A Malaysian Day

Malaysians have come a long way since obtaining independence in the mid-20th century from the British. Now, a melting pot due to its richness in culture, unity in people and myriad of races, ranging from Malays, Chinese, and Indians to the traditional folk of East Malaysia, the Kadazans and the Ibans, Malaysia boasts of a colourful but harmonious community. Each race, unique in its individual sense, somehow manages to shed the barriers and differences to form this unique tribe we label as Malaysian. As the government tries to strengthen racial bonds and enrich the people's identity, Malaysians themselves are showing vast improvement in living together as one.

"Oh, no! I'll be late for work again!"

So begins a typical Malaysian day, customarily, with a jolt as one realizes that he has overslept on yet another gloomy morning, this owing to the faulty Petaling Street alarm clock. Vigorously brushing his teeth while trying to do the buttons of his collared shirt with the other free hand, a Malaysian is usually acclimatized to multi-tasking when it comes to the morning rush. The typical "kiasu" attitude of wanting to beat the early morning traffic vanishes altogether when one is suddenly aware that even reaching the workplace on time is about to pose a challenge.

Jumping into one's locally-made car, the famed Kelisa, a Malaysian immediately meets with a traffic jam just at the junction away from his house. This situation is akin to a can of sardines; the quick rise in the number of cars flooding the roads in recent years has reached an alarming rate. Sipping a Nestlé Iced Coffee while trying to down a sticky traditional kuih (local pastry), purchased from the previous night's pasar malam (night market), one is forced to tolerate the morning crawl and never- ending honks from impatient, moody drivers who simply do not have patience in their job specification. The bus lanes in the commercial hub, Kuala Lumpur, certainly do not ease the unbearable conditions as