msian in australia

"so where do you work?" i asked a young, smartly dressed malaysian sounding dude i met recently. "im an accountant at the western australia chamber of commerce".

this simple statement confirmed that he was from malaysia. i also presumed that he did not mix around much, and kept to people of his similar upbringing and background. he probably frequents restaurant makan-makan in vic park, and has an occasional teh-tarik after his meal. he probably doesnt mingle with aussie co-workers. he may even accuse them of being oblivious to other cultures, due to his own ignorance.

otherwise, he would have just answered ... "i work at the western australia chamber of commerce!" i didnt ask him what he did there. here in australia, thanks to minimum wages and respect for those around you, conversations are kept very casual. no one ever divulges specifics of their job and private life, unless there is a reason to do so. people are proud of what they do, whether they are rock stars or tree huggers.

or maybe he just didnt hear or understand me. i should have spoken malay to him. but he was trying so hard to speak english ...