Life in Malaysia

Crime news in Malaysia were flooding the Singapore's media a couple of months ago. Many friends have asked whether it is indeed a safe place to live. I am not a frequent traveller to our neighbour across the causeway before I know hubby. I visited JB when I was still a student and was caught with chewing gum at the custom... During one of the school excursions to Kukup (yup, we are fortunate enough to be able to travel to Malaysia in my days; trips to China, Vietnam etc were like "huh, can meh?") and a friend fell into the pond while posing for a photo. The jams from JB back to Singapore were always tiring even when seated comfortable in the car. I wasn't fond of our neighbour not for herself, but for the situation that I found myself to be in when I was there. My friends always had a lot of fun; I was the brat who did not enjoy herself.

That was until I met hubby. 

I took my first across-causeway coach by myself for the first time in 2008. It was a BIG deal for me; I was worried about custom, I was worried about the language, I was worried about being rob; I was worried that the coach driver would fell asleep. I was a worry queen. 

Once I settled down, I found I actually enjoy the unpredictable Malaysia. We would find a nice place to eat just out of the blue. We could discover a nice route to avoid toll, and use the toll money for a nice treat. A traffic jam could turn into a rare opportunity for us to have a long talk. I still look out of the car window to take in the view when I am in KL, especially if hubby takes a different route. I love the fact that the optical shops here never charge for a replacement screw or the nose pad. A trip back to hubby home town is always THE time to feast big time because delicious food are all around. Weekends morning is a time for dim sum and nurseries. I have a small plot of "soil" (an extremely small plot of land hence I am having problem calling it "a plot of land") at our place where I can plant and harvest some vegetables for my own consumption. And of course, I love the frantic-but-very-much-look-forward-to visits by Lucy-gal :) Sometimes, even the rule-abiding-me is secretly happy that hubby could sometimes just park anywhere as long as it does not inconvenient anyone. 

Yes, it is not always safe in Malaysia. Anyway, which place is; on this planet Earth? My last trip to KL were pretty exciting. When we were in Malacca for the weekend, there was a snatch thief, and the condo unit just below our friends' unit was almost broken into. But I am always thankful that I was never been put in a dangerous situation. Our home has been crime free for the past three years. I hope not to jinx it by writing it here though... 

But guess what I like the most???

I like the people the most!

I like the fact that most of the people I met are hardworking, and enjoy themselves when it is the time. They work hard, and they play doubly hard to reward themselves. At the last Malaysia election, I saw how the people were truly concern about their nation at the most basic level. It was not just about housing, not about the COE, nor the foreign talent. They wanted their right as the citizen of the country.

Personally, I felt the cost of living is higher than Singapore, and it is not by choice. A pair of working couple need to have two cars and with the housing loan, the monthly expenses are already higher than a couple in Singapore. Yes, dollar to dollar. 

I have started to become irritated when people start to say "Okay what, convert already about the same mah". 

Living and working in Malaysia means being paid in ringgit, and this is what is use to pay for daily expenses. This is not the same as a weekend getaway spending.

Hubby and I went grocery shopping about a month or two ago in a supermarket and I decided to photograph of some of the products in the supermarket and make my own comparison with the grocery in Singapore.

If we do not recall wrongly, we were at Aeon supermarket. The prices of the product listed on the top of the below comparison sheets are taken off from Fairprice.com.sg just yesterday's afternoon. I do have to state here that the price taken from Aeon could have been different already as to what I am posting now, but it should not be like a huge huge difference? There are, of course, periodic discounts which are shown for some of the products below.

Except for the Canola oil, which Malaysia has it in kilograms and Singapore in litres, the rest of the products are similar in terms of brand and quantity.

I had wanted to get the photo of some of the basic stuff like rice, shampoo etc. but I was not really that daring to keep taking photo in the supermarket...

Please try to squint your eyes to get a better look, especially for the top prices. Otherwise, the price is typed out separately at the bottom of each comparison for easier reference.

Kraft Hi-Calcium Singles Value pack: Top - SGD10.85, bottom - RM18.99
Pokka Oolong Tea: Top - SGD1.75, bottom - RM6.00

Coke: Top - SGD1.90, bottom - RM3.20
HL Milk: Top - SGD3.20, bottom - RM6.30

Japanese green tea: Top - SGD6.15, bottom - RM19.50
Canola oil: Top - SGD7.90, bottom - RM17.65

Definitely, some of the products after currency conversion, they are cheaper. Dollar to dollar, it is pretty obvious where the price stands.

Still, I think there is plenty to love in Malaysia - Nasi Lemak, Bakut Teh, the mountains, the beautiful beaches and many more. Last but not least, the people here.