Tuesday 22 January 2013

A white bicycle and missing home

The weather is warming up here. Should be just above 20 degree Celsius during day time. It seems as if it will soon be spring...my favorite time of the year in a colder country like this. Yet, I think it is too early. Spring in Taiwan normally starts in late February or early March. Guess it's the global warming thing.

Anyway, I bought a bicycle yesterday. I gave it a name - Coral. Going to ride it whenever the weather permits.


Taipei is indeed a wonderful place. The people are also generally very friendly. But I do miss home sometimes, especially the food. My current vegetarian diet is okay, but I'm still getting used to it. Nothing like having the diversity of food back in Malaysia.

Overall, I'm now very fond of Taiwan, but it's nothing compared to Malaysia. Malaysia is after all my motherland, and no matter what, I will always love it.

Whenever I think of it, it makes me wonder why some fellow Malaysians think and talk so lowly of our own country. They liken it to countries such as Zimbabwe or Myanmar or all those other sad places. They said our government is as corrupt or as evil as those in that countries. Yes, Malaysia and its government are not perfect, but I believe they are not as bad as portrayed and that we can fix them without having to destroy what we already had built over the past half a century since Merdeka.

Some argued that we need to endure some hardship if we want Malaysia to have a better tomorrow. That we should take the huge risk of electing an unknown entity to replace the government perceived to be corrupt and inefficient despite its track record of successfully maintaining harmony and developing the country for several decades.

I disagree with such nonsense. I believe that we can achieve things better by being understanding, rationale and moderate. That's the approach taken by our forefathers when they founded Malaysia. We achieved what we have now without having to sacrifice too much blood and lives. An achievement admired by the rest of the world.

Soon, Malaysians will go through the most fiercely contested general election in the country's history. My prayers - for them not to tear the country apart to satisfy the greed and lust for power of a few politicians. Politicians come and go, but the country and the Malaysian way of life should remain. They should remember this as they cast their votes a few weeks from now. Once destroyed, we may never have back what we have and take for granted all these while.

It should be spring here in Taiwan by the time Malaysians have their election. Hopefully, Malaysia will still be as beautiful as Taiwan in spring after that.  Better Taiwan spring than Arab spring.

20 comments:

  1. Bigcat...Kalau lu tarak suka Malaysia, lu boleh keluar !!

    Ibtahim Ali

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    Replies
    1. Please try to give intelligent comments, can or not?

      Delete
  2. Hmm I thought you would by riding a yellow bicycle by now...

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  3. If you ride a bicycle its useful to wear a bicycle helmet as well.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the advise eddy. The shop gave me a helmet to go with the bicycle. So, no problem there :-)

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    2. Helmet for yellow bicycles25 January 2013 at 01:42

      Sheesshh Big Cat. You cannot read between the lines..

      Eddy meant the helmet is for the yellow bicycle you are riding..

      He said, "If you are riding a yellow bicycle, wear a helmet."

      Keep safe. Get it? Prevent disease. Get it? Where to get the helmet? I guess pharmacies or 7 - 11...hehe

      Who ever wear a helmet riding bicycles in KL?

      Delete
  4. Bigcat, enjoy your stay in the peaceful Taiwan while you can!

    Back home here in Malaysia, sadly, we are inching towards 'Malaysian spring'!.

    Let's hope it will never happens! Let's hope that there will be no more another May 13.

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  5. Bigcat,

    At least you can ride coral in skirt in Taiwan, in Kedah you can't! The Ustaz2 cannot tahan!.

    Anyway, it is too hot here for you to ride coral, we do not have spring! So which means we are not going to have 'arab spring'? or do we?

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  6. Are you voting via postal vote

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    Replies
    1. I think I ll get my DAP supporting bf to sponsor my flight ticket home so that I can vote....hahaha

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  7. I support you in your sentiments, Big Cat ! This is what it should be ! Say how you feel about our beloved country Malaysia !

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  8. willyou grow up and stop acting like a kucing kurap? This is not about race or religion. Its about people exercising their democratic right to vote a political party. Dumno really could have done better with their cybertroopers....

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  9. You miss riding your chinaman boyfriend ? Oooo, riding bicycle not the same lah....

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  10. Anon 19.36,

    Democracy doesn't means you can call people "kuching kurap".

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  11. Anon 19.36

    Tell that to DAP, a chinese malay got voted via 'back door'. Is that democracy? Asked chinese DAP, why didn't they vote for Indians and Malays?

    BTW, stop calling people 'kuching kurap' if you do not want to be called 'ungrateful immigrants'!

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    Replies
    1. Sleeping Dumno? There are more DAP Indian ADUNs and MPs than MIC.Can U read in Dumno NST and Star. Indian DAPsters demostrate. U are not practising your religion to tell the truth

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  12. Big Cat named AI..wo ai ni..dont you crave for teh tarik, roti kaya,nasi goreng, mee rebus, tahu bakar, lasa, mee siam, roti canai aka roti prata, mee soup, mee goreng mamak, neslo, teh halia...ohoh..plse come back to beautiful lovely peaceful Malaysia thats the envy of others esp Singapore and also ungrateful Malaysian too
    The Muslim restaurant at Nan Jia Pi Lou serves very nice and tender barbeque beef...try it

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your concerns. I will try to find that restaurant. But for now, I'm ok with being a temporary vegetarian. It actually helps me blend better with my Taiwanese friends if I eat like the local vegetarians instead of choosing to eat at exclusively Pakistani, Arabic or other halal restaurants.

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    2. I agree with your choice of 'blending' into the community, where you resides.

      When my company send me to work in Japan, I too became vegetarian. I never went searching for halal food or restaurant. In-fact, I never brought along any home dishes or 'maggie mee'.
      Wish you all the best, in Taiwan.

      We are not Arabs, so 'Arab Spring', is not healthy for us, Malaysian. Anyway, what have the Arabs achieved from their uprising?
      Everlasting peace & prosperity?
      And that's amongst people with almost the same race & religion.

      "Politicians come and go, but the country and the Malaysian way of life should remain. PEOPLE should remember this as they cast their votes a few weeks from now. Once destroyed, we may never have back what we have and take for granted all these while".

      RD

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  13. Sleeping DUMNO? Think you should make sure your Indian ADUN's not sleeping!

    and don't blame MIC..

    "On March 27, 1998, during the tensed clash between the Hindus and Muslims in Kg. Rawa, then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim threatened to stop all Hindu temples in Penang from ringing the bells.

    Late 2012 saw a Hindu altar in a home in Sepang, Selangor being destroyed by the Sepang Municipal Council which sparked an outcry among Indians in Malaysia.

    Now, another incident follows at the century old Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Bangi Lama, Selangor. And this time around, the Indians cannot ring the temple bell and conducting religious activities after 6.30pm.

    Where are your Indian's ADUN?

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