I am Malaysian......

Here's an example of job advert in an Austrialian newspaper:

Macquarie University
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences
Research Assistant (Full Time- Fixed Term)

This position is available on a full time period of three years and may subject to probationary conditions. Selection criteria must be addressed in the application

Package: From $57 199 p.a including base salary, 17 % employer's superannuation and annual leave loading.

(Pardon me but I think an Research Asistant here is paid the most RM 24 000 p.a?)

I browsed through the papers and realized that ghee.....we are not well paid at all in Malaysia. So much about our economy being good, how true is it i really wonder. Before I left for Austrialia, the exchange rate was Aus$1 - RM 2.98. Yes, I'm superbly poor over here, my RM 2000 is only worth like Aus$ 650, equivilent to 2 weeks of salary here for toilet cleaners. Yes, even toilet cleaners here are well paid and everyone takes pride for what they do. It's not a shameful thing to sweep the streets or collect garbage here, people are respected for what they do and their salary tells it well.

Family time is very much of importance here, take a walk down to the park in the evenings and you will see parents walking or cycling with their kids at 5.30pm, everyone goes home after 5pm. It is somehow a sin to be a workaholic. Quality time are meant to be spent with loved ones, doing the things that you love and not to be a slave to your job.

I watched Hilary and Obama campaigning for themselves on TV and they are surely working very hard. People have high expectations on the leaders they choose, people don't buy empty promises, they want results and that's what these politicians have to do. Get their team to work on the promises. Voters expect to be served by their politicians and they make sure that they being served all the time, and not only during the elections. Can our society do that?

It's very ironic actually that Malaysia is known to be a developed nation and yet when we go to other developed nations like Singapore, we are not on par with them......something to ponder upon.....actually it frustrates me.