Does this mean that you like bananas or not……You never really struck me as someone who likes bananas let alone being a banana person ….That’s just bananas right (noticed I said person not girl…..wouldn’t want to come across as being sexist).

So you feel that local men are not up to scratch? Shall we examine this perception of yours shall we ….along with the concept you came up with the other week…. Why is it that so many local / Asian girls attached to Mat Sallehs.

I always had the perception that Malaysians view of westerners were of uncouth immoral heathen barbarians….the sort that fathers see and lock up their daughters. I mean what have the westerners ever done for Malaysia (refer to the movie Life Of Brian – "What have the Romans ever done for us" – You will get the gist of what I mean. ) etc etc etc

Anyway back to your question- why is it that so many local / Asian girls are attached to Mat Sallehs ….. And not just poor kampong girls but intelligent successful women as well ---- Perhaps you could ask Ning!

Seriously though I guess a lot of it is down to personal circumstances, experiences and to a lesser extent culture.

My understanding is that the perception of Malaysians is that women should marry by the time they are 25…..By 30 they are already past their sell by date. This makes it difficult for a woman to find a man for marriage once they have passed this life milestone.

I think some women find themselves in this predicament because they have decided on a career and have focused on that…..Its only when their ovaries start aching that their focus turns to marriage and kids…..For a westerner there is not a significant stigma attached to being 30+ (maybe 40 but not really 30). They don’t find 30 + as too old for them particularly if they are older anyway.

It also seems that a divorcee has very little chance of getting re-married with a local man especially if they have baggage. Again this is not a significant problem for a lot of westerners (who may already have had one marriage anyway) Perhaps for some women, knowing this, is what draws them to the kulit puteh’s.

Obviously not all women are in this predicament. There are those who come from a poor background and have little in the way of education and therefore opportunity. They may therefore see a westerner as having better prospects….not necessarily chasing their money per se but the higher likelihood of security. There are always gold-diggers but you find them in every country and society so that is not to be unexpected. I do however feel that most girls are sincere. They just want a secure happy life and be normal. Nothing wrong with that.

There is another group who has been exposed to westerners, usually having studied overseas. They have grown used to the “ways” of the West and have come to love the “decadence” oooppps no what I mean is the percieved open-mindedness or freedom that westerners tend to have more of. This possibly continues when they return and start work at a big MNC where they continue to be exposed to Western ways and culture...... and get to like it. Perhaps also finding that they can communicate better with the “Ang mo’s”

I think media plays a role particularly Hollywood…… Asians are constantly exposed to the strong handsome hero who tends to be blond, blue eyed and white…. This registers with the mind from an early age. Posters of Brad Pit etc etc abound….Of course there are the local heroes (cikcak man excluded) but their exposure is perhaps not so sensationalized as Hollywood’s finest. Maybe this has a brainwashing effect on a minority. Of course I could be completely sexist about the whole thing and say it’s the perception that westerners have got bigger dicks but I doubt that is the reason.

In many ways Malaysian Culture and society is very much like how things were in the West not all that long ago. Family values were important ( They still are but just eroded by the media rather than actually really disintegrating), religion was high on the agenda and cultural ways were strong…….however over the decades as technology gives us more and more information and education , as greater income gives us more “choice” in our lives , as more toys, gadgets and hobbys put pressure on our leisure time we find that some of these values are not having the time invested in them as it once was (I would say Malaysia is heading same way).

There is also the question of why many westerners take up with Asians………..GST’s I know why, but why so many others. I have had my experiences and to be fair there is not much difference………Women are women no matter where they come from ;)