Stupid Malaysian drivers
An experience just now galvanised me to update my seemingly neglected blog. Yes, i know it's been neglected, i know i haven't updated for quite a while. But there's really nothing much to blog about now, and i don't feel the mood to write anything. Though of course it'll still be nice to receive comments. Surprisingly you all have still been studiously checking my blog. Anyway, i digress...
Me, Mel, Erwin, Gigi, and Steph took Phaik Yee and Hung who came down to KL to Lookout Point on Cheras Hill for dinner. After going around in circles and spending over an hour traversing the city we arrived at our destination at almost 10pm. But that's not the point of this post.
It's all about how Malaysian drivers are the most selfish, inconsiderate, uncourteous drivers, having no sense of public decencty, respect for road laws and regulations, or even general common sense and responsibility. Admittedly, planning for parking is virtually non-existent there. But that does not give anyone the right to indiscriminately double park wherever they like. All it serves to do is to exacerbate the problem.
So when it was time to leave, we found this Kelisa, in all its splendor double parked right in front of my car. Incessant honking and even making announcements on the PA system failed to rouse the owner from his slumber of whatever tempurung he was hiding under. I think Erwin even went to the extent of walking around asking if anyone was the owner of the car. I tried many times, various car alignments to squeeze through the narrow opening, but to no avail. Even Mel and Phaik Yee in all their tininess valiantly tried to push the offending car.
A crowd gathers, everyone trying to give advice on how to extricate my car. Finally, after more than half an hour, and as a result of something untaught in driving schools, i.e. a 30-point turn, involving reversing back and forth numerous times, i managed to squeeze the car out through the narrow opening, with not even inches, but millimetres to spare on either side. And it's a manual car as well, mind you. Funny to hear applause upon a successful exit from a parking lot, but it was a very 'interesting' experience nonetheless. Even Gigi didn't want to leave to go to the toilet so as not to miss out on any action.
And the result of Murphy's law or whatever law it is is that only when i finally managed to get out that the owner decides to turn up. This lady walks out and enters her car without even a word of apology. At least, Erwin gave her a piece of his mind. Good thing we're not thugs otherwise we would have left scratches of telltale signs of our frustration on her car.
You see right, even in the event you cannot find a parking lot, even in the event that you really really have an urgent need to rush down, and you can't find someone to jaga the car while you're inside, at least have the decency or common sense to ensure that you're not blocking anyone. Leave a message with your contact number on your windscreen, don't stray too far from your car, or at least be alert enough to hear when you hear honking or announcements on the PA system. But nooo, some people prefer to live in their own bubble and think they own the road, oblivious to everything else. Anyway, there was a sign at the back of the car that reads, "Khalifah inside." You decide the significance of that..
This further reinforces the deterioration of the state of affairs in Malaysia. People nowadays can't care less about virtues which was once the staple of a considerate society. Now people's attitudes have changed to "do-whatever-i-can-to benefit-myself-without-regard- for-others." My experience was not a rare occasion. How many times have you seen people cutting queue at a traffic light or lane convergence, double parked, driven slowly on the right lane, overtaking on the left lane or driving manically on the roads. Only in Malaysia i tell you. It perfectly embodifies the Malaysian spirit of everthing can do to a new level. Malaysia Boleh.
Update: This is the wonderful view of the KL skyline from that restaurant (curtesy of Mel's awesome long exposure camera). You can even see the twin spotlights from KLCC illuminating the night sky.
It's all about how Malaysian drivers are the most selfish, inconsiderate, uncourteous drivers, having no sense of public decencty, respect for road laws and regulations, or even general common sense and responsibility. Admittedly, planning for parking is virtually non-existent there. But that does not give anyone the right to indiscriminately double park wherever they like. All it serves to do is to exacerbate the problem.
So when it was time to leave, we found this Kelisa, in all its splendor double parked right in front of my car. Incessant honking and even making announcements on the PA system failed to rouse the owner from his slumber of whatever tempurung he was hiding under. I think Erwin even went to the extent of walking around asking if anyone was the owner of the car. I tried many times, various car alignments to squeeze through the narrow opening, but to no avail. Even Mel and Phaik Yee in all their tininess valiantly tried to push the offending car.
A crowd gathers, everyone trying to give advice on how to extricate my car. Finally, after more than half an hour, and as a result of something untaught in driving schools, i.e. a 30-point turn, involving reversing back and forth numerous times, i managed to squeeze the car out through the narrow opening, with not even inches, but millimetres to spare on either side. And it's a manual car as well, mind you. Funny to hear applause upon a successful exit from a parking lot, but it was a very 'interesting' experience nonetheless. Even Gigi didn't want to leave to go to the toilet so as not to miss out on any action.
And the result of Murphy's law or whatever law it is is that only when i finally managed to get out that the owner decides to turn up. This lady walks out and enters her car without even a word of apology. At least, Erwin gave her a piece of his mind. Good thing we're not thugs otherwise we would have left scratches of telltale signs of our frustration on her car.
You see right, even in the event you cannot find a parking lot, even in the event that you really really have an urgent need to rush down, and you can't find someone to jaga the car while you're inside, at least have the decency or common sense to ensure that you're not blocking anyone. Leave a message with your contact number on your windscreen, don't stray too far from your car, or at least be alert enough to hear when you hear honking or announcements on the PA system. But nooo, some people prefer to live in their own bubble and think they own the road, oblivious to everything else. Anyway, there was a sign at the back of the car that reads, "Khalifah inside." You decide the significance of that..
This further reinforces the deterioration of the state of affairs in Malaysia. People nowadays can't care less about virtues which was once the staple of a considerate society. Now people's attitudes have changed to "do-whatever-i-can-to benefit-myself-without-regard- for-others." My experience was not a rare occasion. How many times have you seen people cutting queue at a traffic light or lane convergence, double parked, driven slowly on the right lane, overtaking on the left lane or driving manically on the roads. Only in Malaysia i tell you. It perfectly embodifies the Malaysian spirit of everthing can do to a new level. Malaysia Boleh.
Update: This is the wonderful view of the KL skyline from that restaurant (curtesy of Mel's awesome long exposure camera). You can even see the twin spotlights from KLCC illuminating the night sky.
