one, not two or three...what's wrong with that?

people today are totally not getting it.

my mom told me that our 'brand spanking new and open' government had issued an open invitation to pitch for the Minister of Transportation advertising account (though what kind of advertising thing they need done is beyond me...ooh maybe it's those berhati-hati di jalan raya kinda thing, y'know? ever seen one of those?) yeah so anyway i asked her why don't pitch for the account? They can't. They're not a bumi based company.

Lee Kwan Yew says that Malaysian Chinese are 'marginalized'. so what?

so what is that all these are racial issues that despite all we say are very much alive and kicking in our country. My dad gave me a third degree talk on why i should be proud of my chinese heritage on that one day i wore a kebaya to college during the cultural week. who says i'm not? the recent instant millionairess Suki won because "chinese people can vote more than the Malays" declared my auntie. has she seen the statistics? another aunt declared to my mom over the phone, when she jokingly said that "you're just like your brother (my dad) who is so afraid his daughters will marry an Indian", "NO! NO! His worries are justified! We must instill all these prejudices into our children from a young age!" WHAT THE HELL???

so no let me just clear this: i am not trying to start a war. I just want my say- that's what my blog's for isn't it?

so anyway, what these people aren't getting is that they did not end up in this situation by chance or choice. it's fate. whether they want to say that it is the fault of GOD or their ancestors who brought them to this beautiful land, the point is THEY ARE HERE. so what are we going to do to survive as minorities? keep complaining about all that the Malay people are given? Discriminate against the Malays and teach our children the same thing? come on, let's be realistic here. there is no way anything will change dramatically in the next century that we're around so we do what all those other people around the world who face obstacles do- we fight and work hard for what we want and screw what anyone else says. If we fail at least we can say we tried and that we're not afraid of getting up, dusting our faces and trying again.

while we fight though, what is wrong with living in harmony with the people around us? what is wrong with adopting one another's culture? it's not like we're killing each other or anything. they're not our enemies. far from it. they're our brothers and sisters regardless of color or creed. wearing a kebaya, speaking malay, wearing a saree, eating with my hand- none of it makes me less of a chinese. in fact i like to think i'm not simply a chinese but a MALAYSIAN chinese. i love my culture and roots but i also love embracing the cultures of others and their languages. it makes me feel that bit more part of the world.

so as minorities in this country, we're not at a disadvantaged position. sure we have to work that bit harder but then think about it this way, we're not the only ones in the world who are slogging away just to earn a decent living and even that the experiences we pick up along the way are worth more than what money will ever be able to buy. anyway we should consider ourselves incredibly blessed not just for all those reasons that they usually tell you but because we have been put on a land where we are living with a HUGE part of the people of the world (not as in the population but the races).

so with the amazing mix of colours from various people and cultures, the wonderful sounds of a group of people speaking so many languages at the same time and all that food, why should we let so many of these petty things which CAN be solved, if all those people who should be doing what they were chosen to do, get in the way of us living what you have to admit is a pretty damn good life? huh... food for thought *yummm*