Ever since I became a frequent road user during peak hours again, I have this urge to educate fellow Malaysian road users.
10 critical lessons for Malaysian road users:
1. IKUT KIRI JIKA TIDAK MEMOTONG. Memorize this in your head over and over again. If you drive below 110km/hr, please use the left lane.
2. Cutting queue is NOT cool - it’s the opposite of cool. It’s super uncool and idiotic. It makes people like me HOT. Remember this in your tiny head - everyone else on the road wants to get to point B as fast as we could too.
3. Signaling doesn’t give you the right to simply enter other people’s lane. Follow this sequence – signal, look left or right (whichever direction you are going) and switch lane only if there is no car!
4. You are not the only one who pays road tax, others do too. Please be considerate and don’t expect people to give you way unless you have police escort.
5. Motorbikes are not meant to enter the right lane unless you drive a superbike that moves as fast, or faster than cars.
6. Slowing down to look at an accident (or animals mating at the road side) does not improve you as a person, your karma or your intelligence in anyway whatsoever, unless you plan to stop and help.
7. Decide which lane you want to take at least 100meter ahead. It’s best to use your brain wisely (this rule applies at toll booths, traffic light junctions & yang sewaktu dengannya).
8. FOCUS when you are on the road. Do not drive when you are hungry, horny, sleepy or have the urge to go to toilet.
9. Do not makan jalan. Remember that you are supposed to drive within your lane. There is a reason why the lanes are separated by clear and thick white lines. If you can’t see the lines, you should not be driving at the first place.
10. If you can’t stop them, join them – a perfect example would be using the emergency lane during non-emergency times.
Note to pedestrians: When crossing a busy road, do not catwalk or lenggang kangkong. Walk as fast as you can. Running is a better option.
Wassalam
Showing posts with label My 10 things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My 10 things. Show all posts
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, August 23, 2010
10 things I love about Malaysia, really!
I was ‘browsing’ the newspaper earlier today (yes, these days I opt to browse the news instead of reading them) and came across an article written by a guest writer. She wrote about 10 things she likes about Malaysia, which includes the architecture, the food, the weather, the people and the other customary 10 things that people would write about. Then I thought, hmmmm since I need to ‘warm up’ my brain perhaps I should write something like that too. So, here it goes...
10 things I love about Malaysia, really!
1. The weather (I know it’s cliché but I just have to say that I love it!): Although people generally hate the hot & humid Malaysian weather (including my other half), I would not trade it for anything, ever! I simply hate cold weather, esp. during winter. My body was not built to withstand such extreme coldness; hence, the Malaysian temperature suits me just fine. I super like the weather here.
2. The convenience: Malaysia may be one of the few countries where a family earning less than RM3K a month can afford to have a live-in maid, or have part-time cleaners come and clean up the house once or twice a week, have a handy-man to come and fix things up in the house as and when necessary, etc. I used to call them up just to change my light bulbs or to move furnitures around, amazing eh? (Well, in my defense, my ceiling is mighty high and my furnitures are mighty heavy) It's either Malaysians are too rich to do this ourselves or help is too easy to get, not to mention help is cheap too. All thanks to the heavy influx of illegal immigrants into our prosperous borders. It’s a love-hate situation, don’t you think? (Note: for the record my maid is a legal one)
3. The abundance: Think what you want, but I think it’s so easy to make a few bucks here. Not-so-good nasi lemak sells like hot cakes in the morning by the road side, karipap, kuih or anything that can barely be eaten sell like hot cakes by the road sides too (these days the Indons are venturing into this business, what happened to us Malaysians? Perhaps everyone sudah kaya but me kot), pirated DVDs business turn some to very rich businessman, ali baba business has turned some lucky Malays to millionaires, even illegal money lending makes good business here too. Today The Star reported that Malaysia is "foreign beggars’ heaven". They are said to be able to reap up to RM8K a month from begging on the street *terkezut beruk*. Need I say more?
4. The safety: You may think that Malaysia is no longer a safe place to live in but I beg to differ. Today, we can still send our kids to school relatively worry-free - we need not worry about our kids being killed by some kid/individual who ran amok at school or worry about kids carrying guns to school. We also don’t have extreme act of Mother Nature occurring in our land - no volcanoes to erupt, no earthquakes to bring buildings to rumbles, no major flooding to sweep away lives before your eyes. Alhamdulillah.
5. The political antics: Wouldn’t you agree that the Malaysian political scene injects a daily dose of humor into our lives with their bickering? I find them to be humorous (this applies to ALL). What a bunch of jokers they are! BUT, we can’t ignore the fact that we enjoy political stability here. No one is killing each other freely because of their political differences (yet). Alhamdulillah.
6. The wealth: Malaysians are darn rich! Thousands can afford to sip a cuppa of RM10 coffee everyday (everyone I know but moi). They buy designers items like I buy bread from the convenience stores. Luxury cars that cost more than my house roams our roads freely. I have friends who own handbags that cost RM20K each *gulp*, neighbours who drive cars that cost almost a million ringgit, need I say more?
We have yet to hear serious cases of Malaysians losing jobs due to recession (some did BUT it’s not a significant number like in other countries). People are still making lotsa moolah every day here (again, everyone BUT me). Even in America, people are losing jobs every day as we speak.
7. The melting pot: We have everything we want here. Just name it and I’m sure you can find it. Feels like going Italian for dinner? Fret not there are plenty of authentic Italians and also the not-so-authentic ones in town, Arabic food, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, etc. from fine dining to road side stalls. Apart from food, we also have places of interest that covers almost all but a snowy mountain – beautiful beaches, rainforest, historical places, wild life, etc. Malaysia is a mini wonderland on its own.
8. The caring society: I bet only in Malaysia when an accident happened on the road/highway, everyone slowed down to look (I mean everyone from BOTH sides of the road)...teeheehee. We care so much that a little road accident can cause a 3km jam on both sides of the road (mind-boggling isn't it?). Jokes aside, we can’t deny that Malaysians are a bunch of caring people. We help people in need ALL the time. That explains why individuals/ organisations who want to build masjid, orphanages, schools, etc, came all the way from Thailand, Cambodia and even Afghanistan to collect donations from us. We are way too generous when it comes to charity, don’t you agree?
This caring attitude goes around in the neighborhood too. Two years ago when my next door neighbor passed away, I’ve witnessed a society that works efficiently in time of need. When the grieving wife was still in the hospital with the body of the deceased, the people in the neighbourhood was already camping in their house setting up tents, making arrangement with the masjid and the authorities without being asked to (and these are working citizens – everyone took the day off to attend to the burial arrangement including my dear hubby). It works so smoothly like a system was already put in place. The family of the deceased didn’t have to do a single thing, everything was taken care of by the neighbours. I’m glad that I chose to call this place home.
9. The festivities: We celebrate so many festivals all year round. We even have TV commercials that would bring down tears to our face during each festive season (I bet this only happens in Malaysia). Even the durian season is celebrated like a festivity by us Malaysians. We celebrate everything and anything with makan2 - for crying out loud there are even national level makan2! Malaysia Boleh!
10. The heroes: we have heroes in almost all categories – Ibu Mithali, tokoh Maal Hijrah, national astronaut (or Malaysia’s first space tourist, no?), tokoh kemerdekaan (did you know that there are actually a number of them? I only knew about this today ahaks), sports champions, sasterawan negara, biduan negara, and lots more. We celebrate them heroes with so much pride and attribution, and we look up to them as good examples to the society. These days we even have icons for young Imam. I like the fact that the general Malaysians (I hope) are moving towards spiritual fulfillment, a commendable shift from the Akademi Fantasia mentality. Alhamdulillah.
Now that my brain is all warmed up (woot! woot!), I should go back to work! I say writing from your heart is practically effortless and FUN but writing for others need lots and lots of reinforcement (and gallons of cheap coffee)...sigh!
10 things I love about Malaysia, really!
1. The weather (I know it’s cliché but I just have to say that I love it!): Although people generally hate the hot & humid Malaysian weather (including my other half), I would not trade it for anything, ever! I simply hate cold weather, esp. during winter. My body was not built to withstand such extreme coldness; hence, the Malaysian temperature suits me just fine. I super like the weather here.
2. The convenience: Malaysia may be one of the few countries where a family earning less than RM3K a month can afford to have a live-in maid, or have part-time cleaners come and clean up the house once or twice a week, have a handy-man to come and fix things up in the house as and when necessary, etc. I used to call them up just to change my light bulbs or to move furnitures around, amazing eh? (Well, in my defense, my ceiling is mighty high and my furnitures are mighty heavy) It's either Malaysians are too rich to do this ourselves or help is too easy to get, not to mention help is cheap too. All thanks to the heavy influx of illegal immigrants into our prosperous borders. It’s a love-hate situation, don’t you think? (Note: for the record my maid is a legal one)
3. The abundance: Think what you want, but I think it’s so easy to make a few bucks here. Not-so-good nasi lemak sells like hot cakes in the morning by the road side, karipap, kuih or anything that can barely be eaten sell like hot cakes by the road sides too (these days the Indons are venturing into this business, what happened to us Malaysians? Perhaps everyone sudah kaya but me kot), pirated DVDs business turn some to very rich businessman, ali baba business has turned some lucky Malays to millionaires, even illegal money lending makes good business here too. Today The Star reported that Malaysia is "foreign beggars’ heaven". They are said to be able to reap up to RM8K a month from begging on the street *terkezut beruk*. Need I say more?
4. The safety: You may think that Malaysia is no longer a safe place to live in but I beg to differ. Today, we can still send our kids to school relatively worry-free - we need not worry about our kids being killed by some kid/individual who ran amok at school or worry about kids carrying guns to school. We also don’t have extreme act of Mother Nature occurring in our land - no volcanoes to erupt, no earthquakes to bring buildings to rumbles, no major flooding to sweep away lives before your eyes. Alhamdulillah.
5. The political antics: Wouldn’t you agree that the Malaysian political scene injects a daily dose of humor into our lives with their bickering? I find them to be humorous (this applies to ALL). What a bunch of jokers they are! BUT, we can’t ignore the fact that we enjoy political stability here. No one is killing each other freely because of their political differences (yet). Alhamdulillah.
6. The wealth: Malaysians are darn rich! Thousands can afford to sip a cuppa of RM10 coffee everyday (everyone I know but moi). They buy designers items like I buy bread from the convenience stores. Luxury cars that cost more than my house roams our roads freely. I have friends who own handbags that cost RM20K each *gulp*, neighbours who drive cars that cost almost a million ringgit, need I say more?
We have yet to hear serious cases of Malaysians losing jobs due to recession (some did BUT it’s not a significant number like in other countries). People are still making lotsa moolah every day here (again, everyone BUT me). Even in America, people are losing jobs every day as we speak.
7. The melting pot: We have everything we want here. Just name it and I’m sure you can find it. Feels like going Italian for dinner? Fret not there are plenty of authentic Italians and also the not-so-authentic ones in town, Arabic food, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, etc. from fine dining to road side stalls. Apart from food, we also have places of interest that covers almost all but a snowy mountain – beautiful beaches, rainforest, historical places, wild life, etc. Malaysia is a mini wonderland on its own.
8. The caring society: I bet only in Malaysia when an accident happened on the road/highway, everyone slowed down to look (I mean everyone from BOTH sides of the road)...teeheehee. We care so much that a little road accident can cause a 3km jam on both sides of the road (mind-boggling isn't it?). Jokes aside, we can’t deny that Malaysians are a bunch of caring people. We help people in need ALL the time. That explains why individuals/ organisations who want to build masjid, orphanages, schools, etc, came all the way from Thailand, Cambodia and even Afghanistan to collect donations from us. We are way too generous when it comes to charity, don’t you agree?
This caring attitude goes around in the neighborhood too. Two years ago when my next door neighbor passed away, I’ve witnessed a society that works efficiently in time of need. When the grieving wife was still in the hospital with the body of the deceased, the people in the neighbourhood was already camping in their house setting up tents, making arrangement with the masjid and the authorities without being asked to (and these are working citizens – everyone took the day off to attend to the burial arrangement including my dear hubby). It works so smoothly like a system was already put in place. The family of the deceased didn’t have to do a single thing, everything was taken care of by the neighbours. I’m glad that I chose to call this place home.
9. The festivities: We celebrate so many festivals all year round. We even have TV commercials that would bring down tears to our face during each festive season (I bet this only happens in Malaysia). Even the durian season is celebrated like a festivity by us Malaysians. We celebrate everything and anything with makan2 - for crying out loud there are even national level makan2! Malaysia Boleh!
10. The heroes: we have heroes in almost all categories – Ibu Mithali, tokoh Maal Hijrah, national astronaut (or Malaysia’s first space tourist, no?), tokoh kemerdekaan (did you know that there are actually a number of them? I only knew about this today ahaks), sports champions, sasterawan negara, biduan negara, and lots more. We celebrate them heroes with so much pride and attribution, and we look up to them as good examples to the society. These days we even have icons for young Imam. I like the fact that the general Malaysians (I hope) are moving towards spiritual fulfillment, a commendable shift from the Akademi Fantasia mentality. Alhamdulillah.
Now that my brain is all warmed up (woot! woot!), I should go back to work! I say writing from your heart is practically effortless and FUN but writing for others need lots and lots of reinforcement (and gallons of cheap coffee)...sigh!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
10 tips to keep your marriage alive and kickin’
With my hubby away, I find myself plenty of time to read and write. Not so bad after all kan...
[Warning: the content of this article may not be suitable for children below the age of 21]
We often receive tips via e-mail on keeping a happy marriage. I just got one a few days ago which I will most likely NOT read. In women magazines all around the world, there are plenty of similar tips too all year long (which I also never bothered to read). Somehow I always find this rather amusing...as I always said to myself and to my husband, I should be writing one of these not reading one.
Hence, in proving my point, I have decided to write my very own version of - 10 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR MARRIAGE ALIVE AND KICKIN' the Glokalmama way.
1. Talk it out – This has become a standard in every 10 tips there is. Communication is the key for all healthy marriages – it bridges the gap between the two of you. If you don’t communicate, you could kiss your marriage goodbye. BUT don’t communicate for the sake of communicating; you have to be sincere in your conversation. Spend some time together to talk and open up to each other. Remember, men need to be told straightforwardly. They can’t read minds and decipher body language like us females.
These days we are blessed with modern technology that could keep couples in touch 24-7, mobile phones for example. Make full use of it, if you have problem saying it out loud, you could always text him (aren’t we lucky?). Based on my own experience, I get better responds from the other end of the line through text messages. Sometimes people communicate better in writing, mind boggling eh? In a weird way, sms-es keep me closer to him when he is away, not to mention cheaper too.
2. Make love – There is a reason why people call it “Make Love”. Coz when you make love, you MAKE love. Love blossoms more when you have physical contact. You’ll be surprise how often he’d say “I love you” right after. Think of it as a fertilizer for your marriage. The more you do it, the healthier your marriage is. So use your imagination, be wild, role play and don’t be shy. Remember, you need to fertilize your marriage often!
3. Presentation matters – Make a point to look good for each other. I do this out of respect for my husband. If there is one person in this world that you should look good to, it’s your other half NOT your boss, your friends, clients or strangers. I make sure I dress my best and hair in shape (thank God for rebonding technique. To whoever came up with the idea, well done!) whenever he’s home or when I go outing with him. Remember, men like trophy wives – even if you don’t look like one (like moi) take some extra efforts to make him feel like one. But this has to work vice versa too lah *hint hint*
4. Fill his tummy – take an extra effort to cook even though you are not a good cook. Make a point to prepare his favourite food once in a while and learn new stuff too. Remember, practice makes perfect. Men like to be treated like a king when it comes to food. If you need help, Google is always there for you, I've got plenty of help there. Gendang gendut tali kecapi, senang perut senang hati...need I say more? The husbands on the other hand should take the initiative to take the wives out for fine dining regularly.
5. Surprise each other – Once a while show up at the airport in your lingerie (of course you must know how to cover yourself up lah, di mana ada kemahuan di situ ada jalan), pick him up for lunch without prior notice in your sexiest outfit, buy him stuff that he likes (I love shopping for him), change your hair style, serve him with extra special food the minute he walks in from work, etc...all this will keep him wanting for more of you. Just use your imagination... The husbands on the other hand are strongly encouraged to surprise the wives with thoughtful gifts when she expects it the least (and you should do this regularly, not once in a blue moon *hint hint hint*).
6. Make him feel important – there are so many ways to execute this, a simple act of serving him drink, sembahyang berjemaah and kissing his hand thereafter (I always feel a very strong connection when we pray berjemaah), ask for his permission to do certain stuff or to go somewhere, all these will make him feel important and worthy of a husband. What men don’t like to feel important huh? When he’s happy, he’ll be more generous with you *wink*.
7. Don’t be shy, show lotsa affection – This is as good as making love. Frequent human contact between the two of you is superlative (I love it when I use big words...hehe). Kiss, hold hands, hugs and flirts with each other all the time, out in the open and not strictly in the bedroom. Drown each other with affections; it won’t harm you at all. I love this part because it makes me feel like we were just married. In a sense, it renews your passion every day. My hubby still kisses me in public and we hold hands all the time. I love it! I feel loved. Flirting could also come in many ways - you could even flirt via sms. I’d like to call it e-flirting. Try it and you’ll be intrigued!
8. Take time out together – Making time for each other is very important. No matter how busy you are and how much you love the kids, you need to pamper your nuptials with lots of TLC. Take time out, go watch a movie, go on a date the whole day and forget about the kids once a while. I do this at least once a month. It makes you feel younger with just the two of you. It’s even better if you could plan for a getaway. I can’t wait for Sophie to be a little bit more independent so I could go on one soon. I so desperately need one right now!
9. Work harder, make more money – People say money can’t buy love but lack of it would certainly make you a little less happy. Having a strong financial standing ensures your future and makes happy and comfortable living. I say money CAN buy happiness, at lease materialistically. Never say money is not a factor (it might be true a century ago). If you think it doesn’t, you are either been living in denial or you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth.
10. Doa & tawakkal – last but certainly not the least, we must ask for God’s intervention too. In my prayers I always ask semoga jodoh kami berpanjangan hingga akhir hayat & bahagia dunia dan akhirat. Don’t underestimate the power of prayers, ever! Usaha+tawakkal=sukses, insyaAllah.
For the husbands, remember this - a happy wife makes a happy home. I say BOTH need to be creative to keep love in the air for the rest of our lives...marriage is hard work, not an easy game.
[Warning: the content of this article may not be suitable for children below the age of 21]
We often receive tips via e-mail on keeping a happy marriage. I just got one a few days ago which I will most likely NOT read. In women magazines all around the world, there are plenty of similar tips too all year long (which I also never bothered to read). Somehow I always find this rather amusing...as I always said to myself and to my husband, I should be writing one of these not reading one.
Hence, in proving my point, I have decided to write my very own version of - 10 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR MARRIAGE ALIVE AND KICKIN' the Glokalmama way.
1. Talk it out – This has become a standard in every 10 tips there is. Communication is the key for all healthy marriages – it bridges the gap between the two of you. If you don’t communicate, you could kiss your marriage goodbye. BUT don’t communicate for the sake of communicating; you have to be sincere in your conversation. Spend some time together to talk and open up to each other. Remember, men need to be told straightforwardly. They can’t read minds and decipher body language like us females.
These days we are blessed with modern technology that could keep couples in touch 24-7, mobile phones for example. Make full use of it, if you have problem saying it out loud, you could always text him (aren’t we lucky?). Based on my own experience, I get better responds from the other end of the line through text messages. Sometimes people communicate better in writing, mind boggling eh? In a weird way, sms-es keep me closer to him when he is away, not to mention cheaper too.
2. Make love – There is a reason why people call it “Make Love”. Coz when you make love, you MAKE love. Love blossoms more when you have physical contact. You’ll be surprise how often he’d say “I love you” right after. Think of it as a fertilizer for your marriage. The more you do it, the healthier your marriage is. So use your imagination, be wild, role play and don’t be shy. Remember, you need to fertilize your marriage often!
3. Presentation matters – Make a point to look good for each other. I do this out of respect for my husband. If there is one person in this world that you should look good to, it’s your other half NOT your boss, your friends, clients or strangers. I make sure I dress my best and hair in shape (thank God for rebonding technique. To whoever came up with the idea, well done!) whenever he’s home or when I go outing with him. Remember, men like trophy wives – even if you don’t look like one (like moi) take some extra efforts to make him feel like one. But this has to work vice versa too lah *hint hint*
4. Fill his tummy – take an extra effort to cook even though you are not a good cook. Make a point to prepare his favourite food once in a while and learn new stuff too. Remember, practice makes perfect. Men like to be treated like a king when it comes to food. If you need help, Google is always there for you, I've got plenty of help there. Gendang gendut tali kecapi, senang perut senang hati...need I say more? The husbands on the other hand should take the initiative to take the wives out for fine dining regularly.
5. Surprise each other – Once a while show up at the airport in your lingerie (of course you must know how to cover yourself up lah, di mana ada kemahuan di situ ada jalan), pick him up for lunch without prior notice in your sexiest outfit, buy him stuff that he likes (I love shopping for him), change your hair style, serve him with extra special food the minute he walks in from work, etc...all this will keep him wanting for more of you. Just use your imagination... The husbands on the other hand are strongly encouraged to surprise the wives with thoughtful gifts when she expects it the least (and you should do this regularly, not once in a blue moon *hint hint hint*).
6. Make him feel important – there are so many ways to execute this, a simple act of serving him drink, sembahyang berjemaah and kissing his hand thereafter (I always feel a very strong connection when we pray berjemaah), ask for his permission to do certain stuff or to go somewhere, all these will make him feel important and worthy of a husband. What men don’t like to feel important huh? When he’s happy, he’ll be more generous with you *wink*.
7. Don’t be shy, show lotsa affection – This is as good as making love. Frequent human contact between the two of you is superlative (I love it when I use big words...hehe). Kiss, hold hands, hugs and flirts with each other all the time, out in the open and not strictly in the bedroom. Drown each other with affections; it won’t harm you at all. I love this part because it makes me feel like we were just married. In a sense, it renews your passion every day. My hubby still kisses me in public and we hold hands all the time. I love it! I feel loved. Flirting could also come in many ways - you could even flirt via sms. I’d like to call it e-flirting. Try it and you’ll be intrigued!
8. Take time out together – Making time for each other is very important. No matter how busy you are and how much you love the kids, you need to pamper your nuptials with lots of TLC. Take time out, go watch a movie, go on a date the whole day and forget about the kids once a while. I do this at least once a month. It makes you feel younger with just the two of you. It’s even better if you could plan for a getaway. I can’t wait for Sophie to be a little bit more independent so I could go on one soon. I so desperately need one right now!
9. Work harder, make more money – People say money can’t buy love but lack of it would certainly make you a little less happy. Having a strong financial standing ensures your future and makes happy and comfortable living. I say money CAN buy happiness, at lease materialistically. Never say money is not a factor (it might be true a century ago). If you think it doesn’t, you are either been living in denial or you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth.
10. Doa & tawakkal – last but certainly not the least, we must ask for God’s intervention too. In my prayers I always ask semoga jodoh kami berpanjangan hingga akhir hayat & bahagia dunia dan akhirat. Don’t underestimate the power of prayers, ever! Usaha+tawakkal=sukses, insyaAllah.
For the husbands, remember this - a happy wife makes a happy home. I say BOTH need to be creative to keep love in the air for the rest of our lives...marriage is hard work, not an easy game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)