Sakit belakang

I had the experience of LM and WK talking about me right in front of me yesterday. This is a rather different approach than the traditional talking about someone behind his/her back. It was interesting to listen to their opinions (which were, thankfully, more positive than negative), and it sort of got me into thinking about the little Malaysian community we have here and the fine art of gossiping.

I've been on the receiving end of various gossips throughout my stay here. It doesn't help that I've got more female friends than males, am not your typical kinda Malay guy and that I don't indulge in the bond-forging activity of smoking. Nor do I talk endlessly about the finer points of nothing, which seems to be all the rage every now and again.

Diplomacy has its place, but I don't see why a person can't be forthright in 99% of situations. Even if you don't wanna tell a guy that you think he's a bastard, there are many many ways to indicate to him that that's your opinion without actually saying so. It's just so hypocritical to smile and nod and wish a person an endless stream of happiness in front of him, and to curse his every aspect on any other given day. I know too many people who're more than happy to talk about others, but shut up the moment they come face-to-face with the topic of conversation. Why? Takut la... societal pressures la... I admit to cursing the existence of those I dislike in conversations, but I do make it a point to either a) don't meet these people if I can help it or b) make them quite well aware of my opinion of them.

Found out on Sat that my neighbour has been asking about me and commenting about me of late. This guy and I have a rather chequered history. To sum it up, he's a rather extreme right-wingist (is there such a word) and I'm not. And therein lies the crux of all arguments that have arose. I don't mind having a chat every now and again about pretty much anything at all. But this neighbour of mine has never had the courage to actually confront me in real life, and instead resorts to e-mails and other more indirect ways in order to point out that I am wrong. Kalau jumpa, he's all smiles and 'how are you? Life treating you well? Jemputla ke rumah'. Kepala otak dier. Damn bloody annoying.

It is at times like these that I admire folks like Elly n Armijn. With them, you know where you stand and you know you can always count on them to tell you the truth. A friend's supposed to be upfront and honest with you. If I end up drinking 3 bottles of vodka a day, I expect my friends to smack me hard on the face and say 'What the fuck do you think you're doing?'. As compared to 'Hi. How are you? Life treating you well?' and condeming me to the fiery pits of hell the moment my back's turned away.

I guess some people can't accept the truth, especially when it hurts. For example, it's not easy accepting the fact that someone else hates you or thinks you stand a slim chance of defeating a sponge in The Weakest Link. That's if you try really, REALLY hard. In my case, I might be down for a bit, but I know I'll come around it 'cause I know it's being told for my own good. It's like growing up and looking back at all the times you disagreed with your parents and thought they were being unfair and such, and then one morning, realising the rationale behind their acts and coming to the conclusion that you're a better person because of that.