Malaysia: where love grows

A friend of mine posted this on his facebook today : what are the three things that made you call Malaysia home?

I found the question lingering in my mind for the whole day; during my drive to work, as i walked to buy my lunch and while waiting to pick up my children. I thought hard of what are the things that I would miss the most about Malaysia. I do not travel much, but I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Melbourne, Australia (about 10 years ago) and I reflected on what I yearned most during my stay there.

Please do not get me wrong , I totally love Melbourne! What's not to love ; the park, the flowers, the river, it is an absolutely gorgeous place! In fact, if given a choice where I would like to spend my holiday, I would choose Melbourne anyday!

Nevertheless there is an idiom in Malay language"hujan emas di negara orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, baik lagi negeri sendiri"meaning although it is raining gold in other place and raining rocks in your country, the lest is always the better place.

So these are my top three. There are probably others, but at the moment, these are what came to my mind ....

1. The weather 

Malaysia is blessed with a weather that is just nice. It is not too dry nor too humid all year round. Most days are sunny interspersed with occasional rains. Granted, we do not have 4 seasons, but that makes it better, because we can do practically any activity at any time of the year. You can go to the beach, or waterfall, in January, or go hiking in June or play bicycle in the park in December.

2. The food 

Another blessing that we often take for granted is the abundance of variety of food. We can walk into any shop and most of them can serve you food from all races in Malaysia : tosai, roti canai, char quay teow. We share our food past the racial boundaries, that my Chinese friends can eat spicier "Sambal" (hot chilli sauce) than me and I totally love "putu mayam" and nan bread, which are Indian food.

this is not Japanese food, it is the legendary "sup tauhu" in Batu Pahat. a must-try if you visit Johor.

3. The gift

I feel that my country has given me a lot. It has provided a shelter for me to live in, a decent education to support my life, and a circle of family and friends who has been very supportive throughout my life. My life may not be luxurious, but it has been definitely fulfilling. I am not quite sure how to describe this but that is what I truly feel in my heart. I owe so much to this country, and to the people living here. Therefore, in whatever way I may contribute, I will absolutely give it my very best. This is the least that I can do for so much that I have received.

So yeah. This is maybe one of the cheesy post. I always get sentimental as the year approaches 31st August. May God protect my country and bless its citizens always.#Merdeka57