Ability to Adapt

To a new environment and your own hometown

Written By Mrs. Money

When I first returned for good to stay in Malaysia, I took shower for ten times a day, I couldn’t stand the dirty coffee shops that local have probably developed a blind eye, I realized people were so irresponsive when I greeted strangers a good morning they would think that I was weird and I left air Condi on for 24 hours a day.

Then my dad came in scene, “Hi girl, I don’t want you to act like you have just returned from overseas, local here don’t like it if you brag of your past life and talk with Ang Mo accent.”

Probably I was staying over too many countries, the worst socialist and first world countries. I saw the contrast so I never bragged or complaint much even in front of my parents or siblings. They didn’t know my uptown life only recently I chit-chat a bit to my cousin when I lamented on my past and present.

I returned, settled down, set up my business, almost two decade later I got married, having children then moved to cat city. I finally decided to sell off my business, 10 years ago I spent a lot of money to renovate my business to cope my new life in Malaysia, and after a decade I finally sold it to a couple who have just returned from overseas.

One of this couple was working for an renowned international oil and gas company, they used to live in B city with 24 hours chauffer services provided, stayed in 5-stars condominium, with meals provided in Sheraton hotel. They were living years in B city uptown and then returned to their third world hometown then bought over my business.

I heard that they would brag of how nice B city but they would complain almost everything from my business management to renovation and my third class furniture. Many times after I heard that I become quite hurt, because that were all my best assets that I had accumulated for years of what I had tried to earn and lived since I returned to Malaysia. Well these were the service charge that M city resident could afford me to pay me to let live in such a humble standard, are people expecting me to spend million dollars to renovate my place with Pozzoli sofa and Steinway concert grand supplied to accept the peanuts professional earning? May be there was a chance if I married a rich husband, then you think I would work for that peanut money?

If I ever knew that they were not happy of all I had (or simply my pet), I simply wouldn’t sell it to them, now my reputation is up to their disposure according to their moods and ability to adapt to their own hometown! I didn’t realize they ability to adapt were spending on blaming others and their disappointment, and frustration, faults and blamed were lashed on me at my back.

Actually they visited my business centre often before they left to work in overseas, but they probably didn’t realise their views of living standard have changed abruptly but their old memory still told them my business centre was nice in their old eyes!

Imagine if you were exposed everyday to marble or granite floor, world class furniture and upholsters and lavish interior design of your living environment, then now you have to walk in an old carpeted lobby, returned to your old house and old hometown, your perception changed, you can't let your blind eyes shut. So you renovated your house and newly acquisited business centre almost immediately to cope your new standards according to your exposure, if you were influenced greatly by Chinese, you would decorated your house and office more or less in a Chinese style and if you were admiringly influenced by the west, you would decorate your house more or less like an Ang Mo house.

Many just returned Malaysians after living so many years in first world countries can’t adapt the local Malaysians things quickly. They would live on for years or even decades to grumble at the same time trying to improve to their standard at best of what they could do. So that's what I tried to do to my business, stayed there, lived there and used there for 10 over years, I didn't sell my renovation cost to the new owner, the depreciation of furniture and assets were sold even lower than the market price, in short I gave off my pet for free but only sold its silver kennel and gold flea collar with minimum price. Seemingly, I should give up free of my establishment to someone I associated and some people more than happy to see me broke, beg on street or get a severe despression. I shouldn't make any voice to anyone of those who were the business spy and rivals and who those who gossiped and disturbed me, those "listeners" (they are not friends unfortunately) later would make further defamation remarks on me. In short, there are not many true friends who really sided me in life, they all wanted to be neutral.

Let me tell you, my house with black cow hide on the dark belian floor and besides it now is a tall Christmas tree with lots of gifts from my aunty, cousins and siblings and outside in the garden there are local kang kong and western herbs thrived. We Malaysians like to eat rojak, no matter how hard I try to live in a high standard and try to par up with best, I still would decorate my house in rojak country style house with rojak style interior decoration and rojak style garden.