foreigners, malaysians, and calculator

uuh. there are lots of things i want to blurt out from my mind to make sure my brain is not too filled with words. unnecessary and irrelevant words running in my mind. i need to type it out here.

**last night**
i had one of my most enjoyable conversation ever with a foreign guest in the guesthouse (yes, im still paying rm1,300 for the accommodation). it's a young, unmarried couple. the lady is from UK while the guy originated from the Philippines. both of them came from Sabah. they worked in a resort on an island in Sabah before they came here for a better job offer. me and Hubby got to know bout the lady more than the guy himself as she was very friendly and talkative. she told us bout one incident that she will never forget while being in this country (or should i say, Peninsular?).

to make it easier to understand, let's call her The Girlfriend and him, The Boyfriend.

it was her first time coming to kL for a job, and like other foreigners, she wasn't aware of the culture here. The Boyfriend looks more like one of the local Malays here, and that added in some salt to the whole situation that im going to tell about. They went for a window-shop stroll in MidValley and after lunch hour, The Girlfriend had to go for a job interview. Both of them stopped a taxi outside MidValley, and The Girlfriend got into the cab. before going off, The Boyfriend gave her a light good-luck smooch on her lips (mind you,it's just like a dab on the lips!) before shutting the cab door close. now guess what happened? the taxi driver basically got disgusted, pissed with her and scolded her upon seeing their gesture which forced The Girlfriend to get out from the taxi. and the taxi driver left both of them, still at MidValley.

now, don't you think that's sort of harsh and rude for the foreigners? it's their first time coming to Peninsular, and they were totally shocked with the people here. when i asked her why (just to fish out what she thinks of the people here), here's her opinion:

1. the people here in Peninsular are very much different from the people in Sabah and Sarawak. they're rude. (uh-oh! really?)


2. back in Sabah, everybody seems to be more friendly and nicer to the foreigners, and they are very generous of their smiles, unlike here.


3. they're helpful, and always ready to give a hand, unlike here. (again?!)


4. they understand the culture shock that foreigners will get while they are in our country, so they are very much willing to let the foreigners know the do's and don'ts here. (obviously we can't expect everyone in the world knows how's the culture here! dumb.)
   

and lots more actually, but i forgot most of them due to my blurness.

if i were to be The Girlfriend, i'll tell the taxi driver off. imagine if you're a foreigner in a foreign country, different culture and different people compared of what you experienced in your own country - wouldn't you be so pissed when, for no reasons known to you, you are made to feel unwelcome in that community?

and yet, Malaysians always complain that when the foreigners come to our country to live here or just for a visit, they act rude and with no manners at all.

one question.

how can we expect foreigners or tourists to be in their best manners when our own citizens here are showing off their worst manners?

**today**
oh! i've got lots of work to do. and i hadn't sit down since morning till lunch hour. i've been running around this building to get my work done so that i can sit down peacefully and blog without any worries. thank God everything went smoothly and done, except for one: i have to draft out an email to a German researcher in Germany (of course!). our project needs their assistance actually, but The Boss wanted me to draft it out politely so as they get the hint that we need them to come to Malaysia and assist us with the project. oh. im dead. im not good at all in sending emails, and now formal? i think im going to have to crack my brain to get this task done.
not forgetting, i wish to share my sadness over the loss of something i had in possession for a good, long 5 years. *sobs*


i had this Casio calculator when i was in Form 5. a friend of mine broke my calculator and my mum bought for me this one. during that time, this model of calculator was the newest one in the market. i had it nicely tinted with a blue tint. some stickers. and this calculator had helped me all the way from my high school till i came out from the university. i felt really comfortable using this calculator. and now it's deceased. truth to be told, my heart did felt a little bit heavy when Hubby tossed the broken parts into the trash bin. he tried his best to fix the gadget, but failed. he said the display screen couldn't fix and that i better buy a new one than fixing it. i felt bad for the calculator because since i started working, i've neglected it a lot. i hardly use it like i did before.

i guess i have to look for a replacement. maybe something better, i hope so.