5 Things Malaysian Kids Who Grew Up with ‘Real’ Malaysian Parents Will Understand

Malaysia is a lovely country to grow up in. We are lucky to be raised in a society that is rich in diversity and shows appreciation for the little things that makes us unique.

However, despite our differences, our ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ parents have a lot more things in common than you think. Like, asking you to use their membership or privilege cards so we don’t waste out on any points to accumulate, especially from BonusLink which you can read more about at the end of the article!

Anyway, see if you can relate to any of these:

1. Comparing your school grades

“How come your cousin’s best friend’s sister’s boyfriend can get 95% and you 94.2%??”

You could be compared to your sister, or your cousin, the next door auntie’s son, or someone you never even knew existed! Getting your report card from school signifies that judgement day is just around the corner. Your secret weapon? Keeping your mouth shut–unless you’d like a FREE WWE smackdown.

2. Everyday is a money saving “Life Hack” conference

They’ve nagged us on every cent we spend for as long as we could remember. Your ‘Angpao‘ and ‘Hari Raya‘ packets are never meant for spending. Why waste money when everything like your school supplies are ‘Recyclable’ – yes this literally means everything (pencil case, socks, shoes, note books, uniforms).

We can’t help but to think after all that nagging, how stingy they really are when a new sofa arrives from Courts the next day.

3. Queuing us up at the Grocery Store

We learn in science class that the whole world gets 24 hours a day – it’s pretty standard. But your parents will convince you that in Malaysia, you get way less.

The moment you enter a supermarket, you are sacrificed to stand in the queue. The worst part is when it’s almost your turn to pay (empty handed), your parents are nowhere in sight! Quite possibly the most stressful moment of our childhood lives.

4. Freebies are everything

Freebies can save lives (or so we were taught) and money (yay! another life hack). On behalf of our lovely parents, we line-up at every food tester booth, grab extras for the whole family and skip lunch.

When checking out from hotels, we DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT leave any toiletries behind! You can never have too many shampoos and bars of soap.

5. When they let you ‘Handle’ the Swipe!

It becomes your everyday mission to handle the ‘blue card’. You pass it to the cashier LIKE A BOSS – as a kid, it was a great feeling.

Now, many of us find ourselves with our very own BonusLink Card for great access to rewards and privileges. Yes they still have the good ol’ kitchen and household stuff, but it has expanded to beyond that! There are flight tickets, movie tickets, shopping and dining vouchers, trendy gadgets, bags, perfumes, exclusive concert access, events and so much more.

Find out what it truly means to be a BonusLink Member:

Find out more about Bonuslink here!