The Plight of Maids in Malaysia

I am very disappointed and quite disgusted with my cousin. She had stolen some money from her brother and the maid, who had been working for them for more than 10 years was blamed. Instead of owning up to it, my cousin chose to let the maid take the blame and let her be sent home after years of service. My cousin is not 10- she is over 17 so she should have developed some kind of conscience by now.

I am also disgusted with her parents but what can I say? I suppose every parent want and in a way, should believe their child. Whatever it is, the least they should/could have done is to try to teach their children right from wrong and to have some respect for another human being. I guess one of the reasons why I am so angry about this (technically, it isn't even my problem) is because obviously, women who leave their families and countries to work as a slave (practically) in Malaysia, do not have a choice. They do it because they are poor, because they need to take care of their families. Yet, my cousin, who at most, would have gotten a spanking (still common in Malaysia oops) or grounded, chose to ruin this poor lady's life, ensuring that this lady and her family will not have even less of an income.

I think the heart of the matter is: this women aren't considered human beings. This isn't uncommon in Malaysia. Most people do see these ladies as 'lesser beings'. It is true that not all maids are great (lets face it, people who are willing to work 24/7 for like 150 euro a month, aren't exactly the most educated) but there are many families who seem to think they are doing maids a great favour. It's a working relationship which means they both need each other. The most annoying and most common comment I hear is "Oh we give her food, we let her eat with us, she can eat meat, she can have a day off on Hari Raya etc. so she is lucky to have us". Like as if that is something to be commended! Hahaha, sorry but all those things are necessities and are a given. Those things aren't benefits!

OK, I shall stop because I'll just get more grumpy.

Meals in March

Wow, am I organised or what?!

I never plan meals. Normally, what happens is we end up not feeling like eating what we've planned and it'll be wasted. Lately though, it's worked out quite nicely- mostly because I decided that I don't enjoy grocery shopping that much anymore so I'd rather go once or twice a week instead of 5 times a week.

This month's meals are as follows:

March 1st: Savoury Pancakes
March 2nd: Pesto Chicken Breasts with Potatoes and a French Salad
March 3rd: Eating Out
March 4th: Burritos
March 5th: Slavink (which is basically mince meat wrapped in a slice of meat), red cabbage, potatoes for the Dutchman. I will be having sushi with friends yay
March 6th: Thai Beef Stir Fry
March 7th: Takeaway
March 8th: Ratatouille
March 9th: Chicken & Ginger Hotpot
March 10th: Indian Style Chicken Thighs with rice
March 11th: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
March 12th: Tuna Chilli Linguine
March 13th: Vegetable Tart
March 14th: Lemon Chicken Roast
March 15th: Mackeral with Chickpeas

Too lazy to type the rest out but will do sooner or later!