Thursday, June 04, 2009

pastures and lemons

look, if you've left malaysia for greener pastures, good on you. you've done what people have been doing since the beginning of time. i salute your courage to uproot your family and try your luck somewhere else. i hope you're having a better time wherever you are.

if you've decided to stay in malaysia because you love your parents or nasi lemak too much, good on you too. sure, this is a very much less than perfect country, but someone has to stay and work things out here. if you're still around because you can't afford to get out, i guess there's no point staying bitter about it and just treat yourself to an extra packet of that fragrant nasi lemak tomorrow morning (remember to jog an additional 10mins or so on sunday yea?).

if you're one of those malaysians who have left, don't go around telling those who are still here just how stupid we are for not heading to countries with cleaner air and cleaner politicians. by all means give constructive criticism about how we can improve things, the keyword being "constructive". i don't appreciate outbursts of frustration or long tirades about how great the australians/americans/british are. we know what's wrong with the country, you don't need to remind us.

if you're someone who is probably gonna ply your trade in malaysia till the day you die, don't condemn the person who has had enough of this country and left to pursue a possibly better future. we're just cavemen who would prefer to live somewhere with more mammoths and less sabretoothed tigers. an opinion is an opinion is an opinion and everyone has the right to their own. so don't vent your own frustrations about not being able to leave on someone who could and has already done so. save that passion for the mediums through which we can make a change, however minute. plus, you're not a martyr for choosing mentakab over melbourne so stop thinking you're such a hero.

everyone needs a little humility. everyone needs to recognise that however green the meadow you're grazing on, there will always be another patch of grass that is greener. there will be lemons to be made into lemonade. sacrifices to be made each day. there's no space for holier-than-thou.

i still don't know where i'll eventually settle in the future, but i sure hope i'll be happy there.

lishun at 6:14 AM

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