See Malaysia From The Eyes Of Malaysians...

In the spirit of Merdeka, I came across the website of 15Malaysia. Basically it is a short film project, led by Pete Teo addressing some aspects of Malaysia life. Why 15? Well, according to the website's FAQ, it's simply because it is a nice number (not to mention that there are 15 featured short films in this website). Filmmakers of these films ranged from the unknowns to the reputable ones, like the late Yasmin Ahmad.

I happened to stumble on this site while surfing a gossip column (That's right, I admit it. I enjoy gossips once in a while, haha). At the moment not all videos have been featured; they have their own release dates. I have however check out some of the uploaded videos. 'Potong Saga' tells a story about how a guy was misinformed on how Islamic banking works; but in the end unfolds something more; the fact that people can easily be misinformed and have the tendency of 'following without questioning'. 'Chocolate' by arwah Yasmin Ahmad reminds us that life goes on- even if not all of it is sweet (how I like this statement). Owhh not to mention, we even have politicians of different political background willingly participate in this project. In 'The Tree' the great Tuan Guru himself was the principal cast, giving his words of wisdom in a subtle yet meaningful way.

So, enough reading my thoughts about this. Go check it out yourself! You may have a diiferent word than what I have said. Heck, there's even one video which I thought was great but the ending scene brought me to a conclusion that the filmmaker could be insensitive. (you may know ehich vid I'm talking about once you've watched it). As a teaser, here's one of the showcased short films. Have a good weekend:)

Motoring Lifestyle Of Malaysians

I was on medical leave for two days. Out of nowhere I was caught with an eye infection. Nothing nasty, but it was just unpleasant. I had difficulty opening my eyes when I woke up and my eyes just turned red. With a regular dose of eyedrops and antibiotics, my eyes turned out fine now.

Anyway, I’ve decided to write about something that I have observed almost everyday, how we treat our vehicles and how we put our motoring skills in our day to day chores. I shall list this in random order (the first four however are major, major annoying habits), according to how my train of thought is moving.

1) Cars having silly and ridiculous decals – I’m sure you guys have encountered this for gazillion times. A Myvi putting huge stickers and decals stating ‘TRD Racing Development’, a mere Proton Saga with a ‘Lancer’ logo at its rear, and a bunch of cars with the ‘Charming’ or any other names of an accessory shop. I don’t mean to be disrespect guys, but seriously what the heck is going on in your brains? First of all, A Myvi is and always be a Myvi. That sticker you guys put will not magically turn your ride into some smokin’ hot supercar! Do you guys even know what TRD stands for? It’s an acronym for Toyota Racing Development, and as the names suggest, it is meant for Toyotas! You don’t put Toyota stickers into a Perodua! People out there are damn smart enough to distinguish between a Toyota and a Perodua. If you can’t afford a Toyota, stop pretending and get over it! Stop being a wannabe. Instead, why don’t you start saving and maybe someday you’ll own a genuine Toyota. Please guys, that is just plain stupid! The same thing goes with the Lancer thing. You can spot from 2 miles away that it is in fact a Proton Saga! I don’t get it when people spent so much making their car look like a Lancer, but don’t sound like one. Why don’t you just save your precious money own from your hard work, and wait for a day that you’ll actually own a genuine Lancer. I mean seriously, do you guys actually feel proud driving a wannabe car? Does that make your ego sky rocketed to the stratosphere? And lastly with the car accessories shop sticker (I encountered this a lot in Malacca). What s the deal with these stickers? Are your rides being sponsored by these shops? If so, by all means stick it. If not, please oh please take it off. It’s just plain ugly.

2) Cars with simply so many stuffs hanging around their rear windshields (I think this concerns more of the female drivers). I know you ladies like all those pretty2 and cute2 stuffies and plush toys, but I think stuffing it so much that it blocks your rear view is just ridiculous. Stuff toys are meant to be at your bedrooms not your cars (unless you actually sleep in your car, then I rest my case)

3) One of my favourites (and one of which I am most annoyed off). Stupid drivers out there who can casually drive although they are in the right lane, or there is no vehicle in front of them. I’m not asking you to be revving your cars like crazy! But for God’s sakes show us some courtesy man! If you don’t feel like driving fast, stay on the left, or if there’s no car in front of you, could you care to drive a little bit quicker? Malaccan drivers especially, they always like to take their own sweet time driving at 30, 40km/h at any given day or time. Arghhhh, this behaviour just drives me nuts!

4) Drivers who switch their turn signals on at the very last minute before entering a junction. This is super annoying, not to mention freaking dangerous! Imagine what would happen if you were driving a bit too fast and haven’t got the chance to brake in time, you will certainly knock the butt of the front car. And the argument will then start ‘Mangkuk, tak nampak ke kereta depan ko? Bla bla bla. Can’t you guys just give a signal earlier like 10m earlier? I don’t really see anything wrong with doing that. But nowadays, I don’t really trust the vehicle in front of me, so I have sort of developed the anticipation skills to react when this happens.

Then there are the minor minor ones, like sprinting when the yellow lights are on, still driving even though the traffic lights already turned red, left lane overtaking (in highways especially), driving a 1.3 litre car as if driving a 2.0 turbocharged car, and just dangerous and reckless driving. Perhaps it is true. Malaysians are a polite, warm and welcoming race, but ask us to drive, and we’ll turn into a different kind of animal.