Dear editor...

Dear editor,
           In our daily lives, we encounter the many facets of society in the multi-cultural world we live in. However, I am not speaking about the cultural divide between Malaysia's many diverse races. Instead, I am talking about the 'unique' Malaysian culture that we have inculcated here. While the government prefers to promote tourism by conveniently highlighting good Malaysian habits such as friendliness, we have to acknowledge the social problems and some of the horrible attributes portrayed by Malaysians. One of the daily problems that I encounter is road bullying. The road rage displayed by some of our Malaysian drivers is simply shocking, to say the least. For example, I have seen drivers getting out of their cars during a red light merely to scold another driver whom has swerve into their lane. While I understand the frustration when somebody else cuts into your lane without forewarning just to beat the traffic light, there is no need to overreact by getting out of your car to confront or provoke the other driver. In the end, you hold up the line behind you and add to the already congested traffic. In another instance, there are drivers who are rude and inconsiderate. Just the other day, there was an old woman who was driving at approximately 20km/h in a housing area. The woman that was behind her was so impatient that she tailgated the poor old lady, then proceeded to flash her, overtake her and show her a rude gesture in the process. Is consideration a foreign word in these drivers' vocabulary?
                While I; as a non-smoker, respect other people's choice in whether they smoke or not, I expect smokers to do the same for me as well. Even though the signs evidently show that it is a non-smoking area, some Malaysians choose to ignore the sign and blatantly smoke in front of other people. I find it disturbing as there are senior citizens, pregnant women and young children around. What smokers think about their health is none of my business but they should at least have a modicum of concern and consideration for their fellow Malaysians. If they smoke in the confines of their own home or in smoking areas, I have no issue that. It is when they smoke in areas where it is not allowed that annoys me. As if their actions were not inconsiderate enough, there are a section of them that either purposely or accidentally blow smoke straight into your face. This is particularly disgusting as I absolutely detest the smell of smoke and I always start to choke when I unknowingly inhale some of the smoke. Studies have shown that the percentage of passive smokers who die of lung cancer are significantly higher than active smokers who die of the same disease. One incident that beckons is when I saw a young man that was smoking in a bus stop. Other than he and I, there was also a mother with her toddler son. The mother then politely asked the young man if he would stop smoking as her son suffers from asthma. Instead of stubbing out his cigarette or even leaving to smoke somewhere else, he went up to the young boy and blew a billow of smoke right into his face. Before we could reprimand or scold him, he ran off. This is the type of horrendous attitude that I've seen in some of our Malaysians.
                 I understand that as humans, we are not meant to be perfect. Rather, we make mistakes at every turn of our lives. What I am asking for in all Malaysians is not to be the perfect citizen but strife to attain some basic level of courtesy and humanity.
                                                                                                              Sincerely,
                                                                                                              a frustrated citizen

I'm onto you, Astro

'elo mate! Or mates! Yeah, I guess only 1 person reads my blog so we'll jut stick with mate. Moving on then, I've just received RM50 worth of vouchers from Astro. In all my 11 years of being a dedicated Astro customer, I've NEVER received any complimentary item from Astro. Could it be because another rival tv network is finally gaining ground on them and this is just a cheap attempt on their part to keep the customers? I certainly think so...or maybe I'm just thinking too much into it. Maybe they're doing it out of love and care for their devoted subscribers. Yeah...I just laughed at my own statement. Anyhow, the vouchers are applicable for KFC, Pizza Hut and Ayamas (who knew Ayamas had a restaurant). Bottom-line is, I don't really want them becaue a) I hate pizza hut and b) I'm never going to use the vouchers. So, it'll be left on my table to collect dust until it expires and I throw it away. What a waste! Hence...pn m, Is there a possibility that you are an ardent fan of any of the restaurants mentioned above and would like to be a lucky recipient of the vouchers?? Ok, that's all for this week. Toodles.

Absence of sobriety

Hii!!! Ok, ignore the ridiculous amount of exclamation points here..it's annoying you and it's annoying me. Anyhoo, I'm typing this while feeling a little tipsy. Who knew that wine+beer+chatime was a potent combination?? Well, evidently not me. In my defense, it was mumsers' birthday celebration and what's a party without a little alcohol? Oh, we actually finished 2 bottles of wine and a large can of beer but we're not alcoholics, merely social drinkers. On to less 'controversial' topics, i've a recommendation! You should check put Patrick Teoh's blog, aptly titled 'Niamah'. Yes, the title's a little tounge-in-cheek but that's what makes it all the more cooler. In case you people don't know, Patrick Teoh's a prolific DJ now guest DJ-ing at BFM (my favorite radio station) where he dishes out sardonic remarks for free! Although the blog may seem like a political commentary, it's delivery makes for a light, entertaining and funny read. So, check it out! Till then...

Flightless bird

I should start blogging now before I put it into the back burner again. Alright, a short summary of this week so far..let's see, I attempted to study (I can imagine the mock horror on your face) but failed miserably. There, you can breathe a sigh of relief now. Seriously, lord knows where some people get the motivation to start so early. Heck, my motivation doesn't even kick in the day before exam. Oh yes, the ups and downs of being a slacker. Although, I feign blissful ignorance at the downsides and prefer to focus on enjoying my life like any true slacker. Alright, I'm not exactly giving pnM an incredibly good impression of me. I think we should move on... I also took my tae Kwan do grading on Saturday! Before I proceed, there's something you need to know about me. I've horrible, I repeat, HORRIBLE hand-eye coordination. I'm not kidding, i swear. I actually stressed out more on my TKD grading than my major public exams. That's the full humiliating extent of my lack of motor skills. Sometimes I thank frank that I'm not a bird or I'll probably be crashing into a lot of trees, maybe even shrubs. Ok, one last thing, I'm selling some old clothes for really cheap prices like this black Calvin Klein blouse. It costs RM 30 and price may be negotiable!