Stop And Stare
This is the latest song by One Republic. Every time it comes on over the radio the DJs can’t help themselves but remark at how well it reflects a very unique Malaysian culture.
They are, of course, referring to that very contagious habit of stopping and staring at an accident or broken down vehicle on the road, especially during rush hour that inevitably causes a traffic jam that can span several highways and last for hours after the vehicle in question has been removed.
To some people, this habit is even more severe. They not only stop and stare, they also take pictures or videos of the whole incident. Another group takes this even further by noting down the numbers of the vehicles to buy the lottery!
They should change the lyrics of this song especially for the Malaysian market. Maybe they can do something like:
"Stop and stare
And take plenty of pictures while you’re there"
LOL
Another habit that Malaysians are really champion at, according to said radio station, is the art of double parking. We are so creative that we can also masuk our cars even when there are no parking spaces available. We practically redefine the art of double parking.
We create jams that last for 50 minutes simply because we want to stop and buy a roti canai.
This is the reason why I don’t park in front of my office building even if there is a space available. Every day we will hear annoyed people blowing their horns trying to get the attention of the idiots who double park next to their vehicles.
The worst part is the idiots don’t immediately come to remove their vehicles. There have been times when people were made to wait for half an hour under the hot sun while these idiots enjoy their café latte at Starbucks or something.
It wouldn’t be so bad if they had left a companion waiting in their car or if they had just wanted to pop into the 7-Eleven to buy something. Nope, I’ve seen people who work at one of the franchises downstairs double park when they will be there for like the whole day.
Yay, Malaysia really boleh at creating our very unique cultures, huh?
