Frankly from a Friendly Foreigner

My Iranian friend and I were talking in our condo on Friday night when we saw two white blokes in the cafe.  So we went up to them and started a chat that lasted 2 hours.  Benjamin, 24 and Benedikt, 26 were Germans on medical internship at a nearby hospital.  Here’s a photo of Benjamin and I. (taken 3 weeks later!)

Naturally, one of the first questions that crossed my mind was the 2006 Soccer World Cup in Germany!  They had already bought tickets but unfortunately, they couldn’t go because they were going abroad for another internship.  Besides, return flight tickets to Germany will be very expensive during the World Cup, even for German citizens!

Their other internship will be in Canada.  They said they’d rather work in the US but Visa regulations there are too tough on foreigners, even on Germans.  Benedikt jokingly blamed it on American arrogance!

Next, I asked Benjamin if he had any European money he could show me.  He only had with him a small 2004 1-cent Euro coin, which he let me keep.  The side of the coin with the number on it is the same in all European countries, he explained, but the other side changes from country to country.  German coins, for example, have the picture of some kind of national plant on the back.

He said you can use a Euro coin anywhere in Europe (except in the UK and a few other countries where the currency is different).  So when you go to the supermarket you often get coins from Italy, Spain, etc.  I find that fascinating!  That must make them feel so united; a European family, if you like.  Benjamin agreed with this.  He said, "We do feel that way.  Except during the World Cup, of course.  That’s when I’m German and I HATE ENGLAND!"

Benedikt and Benjamin had an enchanting open-mindedness that I, in my twisted perception of Germany, did not expect.  I think this was partly because they had been to several other countries on student and work exchange programs.  I mean they even welcomed the idea of Turkey joining the European Union!

They’re in the middle of a 4-week holiday now, so they’re leaving for Cambodia and Thailand next week.  I think it’s great how they’re using this opportunity to travel as much as possible. I’ve been in Malaysia for 3 years now and I haven’t been to those countries!  I will go, though, perhaps next year.

They will be around for another few months so I’ll probably see them again for more Euro-Asian conversation.

It’s funny, but the next day I was scratching a top-up card for my cell phone when I realized the coin I was holding was American!  It was a 5 cent US coin made in 1962!  Oh my God!!!  I must’ve got it from the taxi driver instead of a 20 cent Malaysian coin.

I couldn’t help thinking to myself: "Hmm..  Let’s see.  I got European money yesterday and American money today.  This can’t be mere coincidence.  The West is calling me home!"  Haha..

So I sat for the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam on Saturday.  For those of you who don’t know, it’s something like the TOEFL exam.  It was my first time sitting for an English test as official as this.

Out of bad luck, I got sick on Thursday night. (I rarely get sick, usually only when I’m really stressed out.)  I had a headache and a runny nose all through Friday.  But I did everything I could to fight the disease:  I took my pills, had a ton of vitamins and fruit, and showered several times to lower my body temperature.  Thank God I was feeling much better Saturday morning.  I can honestly say my illness did not affect my performance, except for the four times I had to use the toilet during the exam!  It’s strange how catching a cold can make you want to piss all day!

The listening, reading and writing answer sheets as well as the recorded tape of the speaking module have been sent to the UK for marking.  The results will be out in a week.  I’m hoping for a 7 out of 9, but I wouldn’t mind an 8!

While we’re on the topic of memories, here’s a photo of my Persian primary school in Sydney.  I used to go to Australian school on weekdays and to this school on weekends.

I’m the one with the red hat smiling at the camera.  Notice our grumpy teacher standing in front of the line.  I remember having a crush on the girl wearing the red scarf standing four places behind me.  Gosh!  She looks beautiful even from the side, haha..  Gee, I hope this confession doesn’t come back to haunt my future marriage, lol.

I was looking through my childhood photos when I found this.  It’s a photo of Easter day in my school in Sydney back in 1993, I think.  I’m the one wearing a white hat and a brown shirt in the center and slightly to the left.  I remember pestering my mum to make me a hat.  She made me that white paper crown.  It’s not very fancy compared to the rest of the kids, but hey, I’m not christian anyway.

The boy to my right (to my left in the photo) was my best friend.  Tyler, originally from New Zealand, was the strongest and coolest kid in class.  I hope to meet him again some day.

I have a friend who recently came to Malaysia from mainland China.  She says Kuala Lumpur feels just like another city in China!  It’s true.  The ratio of Chinese people to Malay people is much higher here than in other places.

Very hard-working people they are.  Most of my company’s staff are Chinese.  Some of them work overtime every day.  Most of their conversations in the office are about work.    Sometimes I wonder whether these people have lives outside of the workplace.  It’s all very admirable though and they’re one of the main reasons for Benaim’s success in Malaysia.

I’m far from perfect but sometimes I am a perfectionist and expect too much from myself.  On occasion when I do achieve something big I don’t give myself enough credit for it.  I’d shared this with a lady at work a few weeks ago and today she came up to me and handed me a note that read:

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business."  -Michael J. Fox

Remember the book "Yes, You Can!"?  It’s got a page titled, ‘Accept imperfection in yourself.’  It goes:
"There’s nothing wrong with striving to be the best; in fact, it’s a winning attitude.  It’s very wrong to expect others and yourself to be flawless under all conditions.  If you do so, you are asking for nothing but frustration, because consistent perfection is impossible."

I’ve brought my massive 120 GB hard drive back to Ipoh.  My university has got a marvellous high-speed internal network that we use to share all kinds of pirated music, series, movies and software.  It’s fantastic!  We get to enjoy the greatest entertainment on the planet at absolutely no price at all.
Do I think piracy is a crime?  Maybe.  Will that stop me from downloading and using pirated content?  HELL NO.*

I downloaded all the TV series I could.  I’m going to watch them in my condominium in KL.  Most of the time there’s nothing very interesting for me on TV.  Because of Malaysia’s racial composition, local TV stations broadcast Malay, Chinese and Indian programs most of the time, none of which I understand, of course.  There are English programs too but only in certain hours during the day.  News is broadcast in all four languages!

I love watching comedies and shows that make me laugh.  It’s escapism but it’s a good kind of escapism.  It makes me happy and injects lots of positivity into my life without taking too much of my time.

*DISCLAIMER:  I have never downloaded or used pirated content in any form, nor do I mean to do so in the future.  The above post is intended solely to amuse the readers of this weblog and bears no truth concerning my attitude - or that of my university - towards copyright regulations.