8 Weeks

I've moved! Was too lazy to pack, so since I'm in the same apartment complex, I just chucked some stuff in my case, loaded the rest into a couple of plastic bags, and pulled my clothes out of the wardrobe still on the hangers! Florine (Canada) moved into my old room the same day, and bravely helped me to carry down all of my stuff - thanks babe! :) I now live with Hannu (Finland) and Julie (France), and my main discovery since moving has involved:

the washing machine

• It's so so cool to have a washing machine at home - finally! I never really appreciated it so much :)
• Ours plays about 20 seconds of music when it finishes - much nicer than the standard beeps I'm used too!
• It only does cold washes. Fabien informed me that local machines generally don't have hot water, people think it shrinks your clothes etc. For now, the kettle and I are best buddies :)

Ramadan

I fasted on Monday, although I didn't get up to eat before sunrise, I cheated and had breaky (and plenty of it, trust me!) at around 8am. I managed to not eat or drink anything until the fast ended at around 7:10pm. Not eating wasn't a problem really since I ate so much breakfast, although I couldn't really concentrate much during the afternoon and I got really grumpy! The hardest part was not drinking - I was thirsty literally all day. It can't be healthy... BUT I'm glad that I gave it a shot. Norila assures me that the first couple of days of fasting are tough and you don't feel well in the afternoon, but that you get used to it and kind of adapt. She recommended I try a few more days. I declined :p Once was more than enough!!

Religion

For me, religion is something very personal. It's about my philosophy and the way that I choose to live my life. Any standards that I do or don't live up to are between me and the powers that be. But I get the impression that things are different here in Malaysia.

For one, being Malay (ethnicity, not nationality) means that you are a Muslim. There's no choice. Freedom of religion is otherwise alive and well, but not for this portion of society it seems.

Secondly, it seems that the degree to which you adhere to religious practices is not something that is strictly between you and God, but is just as much about what other people in society will think. During Ramadan you can sometimes see someone sneaking a cigarette during daylight hours, and I know of people who've been asked by Malay colleagues to bring them back food when they go out at lunchtime. What matters most is if people see you, not the principle of fasting. I know of one girl who is half Malay and is not a Muslim. She gets dirty looks from people when she eats in public during daylight hours in Ramadan. Why do they care? The sign in the liquor section at Carrefour says that alcohol won't be sold to Muslims and persons under 18 years of age. Surely Muslims can decide for themselves if they want to drink it or not, why should the supermarket regulate this for them? I really can't get my head around it, although I know that it's not limited to Islam or to Malaysia. I guess I've just grown up in a time and place where religion is a very personal choice.

Valet service

There's an unofficial (read 'illegal') valet service running after hours on the street where our office is. It's a trendy part of town with lots of restaurants and bars, and insufficient car-parking space (even if you double park, which of course, is usually acceptable). So there's these dudes... and they will put chairs or something in any parks that become free... and won't let you park there unless you pay them. It's also a security service. The thing is, even if there's no free parks, you can just leave your car with him, and he'll drive around and find a space for you. Kind of cool, huh?