Addendum to Ten Things I Miss.....

note: additions and corrections in Italics

I am back in Malaysia for a short visit with my family since 20th October. The main purpose was to settle a few loose ends with regards to my husband's academic 'situation' in The Netherlands which in turn affects our stay in Delft. Since it coincides with the Eid celebration (or as we say it in Malaysia - Hari Raya Aidilfitri), we took the golden opportunity to come back and celebrate the joyous occasion with our family!

When we landed in Malaysia, it felt as if we never left home. For one thing, it was hazy as the cab drove us to our parents'house. Despite the smog, it felt nice coming home. Warm fuzzies. A wondrous sense of belonging.

After securing our family car at my parents' place, we drove home to Ampang. When we came off the NKVE highway at Jalan Duta and took the lane enroute to Jalan Kuching, a car zoomed past ours from the left side and overtook us. How rude and dangerous! (Unlike our American and European counterparts, Malaysians drive on the right side of the road. As such, a driver can only overtake from the right) All of the sudden, the wonderful feeling of belonging was replaced with an annoying state of mind. The ugly side of KL living quickly seared into my consciousness. Welcome home, it mocked! This incident (and many more) leads me to append three OTHER things that I don't miss about Malaysia:

1) JAM, JAM, JAM! - The traffic congestion is so notorious that you might as well use the wasted time in the car doing something productive. Like some people whom I've seen reading the morning dailies while being stuck in bumper to bumper rush hour. It gets really bad when it pours heavily and night time falls. A very unfortunate combination.

2) Ruthless, callous drivers = Spewing swear words - I realise that coming back means having to face those speed demons on the roads who couldn't care less about other law abiding citizens. Their crazy stunts and maneuvers on highways and trunk roads ignited my anger and unabashedly compelled me to cuss (and curse) at them! This is in contrast to my laidback attitude, sans an automobile, in Delft devoid of any reason or avenue to swear at senseless, idiotic drivers.

3) The dilapidated condition of our apartment's lifts - The lack of trash chute from each condo unit has affected the hygiene and the odour of our two lifts. We were reminded of this when we took the lift up for the first time after arrival. And of course, some hooligans who think they are artistically-inclined took pleasure in vandalizing the lift's walls with graffiti using an assortment of markers, pens and knife-engraving. Two days ago, I finally saw the latest 'work of art' in one of the lifts - a male torso complete with genitals! Since it was engraved into the lift's door, the cleaners couldn't clean this mess up. And they have done a mighty great job at cleaning those nasty graffiti. This is a far cry from our 'manually-operated' yet PRISTINE elevator in Delft. I really don't mind the lack of proper lighting and the occasional mosquito bite in Delft's lift now! ;-)

Time to go home is almost on the horizon. Funny I use the word 'home' to describe our apartment in Day-lefth. I have mixed feelings about leaving Malaysia after weighing the pros and cons about the living condition here. Undoubtedly, any place that we choose to call home will have its share of upsides and downsides. As much as I want to conjure it, I can't have the best of both worlds. I just have to make the best of what I have and what I can offer. But given the choice, Malaysia wins hands down!

Selamat Hari Raya (or Eid Mubarak!) to fellow Muslim brethrens, friends and family!!! (albeit belatedly). Hope the Eid season will fill you with many memorable and happy moments. And to some friends, apologies in advance for not being able to meet up with you during the short stay. Minal Wal-Faizin!