I wasn’t born during May 13, I couldn’t imagine the situation when the Jap invaded our country, I wasn’t there when the Tun shouted “Merdeka!” 7 times in 1957, what i remembered when i was born was how peaceful the country is. How colourful it is…
After so many years, it is still so colourful although sometimes it may not be so peaceful. What with the rise of crimes the past few years…i fear for my life sometimes, especially when we read in the papers that citizens(girls especially, probably because we are more vulnerable) are being robbed, hurt, kidnapped, and worse…killed.
I take the public transport to work everyday and sometimes, i see the ugly sides of Malaysian. Younger and more capable people not giving their seats to the uncles & aunties, or going-to-be-mums. It hurts to see that we are still not much educated in that sense. The worse would be people pushing & shoving each other to get into the train. *shakes head*
Ugly as it is, if given a chance, i wouldn’t choose any other country to live in, to call ‘Home’. I considered myself a very lucky soul to be born here. I proudly call myself a Malaysian when asked what’s my race. I have a personal principle which i hold true til today, if you love someone, love him wholeheartedly. Love not only the good & beautiful but also the bad & ugly. That way, you will find a long lasting love. The same goes for my love for the country.
There may be things that i dislike about Malaysia, how double standards some issues could get at times, how stupid our politicians can speak sometimes, the bad traffic, the crime rates and so on.. but the beauty of this country surpasses the negative ones…
The people for one..i don’t think i will be able to mingle with all sorts of people from different religious backgrounds if i were a citizen in another country. Where else would i be able to hang out with a bunch of friends, who speaks Tamil, with a sputtering of English here and there but yet, i could understand them and even better, reply them in English. Or being able to speak to my Malay friends in their language and have them tell me, “eh, Grace…ur BM very good la. Macam orang Melayu.” It is the mixture of religious background that we have in Malaysia that have allow me to learn other languages and religions. I may not know French, German or Spanish..but at least i can boast saying i know 5 different languages: English, Bahasa Melayu, Hokkien, Cantonese & Mandarin. =)
The food is another thing i absolutely love about Malaysia. I wouldn’t replace it with anything in the world. Ask any Malaysians who’re currently in foreign countries and they’ll tell you the thing they miss most is the FOOD. Guaranteed! Sate, nasi lemak, roti canai, char kuey teow, chicken hor fun, nasi beriani, tosai, etc…*YuM!* *yUm!*
All in all, no matter how ugly and bad things could get at times, this is still the place i call “Home”. Without it, i will be lost. Without it, i would have no where to go. I love my country and am proud to say it out loud. Happy Birthday Malaysia…You’ve definitely come a long, long way and there will be a longer road ahead of you with me at least, accompanying you through it.
~SpIffY~
Spiffy's mementoes 