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SEASONS ARE CHANGING;
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Jimmy Durante – Make Someone Happy 
My parents come alive every time we come back to Penang. This morning, Mom borrowed my cousin’s bicycle and cycled all the way to the temple in Pulau Tikus which is 5km away. Then she cycled back and was home before I even got out of bed. She’s so chipper right now that even the prospect of having to help prepare two reunion dinners tonight couldn’t get her down. Dad puts his computer in front of the window and every time a breeze blows through and ruffles up the sea-green curtains of his room, he stops tapping on the keyboard for a few moments and sighs with happiness. To them, their hometown is an escape from their workload back in KL, hectic city life and a return to their comfort zone. I am a city girl born and bred, and so sometimes Penang can drive me fairly crazy because hardly anything happens here. All the rockstars perform in KL and Singapore, and all the happening events, rallies and gatherings start in KL. Good movies take weeks to arrive here. Like the time I was here after my class trip last year, I nearly went nuts because everything was so stiff and sleepy. It’s not like that for me all the time, though. Most times I can appreciate what my parents see in this place. It’s a refreshing change from the intense materialism that comes with city life. Having spent at least a quarter of my life here, I’ve been made equal parts Penang girl and KL-ite. Here, no one will bat an eyelid if you wandered out on the street wearing sandals with socks or rat-eaten shorts and t-shirts. In Penang, most traders actually smile at you in a really warm and friendly manner. Even the younger ones. Back in KL, the only ones that smile at you are the old shopkeepers. The younger sales assistants are so sour-faced that it puts me off buying anything in their shops. KL is a happening place and it’s great for me because it means life is never dull. But life there can seem awfully superficial at times. There’s a niceness about Penang people that sets them apart. On the whole, Penang people are not just nice. They are different. The girls are spunkier, the boys are less brash, and the atmosphere is more welcoming in general. It is a lot less happening, but the general warmth of the people can make up for it. And Penang food is awesome. There really is no question about that. (Which reminds me, I REALLY REALLY have to get started on my Malaysian Studies scrapbook. But I digress. Unrelated topic counter #1 –.-) My parents are true-blue Penang-ites. Practicality goes, not appearance. Almost everything they own is over 5 years old. Take care not to be hypnotized by the glittering city lights; don’t lose yourself here in KL. More than once, people have told me how nice my parents are. They’re serious on the surface but it’s not that they don’t have a sense of humor; like me, they just have a different sense of humor. I tell them it’s because they’re Penang people, although I don’t know what makes them that way. My dad’s hypothesis is this: if you grow up in a beautiful environment i.e. surrounded by wind and sea and hill, and always have good food on the table, it gives you a certain confidence. Rather than growing up in a concrete jungle hemmed in by the latest technology, in rural areas you get to run free. *cue Born Free theme song!* What he says is true to some extent. So why are the HELP students from other states so shy and less outgoing than the KL-ites? Maybe it’s the sheer volume of the KL-ites that intimidates them and puts them off. In truth, I think the kids from other states may have a lot more substance than the KL-ites. Because it’s as if being born in the centre of all that’s hip and happening in this country has given us a special status above all the other more ulu (backward) places. Don’t be fooled. You can be so much better than us if you’d just let yourselves shine, the part of you that was born free. Remember that old saying from some cheesy old movie (yes, I like cheesy old movies!)? You can take a girl (or boy) out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of a girl (or boy). Most of what you see is just a lie built up to make it seem important, needed and imperative for growth and progress, when actually it’s about as deep as a rain-puddle. We judge and we are judged daily by appearance and achievements, and extraversion is everything. Here, the more extraverted you are the better, even if it means getting in people’s faces while you’re at it. Those who aren’t extraverted try so hard to be so and ultimately fail because they don’t realize that you can never be who you’re not meant to be. And when they fail they become sour-faced shop assistants who put you off buying their own wares. By all means have fun here in KL. Go out and watch the latest movies, rock it out at concerts, watch plays and try out all there is to try. But don’t be intimidated by the people. Look past our outward loudness and see people who turn to putty without their iPod, hand phone and internet connection. See people who balk at the idea of 10-day jungle treks and tending to mentally retarded orphans. Board an LRT, ride it to the end and get off without ever once speaking to anyone, making eye contact or seeing anyone smile. See people who look down on someone who doesn’t speak the same, dress the same, watch the same TV shows, listen to the same music and ultimately, doesn’t think the same. See people like that, and realize that this is what city life does to young people. See people like that, and don’t be intimidated. Know that you’re so much better than we are. Then prove it to us. Take care not to be hypnotized by the glittering city lights; don’t lose yourself. Like we often do. Labels: Musings, Very Long Posts
INTRODUCING
Name: Louise
13 April 1992
You can only call me Lulu if you don’t think the name’s funny.
I am a member of the Smiley Conspiracy and a proud ex-CHS-ian, graduating class of 2009. Now doing A-Levels at HELP University College. Is proudly Malaysian, but doesn’t look like it and is proud of that too.
This is the 7th time I am editing this about section of the blog this year; I have sort of accepted that my personality is ever-evolving, ever-changing, therefore rendering my moods as volatile as the weather. But just as there are some things that have stood untouched across the centuries by harsh weather, so there are some things with me that remain ever the same: a belief that to live is to learn, and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
What I love also remains constant. I love good food, dancing, fresh experiences, open minds and friendly people, all of which can be found in the wonderful wonderful city that is Istanbul. I love musicals, plays, good books, stickers, owls, colourful wrapping paper, hugs and kisses, chocolates, almost any music from the 17th to the 21st century, intense debates and post-it notes.
Fictional characters I have been compared to (in terms of personality) are Piglet from Winnie The Pooh and Kelsi from High School Musical.
I dream of finishing this list [29/8/2010: list is undergoing revamp!], and my secret ambition is to become a hairdresser or bartender. Unfortunately I’m also incredibly kiasu, so I’m going to go to university just to show everyone that I can. But want to go to uni also because I love learning lah!
Words that describe me are impulsive, impetuous, quixotic, sanguine, quirky, bewildered, kiasu and hodgepodge. The last one also refers to my sense of fashion.
*GRINS* :D
SEASONS ARE CHANGING;
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Jimmy Durante – Make Someone Happy My parents come alive every time we come back to Penang. This morning, Mom borrowed my cousin’s bicycle and cycled all the way to the temple in Pulau Tikus which is 5km away. Then she cycled back and was home before I even got out of bed. She’s so chipper right now that even the prospect of having to help prepare two reunion dinners tonight couldn’t get her down. Dad puts his computer in front of the window and every time a breeze blows through and ruffles up the sea-green curtains of his room, he stops tapping on the keyboard for a few moments and sighs with happiness. To them, their hometown is an escape from their workload back in KL, hectic city life and a return to their comfort zone. I am a city girl born and bred, and so sometimes Penang can drive me fairly crazy because hardly anything happens here. All the rockstars perform in KL and Singapore, and all the happening events, rallies and gatherings start in KL. Good movies take weeks to arrive here. Like the time I was here after my class trip last year, I nearly went nuts because everything was so stiff and sleepy. It’s not like that for me all the time, though. Most times I can appreciate what my parents see in this place. It’s a refreshing change from the intense materialism that comes with city life. Having spent at least a quarter of my life here, I’ve been made equal parts Penang girl and KL-ite. Here, no one will bat an eyelid if you wandered out on the street wearing sandals with socks or rat-eaten shorts and t-shirts. In Penang, most traders actually smile at you in a really warm and friendly manner. Even the younger ones. Back in KL, the only ones that smile at you are the old shopkeepers. The younger sales assistants are so sour-faced that it puts me off buying anything in their shops. KL is a happening place and it’s great for me because it means life is never dull. But life there can seem awfully superficial at times. There’s a niceness about Penang people that sets them apart. On the whole, Penang people are not just nice. They are different. The girls are spunkier, the boys are less brash, and the atmosphere is more welcoming in general. It is a lot less happening, but the general warmth of the people can make up for it. And Penang food is awesome. There really is no question about that. (Which reminds me, I REALLY REALLY have to get started on my Malaysian Studies scrapbook. But I digress. Unrelated topic counter #1 –.-) My parents are true-blue Penang-ites. Practicality goes, not appearance. Almost everything they own is over 5 years old. Take care not to be hypnotized by the glittering city lights; don’t lose yourself here in KL. More than once, people have told me how nice my parents are. They’re serious on the surface but it’s not that they don’t have a sense of humor; like me, they just have a different sense of humor. I tell them it’s because they’re Penang people, although I don’t know what makes them that way. My dad’s hypothesis is this: if you grow up in a beautiful environment i.e. surrounded by wind and sea and hill, and always have good food on the table, it gives you a certain confidence. Rather than growing up in a concrete jungle hemmed in by the latest technology, in rural areas you get to run free. *cue Born Free theme song!* What he says is true to some extent. So why are the HELP students from other states so shy and less outgoing than the KL-ites? Maybe it’s the sheer volume of the KL-ites that intimidates them and puts them off. In truth, I think the kids from other states may have a lot more substance than the KL-ites. Because it’s as if being born in the centre of all that’s hip and happening in this country has given us a special status above all the other more ulu (backward) places. Don’t be fooled. You can be so much better than us if you’d just let yourselves shine, the part of you that was born free. Remember that old saying from some cheesy old movie (yes, I like cheesy old movies!)? You can take a girl (or boy) out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of a girl (or boy). Most of what you see is just a lie built up to make it seem important, needed and imperative for growth and progress, when actually it’s about as deep as a rain-puddle. We judge and we are judged daily by appearance and achievements, and extraversion is everything. Here, the more extraverted you are the better, even if it means getting in people’s faces while you’re at it. Those who aren’t extraverted try so hard to be so and ultimately fail because they don’t realize that you can never be who you’re not meant to be. And when they fail they become sour-faced shop assistants who put you off buying their own wares. By all means have fun here in KL. Go out and watch the latest movies, rock it out at concerts, watch plays and try out all there is to try. But don’t be intimidated by the people. Look past our outward loudness and see people who turn to putty without their iPod, hand phone and internet connection. See people who balk at the idea of 10-day jungle treks and tending to mentally retarded orphans. Board an LRT, ride it to the end and get off without ever once speaking to anyone, making eye contact or seeing anyone smile. See people who look down on someone who doesn’t speak the same, dress the same, watch the same TV shows, listen to the same music and ultimately, doesn’t think the same. See people like that, and realize that this is what city life does to young people. See people like that, and don’t be intimidated. Know that you’re so much better than we are. Then prove it to us. Take care not to be hypnotized by the glittering city lights; don’t lose yourself. Like we often do. Labels: Musings, Very Long Posts
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