This is a tale of a little girl and a little boy who grew up to become somebody unexpected. This little girl came from a reasonably big family with an almost deprived background. This little boy came from a family which was while not poor, this family was not well-to-do either. Both of them were smart and hard-working. They worked really hard and they grew up to be physicians, specialists in different fields, to-be-exact. The boy turned into one of the few specialists in his field in his country, Malaysia (ooops, I'm giving away clues).
To be the best in what he do, this boy got the rare chance to further his study in the UK way back then. At that point, he met this little girl in med school in his home country, broke his previous engagement (yes he was engaged when he was merely a high school boy, a testament of his strong will) and proceed to marry this wonderful little girl, a young girl in her cusp of womanhood. By the time both of them went to the UK to further their respective studies, they were rewarded with their own wonderful little boy, their firstborn.
Fast-forward around 25 years or so later, both of them are blessed with 6 healthy, beautiful and intelligent children, 5 older ones being boys and youngest was a blessing of all blessings, an adorable little girl with the most beautiful curls. The oldest 4 proceed to study in UK in various fields, from engineering to accounting and medicine. The eldest met his future wife in one of the top schools in UK and marry her and now live happily in KL with 2 beautiful little children.
And these 2 little boy and little girl who grew up to their potentials are successful in building their beautiful family with a very blessed background. The now live in a very beautiful house with their own pool and 3 house maids and they owned more than 4 luxury cars most people can't afford to have and 2 high-end condominium units. They traveled to the UK and US for a month at the end of the year and are in want of nothing. They live the life of the selected fews in Malaysia. To top these all up, they were awarded a title a few years back.
This tale started here. What do people like these people, who are so blessed, want the most in the world? They already have more than most people. There is an adage, 'the more you have, the more you want' that fits them to a T. They should be happy, well at least contented, living the life they have. But no. No. They need to show how lucky, how rich, how educated, how luxurious their life is. Yes. In the moment of epiphany, they were blessed with this great insight that they have to rub their blessings in the faces of those who are less fortunate. Yes, this will bring them super happiness that seems to allude them in their adult lives.
The man who lived to his potentials are now becoming a rude, conscienceless, rude (did I already mentioned this before?), stuck-up prig. His nose is now so high, it is touching the sky. He looked down on people's misfortunes, and with his wealth, instead of helping, he gave people his dose of reality medicine by giving stupendously stupid lectures of making-mistakes bla-bla-bla (really, when one is already down in the dumps, one is very much aware how big one's mistakes are already). And the lectures end there, no other help forthcoming, no sire! That's how life is. His motto is, 'everyone for himself'. God created us to live in our own cocoon, never interacting, never helping another person who is also called a human being.
Now, remember that this man used to study in the land of the Caucasians (he revered them) of all Caucasians. Surprise, surprise, he is now unable to speak his mother-tongue, the Malay language. Forget it that he was brought up in all Malay, Boyan to be exact, household for more than 25 years. Forget it that he lived among this so-called Malays (Boyans again). Forget it that he used to lived in Malaysia for 20 odd years, the land filled with population of Malays who speak mostly Malay. Forget it that he probably lived not more than 5 years or so in UK in his late 20s or early 30s, a period of life when one cannot adopt to a new language like a native. It is quite impossible for one to speak a new language, in this case English, like we're born with it. Yes, one can speak this second language fluently but one will still retain our original accent and the first language is the most natural language one can speak. Excepting special circumstances that would not be delved into now.
This man cannot speak Malay. Can you believe it or not? I lived in New Zealand for 5 years. My closest friends are mostly the locals and international people. I still cannot speak in New Zealand accent, believe me. I can imitate. But I cannot speak English in that accent. So, how come this man cannot speak his own mother-tongue, you tell me? This is a classical case of a Malay saying, an idiom really, of 'kacang lupakan kulit' or 'the peanut forgetting its shell'. Translated: a person who forgot his own background. He forgot that he was brought up by a mother who cannot read nor write. He forgot that he was educated earlier in Malaysia which first language is Malay. He simple forgot.
-More to come, the story of the boy who forgot, the girl who is filled with envy and the family who has everything.-
