Sunday, August 28, 2005

I tried to hold my tongue, but I cannot take it anymore.

Singaporean: "Eh, I go JB that time hor, then got no toilet paper leh..."

Malaysian: "SO WHAT? YOU CHAO AH LIAN! You don't deserve any toilet paper! You fucking Singaporeans only know how to criticise people! Your country is worse, no chewing gum, and you all are just puppets being controlled by your government. If we don't give you water, you die already ok! You are so ugly, you deserve to have your arse dirty anyway. Malaysia has no toilet paper cannot is it? No one asked you to come to Malaysia in the first place! Stay in your own fucking country! Yes we have no toilet paper, but we got twin towers and that is magnificent! You chao Singaporean, whole day work for govt money, will never learn to appreciate the beauty of having shit stuck to your asshole! And please lah, why you before coming to our country never do research? What makes you think we have toilet paper, and if you brought your own, then no problems liao right? COMPLAIN COMPLAIN COMPLAIN. Yes I know it is still true that we have no toilet paper and you are right in saying we don't, but still, you should have done your own research. I hope you die, you fat cow you are a disgrace to your own country."

A pretty good summary of the reactions I got from my KL trip post. And some others too, rather disappointing analogies perhaps... from people I thought were more broad-minded.

I wonder, if these people (not all Malaysians, mind you, some are not like that, I DO KNOW. I am only talking about those who wrote such comments) are going to continue this adamant, indignant, self-righteous, defensive kind of attitude, how is their country ever going to improve?

For goodness sake. Something is bad? Woohoo, I love it that way leh, cannot ah? Fine lor, then don't ever change for the better.

When it is stated I got molested (which is not to say I don't get molested in Singapore too, I did, and I wrote about them), they claim I wore too little and deserve it, for in KL if you wear little you WILL get definitely molested. (Also see claim that I should have done my research, so here is a piece of research snippet for you people going to KL from KL people themselves: You WILL get molested, so go there hithero dressed as a cow)

So what does it say about KL's men if they molest girls? (Ps: I wore two tank tops and JEANS that day, not skimpy at all)

The worse argument of all is perhaps this sort:

"You were wrong to slap that girl."
"So what, you also got slap people before what."

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE ONE RIGHT. It is IRRELEVANT WHETHER, IF YOU DRESS SKIMPILY, U WILL ALSO BE MOLESTED IN SINGAPORE'S GEYLANG. What is wrong is wrong. Molesting is wrong. So what if it also happens in Singapore? It does, but does that make Petaling's molesting cases any less true? NO.

When it is stated I got cheated, they claim I was stupid to go to Petaling street and I should have asked for advice on where to go first. I read up websites and they told me to go to Petaling Street. So how? Your tourism board's fault right?

And since I only went there, and I had a bad experience there, what is wrong with me writing it out? I wasn't defaming the damn place; it really sucks. Don't give me that bullshit that I am tainting the whole of KL. Readers can READ that I am only writing about Petaling Street.

When I say that people there are rude, these inane people claim that I met rude people (and deserve to be rude to), because I wore clothes which are ... skimpy and that Malaysia is a muslim country. (Also see claim I should have been smart enough to know this and wrapped myself up in black drapes)

Sorry hor, I am so sorry. I thought that KL was a developed, civilised place, where there will not be such ridiculous racial intolerance. I was wrong in thinking that way, expecting too much. Wow, if only I expected KL to be a shit dump! Then I will think it is actually a rosy place, right?

I do NOT think I dressed skimpily nor was whatever rubbish terms you siao people (refering only to those who commented) called me. Lala? What is lala? It is not insulting to me at all. To me, lala is a nice dish of clams cooked in sambal sauce.

I wore a tank top and my red skirt on my second day, with flat slippers. How is that "ah lian"? Looks rather beach-like to me. But that is not the point.

In Singapore, if an ah lian walks up to me and asked me politely for directions, I WILL NOT BE RUDE TO HER. Neither will the bulk of our citizens, I think.

Intolerance for other people ... I wonder if that is supposed to be a good thing? You guys made it sound like it is actually ok to be so unreasonable and expect everyone to dress and act like your culture - or look down, molest, and cheat the person.

When it is stated I was cheated because it was obvious I was a tourist, well, let me just tell you all that I spoke in CANTONESE there. I was so "local", that one shop-keeper in Petaling said loudly to his colleague "pun de yan" (or ben di ren meaning local) when I said his goods are expensive, and proceeded to wave me aside insignificantly because they don't serve locals and tourists fork out far more dough.

What do you have to say about that? Local enough for you?

My last point is about the fact that most people presume that I cannot learn to appreciate the beauty of less developed cities just because I am from prim and proper Singapore.

That is not true. I loved Bangkok. It is also BIG, also WILD, but I loved it, and I survived it. The guys I met there are not obscene, the people were really polite, and these were in the tourist spots. What gives?

I did not go to KL with a mind set to compare it to Singapore and criticise it. I don't think I did either. I went there to have fun, and trust me, I wanted to enjoy myself and write a lovely post about how much I love Malaysia. But fact remains I got molested, I got cheated, and I was terribly treated. So how? Am I still supposed to pretend I like it, eh, so that I can be "sensitive" to KL people's feelings?

Manicured nails, putting on make-up and perhaps - if you want to pick on it - the liking of the colour pink, doesn't mean that I am the ditsy bimbo you think I am. I rather think I am quite the gung-ho girl. (I survived Bintan without hot water, aircon, nor electricity after 6am and I thoroughly enjoyed the outward-bound kind of adventure)

As I said, my expectations of the place stemmed from the fact that things there were expensive. If I am expected to tolerate back-wardness, then personally - and you don't have to agree with me - I think a general price difference will be good to patch that up. KL (FROM WHAT I WITNESSED), unfortunately, is expensive, yet comes with the inconveniences and problems of less developed cities.

I don't feel a need to defend myself any further.

I just think, whether I am expecting too much, ditsy, stupid, unprepared, narrow-minded or not, it doesn't matter. It maintains, that all I experienced was TRUE, and like it or not, I'm going to say it.

Yes, I know Malaysians love their country and will not like others to insult it (esp so close to National Day). I won't like it too if people kept harping on Singapore's bad points. (Kenny pointed out a specific post actually)

But if someone were to come here, and complain on his blog that we are boring, we are too clean, we are too regulated, our TP is fucked up, our media is fucked up and we are too small and expensive ... I'll be lan lan. Coz it is true we are like that. I can perhaps say there are places in Singapore not like that, but what more can I say? It is the person's experiences and opinions what. Not like I can change it anyway.

So yes. I am supposed to be an open-minded tourist? How about you be an open-minded blog reader too and try to handle the truth?

Maybe I should change my statement a bit too. KL doesn't suck. The PARTS OF KL I EXPERIENCED SUCKED. True story.

Oh and also. In case your anger comes from the fact that I have the ability to change people's opinions and thus I am making people hate KL, I SHALL HEREBY STATE IT IS MY PERSONAL OPINION, and please, don't just trust my words on it. I may be warped. Go to KL and see it for yourself.

There. Happy?

I will not allow comments because lest Singaporeans start to agree or diss Malaysia, it will be my fault again because I put a gun in their mouths and garnered all these Singaporeans together to go against Malaysians in one united lemmings-like action that only popular bloggers like me exploit. *roll eyes*

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