Day 10 - Life in Johor

Been a bit busy fitting in off late, cleaning, washing, ironing and cooking. These items are already a handful to keep up. "Who told you staying-home is boring?" 

Life in Johor has been quite a challenge. Nothing serious just the case of identity! Not a crisis yet! But still bad at times. I have mentioned like a million times - Civilization has not hit Johor yet and this place is infested with Singaporeans! In the eyes of the world we are third world country BUT I refused to agree with that until I am here in Johor! In Klang / KL people are very modern, other than little quirk like rudeness and arrogant, we are OK bunch of people! BUT in Johor! OMG! I hardly could find words to describe the whole situation here.

1. LV & Prada 
• Practically everybody has one! Down to the makcik who is sitting by the road side waiting for bus
• It makes original look so fake! We do not have to go online or anywhere else to find, they practically sell it from store to store! 
• I am not against you girls buying fake stuff - it's your freedom! But it makes me want to return my "branded" by to LV because I felt dumb! 
2. Free stuff in the Mall
   • Remember the days when free stuff booths were set up at every corner of the mall to hand out free samples to the consumers? Well there are practically one every walking aisle here
   • Back in KL, these people will chase after us to make us try their free samples and we will walk away saying "NO" because we knew for sure, we are not considering that particular product but here in Johor, these people brought their whole family along, queue up (some even push along) to get the free samples! Remind me of a scene in those war torn countries where the authorities are handing out rations! These are the exact situation here
   • Also remember those days when we were still young and parents would dress us up for mall "Yippeee" this is still a practice here in Johor! Where children, big and small follow along even up to the fishery and vegetable areas because its family day out! Cramping up the area! 
3. Singaporeans 
• The things here are overpriced! Why? SINGAPOREANS DOES THEIR GROCERIES SHOPPING HERE IN JOHOR! Pushing our inflation to a all time high here in Johor
• Who said in Johor we can save money??? The things here are crazily overpriced
• Buttercup - Back in KL is MYR6.50, here in Johor - MYR 10.50
• Nescafe - Back in KL is MYR11.00, here in Johor - MYR16.00
• Prawn - Back in KL is MYR24.00 per KG, here in Johor - MYR41.00 per KG
• Average grocerries back in KL - MYR150 per week, here in Johor -  MYR250 as of last week!
• Nasi Lemak with egg & fried chicken by the roadside in KL - MYR 6 we complaint "its very expansive" but here it is MYR8 per packet! 
• No I am not swaggering you! Take a trip down here and see for yourself. We do not know until we came! Above is just a few examples. Quoting from my sis "the only thing nice here in Johor is my house" - Ditto!
4.  Driving 
• As if driving is not already stressful enough! Driving here makes it all the more stressful
• Potholes are inevitable here, they are everywhere! So extra alert here! Want to win Johor in the next GE! Think about making the roads more presentable please! Where to start?? Pasir Gudang highway! 
• Johor is indeed one of the main port in Malaysia - something to thank the Singaporeans for making it back home! And indeed there will be a lot of containers truckers around, they drive not like a trucker but mother-f'ker! (Sorry for the foul-word! I have asked forgiveness for that) But coming back from Europe has made me see how far left behind we are! Come on! Learn to give way! And stay in the THIRD LANE! Why are you even competing with each other and worst still with us passenger cars???? 
• People here drives like they are always LATE! They honk like nobody's business and they just am not very forgiving when people overtake them! Learn to signal like your good neighbors! Be courteous. 
• Just like their driving, Johorian pushes their trolley in shopping mall exactly the same way! I was going to have an anxiety attack or even an emotional meltdown right in the middle of doing my groceries from all the pushing and congestion the other day! Thank God my hubby gave me his support and I was ok!  
5. "Please", "Thank-You" & "Sorry"
• These are the golden words that my momma taught me, never to loose them in my life! And do I hear them here! RARELY! - I say them anyway! 
6. Mandarin
• If you don't speak Mandarin, you will be just like me caught in the middle, my mandarin is barely acceptable! What more conversational.... People here does not speak other language except Mandarin! So brushed up or you will be just like a tourist in France or Germany (at least the people there are more patience to do the "sign-language" with you!)
• They speak little English! How do you compete? I do not know! Such a pity that such a powerful language as English is poorly spoken here! 
7. Overly concern over small little things
• I still remember those little procedures that they are all so concern with example: do not bring your groceries bag into a shop even though it is just one bag. 
• Instead of taking care of these small stuff they should matter of fact look into improving the mannerism of people there! And you speak Mandarin with me!
  "Sorry, I no understand Mandarin"