mama malaysia

i wrote this when i was in m'sia but for some technical reason, wasn't able to get it posted on my blog. i don't wanna press delete.

i've decided that i really do love my home. and its people.

well, some of them at least.

i had my mammogram done last friday. the wait was torture but the experience was anything but. i sat around a group of very interesting middle-aged ladies who were insistent that am chinese. i told them "no, no, saye melayu..." but no one seemed to buy my story. i usually get annoyed and/or offended when strangers give me the "eh muka cina, kenapa nama melayu" third degree but this time, i felt amused by their endless inquisitions. maybe it was the radioactive kicking in or maybe it was just the fact that i was already eavesdropping on their conversations way before they started shifting their focus on me.

"hiya, why don't you go to that famous senseh on jalan silang? yes lah, those shophouses maaah... can buang all your angin one..."

"she's 64 ke?! she looks sooo young!! do you know she's 64?? kulit sume tegang macam umur 50 tahun ni!! malu la i like this. you... you how old?"

"you think i'm fat now? auntie, you should tengok me a few months ago. i'm double my size. you tau i buat ape selama ni? i tak makan nasi you know..."

"eh why you're here one? you sooo young. you're lucky you know. we're old like this only know about this mammogram business. eh but yes la yes, it's never too late for aything. smart la you."

"your mom and sisters had breast cancer? don't worry, don't worry. everything will be alright. i'm 64. i know."

to most, these women may sound like people who love to jaga tepi kain orang but if you ask me, i believe those "kakak-kakak" i met were genuinely concerned and interested in the myriad of stories surrounding them... and i for one, found their spirit of camaraderie, weirdly comforting.

i've been back for slightly more than 3 weeks now and so far, the hot topic of discussion that keeps popping up in my daily conversations with friends and families (apart from "kenapa linda onn tidak muncul di karpet merah oscars") is how corrupt (malay)sians politicians are. pak lah, kj, state government officials... semua sama. semua makan duit rakyat. values are lost, personal integrity squandered. i shudder to think about what's gonna happen to this country in 15-20 years. the way our so-called leaders are running malaysia today, i don't even know if my unborn children will have a tanahair they can proudly call home tomorrow... *sigh*

it was my good fortune to have met the ladies at the national cancer society in kampung baru. they may not be some hoity toity puan sri's or datin sri's with coiffured hair and million dollar homes to boot but they were to me, the genuine articles. the real hands that rock our future cradles. they may (to some) lack all the worldly sophistication but they come fully loaded with conviction and very good intentions. jenis yang tak mintak disogok duit -- buat kerja, beri nasihat dengan hati yang ikhlas.

and if those man-eating $harks don't get to them (and their kind) fast enough, i can honestly say, masih ada harapan untuk malaysia... to at least continue to grow as a country we all can be proud of to call home.