Stop Me When I Start Lying: Not as Normal As I Thought

There are certain things I had come to believe where very normal here in 2011 . Well, one of teh joys of living overseas is that you see that they are not. LOL. Here are some of the things I've found were not nearly as normal as I thought:

• Toilet paper. Garden hoses beside the toilet and completely wet bathrooms aren't cool.
• Silverware. I struggle to take anyone seriously who eats curry-covered foods with their hands, even when wearing dress clothes.
• Shower curtains and proper tubs. No use in the entire bathroom getting wet when something so simple can keep things together
• The concept of "the right of way" while driving; Venomous anger runs up my spine several times a day at moves that Malaysians think are normal which completely disrespect this all-time driving standard
• Central air conditioning and hot water; Why isn't central A/C a priority in a country where it's 90 degrees every day? How am I supposed to keep my clothes white when the water is cold? Why do I have to add an attachment to every single shower head just to take a hot shower? They act like I'm crazy when I ask such questions.
• The desire to keep insects, lizards, and other such creatures out of your house. You'd be seen as a pussy here if you minded seeing lizards run across the wall of your living room; get used to it.
• Hobbies/enthusiasms. The average person does absolutely nothing interesting, and the only idea for going out is drinking at the same street called Changkat
• Women of "substance"; I admire intelligence and ambition in ladies, which is very hard to find here. Most of these women bored the hell out of me.
• Ambition in general, above and beyond just getting married and starting a family at a young age
• The desire to take vacations and do something other than work; Why is it that most locals here have never even been to neighboring countries when they're only a few hours away in each direction?
• The desire to stay fit; Locals eat nothing but rice and meat, then they don't work out and complain about why they don't look the way they want to
• Casual sex; With the aforementioned issues with substance-less women, becoming 'boo'd' up to fulfill your sexual needs is more a tale of settling for less than your standard than committing to someone u like enough to be in the place.

I guess the differences are what make places distinct, right? In my mind the question I just asked seems like a way for someone to rationalize not knowing how to use toilet paper or silverware in 2011. LOL. Stop Me When I Start Lying