#anyone out here who speaks hokkien?

[den-ai-d]

THI OH OH!!!!🌾🌾🌾 Arknights Shu song so good I had to cover. EVEN IF I DON'T SPEAK HOKKIEN!!! Maybe one day I'll actually finish this and make a proper video out of it hehe

[writingwithcolor]

“Fantasy Names” for Non-English Languages; One Language Per Continent?

@corrupted---minds​ submitted:

In my story there are different continents inspired by sections of our world; fantasy Europe, fantasy East Asia, fantasy Middle East, ect. And each continent, for convenience, speaks one language. Cantonese is fantasy East Asias language, for example.

Now on to naming conventions. While in fantasy Europe people have average european names, about 30% have fantasy names like Illumina or Crystal or Raten Firewalker. I want to try to keep the same naming ratio for the other continents, but I’m not sure if it would be offensive for me, as a white woman, to cut apart a language to make a cool sounding name for my characters that are POC.

If you have any insight, suggestions, or just flat out think it’s a bad idea, please let me know. I dont want to unintentionally offend anyone.

On the Issue of Worldbuilding

The salient point is to avoid using languages from real life outright. Already, I sense that your language and coding categories are too broad. It’s never a good idea to reduce such large regions containing so many ethnicities to a single language group/ setting. Think more granular and use single ethnicities instead. Rina has already written on naming conlangs, including pertinent resource links, that I think would be very helpful information for you. Please read her comments here. 

Furthermore, as a reader, I think it is more realistic and dynamic when the characters have names that mean something in their own languages. Most people already have such names IRL. I think in many Western cultures, some are simply too removed from the original root languages to know the word origins of their names. My pen-name here on WWC happens to mean “Jasmine” both in Sanskrit and Japanese, but Marika is a lot more culturally relevant than “Jasmine” as it expresses my bicultural identity much more effectively. Thus, I am curious as to why you wish to stick to this arbitrary 30% rule. Not only does it strike me as rather boring, but it also generates a lot of dissonance for me as a reader in conventional fantasy when a person “randomly” has a conventional fantasy name with no context given. 

If people are given atypical naming schemes, I’d much rather there be a sensible reason for this choice. It both provides context and lays the groundwork for world-building information that the reader can draw on unconsciously at a later time. For example, as I continue my role as this blog’s Tamora Pierce evangelist, the author has two such examples of atypical naming in her universes. In the Tortall series, the Shang warriors are given titles that reflect their prowess, with more legendary animals indicating higher levels of mastery. Thus, the reader automatically knows that Liam Ironarm, the Dragon, and Kylaia al Jmaa, the Unicorn, supersede Ida Bell, the Wildcat, and Hakuin Seastone, the Horse, in terms of skill. In the Emelan Universe, dedicates of the Living Earth religion choose names associated with plants, animals and natural phenomena ( e.g. Rosethorn, Frostpine, Moonstream) and lack last names. Academic mages, on the other hand, have last names that demonstrate what kind of magic they are proficient in (Goldeye, Ladyhammer, Glassfire), allowing us to immediately discern who is a dedicate in the Living Earth faith, who is an academic mage, and who is neither (whether they be from a different background or are still in training).  

Lastly, as a caution, we would like to warn many of our readers that words commonly associated with imagery used in Norse mythology are now often dog-whistles or outright references to white supremacy groups/ movements (Thanks Neo-Nazis!). Thus, particularly for white/ Western-coded characters, please check any name meanings against the following databases created by Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League (viewable here and here).

- Marika.

On Colonial Implications

I would like to emphasize how flattening it is to summarize any large region down to a single language: British Columbia and some of Washington State have 7 mutually unintelligible language families within a few hundred square miles. That’s an incredibly saturated amount of linguistic diversity in a very, very small region. And it’s not the only linguistic hotspot in the world.

Europeans often have an artificial sense of how many languages are natural in a region, because Europe is one of the least linguistically diverse regions in the world at about nine language families, with 94% belonging to a single language family. Meanwhile, China alone has at least nine families, and India has at least six. In North America, you have dozens if not hundreds of language families across the continent.

Note that these are language families, not languages. Each language family can have anywhere from 2 to 50+ languages within it. The aforementioned language family with 94% of Europe is Indo-European, which covers everything from French (the Romance branch) to Punjabi (the Indo-Iranian branch) to Russian (the Balto-Slavic branch).

Convenience should not come at the expense of linguistic diversity. Language destruction is one of the targets of colonialism, and doing such a flattening would leave an extremely sour taste in my mouth at the implied history of this world. Many, many Indigenous languages are extinct because colonial languages were forced upon the populations of the Americas (English, Spanish, Portugese, French), and this isn’t counting non-European colonialism. 

Widespread single languages across huge landmasses often come with an extremely bloody history (unless it was purposely crafted for ease of communication among groups, such as Plains Sign Language), and for your marginalized readers it will be unignorable. You don’t have to create a continent’s worth of languages, but you do have to acknowledge the diversity is there.

As Marika said, focus on individual ethnicities instead of such broad land masses. Doing your current track would pull anyone with even an ounce of linguistics education, or anyone who has had their access to language suffer because of colonialism, right out of the story.

~ Mod Lesya

I agree with Mod Lesya, especially when it comes to their point of language destruction being one of the targets of colonialism. East Asia already has a history of this, with languages being banned and punishments for speaking them, and even now in mainland China Mandarin is being pushed as the only dialect to speak vs. Cantonese, Hokkien, Sichuanese, etc. A suggestion I have is to perhaps have one common language for diplomacy/trade purposes that is used alongside other languages and dialects in certain regions. 

--mod Jess

[beasiannow]

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/19/20.

Exciting news! Tomorrow, Caitlin O'Brien, my longtime penfriend from Galway, Ireland will be coming for a visit that will last for a whole week.

We have corresponded for years since we were both just 14 years old, and I have come to think of her as almost a sister. It will be great to be able to see her live. I just wish she could stay more than just a week!

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/20/20. Morning

Caitlin has been here for almost a week, and I have had a great time showing her around Changhua City. Her visit has been everything we had hoped for.

But tomorrow, she will be heading back to Ireland. 

I thought as our last outing; I would take her to an out-of-the-way place unknown to most.

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/20/20. Noon

We arrived at the Zhù hǎo Wishing Fountain just before noon. It’s a silly little place that seems to exist only as a way to get people's coins.

But Caitlin said it was charming and brought out a couple of coins from her country.  

They were old-looking Irish Republic Pennies. Caitlin remembered that I had once been an avid coin collector and brought them and others along to give me on her last day here.

I insisted we take two and make a wish. She tossed hers in and said, “I wish I could stay longer.”  I didn’t say anything out loud but thought, “I wish we could be sisters for real.”

As the two coins sank into the fountain, I gasped as I saw the harps on the two Irish pennies change into Chiang Kai Shek on the old 1-yuan coin! “Did you see that?” I asked Caitlin, “see what?” she said.

Then I looked at her and saw that the coins were not the only thing that had changed.

Caitlin O’Brien of Galway, Ireland, was a Chinese woman!

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/22/20. Morning.

To say the very least, Caitlin missed her plane back to Ireland, we had waited days, and she still looked like her former self, if her former self had been Chinese, and she still sounded like herself, but she didn’t look enough like her old self for her passport to work.

We tried tossing other coins into the fountain, but Caitlin remained her changed self.

“What am I going to do now?” she asked, and I could hear the worry in her voice. I also almost proved a lousy friend as I had to restrain myself from laughing hearing her charming accent spoken by a Han woman.

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/22/20. Late evening.

The only thing I could think of was to go to another “enchanted” water spot that I didn’t believe in. But then I had not considered the fountain to be real either, so who knows.

Before Sunset, we got our swimsuits and made our way to a group of pools all fed by the Yǔ Quán Spring.

There was no wishing or other “magical” things connected to the spring, but local legend said its waters came from the Island’s heart, and anyone who swam in it was in touch with Taiwan's soul.

“This is nice and all.” said Caitlin, “but I don’t OUCH!” then she opened her hand, in which she had been holding another Irish coin. Only now was an old Chinese one with a hole in the middle.

“Oh wow! I'm dizzy; what's happening now?” she said, or that is what the meaning of what she said was, what came out of her mouth was “Ó wa! Wǒ tóuyūn, zěnme huí shì?”

“Ó wa!” we both shouted.

It didn’t take us long to find out Caitlin could now speak Hokkien like a native of Taiwan!

We went back to my home to take this in.

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 01/23/20. Morning.

In the morning, Caitlin’s Hokkien was even better; she also seemed to have picked up a little Cantonese. However, this seemed to have come at the cost of some of her English, which she could speak, but now was not as good as mine, but her Taiwan accent was perfect.

“Now what?” she asked.

Then the news came. There was to be a complete lock-down due to the growing pandemic. Everybody was to stay home.

From the diary of Zhao Tung-Mei, Changhua City, Taiwan 05/23/21.

It’s been more than a year, and we are at last going to be able to get out and about again. Caitlin is really for the world to meet her as her new self, my sister Zhao Caihong (it means rainbow). I can hardly wait to visit our parents and give them a surprise.

Zhao says she can’t wait until she can take us to Ireland and introduce Galway to the Zhao Sisters.

[jacksjoke]

Title: a better day with you

Pairing: Teh/Oh-Aew

Summary: A missing scene from Last Twilight in Phuket

Ao3 link

Story available under the cut.

    There’s a saying that claims if you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself. Teh agrees with that. If Oh-Aew is hungry, Teh will offer to prepare Oh-Aew’s favourite (hokkien-mee with vermicelli, of course). If they want to visit somewhere in town, Teh will drive the vegetable cart so Oh-Aew can just enjoy the ride. If he senses that Oh-Aew’s feeling down, Teh will ask Oh-Aew to keep him company until he falls asleep, not necessarily for Teh’s sake but because he knows it brings comfort to Oh-Aew.

    Teh doesn’t mind being the one to step up, whether it’s in his family or with his boyfriend. He likes to make Oh-Aew smile. So when Oh-Aew’s not smiling — when he’s crying, like he is right now — Teh can’t help his mind’s immediate need to come up with a list of ways to help, even though not everything has a solution.

    This is a particularly difficult case because it isn’t as simple as trying on a too-small shirt in an effort to coax an eye-roll laugh from Oh-Aew. Their childhood is coming to a predetermined close, and there’s nothing Teh can do to protect Oh-Aew from that truth. They’re going to leave Phuket. You know how there’s another cliché that says you can’t go home again? Teh didn’t understand what this meant when he was younger. Phuket isn’t going anywhere, so why would he be unable to return?

    Now that he’s watched Oh-Aew’s unbothered smile become pinched over these past weeks and Teh himself is mere days out from university, he thinks he sort of gets it. He’ll come home again, but it won’t be the home he’s been accustomed to. Like he told Oh-Aew, things have been changing even with them in town while they were there to see it. They’ll go away and return to find a place with only the echoes of the home they knew.

    Phuket will remain, but the people they were there won’t. The children they were until the day they leave… won’t remain.

    Oh-Aew cries into his arms on a beach they never cared to visit and Teh understands. To let go of all this with the certainty that they can’t get it back is… For Teh, it’s unsteadying. For someone so sensitive and tuned to the universe as Oh-Aew, it’s debilitating.

    Teh holds Oh-Aew tight, aware that he’s likely the one thing keeping him upright, and keeps a firm grip on his hand when they return to the cart. “Let me take you somewhere,” he says.

    “Somewhere else?” Oh-Aew sniffles. “I’m tired.”

    “You’ll be happy. Trust me.”

    Oh-Aew meets his eyes, unsure, and Teh nudges him under the chin with a soft grin. Oh-Aew can’t help returning the smile, as slight as it is.

    Once his boyfriend is situated in the cart, Teh announces, “You have to wear this.”

    Oh-Aew looks at the fabric in Teh’s hand. “Your shirt?” Conspiratorial, Teh folds the shirt into an uneven, bandana-like swath, motioning for Oh-Aew to stay still. “Teh, what is this?”

    “You’ll know where we’re going if I don’t blindfold you.”

    “Yeah, I got that much. Why — ”

    Teh smacks a kiss to the top of Oh-Aew’s hair and says, “No more questions, Professor.”

    Oh-Aew shakes his head, muttering, “So weird,” but he doesn’t say anything else. He’s otherwise subdued on the way as he fiddles with his fingers, and Teh knows they really need this.

    Oh-Aew stumbles a little even with Teh’s help standing from the cart, but he only laughs and whacks Teh’s arm. “You jerk!” he says loudly.

    “I didn’t let you fall on purpose!” Teh rejoins, jaw dropped.

    “That’s exactly what you’d say if you tried to sabotage me,” Oh-Aew says with a stuck-out tongue.

    “I think I’ll just dump you back into the cart and take us home.”

    As though sensing the step Teh takes away from him, Oh-Aew grabs his arm. “Oh no, you don’t! You didn’t drag me wherever we are just to turn around; I’m not a dog in a hand-bag!”

    “Yeah, you’re even yappier.”

    “Oi, Teh!”

    “Joking, joking,” Teh says, giving Oh-Aew’s arms a gentle shake. “I’ll keep you close so you don’t fall, okay?”

    “Yeah, don’t go pushing me down any cliffs.”

    “At this point I should probably say that to you,” Teh counters, and Oh-Aew snorts. His hands on Teh’s arm tightens as they move forward, though, which undercuts his apparent nonchalance. “Relax. Hold on a second.” Oh-Aew waits and regains his vice-grip on Teh as soon as he’s back by his side. “There’s some stairs, so be careful.”

    “Teh, I swear if you — ”

    “Ai’Oh, I got you.”

    Teh leads him down the rickety wooden steps and onto the sand. The familiar feeling makes Oh-Aew’s nose crinkle, eyebrows coming together.

    “Teh.” Teh removes the shirt from Oh-Aew’s eyes. “Are we —  ?” He takes in the ocean view that he’s known since junior high, and the person who had introduced this place to him back then. “Teh,” Oh-Aew says again, “I thought…”

    Teh shrugs on his shirt with a casual, “Like I’d let a little red barrier stop me,” and Oh-Aew flattens him with a look. Teh abandons buttoning in favour of pawing at Oh-Aew’s arm. “It was basically thin wood tied there with one string; I can fix it in two minutes,” he rambles. “Just, look.”

    He takes Oh-Aew by his shoulders to turn him back to the water, heartened when Oh-Aew doesn’t resist. He just takes a slow inhale, eyes closing, his posture slackening in a way it hasn’t all day, maybe even all week.

    Teh stands at Oh-Aew’s back and settles his arms around Oh-Aew’s waist. “I know you’re scared,” Teh says quietly. Oh-Aew lifts their hands to press against his stomach. “The longest we’ve been away from Phuket is, like, three days at best. But you’ll have a piece of home to keep you safe, just like I do.”

    “A life jacket?” Oh-Aew asks dryly.

    “Me,” Teh corrects him. “I have you, and you have me.”

    Oh-Aew releases a breath, turning in Teh’s arms. “I don’t want to forget, you know? All of this. We already took it for granted, like how we didn’t notice the school’s renovation. What’s gonna happen when we’re gone? We’ll just…” Oh-Aew digs his toe into the sand, shrugging. “We’ll change and we won’t notice until it’s too late.”

    Teh tugs Oh-Aew closer, their faces near one another. “Yeah, we’ll change.” He pushes his fingers through Oh-Aew’s soft hair. Without a strict dress-code, it’s longer now than Teh’s ever seen it and he never gets enough of it. “I used to hate coconut,” he points out. “You preferred cats until dear Tooty stole your heart.” A laugh is surprised from Oh-Aew and Teh grins. “Change can be good sometimes.” Oh-Aew nods slowly, picking at the shoulder seam of Teh’s shirt. “What’re you thinking?”

    “I’m thinking… You trespassed onto a beach for me.”

    “It’s hardly trespassing when the gate is — ”

    Oh-Aew squeezes Teh’s cheeks and kisses him silent, which always works; and grins at Teh’s, “Oi!” of complaint when he steps away. “It’s getting late, you hooligan; we have a sunset to catch.”

    “We can watch it here.”

    “You know it’s best at that one spot.” Teh pushes out his lip and Oh-Aew laughs, swinging his hand in Teh’s. “Aw, who’s pouting?”

    “I broke in here for you.”

    “So you admit it.” Teh throws up his arms and Oh-Aew’s laughter comes back, louder than ever. “We’ll come back,” he promises. “This is our place. That won’t change.”

    Teh nods and presses another soft kiss to Oh-Aew’s lips, their foreheads bumping where they stand together on the sand. His eyes are earnest as he starts, “Oh’, I hope you know, I do everything I do for you because I…” but he trails off into, “Last sunset in Phuket. Better not miss it.” Oh-Aew wants to ask what he had avoided saying, but Teh is already walking for the stairs.

    The ride back into town is quiet, with Teh reaching for Oh-Aew’s hand like he always does whenever they come to a sign or light. Teh’s joked that he likes having to stop because it means getting to hold Oh-Aew’s hand, even for a few moments. His sweet boyfriend who fancies himself the solver of Oh-Aew’s problems and dislikes being apart for too long. Oh-Aew pretends not to find it endearing, but he does. He really does.

    An hour later, the sun a few minutes from setting and Teh’s arm pressed snug to his, Oh-Aew hears from his right, “I love you,” the very words Oh-Aew’s saved in his mouth every day for months.

    Teh’s eyes are as earnest as they’d been at the water, and Oh-Aew knows this must be what Teh had meant to say. Part of Oh-Aew hadn’t been sure when Teh would ever feel comfortable enough to speak on his feelings explicitly, so to hear it this casually takes him aback. It must show on his face, because Teh clarifies that he’d wanted today to be special for Oh-Aew.

    “And I’ve never told you, not once,” Teh concludes, simple as anything.

    Oh-Aew is going to cry about this moment, maybe much later when Teh is asleep and Oh-Aew can think about how this new first of theirs will never be replicated. But for now he offers a smile.

    “Mm. I love you too,” he says, and the content glow about Teh at hearing the response floods Oh-Aew with such warmth that if anyone asked him to describe what he’s feeling, he couldn’t possibly try.

    This is one of their final firsts; and for fear of what’s to come, for the bitter joy choking him, he wants to live in it forever.

    As the sun sets on his last twilight in Phuket, Oh-Aew’s heart is split between two halves: This is the beginning of the end, this is the end of their beginning.

[sailingonthelanguagesea]

The Many Ways of Referring to "Mandarin" in… Mandarin

I remember back on the CoL server, when Cantonese and Mandarin had just been separated into separate text channels, that the name of the channel was 官话. All of the Chinese (Mandarin) learners and speakers came to the agreement that we disliked it, but when a mod asked us what we wanted to change the channel name to, we had to discuss for a few days the best name for the channel.

We eventually came to the decision of using 普通話 (普通话) after voting on multiple options.

But! That reminds me of all the different ways of saying "Mandarin" in, well, Mandarin that we discussed, so here's a rundown of all the different ways we talked about!

中文

every Chinese learner learns this one as the first way to say "Chinese" in, well, Chinese, but it's just as broad as "Chinese"

it doesn't refer to Mandarin specifically, but all the different dialects (okay, but Chinese isn't made up of "dialects", but actually different smaller languages. I'll say dialects because that's what people are used to), so even though the most people will know what you're talking about, in writing, it's not specific enough

although if you're speaking, that's a completely different story! people will be able to tell what kind of Chinese you're referring to based on how you speak, such has how 中文 is pronounced differently in Mandarin compared to Cantonese or Hakka or Hokkien, etc.

but even then! 中文 can refer to other Chineses instead of mandarin

普通話 (普通话)

now this is much, much more specific!

also, for a Chinese learner, it's probably the second way you learn to say "Mandarin" (but it depends on where your teacher is from. more about that later)

it literally translates to "ordinary language" or "common language", which is a good description of what Mandarin was supposed to be: a common language that united all Chinese people (and Chinese learners too I guess)

only problem is that the only people who really use 普通話 are people in mainland China (not sure about the SARs though) or from mainland China

I'll admit, this is the way I learned how to call Mandarin after 中文 but because of where my teachers are from, I learned the next one too

國語 (国语)

this literally means "national language"

it's only used in Taiwan

the major problem with 國語 is that since it means "national language", it can only really be used in a place where Chinese is spoken as a majority or official language, which is only in two places of the world: China and Taiwan, even though there are Chinese speakers elsewhere in the world (more about that later)

China already uses 普通話 so only Taiwan uses 國語

in places like Singapore, Malaysia, or even Europe and North America, Chinese isn't a majority language much less an official language, so using 國語 for "Mandarin" doesn't make sense for Chinese speakers living there

it doesn't stop people from referring to Mandarin as 國語 there, though, but it doesn't make as much sense (I learned to say 國語 from my teachers because they were all from Taiwan)

華語 (华语)

(you can really see the effects of simplified script on this one lol)

this literally means "language of Chinese" because 華 (华) is a word that refers to Chinese people as a whole, no matter where they're born

(it's also used in the phrase 華僑 (华侨) which means "overseas Chinese")

this one I've heard is used more with southeast Asia, but I've heard it around where I live sometimes too

unlike 國語, which can be considered politically loaded, 華語 (华语) was what I thought to be the most neutral way of referring to Mandarin, but it was outvoted because it's not a common way of saying Mandarin outside of southeast Asia

漢語 (汉语)

this one is a bit of an odd one because I don't really know who says this where, if anyone really does say this out loud (it might just be a way of referring to Mandarin in writing)

it's on the uncommon side, more so than 華語 (华语) I think

it literally translates to "language of the Han" which is the majority of Chinese people in China (we call ourselves 漢族 (汉族) or "Han people")

it's also what Pinyin is officially called in Chinese: 漢語拼音 (汉语拼音)

yeah, I think this is just a way to refer to Mandarin in writing, not in speaking because no one says 漢語 (汉语) unless they're reading off of something

官話 (官话)

so where did the mods get 官話 (官话) from?

it specifically means "government language" so yes, for all intents and purposes in the Chinese government, the government language is Mandarin

at least in Beijing, but in other provinces, their provincial governments do just fine in their local languages, so instead of using Mandarin as their government language, they just use their local "dialect"

but… no one calls Mandarin 官話 (官话) because that means more of government language that just Mandarin

at least, I didn't recognize it when I first saw it but what do I know lol

I'll throw in a bonus:

現代標準漢語 (现代标准汉语)

absolutely no one says this

but it's about as specific as you can get for referring to Mandarin

it literally means "modern standard Mandarin" if you were really wondering

the 漢語 (汉语) comes back again to refer to Mandarin, but it's more like an official, formal phrase than something like 普通話 (普通话)

don't worry about actually using this; no one says this out loud or even writes it because it's… really long

(six characters is a lot okay! look at the traditional characters!)

[maxmcyfield]

Peyton Chua Shares Her Firsts | Teen Vogue - Youtube

posted on 12 October 2021

[...]

First Big Career Decision?

I think... Like the first time I turned down a dance job to do a role. Yeah. Like I was offered to do a pretty big dance tour, and I had done a couple rehearsals at that point, and then I got called that I got the role for Ladybird. It was a really big decision for me because I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions but ultimately I took a stand and told my mom I wanted to act. I think it was then when I was filming Ladybird and I got to watch Winnie Ramsey work and act her heart out that I realized how much I loved it and that I could just... really do it - that I thought ‘Oh okay, I want to do this for real’. Because of that I got to be where I am now and doing all this acting that I love! And I still love dancing and I get to do it so it was a win-win. Thankfully. Thank god.

First Movie Premiere?

It was for Pitch Perfect 2! Wow I remember this way too well. Me and my sister and a couple other Dance Moms girls were invited and it was so exhilarating? Like we got to pick out our dresses and got our hair and makeup done and everything. I remember being so nervous on the carpet for some reason so I was holding on to Lily’s hand so tightly while we were taking pictures. I was wearing like a

First Time Abroad?

I don’t remember it I know but we used to always go to China to visit my grandparents. It was usually for Chinese New Year for a couple days a year. So I was on planes even before I realized what I was doing, really.

First New Language?

I used to speak some Hokkien and Mandarin to my grandparents when I was younger. But then when my grandma moved here to live with us when I was around fourteen? I think? I spoke to her a lot in Mandarin and became pretty fluent because of that. [in Mandarin:] I was really the only one who tried to learn Mandarin with my grandmother so no one else except my mom really speaks Mandarin. My little sister does, a little, enough that we use it sometimes when we don’t want anyone else to know what we’re saying.

First Los Angeles Moment?

Sia brought my brothers, Elias and Oliver, Lily and I out to go eat In N’ Out. It’s simple, but it was just a really nice thing after we got settled into our new house after moving from Pittsburgh, she wanted to spend time with us before we had to start dance rehearsals again so we just ate some really good burgers and then hit up an arcade and had ice cream after. It really helped me ground myself in that moment of “Wow! I’m in LA!” but in the best way possible. Like I’m still here with my family and we’re having fun together as a family and not everything is show business and dance.

[...]

First Dancing On Stage Experience?

It was my first mini elite dance competition! I was five and it was great, surprisingly. Like I felt like a star on that stage. There weren’t that many people in the audience either so that helped because it was just between the Pittsburgh dance studios. My first ever number was a tap number titled ‘Over the Clouds’! I had a cute little sky blue leotard with a flowy skirt and I danced my tiny heart away into a third placing.

First Role That Inspired Me to be an Actress or a Dancer?

But when I was really tiny? This is gonna sound so dumb, but genuinely? The first Step Up movie. Like these people were doing real dancing and they were acting? Blew my little mind. Also Joy Luck Club - it was the first time I saw people who looked like me on stage leading a movie. Yes, I love the Step Up series. I was never really a hip hop dancer but watching those movies made me fall in love with the art of it and made me want to try it out in classes at my old studio. Really kind of changed the trajectory of the type of dancer I’d become even though I didn’t realize it at first. Of course, I’d love to be in one in the future - if they ever make them anymore?

[...]

First Best Friend?

Jean! Jean Harlow. Who was on Dance Moms with me and we still hang out sometimes today too! Like I plan to meet her tomorrow before I go to Charleston. I remember it was before our tap class together. We had seen each other before a couple of times, but that specific time, we were both earlier than everyone else and we set our stuff next to each other and something just clicked, you know?

First Instant Connection?

If we’re talking about people and not wi-fi or something then Link and I when we first met... it was an instant feeling of closeness. He’s just so warm and personable that the initial awkwardness of meeting someone new I usually feel just disappeared. Our director, after our first rehearsal, got us to just walk around New York for a bit and we got ice cream and we just talked for a long time. I probably told him far too much about me like... TMI stuff, but it never felt wrong. I’m lucky he still wanted to date me after all that. But yeah... that’s kind of when I knew I’d have him in my life for a long time.

First Kiss?

I think everyone knows the answer to this. It was on Dance Moms! Everyone saw me run away when I had to do it! But yes, I was ten and it was with Paolo - who I talk to sometimes still today, he’s doing amazing things in dance right now - and... full disclosure, I hated it. Sorry Paolo. But sometimes I like to think that my first kiss was with Tristan Falkenrath from Permafrost. Why? Because that was the next time I ever kissed anyone! It was for a movie we shot together, and he was so nice especially because I was so nervous, and like I was so so happy because I had basically fulfilled the dreams of twelve-year-old Pey.

First Time Being Starstruck?

Oh, meeting Permafrost for sure. I remember this so clearly I was fourteen, and it was straight after dance rehearsals. It was my first concert too. I begged my mom to let me go and my step dad got me meet and greet passes as a treat and my older sister brought me. It was crazy like I remember just barely saying anything I felt so dumb but I also remember Minzy smiled at me to like encourage me which was the coolest thing. Then I was crying immediately after I took the pictures with them and then also crying during the concert. And yes, anyone that knows me knows that I do still feel very strongly for Permafrost.

[purplesurveys]

673

Language survey! I love when surveys have cute lil gimmicks like this.

Country? Howdy, I come from the Philippines. Do not recommend.

Do you have a second language in your country? I don’t think we have an official second language today. Below our two official languages (Filipino and English) we have hundreds of native languages spread out across different regions and provinces, like Cebuano – but none of them are officially second languages. I do know that for a time, Spanish was mandated by law to be our second language and it was even required to be taught in all schools, but it was scrapped quite some time ago.

How many languages do you speak fluently? Just two – Filipino and English. I can sometimes read Cebuano through context clues because some words sound very similar to Filipino, but I wouldn’t survive reading a conversation, much less a novel.

Does your language have words adopted from English? We have SO MANY. Filipino has admittedly been underdeveloped and neglected, and the country has always put much more effort in learning English under the belief that it would help us economically and compete in the global scene – it really shows the worst of colonial mentality. Unfortunately that meant our own language was put in the backseat, and a lot of people continue to put a lot of shame onto those who are more fluent in Filipino than English. A few examples: We usually refer to science as ‘siyensa,’ even though the native word for it is agham. Biscuit is just ‘biskwit,’ leader is just ‘lider,’ and gadget is just ‘gadyet.’ In essence, we use a lot of English words, just given the Filipino spelling to mimic how we would pronounce them.

Is English important for an individual in your country? Like I said, speaking in English is prized and more important than knowing and loving our own native language. It’s a result of nearly 400 years of being colonized by Spain, US, and Japan, and these countries’ efforts to eliminate any piece of native culture than we had left. By the time we gained independence, we’ve put so much pride in people who can fluently speak English, and embarassment to those who can’t.

What language you like speaking in? Not to sound like a hypocrite lmao but English. It’s easier to learn and more convenient to use, and consider it an effect of the aforementioned patronizing/excessive promotion of the English language over here. 

What’s your favorite language? Maybe Korean? It’s easy to understand and learn, and it has a very rich history as well.

What’s the native language spoken in China? Don’t they have a bunch of languages as well? I know the official one is Mandarin, but like us they also have other regional ones like Cantonese and Hokkien.

What’s the strangest language have you ever head? Don’t wanna sound racist/language-ist but if I absolutely had to answer this question, German has always sounded a bit strange to me haha. I think cos it sounds a little aggressive???

Do you wish your country has another language instead of the present one? Not really. I just wish more people appreciated Filipino. We have a beautiful native language, and I wish we were a little more proud of it.

What language do the neighboring countries of where you live speak? We’re an archipelago so we technically have no neighboring countries. But coming from an Austronesian region, the closest countries to us have languages that definitely have Malay origins.

What languages are spoken the most throughout the world? I know Mandarin is the most-widely spoken language, followed by English and then maybe Spanish? andddd I’m guessing Hindi is also somewhere at the top considering India’s population.

Do you know anyone who is monolingual? Aren’t a bunch of Americans? Hahahaha

Do you know anyone who is bilingual or multilingual? Nearly all Filipinos are at least bilingual.

Would you like to raise multilingual children? It honestly depends on where (geographically) I end up when I have kids. If I end up staying in the Philippines, I’d raise them the same way I was – learning Filipino and English. But if I end up migrating somewhere with a native language, I would encourage them to speak in all three. I definitely won’t make my kids forget their Filipino roots.

Can you think of some disadvantages of being monolingual? I’m not monolingual but I’m guessing it would be a pain to be in a country where most people are speakers of a different language. I’ve been to countries where people spoke zero English and it was sooooo hard to communicate and get to places then.

What other languages are spoken in your nation, including minority groups and the languages of immigrants? PH has a very rich culture and we have tons of regional languages, which include Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Maranao, Ivatan, several variations of Bikolano, Aklanon, Chavacano, Kapampangan, Tausug, Surigaonon, and literally a hundred more. My country is also a favorite for immigrants because of the climate and the cheap cost of living here, so we also have a healthy population of Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic speakers.

Do you think that a language other than English should be used as an “international language”? I know Mandarin is slowly racing to become a new lingua franca, but I’m already happy with English.

When you study a language, do you like to study reading, writing, speaking and listening? Writing. I want to make sure /I/ can apply it first before I read or listen to other people.

What dialects does your language have? There are so many dialects in our various languages. In Tagalog there are Batangueno, Marinduqueño, and Morong dialects; Cebuano has a Boholano dialect; and Bikolano has tons of dialects spread out in Bicol’s different municipalities.

What languages are spoken in:

Brazil? I’m gonna guess Portuguese. But I did think for a long time that their official language was Spanish lmao.

Mexico? Spanish. Hi, fellow colonizees!

Switzerland? Ok, I’m gonna take a wild guess with German because there’s a family from a show I watch – The Return of Superman (a Korean variety show that shows little kids bonding with their dads lmao) – that features a Swiss mom, and she and the kid solely communicate in German. I dunno the other major languages, though.

Australia? English, for the most part < Yeah, this.

Canada? I think French and English < Also this? Lane can confirm! Hahahaha

[savi1316]

I wanted to try out making a FGO servant, so here’s a Saber Class: Tu’ er Shen, a Chinese deity in charge of homosexual relationships. Most of what I know about him is from the internet and I mixed with some headcanons, so sorry if the information I give is inaccurate.

Biography

An important thing to remember is that his name means “The Leveret Spirit,” or alternatively Tu Shen “The Rabbit Deity,” which sometimes gets confused with Tu’er Ye (”Lord Leveret”), who is considered the moon rabbit of the goddess Chang’e. The only reason he’s called that is because “rabbits” were a slang term for homosexuals in late Imperial China, despite not having any associations with rabbits.

His origins are recorded in What the Master Would Not Discuss, a collection of supernatural stories complied by Qing Dynasty scholar and writer Yuan Mei. In life he was a 17th century soldier in Fujian Province named Hu Tianbao and had fallen in love with a provincial officer. Unfortunately he was caught peeking at the officer and was beaten to death as punishment when he confessed his affections. Because his actions were considered a crime of love, the underworld officials took pity and decided to make him the god and safe guarder of homosexual affections. He then appeared as a rabbit in the dream of village elder of his former hometown to tell his story and to erect a temple for him. Thus he can be seen as an alternative to Yue Lao (The Old Man Under the Moon), the matchmaker god. 

*Note: However, since Yue Lao is more traditional, he sometimes gets requests instead. As a result he gets confused and instead makes a heterosexual match.

Due to there being a cultural purge and its popularity, the cult was targeted by the Qing government (under a “Prohibition of Licentious Cults”) and therefore was kept a secret. It is also seen as an attempt to mythologize a system of male marriages in Fujian. The cult later spread among Hokkien-speaking communities in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore; there is also a temple in Yonghe District in New Taipei City in Taiwan founded by Lu Wei-ming, also called the Hall of Martial Brilliance, where many gay pilgrims come for matches and conducts marriage ceremonies as the world’s only shrine for homosexuals.

Skills

Escape from Suppression: Evades for 2 turns and increases defense for 3 turns.

Chinese Operas: Increases C. Star rate and gain.

*Note: Several regions Fujian have their own form of Chinese opera and male prostitutes were also considered skilled for female roles due to the prohibition of women in the theater. Coupled with the 1993 film Farewell My Concubine, I thought it would be appropriate for his second ascension to be a Wu Dan, a female martial role that requires high levels of fighting and acrobatic skills.

Guilty Knowledge: Increases C. Strength while decreasing debuff resist of enemies.

*Note: Idk if it’s specifically Ming Dynasty, but matchmakers (or marriage brokers) were in charge of facilitating successful marriage arrangements and sending messages from the families. Thus they also possessed knowledge about things such as secret affairs, past or present. Coupled with being a “modern” and “social” god, I assume Hu Tianbao would be the type to use social media to gather and post information in order to maintain their influence.

Noble Phantasm

Under the Peach Blossoms: Summons an orchard of flowering peach trees and performs a sword dance that strikes a single target 4 times - has a chance of inflicting Charm, which increases with overcharge.

*Note: Peaches are a highly prized in Chinese culture, symbolizing vitality and longevity and as protection from evil spirits; also the term "bitten peach”, first used by Legalist philosopher Han Fei in his work Han Feizi, became a byword for homosexuality. The 4 strikes are used to symbolize the ceremonial wedding bows - first to Heaven and Earth, second to ancestors, third to parents, and fourth to spouse.

Further Notes

Traditional Chinese wedding garments are red as opposed to white - viewed as an unlucky color for happy events - but nowadays Western weddings are more popular and there are some combinations, which I tried to depict in the third image. Despite having assassin-like skills and matchmaking being caster-like, Hu Tianbao was originally a soldier (Knight class). Swords and spears are also popular props in Chinese opera, but since there’s only one Chinese Saber servant, I thought I should put him there with Lanling Wang. His Divinity is also not very high due to being a 17th century cult god. 

I’m also open for questions and suggestions if anyone is interested!

[mulanxiaojie]

“I can’t read Mandarin.”

This is how non-Chinese sometimes put it when they’re trying to be politically correct. I understand the intention, even though it comes out strangely, because you only read and write Chinese, not Mandarin.

Or: “What do you mean when you say you speak ‘Chinese’?” someone might tell me authoritatively. “There are many languages in China.”

This is all true. I’ve learned, over time, that who and what is “Chinese” is a complex and contested topic in a shifting landscape. It depends on who’s saying what to whom.

For example, a Chinese mainlander speaking English to a non-Chinese person will ask “Do you speak Chinese?” and be referring to Mandarin. A Hong Konger or Taiwanese may use the word “Chinese” to refer to the language, but would also be likely to say “Mandarin”. Similarly, if a Hong Kong local says “Chinese”, they may be referring to Cantonese.

Speaking Mandarin, a mainland Chinese person might use the words “中文” (zhong wen), “汉语” (han yu) or “普通话” (pu tong hua) to refer to Chinese. These words loosely translate to “Chinese language”, “Han language” or “Standard speech”.

But a Hong Kong or Taiwanese local speaking to a non-Chinese person in Chinese will say “你會講國語嗎?”, using the word “國語” (guo yu) which literally translates to “Can you speak the National language?”

Or the Hong Kong local might ask in Cantonese if you speak Chinese, if you’re of Asian descent like Jo is, with “你識唔識講中文啊?” (lei sik-m-sik jong zung man ah), again using the characters “中文” (here pronounced zung man) to refer to Chinese. But here they’ll almost definitely be referring to Cantonese, even though it’s using the same characters.

In Hong Kong or Taiwan, “National language” (國語, guo yu in Mandarin, gwok yu in Cantonese) is the word used to differentiate Mandarin from local dominant languages, including Cantonese in Hong Kong and Taiwanese languages (the local flavours of Hokkien and Hakka) in Taiwan.

In short, the same collective of words can refer to multiple languages, and understanding what is intended is an exercise in contextual awareness.

--

Being “Chinese” is just as complicated as speaking “Chinese”.

Firstly, if you’re not Chinese (or generally Asian), it’s hard to get this right. It took me probably a decade of bouncing around Asian countries before I got a sense of it. In Western societies, for those of us who are not of Asian background, we’re discouraged from asking people where they’re “really” from (and you’d never phrase it like that). The implication when one asks that question is that one is looking for differences against which to juxtapose oneself, rather than commonalities one might share. So we say “ABC” (American-Born Chinese), “BBC” (British), “CBC” (Canadian) and “ABC” (Australian, this time), or various other variants for other backgrounds, and are sensitive to the fact that people might look Chinese but have been born in Lubbock, Texas and grown up in Orange County, California.

But after a while in Asia one learns that really, there are many kinds of Chinese (let alone people from elsewhere in Eastern Asia), and knowing a bit about where someone’s from helps you understand where they’re coming from.

Let’s take a few examples.

If someone was born in China and grew up in the Mainland, they’re almost definitely Chinese ethnically, culturally and by nationality. Ethnically they’re either of the Han Chinese majority, or one of the minorities like Uighur, Korean, Russian, or maybe even the extreme minority of Persian in the case of one of my friends. Culturally, anyone who grows up in the Mainland has some inescapable aspects of Chinese culture. On a superficial level, this manifests in things like a feeling one should remove one’s shoes at the door (common to anyone in continental Asia and San Francisco), then proceeds through to a few culturally entrenched beliefs like the importance of hard work and giving gifts in the form of red packets or moon cakes, and goes all the way up to a generally abstract and usually non-religious but highly philosophical perception of the world. People who grew up in this environment are highly aware of the dominance of the Chinese government (whatever they think of it), are cognizant of the fact that their parents or grandparents experienced the Cultural Revolution and the incredible tragedy that brought upon the country—whether or not they speak about it—and generally feel lucky to have what they have. In terms of nationality, they’ve got an id card or passport that says “People’s Republic of China” on it.

If born in the west (the US for example), someone of Chinese descent is likely to identify as Western (e.g. American, or French or whatever) in most circumstances. But to some, they’re still Chinese, despite their passport, despite views on the world and despite even their own will. To other Asian friends who grew up in the west, they’ll share a lot, but share a lot more with those of Chinese background—regardless of what kind of Chinese background that is. It’s hard being even vaguely Chinese and visiting any Chinese country. People would speak to you in Chinese languages and expect you to understand. Since not all people born and raised in western countries speak Chinese languages fluently, this situation can raise judgment, a few insecurities, and sometimes guilt. It’s a very different experience to visiting a country in Greater China as another kind of Asian (like Jo, who is of Korean background) or a total foreigner (like me). The expectations are different. (We’d feel the same pressure if we visited Korea or Iran.)

The people of Hong Kong are different again. They’ll share a lot of views common to most of China and even Asia. Views like the importance of deference to elders, modest dress (an evolving definition) and belief in at least one form of traditional Chinese medicine are common. Hong Kongers will even call themselves Chinese. But that doesn’t mean they’re part of the PRC, and (as I indicated above) they may strongly assert that they are not. Their passports will attest to this. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport is a passport issued only to the permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. Note that last bit. It gets quite complicated! But basically, you get one of these passports if you have one parent who also has Chinese nationality and you were born in Hong Kong. I don’t know if the parents had to have claimed their Chinese nationality at the time of birth, but I wouldn’t want to dive into that bureaucratic black hole.

In Taiwan, being of Chinese descent ethnically differentiates you from the Aboriginal people of Taiwan, but could still mean you have ancestry from anywhere over the island of Taiwan or elsewhere in China. Chinese people in Taiwan probably speak Mandarin, though not always as the dominant language, which might be Taiwanese, also known as Taiwanese Hokkien (locally referred to as 臺語, Tai yu in Mandarin pronunciation). I spoke to some people in Mandarin and then only half-understood the reply, because they responded to me in Taiwanese—a strategy that would work with most locals (and maybe other Mainland visitors who have more of a knack for other Chinese languages). At other times, I’d say something in Mandarin (like numbers, or the names of foods when buying things) and then be taught the local Taiwanese words for them. Using local words subsequent times always got a better response.

And beyond the boundaries of where the PRC asserts its authority, you can also be Chinese and be Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Singaporean or Filipino (or a national of a few other countries). In those countries, there have been immigrant Chinese populations for a number of generations, the descendants of whom still identify as Chinese. The implied language spoken varies dramatically. It’s pretty common for someone who’s Malaysian Chinese to speak five languages: English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese and Malay… not to mention Hakka, Teochew and a few others (but generally not more than a few Chinese variants at a time). People in Thailand who identify as Thai Chinese, on the other hand, may speak no Chinese languages at all. They might tell you they’re of Chinese descent, or they might not—regardless of how much it changes (basically nothing, except maybe an understanding nod to the fact that their great, great grandparents escaped poverty from the south of China), the way they identify is highly individual.

Overall, I would never suggest putting people in a box. Every individual has exceptions. The above is just a quick glimpse into the complexity of Chinese “identity”, itself a fluid construct. But understanding some cultural background helps us feel more at home with people without having to go over many basic questions. Even just knowing that someone is only one generation away from poverty can help many of us with similar backgrounds feel like we have something important in common. So take the above as a glimpse into a rich world that I’d invite everyone to explore for themselves.

Who are we?

These days, when people ask us where we’re from, we assume good intentions: That they’re trying to connect with us. I tell them I’m from Iran (I’m really not… but it’s why I’m brownish), and Jo says she’s from Korea. They may have follow-up questions, but usually this is enough to satisfy the asker. Worst case, we’re doing a pretty good job at representing those two countries, and let them have it for free.

What we’ve learned so far from travelling is not just who we are, but the importance of the nuance of where other people are from. We’re looking forward to diving deeper into what makes people tick in more parts of the world.

[mybukz]

Fiction: To Where I Belong by Peter Soh

Image by Tim Wright on Unsplash

“You do not know how to teach because you are not a trained teacher. There is nothing to do with whether you know the syllabus or not—you are just not fit to be a teacher.“

I sat in the meeting room looking at my PowerPoint slides. Tears started to well up in my eyes, but I had to keep them from running down my face. Ms Angeline looked puzzled. She thought today’s interview was just a procedural one since my first interview with the principal was impressive.

“I will further discuss with the human resource manager on your suitability of this job. We will call you again.” My interviewer stormed out of the meeting room without giving me a handshake.

Later, Ms Angeline did not expect this to happen. Her face was filled with apprehension. She told me my contract was all ready and I could start scouring for a place to live.

“Wait for me. I will be right back.”

“Sure. Thank you.” I looked at her and smiled weakly, and my eyes darted over to my slides again. *

This was my umpteenth interview. I was confident that I was going to nail the interview this time and everything would, once again, fall into place. I was at the end of my tether after travelling up and down, from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur, Penang to Sarawak, just to attend numerous job interviews that ended in vain.

Just like my mixed ancestry that manifested in my outlook and lifestyle—tanned skin and big rounded eyes, and speaking a patois concocted from Malay, Hokkien, and sometimes, the English language—which often confused the others, my ability to excel in both the Science and the Arts was not appreciated, and sometimes, confused the prospective employers. Transgressing the norm or staying in between the poles was unwelcomed and undesirable. It could be a deadly threat—you just did not belong to anyone and anywhere.

‘Jack-of-all-trades, master of none’ was how one interviewer described me. Despite the efforts, struggles, and many late nights spent to catch up with the knowledge that I did not gain previously as a microbiology student, I was deemed incomplete despite the fact that I was later conferred a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and had written and published more than 30 articles.

“Your article is well-researched, but it lacks originality somehow. You need to emphasise how great our products are. Not just the general benefits of taking the supplements,” one interviewer told me.

“Thank you for your suggestions. I did not do so because I am unsure of the degree of effectiveness of those supplements and I want to leave room for any possible mishaps,” I replied.

“Are you insinuating about the safety of our products?”

“Of course not. I just want to protect your company and also, myself as a writer.”

“You are a great writer. But we would prefer someone who can bring in the sales. It is business at the end of the day. We need solid numbers.” *

Increasingly frustrated with my attempts to secure a writing job, I started to look out for an English-teaching job. Father told me my time just had not arrived and it was a good move to look for something else at the moment.

“Be adaptive like your great-grandfather. If he did not settle here and marry your Indonesian great-grandmother, he would not have such a beautiful great-grandchild today. You are the pride of the Tan family,”

“I just do not understand. I worked hard on every minute that God sends but I did not attain a job. I just do not know what is going wrong. I wasted five years to complete my university, just to gain nothing. Except debts!”

“I never think time could be wasted. You grew and that is all that matters.”

I did not know what to reply to father. His advice was always sage and insightful. In times of turbulence and chaos, he had always remained that calm and poised. Even when his mother passed away, father did not shed a single tear throughout the funeral. He had always been the family’s rock. *

“Sorry for the long wait. After discussing with Ms Eunice and the principal, we would like to offer you the job, still,” Ms Angeline handed me the contract that she had prepared earlier. “Your winning point is your publication, and we would like to give you a chance.”

“Thank you for this.”

She just didn’t buy the idea of me not knowing the IGCSE syllabus. I already told her today’s presentation was all I could get from the internet. I could not suppress my rage any longer and started losing my professionalism.

“Don’t worry. It was just a minor misunderstanding. She came from the perspective of a teacher and you came from the perspective of a writer. This was why she was dissatisfied with your teaching because she thought what you had presented was too difficult for the students. You have to teach the students on how to write the introduction, the body, and also the conclusion. Straight teaching the students on how to edit an article is way too advanced for these students.”

“But these students are Year 10, aren’t they? They are sitting for the IGCSE exam next year and they should have known the structure of an essay.” I continued to probe for more bizarre justifications, not remembering to keep my cool anymore.

“It is a little different here, Mr William. These kids are spoon-fed most of the time and they get used to mollycoddling. They don’t remember things.”

I looked at the contract on the transparent table. I hesitated to ink my contract. I was still bitter about the unfair judgement thrown at me just because I deviated from the interviewer’s expectation. I could not accept the reason of me not being a trained teacher; the management should know I was not a trained teacher ever since they called me up for interviews. I had had enough of constantly being judged and questioned for my ethnicity, lifestyle, choice of studies, and my abilities, just because I did not fit the boxes.

I just could not breathe in the meeting room. *

“Welcome the new teachers in Melody International School! Please stand up when your name is being called,” the principal, announced, looking excited, at the staff meeting.

I signed my contract and landed a job after idling for six months. Father’s words kept echoing in my mind when I told him that I did not want to work at a place where I was judged pre-emptively.

He said, “It is all about survival of the fittest in this world. You need to survive before you can do whatever you want. It is wise to take up this offer—you don’t have any offers now. You can leave when you have a better offer.”

That night, I quickly learnt and accepted the fact that I need to anchor somewhere for a start. It was pointless to think of a change if I was still floating around because the world just did not operate in such mechanism since the first human appeared. I started to think whether my great-grandfather married my great-grandmother just for survival or because they were in love. I contemplated that growing up means losing one’s faith to keep up with the dogma of life and the more resistant one tries to change it, the more hurtful and defeated one will be. And I gave in to life that night because I needed a job desperately.

“And we have Mr William Tan. He will be teaching Year 7 English as a Secondary Language.”

The thunderous applause seemed to congratulate me for making a right choice in life. I stood up from my seat and gave my colleagues a practiced smile.

“The new term is starting next week.” The principal looked serious after introducing the new teachers. I could feel the air in the hall was becoming still and forbidding.

“As all of you know, last year was a good to great year but nowhere near excellent! The number of students who opt out from the school increases, and I want you to know that at the end of the day, it is all about business. I want all teachers to show more care to the students. If you take care of my students, I will take care of your salary and bonus.”

I shudder at the speech. It was disgusting. Since when education becomes a job that pleases the students and their parents?

And it dawned on me at that moment that being a teacher was not much different than being a writer. At the end of the day, it is all about business and it is all about numbers. And one can only get the chance to find themselves if they survive playing the game of life. You can’t find yourself when you are dying of hunger.

The principal locked eye contact with me. I nodded my head at what she had just said. After all, I was still under probation.

The game had only just started. *

Peter Soh is an ambitious Malaysian writer whose stories are about darkness, pain, struggles, identity searching and what makes us a human.

[brigdh]

What did you just finish? Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. A shallow, wealth-porn, frothy bauble of a book, but one which is lots of fun. Rachel Chu and Nicholas Young are both new professors at New York University (Nicholas in history, Rachel in economics, which I have to say seems like a weird choice for a character who spends the whole book being shocked by wealth) and have been dating for about two years, when Nicholas invites Rachel to come to Singapore with him for the summer, so he can participate in his best friend's wedding and she can meet his family. Rachel does so, only to discover that Nicholas is not generically middle-class as she'd always assumed, but rich. And not, like, normal rich, you guys: crazy rich. The rest of the book consists of Rachel gawking at the possessions of Nicholas's family and friends: private jets, personal islands, hotel chains, uncounted maids and drivers and servants, clothes from every top-name designer you can image, antiques and art and mansions and skyscrapers and on and on. Not all is absurdly wealthy bliss, however: various unmarried women try to drive Rachel away so that they can claim Nicholas for themselves, and Nicholas's mother is determined to keep her out of the family. She's shocked enough that Nicholas would marry beneath himself when she assumes Rachel is one of the Taiwanese plastics Chus (such trashy new money!); you can imagine how she feels when she realizes Rachel is actually the daughter of a single-mother real estate agent from Palo Alto, California. Meanwhile, the wedding brings to town every cousin, aunt, uncle, old childhood friend, ex-partner, and business connection from around the world back to town (seriously, this book has an oppressively long character list), and Nicholas's cousin Astrid, who also fell in love outside of the Singaporean elite, is dealing with the breakdown of her own marriage. The whole thing is a bit of a forgettable guilty pleasure, the sort where most of the fun comes from watching people who have such a vastly different lifestyle than me or anyone I know, like Gossip Girl or that Downtown Abbey scene where Maggie Smith asks "What is a week-end?" – except for the fact that pretty much every speaking character is Asian. Still, even if it's silly, it's a fun, fast-moving read. I will confess that my favorite part ended up being the footnotes, where Kwan translates the occasional word or phrase in Mandarin, Malaysian, Hokkien, or other languages and explains references to Singaporean places and people. A few of the ones that made me laugh: Malay slang used to express shock or exasperation like “oh dear” or “oh my God.” Alamak and lah are the two most commonly used slang words in Singapore. (Lah is a suffix that can be used at the end of any phrase for emphasis, but there’s no good explanation for why people use it, lah.) Among Singapore’s upper crust, only two boys’ schools matter: Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) and Raffles Institution (RI). Both are consistently ranked among the top schools in the world and have enjoyed a long, heated rivalry. RI, established in 1823, is known to attract the brainy crowd, while ACS, established in 1886, is popular with the more fashionable set and somewhat perceived to be a breeding ground for snobs. Much of this has to do with the 1980 article in the Sunday Nation entitled “The Little Horrors of ACS,” which exposed the rampant snobbery among its pampered students. This led to a shamed principal announcing to stunned students (including this author) the very next morning during assembly that, henceforth, students were no longer allowed to be dropped off at the front entrance by their chauffeurs. (They had to walk up the short driveway all by themselves, unless it was raining.) Expensive watches, eyeglasses, fountain pens, briefcases, satchels, pencil boxes, stationery, combs, electronic gadgets, comic books, and any other luxury items would also be banned from school property. (But within a few months, Lincoln Lee started wearing his Fila socks again and no one seemed to notice.) The exotic Black and White houses of Singapore are a singular architectural style found nowhere else in the world. Combining Anglo-Indian features with the English Arts and Crafts movement, these white-painted bungalows with black trim detailing were ingeniously designed for tropical climes. Originally built to house well-to-do colonial families, they are now extremely coveted and available only to the crazy rich ($40 million for starters, and you might have to wait several decades for a whole family to die). Overall I'd really only recommend the book to someone in need of a mindless beach read. In particular the ending is left unresolved; I know there's a sequel, but even for a book in the midst of a series I'd expect more loose ends to be tied up than what we got here. That said, I haven't seen the movie yet, and I suspect it's the sort of story where good actors can make all the difference, simply by fleshing out these somewhat-cardboard characters. Driving to Geronimo’s Grave by Joe Lansdale. A collection of six short stories by an author mostly known for capturing the spirit of rural east Texas, both in historical and modern fiction. In the title story, a brother and sister run afoul of a bank robber in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. This one had an excellent first-person narrator and a great sense of humor. In the Mad Mountains is a surprisingly straightforward Lovecraft pastiche, with hints of the Titanic's sinking and Amelia Earhart's disappearance mixing with the cosmic horrors. There's no twists or revisionism here; you could almost mistake this one for actual Lovecraft, except that Lansdale is much better at writing well-rounded characters. Though that's a low bar. Robo Rapid is an old-fashioned, surprisingly cozy YA post-apocalyptic story – more Edgar Rice Burroughs than Hunger Games – with a girl heading out on an adventure across a vast and unknown desert. The Projectionist is darker than the other stories; a noir tale of mobsters and unrequited obsession. Everything Sparkles in Hell is probably my favorite of the six. It reminded me a bit of Django Unchained, having a similar sort of violent humor tucked into a revisionist Western. A black bounty hunter and his Native American buddy track down four murderers, at least until a man-killing grizzly bear and a massive snowstorm complicate matters. Wrestling Jesus is the only story of these that I'd before; it was published in the Dangerous Women anthology and I have to say that I really disliked it there. A bullied teen is semi-adopted by an elderly ex-wrestler, who teaches him how to fight in between preparing for his own big match – he and another man have a rivalry going back decades where they compete for the attentions of a beautiful woman. Read as a story explicitly about a 'dangerous woman' it's a disaster, since a) the woman only appears in one scene, where b) she's literally a prize to be fought over by men. Read by itself, it's a fine story about a father-son relationship. Or it would be, if Lansdale hadn't included a long afterword complaining about the bad reviews he got for the anthology. Don't write a story that so blatantly misses the point and then get upset when people say you missed the point, dude! I hate it when authors I like act like dingbats in their nonfictional writings. But with all that said, this is a very nice collection of stories, with a surprising diversity of tones and settings. I've long been a fan of Lansdale's Hap & Leonard series, but this book would make a good introduction for newcomers. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. What are you currently reading? Jade City by Fonda Lee. This book has been described as "Hong Kong gangster movie, but fantasy". I just started it this morning so I can't say more than that, but really, what more do you need?

[lapeaudelamemoire]

Tbh if Singaporean-Chinese people were actually proud towards PRC Chinese folks because we're a lot more linguistically diverse, I'd get that much. But in actual fact, overall, our Mandarin is shitty, and most of us hardly actually speak our own dialects, and what we do speak is such a mix of languages and dialects that we keep switching between them to boot. As in, sometimes some small parts of someone's speech can be unintelligible because they're heavier on a different dialect than the one you know. If someone uses a lot of Cantonese phrases, for instance, someone who's Hokkien and unfamiliar with Cantonese might not get everything. And usually if this were a bigger country we'd call that dialectic in itself, but here - I don't even know what to call it. It'd be a whole different story if we were proud because we spoke 3 or more languages 'fluently' (by fluently I mean were able to communicate without needing to switch between languages overly much and get across efficiently in one language to a native speaker) and could code-switch at will to our chosen 'rojak' Singlish. I love being Singaporean/who I am. Mostly because that means I speak English, Mandarin, my dialect, + whatever else I've learned on my own, but also because my parents put together also speak Cantonese, some Hokkien, Teochew, Malay, and a smattering of other dialects/languages. Now if I said I was proud of that and had more to me than, say, a PRC who only speaks their own dialect and maybe Mandarin - and depending on where in China they're from, they might not have a dialect other than Mandarin - that would make sense. I am pleased about the diversity of dialects and languages I get. But since that is not the case for most Sg-Chinese people I know - seriously barely anyone actually bothers to learn their own dialects nowadays - I honestly don't get it. We basically just stunt ourselves halfway re: situations in interacting with people not from this little island aka the only place Singlish is relevant, i.e. if one were to go to, say, the Canton province in China, which is where you might have distant relatives, and not being able to speak Cantonese except for a few phrases, even though that's your dialect. I don't have a problem with Singlish. I do have a problem with the inane pride we seem to take in what seems to me to effectively amount to learning several languages to varying degrees and not mastering any, so that it mostly only functions in one context, while not paying attention to other races and our own heritage?? We could have so much more to be proud for, I guess is what I'm saying. Other diaspora are out here trying to connect to their roots and languages and we just - ??? Some delusions of grandeur I'd say...

[allonsysilvertongue]

The Elusive Miss Trinket

Haymitch Abernathy was pulled out of his self-imposed retirement by the Trinkets with a request of utmost urgency. [Hayffie AU] 

The Elusive Miss Trinket: Chapter 12

When they met up again the day after, Effie came prepared with information of the school her nephew was enrolled in; the benefits and merits, its reputation and insisted that Prim would love it there.

“That won’t work,” Haymitch disagreed. “Prim is everything to Katniss and being separated from her that way… I don’t think she’ll bite.”

Effie had scheduled a house visit for a meeting with one of her clients when she had asked him along, he agreed to it simply because he had nothing else to do that day. It was a good experience, he thought, to leave the touristy areas of Marina Bay Sands behind and stepped into the local neighbourhood.

“You won’t know until you ask,” Effie argued. “If she cares about her sister, she would want only the best for her, like you do.”

Haymitch shot her an annoyed look. She can be quite persistent when she set her mind to it. It was just his luck, he supposed, to be surrounded by exceptionally stubborn people.

“I need coffee,” he mumbled distractedly and made a sharp left into a coffee shop he saw in the neighbourhood.

The array of stalls greeted him and it took him a while to locate the drink stall tucked at a corner. He moved towards it where the steam from boiling water rose to the air. There was a queue which he joined with Effie.

“I’d like a cup of Milo,” she smiled at him.

He had never had a Milo before and had no idea what it was.

“I thought you’d be more of a tea kinda person.”

“I had tea before I met you,” Effie answered. “Now, back to what we were discussing. If the only reason you agreed to work for my father is for Prim, then really, Haymitch, talk to your girls about my suggestion.”

“I told you that ain’t the only reason,” he muttered. He moved forward in line and then peered at the old lady behind the counter. “Coffee and uh – milo.”

“You want Dinosaur? Milo peng? What you want?”

“I’m sorry - what?”

Haymitch frowned and Effie laughed.

“Normal, hot milo,” she intervened. “And one coffee, aunty. Takeaway.”

The old lady gave her a soft smile and turned her back on them, mixing and preparing the drinks in Styrofoam cups for them. The process was entertaining, to say the least, as she poured the ground coffee into what he thought with horror as a sock which Effie was quick to assure was actually just a filter. The lady handed him their drinks with a loud, “handsome boy, your drinks!”

He glanced at Effie, a little embarrassed. She seemed more amused than anything.

“Why do you call her that?” Haymitch asked as they left the place. “You don’t know her, yeah? She’s not your aunt or anything.”

“When I first arrived, I did think it was peculiar but now, I have accepted it as their way of life. They seem to address anyone older than them as Uncle or Aunty. It is as if the entire country is one big family. I think they do so out of respect,” she mused, “but still, it is the way things are and I am just… adapting to it.”

“Right,” he nodded.

“Well, do not be surprised if someone were to address you as Uncle,” she chuckled. “It happened to me quite a number of times.”

“Listen, I’m not outright dismissing what you suggested,” he told her. “But, let’s take a rain check and see if you father holds his end of the bargain. I gave him an update yesterday night after I left your place… Told him I’m gettin’ somewhere with you. So we’ll see.”

“Oh, he will hold his end. My father believes strongly in seeing through with any deals that he makes as long as he sees results. We should take a photo together,” she suggested out of the blue.

“What the hell for?”

“Why, to send it to him, of course,” she deadpanned. “If he sees that you are friendly with me, gaining my trust, so to speak, it will likely give him the nudge to do what is necessary for Prim.”

“Am I gaining your trust?” his eyes sparkled as he teased her.

“Do not push it, Haymitch. We both have something we want out of this.”

He held up both hands in surrender and passed his phone to a girl for the photo. Effie pressed herself against his side, tilting her head slightly to smile at the camera except at the very last second, a passer-by accidentally bumped into her. He steadied her with a hand on her waist just as she looked up at him.

“That’s good,” she nodded her approval at the photo. “Send that to my father.”

He wanted to take another photo, a simple one of them just standing side by side but Effie was adamant that he sent that in particular.

“I think it would give my father quite a scare he might even pull you back from the job,” she said with an uncharacteristic wink.

The result showed hours later on that very night. They were walking down Orchard Road, the city’s shopping district, with Effie fully intending to make use of her father’s credit card when Haymitch’s phone went off.

It was from Katniss with a text to say that the tutor was meeting Prim in an hour’s time. They would be discussing and tailoring the curriculum to what Prim required so texted Beetee to oversee the meeting in case anything were to come up, and if he trusted anyone to know more about academics than the tutor, it was Beetee.

“See,” Effie declared smugly. “What did I tell you? I know my father quite well. Do you know what this means, Haymitch? Two can play the game – you and I against my parents.”

If he thought it was that simple to mislead the Trinkets, he was wrong. He received a call not long after from Lysandra Trinket demanding an explanation for that photo.

“You want me to convince her home, yeah? So that’s what I’m doing,” he snapped. “Quit questioning my methods. All I’m tryin’ to do is to gain her trust before she can run off to who knows where this time round.”

“How exactly do you propose to that? By getting cosy with my daughter?”

“You’re shitting me, right?” he snorted. “I ain’t cosying up to her. How do people trust other people? By offering a hand of friendship – you should try it sometimes,” he was sure the woman could picture him rolling his eyes at this point. “Be a friend and you’ll realize you don’t have to buy your way into people’s good graces.”

That clearly hit a nerve because there was an indignant cry before he was greeted with a momentary silence.

“That is all well and good, Mr. Abernathy,” she said once she had herself under control, “but my daughter is a very beautiful woman, very irresistible.”

“What’s your point?” he growled.

“I will not have you falling for her charms. You will not even think about sleeping with her in an attempt to persuade her or worse still, you will not fall in love with her… It is not uncommon for men to delude themselves into thinking that they are in love with my daughter. She might convince you to let her stay otherwise. I will risk not have the job compromised by such trivialities.”

Haymitch scoffed. If she only knew how close they came to sleeping with each other…

“Your daughter is an adult,” he shot back instead, “and what the hell do you take me for? You’d think I’d sleep with her to lower her defenses? Give your daughter some credit at least. She ain’t stupid.”

He let his gaze trailed over to where Effie was busy in a shoe shop, trying on a pair of killer red heels.

“Do not have any feelings for her, Mr Abernathy. I do not like what I saw in that photo you sent to my husband.”

“You don’t have to worry about anyone falling in love… or having feelings,” he spat.

If earlier was any indication, the reason Effie Trinket was even talking to him and giving him her time of day after knowing who he was and the reason he was here was so she could have him work with her instead of her parents.

He sighed. Since when did he become a double agent?

“I know why I’m here – get your daughter home, get Prim a tutor and get my record cleared. I’ll hold up my end of the deal, you make sure you hold up yours.”

Haymitch ended the call just as Effie excited from the shop with two bags.

“I’ve got myself two pairs of Louboutin,” she announced proudly.

“And a Louboutin is a…?”

“Christian Louboutin, Haymitch,” she explained. “No…? Doesn’t ring any bell?”

“Nah.”

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go. We’ll find something for you,” she gave him a charming smile and handed the credit card she used to purchase the shoes back to him.

They never said it out loud but it would seem that Haymitch & Effie are slowly working together! Let's see how that pans out in future chapters. :) Leave me a review!

Background: Our coffeeshop (fondly call a 'kopitiam') is not like walking into Starbucks or any other coffee places. 

(Photo credit)

'Milo' is a chocolate malt drink. Not sure if you have it in US/Europe, but I think not? Anyway, 'Milo Dinosaur' and 'Milo Godzilla' is chocolate drink with Milo powder/ice cream/whipped cream, basically diabetes in a cup. It's an all time local favourite. 'Peng' means ice in Hokkien (I think). So, the lady is actually asking, if Haymitch would like ice in the drink. 

Ordering coffee/tea in a local coffeeshop here is an art which even I have not mastered. If you're interested, you can check out these websites: LINK and LINK

That’s only one mall in Orchard Road. The entire road on left and right is lined with multiple malls :)

[minhoony]

11 QUESTIONS

(๑•͈ᴗ•͈) LONG POST AHEAD (SORRY)

i was tagged by both @winneresque and @lonelyand-precarious , thank u so much i love both ur questions <3 so i’ll be answering 22? 

maya’s questions: 

If you could meet 3 historically significant people who would you pick? i’m embarrassed as i have no answer to this..;;

Whats a book you really like but probably won’t recommend to anyone? it’s not really a book but this collection of pictures which only i seem to find nice so there’s that.

Do you like anime and if so what are your favourite ones? i don’t watch but i’ve seen some, they’re not bad i guess but i don’t have a favourite. maybe if i watch more i’ll have one.

Do you prefer coke or pepsi? cOKE FOR SURE

What would you say your worst habit is? being messy, my room can be quite unhygienic due to my laziness so probably LAZINESS,,smh

Do you think Winner are really coming back on April? THEY ARE NOW THAT’S FOR SURE 4/4 4PM :’)

Are you a morning or an evening shower type of person? evening as i'm lazy in the morning

How long is your makeup and skincare routine? 5 minutes as i don’t do makeup but i’m interested tbh

If someone wanted to get to know kpop music which group or artist would you recommend to them? bigbang, blackpink, bts? most typical oh and exo! perhaps winner but idk their style is not for everyone (as of now)

On a scale of 1-10 how different is your current life from your ideal life? With 10 being the most different it’ll be a 6/5 as i don’t really have an ideal life? but i’m contended as of now but i do wish i’m more productive T^T it’s a crucial year for me

Do you have any pets? How many? What are their names? (I’m sorry but I just really like hearing about pets) i wish i have pet   

ree’s questions:

What issues matter to you? this is a tough question, i’d say islamophobia is something that bothers me a fair bit, also racism and homophobia,,asian country problem 101 ; i feel that at the end of the day, no matter who we are, we are humans and actions inflicted on others, we should think in others shoes more often.

What languages can you speak/write? english and mandrin /chinese, also i can speak hokkien (a dialect)

Do you play any musical instruments? i used to play the violin and organ (smth like a piano)

What was the last book you bought? hunger..games..but i’ve read plenty at the bookstore, just that i have no money to buy them.

Do you have kpop merchandise? yES omg i’m proud tbh, all of winner’s albums lmao like every version of 2014 s/s and exit e including westminister version and the exit tour cd also the exit:e collection photobook and both winner and ikon (bc i went for their concert) lightsticks, whICH I PROUDLY PAID FOR ALL THESE WITH THE MONEY I EARNED FROM WORKING :’) + mobb mino version of course!! <3

What is your pet peeve? bad scheduling when i'm going out with them

When was the last time you went camping? last year march

How many hair colours have you had? 1 :( i want to try something new this year

Do you read comics? nah

Favourite dessert? all of them give them to me i LOVE esp choco

Describe your style. whatever looks good on me LOL but fr i guess comfy, basic clothes that i can wear over and over again

finally, on to my questions:

what do you think may happen in the future, tech wise?

do you believe in a heaven and/or hell?

favourite place you’ve been to?

favourite drink and fruit?

what is one thing that makes you happy?

what is your favourite type of weather?

what is your favourite app on your phone right now?

what is your dream and how close are you to reaching it?

how do you normally relax and unwind?

opinions on aliens/creatures out of this world?

what is the best prank you have ever pulled? 

well that was random, and long: i rambled a lot but thank u for reading until here, hope you have a good day and that winner drops a billion teasers, love u ヾ(๑╹ヮ╹๑)ﾉ”

tagging: @seunghoonnn @seungyoon @bts-eventeen @hoshlzoras @whimperman @hobitama @jiholeen @yoonmino @taehyuncity @bapgguk @hayigrnd & anyone who wants to do this!! 

[its-lifestyle]

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, three friends sit down together for a meal. Interestingly, it is the sole male among the three who has done all the cooking.

“It took me three days to prepare all this food,” exclaims David Neo, a senior lecturer at the faculty of film, theatre and animation at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

His friends are in awe and conversation flows as plates are piled with food. “Ooh, what is this?” asks the cheerful Dr Lee Su Kim, author of the popular Kebaya Tales and the founding president of the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association KL & Selangor.

“It’s called bakwan goreng and it’s a meatball with some spices in it,” says Neo, poking the plump rotund balls he has carefully fried up.

“I don’t know how to make any of these things. But I know how to make pongtey in a pressure cooker,” laughs Melissa Chan, who recently wrote a book called Stories Of One Malaccan Family.

The three laugh merrily and turn their attentions to eating. Although none are related, they share a common bond: they are all Peranakan Chinese.

History of the Peranakan Chinese

There are nine different Peranakan communities in Malaysia – the Peranakan Chinese in Penang, their counterparts in Melaka, Portuguese Eurasians, the Hindu Chetties in Melaka, Jawi Peranakans (made up of Indian Muslims married to Malays), Arab descendants (Muslim Arabs married to local women), the Peranakan Chinese communities in Terengganu and Kelantan and the samsam Peranakans (who are of Thai and Malay lineage).

Of these, the Peranakan Chinese in the Straits Settlements (Penang, Melaka and Singapore) are the ones that most people are likely to be familiar with. In Melaka, this community typically speaks Baba Malay while in Penang, Hokkien is the language of conversation.

Peranakan Chinese can trace their ancestry back to the 13th century when Chinese merchants travelled to Malaysia and ended up marrying local women and settling in different parts of Malaysia. The women they married themselves came from multiple places – Batok, Java, Sulawesi, Thailand and Bali. This intermingling resulted in a unique cultural identity that has – to a certain extent – prevailed to this day.

The word “Peranakan” itself literally translates to “child of the land”, but within the Peranakan Chinese community, men are called Babas and women are called Nyonyas, although there is some contention in this regard as the word Baba is typically limited to male descendants who have been here for generations, as opposed to families whose lineage traces back to late 19th and 20th century Chinese immigrants, termed singkehs.

“These days, there are very few families where both parents are Peranakans, as many have married outside the community. After the war, a lot of the Peranakan families were letting their daughters marry the singkehs because they showed potential. So with time, the culture is getting more watered down because it’s just one side of the family that’s represented,” says Neo, who is a descendant of the famed Tan Tock Seng (who founded the Tan Tock Seng hospital in Singapore).

Chan, Neo and Lee believe that while there is definitely a loss of culinary identity in modern Peranakan Chinese, evolution is key to sustaining the community’s culture.

Food and occasions

Back in the day, the Peranakan Chinese culinary identity was forged based on the Nyonyas, the matriarchs of the homes.

The Nyonya women developed their well-rounded culinary skills and hone recipes that then became tightly-guarded family secrets.

“The food culture is a very rich culture and it’s all deeply family guarded secrets. So different families will have different versions and it’s really families distinguishing themselves, especially the prominent families. In fact, if you find similarities between your food and another Peranakan Chinese family’s recipes, you might actually be related!” says Neo.

As Peranakan Chinese food is notoriously laborious and time-consuming, in the past, the work was often made easier because women from different branches of the family would come together to cook for weddings, banquets and family events.

While the Peranakan Chinese have a litany of dishes for different occasions, one of the occasions that necessitates cooking up a storm is the practice of ancestral worship or sembahyang abu.

“Ancestral worship is very central to the culture, so depending on who they venerate in the family, if it is grandma, then they will do a sembahyang abu on her birthday, death day and Chinese New Year,” says Neo.

The dishes served for these ancestral homage typically take the form of the forebears’ favourite meals and are presented in multiples of four, with up to eight or 12 dishes laid out for the prayers. Aside from ancestral worship, there is also the concept of tok panjang, or long table meals which involve elaborate festive meals with dishes like pork pongtey and pork with buah keluak arranged on a long table for Chinese New Year, weddings or other festive occasions.

“The whole idea of the tok panjang is to have a spread on the table,” agrees Neo.

Many Peranakan Chinese recipes have not been passed down the generations as modern Nyonya women simply do not have the time to produce these labour-intensive dishes anymore. Pictured here is taugey masak ikan asin.

Lesser-known Peranakan meals

Over time, Peranakan Chinese women have evolved, with many pursuing careers. While this is in tandem with a more global phenomenon, it has also resulted in the loss of many of the heirloom recipes that were typically passed down through the generations. “I eat some of this food at my aunty’s place because she cooks it. But none of my aunty’s daughters cook so I think the recipes will probably not get passed down,” says Chan.

“So it’s a double-sided kind of thing, the more independent the Nyonyas became, the less time they spent in the kitchen. In my grandmother’s time and mother’s time, they were always in the kitchen, celebrated all the festivals and did all the rituals. But few people do that now,” says Lee.

As a result, most people now get their first taste of Peranakan food from local restaurants purportedly serving the cuisine. Unfortunately, Neo says many of the recipes found in modern Nyonya restaurants bear no resemblance to the authentic Peranakan Chinese food he grew up with.

“There is so much that is being diluted and bastardised that when you go to a Peranakan restaurant, half of the menu is not Peranakan at all,” he says, as Lim shakes her head in disgust and mutters “Imposters!”

Still, some stalwarts – like Neo and his friends continue to champion the food and cook their heirloom recipes.

Neo, for instance inherited many recipes from his grandmother like his treasured buah paya masak titek, a light, aromatic soup enhanced with wedges of papaya that he continues to make to this day. “I think it’s not common because even though I’ve seen it in cookbooks, I’ve never had it in anyone’s home or seen it in a restaurant,” he says.

Neo says that most Peranakan restaurants do not serve anything close to the authentic Peranakan Chinese fare he grew up with.

Then there is blotok, a spice-laden concoction similar to otak-otak except that it makes use of fish, prawns and squid.

Meatballs laced with an assortment of spices form the backbone of the corpulent fried bakwan goreng – probably one of the most addictive things to emerge out of the Peranakan Chinese kitchen, if Neo’s version is anything to go by.

Neo says many of these dishes require back-breaking labour, including making everything from scratch, which is why most Peranakan Chinese have turned their backs on the cuisine altogether.

“I mean, our mothers used to cook like that. But nobody now has the time to cook like that. With Peranakan cooking, it is very labour-intensive because you make your rempahs from scratch. Everything that needs to be shredded has to be shredded by hand, because it’s also a reflection of being refined,” says Neo.

While Neo, Chan and Lee all believe that the Peranakan Chinese culinary identity is under threat, they are also pragmatic about the future.

“I think the younger generation should know about the culinary traditions but also how they are going to take that on – it would not be the same as the past because we have to constantly evolve,” says Chan.

Lee says this might mean really having to adapt with the times in more drastic ways, foregoing traditional ways of doing things in favour of updating recipes according to modern needs.

“There might be a day when you need a cookbook that shows people how to cook Peranakan food using shortcuts like pressure cookers and microwaves. I mean, we have to maintain some criteria but we cannot be sticklers about everything,” she says.

Read Part 2 of our series on different Peranakan culinary identities here.

BUAH PAYA MASAK TITEK

For the rempah 50g shallots 4 dried chillies 7g belachan 2 candlenuts

For cooking 400g firm unripe green-yellow papaya 300g prawns, peeled 50g dried salted fish (ikan kurau), cut into 1cm squares 1 litre prawn stock (made from boiling the prawn shells from the above prawns)

To make Pound/grind all the ingredients for the rempah into a fine paste. Set aside.

In a pot, fry salted fish untill it is fragrant. Add prawn stock and bring to boil. Add the rempah and stir for awhile. Add prawns, and lastly add papaya. Do not overcook papaya. Serve hot.

        BLOTOK

For the rempah 150g shallots 10 dried chillies 20g belacan 5 candlenuts 200g stingray, cut into bite-sized pieces 200g prawns, peeled 200g squid, cleaned, and cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 egg 5 leaves daun kadok, finely shredded 2 small daun kunyit, finely shredded 10 leaves daun limau purut, finely shredded 4 stalks daun kesom (use leaves only), finely shredded banana leaves, cut into about 15 cm squares to wrap blotok

To make

Pound/grind all the ingredients for the rempah into a fine paste.

Combine all ingredients (except banana leaves) together and mix well. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto each banana leave and fold into a boat, bringing the fours ends in, and secure with a toothpick. Steam for half an hour. Eat hot.

from Food – Star2.com https://ift.tt/34IIG98

[jahntang]

While saying my rosary this morning, I had a sudden inspiration to volunteer to help clean up the church! Was it divine intervention or just pure coincidence? Read on to find out more!

Every Wednesday and Saturday at 9am, a group of volunteers called “Willing Hands” will spend about an hour cleaning the main church.

Since this morning I was ‘off’, I thought, “Why not?”

After my morning prayers and exercise/sunshine at the park below my place, I was running pretty late and so packed some sourdough in a hurry, thinking I would eat it after the church cleaning.

The church was eerily quiet as I cycled in. At first, I did not know where or who to report to. Father Peter suggested I check the Chapel or main Hall. The Chapel was empty so I went up.

I was greeted by a few Aunties and Uncles holding brooms, dustpans and trash bags. They were all wearing such big, warm smiles that I could not help but grin sheepishly back.

From the first aunty I met, I felt as if I was returning home to my family!

“Welcome, JOHN the Baptist!” one aunty joked.

“GOD sent you here to help us! He knew we were short-handed!” another one replied.

They were so warm and welcoming and cute and funny! I really felt right at home from the beginning!

We started by sweeping and picking up litter below the pews and arranging them neatly. We then proceeded to mop the floors. The entire operation took roughly about an hour, way faster than I’d expected! (My mother wasn’t exactly pleased at the idea of me going to help clean the church this morning. “Clean the church for what? Don’t go and clean the whole church arh!”)

Following this, I took a moment to breathe in the atmosphere of the empty church hall. Without the usual mass crowd, priests and formalities, it was a nice feeling. I took time to savour our beautiful stained-glass paintings and the statue of Jesus going up into heaven (some affectionately nickname this statue “The Spaceman” because of the blue background 😂).

***Side note: While looking back at this picture, I realized the shadows kind of show a person’s face! Face of God?

Face of God?

I could also walk up close to our beautiful crib and even picked baby Jesus up to cradle him and ‘tickle’ his feet! (okay, that may be a little weird but it brought me such joy haha!)

We then gathered for a closing prayer of which I felt some verses were very poetic! Our head then gave us all a box of Ricola Herbal Mint as a small Christmas gift. ☺️

We then proceeded to the crib to take the annual christmas group photo. How coincidental that they’d do this today, although it’s only my first day haha … Naturally I felt a little odd since some of them have been doing this for almost a decade!

At the end I tried a ‘selfie’ so I could get everyone in the picture.

It turned out pretty nice!

The good Lord might have even blessed us with some heavenly sunshine on the top right!

Selfie with heavenly sunshine on top right!

After that we took a slow walk to a nearby hawker centre cum wet market, aptly named the ‘Round Market’ because of its shape. The group did not like the limited breakfast options at the coffee shop opposite our church and would rather walk 15 minutes away!

All along the way, I was engaged in hearty conversation with one of the Aunties who was delighted to speak with me in chinese because the rest usually spoke in english and I wanted to practice my chinese.

I learned that she was almost 80! And that long ago her husband left the family after being seduced by a young pretty girl. He has since passed on. She already has many grandchildren, the youngest of which is just one year younger than me!

I also learnt that a number of them in the group are peranakan (hence they usually spoke english or Malay to each other) and that they loved gardening and plants!

My ears immediately pricked up when I heard this! Gardening is something that has been at the back of my mind that I’ve been meaning to pick up in my free time. 

I was interested in how to grow plants, especially herbs, as well as the names of different plants, their medicinal properties, edible parts, how to tend to them and other uses like which plants are best for indoor air purification!

Along the way I was also given a ‘educational tour’ about different plants that owners of shophouses planted at the space in front of their shops below the HDB flats.

One plant in particular really caught my eye! They lovingly called this the “Birdie Plant” because its flowers looked just like little colourful canaries! Here is a picture of a red variety of this plant!

During breakfast, one of the aunties bought us drinks and even made a chocolate cake for us all! It was unexpected as it was actually her birthday! 😂 Fancy the birthday girl making the cake and buying drinks … we catholics are a weird bunch!

I shared my packed sourdough bread around and they loved it! I brought the two varieties we purchased this week – a white chocolate cranberry flavour and a Rugbread (dark rye with an assortment of seeds like pumpkin, flax, sesame and sunflower!).

I told them that this was from my favourite baker, Mr Kneady’s, located at the end of Bedok Marketplace level 2 next to a Japanese cuisine stall.

The owner, Lionel is a one of the most cheerful and amiable young baker I’ve ever known! He always greets customers with a huge smile and will take time to interact with all his customers.

I also explained to them all about his sourdough bread and pizzas. How he uses traditional overnight fermentation methods with a “starter” vs commercial baker’s yeast which can reduce bread rising time from 7+ hours to just 1 hour! He got his starter from the bakery he was working at in Iceland!

The use of overnight fermentation in a humidity- and temperature-controlled environment ensures the gluten in the bread is more easily digested and the nutrients in the flour become more bioavailable!

This is especially important for someone with an autoimmune disease like me who may be intolerant to gluten but can tolerate this form of fermented bread! Even people with celiac disease, an allergy to gluten in wheat, may in time be able to tolerate sourdough if they are careful with introducing it very slowly! (Please be warned that I am not a physician and do check with your holistic healthcare practitioner before trying anything on this blog!)

Besides eating sourdough bread, a dear aunty, Aunty D (for privacy reasons), also shared a bowl of “Heih Mee” (or Prawn Noodle in Hokkien dialect) with me. This was the famous one which they were all raving about. The soup was really tasty! Despite breaking my vegetarian diet (I’m not so strict when eating out) I enjoyed it very much! 😄

Back to our conversations.

Throughout breakfast, we were passionately discussing about herbs and the plants they grew in the backyard of another church, Divine Mercy at Pasir Ris. Apparently, the Parish priest knew Aunty D very well and when the parish gardener suffered a serious accident, asked her if she knew anyone who loved gardening. That was how they started volunteering at the Church of the Divine Mercy every Tuesdays too!

They will go down after breakfast and help with some cleaning of the chapel before tending to the plants. What a special group! 😆

I learnt that they grew all kinds of plants and herbs there in abundance. From banana trees to papaya, olives and even grapes!

Aunty T also told me of two special plants they were especially proud of due to its healing properties.

The first was the Moringa plant! This plant is also known as the “Miracle Plant” due to its healing abilities for everything from the common cuts and headaches to stomach and skin infections, cardiovascular and cancer problems. Every part of the plant has a medicinal property! Read more about it here.

Its other name is the “Drumstick Tree” due to the seed pods of some varieties growing like drumsticks! 😂 The edible seeds inside the pods are commonly found in Indian Cuisines!

Moringa Seed Pod from an indian grocery store we passed on the way back!

The second plant is the Sabah Snake Grass which anecdotally, has been very effective in treating all kinds of cancer in asian countries where this plant grows wildy and abundantly! Read more here.

Sabah Snake Grass in a pot at the plant store. Aunty T said this plant grows best on the ground with plenty of soil, like grass!

We then took a tour of the nearby plant shop owned by a man they affectionately call the ‘Snake Man’. Aptly named because he likes to ‘snake’ around the shop and Round Market so they tend to have a hard time finding him! (‘Snaking around’ is also another way of saying you aren’t doing your job or remaining at your post, kind of like being lazy!)

Here I was amazed at the varieties of plants for sale. I was given another ‘plants crash course’ and found out the best plants for indoor air purification are the Aloe Vera and the Mother in Law’s tongue!

Another plant was the Peace lily. Named so because of its beautiful white flower! I purchased one of this for $9!

After this, I was promptly dragged aside by Aunty D and ‘scolded’ because I did not listen to her telling me not to buy from Snakeman haha. At the shop she was telling me that she has sooooo many plants at home and that she has extra pots and soil and can just give them to me. My reasoning was that I needed a plant soon for my father’s office table and did not think I was going to her house anytime soon as I did not know where it was.

However, she told me that her house was just walking distance from the church and that we could go there now and split this one Peace Lily that I’d bought into a few more pots! She added that it was clearly overcrowded.

So off we went to her place! Another unexpected turn of events haha. Initially I was thinking I’d be on my way home after cleaning the church and be back for lunch by 11am. 😂

It was about 12pm by the time we arrived. She stayed at a corner flat and since her neighbour did not keep plants, she had the entire corridor for herself! As you can see in the picture below, she has turned the place into a little garden of neatly arranged plants!

It was truly a sight to behold at first! You can just feel the air changing as you walk towards her house, lined with all the plants! I definitely felt the energy of the place changing too!

She had all sorts of flowering plants from Orchids to Cacti, Japanese Roses to Air Plants and even a green ‘Birdie Plant’! (picture below)

She then taught me how to split the one Peace Lily I bought into a few other pots. Initially I was just thinking of splitting it into 2 but after that, she still felt it was too crowded and we eventually split it into FIVE pots!!! All for the price of one! 😂

I also received 2 more pots of plants from her! One called a Lucky flower plant because its flowers only bloom from midnight to sunrise so you have to be ‘lucky’ to see it in full bloom. The other is another plant of which neither of us knows the name of. Its flowers were so unique and I thought my mother would love it so I asked if I could have a pot of it.

  Before I left, she also educated me about fertilizers, how to take care of the plants and where her favourite place to shop for plants and gardening supplies was – at a nursery in Eunos!

Upon reaching home, I immediately set about arranging the plants. The first name that came to my mind when looking at the unusual flowered plant is ‘Morry’ so I named it so. My mother then named the other Lucky Flower plant ‘Angel’ haha.

Conclusion

What an unexpectedly blessed morning this was!

I never expected that a simple church cleaning session would bless me with a new ‘family’ of loving uncles and aunties, new knowledge about plants and herbs, an opportunity to learn gardening (I’m definitely going gardening next tuesday with them!) and 6 new pots of plants to bring home!

God truly works in unexpected ways and although I never really outright prayed for this to happen, it feels like he knew what I was missing/desired in the back of my head and heart and granted it today in the form of divine motivation to go and do some charity work in church!

My soul continues to rejoice in his majesty!

God bless you all!

While saying my rosary this morning, I had a sudden inspiration to volunteer to help clean up the church! Was it divine intervention or just pure coincidence? Read on to find out more!  While saying my rosary this morning, I had a sudden inspiration to volunteer to help clean up the church!