Thoughts during a really balmy Sunday afternoon

                                 Under the shade of a really beautiful Flame of the the Forest

Today is 24th March, Sunday. Palm Sunday to be concise. Its a really humid afternoon, and the best thing to do is to write a post. It is not practical to snooze, as one would wake up in a pool of sweat, and feeling dehydrated too (sleeping burns calories too).

 In the book of Mark, Jesus has said, " So I tell you, whatever you have asked for in prayer,believe that you have received, and it will be yours".  (Chap 11, vs 24). This is a truly inspiring verse, and I take comfort that during these tough economic times, things will surely turn out well for me. 

Times are very tough for small and medium sized companies these 2 years, what with the global economy still very weak, increased wages for foreign workers (I have 1 foreign staff), rentals as well as  a very poor 6 months output from the sector my company is serving - manufacturing. 

Lets keep a steady head and pray for better times. For surely they will come.

   

Common Singlish Phrases and Modifiers

                    Like my school friends (all who turned 50 last year), born and bred in Singapore,
                             Singlish is the one of the unifying aspects of life which bond us together, 
                                              regardless of where we might be in the world


Doctor
---------
'Hey, Ah Beng ! Long time no see ! How's the job ?'

Patient (Ah Beng)
--------------------------
'Wah ! Cannot Tahan lah ! Boss always Tekan me.
I work hard, cannot Jiat Juah, damn Sian
He's blur like sotong, also Kan Cheong Spider
So make me Gabra
I damn stress, cannot sleep, so I go and have a drink
When I go home, Gostan my car , kena Langga
So now, got sleep problem, neck pain and Bengkok Bumper !

Doctor
---------
Chill man, here, take  something to calm your nerves, MC 2 days OK ?    

If you have no clue what Ah Beng is saying, you are in good company. Singlish is spoken by native Singaporeans or those who have lived here for a good part of their lives. It is the patois which is tossed around as casual pigdin English spoken by the 'locals'. Many of us slip into this whenever we come together in a casual or informal setting such as Chinese New Year's, office parties, drinks with golfing khakis (mates) and friends, and of course, the Army Reservist training. The 2 and a half years wearing Green Army fatigues throws all 18 year old boys into the army field doing all kinds of different vocations with all kinds of educational levels and language skills mixed up, so you will have an 'A' level graduand mixing with boys who have only Primary or Secondary education. Added to that, instructions are sent in Malay during marching drills and you have an education of Singlish 101 for the 2 and a half years. 

Top 12 words and Phrases in Singlish
------------------------------------------------------

Wah Lau !   (My old ...!)    Exclaimation meaning Golly Gee ! in a negative connotation
Tahan     :   Take it or cope with   (Malay)
Cannot Tahan : Cannot cope (with the situation or person)  (Malay English)
Tekan     :   Bully or applies verbal pressure in a condecending manner (Malay 'to hit')
Jiat Juah :  (Eat snake literally)   To relax and chill at work  (Hokkien)
Sian         : State of ennui or lack of motivation  (Hokkien but slang)
Blur like Sotong :  Confused or slow to catch on, like sotong (squid) ; no direct translation
Kan Cheong Spider : (Anxious, Jumpy) Spider - another modifier  (Hokkien)
Gostan   : merging of 2 words, Go astern or move backwords, becomes Gostan (English)
Kena Langga  : Get into an accident (Malay)
Bengkok : Bent (Malay).
Gabra    :   Going in all directions

Modifiers and Phrase Compressors
--------------------------------------------------

Ok 'Lah', Lor  -  The intonation upper, lower length of expanding the lah also has meaning 
                           showing the satisfaction (lah), nonplussed or indifference (Lor), 
                           displeasure (soft lah) or even distate (strong lah)  is a direct answer to the 
                           common greeting "Whats up ?" or " How are you ? "

No 'Lah', 'Leh' -  Strong lah shows firm 'No'. Weak lah shows an undecided no, 'Leh' is                                 
                            an affront to counter the questioner's doubt, when the person answering  
                             herself is not convinced that it is 'No'.

'No need lah' -  Firm no nonsense 'No', to show who's boss.

'Never mind ba' - A touchy never mind, bordering on disappointment

There are literally dozens of phrases and words to simplify the English language, Singlish is a practical albeit pariochial form which is concise, with grammar and very unfying when used  in a casual setting with friends.


" Tonight got Man U versus Barcelona, come I give you half ball ! "    

  ????? 

Seize the Day.     




   

Ma Boon Krung, Bangkok.

                                             Super Long 'Tuk Tuk' outside the MBK Center
                                                                       
  

                During a recent trip to Bangkok some 2 weeks ago, I stayed at the Ma Boon Krung (MBK) area, and was pleasantly surprised that it was a shopper's paradise for people looking out for inexpensive bargains for Jeans,Cargo Pants, T-shirts (print Ts, embroided and iron - on but good fakes), perfumes (also fakes), Thai souvenirs (woodcraft, ivory and crystals), costume jewellry and trinkets. There is another famous market called Chatuchak Market which is normally opened on weekends which is a great draw for tourists from the world over. I have never ventured there, preferring to go to the Chatuchak Park, in the middle of the business district of Rachadaphisek and Lat Phrao for my morning runs. The place is full of tourists and locals alike and there is a Ma Boon Krung station which makes the area very accessible. 

                                                   MBK fight night every Wednesday

                

               Every Wednesday there would be a Muay Thai boxing exhibition match, so for holiday makers, tourists and locals, this is the place  for inexpensive Thai food, shopping and even Thai style massages. Do give Ma Boon Krung a visit the next time you are in Bangkok. 

            
                  Amazing Street vendor performing on the 'drums' made of only 
                                            plastic and metal drums
                               

Singlish, grammatically wrong but direct in meaning

        For many years Singaporeans have been criticised for using syntactically, grammatically incorrect English, collectively called Singlish and we have been injecting Hokkien (Chinese dialect group from Fujian province), Malay, Indian and even mish-mash of English words without the proper grammer, to make our point.

       Yes, the leaders of our country are  expected to speak  Queen's English, but we are not Royals are we ? We are ordinary people relating to ordinary people around us, and in a fast -paced society whereby the fastest as well as most direct form of communication has its uses, hence Singlish.

      Look at the video above, even the Americans are mimicking this form of language. Its  
the global village adapting to the challenges of everyday life. Long live Singlish !  

Will these products become extinct ?

The humble bar of soap

       In this world of disposable everything, I am sad to see that 2 much appreciated and loved items such as the humble bar of soap and the handkerchief are going the way of the dinosaur,the payphone and the dodobird, extinct. For the bar of soap, I understand, with the liquid dispensers all around the world, it is perceived as much more hygienic, as the person using does not need to share the soap bar (or what's left of it) with the previous guy. But soap is antiseptic and supposedly kills 99.9% of all germs so it is increasingly difficult to find solid soap bars in the supermarkets today.    

                                                       The stitched handkerchief

    This is another 'gone with the wind' product the humble silk stitched handkerchief. Call me old fashioned, but I still like the feeling of cloth which is far more absorbant than the packet tissues which are so much in abundance today. Additionally there is no chance of 'finishing' the handkerchief like the packet tissues which are a soggy lump once you have wiped your hands dry on them.

    So there, 2 products which are destined for the consumer product museum, together with the snuff box, shaving stick, horse and buggy carriage, fountain pens and whole lot of craftsman designed products which will never see the light of day.  

Gazelle Style or Glider Style of Running ?

     This is taken off a presentation by the Ironman Triclinic of Australia showing the type of running styles typically used by the elite athletes. The one on the left, shows the right leg arcing upwards and at an angle which is like a trajectory, something which the fleet - footed gazelles you see on the National Geographic channel do all the time while running. The person on the left is 'flying' through the air most of the time and only a fraction of the time is spent on impacting the ground, before the next toe-off occurs.

     While the African elite runners all employ this running style, it is frankly in my opinion, very energy sapping, and one has to have an extremely well conditioned body to try this style. On top of that, the motion of the  toe-off leading to a liftoff  from one leg and hitting the floor in a heel-strike is damaging in the long run to the heel, as well as causing faster wear and tear on the knee joints.

     'Gliders' on the other hand just hover over the ground, and float or glide along in the direction of the run. Less energy is dispensed and the impact is normally reduced owing to the foot hitting the ground in the mid-foot. Its less nice to look at, but biomechanically it is more efficient to use this style to achieve the maximum results.

     I tried both styles today during my run at the ECP. My running style ?   See below, LOL !

    Seize the Day.

    

Billy Joel was taking some Q & A in New York's Vanderbilt University when this happens....

He is one of my favourite all time Rock and Roll singers, together with Mick Jagger, Elton John and Bryan Ferry. Yeah, he's grown old and pudgy but this is video shows something amazing, a student watching Billy Joel perform at the Concert Hall, asks him whether he could play the piano to the tune of one of Billy's all time hits " New York State of Mind".  

Guess what, Billy said "yes !".  The man himself, the Piano Man decided to take a gamble with this unknown kid, and what you see is pure magic, bordering on joy.

I hope I could one day play the piano on stage with one of my music idols. That would be something !!

Michael Hollis, you have Seized the Day !