In conjunction with Malaysia Day
i thought i’d write about something that i told someone last week.
I get comments from people saying if i want my blog to go even more international,
i should drop my Malaysian slang cos people overseas don’t ‘get’ it.
But i protest against it.
I’m proud of our usage of particular malay and chinese words thrown in,
like how i always use layan, cemerlang, takkan, etc.
I can say i speak proper English,
but once in a while i’d still throw in a few words that English just CANNOT replace.
I even say it to Clem all the time so he just has to get USED to it and know what it means, instead of me changing the way i speak.
My current throwback in replacement of ‘really?’ is ‘ya kah?’
Some people think it’s weird but i personally think it’s wonderful and how many people can use and understand these words?
Only Malaysians!
After my extensive traveling, there’s still no place like home.
I love Malaysia and i’m really passionate about the country and how there is so much talent and ability to change the way we do things or increase the level of creativity here.
I’m really proud of all these young Malaysians whose strive to be independant in their individual industries.
People ask why i don’t just move overseas cos i’d look like the type who would love it and be able to make it work.
Thing is… i don’t want to go.
I want to stay.
If i’m apparently so good at raising the level in a certain industry or subject, why do it elsewhere?
I want to do it here and contribute to MY country.
Not someone else’s.
So i just want to say Happy Malaysia Day!
Be proud of your country.
Be proud of your heritage
cos everything you are today is due to the fact you grew up here.
Yes, there are many things we need to change.
But we all have to be agents of that change.
You are so sweet lah =)
I don’t think I’ll lose my “Lah” too, happy Malaysia Day to you too Joyce! ๐
– your happy reader
Hey Joyce,
I LOVE this post of yours. I have been studying overseas for a number of years, but I still feel that home is home and I still retain my ‘lahs’ and ‘aiyos’ because it’s just part of who I am. ๐ I will also be returning home end of this year to join the Teach for Malaysia program because as you said we need to be the agents of that change. ๐
Happy Malaysia Day!
Sarah
well…. the suffix “lah” and the malay,mandarin,tamil, etc… words that we pepper our collective 2nd (or 3rd to some) language with really makes up our own wonderful patois that you really cant find anywhere else much like the jamaicans with their own version of english or the scots & irish with their broque…. its a common language we can really call our own as malaysians. plus speaking manglish is a bit of a guilty pleasure for a lot of us
u r absolutely right laaaaaa……i layan your blog all the time.
proud to be malaysian.
No need to drop la, even the guilos’s understand. Makes Malaysia unique!
This is a wonderful post. I am a Malaysian studying abroad and people often ask me why I want to go home eventually. Despite how great things are here, nothing beats home. I use ‘lah’ a lot too that all my close friends and labmates here, often say ‘okay lah’ which is heart-warming! ๐
Love what you said, ” cos everything you are today is due to the fact you grew up here.” So trueeeeeeeeeee!
Couldnt agree more. Well said!
Terbaik lah! I also like to include some Chinese words like meh, man man, pak toh to name a few.
well said! we change them instead!
Here! Here! That’s why I always like coming back to Malaysia on MAS, to hear them say Selamat Pulang ke Tanahair.”
I think you are exactly right. We need to be able to communicate with people, but that doesn’t mean we have to be 100% identical with how we speak. English, in fact, is a living language, constantly adopting words from other languages (and just plain new words). As globally language it is perfectly natural and even fun to have minor variations all over. Who knows, lah, may be adopted globally as part of global English, lah.
Check out Undi Lah Joyce…an awesome video by Pete Teo. The song uses lots of lahs and reminds me how great it is to be Malaysian! I’ve posted it on my blog…
so proud of you, Joyce! and the rest of the commenters here. Malaysia Boleh!!!
Hi Joyce! Thought that was an awesome post and I was inspired by it. i was wondering, what course did you study and did you do it locally? I am interested in the creative field and hope to work here in Malaysia, but I’m still indecisive. I’m thinking of maybe journalism, PR, communications, that sort of thing. i know you are a very creative person so i thought of asking about your study experiences and what you think of the creative industry in Malaysia? Hope you don’t mind, and thanks!
Wow! reading all the comments made me feel so mesra ๐
pam: i studied graphic design & advertising in The One Academy in Sunway. well if you have the opp to go overseas to study, i think it’s always a maturing experience.
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Thank you for this post! I felt it’s very well-written, and it expresses exactly how i felt about Malaysia too! =D