Merdeka

Malaysia is going to be 50 soon and everywhere (well.. almost) people are talking about the meaning of merdeka and patriotism.

I remember not very long ago omebody used to say that I am not very patriotic.

Why?

1. I find it easier to express myself in English compared to Bahasa... especially when I am angry.
2. As much as I try to support made in Malaysia products, I still prefer tobuy imported ones whenever possible.
3. I prefer to listen to Mariah Carey, Gwen Steffani, Norah Jones compared to our local artists...except, Sheila Majid, of course.

Well, I was quite hurt at first when I heard that but after reconsidering it, maybe there's some truth in it. I'm not saying that I agree with the statement about not being patriotic, it's just that I couldn't help but say yes to the fact that my level of patriotism can be further improved.

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that I do not love Malaysia. I do. In fact, I love Malaysia very much and there is no place in this world that I would rather be except Malaysia. Ye lah... only in Malaysia can you get nasi lemak and teh tarik at 2 o'clock in the morning ..... :)

Anyway, talking about merdeka, one thing that I like about the merdeka celebration besides the fireworks is the advertisements on TV (yes, you read it correctly... Advertisements!), especially the one by Petronas. Every year on all occasions celebrated by Malaysians, Petronas never failed to produce great advertisement. They people behind it (especially Yasmin Ahmad) always come up with creative ideas that will have impact on the viewers.

I particularly like the one about a man who is building a boat for his friend, with the message "Can what we build today take us into tomorrow?".

How very true. Sad to say, there are still a lot of Malaysians out there who are still still lazy and try to find short cuts in whatever they do without realizing that at the end of the day, they are the one who is at the losing end. They still rely on the 'subsidy' by the government as though it is their birth right.

Kudos to Yasmin and her team!

Anyway, to all Malaysians, Selamat Hari Merdeka.