Who Do We Think We Are?

You know, they don't treat us fairly. Just because we are not of the same race. You stay there la. You apply for PR you will be given a fair go. Just like them.

Who is them? Who are we? Why are we classifying ourselves? Why are we practising Otherness when we want our children to learn equity and respect?

I'm not saying that other countries are not as good as ours. All I'm saying is that we all grew up in different environments and thus our view and expectations of life vary. Why impose your thinking on me when I do not expect you to remain in our country? Yes, I sound very passionate when I talk about our Motherland. That is because I truly am. I do not see any shame in being proud of our country and to want to understand her more.

I am often told that the majority race takes advantage of the minority races - they are lazy and expect 'us' to do all the work, to bring fortune and prosperity to the country. We boast about being good at business and that without us, our country will not be in its current state. But why must we think that way? Are we all that special? What makes us more deserving of benefits than the person next to us?

But they are all lazy one la. They prefer government jobs. They prefer to be spoonfed. And they get all the benefits. They don't need good grades or brains, they'll still get what they want.

Do they really? Do we know for sure or are we just really cocky when it comes to making sweeping generalising comments? We don't like it when others say that our race are kiamsiap and are money-minded.

My father asked me a really interesting question - How many friends of the majority race do I have? I was silent. I only have acquaintances, not friends. Even that I can put them all on one hand. Many of us did not grow up with other races. We only have friends of the same race. In a way, I think our perception of other races are skewed because of this. I personally feel that we are the ones who lose out. We are not learning and yet we assume the worst of others.

To be honest, I am not in a position to talk about this issue either because I do not know other races very well. What I do know is that we have no right to criticise others when we do not know better. Yes, we can think. Analyse our situation. But to point fingers? No, that is something that I think will not improve anyone's situation.

Can we stop patronising ourselves? Talking about things is simple. But where does the talking lead to?

Sabah

Finally, some pics from Sabah. For those of you who do not know, I was in Sabah for 4 days with my parents. As usual, AirAsia was late so we were at the LCCT till 7:30pm. We arrived in KK pretty late and guess what we had for dinner/supper... bak kut teh! Spent the night at dad's development company's apartment and the next day we headed off to Ranau, where the national park is. I did not enjoy the trip. That is the truth. I enjoyed the scenery very much but because of the time we spent on the road, it was more or less hell for me. Yes, I have motion sickness.

Ok, I'll let the pictures do the talking. However, I would like to let you guys know that if you have not been to Sabah, please do. The greenery there is amazing. I'm glad that our government has managed to preserve some parts of Malaysia. This part is especially precious due to the vast rainforest, or should I say, botanists' heaven. Some say that the rainforest we have in Sabah may be the oldest in the world! Whoa, the proud feeling I felt when I heard a British lady say that while trekking....

Yes, yes, I'm zipping my mouth now...

Mount Kinabalu in all her majesty...

To get to our little chalet, we had to go up this steep hill...

There's even a balcony for you to relax and enjoy the view from your room... and check out the fireplace and Astro!

And look at the grey stones on the white wall. Don't you think they add character?

I saw my first green snail in Sabah...

On the last day of our holiday, we had so-called dinner at Jesselton Hotel. According to dad, they served really good curry laksa when he was there 5 years ago. Now, it seemed as thought they had switched to Italian cuisine. They even had an angmoh chef (presumably Italian). Two thumbs up for the food! Below was what I had for dessert. It's ice-cream (vanilla and chocolate) filled in a ball of hard chocolate coated with coffee powder. Hmmm......

Sabah, Land Below the Wind, the place where I began my year - year 2007, the Year of the Golden Boar.

New Year, New List

If you take a closer look, my long list of books has been replaced by one book. Watching the Tree by Adeline Yen Mah was the first book to be read this year - year 2007, the year of the Boar - my year! Bought the book in Berjaya Times Square so that I wouldn't be too bored while waiting for Shaun.

Not going into details today. Have to sort out photographs for distribution. I have to call VK, too. Not sure if he's too happy with today's cancellation.

And yes, thank you all for your patience with the photographs!!!

P/S: I've added Arts and Earth's link as well. Please visit the website to find out more about the lovely people who do more than just TALK about making the world a better place.