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Christmas-ey Phone Charms!:)
These Swarovski Crystal are hand made to perfection. Buy these Swarovski Crystal phone charms online now!
There are Jingle Bells, Santa’s Head, Frumpy Santa and Greeny Tree. So cute, i tell you!
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Come to think of it, my quirky name aside, I am a relatively unremarkable person.
I do not believe I possess any truly outstanding characteristics that differentiate me from the madding crowd. However, I do credit myself with having a sense of natural justice and altruism that has been cultivated from a very young age; yet I never took any steps in this direction till recently.
For many years I have envied the passion and drive behind the work of social activists, and rallied behind their causes (mainly with lip-service), but I never saw myself as one of ‘them’. I shied away from joining causes I vehemently believed in, namely child and women’s rights, always putting myself down saying I had no time and nothing to contribute; I was of the opinion that only a certain ‘calibre’ of folk could be activists.
Picture courtesy of Dan Edwards
When it is qing ming, otherwise none as the Chinese All Souls Day, many parents would advise their children to stay indoors when the sun has set. This is because, some believe that wandering outside at night on that day, would lead to unfortunate encounters with spirits. I cannot guarantee the truth of that claim but what I am sure is, festivals related to the after-life and the dead, always bring with them a long list of superstitions.
Since Halloween is around the corner, I decided to do a little homework on the Internet and managed to rake up some rather interesting superstitions related to this night of trick-or-treating. It is funny to know how silly some of these beliefs are and the things that people come up with, in order to feel safer on a night like October 30th, sometimes make no sense at all. But then again, I guess it is better to be safe than sorry. So, let us get down to business and have you decide whether there is an ounce of truth in these beliefs or are they merely false notions…
Flying broomsticks, spirits, Jack-O lanterns, trick-or-treating…Associations we never grew up with. A quick read on the background of All Hallow’s Eve and it is clear that the holiday came about as a result of the amalgamation of rituals and traditions believed to have originated from the Celts, the Roman influence, and Christianity. So where do we come in?
Not anywhere near, if close by at all. Evident through the expression of our parents and the ones before them who immediately display frowns of confusion and alienation to the term, Halloween is just beginning to take flight in the country, and possibly the region.
With plenty of training from school essays, our reflexes tell us that it’s simply the western influence that landed the celebration of spirits roaming about with the living, locally. With the increasing number of particularly, American, television shows being aired coupled with the boost in internet activity, the globalisation of Halloween should not really come as a surprise.
When it comes to horror movies, not many people are blessed with the ability to watch an entire shriek flick without covering their eyes and sticking anything that will fit into their ears while screaming at the top of their lungs. So one can imagine, when it comes to Halloween and all its ghouls and ghosts, it would be the most dreaded day of the year for these poor souls. But goosebumps and hair-on-ends aside, the one thing that many people, even those less tolerant of horror scenes, enjoy most is dressing up. Although Malaysia has yet to embrace the tradition of trick-or-treating, since the culture of Halloween has arrived at our shores, many Malaysians are now donning costumes and playing roles in conjunction with this day.
Of course, costumes require money because they are not our daily wear and therefore are not garments we can easily pull out of the closet (unless your outfits consist oftop hats or capes), but not all of us have the privilege of loose cash-flow, so the idea of renting costumes or buying an entirely new head-to-toe ensemble is out of the question. But what is one to do when all our friends are decked in glamorous gear and are in stiff competition for the “Best Costume” award? No, we do not sigh in resignation and sit back and watch them collect their prize. We create our own costumes!
I am often surrounded by people who are talking about how they just casually bought a new pair of heels or their ingenious plan to save up for that HDTV. The world is such that whoever has the means to achieve something will most likely use it. However, life is more complicated than going by the “If you can, why not do it?” philosophy. With a combination of what I have, observed, figured out, and have been taught, I have come up with the following opinions in regards to money and spending.
It is not uncommon to hear this phrase (or variations of this phrase) uttered by young adults: ?°I am broke!?± How easily these words fall from our lips; how little thought we (myself included) often give to those who really do live below the poverty line, and how by us saying this, are undermining them. Of course, all this is relative and needs to be placed within a certain context, given the variables involved.
But within this context, and in our slice of society that has the privilege of being educated, technologically-savvy and middle-class, being ??broke’ most commonly means having used up all the money allocated to us in a month. More often than not, though we are broke, we will still have a roof over our heads and a meal in our stomachs. We have also become used to having little luxuries in life?aa nice dinner with close friends after a movie, two new pairs of shoes, a bottle of perfume for our other half. In other words, we lead a pretty darn comfortable life.
Being 20 hardly counts for having much nostalgia for the ??good ol’ days’ as most retired or aged people have license to. But being around for two decades should at least count for having long-lost memories, especially since the country I grew up in has transformed unimaginably.
Take for instance, the television I used to watch. I vividly remember Beverly Hills 90210 and the X-Files, having religious followings on a weekly basis, but many local productions were watched as well such as Cili Padi, Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu and of course Kopitiam.
It was considered ‘family time’ to watch those shows together, as we huddled around the TV set glued to the screen and laughed uncontrollably when the jokes were more of a reflection of our way of life than funny.
These days? Given the affordability of satellite TV, local television has been sidelined, giving way to regional and international television channels. One up for us who want to keep up with the most current sitcoms and world news, but a downer for the local entertainment industry in trying to make ends meet.
One day, David the Englishman and Ah Keong the Malaysian were having lunch together. Both were drinking from bowls of soup when they spotted a fly in David’s soup. David beckoned to a waiter.
David: “Pardon me, old chap, but I seem to have an insect in my chowder. Would you be so kind as to pass the chef my request of another bowl?”
As David got his soup, Ah Keong then found a fly in his instead. He then beckoned to the same waiter.
Ah Keong: “Oi,got fly la!”
Does Ah Keong remind you of someone? Perhaps it could be someone you are very familiar with, a friend of someone you know, or it could even be yourself. Or it could be everyone you know! Why? Simply because Ah Keong speaks the mother tongue (as some may call it) of Malaysians- Manglish. Some may argue that the native language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, or some say it is English, but when most, if not all of us speak this version of language, call it whatever you please, surely it has reached a status of being more than just a dialect, or slang, or jargon. Just take a look at the origins of the name itself- “Manglish” is simply a combined word from Malaysian English.
Amelia
I love Malaysia because…of what else? The FOOD of course! I truly believe that Malaysia is host to the best food in the world because where else can you find a whole range of mouth-watering delicacies all under one roof? Aren’t we a lucky bunch of people!One thing that never fails to amaze me about Malaysia is how colourful she is. We Malaysians are an awfully colourful lot. Our culture, our values, our traditions and even down to our usage of the English language is colourful. I also think that there’s nothing more beautiful than that ubiquitous picture of all ethnic races holding hands, depicting racial harmony. There’s just something about the tolerance and acceptance amongst different races and inviduals that is truly poignant - to look past our colours and differences only to see that we are all standing on the same soil we call home.
Malaysia is the only home I’ll ever know. It has given me the best childhood a child could ever ask for, it has given me the sense of humour only a Malaysian can acquire, it has blessed me with a palate refined by the assortment of herbs and spices incorporated in our cuisine but mostly it has gave me an identity I can call my own. A Malaysian and a proud one at that!
Melody
I love Malaysia because…we have everything here! From skyscrapers to crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches, to food to suit every palate, to shopping centres that cater to every taste imaginable–we speak several different languages (or two, in my case), happily selectively obey road rules and regulations, go to open houses and 23 hour eateries and use Manglish as a bad excuse to be creative with grammar…we are, in a sense, truly global citizens because although some people may think of Malaysia as the small child-factory-worker-using country in Zoolander, we can also be incredibly chic, cultured and educated. Malaysia is where I can kick back and be lazy and stuff my face silly, knowing there will be a friendly smile around every corner I turn and someone there to have a good old gripe with about anything and everything.
Elaine
I love Malaysia because…this is where I was born, and it’s the country I grew up with. I actually have to think hard on why I love Malaysia, because of so many issues that we have to deal with (shall not be mentioned here), that you can hear complains about it left right and center. However, I can’t think of a reason on why I don’t love Malaysia either, and I can’t think of anywhere else I want to grow up in, or stay at. Malaysia is my home. From it’s multi-racial community, we have the same love for food, AND we speak the same language 
We have progressed so much from what we were 50 years ago. From Parameswara sitting under the Melaka tree, to us, shopping under the tallest tower in Malaysia, KLCC. I wonder what would have happened if he didn’t see the ‘kancil’ kicking his dog? Would we still be the Malaysia we are right now? I don’t know. And, I don’t want to know. I’m just glad we are the nation we are right now, and hopefully, we will work harder to achieve more (in many different aspects) in 50 years to come!
*cheers* to Malaysia
Denise
I love Malaysiabecause…after recently visiting other nearby countries, it’s safe to say that Malaysia is indeed home. The minute the Malaysian humidity causes the clinging of clothes to your skin, all memories of home come gushing back and you finally realize what you’ve ??missed’.
Although the nation has progressed vastly since its independence, I’m proud to know that Malaysia hasn’t fully forgotten its roots, when the media is a constant reminder of our kampung past with ads frequently showing the kampung life and families still making time to balik kampung.
Malaysia is also a society that holds firm to its beliefs as stated in the constitution, despite the perpetual sway of the west, as can be seen with overflowing mosques during prayer time on Fridays, pious Hindus with a marked sign on their foreheads, devout Buddhists with lit joysticks at the alter and churches packed during the weekend. We’re well aware of modern culture but able to adapt and still cling to our beliefs.
Malaysia is our home.
Lea
I love Malaysia because …it is a multi racial country. I know this term has been used to describe Malaysia so many times that it is becoming much of a clich¨| but think about it, thanks to the many races living here, we have many more public holidays!
Aside from that, we also get to learn different languages, minus the going-to-language-class part! Before coming to Australia, I never thought that being able to speak in more than one language is that big a deal but when people here started to be amazed at my ability to speak in at least three languages, I felt lucky to have gained that knowledge simply by living in Malaysia and growing up with the different races and culture.
Finally, we’ve got the food! Once again, because of the different ethnicities, Malaysian food comes in various styles. When I get sick of roti canai , all I have to do is just walk to the nearest Chinese coffee shop for dim sum . Or when I get tired of that, I can pop over another shop for some nasi kandar . With so many different food that tastes yummy, how can anyone not love Malaysia?
Xue Zhen
I love Malaysia because…I really don’t know why. But ever heard that, if you truly love a person/thing you’d never be able to explain why? Undoubtedly, I have many gripes about this country. But every country has its plus and minus points, and Malaysia is one country where the pluses outnumber the minuses. For one, in Malaysia if you say “pluses and minuses”, it’s not wrong, it’s Manglish la! I used to wish I were in this country or that, but…Florida has beaches, so do we. Paris is a shopping haven, but we have way cheaper (and just as nice) fashion. KL Tower may not compare with the architecture in Europe, but hey, do we really care about building designs that much? Every country in the world has its own amazing cuisine, but Malaysia combines all that and more. Blonde hair and blue eyes are adorable, but how about tall, dark and handsome Indian men? Or floppy-haired, mata sepet Chinese guys? High-cheekboned Malay males? (Excuse the stereotypes). In short, Malaysia may not be the best in everything, but we are at the same time up to par in almost everything. Because Malaysia Boleh marr!KarenMarie
I love Malaysia because of nasi lemak, mamak, maggi goreng, roti bakar telur cheese, indomie, char kuey teow, curry mee etc.
Malaysia just rock la. There is no other better place to live in.
Picture courtesy of siewlian
Decades ago, Malaysia was put under the ruling of the Japanese and the British and I am sure many of our grandparents will tell us that those days are not exactly the best times in their lives. Fortunately, after much effort and persuasion, our country was finally granted its independence at about 50 years ago. The popular black and white picture of Tunku Abdul Rahman, with his fist in the air, yelling ??Merdeka, merdeka, merdeka?ˉ is a symbol of Malaysia?ˉs key to freedom and a constant reminder that although it was a sweet victory, it did not come easily.
The shortest and most concise answer to the above question would be: “Not when drunk, stoned or on the rebound?”
The longer answer is, of course, a whole lot more complicated.
According to the Durex Global Sex Survey results of 2005, Malaysians start having sex at average age 19, the fourth highest among the 41 countries surveyed. The survey also found that, unsurprisingly, young people across the globe have sex at a younger age than previous generations.
Dear Diary,
The other day I was really bored so I logged on to Friendster to check on random people’s profiles, which I haven’t done in a long time. It used to amuse me and help me pass time, but I stopped doing this for some time and I couldn’t remember why. Hey, sometimes I even manage to come across a friend or two. But that day, I remembered why. I don’t know how many wide-eyed, cutesy poses I came across, and how many ?°I’m bored?± surveys were posted 1294309?-oh, wait, 1294310 times on the Bulletin Board. ARGGHH! Immediately I was signing out as fast as I could even though that floppy-haired dude with the high cheekbones and megawatt smile was staring at me on the screen.
At a friend’s wedding recently, I noticed the order of things during the ceremony: the cake-cutting, the tears from the maid-of-honour, the handsome groom in his crisp tux and the glowing bride in her radiant white dress; the usual.
It’s somehow become a norm to expect certain customs to be followed throughout every nuptial. Where in the world did we learn to expect such things, and most importantly, who were the geniuses involved in keeping such traditions alive to this very day?
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Emmagem is a Malaysian fashion blog were you can read about anything related to shopping and fashion in Malaysia. We have an extensive directory of online shopping sites at our Malaysian Online Fashion shopping Directory. Think of emmagem like an online mall, where you can come to find clothes and other things on our directory! Read more about us here.
