Still trying...

It has not been difficult (thank God) getting used to things here back home. But there are still some areas where i still need some time.

Things i still need getting used to:-

1. The Malaysian accent!!!!

With all the "la"s and "lor"s and "meh"s and.... I find it amusing, tho! :-)

2. Seeing so many "cub-chais" (small motor-bikes) on the road!

I found it amusing initially but now i just wanna run them down....

3. Malaysian(?) humour

eg. last Sunday, during group discussion, jokes like "A phelgmatic is someone who has a lot of phelgm - muahahahahaha" and "A choleric is someone suffering from cholera - kekekekeke" left me more bemused than amused!

4. The dressing of the locals.

Two things - first, i just came back from a winter which may not have been cold but people still wrap up in jackets, scarves, sweaters, coats etc. (altho some local girls can endure the weather in their short skirts and spaghetti strap tops) so seeing people dressed in so little still needs getting used to.

But the bigger thing is that i noticed that people in the UK generally dress much nicer. Everyone seem to make an effort to dress up - or at least dress properly when they go out. Here, sometimes you see people wearing clothes which you won't be surprise if they actually slept in them!

5. The lack of good and/or frenly service

I've been so used to being greeted with a smile, eye contact and a cheerful "Hi" each time i go to the counter to pay for anything. Here, the people at the cashier hate their jobs and they dun make any effort to hide it.

Further, after serving in arguably the most posh chinese restaurant in Colchester (some say in Essex), the level of service i've encountered here is appalling in comparison!

However, i must add that there have been frenly and competent service rendered here.

6. The cost of things here

No, i dun find it so much cheaper!!!! Kindly remember that i've been earning in sterling pounds - around 6 quid an hour. Here, i seriously doubt if i can get paid RM6 an hour in a cafe.

Here are some illustrations:-

I work for an hour there and can earn enuf to buy more than 10 bottles of good shampoo & conditioner, albeit Tesco brand. Here, i can't buy one bottle even after working an hour.

There, i work for 2 hours and can buy a good book - around 7 to 10 quid. Here, the same book costs RM40. Is it a wonder why M'sians dun read as much?

There, after working for an hour. i can buy 6 to 7 packs of good branded biscuits. Here, i can buy maybe just 2.

I can go on and on. It is so common to find things under 1 pound but here, stuffs are at least a couple of ringgit. That's why you have shops therelike Poundland selling all stuffs for just a quid each whereas u'll never find a similiar store here selling things for RM1.

7. Jogging

I feel like a rat running on a wheel when i go jogging here. It's basically just round and round and round a track - seeing the same people, same scenery and avoiding the same dog poo.

I miss the wide open areas on campus, the changes of landscape, the countless of people i meet. My jog in Colchester will take me thru wide open green fields, a path along a river, across a train track, thru a small wood, along the road, onto the campus, and ending by the lake.

8. People telling me how thin i am

Look, i've lost weight - but to categorise me as skinny??? I found it a tad amusing when i walked past a fitness centre and the promoters outside took one look at me and immediately lost interest! LOL! Yeah, it doesn't take much to amuse me!

9. Life without DC++

Self-explanatory, enuf said.

10. Mates so far away

I lived in a flat with 12 other people. Me other mates live on another floor or in the accomodations nearby.

Now, i live in Subang. See ing me mates would mean travelling by car thru traffic jams.

Oh, and i need to get used to not seeing that many people from China!!!!!