Aah I was in Malaysia again this morning. And I was unfortunately tasked by my father to buy lunch for everyone while he drove his car around.
Yeah Im Malaysian officially, but it sure as hell don't make me one of them. The nine years of my life that I lived there I hardly stepped out of my house. Malaysian shopping malls? Been there with my parents. Only for dinner etc. Er.. yeah my childhood was very "sheltered". Plus, Im also Singaporean.
Anyway, my father has said before that Malaysians can spot Singaporeans instantly. Its freaking true. We might not be able to spot one of them among us, but thats just cause we're too busy pointing at that Indian worker or one of those "chinamen" to bother noticing the subtle aliens among us. Also if you kept freaking out at foreigners in Singapore you can't live a life. You don't get as many tourists in Malaysia so you do tend to notice when Singaporeans appear.
Its our general appearance. Our mannerisms. Also our loud english. Oh yeah, and fair skin. Ok maybe not, the point is they can tell. Of course, when people notice you're different, they tend to stare, so naturally I was not relishing stepping into a Malaysian coffee shop.
Luckily, I tried to blend in, and due to a combination of a hunched back, a bad t-shirt that looked like it came from a bazaar and a messy appearance, I blended in.
Unfortunately I had to order.
You might have noticed our cousins over the causeway don't speak english as well as us. Thats not cause they're stupid. But because they don't use it that much. They speak a combination of Malay Chinese and random chinese dialects. None of which I can speak well.
I kinda forgot this. So when I went to order chicken from the Malay chicken lady, I was like:
(Softly)" ercouldIgethalfachickenandfourpacketsofrice"
Lady: *******************(sounds like dialect)
Me: Huuuuuuuuh?
Lady: ******************
Me: *Nods slowly as if finally comprehending*
Yep Malay lady was speaking some chinese dialect to me.
Then while I was waiting for the order a chinese worker at the stall walked by and asked me something that was definitely not dialect and not chinese. I huhed him again and nodded. Thankfully it didn't result in anything bad. I did that a few more times in response to anyone who asked me anything.
I was surviving by acting like a complete twit. And also because of pure dumb luck.
Trust me, it would have been bad if they had all stared at me if they realized I was Singaporean. It would have been even worse if they thought I was a Malaysian who couldn't speak Malay or Chinese.
:P
YEAH I'M ALIVE.

You Are the Innovator

You're the type of person who is always a step ahead of everyone else. You thrive when you're experimenting with new designs, ideas, and attitudes. You are a creative person with many talents. You have to have artistic outlets in your life. You need to create - whether it's writing furiously or redecorating your home. If not, your life becomes chaotic. You tire of doing the same thing every day. You change your job, friends, and personal style often. You are at your best when you have a focus. If not, you develop a flaky artist's temperament.