Proud to be a Malaysian

This post is inspired by Quachee: what is it about Malaysia that makes you proud?

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Summary: I'm proud to be a Malaysian because I'm living in a country with fantastic array of food, colourful culture and rich heritage.

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I was born and raised in KL, the city center. All of life, I've been spending racing and competing with my peers. And its not uncommon for my parents tell tales of their 'business gossip', which share and 4D to buy. After all these years of listening to my parents tale, I've come to develop a slight feeling of resentment.

Then there were stress which came from school. Back then, I used to watch western movies and I was envious of their education system. It showcased students not having to fear speaking their mind and wearing what they want. Over here in Malaysia, whatever comes out from the teacher's mouth is the absolute truth!

And so, that resentment grew bit by bit as I grew up. That was when I was still in secondary school. Somehow along the way, that resentment slowly subside. Perhaps it was my school who taught us the meaning of patriotic and the spirit of muhibah. There were no hint of racism nor class division in front of my eyes. Well, the rich ones were slightly at an advantage as compared to the poorer ones, but generally speaking Everyone was treated equally.

By the time I graduated from secondary school and entered college life, the resentment came back. I was constantly annoyed by how fast city life was. We had to this and that within an impossible time frame. It was crazy! I was stressed, I was bogged down. I thought to myself, Msia sucks!

I was living in an environment where ah beng and ah lian lurks around everywhere, a place where flying rumors of bra-roberry, teen-kidnapping, and charismatic-conman are nothing to be surprised of. Yup, Msia sucks!

Somewhere in between, I was fortunate to be transfered to a foreign country, Australia for education. The moment I reached there, I thought to myself: "Ha! I'm free from the clutches yumcha-police, funny-politicians, and unmotivated gov msian workers."

While I was enjoying the benefits of being in Aus, the memories Malaysia was slowly slipping out of my head. It wasn't a few weeks later that i noticed something was amiss. I was deprived of msian food, msian jokes, and cheap msian stuff. That was when I found myself constantly drawn back to a vague image of my home country. I was miserably missing Malaysia.

The next 2 years was the worst time of my life! I was craving for authentic nasi lemak, teh o' ais limau, yumcha night life, and rainy days. Yes, even rainy days!

In Malaysia, we worry about robbery. In Sydney, we were worried about terrorism and racism. In Malaysia, we can always get food any time of the day. In Sydney, Everything is pretty much dead after 5pm. Also, I love the commercials from Malaysia, especially those Petronas commercial. [of course, Sydney has its own good trait too. But to choose between 2 countries, I rather live in Malaysia when I'm retired]

Besides, I think Malaysians are the among the rare people who treat criticism as a friendly joke! Try saying: "You Lousy-lar" to an angmoh, and you better get ready to protect your precious eyes.

Ironic as it sounds, I resented Malaysia while I was there. I started to appreciate Malaysia's beauty after having experience a foreign country. I guess what they say is true, people will never know they have until they lose it.

What used to be my resentment is now my pride. And I'm proud to be a Malaysian

[3POINT8 is still a young 22yrs old brat. And his most of his recent life revolved around the education world of school, college and university. I'll let you know if I'm still proud of my country after stepping into the working world.]

Are you proud of your country? What is it that infused you with pride?