Keychain mentality

Before I proceed on any further, allow me to declare that as much of a racist as I can be, I do not intend to make this post as 1.

After reading the latest entry by CarinaSing, I cannot help but to ponder if the keychain mentality is applicable to all Chinese... or more precisely, Malaysian Chinese.

Now, I do not see any problem with someone going around the world but ended up getting me nothing for souvenir. However, you know something is definitely wrong when you keep getting keychains after keychains whenever your friends or colleagues returned from a vacation somewhere out there.

Take me as an example. I have been in my current company for almost 2 years and in that particular short duration, I have received at least 9 keychains.


Clockwise from top left: From Bali, Cameron Highlands, Paris, Singapore, Singapore and the rest, forgotten. :P

Why keychain? Why not something else? Is it due to the fact that keychain is the cheapest souvenir one can get from those foreign lands?

And tell me what am I supposed to do with all these keychains? I do have a lot of keys but am I supposed to have a keychain for each key? Look, my current keychain has been with me for years and so far, it is the keys that require replacement, not the keychain.


A free gift that came together with a shirt that I purchased in 2004.

It has now reached the level where anyone giving me another keychain will be indirectly identified as ridiculing my lack of opportunity to travel around. T^T

-sigh-

You may suggest that I take up keychain-collecting as my new hobby. Yes, I do collect badges and stamps but seriously, they are things of the past.


Badges from various schools and events such as gatherings and campfires.


Stamps from around the world.

Today, the only badge that sticks with me through rain and shine is the one I used to scan in and out of my company. And who needs stamps when we have email, otherwise known as the cancer that is killing off stamps. :P

At the end of the day, I do understand that the purpose of getting souvenir for friends is to let them have a taste of what that particular place has to offer. However, I am very certain that keychain - albeit cheap - is not the least bit suitable souvenir to best reflect the wow factor of the venue that you are visiting.

Take for example, Australia. Now what do you think will make people like me go crazy when someone mentioned Australia?

Kangaroo? What, are you a 7 years old kid?!

It is definitely none other than their... koala bear underwear! CarinaSing has disappointed me once when she failed to bring me 1 while she was away in Australia approximately 4 years ago.

And the nerve of her to fail me again when she recently went to Singapore and did not buy me...

... a Merlion underwear. T^T