After being back in Malaysia for more than a week, there are some things which I miss about the UK.
(1) The Weather
Call me crazy, but UK's weather has always been one thing which I know I'll miss. Even the locals generally don't like the weather there. My body is currently still trying hard to adapt to Malaysian weather (with green and yellow mucus, sneezes, stuffy and runny nose), but the heat is not as bad as I have expected (minus the fact that I have been hiding in air-conditioned rooms most of the time). My body seemed to love UK's weather: I was very comfortable there, and I don't recall having runny or blocked nose or even continuous sneezing. The weather in the UK is not as humid as in Malaysia, so you will hardly sweat unless you're doing vigorous activities.
(2) Walking
I have been walking to the city centre at least once a week (for grocery shopping) over in the UK. The walk usually takes about 20 minutes, and that does not yet include wandering around the city centre. In fact, I walked almost everywhere, and enjoyed every minute of it. I rarely took a bus unless necessary. Over here, I have suddenly become quite reluctant to walk, due to the heat and also the lack of pedestrian lanes (but then, who can blame us for not having pedestrian lanes?). Even a 10-minute-walk seem much longer than over in the UK.
(3) Drinking Tap Water
You can't imagine the number of times when I caught myself filling up my drinking bottle with water directly from the tap here in Malaysia (O.o). Must have gotten too used to it since I had a sink in my room in the UK (>.<)...
(4) The "Excuse Me"s and "Sorry"s
In the UK, you will always hear people saying "sorry" or "excuse me" when they accidentally bump into you, or even just for brushing against you. And people will always say "thank you" or "cheers" when you hold doors open for the person behind you. In Malaysia, it is almost non-existant. I think I experienced a slight reversed culture shock when bumping into and brushing against people in Supermarkets and Pasar Ramadhans when I first came back (^^;)
(5) Using Debit Cards
I'll miss using debit cards while shopping. You can use them in most shops over in the UK, no matter how small the amount. I have always paid with my debit card when doing my grocery shopping after realising its convenience. Pity it's not that widespread here in Malaysia (but I might be wrong...)
(6) Big Fat Fresh Non-Halal Sausages
I don't know how I can still enjoy all those frozen chicken sausages over here after having a taste of fresh big fat oink-oink-meat sausages. I mean, how can you still like the taste of those whatever brand sausages sold in Supermarkets after having tasted these yummy and slightly spicy Cumberland Ring Sausages?
Or these nice, succulent i-can't-remember-the-name-or-flavour British sausages?
And er, sorry about the graphic images (^^;) Anyway, British sausages take getting used to (I found the taste quite weird when I first tried them), and it is not meant to be boiled; you will need to bake, grill or fry them. Of course, there are still frozen sausages in the UK which do not taste as nice, and there are definitely some subpar sausages around. And canned "hot dogs" taste horrid (>.<)
(7) My Cooking?
Haha... yeah right... (^,^)
What I Miss About the UK
17 October 07
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