Do I Look Like A Malay To You?

Sometimes when people, especially the Chinese look at me...their minds will start to ponder whether they should converse with me either in M...

Sometimes when people, especially the Chinese look at me...their minds will start to ponder whether they should converse with me either in Mandarin or Malaysian Language (Bahasa Melayu). They deliberated for some time and finally made up their mind to speak with me in Bahasa Melayu. Then I will answer, "我可以讲华语" which means I can speak in Mandarin. Ha :D Jaws dropped and they will immediately apologized saying, "Sorry! Sorry! I thought yo are a Malay." I get this kind of assumption a lot...like almost everyday with strangers. I don't blame them at all.

Wait...my songkok cannot fit.

The fact that I can speak fluent Bahasa Melayu has confused a lot of people. They never thought that I am actually a Chinese whose roots trace back to Hainanese Village in China. Maybe because I have that Malay look and feature...that's why most of you thought that I am a Malay right? Then again...I am not of pure Chinese descendant either. My late grandmother is actually a "nyonya". And if I were to divulge where my maternal great grandmother came from you will be shell-shocked...which of course I will keep it a secret. :p

Now...do I look like a Malay to you?

Then again maybe I look Malay-ish because of my facial hair? Haha :D I mean my goatee? A lot of people who have met me were perplexed why am I allowing those unkempt hair dangling under my face. They say most Chinese will not want to keep any mustache, beard or even goatee. So I can safely induce that my goatee is a contributing factor when people decide whether I am a Malay or not. :p Then again I don't really mind being seen as a Malay. It makes me feel proud to be a Malay-sian. :D So what say you folks?

Do I look like a Malay to you?