That’s the crux of the matter. Where has it all gone? And am I doing something worthwhile with my time?
“No updates on your blog?!!”
“Taking a break from the blogasphere?”
This is my first blog in more than a month. Prior to this were mere jottings on MTVs, song lyrics and movies.
“What gives?” A few friends asked me.
I’m not quite sure really. Just when I thought I had it all together, life threw me this curve ball. There’s a sense of “disconnect” with the “real” world. It’s as if I am on this roller coaster ride, rushing head long into the ups and the downs of life with no real control over it. I’m not unhappy, just disconnected.
Yes, there was madness at work! “Same shit different day.”
Yes, the politics have been worse than usual!
Yes, there was a bit of travelling, plenty of late nights and a hell of a long working weekend!
Yet,
I managed to squeeze in time for biking. We had a few great weekend-rides at Bukit Jelutong and Putrajaya. And we recruited yet another “member” into the “siau gang” biking club.
I held a marathon movie night with friends and we had a ball.
I spent the pre merdeka night with my family and we had a fine time at the street carnival, watching a life concert.
I am, once again, lured back to the annual month-long run-a-muck event; trying to contribute to the team by clocking up as much exercise hours as I can. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
I even managed to get some reading done, frivolous though some of the reading materials may be.
I would have thought that this is pretty much a balance life. True, I am often tired out. My brain is not functioning enough to think deeper than all my current commitments. And time seems to coast along much, much too fast! That’s the crux of the matter. Where has it all gone? And am I doing something worthwhile with my time?
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