Celebrating Merdeka in Shanghai

Temperature: 26 c

Weather: Fair

In 10 minutes time, Malaysia will be celebrating its 50th birthday (strictly speaking, it should be 44th birthday, but we have long ignored the feeling of Sabahans and Sarawakians) and I am here again sitting before my laptop in the hotel and blogging.

I didn’t bring a Malaysian flag to Shanghai and I doubt I will be able to get one here. So I am not able to raise my flag or hang it in a visible place. So according to the standards of our wise leaders in Malaysia, I am deemed not patriotic. If raising a flag or sticking a mini flag on my windscreen is conclusive proof that I am a patriot and thus will be awarded at least a PJK, I will be the first to do so because NOT doing so will be a great insult to my intelligence.

But for argument sake, if I have a Malaysian flag with me now, will I hoist it up high? Emm… that depends whether I have reason to celebrate Merdeka this year. Harnniann what are you talking about? You are a Malaysian and that alone is a reason to celebrate Merdeka! I know I know. But I am not buying that now, may be when I was still in primary school I would still buy it.

I remember when I was 10 years old, my form teacher told us to wear school uniform to the Stadium in the early morning of Merdeka. It was a very cold morning. When I was in the Stadium I was given a mini Malaysian flag and I was very happy because I saw the mini flag as a toy. Then I joined the rest of my classmates sitting on the bench of the Stadium waiting for something big to happen. Now come to think of it, ALL my classmates were Chinese because I was from Chinese primary school. So all the Chinese from Chinese school sat in one area, Indians from Tamil school sat in one area and Malays and a handful of other races from national school sat in another area. I only spoke to my classmates in the Stadium and of course I spoke my mother tongue. We waited more than an hour though we were not sure what were we waiting for.

Then some big shot (I did not know who he was but I guessed he must be someone very important and contributed a lot to the country because he let almost 2 thousand people waited for him for more than an hour) came into the Stadium and my form teacher who was sitting next to us stood up and quickly asked us to stand up and wave our mini flags.

We sang Negaraku (not the Namewee’s version) and other patriotic songs. Then some hot shots gave speeches which I did not pay any attention to. I was busy talking to my friends and my form teacher was very busy asking us to keep quiet. After all the speeches, one big shot of all big shots stood up and walked to the microphone. He raised his right hand and shouted “Merdeka” 7 times. We happily and hysterically shouted “Merdeka” back too.

After that the all the big shots happily left the Stadium leaving 2 thousand people behind. I walked home waving my mini flag after that. When I saw my father I asked him, “papa, you hang the Malaysian flag so high because you love Malaysia right?”

“Son, if I don’t hang it, MPKT will ‘saman’ me.” he replied. I was puzzled.

Though I was still young and naïve, I was able to make the following conclusion:-

I had to waive my right to sleep until the sun burn my backside on a public holiday and go to the Stadium early in the morning to celebrate Merdeka BECAUSE attendance will be taken and if I failed to turn up I shall face disciplinary action.

I had to stand up and shout “Merdeka” 7 times BECAUSE my form teacher asked me to stop talking to my friends and start shouting “Merdeka”.

My father had to raise Malaysian flag BECAUSE if he didn’t do so he will be fined.

Emm… though I was able to draw the above conclusion, I was unable to figure out the logic behind it.

Aren’t we supposed to raise the flag and celebrate Merdeka BECAUSE we are patriotic and love the country? BUT we are doing all the above BECAUSE we wanted to avoid the penalties for failure to do so!

Now I am no longer a student and I do not need the town council to issue me a business license. Nothing will happen to me and I will be fine even if I forget when our national day is. I will not face any penalty if I don’t celebrate Merdeka. So, should I celebrate Merdeka?

Our wise leader accused the Chinese of being unpatriotic because Chinese do not stick the mini flags on their vehicles. Our wise leaders also accused the Chinese of being unpatriotic because Chinese are not keen to join the police force.

Well, I don’t have a mini flag with me now and I don’t have a car in Shanghai. I can’t join the police force too because I am seriously underweight.

But I believe there are many ways to celebrate Merdeka and show patriotism. The “official” and politically correct way is just one of the many ways.

Since I am a Malaysian, I will celebrate Merdeka.

So, this is my way of celebrating it:-

At exactly 12 midnight, I will face south and wish Malaysia happy birthday. After that I will go to youtube to play Namewee’s Negarakuku. If you are hurt by that song, please accept this fact: the truth hurts.

Happy birthday Malaysia!

Apartment Hunting

Temperature: 25 c
Weather: Cloudly

We did not know where to start. All we knew was we need a place to stay. We can’t stay in hotel forever, can we? (though I really hope I could)

My future employer recommended one agent to me and I called him so that he could source some nice and affordable apartments for me. “What is your budget?” he asked. I said I need a 1 room apartment around RMB 3k to 4k per month. He sounded not interested but politely said he will try his best to get one for me.

I can’t believe it. I am offering my one month salary in Malaysia to rent a 1 room apartment and I am still considered a “ciku” client. Shanghai is really expensive to live in!

Stella joined us in our search for apartments. We were supposed to go with her to Carrefour (for those of you who think Shanghai doesn’t have one, yes, there is Carrefour in Shanghai. Whatlar! If they can build one in Jalan Kapar, you think they can’t build one here?) but we decided to go apartment hunting instead.

The first agent took us walking about an hour until we reach a “war-torn” building. It was a really old and not well maintained building. We were lured by this agent because she told us she has one 2 room apartment at RMB2.8k per month. We regretted walking an hour once we saw the building. What the heck, since we are here, we might as well go and see it. The lift was worse than the ones in Malaysian government buildings (not Putrajaya, but maybe Putrajaya 20 years later). 2 half naked girls opened the door for us and our minds immediately started wondering what these girls have been using this apartment for. Well, the apartment was quite ‘ok’ but it looks and smells like a brothel. No joke. It was messy, dirty, and dark. I am paying equivalent to 1.4k Ringgit per month and with that money I really do not want to live in Chow Kit Street. Thanks but no thanks. We said bye bye to the poor agent who failed to fish us.

A phone call came in while we were on our way to Carrefour. It was from another agent and he said he has 2 properties for me. We immediately dropped our plan to Carrefour (again) and went to meet this agent.

When we met him, he asked me “you want high class or not so high class? (see he didn’t say ‘low-class’)” I told him I want to see both. He led us to a nice and new building. It looked like a hotel! We went 12th floor to see the apartment. It was around 750 square feet, fully furnished, air-conditioned, and with state-of-the-art bathroom and bedroom. And it is right behind my office about 1km away! We fell in love with this apartment. “RMB4.5k per month” said the agent. Oh no! That was beyond my budget! But I like this apartment so much. How? I told him I have to discuss with my wife tonight and will come back to him tomorrow.

“You still have “not-so-high-class” apartment?” I asked the agent on our way out. “Yes, it’s just around the corner, I will show you. This one only RMB3.3K” the agent replied.

We went to the “not-so-high-class” apartment and we were disappointed again. It was still using my grandmother’s fan and lights in our Kuala Kangsar old house. It was NOT presentable at all. What if my father visits me? He will think: ‘why my son left his nice house in Klang and came all the way here to live in this place? Is there something wrong with him?’ I told my wife if we stay in this apartment, every night before we sleep I will ask myself again and again: is Malaysia such a terrible place that we have to leave the country to stay in apartment like this?

I told the agent this apartment is “no ok”. But I will definitely consider the one he showed me earlier if he can reduce the rental for me. He said he will try his best.

We quickly took a cab and went to see the 3rd agent of the day. We were late!

The 3rd agent brought us to see an apartment which is old but ok. I am ok with the interior. It costs RMB3.2k per month. But it is very far from my office. If I miss my bus (oh, taking bus in the morning is a nightmare) I will have to take cab which will cost me RMB20++ subject to the traffic condition. I told the agent I will consider this one but I would like to see whether there is any better apartment around this area. Yes, he said.

The next apartment he wanted to show me was located in a very old, dirty, not well-kept building. I was quite disappointed when I saw it. However, the interior of the apartment was fantastic. It was just renovated few months ago. It costs RMB3.8k. Engtee liked this place but was put off by the condition of the building. The agent asked me to consider and I said I will. I lied.

Bom came to meet us when we were walking out of the building. It was around 6.45pm. Time for dinner! (Whenever it’s time for food you will see Bom shows up suddenly).

When we were in the cab heading towards the restaurant, the aggressive 3rd agent called me and said if I am not satisfied with the 2 he just showed me, he had another one for me, it’s a service apartment and it costs only RMB3.2k. Service apartment at RMB3.2K? We decided to postpone dinner and view the said service apartment first.

When we met the 3rd agent again, he warned me first: it’s a 1/0/1 apartment, meaning 1 room, NO living room and 1 bathroom. And it is small, only 400 square feet. It was located at the 22nd floor. We liked the place: fully furnished brightly lighted, clean, neat, beautiful renovation. The best of all: one bus straight to my office! “It’s ON” I told my wife. Bom corrected me, “don’t make impulsive decision, take your time, don’t be desperate.” I told the agent I liked the place a lot but would like to discuss with my wife before we confirm anything. He said ok and bye bye.

Finally we got our chance and time for dinner. We went to a Hong Kong restaurant and ordered 4 dishes and 2 bottles of beer.

After dinner I suggested we take a bus from the service apartment to my office to see how long it takes. My wife agreed. Bom and Stella said goodbye and we thanked them for their time and advice. My wife and I happily jumped into the bus and timed the journey. We’d totally forgotten about the plan to Carrefour. Don’t worry we can do it another day.

The traffic was smooth (at 9.30pm). It took us 40 minutes to get to the station nearest to my office and we have to walk around 15 minutes to get to my office. Wow! That was far! I really have to re-consider whether to take the service apartment.

Today I experienced firsthand how property agents in China work. They were aggressive and efficient and do not waste time. When I called them this morning, I was using my lazy-Malaysia mind: I was thinking whether we can meet some other time or day to meet and discuss where to live etc. But I was shocked when they told me I could see the apartment TODAY straight. They asked what is my budget, my specific requirements etc and got back to me within hours and told me they have got the keys to the suitable apartments and I could see them today.

Well, I predicted I will have a long day today and I was right. I am exhausted. But I need to think which apartments to pick and get back to the agents. I guess I will sleep first and do the thinking tomorrow. May be I will get some inspiration in my dream.

Coming Back Again

Temperature: 28 c

Weather: Fair

The feeling was not real. It took me nearly a week before I could find enough energy to collect my flight tickets. A few hours before my flight to Shanghai, my wife and I were nonchalantly shopping at the Shaw Centre Point.

“Do you feel it now?” my wife asked. I said no. I told her we will only feel like we ARE leaving Malaysia once we have left Malaysia; we will only feel like we ARE going to Shanghai once we ARE in Shanghai. I was right.

My In Laws drove us to KLIA. Inside the car my wife was thinking what else she had forgotten to put into the luggage. For me, my only task was to ensure I have taken the passports, visas, flight tickets and cash, the rest were in my wife’s domain and I did not dare to question what she wanted to bring to Shanghai. However, I was concerned about the overweight luggage and the impending penalty. So I did a screening before we finalize the luggage. Oh my God! My wife wanted to bring a 1kg heavy English dictionary! “I want to improve my English in Shanghai” she said. Not only that, believe it or not, she put 2 pillows into the over-swollen luggage too! Fortunately I successfully talked her out of that. 2 pillows to Shanghai? I don’t really understand women and never will.

In KLIA, I was touched by the presence of my great friends, they were Tarnfu, Paula, Sam, Mrs. Sam, Lloyd and Lishun. They were there to bid me farewell. What more can I say? A free dinner and 2 nights free accommodation guaranteed when you come over to visit me in Shanghai, that’s for sure.

At 1.00 am both our names were announce via the PA system and the whole plane was waiting for 2 of us. Engtee was in the ladies and I was happily checking my mailbox using the public computer when our names were announced. I thought the departure time was 1.25am? Why they called our name was fast? Nevertheless we did not miss the plane. We flew to Shanghai in Eastern Airline’s super mini airplane and 5 hours later we landed on Pudong International Airport.

Once we checked into the hotel (pre-arranged by my future employer) at 8.40am, we immediately jumped into the bed and went into coma. We woke up at around noon and felt hungry. Don’t worry about getting food in Shanghai, it’s everywhere. We picked one which looked not so expensive and enjoyed our first meal in Shanghai.

My friend Bom’s girl friend, Stella is now in Shanghai. Stella was Engtee’s former classmate while Bom was my former classmate in Hin Hua High School. Stella came to see us in the hotel and after a few hours chat, we went to meet Bom (who was working at that time) to have dinner.

The dinner was great. I could not ask for more.

Well, now I am in my hotel room blogging while my wife is enjoying Chinese tv. The time now is nearly 11 pm. I think I’d better get some sleep because tomorrow I have arranged with one property agent to go apartment hunting. It will be a long day.

晚安啦！大马的家人及朋友。

I am going to Shanghai on 28th August

Dear everyone who tirelessly visit this blog,


I must apologize for abandoning this blog for so long. But I have a reason for that: this Blog was created to record my journey in China. Since I am in Malaysia now, I see no reason to publish my Malaysian lifestyle here.

Nevertheless, I wish to inform you that I will be going back to Shanghai soon. I just paid and collected my flight ticket. I will be flying to Shanghai on 28th August 2007 at 0125 hour. Estimated time of arrival at Pudong International Airport is 0625 hour.

Once I reach Shanghai and locate internet access, I shall start my blogging in China.

So stay tuned!

More exciting articles about China are coming.

我真的怕了

她说害怕是正常的

"男人也有害怕的时候吧?"

男人的确会有害怕的时候，而且常常都会有。但承认害怕，又是另一回事了。

打从踏出第一步的那刻，都忘了害怕的感觉。心中只有担心，期望，兴奋与幻想，完全抛弃了恐惧。

人在萌起新念头时，都不会去理会恐惧吧? 就只会一味的冲和闯，踏实的看着梦想慢慢实现。

现在终于有机会停下来歇息了，反而有一丝丝的恐惧感涌上心头。

"我能适应吗?" "会被欺负吗?" "能胜任吗?" 莫名其妙的冒出了这些问题。

我想，我真的怕了。。。


p/s: I believe the best way to conquer fear is to look at the life and achievements of some great men. Once I understand what these great people had gone through, only will I realise there's nothing to be afraid of. I shall study the biography of some historic figures and blog about it here. Stay tuned.