Signs you were born and raised in Malaysia

I saw this article, http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/11-signs-born-raised-malaysia/ and I think only 4 out of the 11 stereotypes are correct :P

1. You cringe every time you hear someone mispronounce ‘orangutan’ or ‘durian’, but are much too polite to ever correct them.

I'm rewriting this part because previously, it sounds like I was rambling.

Okay, some people do care about that kind of stuff but to make it a Malaysian stereotype? I don't think so. I mean, if you're foreigners, whether it's offline or online, a lot of Malaysians just don't give a damn about your pronunciation or grammar as long they can understand what you're trying to say. We tend to give a lot of leeway on you lot, just because you're not locals.


2. You’re both proud and embarrassed of your Malaysian accent. Your sentences are sprinkled with ‘lahs’ and you know it’s OK lah.

Gah, I'm rewriting this part because I just realized that the writer meant using la or lah while speaking in English. My previous opinion was based on Malaysians talking in Bahasa Melayu (Malay).

NOT TRUE! Malaysians generally use a lot of 'la' or 'lah' while speaking in Malay but the only group in Malaysia who use a lot of 'la' or 'lah' while speaking in English are the Malaysian Chinese. Well, not all of them of course. Just, a very big number of them :/


3. You exercise the ‘hand of God’ while crossing the road. You put your hand up with your palm facing the oncoming traffic and watch cars magically slow down as you walk.

My opinion doesn't change but I choose to rewrite this part because I feel like I was not coherence enough to explain what I really mean. Sorry! :P

While this is true, most Malaysians cross the road whenever we feel safe or know that the vehicles would be able to slow down and stop in time while we're crossing the road. We raise our hand while crossing or after that ONLY to say thanks. We rarely use our hand to say, 'stop'.

So, I'm not sure if this should be considered as a stereotype.


4. You call no one by their actual name. The waiter is a ‘boss’. Any older man or older woman is simply ‘uncle’ and ‘aunty’. Because of this, you never know your friends’ parents’ names.

Too true! Even with stranger, we just say hi/hello, and... just talk about whatever. At the end of the brief meeting, we still don't know each other name.

How to call someone in FORMAL situation without knowing their name?

A guy (regardless of age): 'Encik' (Mr.)
A woman (regardless of age): 'Cik' (Miss) <- unless they asked to be called, 'Puan' (Mrs.).

How to call someone in INFORMAL situation without knowing their name?

A much older man: 'Pak Cik' (uncle)
A much older woman: 'Mak Cik' (auntie)
An older man: 'Abang' (older brother)
An older woman: 'Kak' (older sister)
A younger person: 'Adik' (younger brother/sister)
Someone of similar age: .... Honestly? I have no idea. I just... say hi and try to talk in a way that there's no need to mention that person's name at all. If we don't know the person's name but need to call him/her from afar, we'll just call him/her by his/her feature like, "blue skirt", "black scarf", stuff like that. I don't know if that's the norm in Malaysia but it's certainly is the norm among people around me.

5. You watch TV shows from at least four foreign countries, usually including Korean dramas, Hong Kong TVB series, Venezuelan telenovelas, British comedy series, American reality TV, and Indonesian soap operas.

Yeah, I remember growing up watching whatever shows on TV. Same goes to people I know.


6. You learned to play the recorder in primary school. To this day, you are still waiting for the moment to showcase your musical ‘talent’.

Huh??? Just no. It's fun but no. It's like learning the Children songs. It's fun but my friends and I, we do not care about showcasing whatever.


7. You run on Malaysian timing. You’re never punctual and you’re always ‘on the way’. This is accepted because no other Malaysian would ever arrive on time anyway.

Yeah :/ I mean, even if you try to be punctual, the others are rarely on time so you just give up. I mean, what's the point? Even the host would be late or if they're actually punctual, they would only start when they have gathered everyone so we're going to be late anyway.


8. Your undying commitment to food means you’re willing travel the distance for the best eats. A 2-hour drive for your favourite asam laksa is no big deal.

Yeah, I do know Malaysians who are like that but then, isn't this normal among food enthusiasts from all over the world?


9. Your undying commitment to food: Part II. You plan your meals during a different meal. Lunches are planned at breakfast, dinners at lunch, and suppers at dinners.

Again, you're not talking about Malaysians but rather, the food enthusiasts from all over the world.


10. Your undying commitment to food: Part III. Local food is the national pride and you get very opinionated when it comes to The Great Debate of Malaysian food vs Singaporean food. Friendships have known to be severed because of this.

Okay, so Malaysia is kind of a heaven when it comes to food so it's not a surprise to find a lot of local and foreign food enthusiasts gathering here. I still don't think this trait is specific to Malaysians only.


11. You’re multilingual and mix a few languages into one sentence. The infamous sentence of “Wei macha, you want to makan here or tapau?’ contains 4 languages (English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil) and even that ends up somehow involving food.

True, it's known as 'Bahasa Rojak' (mixed language) and cringed upon by local linguists :P