orang ketot? ka pindik?

I got a phone call this morning

Caller: May I speak to Ms. Joan please?

Me : Yes, speaking
Caller : Oh yea, I am calling from the ****. We received your entry for one of our competition. You are based in Sabah now?
Me : Yes
Caller : Ic ic, may I confirm your height again?
Me : It's 153cm.
Caller : Uh.in feet and inches that will be..
Me : Almost 5 feet 1 but just say I am 5 foot nothing
Caller : Is that with or without heels?
Me : Of course without la.. (bodoh punya orang mana got people measure heights with heels on!)
Caller : oh..well, the requirement for Miss Earth Malaysia is at least 5' 4".
Me : Uhm..I fill in the form for Miss Intercontinental not that. and they didn't mention about height requirement when I read the info about Miss Intercontinental
Caller : It's the same paegant..So, do you still want to participate? It's all up to you
Me : Nah, I'll pass...

hahaha..I found this conversation earlier this morning was very amusing. I filled in the form online out of boredom after googling about malaysian beauty paegants. Then, who knows, the organizer is SO productive that they called me despite a "ketot" person had filled in the form.

Well, I filled in a form for a very wrong competition for people my size. But, what I can't understand these days is that the cultural based beauty competition like Unduk Ngadau is so laced with perception that the contestants should be or look like the major commercialized beauty paegants.

I suppose a decade ago, these preference on height for Unduk Ngadaus was not SO great. But now, once you are "pindik" you are out of the league. Where as in the first place, the Unduk Ngadau was held to remember the sacrifice of Huminodun and the selection of the fairest-of them-all should be based on realization of the Huminodun's character. and NOT all about height! Who in the world has the proof that the legendary character was tall. It is just the pressure of the world making height as part of the parcel of being beautiful.

" Dia lawa ba tapi pindik..aahahaha..kesian kan" "Doi, salah ba pertandingan dia masuk ni..patut masuk ratu orang kerdil ba" "Ah, nda bulih dia manang tu..bukan tinggi pun..pindik jak."

Believe it or not, this is what you will hear most during this time of the year. Been there done that, pedas telinga dengar...Especially during kaamatan.

p.s: no one wanted to be born with those height characteristics, it was just given by the Almighty and we have to live with that. So don't discriminate