Merdeka! - for Malaysia
2009-09-03 01:56 amAh now that I realize it, it's less than a month to go for my return to US! DO NOT WANTTT T___T
MALAYSIA OH MY MALAYSIAAA I'M GONNA BE FAR FROM YOU AGAIN~!!
Oh speaking about Malaysia,
we just reached our 52nd year of independence on August 31st!
I hope we can still be strong and peaceful for more years to come :3

So as my (damn early) farewell gift to Malaysia before I go back to school,
in accordance with our Independence day,
FOOD
Of course~ it's food! XD
Firstly you must know that Malaysia is a country where a lot of races mix together. So it's just normal for people to mingle around and take a bit of this and that and enjoy them all the same :D
Our main staple is rice! Then comes everything else lol 8D
Our way of eating rice is having it with any sort of gravy or curry or any fried stuff or steamed stuff or...well basically rice is the main thing on our plate. I say this cuz when I was in the US, I noticed that Mexican food also has rice, but as a side dish...which is weird for me. But obviously not weird for them cuz it's their custom, so hey to each their own right!

^ Ah this...is over-loaded 8D;
This is at a restaurant, so of course the amount of food is...that much XD;
Ah to make things easier to understand, you know how Japanese and Chinese has rice for their meals? Yeah we're kinda like that :3 Just that our side dishes can be anything from a simple fried egg to a whole feast of fish and/or chicken and/or meat and/or veggies and/or -- !!
Aside from that we also have Chinese food, Indian food, even Thai food! More specifically the Thai 'soup' they call tom yam (or tom yum), it's very popular here.
Anywhere you go here you can find places to eat -- some of them open 24/7. Almost all of these are called 'mamak' stalls (mamak = what we normally call Indian Muslim here...Malaysians, correct me if I'm wrong haha) where the favorites are roti canai (or paratha) and teh tarik (lit. 'pulled tea'; frothy milk tea).
To explain what teh tarik is, here's a vid I found on YouTube (where else? XD) :
-- cool eh? 8D
Mamak stalls are known to be the most common hangout place, be it for students or office workers. Cuz these places usually have TVs, some of em even have widescreens, and during the football season -- World Cup, EPL, whatever -- people are known to crowd this place and cheer/jeer with the local crowd :3

^ Scene inside of a typical (high-end?) mamak restaurant.
You can see a variety of skin colors in there :3
Other than traditional food, we also have fast food (of course). Most popular would be McD's, KFC, and Pizza Hut. I have to complain openly that the McFlurry's here are getting smaller and smaller, WTF McD?!
HOLIDAYS
Believe it or not, we have a LOT of holidays. In fact, I think we have the most holidays compared to other countries...
Since we don't have long school breaks like in summer or winter -- cuz we're not of the 4-season area -- instead we have a lot of broken-down holidays.
Note : 'school' here means pre-school til high school.
School term starts at the start of the year and ends at...the end of the year (huh, repetitive). So the long school holidays would fall somewhere around November-December, up to 2 months. In the middle of the year too there'd be a term break, like 1-2 weeks. This is the peak season where a lot of popular travel spots suddenly raise their rates lol.
Aside from those school holidays, we also have holidays for events like Chinese New Year, Deepavali (or Diwali), Hari Raya (Eidul Fitri), and some other religious celebrations. So it's really fun to celebrate other festivities together :D
AND, according to each state, there's a holiday for the birthday of that state's ruler.
Isn't it great living in a multi-racial country? We can have LOTS of holidays XD
PEOPLE
Yeah, the people :3
I'm not saying that Malaysians are the most friendly of people -- in fact, bluntly, I'll say that we're kinda conscious of our own selves when confronted with foreigners. We still have that mindset, sadly, that whenever we see something really outrageous or downright weird -- take goth/loli fashion for instance -- we'll prolly look down on them or shake our heads or something.
But then again I guess it's the same anywhere? Not in California though, at least where I stayed at 8D
Well that was kinda exaggerated somehow -- we're not that bad, really.

^ I like the scenery here, it's colorful X3
People here are generally courteous, and we are taught to respect the elders. There's a custom where, if you're about to walk in front of any older people, or a guest, you're supposed to bow down a bit when you walk across them. This is a form of respect.
Another is, especially with families, you have to do a gesture like shaking hands with your parents (and also aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, elders) and then kiss their hand while doing the gesture...um I dunno if I'm explaining this properly, but yeah it's somehow like that. We do this gesture when we're leaving home, most commonly. I dunno if this only exclusive to the Malays though, gomen~ ah but, I think lately this act is becoming less and less common...? Cuz they don't show it on TV that much nowadays.
...well, TV *is* where current customs are being showed, either on ads or dramas or movies...right?
Oh, we Malaysians have a habit of ending things with "-lah!" XD Like :
- "Dunno-lah."
- "Whatever-lah."
- "Duuude, that's crazy-lah!"
Now you can easily speak like a Malaysian!
And, the word 'best' has a kinda different meaning here :
- "This thing is best-lah!" --> "This thing is awesome!"
- "That place is best!" --> "That place is real cool!"
- "It's not best if it's like this..." --> "It's not good if it's like this..."
The sentences on the left are direct translations of Malay, hence the weird arrangement but nevertheless, you get the meaning right? 8D
ETC.
Things I can't put under a major title...
Malaysia is a multi-racial country, with Malay, Chinese, and Indians as the major races. I won't say we live in perfect peace and harmony -- there has been misunderstandings and even a bloody battle in history -- but as time passes we learnt to compromise and cooperate better with each other :3
Malaysia's national religion is Islam, but you can practice your own religions and beliefs.
So when you're driving, there's a moment where you'll see a mosque, then a temple some miles away, then...
It's a must for you to take off your shoes when entering someone's home here. There might be some people who don't do so but it's a normal custom here. Like a Japanese home, you can say :3
Rain is normal here! There are monsoons -- seasons of high-expectancy rains (lol wtf language) -- that cycle throughout the year, but it's more or less a normal occurence here. This is because Malaysia is located at the Equator area, where we have the sun all year long and experience hot and humid weather all the time XD;
But because of that, we can go to the beach anytime of the year and never have to worry about winter clothing :3
There are a lot of awesome travel places here in Malaysia. Me being a beach&sea-lover highly recommend our islands! The ones off Terengganu and the Borneo islands are the best XD We have some of the best coral reefs in the world! And due to our stable weather all year long, you can go snorkelling or scuba diving any time you want!


^ So far my fav place of all -- Gayana Resort at Gaya Islands, Sabah!
IT'S SO PRETTYYY -- ah I saw my first meteor on this jetty here! XD
Like srsly, I've gone on quite a number of snorkelling trips and have seen a really huge number of colorful and pretty corals and fishes here in my own country :D I saw a real-life Nemo and Dory with my own eyes haha~ XD

^ LOOK FISHIESSS
If you're not the beach type, we have forests to go jungle-trekking in, and even mountain-climbing. Malaysia sure has dense rainforests X3 I've never gone into one though...ah, maybe only once, but we didn't reach the top of the mountain. That was in Sabah, on Borneo island :3 but it's really nice, and if you're an avid mountain-climber or just an adventurer, I'll have you go to Mount Kinabalu and conquer the tip!
Oh we don't have dryers here...more like it's not common here. (We do have washing machines though lol XD) We dry our laundry by the sun :3 and this is normal in a lot of other countries, I know, but in the US, I rarely see any clothes hanging in the lawn or anywhere...
And since rain is normal here, there are times when you have to run out and get the laundry before it gets totally soaked XD it's a funny thing to see if you're doing this and then the neighbors also rush out and hurriedly gather everything in one go 8'D
Ah, weddings!
Normally during the school holidays, there'd be a lot of wedding invitations going around XD I like weddings cuz : free food lol and I like to watch people 8D
I dunno, there's something about these events that kinda amazes me, even if I have no idea who the bride and groom are. Maybe cuz it's celebrated somehow festive-like...? Mm well, a traditional Malay wedding (by today's standards at least) would have these tents set up in front of the bride/groom's house where guests would sit and have their...lunch. Yeah, normally wedding ceremonies are held in the afternoons cuz it's easier for the bride/groom's families to entertain the guests by preparing lunch 8D (this is just me, don't take my word for it...)
Then when the bride-and-groom couple comes in, they're usually flanked by a group of people who sing and play the kompang (sort of a percussion instrument...imagine a small and flatter bongo, I guess?), and there'd be two people holding the bunga manggar and umbrellas!
Oh, having a theme color kinda became a trend since quite a long time ago :D We don't do traditional white like western ones~ so it's kinda cool to see different-colored themes for any weddings you go to here. Once, light purple became really popular X3

^ Bride and groom in the middle;
see the umbrellas-holders!
And those at the far ends are holding the bunga manggar :3
This is from my uncle's wedding; our theme color was green X3
Families...well, here it's normal to have a big family! XD Like having lots of siblings.
And it's common to live with your parents til however year old you are~ well it depends on the person, but still. Even some married coupled also stay in the same house as their parents, and actually there's a term for this in anthropology...I forgot what XD;

^ Me and cousins on my grandma's side :D
So I guess that's all I can think of :3
Ah how I'll miss all these when I go back~ gah T_T
And, this post is dedicated to
harakanraakku -- sorry for keeping you waiting this long!
I hope you had fun reading this :3 as much as I had fun (unexpectedly!) writing this~
Oh right, it was around this time 2 years ago that you became my friend here in LJ XD
I remembered cuz of this similar post on Malaysia's Independence Day, you commented on it gehehe.
Thanks for befriending me! So this is like an anniversary gift for you, I guess? 8D
Also this is dedicated to all the Malaysians everywhere around the world~
Thanks for reading this (REALLY LONG) entry, I love you all ♥
A Reason to Smile today :

^ THIS XDDD
Oh I love you, dorky Aoi ♥
ps : mm I'm thinking of trying to wear perfume...what the hell?! =_=; honestly i've never used any, not regularly...but there's one i really like and will always try at the tester counter -- Moschino's "I Love Love" -- it smells citrus-y, like mandarin oranges X3 oh well i like orange-y scent, so actually anything will do 8D ah this is so random.
MALAYSIA OH MY MALAYSIAAA I'M GONNA BE FAR FROM YOU AGAIN~!!
Oh speaking about Malaysia,
we just reached our 52nd year of independence on August 31st!
I hope we can still be strong and peaceful for more years to come :3

So as my (damn early) farewell gift to Malaysia before I go back to school,
in accordance with our Independence day,
FOOD
Of course~ it's food! XD
Firstly you must know that Malaysia is a country where a lot of races mix together. So it's just normal for people to mingle around and take a bit of this and that and enjoy them all the same :D
Our main staple is rice! Then comes everything else lol 8D
Our way of eating rice is having it with any sort of gravy or curry or any fried stuff or steamed stuff or...well basically rice is the main thing on our plate. I say this cuz when I was in the US, I noticed that Mexican food also has rice, but as a side dish...which is weird for me. But obviously not weird for them cuz it's their custom, so hey to each their own right!

^ Ah this...is over-loaded 8D;
This is at a restaurant, so of course the amount of food is...that much XD;
Ah to make things easier to understand, you know how Japanese and Chinese has rice for their meals? Yeah we're kinda like that :3 Just that our side dishes can be anything from a simple fried egg to a whole feast of fish and/or chicken and/or meat and/or veggies and/or -- !!
Aside from that we also have Chinese food, Indian food, even Thai food! More specifically the Thai 'soup' they call tom yam (or tom yum), it's very popular here.
Anywhere you go here you can find places to eat -- some of them open 24/7. Almost all of these are called 'mamak' stalls (mamak = what we normally call Indian Muslim here...Malaysians, correct me if I'm wrong haha) where the favorites are roti canai (or paratha) and teh tarik (lit. 'pulled tea'; frothy milk tea).
To explain what teh tarik is, here's a vid I found on YouTube (where else? XD) :
-- cool eh? 8D
Mamak stalls are known to be the most common hangout place, be it for students or office workers. Cuz these places usually have TVs, some of em even have widescreens, and during the football season -- World Cup, EPL, whatever -- people are known to crowd this place and cheer/jeer with the local crowd :3

^ Scene inside of a typical (high-end?) mamak restaurant.
You can see a variety of skin colors in there :3
Other than traditional food, we also have fast food (of course). Most popular would be McD's, KFC, and Pizza Hut. I have to complain openly that the McFlurry's here are getting smaller and smaller, WTF McD?!
HOLIDAYS
Believe it or not, we have a LOT of holidays. In fact, I think we have the most holidays compared to other countries...
Since we don't have long school breaks like in summer or winter -- cuz we're not of the 4-season area -- instead we have a lot of broken-down holidays.
Note : 'school' here means pre-school til high school.
School term starts at the start of the year and ends at...the end of the year (huh, repetitive). So the long school holidays would fall somewhere around November-December, up to 2 months. In the middle of the year too there'd be a term break, like 1-2 weeks. This is the peak season where a lot of popular travel spots suddenly raise their rates lol.
Aside from those school holidays, we also have holidays for events like Chinese New Year, Deepavali (or Diwali), Hari Raya (Eidul Fitri), and some other religious celebrations. So it's really fun to celebrate other festivities together :D
AND, according to each state, there's a holiday for the birthday of that state's ruler.
Isn't it great living in a multi-racial country? We can have LOTS of holidays XD
PEOPLE
Yeah, the people :3
I'm not saying that Malaysians are the most friendly of people -- in fact, bluntly, I'll say that we're kinda conscious of our own selves when confronted with foreigners. We still have that mindset, sadly, that whenever we see something really outrageous or downright weird -- take goth/loli fashion for instance -- we'll prolly look down on them or shake our heads or something.
But then again I guess it's the same anywhere? Not in California though, at least where I stayed at 8D
Well that was kinda exaggerated somehow -- we're not that bad, really.

^ I like the scenery here, it's colorful X3
People here are generally courteous, and we are taught to respect the elders. There's a custom where, if you're about to walk in front of any older people, or a guest, you're supposed to bow down a bit when you walk across them. This is a form of respect.
Another is, especially with families, you have to do a gesture like shaking hands with your parents (and also aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, elders) and then kiss their hand while doing the gesture...um I dunno if I'm explaining this properly, but yeah it's somehow like that. We do this gesture when we're leaving home, most commonly. I dunno if this only exclusive to the Malays though, gomen~ ah but, I think lately this act is becoming less and less common...? Cuz they don't show it on TV that much nowadays.
...well, TV *is* where current customs are being showed, either on ads or dramas or movies...right?
Oh, we Malaysians have a habit of ending things with "-lah!" XD Like :
- "Dunno-lah."
- "Whatever-lah."
- "Duuude, that's crazy-lah!"
Now you can easily speak like a Malaysian!
And, the word 'best' has a kinda different meaning here :
- "This thing is best-lah!" --> "This thing is awesome!"
- "That place is best!" --> "That place is real cool!"
- "It's not best if it's like this..." --> "It's not good if it's like this..."
The sentences on the left are direct translations of Malay, hence the weird arrangement but nevertheless, you get the meaning right? 8D
ETC.
Things I can't put under a major title...
Malaysia is a multi-racial country, with Malay, Chinese, and Indians as the major races. I won't say we live in perfect peace and harmony -- there has been misunderstandings and even a bloody battle in history -- but as time passes we learnt to compromise and cooperate better with each other :3
Malaysia's national religion is Islam, but you can practice your own religions and beliefs.
So when you're driving, there's a moment where you'll see a mosque, then a temple some miles away, then...
It's a must for you to take off your shoes when entering someone's home here. There might be some people who don't do so but it's a normal custom here. Like a Japanese home, you can say :3
Rain is normal here! There are monsoons -- seasons of high-expectancy rains (lol wtf language) -- that cycle throughout the year, but it's more or less a normal occurence here. This is because Malaysia is located at the Equator area, where we have the sun all year long and experience hot and humid weather all the time XD;
But because of that, we can go to the beach anytime of the year and never have to worry about winter clothing :3
There are a lot of awesome travel places here in Malaysia. Me being a beach&sea-lover highly recommend our islands! The ones off Terengganu and the Borneo islands are the best XD We have some of the best coral reefs in the world! And due to our stable weather all year long, you can go snorkelling or scuba diving any time you want!


^ So far my fav place of all -- Gayana Resort at Gaya Islands, Sabah!
IT'S SO PRETTYYY -- ah I saw my first meteor on this jetty here! XD
Like srsly, I've gone on quite a number of snorkelling trips and have seen a really huge number of colorful and pretty corals and fishes here in my own country :D I saw a real-life Nemo and Dory with my own eyes haha~ XD

^ LOOK FISHIESSS
If you're not the beach type, we have forests to go jungle-trekking in, and even mountain-climbing. Malaysia sure has dense rainforests X3 I've never gone into one though...ah, maybe only once, but we didn't reach the top of the mountain. That was in Sabah, on Borneo island :3 but it's really nice, and if you're an avid mountain-climber or just an adventurer, I'll have you go to Mount Kinabalu and conquer the tip!
Oh we don't have dryers here...more like it's not common here. (We do have washing machines though lol XD) We dry our laundry by the sun :3 and this is normal in a lot of other countries, I know, but in the US, I rarely see any clothes hanging in the lawn or anywhere...
And since rain is normal here, there are times when you have to run out and get the laundry before it gets totally soaked XD it's a funny thing to see if you're doing this and then the neighbors also rush out and hurriedly gather everything in one go 8'D
Ah, weddings!
Normally during the school holidays, there'd be a lot of wedding invitations going around XD I like weddings cuz : free food lol and I like to watch people 8D
I dunno, there's something about these events that kinda amazes me, even if I have no idea who the bride and groom are. Maybe cuz it's celebrated somehow festive-like...? Mm well, a traditional Malay wedding (by today's standards at least) would have these tents set up in front of the bride/groom's house where guests would sit and have their...lunch. Yeah, normally wedding ceremonies are held in the afternoons cuz it's easier for the bride/groom's families to entertain the guests by preparing lunch 8D (this is just me, don't take my word for it...)
Then when the bride-and-groom couple comes in, they're usually flanked by a group of people who sing and play the kompang (sort of a percussion instrument...imagine a small and flatter bongo, I guess?), and there'd be two people holding the bunga manggar and umbrellas!
Oh, having a theme color kinda became a trend since quite a long time ago :D We don't do traditional white like western ones~ so it's kinda cool to see different-colored themes for any weddings you go to here. Once, light purple became really popular X3

^ Bride and groom in the middle;
see the umbrellas-holders!
And those at the far ends are holding the bunga manggar :3
This is from my uncle's wedding; our theme color was green X3
Families...well, here it's normal to have a big family! XD Like having lots of siblings.
And it's common to live with your parents til however year old you are~ well it depends on the person, but still. Even some married coupled also stay in the same house as their parents, and actually there's a term for this in anthropology...I forgot what XD;

^ Me and cousins on my grandma's side :D
So I guess that's all I can think of :3
Ah how I'll miss all these when I go back~ gah T_T
And, this post is dedicated to
I hope you had fun reading this :3 as much as I had fun (unexpectedly!) writing this~
Oh right, it was around this time 2 years ago that you became my friend here in LJ XD
I remembered cuz of this similar post on Malaysia's Independence Day, you commented on it gehehe.
Thanks for befriending me! So this is like an anniversary gift for you, I guess? 8D
Also this is dedicated to all the Malaysians everywhere around the world~
Thanks for reading this (REALLY LONG) entry, I love you all ♥
A Reason to Smile today :

^ THIS XDDD
Oh I love you, dorky Aoi ♥
ps : mm I'm thinking of trying to wear perfume...what the hell?! =_=; honestly i've never used any, not regularly...but there's one i really like and will always try at the tester counter -- Moschino's "I Love Love" -- it smells citrus-y, like mandarin oranges X3 oh well i like orange-y scent, so actually anything will do 8D ah this is so random.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-02 08:07 pm (UTC)haha dorky Aoi is fun !
you should wear that perfume! Moschino perfumes smell very good -3-
no subject
Date: 2009-09-03 05:22 am (UTC)he is! ♥
really? i've tested another Moschino one, forgot the name...but still i like the orange one better X3 i don't see them anywhere here though =3=
no subject
Date: 2009-09-03 06:16 pm (UTC)You seem very united/being part of a community or multiple of them is important. Social people, yeah! It's not uncommon Finnish people don't know too much about their relatives, in fact. There are differences between families but we usually do not have such strong bonds and are not that family-centered. Your weddings and other fests and such seem like lots of color and people getting together and feeling intese about what they're doing. I like it. Here people like becoming independent at early age and in fact it is some kind of a "signal" you're doing it well with your own, personal life when you don't "have to" live under the same roof as your folks anymore. Or something, eh. But let's say that for, taking an examble, a 25-year-old it is socially weird-ish to not be independent already, we kind of expect people of that age would be settling down elsewhere. I've explained this already some but the difference always weirds me out a bit when I try to take a look on our side from another point of view, where people unit more.
Finns are getting better with different styles (loli/goth/etc.) but there shall always be those who would shake their heads when seeing something different. However, there has been improvement and I think youngsters these days proudly reflect whom they are as piercings and such are very common.
The lah-ending -- sounds like Singlish for me, haha. Doesn't it come from Mandarin after all? Got two Singaporean LJ pals and umm-umm. Not enough of enlightement but I also know this "leh"-thingie, lawl.
Aaww two years, eh? Mighty long time for a young person. I'm glad I commented and friended you, sweet girl as you are and thank for the "anniversary gift" (rofl, that ♥).
Ooh that one, I know which fragrance you're talking about and I think it's sprinkling! Not too solemn and has the fruity kick. I appreciate the non-heavyness and citrus-yness. A scent not too serious. I could see you wearing it, imo. 8)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-03 06:50 pm (UTC)yeah anyhooo
no subject
Date: 2009-09-04 10:40 am (UTC)ah people here mostly work too :3 many mothers work as well. i dunno if most women here work too but it's becoming more common for mothers and women generally to have work here :D
and about still living with parents, well it's not like they're not doing anything yeah? XD like my uncle, before he got married, he lived with my grandma and still has to go to work :3 writing that just now seems like a bad thing haha XD; gomen~ anyways, yeah i get what you're saying.
Singlish! well it can't be helped cuz we're neighboring countries~ and Singapore used to be part of Malaysia some long time ago :D hence there'd be a lot of similarities between us~
and...what, me, sweet? 8D haha no way~ but honestly it's been 2 years already! XD thank you for the friendship X3
the perfume -- "I could see you wearing it" -- uso! XD now i feel like everyone knows a lot about me haha gaaah i'm embarrassed~
*koffkoff* although...the fragrance really is nice~ so i'll look for it later then! XD
thanks again and i'm really, REALLY glad you enjoyed reading this :3
no subject
Date: 2009-09-08 11:43 pm (UTC)Ah, the changing world.
Yup rite, not just living with parents and loitering! Yet it seems a bit distant from Finnish point of view, "gotta get your own apartment, live your own life alone or with a significant one/other" etc. Ah well, the differencies happen to be there, ay.
Yeah know that one and a-by-the-way; Singaporeans seems kind of conscious about themselves or something. Dunno.
Well yes, you *(insert an adjective here, I cannot come up with any suitable atm. aaaaahhh brain disfunction!)* one! *pinches cheecks* Time is one sneaky.. I have to thank you on my behalf~ ´3`
Noo it's true, rofl! Setting an examble, stuff like Cat Deluxe at Night of Naomi Campbell is very far-fetched (I know people who have had it/been sniffing it and know it to be more of "sensual, smooth and tempting", like you wore a slight, lingering promise on you. Alrite I sounded nasty now ahah). But srsly now I feel like I could get myself a perfume, not just an eau de toilett -- wears off too fast -- but an eau de parfum! I just one the other day at Helsinki, it was green tea (+ organic and less synthetic stuff) and stuff and they had cut some off the price but I told myself not to get overly luxorious. Ah, well.
Before it proceeds into complete off-topic (hey a déjà vu!), I agree; loof for it later, dude. 8)
Took me some time to answer to this comment but yes, I like the dedication and your style. Thank you again & it's all cool~
no subject
Date: 2009-09-08 11:44 pm (UTC)hoho :]
Date: 2009-09-05 02:21 am (UTC)and i think malaysia is one of the countries tha has various kind of food that we can get anytime anywhere! xD *esp if u'r in KL and surrounded by malay warungs, mamak stalls, chinese restaurants, japanese restaurants, korean, italian, u name it we have it* ;]
and thanks for posting up this refreshing post abt ur view on malaysia.. it shows how much u love this country.. and oh, i feel really blessed to live here! luvluv. ^^v
-wani ezryl *
Re: hoho :]
Date: 2009-09-07 02:13 pm (UTC)and yes Malaysia = food havennn
we are really blessed lahhh~ haaa now how to go back to US? T_T