technically, every Malaysian is a girl.

You know how you've sometimes got something on your mind and you really want to let it out and you feel like you can no longer hold it in anymore because it's killing you?

And then... you husband/partner/friend comes along and sees that tonyok face of yours and asks you,

"Is everything okay?"

And you'll go like, "Oh yeah, I'm fine, I'm all good, I'm totally okay!", in the most overly annoying  cheerful voice.?

Then... when your husband/partner/friend leaves because YOU said your were OKAY, you go on Twitter or Blogger and start ranting about how nobody understands and/or cares about you, etc., etc.,...?

Well, which girl ISN'T like that, right? 

And guess who else is like that as well? We MALAYSIANS! Hahahahhaha.

Want to know why I say that?

Well, this revelation dawned on me yesterday when I received a link to a survey about the reading culture in Malayisa . 

I was like... "Oh, man, not another survey!" and I totally and completely ignored it until I came across a book fair some place near my office and said to myself... "I hope they have this and that book instead of this and that book here..." and came to realise that...

nobody in Malaysia is a mind-reader. 

So, how was anyone supposed to know what I liked to read and what I hoped would be sold at the book fair if I didn't even bother responding to the Survey on the reading culture in Malaysia!

Likewise, I have previously been very non-committal in giving responses after attending a particular course and have given good marks out of kesian before. Then, the next time I attend the next series of the course and the same lecturer who I didn't like (who I gave good marks to anyway) appears before me, I catch myself saying, "Oh, man not this dude again!", only to realise that it's totally and completely my fault (and the others' fault as well) for not giving an honest and objective assessment when we had the chance to!

(I totally started trying to give more objective and honest assessments thereafter even though it took more time and I had my colleagues mock me for being completely skema)

Like I said, no one in Malaysia is a mind-reader and though the organisers themselves MIGHT have thought that the lecturer didn't measure to their expectations... since the majority (the attendees) said that he's okay, he MUST be okay, right?  

I don't know why we (both girls and Malaysians) do this to ourselves when in fact we have a certain level of control over our state of happiness and satisfaction. 

I think it's time we all change our attitudes about surveys because having been involved in preparing survey forms before, believe me when I say that there is alot of thought that goes into the questions on that survey form. Most of the time, we really do want people to be happy, trust me. 

So, if you want to be happy too, respond (!!!) because if you don't... then technically, every Malaysian will remain to be a girl..., 

by choice. 

p.s.: If you've responded and can't seem to see any action taken on it, then, ask formally again AND then, if no response is given, by all means, make it viral on Facebook, if you must. Nothing works better than pressure, I agree, but before that, you've first got to take the time to respond properly!