why did i come back??!?

so much to do, so little time
where to start where to start?
oh my g o d

life as it is ....
work: rushing for september, mind already planning october articles (and it's just august??!? what the heck. are you sure?)
family: parents going here and there, aunt coming, uncle visiting @ house turning into a hotel or motel (god forbid) haven't seen my sis or brother for a while even though we live in the same house. house is like a daily transit stop for us.
social: langsung no idea where to start. dinners (non negotiable) launches? movies? events? shopping? bazaars (non negotiable) clubbing (negotiable) catching up with different friends all over (absolutely non negotiable).

don't seem to have enough weekend or eves to fit it all in. and what about time for myself??? hey, grace needs time for grace lai too, ok. that is totally non-negotiable too.

people have been asking why i came back. why didn't i stay in UK. why didn't i just move to europe? hmmmm.... *think think*. well, tempting but no thank you. i'll tell you why i came back.

1- where else can i eat such gloriously tasty food? key word being tasty. food there is bland, boiled to death and chucked together, and at most, roasted. they're delicious in their own way but not glorious. only asian food is glorious. the full taste. the aroma. the explosive flavours. chinese, malay, indian and everything in between. ramadhan coming up. ooohh, imagine the malay stalls popping up. can't wait can't wait.

2- where else can i speak with such 'colours'? i love peppering my sentences with chinese and malay. it's like: "ah cheh, surely you would have expected it lar!! we're malaysians what??!" see? no english, irish or french friend of mind would have a clue what i was saying. and i can make malaysian and singaporean jokes here they wouldn't catch anywhere else. i can "you're gila" "that was sakai" "blurnya" and all my usual phrases to my satisfaction. i actually missed speaking in chinese when i was in uk.

3- durians. mangosteens. watermelons even. do you know i was craving watermelons like a woman on a mission when i was in uk? i called home telling dad i miss watermelons; of all things.

4- the thousand and one bazaars and pasar malams. the lights. the food. the crowds. the knick knacks and stuff. nowhere else will you see fish on the road. vege of all kind. stinking food or mouth watering snacks. all part and parcel of the beauty of asia. and of course, the crazy jams and cars parked randomly and as-and-where-they like.

5- i can complain about the sun here. but i complain less now. imagine days and days of grey skies and no sun. no warmth on your skin. no glaring, blinding sunshine? enough said.

6- i can't call cousins,aunts and friends, yelling and screaming in a way only loved ones would understand and accept. in uk and europe, i'm demure, soft spoken and polite, courteous and straight as a tie. not that i have to or i put on an act, but ppl there are so extremely courteous you can't be otherwise. i'll definitely feel wrong if i was my usual wacky, all over the place, here and there self. i can't text friends to meet up in the middle of the night. no mamaks. no maggi goreng. no tandoori. no loud laughing over nonsensical things.

7- and certainly no mind-boggling news, government clowns and jokes to entertain me daily. jokes aside, malaysia definitely needs sane, strong and people with heart. i'm not saying that's me. but what i can do, i will. and like it or not, i'm malaysian, and i want to see the best out of it. so ..... i'm back and here to stay till i wander off!

xoxoxo