The real definition of Singlish and mobile phone users

The controversy on English versus Singlish continues in the newspapers and this time, the definition of the latter is mentioned. Singlish is not ungrammatical English, or English incorporating dialectically exclusive terms, or peppered with words and phrases from other languages , as we are portraying to foreigners, but proper English in a Singaporean accent.

It's really interesting how people use their moblie phones. When I'm alone, this becomes more apparent to me.

Some people speak really loudly on their phones and I am practically "in" their conversations. I heard a girl lamenting to her friend on the other line that she has no boyfriend and her friends who have boyfriends don't spend much time with her nowadays. Of course I'm not immune from this phenomenon but I am trying to tone down when I speak.

Some women answer their calls while in the toilet cubicle. It's rather rude and uncouth, I feel. The person on the other line is audibly privy to what you are doing inside and yes, you do keep people outside your cubicle waiting.

Psyching students up for their exams

A principal of a school in the West wrote letters to students who possess slackening attitudes towards their studies. Her intention was to correct those attitudes and jolt the students into being serious in their studies. However, a minority of them and some parents didn't take to this method. Even a teacher felt that some of the words used were too strong.

The principal's reply implied that her letters were done on the spur of the moment. Prior editing was definitely essential, not just because of the Speak Good English campaign. They may have been more personal and real as a result but somehow the haste portrayed in them has the effect of insincerity.

I have talked about this in a much earlier entry. This is really reverse psychology. Some teachers and parents also seemingly "condemn" these students and pretend to lose hope in them ever improving in their performances, so as to get them all fired up to prove their teachers and parents wrong. This is usually done by the earlier generations of figures in authority.

Unfortunately, not every student is that adept at realising the noble reason behind such an action. Sometimes, direct encouragement and confidence is better at achieving the same result. This is actually reverse psychology as well. Trust is instilled in the students, that they will be able to do well in their studies. This makes them feel that they can't afford to let their teacher or parent down due to the confidence in their ability. Thus, they resolve to study hard and give their best shot in their studies.

Being exacting can be a turn-off

I was at J8's NTUC and was waiting in the queue behind this lady who had bought numerous six-pack cartons of a drink. As she was loading them onto the counter, she asked for the sparkling type. I switched to another queue as I knew she was going to take a long time in paying for her items.

When the salesgirl replied that it was sold out and only the original type was left, she made a really big fuss over it. She said she had been told that there was an offer over it and she could not believe that it had been sold out.

I was so repulsed by her behaviour because when something is sold out, it shows its popularity and the normal thing to do is to accept the news with disappointment. However, she was ranting and raving. What gives her the edge over the rest of humankind to act differently?? I was so fed up that I said pretty loudly to my friend that she was an example of a black sheep. Obviously, it didn't serve to stop her obnoxious attitude.

She was attracting irritated eyes from the nearby customers, including myself but she couldn't care less. All she wanted was her own way. Her husband was standing near her, hapless at how to stop her. Even the salesgirl gave her dagger-like looks for her ridiculous behaviour.

Very soon, she had pushed away all the other customers behind her as they switched to other queues. As I left, she was still at her 'speech of justice'. She really spoilt my mood.

Seniority in age doesn't lead to priority in service

I was waiting for my order of Guo Tie at a stall and the assistant had warned me that it would be given to me last because the noodle orders were easier to attend to and thus done first. I agreed since I wasn't famished.

While waiting, there were customers with me who asked why the orders took such a long time but they did so in a light-hearted manner, as they did understand that the stallholders were already trying their best. There was however, one irksome customer who was making a really big fuss over it. She was definitely above 60 years of age based on her appearance.

She scolded the assistant for taking such a long time when she had finished eating her other dishes. She was sitting down for goodness sake while the rest of us were standing. Moreover, I had waited for 20 minutes without so much as a whine! Her seniority didn't entitle her to be so demanding, I feel. I was a little fed up with her. Her voice was really loud and even my friend at the other end of the coffeeshop could hear her.

The assistant was petrified and at a loss but this nice customer calmed her down by patting her back. The assistant could only tell the old lady to wait another 5 minutes in a polite manner and apologise profusely. The customer kept saying she wanted to go home and refused to listen. She kept rattling verbally. $5 is still money and so the assistant humbly tried to pacify her.

After the old lady went back to her seat, the stallholders remarked that Guo Tie needs time to be cooked well. They were calm about the whole matter though. They immediately fried the Guo Tie though and when she came back to ask again, they told her it was ready. She didn't want it however, as she was already fuming by then. The stallholder had to serve her personally even though it is self-service. He was humble and that pacified her.

What a customer! She was so impatient, lacked understanding and self-control. Then again, her age may have been the factor to such a behaviour!

School? Play too!

Ho Kong Loon wrote about how school nowadays is so pressurizing for children as compared to school of bygone days. He reminisced about the "moments of joy, laughter, firm friendships and camaraderie" that defined his learning days. He did enjoy the "companionship of schoolmates (and) the love and concern of teachers"

Such times during my A'level days were brought to mind as I read on. I had a bunch of mates whom I spent most of my time with. We ate together, studied together and even prayed together. I remember fondly our short days, when we used to go to the prata stalls and Japanese restaurant at Casuarina Road. The Indian Rojak and Oyako Don were really enticing. Our school was also opposite Hans. When we stayed back in school to study, we went there for lunch. Meifen loved the Grilled Fish there and she introduced it to me. There were also a minimart and coffeeshop along the same row of shops. Gerry and I used to buy lots of snacks and sweets to keep ourselves awake while ploughing through the endless notes we had. We used to go to North- point as well. It was our favourite haunt since there was a straight bus, 853, back to our homes. The food court was where we always headed to.

I have fond memories of studying not only with my mates but also with my seniors. They were kind enough to help us with any difficulties we faced. I remember copying my homework assignments from the smarter ones like Fazeela and Vanitha while eating my breakfast of Fried Bee Hoon with a slice of fried luncheon meat at 6.45am in the canteen. We used to sit at the first table every morning. I remember Yvonne and Shufen coaching me in Econs when I had to do a sub-paper that would determine my promotion. I did get promoted to the next year, God bless them. I also remember Shufen rubbing the deep purple bruise on my left arm really hard till it became red. Oh, how it hurt!

My Accounts tutor Mrs Wong gave me a pep talk to encourage us not to give up on her subject because we could still pass it. We were not hopeless. The time she spent touched me profoundly and I did pass her subject eventually. I was ecstastic when I got my results and immediately went to her. Mrs Fung and Ms Lim were extremely patient, understanding and gentle with my slow learning of A Math. I used to ask them the stupidest questions but they would never blink an eye and would guide me through to the answers. I did pass A Math too. Mdm Ang gave me money to take a cab home after my wallet was stolen from my bag while I was browsing at books in the library. I was distraught and desperate, and her understanding was much needed then.

May introduced me to the concept of a cell group, which is part of a Protestant's spiritual journey. I am a Roman Catholic and before that, this was alien to me. Together with my Accounts tutor Ms Chan, she introduced me to its workings of bible sharing and praise and worship. My Christian music tastes became more varied. She also brought me to the Festival of Praise event.

Ho Kong Loon also referred to Jeremy Lim's plea for school holidays to be play days rather than working ones filled with assignments and homework. With the evolution of time, parents' priorities change too. Children have to do exercises in their assessment books to while away the time instead of wasting time on "useless activities" like playing, watching TV or surfing the Internet. There is learning involved in such activities too! I pity them but they cannot tell their parents what they really want to do, which is to play. Will their parents listen?

He sent out a plea to those involved in educating the young to let them enjoy their learning years. I try my best to do so while teaching my kids, so that they don't dread my lessons.

Intros and conclusions are relative

Neville Stack wrote an article on the art of writing (pun!) in Today.

What's written in an intro can actually be in a conclusion. His daughter wrote this on the founding of America: The Pilgrim Fathers sailed away. Then she wrote this as the conclusion: Horray. This is usually part of the body, as a feeling felt by the character. It can be interpreted as that of joy or sarcasm. See the innovation displayed by such a child?

She has given relativity to the rules governing the style of writing essays. She has used her young creative mind to give new insights into what's old and fixed.

He gives a few quotes from literary texts to illustrate his point. I'm intrigued by George Orwell's intro to 1984: 'It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.' To me, the latter part of the quote brings out the sci-fi genre of the text and an out-of-this-world perspective as I peruse the book.

Desiring to fill the solitude

We'll have times of solitude in our lives. However, solitude can mean being alone but not feeling lonely. We can occupy those times with activities like dwelling on past memories with nostalgic fondness, observing people around us or improving our knowledge through reading. These quiet pastimes are evidently done on our own, as opposed to messaging someone on the phone. We do need time on our own. Being with others can be emotionally exhausting.

A friend taught me that it's more polite to focus properly on your friend when you're out together, by not messaging others and calling others. Answering calls however, is acceptable. I can see the logic of this. Spending time with people who matter to you is precious and you don't want to spoil it with such actions. This is especially pertinent when attending religious services. It's bad enough to talk during them and distract others in the process, but not to switch handphones to the silent mode before services is even worse. It is extremely irritating to hear handphones ring loudly when one's silent before the Lord, seeking inner peace.

Yes, having a handphone has become a prevalent necessity nowadays. I myself, have an 'addiction' to it. I think I receive a message or call when my handphone is in my bag. I feel vibrations emitting from it. However, it is not true when I check my handphone. It's probably a subconscious desire for people to contact me. When I forget to bring it out, I do wonder whether I've had any missed calls or messages. It does feel good to know people want to contact you. Maybe I'm being egoistic. It's also true that without it, I cannot remember some of my contact numbers. I use it as my clock as well.

Conversely, without one, it allows me to empathise with those who don't have handphones. Deprivation can lead to compassion. Also, it is more convenient when you're trying to avoid contact from people who irk you. Missing their calls or deleting their messages can't always take place.

Education and income? So what?

Most adults in Singapore are armed with degrees and step into the working world with them. However, their behaviour and treatment of those in the lower sectors of society are unbecoming!

I had helped a friend to distribute leaflets at City Hall MRT Station. The normal perception of people with such jobs is that they are desperate enough to do that. The working adults we encountered were atrocious! They either treated us as invisible or were rude towards us. What's wrong with saying,"No, thank you." with a smile? I felt so ostracized.

I saw another incident like this at a hawker centre. There were a few cripples selling tissue paper to the customers. A working lady who was well-dressed snubbed one of the cripples. She could have been polite in her rejection. She blinked at him in an irritated and condescending manner, which was totally uncalled for. I was so disgusted with her.

Having access to education and a stable income don't entitle one to such arrogance. Yes, some people are less fortunate but that doesn't mean they deserve such reactions! They didn't ask to be in such circumstances. If people could just put themselves in others' shoes, the world would be a much better place than it is now!

As Joan Teng mentioned in her letter to Today, "some people lack respect for those we think are inferior or less educated than us....some Singaporeans have preconceptions of those who work in the service or food industry - that they are not on par socially with those who require the service."

It's just mere subjectivity really. We can be so adamant in our viewpoints that we fail to be open to the truth. We don't want to admit we're wrong out of pride and prejudice (sounds familiar?).

Who is the inferior or less educated person here? Those who look down on others in blue-collar jobs are really the ones. Having a higher wage doesn't make one king over all. They are narrow-minded and confine their perspectives to their own self-made truths. That's really choosing to be less educated.

My school days

Siva Choy wrote an article in Sunday's The New Paper on his days as a student. He mentioned that before schools used white boards in the classrooms, they used blackboards. That evoked nostalgia in my mind.

I do hate the sound of the chalk "squeak(ing) at a certain sharp pitch". Each time the teacher accidentally did that, my insides just cringed and my shoulders just involuntarily shuddered. Also, I remember the chalk "dust clouds" being emitted into the air when the class monitors quickly erased the writing on the blackboard and removed the dust from the dusters. You could really see white "smoke" in the air surrounding the board! I have an unexplained fetish for looking at boards being cleaned as well!

When I was in Sec 1, I was yakking away with my classmates and my form teacher threw a piece of chalk at me in an exasperated attempt to shut me up. As a relief teacher, I had to endure chalk dust on my tops and my fingers while teaching and chalks breaking when I pressed them too hard while writing on the board. It was also a juggling act having to draw lines with a chalk in one hand and an enormous wooden ruler used by only teachers in the other! I was also made to look foolish when my writing slanted as I wrote on the board! Oh, the memories to do with the blackboard that I have stored within me!

He also mentioned class monitors helping teachers with various tasks like carrying their books. I remember some really sweet girls volunteering to carry my books when I was a relief teacher. God bless their thoughtful hearts!

He briefly chronicled the different types of writing tools for learning. I imagine how the people of long ago wrote in their books. The Chinese used brushes dipped in ink to write their characters while the Westerners used pens made with quill feathers dipped in ink to write. Technology has certainly come a long way since then.

The progression for us students was from pencils to pens. I remember being allowed to use the latter only when I reached P4. It was "a milestone in growing up" for me too. I felt like an adult then. One of the first brands of pens I used was Kilometrico but Zebra brand is still my favourite one.

From the old-fashioned ways of writing, typewriters and PCs then sprouted up. My first real attempt at using a typewriter occurred during my first temporary job, which included clerical work. My boss had to teach me how to use it from scratch! I learnt how to master the usage of the computer in another job and those skills have stood me in good stead even till now.

The China Girl

People from China have assimilated themselves into our society very well. They study in our schools, take up residence and employment in our estates and contribute a colourful as well as diversified presence to our country. Their recognizable acccents ring in our ears as we interact with them. Their Oriental looks permeate the streets we walk on.

Some unfortunate souls have made headlines in a tragic way. Huang Na, for instance, fell prey to victimization at a young and innocent age.

An article in The New Paper gave pointers on how to recognise the China Girl. After reading it, though the pointers were authentic, having been provided by a lady from China, I feel that they are just stereotypes. Some Singaporeans, myself included, do exhibit these features and mannerisms too.

China girls tie up their hair, unlike local girls who wear their hair long. I tie up my hair practically all the time. They wear looser clothes and dress casually, unlike locals who wear tighter ones. I wear looser tops and dress casually as well.

Also, they don't put on too much makeup unlike locals who put on thicker makeup. I barely put on any makeup because it clogs the skin and the 'natural look' is really makeup put on to LOOK natural, which is ironic in itself! They talk louder and gesticulate a lot. Some Singaporean girls, especially teenagers, speak so loudly that they become a nuisance to passers-by, more than I do while gesticulating a lot too.