just minishorts.

In recent weeks I've met up with Mr Jeff on a weekly basis just to iron things about a co-project we're doing, and after so many times, I've yet to stop marvelling at the fact that this man is so very different from the Mr Taikor Manberries (to borrow a quote from the Cowboy) of the M'sian blogosphere. It's really quite amazing how words can betray a person's character. And yet for some reason, each time I meet up with Jeff, my mind tends to stray towards the 'important' stuff that shallow girls like me usually try hard to avoid. You know, politics, religion, issues, the like?

And then of course I'm talking about what Mr Harry Lee said about being Chinese and marginalized, which is the hot topic that is being discussed on the very front page of Screenshots right now.

So we all know the strange categories are there all along, every where you go, you're a minority in places, a majority in others, and sometimes, it IS all about picking out and realizing which ones will aid you to the place you want to be. And of course in Malaysia, if you're Chinese, or Indian, or Malay for that matter, you just happen to must belong to a particular category that will allow you the rights to enjoy certain privileges that makes you 'special' in certain cases. Or in some cases, like mine, some 'disprivileges'.

Of course, for people like me who've been ignorant of the property market until recently (pardon my childishness), I just realized that Bumiputeras now enjoy not only 5, but 7% discount on brand new house purchases. But but but, because my surname is Khoo, if I choose to go and buy a house in Penang, for instance, I could opt to purchase houses under a particular development program and get to enjoy 10% discount, because my surname is Khoo. My Mum, who is an anak Kelantan, has better privileges than me, even though she's not anak Bumi. Did you know that if your birth certificate says you're born in Kelantan, you get to buy and own a house in Kelantan? I can't do that because I'm not Kelantanese. There are special scholarships for people from different states, say you're from Pahang, you could get an extra opportunity to apply for a Yayasan Pahang scholarhips. Or lessay your dad works for a huge company like Tenaga or TM or Petronas for instance, you get extra chances to win a very lucrative all expenses paid three year study program borne by your dad's company. Things like that. Marginalization, in all its beauty.

Sometimes I like to kid myself that because I was born in Singapore, one day, should I choose to get sick of M'sia, I would have easier migration paths into Singapore. Not that I want to be called Singaporean at all of course, and I'm very well aware that should I go there one day, I'll have to suffer another kind of pengetepian, you know?

OK, I'm showing my peculiarly wild and optimistic side as usual, of course, and it's grating, ain't it? Actually, I'd just like to mention it here, that for some reason, there's this other side effect coming out of all the Bumi vs Non-Bumi things that we all have to live with over here in Malaysia. Which could be a positive side effect. Its the one where people just assume you're smart just because you're Chinese and you had your education in a local university. Maybe I graduated from local uni early enough from a period of time where local graduates were still considered a pretty good layer of cream.

Until today when people ask me where I came from and I say 'oh that dreaded UPM', I get responses from all walks of races and life going, 'OMG, you went to local uni? You did STPM? And you're Chinese! Wow. Must be tough, getting into local uni.'

'Was it tough? A bit lah. It was tough in the sense that I knew that it was either local uni, or quit my studies and head out to work because my parents were too poor to afford me a private education. Do or die thing. But entering the university isn't really that difficult as you would like to believe.'

That of course, is my usual response.

'Oh no lah. You Chinese. Sure very hardworking one. I bet you must be really smart.'

That, is the usual, very glowering, actually untrue compliment. And they actually believe it when they say it, so in the end it's better to accept the compliment with a 'thank you'.

I don't mind being called hardworking, and smart. It's a two-in-one positive exchange for all the 'marginalization' that I've had to 'suffer'. It's not a bad thing really, because, hehe, in truth, I'm quite lazy, and not very smart.

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