June 11 : Something funny

Here's a card I picked out for J's dad for Father's Day this year.

J's dad is a funny man, he says things like "Oh no, the Browns are going to the SuperBowl!" when he needs to use the bathroom. Or he turns abruptly to ask you "you know what?" And when you answer "What?" he says "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy" totally dead-pan and serious. *Face palm*

I think J inherited a lot of that silliness and light-hearted banter that I love. He has certainly made me take myself less seriously, over the years that I've known him. It's pretty apt, because in my daily yoga reading, the entry today says
"The ability to laugh at yourself is a sign of mental health" (in a good way, i suppose!)

Happy April Fool's!!

Did you prank someone today?

My girls from the museum and I got together late last evening to prank our boss' (my ex-boss) office. It pays to live just around the corner so I'm always in on their plans.


Our boss-man Barrett is a non-nonsense, straight-face type of guy, at work at least. Sure, he'll come join us for a beer or two after work, but at the workplace, he's real serious.

We wanted to give his office a make-over because we decided he should lighten up. We wrapped everything, down to his name cards and umbrella. We hope he doesn't have an important meeting first thing in the morning today!






Dear Barrett, we hope you like the make-over...



It even has pictures of your favorite boy (bands)!


xoxo

Your BFFs!

On road rage

So this is the quote the J-man quietly showed me the other day.

"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?"

George Carlin

I have serious road rage ever since I got my driver's license a few months ago.
It irks me when people...

1. do not use their blinkers when changing lanes
2. cruise at a leisurely pace in the passing lane
3. ride up my ar** attempting to speed me up even though there are ten cars ahead of me

dude? are you rushing to meet your maker?!


And then this makes me think of my dear friend R. She went ballistic on a man who drove recklessly next to her in an attempt to take over. They both stopped at a light, she wound her window down, and in her best psychotic impression, said in full Singlish glory,

"Wah! You very good! You number ONE! You WIN!"

Tight-lipped, the man stared straight ahead, and his wife who was in the passenger seat, looked very worried.

And then the daily morning dose of caffeine gives me an adrenaline rush. I just noticed I drive with my teeth clenched. So i gave up coffee as of today (not counting the 26 other previous attempts).



My friend A who drives in Shanghai, sent me this picture he took of his GPS the other day. The arrow with the circle around is his car's position. I DO NOT ever want to drive in China. Especially where people use their horns indiscriminately. I scared!!

By the way, have you heard George Carlin? He's a pretty dang good comedian!!

Happy 4th of July!

I love it when people around me become sensitive about the things they say for fear of offending (coming from a different country, different culture and all). Just the other day, i interrupted a conversation between my boss and Lauren. I briefly caught a snippet of it and chirped, "So what's going on this weekend?"

My boss, B, turned around, uncertainty flickered across his face for a split second, before answering in absolute seriousness, "Oh Chewy, this weekend is our Independence Day, we call it the Fourth of July." I mean, absolute seriousness.

Lauren and I burst into laughter.

"Oh B, I think she knows what 4th of July is."

Thank you for treading so lightly on thin ice around me, but really, i do appreciate it. *chuckles*

And i went to the new Jo-Ann Fabrics in Mooresville yesterday!!! I didn't buy anything, just walked around the store and gaped and gawked (and drooled a little). They have a HUGE selection of fabrics!!!




But before I go, let me share a cute racer shorts for kids tutorial that I found over at Made. I shall attempt it, and make some cute shorts for the summer! LOVELOVELOVE!

Thank you for the tutorial Dana!!!



HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Getting ready for the fireworks tonight!!!
Have a good weekend! And here's a celebratory giveaway for you all!
xx

In the Mail: An Itty Bitty bit of Home

I was so surprised to receive this in the mail today!



My dearest friend Sherry Jess sent me a surprise package to remind me of home. Thank you my dear girl! I am having a good laugh reading through it!

So, just a brief introduction. Singapore English, or more affectionately known as Singlish, is a form of pidgin spoken in Singapore. Because we live in such a culturally diverse society, our everyday lives are a mix of many different languages. Singlish has become our very own unique blend of English, Malay, Tamil and all the various Chinese dialects!

As I flipped through the introduction, I was almost bent double in laughter, reading through the paragraphs heavily peppered with Singlish terms.

Here are a few excerpts of some of my favorite entries, the phrases I always use back home, but have not heard in awhile. And in my current situation, I am most likely not going to be understood if I were to use them.

alamak |ah-lah-ma'h|

A Malay expression of dismay, surprise or alarm that has long been rumoured to mean "Allah's mother" but more likely comes either from the Arabic "Allah Ma'ak", meaning "God be with you" or "Allah maaf kar" meaning "God forgive you". It is thus used to denote a situation or action of such calamity or stupidity that God's intervention is necessary.

(My note: Most people use it as an exclamation, an equivalent of 'OMG')

Usage:

"Alamak! Why you go and do this sort of stupid thing?" translates into "OMG! Why did you do such a stupid thing!"


kan cheong |gkahn tjee-ong|

A Cantonese and Hokkien term meaning nervous, harried, overanxious or uptight.

Usage:

"Your exam in June, now only March, you so kan cheong for what?" translates into "The exam's in June and it's only March now. Why are you so nervous?"


kan cheong spider

Epithet describing someone who's kan cheong, i.e. a nervous wreck.

Usage:

"Eh, don't so kan cheong spider lah! Also not late, hurry for what?" translates into "Can you not be such an overanxious twit. Why are you hurrying? We're not late."

Somehow, I feel very English after all the translations...


To PRISCILLA (this one's for you!)

pecah lobang |bper-cha loh-bahng|

A Malay phrase which literally means to break a hole. It's used in the same way as the English phrase "to let the cat out of the bag".

Usage:

"Don't tell him anything secret. He like the BBC like that, sure pecah lobang." translates into "Don't tell him anything confidential. He's sure to broadcast it like the BBC."

So if you're interested in reading further, or have plans to move to Singapore in the near future, The Coxford Singlish Dictionary is a very good guide to help you understand 3/4 of the population. Okay. Now i really miss home!

Found...

I showed this to my MIL tonight and she exclaimed,

"Don't be doing that to my grandbabies!"


talk about child labor.

*giggles*