Wednesday, March 22, 2006
True to your heart - 98 Degrees
Truth be told, i'm not one who's proud of me own birth country. ive got a long list of gripes and unhappiness about it - the people, the mentality, the attitude, the weather(!).
But no matter where i go or how i feel, i cannot deny that deep down inside, i'm a Malaysian thru and thru! My actions today reminded me so!
OK - it was the M'sian Society seminar and while i had successfully dodged any involvement (the art of "tai chi" - Malaysian style!!! Another piece of evidence of who i truly am!) in the planning stages, i decided its time to give sum support to me poor M'sian colleagues who have been slogging tirelessly for it. I volunteered to help and was asked to do the registration of participants.
Simple - just tick off the names when they come, collect outstanding payments, if any, and hand them their folders. They oso get some freebies - a pen, a "Malaysia" lapel pin, a Malaysian postcard, and.... get this - a pack of playing cards courtesy of the Uni!!!!! Yeah, a pack of Uni of Essex brand playing cards!!!!!!
There was oso this bag of "freebies" which was passed to me - stuffs that were given out free during the past M'sian Soc activities, some which were "leftovers" of freebies given out 2 years ago.
As the seminar started and i prepared to pack-up the registration table, i started oso - in typical M'sian style - to help meself wif the freebies!!!! :-)
So let's see. Wat did i get - 2 pack of playing cards (one to use and another to keep in mint condition!!! Would be worth sumthing in the future - another M'sian attitude? or just a Chinese mentality?), one "Uniquely Singapore" mousepad, one pen, 3 lapel pins (2 for me flatmates - must promote Malaysia mah...), 2 postcards (one wif pics of FOOD, GLORIOUS MALAYSIAN FOOD - sate, seafood, spicy food, kueh-kueh... :-P~~ and the other of the Niah Caves in Sarawak. Or was it the Mulu???) to remind me of home and a pair of nice green "Surprising Singapore" chopsticks!
Hey, conscience clear - i was asked to take the stuffs or else some of it will stay in the bag for another 2 more years!!!!
Yeah, when it comes to freebies, Malaysians will be there helping themselves - whether they will actually use it or not is besides the point! I used to look at these people in disgust. Now i know i'm one of "these people"!!!!
Don't even get started on the free food!!!! Prawn sandwiches!! :-P~~
Another Malaysian trait - i din realise that much until i was pestering a flatmate to reveal some "stuffs" to me and he was like "Enough of your Malaysian curiosity"! It was in a good humoured way, of course but wat he said rang home some truths. After all, when a car mysteriously caught fire on campus next to the lake at about 6 am one cold winter morning, only the security personel and one Malaysian (yours truly) was there to watch it go up in flames!!!!
See the fire-engine next to the lake? Unfortunately, the library building is obscuring the view of the burning car.
But having said that, when i was woken up from me slumber not too long ago and was invited to help finish off the food, i actually turned - them - down!!!!! Of course I was hungry! But some things in life are more important - like sleep! :-)
But no matter where i go or how i feel, i cannot deny that deep down inside, i'm a Malaysian thru and thru! My actions today reminded me so!
OK - it was the M'sian Society seminar and while i had successfully dodged any involvement (the art of "tai chi" - Malaysian style!!! Another piece of evidence of who i truly am!) in the planning stages, i decided its time to give sum support to me poor M'sian colleagues who have been slogging tirelessly for it. I volunteered to help and was asked to do the registration of participants.
Simple - just tick off the names when they come, collect outstanding payments, if any, and hand them their folders. They oso get some freebies - a pen, a "Malaysia" lapel pin, a Malaysian postcard, and.... get this - a pack of playing cards courtesy of the Uni!!!!! Yeah, a pack of Uni of Essex brand playing cards!!!!!!
There was oso this bag of "freebies" which was passed to me - stuffs that were given out free during the past M'sian Soc activities, some which were "leftovers" of freebies given out 2 years ago.
As the seminar started and i prepared to pack-up the registration table, i started oso - in typical M'sian style - to help meself wif the freebies!!!! :-)
So let's see. Wat did i get - 2 pack of playing cards (one to use and another to keep in mint condition!!! Would be worth sumthing in the future - another M'sian attitude? or just a Chinese mentality?), one "Uniquely Singapore" mousepad, one pen, 3 lapel pins (2 for me flatmates - must promote Malaysia mah...), 2 postcards (one wif pics of FOOD, GLORIOUS MALAYSIAN FOOD - sate, seafood, spicy food, kueh-kueh... :-P~~ and the other of the Niah Caves in Sarawak. Or was it the Mulu???) to remind me of home and a pair of nice green "Surprising Singapore" chopsticks!
Hey, conscience clear - i was asked to take the stuffs or else some of it will stay in the bag for another 2 more years!!!!
Yeah, when it comes to freebies, Malaysians will be there helping themselves - whether they will actually use it or not is besides the point! I used to look at these people in disgust. Now i know i'm one of "these people"!!!!
Don't even get started on the free food!!!! Prawn sandwiches!! :-P~~
Another Malaysian trait - i din realise that much until i was pestering a flatmate to reveal some "stuffs" to me and he was like "Enough of your Malaysian curiosity"! It was in a good humoured way, of course but wat he said rang home some truths. After all, when a car mysteriously caught fire on campus next to the lake at about 6 am one cold winter morning, only the security personel and one Malaysian (yours truly) was there to watch it go up in flames!!!!
See the fire-engine next to the lake? Unfortunately, the library building is obscuring the view of the burning car.
But having said that, when i was woken up from me slumber not too long ago and was invited to help finish off the food, i actually turned - them - down!!!!! Of course I was hungry! But some things in life are more important - like sleep! :-)
# posted by imissw : 6:37:00 pm
