Cross-Cultural Conversations

Observations by a Malaysian studying in Australia

The typical Malaysian and the un-Australian

There is a term widely used here in Australia, particularly by politicians, to describe actions which are considered socially ungracious. It's called, rather conveniently, "un-Australian". Dobbing (telling) on your mate? That's a bit un-Australian. Not giving someone a fair chance? That's a bit un-Australian too. Being a dickhead? Now that's very un-Australian.

In Malaysia, bad behaviour is not at all considered un-Malaysian. On the contrary, they've been widely accepted as an established part of society and are consistently referred to as, wait for this, very "Malaysian". Our response to someone spitting in public? - "(After a tired sigh) Typical Malaysians...". Inconsiderate drivers rudely shifting lanes without showing their signals? - "That is so Malaysian!". Someone just being painfully narrow-minded? Who else could it be if not, yes, "Malaysians"?

Between the potentially self-righteous position of the Aussies and the very self-critical mentality of the Malaysians, I couldn't decide which of the two is the better choice.

posted by: Tembaga2 at 03:13 | link | comments (1) |

Signs Of The Times

Yesterday was one of those dreaded days when things just didn't turn out the way you expected it to. I met people I didn't want to see, and I didn't see those I wanted to meet. I lost my badminton match, I couldn't finish my assignments, I had a horrible dinner, I forgot to visit the moon, I lost a million dollars and I'm having diarrhoea.

At times like these, the only thing we need is a source of escapism, and mine came in the form of Your Stars section in the newspapers which I conveniently came across. What did my star sign had in store for me? (I only got to read the papers at night). Aquarius-"Finding today's populace self-absorbed, irritable, humourless, easily offended and taking themselves way too seriously?" Definitely! Those constellations lingering up in the sky sure know what we're thinkinh about down here on Earth.

"Did you know then," the wise words continued, "that the way Jack describes Jill usually says more about Jack than Jill?" It took me ten minutes to understand, and another 10 to finally accept that there may be some truth to what it just revealed, although admittedly it was a bit too harsh.

Such words of wisdom, of which there are 12 of them, should not be wasted and unread just because I happen to belong in only one such star sign. I decided to read what the other stars had in store for others. Pisces -"Your nature loves change and dislikes being grounded, but everyone has to take care of their share of mundane practicalities. Use that imaginative Piscean genius to make daily routines creative and varied." This statement had profound relevance to my life far beyond my own understanding. I have felt, throughout the week, that I really needed a change in my routine which I was increasingly getting bored with.

What did Capricorn had to say for Capricornians? "Once Capricorns commit to something, they're reluctant to change". This too, had profound relevance to my life far beyond my own understanding. I really identified with Capricorn. I was beginning to seriously doubt my Aquarian origins.

It was when I reached Gemini that I started to get a wee bit suspicious. "Tired of old conventions and outdated ideas that don't work, today you're eager to use new methods". That sounded very much like the aforementioned Piscean philosophy. In fact it wasn't very far from Scorpio's either. Scorpio-"March is a month of endings, and waning Moon's the natural time for discarding attitudes that have outlived their usefulness".

Is there a pre-arranged consensus between the different constellations to have the same fate assigned to their subjects? It's amazing how true the horoscopes' predictions can be, but what is even more amazing is how they all seem to be incredibly similar to each other.

posted by: Tembaga2 at 23:07 | link | comments |