You Are Not the Noise Even When Life Feels Like a Malaysian Traffic Jam 🇲🇾🚗

“Kopi got foam, life got noise… but somewhere inside, still got peace.” ☕

There was a time I thought I was everything happening in my mind.

If I felt stress, I was stress.

If I felt anger, I was anger.

If life went off track, I thought something was wrong with me.

In Malaysia, that feeling comes fast.

Wake up already thinking about work.

Before breakfast check phone, WhatsApp group already active.

On the road stuck in traffic, mind replaying yesterday’s conversation.

At Akka Kadai you order Narasu's Coffee, but your brain still negotiating life decisions. 😅

Outside, everything moving.

Inside, even more.

And slowly, without noticing, we start believing all that noise… is who we are.

Then life teaches quietly.

Not through big moments, but small ones.

Sitting alone at a Akka Kadai, watching people pass by.

Rain hitting the window while you pause for a second.

That few minutes when you stop scrolling and just… sit.

You begin to notice something.

Thoughts come.

Thoughts go.

Feelings rise.

Feelings fall.

But something in you… doesn’t move.

Still.

Calm.

Watching.

Life in Malaysia doesn’t slow down.

Phone bill still arrives. 💸

Petrol price still fluctuates.

Boss still sends “just a quick thing” message after working hours.

Family still asks questions you’re not ready to answer.

And yes jealousy, frustration, even anger still appear sometimes.

We are human.

But here’s the shift.

Instead of saying,

“I am stressed”

You begin to see,

“Stress is here.”

Instead of,

“I am angry”

You notice,

“Anger is passing.”

It sounds small.

But it changes everything.

Because now, you are not trapped inside the feeling.

You are aware of it.

Some people ask,

“What about negative thoughts? Hatred? Jealousy?”

Simple.

They also come… and go.

Like Malaysian weather.

Morning hot.

Afternoon hujan lebat.

Evening calm again.

You don’t fight the weather.

You don’t say, “I am the rain.”

You just let it pass.

This doesn’t mean you ignore life.

You still work.

You still plan.

You still take care of your body because this is your home.

But inside, something becomes lighter.

You don’t react to everything.

You don’t believe every thought.

You don’t join every mental traffic jam.

And maybe that is growth.

Not becoming someone else.

But slowly realising:

You were never the noise.

You were the one hearing it.

To everyone reading this thank you for being part of this journey. 🙏

In a country where everything moves fast, where life can feel heavy, where thoughts don’t always stay quiet…

Maybe all we need sometimes is to pause.

Take one breath.

Sip your Narasu's Coffee.

Watch your thoughts like passing cars.

Because maybe,

It’s not your life that is too heavy.

It’s just your mind…

stuck in traffic.

And you?

You were never the jam.

You were always the one watching it. 😄✨

Annan Vaithegi

Annan Vaithegi (annanvaithegi@icloud.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

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