Praises and Compliments

Born as Malay, we are expected to be modest and humble, whenever we get praises or compliments. One should be uncomfortable and keep denying the compliments even they would have to kill the person who give the praises.

Denying the praises, in the homogeneity of the Malays, would only cause the person making the compliments to be highly motivated gives more compliments plus some exaggerations.

Malays, in full awareness of this habit, will keep repeating the cycle. Wonder why? It is simply because they yearn for more praises and compliments!

And then they will keep denying and sniggering and the same time as there will be exaggerations within the compliments made that sends impulses to their body, moving the muscles around the mandible to finally snigger and the nostril finally getting bigger than before.

“Wah, Usop, awak ini kacak lah”

“Eh, mana ada, awak ni ada-ada sahaja”

“Betul, saya tak tipu, muka awak nampak berseri-seri”

“Haha, Mengarut betul, saya sedar saya ini siapa, mana ada saya kacak, ahahaha”

“Betul lah Usop, saya rasa awaklah yang paling kacak sekali di sini. Saya sudah lama memerhatikannya sehingga saya dimarahi Bos saya. Muka awak bagaikan Dafi AF ketika dia sedang tersenyum, sungguh kacak sekali. Ketika awak sedang sedih pun, muka awak tetap kacak bagaikan Khairy Jamaluddin menang Parlimen Rembau! Oh, saya rasa awak patut masuk peraduan Hero Remaja ” (muka penuh ekspresi dengan sinar mata kejujuran)

“Eh, Mana ada, awak ni, pandai betul kalau bab nak mengusik saya, hehehe.” ( mula sengih-sengih kerang busuk)

And this pathetic cycle is keep repeating itself until today, as the mentality and homogeneity of the Malays that demand their members of society to remain “humble and modest”, although what they really want is just more praises and compliments.

Saidina Ali r.a once said; “Those who comment me or criticize me, they are my friend. Those who praise me, they are my enemy.”

There is truth in his words actually. So, that makes me to go against this stupid cycle. But I am no hypocrite. I do love to be praised although I am not keen of complimenting others no matter how good they are.

If I want to praise them, I will not compliment them straight away to them. This is totally against my policy. If I dun like their way, I just be honest with them, but with emotional intelligence approach of course. There is a bit of Okonkwo inside of me.

This usually happens whenever I get a compliment.

“Eh, Hosni, awak nampak kacak lah hari ini”

“Ye? Hahaha. Puji lah saya lagi”

If I am lucky, I will get more praises. And if I am lucky, I will not get any praises from that person for my whole life after that. All the things that I am going to hear are critics and comments that will help me to improve in all sorts of view.

It is win-win situation after all.

Do like getting compliments but don’t like giving them.

I dont think it is bad.

At least for me.

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