Why i think Malaysia is awesome #HappyMalaysiaDay !

I used to have tons of complains about Malaysia, from the weather, to the safety, poor education system, cleanliness, politics, racism, inequality, deteriorating standard of living, yea, you name it..  and I think you could relate to some or most of them !
No doubt, there is massiveee potential in our country, so much room for improvements and growth, and it is a pity to see that some countries that used to be on par with us, are growing rapidly, while we are almost still stagnant..
Well, I feel you, I surely do. But more importantly, after being exposed to the circumstances / state of other countries in the world,  and even had the the opportunity to travel around Europe and Asia recently, I came to be so much more appreciative towards my country, Malaysia. There is so much to love about Malaysia, so much to be proud of.  And since it's Malaysia day today, I think it's a good time to share with you why I think Malaysia is awesome, and hopefully you would start to appreciate this country even more too! :)

I have four points for you here :-

1) We are unique the way we are. 
Yes, we truly are! I know we are fed with this idea and fact since young about our multi-ethnic, multi cultural country, but we really tend to overlook how fascinating this is. A Malaysian Chinese myself, we still practice various Chinese traditions and celebrations, and yet at the same time, we share our culture and celebrations with our other fellow Malaysians of different ethnic and religion.
Regardless of our race/religion, we celebrate Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas, just to name a few, among so many other celebrations! Each ethnic group has our own underlying culture, but yet at the same time we have the ability to achieve different levels of integration and crossover.
We never forget our roots, bringing our distinctive culture to Malaysia, and yet being able to practice and share them all in one country, and this truly, truly defines Malaysia! It is amazing.
You may be surprised that most foreigners are very fascinated by our integrated, multicultural country and various celebrations.

2) We know / understand at least 3 languages/dialects. 
Because of the diversity in Malaysia, it is not surprised among ourselves that we speak at least 3 languages. I myself speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin ( not great, but can lah :P ) and Bahasa. Sometimes we may not realize, but do u know how beneficial this is ?? I seriously overlooked this perk until i studied in the UK.
Now I have two stories to share hahaha..

While studying abroad, I was able to communicate with students from China easily because I know Mandarin, some Hong Kongers are surprised that I could speak Cantonese, and I could more or less understand my Indonesian friend's bahasa too! Well, then here comes my story 8) 8) *smirks*
Some people are just stupid / they just do not take precautions before they open their mouth, or in short, they are just too shallow to know how multilingual Malaysians are.

It happened TWICE  where I bumped into Hong Kongers and they were more or less b*tching about me in cantonese, never even striked their minds that I would at least understand Cantonese lol. Hello? I'm yellow skinned too.. come on.. lol.

Story number 1
The first situation was in the lift, and in general they discussed among themselves,  " Hai mai hui, hai mai hui?? Leng mou ?? "
And that means, " Is that her, is that her, Do u think she's pretty?? "
I was pretty stunned at that time, but I could have just answered them in Cantonese, too bad I was too stunned to react. But just thinking back it is hilarious. Well, just think before you backstab Malaysians !

Story number 2
 I had to meet my mum in London and my train was wee hours of the morning. It was seriously my bad for waking up late, terrified and couldn't find a cab. However, there was this cab that came by but it was booked already, so he couldn't take me :( After the cab driver waited for about 10 minutes, his passenger still hasn't arrived yet, and he knew I was rushing to catch my train. Being all kind, he said he would take me there, but he was still trying to call his customer. (Well, one thing for sure is that the service line in UK is topnotch, not like Malaysian taxi drivers that would just ffk its customers ) So finally, his customer arrived, which so happen was a Hong Konger lol, and the cab driver was just trying to explain that he was late and didn't reply his calls, plus I was in a rush, so he accepted me, moreover the train station is on the way to the Hong Konger's destination.
The Hong Konger looked unhappy but he just went speechless and got into the cab. Okay, and here's the climax... Lol.
While we were both in the cab, he started calling his friend and started ranting in Cantonese about what sorta bullsh*t this is and he went on and on and on.... I was pretty shocked but I find it hilarious at the same time, and guess what I did? Before I left the cab, I spoke to him in Cantonese and said "I'm so sorry for all the bullshit, and being such a trouble to you ,"
Lol, he was so stunned and felt awkward at the same time, he didnt even say a word! but anyway... it's my first and last time seeing him so.. whatever la :P #likeaboss

Okay, Last Story :P 
 Well, the 3rd experience that i encountered through knowing multiple languages was when I started to travel in Europe, which would lead me to my 3rd point ! But to cut it short here, most parts of Europe is pretty dangerous in general, filled with gypsies and pickpockets. So to take care of each other in Europe, we communicated in Bahasa to keep an eye for each other lol.
For eg : " Alicia, you hati hati orang putih di belakang awak itu ok, dia sedang scan bag dan pocket kamu...
tapi u semua jangan lah tengok dia sekarang lah !! nanti dia suspek.... "
or when we were going into the train..
" Semua orang tolong pegang beg baik baik.. banyak orang sini... "

HAHAHA. seriously that's how we communicated during the whole trip lolll...

So how can i not thank Malaysia for shaping me to know various languages????  I love Malaysia lah!

Speaking various languages/dialects within one conversation, even in one sentence? That represents Malaysia and I'm proud of it :)

3) Malaysia is safer than most of the countries out there ! 

Well, I know most of you will not agree with me on this. Economy is bad and crime rates have worsen in recent years, from break-ins, to smashing car windows, murder and snatch thefts on the rise, undoubtedly, Malaysia is not a safe country anymore. Yes, I totally agree with this, but after travelling in Europe, it became such an eye opener that I started to appreciate my own country.

Europe is so badly affected by the economy that many are homeless and jobless, literally hobo. I had such a cultural shock when I stepped into Rome, it didn't feel like I was in Italy at all! The city was literally packed with immigrants everywhere, either begging for money, or just waiting to pickpocket you. Just as we reached Rome termini, two young kids tried to steal my friend's shades and handphone already! Luckily they were alert enough to respond to it.
Trevi Fountain, the place which was supposed to be all romantic, didn't look like that at all. It looked more like a market, again, filled with immigrants and con men. My heart was literally pounding every second, holding on to my belongings.
It is seriously such a shame, because Rome is such a beautiful city with magnificent architecture, but the environment is definitely affected by the uncontrolled immigrants.

And this is only one place that I've mentioned. I've tons of friends losing their belongings in Barcelona and Paris , and the list goes on..

Paris is another place to look out for, tons of gypsies forcing a rose on you, or asking for your signature for some charity, and then forcing you to pay them money after!
Well, Paris is undeniably a pretty city, but dont get your hopes too high, really. It is not as romantic as it seems to be, furthermore some places are really dodgy, train stations smelling like pee etc.

The experiences that I had really made me realize Malaysia isn't that bad after all ! It is much cleaner, and safer than even some of the most well known cities in the world. I start to be more grateful and appreciative of my own country, Malaysia.

Despite all that, we should always remind ourselves and be appreciative that we are living in peace with generally no war, not living in poverty, suffering from severe illness.
Think Laos, think Iraq, think Sumalia, think Yemen.
Maybe you would be interested to read the article below about the 10 worst countries to live in the world :
http://www.therichest.com/location/10-war-torn-and-poorest-countries-in-the-world/

4) Food and nightlife 
One of the most amazing things about Malaysia, is undoubtedly , the FOOD. What is Malaysia without food? That's not Malaysia !!
 From Nasi Lemak, to Assam Laksa, Chicken Rice, to Curry Noodles, Roti Canai, Maggi Goreng, Nasi Kandar, Tosai, Chilli Pan Mee, Banana Leaf and the list goes on... Nothing like Malaysia really.. all in one !
The best thing is you can get food anytime of the day, 24/7. This is what fascinates the world.
2am and hungry? No problem! Kayu Nasi Kandar, Pelita, or Jalan Alor?
4am after clubbing and hungry? Let's have Fat One Steamboat Lok Lok!



After pointing out some of the reasons why I love Malaysia, ( I'm sure there are more to love about our country! ) I hope we will be more appreciative of Malaysia. But don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that I'm already contented with the conditions of our country. I know there are plenty of flaws, and plenty to improve, plenty to grow.
But sometimes we have so much to complain about, we forget the beauty of Malaysia and we tend to take our country for granted.

All in all, I just want to express my love for Malaysia. Happy Malaysia Day everyone !