Lain padang; lain belalang

Actually, it is the same belalang/grasshopper, but at a different playing field. I was walking with my dogs, Roo, Dumdum and Max this morning and recalling what I read in one of the famous bloggers blog. He said that he was doing what many Malaysian (at his status level) would not do. Given the situation that he was in, in the US, he had to do what he had to do. No doubt in my mind that he was doing it under protest either consciously or unconsciously. The stereotyping that we "educated malaysian" had been mentally hammered on "No manual, lowly paying job" is for us. We have education, we spent so much time and energy to get those scrolls or papers, those lowly jobs are for those poor, uneducated lot. However in reality is, there is no demeaning jobs as long as it is halal. Rezeki comes in many ways.
Some people would not be seen dead walking about a block away, carrying bags from the grocery store. Or be seen shopping at a pasar tani or at a discount store for fear of being seen mingling with the 'common' people. That kind of mentality is rampant with status conscious people. Some of these people would spend a lot of money to be able to have branded goods to their name although their credit card says, 'please not again'. I used to buy silk from China (in China and Hong Kong) for my baju kebaya and kurung and shopped in London, Berne and Madrid for my shoes and handbags for what reason I was not very clear at that time. Now when I looked back, my reasons being, I could afford them then, I was not trying to impress people or to show off. However, I did not necessarily need them . I just wonder if the intention was to impress people with our acquired taste, do they really care? I think not, perhaps to sneer at our backs.
Back to lain/different padang. When the padang/field was the student days era, buying goods at Oxfarm was okay, shop at carboot sales was okay too. However once one has reach at a certain level, one would not like to be seen there as well. So, my famous blogger friend has had such a wide experience in being in many different fields including the 'corn field'. I salute him for doing what he had done to survive in the US playing field. I think, when he returns to malaysia, there will be no job or work that is too low to take up.