OTBL - The Malay Plague

Believe me when I say this: I hate OTBL (Orang Tak Boleh Lebih) (Other people can't have more).

I hate the fact that some people will always try to bring you down just because they don't have what we have. Just because they feel inferior to someone else doesn't mean they are inferior. And just because someone has something you don't have, doesn't mean that you are worse off. So grow up!

I have a friend who has been saving up his money since forever. He said he wanted to buy a car. You know, that luxury car with the hippie sign at the front. He worked hard for it. He saved his monthly pay. He fasted. Now, nearly size Skeletor, he finally get to buy the car.

When he brought back his car to his house, his neighbor came over. This neighbor saw the car and said to him, "You boleh la beli. You kerja bagus. Gaji besar." (Of course you can afford this. You have a good job that pays well). So my friend told his neighbor, "Alhamdulillah. Dah rezeki" (Praise God. It's a blessing). Then the neighbor left. My friend never thought about it after that His dream of owning a luxury car has come through.

A few days later, another neighbor came over. This neighbor, without shame and apparently annoyed, asked my friend,"Kenapa awak beli kereta ni? Awak nak menunjuk ke? Orang-orang kat sini tak mampu beli kereta macam ni" (Why did you buy this car? Are you showing off? People here can't afford cars like this).

My friend asked, "Kenape cik cakap macam tu? Saya kerja keras dan simpan duit dari umur saya 10 tahun nak beli kereta ni." (Why do you say that? I worked hard and saved since I was 10 to buy this car)

And the neighbor said, "Hari tu, si polan sebelah rumah tu kate awak menunjuk-nunjuk depan die. Mentang-mentang la die tu kerje gomen aje. Sampai hati awak buat kat dia macam tu. (The other day, the other neigbor said you were showing off in front of him. Just because he's a lowly government servant doesn't mean you can do that to him)

Imagine my friend's surprise when he heard that. What did he do that would make the other neighbor say those things to the rest of the neighborhood? He's damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

Okay, I might have fabricated this story but that doesn't mean I never fell victim to OTBL. There have been instances when I did or bought something, just for my own pleasure, and out of the blue someone comes over and make strange remarks about my actions. And the way the person said it was as if I did something wrong when I really didn't.

So beginning today, if someone has the case of OTBL and come to me to bring me down, I will tell them off. I will not suffer fools and there is zero tolerance for idiots.

My Star Wars and GI Joe "action figures"

Whenever I watch Eric Forman ( from The 70s Show) playing with his faux vintage Star Wars action figures, he reminds me of me when I played with those so-called dolls back in the 80's.

Ah, how I keep hearing Red Forman yelling at Eric. He'd scream,"Stop playing with those dolls!". And Eric would yell back, "They're action figures. Action figures!". And I quietly say,"Way to go, Eric. You tell that bald headed nincompoop." My dad would not have screamed at me like Red did. Only because I went out to play sports once in a while rather than play with those 'action figures' all day long. But I knew he didn't approve of me playing with dolls. Albeit dolls with lightsabers and guns.

What prompted this ridiculously self-indulgent trip through memory lane? What made a grown man think back to those wonderfull time playing with Luke, Han and Leia in the Millenium Falcon?

Well, lately I've been surfing eBay a lot. I saw how much a Star Wars 1977 Luke Skywalker action figure, Mint-on-card (MOC), graded by the Action Figure Authority (AFA) as 85 is going for. $2,750 a pop. $2 grand for a 3 3/4 inch of plastic. Wow!

And to think I played with mine. Burrying it in the sand. Ramming it with a radio controlled car. Running over it with a bicycle. And it only cost me RM3.50 back then. I hate myself now.