The English Premier League has begun a brand new season, a bad start for MU though. A goalless draw against Reading (who got promoted from 1st div 2 seasons ago)?! *flabbergasted* Poor Rooney suffers a bad injury too. Oh well, at least Scholes is still going strong at 3o something.
***
I'm amused at the number of people falling for the scam that's been going on (internationally, might I add). And when I thought only Malaysians are the only people silly enough to believe you have to deposit an amount of money to get an even bigger amount of money won at some lottery or lucky draw... I heard on the radio that some listeners received calls about them winning 10,000 bucks, and have to deposit 99 dollars into a bank account first. -__-
The DJ cleared that up and urged people to not believe whoever's ripping them off, which made me think: who would be stupid enough to impersonate a radio station when calls can be easily made back to the station to confirm validity? But then again, there won't be geniuses if it wasn't for
***
From NZ Herald:
Two reports released this week found Asian students think New Zealand is boring, unfriendly and old-fashioned, but also cheap and safe.
Only two-thirds of the students in one study were satisfied with the internet access.
However, 86 per cent felt safe and 70 per cent would recommend the country as a study destination.
(view whole story here.)
Ah, yet another reason for the locals to look at us and think: There goes one of THEM. Coming here as they wish, trying to take over the university, economy, then country. -___- X1000. Just great.
"Asian students" can be categorised into the general 4 types:
- Those are smart enough to be offered scholarships to do a professional course here. I envy and pity them at the same time.
- Those have are loaded enough (or lucky to be sponsored) to CHOOSE to study here, and genuinely think that NZ is an awesome place to get a degree, love NZ culture, and wouldn't mind staying permanently.
- Those that are loaded, but come here as they fail to get into local universities, mostly from the Northern east Asia. They come here and say "boring, gah can't stand this UNFRIENDLY place and sucky culture, can't wait to get home". They get a degree, go back home, use that degree to enter a local uni. Most probably driving posh cars, some without a NZ license.
- Those that are technically NZers, have PR, yet retain their thick accents. Their numbers are increasing day by day.
Take my flat for example. There's 6 of us, all asians, 4 as PRs, 2 as internationals. Guess what? We all chose to come here, be it because NZ universities offer quality education and that NZ is a unique, beautiful country, or because of some underlying reason.
Boring? NZ boasts beautiful beaches, wonderful sunrise and sunset views I have yet to see elsewhere, clean air (yeah cheesy but true), work experience (minimum wage btw is 20 times more of that in Msia), uni life and culture, 4 seasons, and so much more. Those that claim NZ is boring are probably pointing out the fact that the malls close at 5pm, and not much of a nightlife going on. Well, too bad for them.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll just touch on it again. Here there is a sense of freedom in the air; the freedom you get from jogging in the botanical gardens early in the morning (all you breathe in is polluted air back home), standing on the pier overlooking the vast ocean (you have to drive 45 mins to get to a beach at Kch) and watch seals chase people, the ability to dress in pajamas out in the streets and not get stared at (you'll probably be put to jail for indecent exposure in Kelantan), see snooooow (fake snow is all you can get at Mines Wonderland), sip coffee and chat away at a local cafe (the cafe culture in Kch is overrated and lacks the ambient atmosphere I love), and of course, wonderful firework displays during GuyFawkes weeked.
Then again, no country is perfect. For good, oily, and cheap food, I always look forward to going home. Watching movies is freaking cheap, overcrowding puts me off though. The weather is a constant 30 to 40 degree heat 365 days a year, the only "season" you get is more rain at the end of the year. Shopping malls are bigger and better, etc etc.
It's not about comparing. It's about appreciating the wonders (be it man made or natural) of each country. As for those that don't appreciate what is found here, nobody has the right to chase them away (intl students still pay part of locals' uni fees). It's probably bad enough that they're wasting their youth in a place they find boring, right?
Unfriendly? I have had countless conversations with strangers, be it the check out lady at Countdown, friendly old man at the bus stop, bus driver who offered to stop right in front of the beach for me to get down, or people asking if I'm warm enough when I was dressed in a bunny costume not too long ago. But one thing I appreciate most in general is the courtesy of everyone (young and old) in holding out doors for you to prevent them from smacking right back in your face, and the basic greetings and thanks every time you walk in/out of a shop, even if you didn't buy anything.
THAT, is what I call manners. Yes, there are the occasional drunkards who yell out racist comments, and they account for what- 0.001% of the population? I've gotten over that long time ago. In Msia, don't expect anyone to smile at you at the bus stop (if you smile, people will look away and think that you're a freak). Don't expect a "thanks" walking out of a shop empty handed, the shopkeepers might even glare at you as if you owe them 100 ringgit. Traffic is BAD back home, the accident rate is so much higher. And need I mention the rate of robberies, corruption, rape, and piracy?!
Good ole NZ. This is where I chose to come study, to experience a foreign culture, to indulge in what this country has to offer. My hope is that those who criticize would pause for a moment and look at the big picture, to not take little things for granted.
0 comments:
Post a Comment