My Malaysia

By now, many have watched the video titled "Are Malaysians Racist?". The social experiment went viral on social media and provoked a lot of discussion about racism in Malaysia. There are some who say that while the video showcased what normal Malaysians are really like, it could also be skewed because the people in the video were asked to say racist things in front of a group of strangers; in private, these people might say something else. I did agree with that argument but after watching the video, I want to believe that all the people in the video were being truthful. I might be right or I might be wrong but that's not the point. The point is, I want to believe in a Malaysia that looks beyond race and religion. I have been rather jaded and cynical of late, due mostly to the rubbish spewed by certain politicians and the media outlets and people who keep highlighting it. Sure, we can't ignore the people who say inflammatory things but we shouldn't give them mileage either. We can acknowledge we have a problem and work towards a solution. I believe in a Malaysia that looks beyond race and religion.

Happy Malaysia Day :)

There's no time like now

Like most people, I tend to look at the past with a feeling of nostalgia and the inevitable yearning for “the good old days”. While it is nice to think about the past, it would be best not to delve into the details. I realised this when I read the journal I wrote when I was 18. I was full of angst and dark thoughts.

Some of my friends didn’t exactly treat me well back then and I was quite sensitive to what they did or did not do. Fourteen years later, I realise that a lot of people are like that and most of the time, they don’t do it intentionally. They may not always see you as a priority but I’ve learned that it’s okay. Sometimes I do it to other people too. People are not perfect and neither am I. But reading that journal almost made me become the insecure teenager I once was. I was depressed for a while. Lucky for me, I was back to normal two days later.

Being depressed, raging against the world, being in that victim mode, and dramatising every single deed or detail in your life may seem liberating but it’s not. If you succumb to it, you’ll just engulf yourself in your own cocoon of darkness. I’ve gotten past that and I don’t want to go there again.

Here's an apt quote I found on Pinterest: