Chaos

A troubled region?

It sucks watching AlJazeera these days. There seems to be war everywhere. Central African Republic is in a turmoil because of the rejection for the new Muslim President. And so, a killing spree on Muslims.

And then two days ago, there was an attempted military coup in Juba, South Sudan. That was scary because colleagues could actually hear gunshots from their residential area.

That's two neighboring countries in turmoil.. and this excludes the problems in Egypt.

Speaking of which, Cairo experienced their first snow in over 100 years. Damn!

Woahhh.. Is this for real?

Masha Allah...

Oh.. and for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, this is one of the harshest winters. But of course, that is so because they are not in proper houses. Instead, they stay in the tents, braving the cold.

Sigh.

And back home, I see Malaysians arguing about 'petty' things.

Excuse me for not participating in the debate about the hike in petrol, toll, GST etc. I understand that the cost of living has risen drastically.

Maybe I can't complain much because I get a pay raise every year. I'm lucky in that sense. My pay raise is enough to cover the increasing cost of living, Alhamdulillah.

But then again, despite the increment in my salary, I have also tried to reduce my expenditure and try to save more.

More importantly, I feel that it's petty to fight over GST and toll hikes when people in other countries are fighting just to stay alive. Oh, perhaps other Malaysians cannot empathize because they are far from these "troubled countries". But I'm not. I'm barely a two-hour flight from Central African Republic and South Sudan.

You see destruction in Philippines because of Typhoon Yolanda and then you realize that the floods in Kuantan and Terengganu are nothing compared to that. In Malaysia, people rush to give aid. I have friends who rallied on Facebook, gathering food stuff and clothings to be given to the flood victims. It's so heartwarming to see such compassion and love.

We have to be thankful that there are no dead bodies strewn upon the streets due to the floods. No stench coming from corpses. No massive destruction of buildings.

Yeah.. there are calls saying that our Government is corrupt and at the brink of bankruptcy. Heh. Now which Government isn't corrupt? Which leader doesn't take advantage of the power that was bestowed upon him?

Yes, I think our Government is running out of money. Yes, they have been spending unnecessarily, some say. But which leader has never made a bad judgement call? Even the great Tun Dr Mahathir had sanctioned some failed projects when he was at the helm.

But really, is Malaysia that bad? Are the people really suffering?

I mean, I understand that things are more expensive now. People could barely make ends meet. I know. For one, I know my sister is struggling financially.. trying to cope with a new house and a new baby.

But isn't that what most people go through in life? Most young married couples struggle in the first few years of their life before they become better at managing their money?

Ntah lah. Like I said, maybe I'm lucky to not have to worry about money. I don't make a lot, but I have enough to cover my monthly bills and keep some for my savings.

Tapi tu lah. Penat baca everyone complaining about Malaysia. And spreading rumors too... like kononnya we will be taxed for our savings in KWSP. I mean, why spread such a rumor and get everyone all riled up? (Yes, people.. the rumor is not true.)

See what I mean? Benci sangat ke kerajaan? Nak buat coup jugak ke?

Sigh. Bukan mudah nak jadi pemimpin. Bukan mudah nak jaga sebuah negara.

Cakap memang senang, kan?

Oh well. Gotta run. I've got a meeting to attend. Ciao!