Much has been said about Malaysian English radio DJs, newscasters and even plain 'ol English-speaking Malaysians speaking with what seems to them to be "American” or “British” accents - with the formal being largely a favourite amongst the wannabes.
Being an ardent radio listener and a music lover, radio is by means my mode of entertainment at home and in the car. I could tolerate radio commercials that stretch beyond 5 minutes at times. I could tolerate dee-jays babbling away for minutes on end after each song is played. I could even tolerate people speaking badly structured English a.k.a broken English. But if there is one thing which I find intolerable and which annoys me to the core is hearing some pathetic dee-jays faking up some American accents. If you happen to notice, there's at least one perpetrator in every English radio station in the country who is guilty of such offence. Usually after they are done yakking, I would often ask myself "What the hell did they just say?" Mind you, these are pure breed Malaysians I am talking about, ie. born, bred, and educated in national schools! So how and where on earth were they taught to pronounce words the American way remains a case of the X-Files to me.
What's wrong with speaking English the Malaysian way? And with that I don't mean throwing in the infamous "lah's", "ah's", "mah's", "one's" and whatnots in a sentence but speaking grammatically correct English - Malaysian style. And what's with the tongue curling at the pronunciation of the letter "r"? Malaysian English is based on British English. Surely we don't hear the British emphasising the "r" when saying "world" or "star" or "reverse" ex cetera. Our society needs to understand that copying the way the Americans speak does not make one appear classier. It just makes one appear desperate - desperate to sound like an American but failing miserably.
Let's face it. Watching one too many American dramas and movies, mingling with a group of Americans and spending just a couple of years in an American university don't mean one needs to acquire the traits of an American if one is not. Whether one's accent is genuine or made-up is pretty conspicuous to the ears. Don't get me wrong. I love the Americans and all things Americana. In fact, I look up to the Americans. But even that, I wouldn't stoop so low as so talk and act like an American unless I were born and educated in the United States.
We Malaysians need not speak with an accent to proof that we are proficient in the English language. The way I see it, it's only those who can't speak proper English that will subject themselves to being copy-cats. After all, it's their only way of hiding their incompetency.
It's time these badly programmed puppets grow out of their childishness and start behaving like mature, sensible, no-nonsense adults!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sawadee Ka! Welcome To Thailand
Hatyai - to be more specific. My third trip to Hatyai in three years with hubby during the long weekend just passed was pretty much a last minute decision. Needless to say, hotels and buses were almost fully booked. We had to make do with the "leftovers" - which basically meant taking an odd hour bus that arrived 2 hours later than scheduled and a hotel which was slightly farther away from the shopping hotspots, but still within walking distance. Nevertheless we vowed to make full use of our hard-earned a-vacation-is-no-longer-an-option short break.
What is it in Hatyai that makes me want to go back there again and again, you may ask. Hubby and I go back solely for the following:-
1) Food - Thailand has the next best food in the world after Malaysia. Like its Malaysian counterpart, food is abundant anywhere anytime of the day. One can never go hungry in Thailand.
2) Sightseeing - Places of interests are aplenty in Hatyai, from the Klonghea Floating Market (left) to Wat Hat Yai Nai (right), to name a few.
3) Shopping - Shopping is such a joy in Hatyai with a wide range to choose from and at a good bargain. But do beware of genuine imitations!
4) Massages - They cost a fraction of what we pay back home! However, be prepared to have the masseur/masseuse wrestle with your body. Thai massages are a combination of massages with yoga-like positions. One will feel rejuvenate, that's a guarantee!
5) Entertainment - At the end of the day, it all boils down to one's preference and definition of entertainment. Tiger shows (why they are named as such continues to bewilder me) and A-gogos are everywhere in Hatyai that indecency does not even have a place in their dictionary. It's just like watching an X-rated movie live! My first few exposures to such vulgar display of obscenities happened while I was holidaying in Bangkok and Pattaya with hubby (then boyfriend) some 6 years back. They were hilarious yet disgusting at the same time.
What is it in Hatyai that makes me want to go back there again and again, you may ask. Hubby and I go back solely for the following:-
1) Food - Thailand has the next best food in the world after Malaysia. Like its Malaysian counterpart, food is abundant anywhere anytime of the day. One can never go hungry in Thailand.
Tom Yam Kung. My favourite soup in the whole world. Fiery to the very last drop!
Mango with sticky rice (seasonal)
2) Sightseeing - Places of interests are aplenty in Hatyai, from the Klonghea Floating Market (left) to Wat Hat Yai Nai (right), to name a few.
3) Shopping - Shopping is such a joy in Hatyai with a wide range to choose from and at a good bargain. But do beware of genuine imitations!
4) Massages - They cost a fraction of what we pay back home! However, be prepared to have the masseur/masseuse wrestle with your body. Thai massages are a combination of massages with yoga-like positions. One will feel rejuvenate, that's a guarantee!
5) Entertainment - At the end of the day, it all boils down to one's preference and definition of entertainment. Tiger shows (why they are named as such continues to bewilder me) and A-gogos are everywhere in Hatyai that indecency does not even have a place in their dictionary. It's just like watching an X-rated movie live! My first few exposures to such vulgar display of obscenities happened while I was holidaying in Bangkok and Pattaya with hubby (then boyfriend) some 6 years back. They were hilarious yet disgusting at the same time.
My choice of entertainment in Hatyai was a decent one - The West Side Saloon. As the name suggests, the interior boasts of a Wild Wild West feeling upon entry. However, nothing beats the charisma a 5 member band could imbue on its audience.
The West Side Saloon
Right : The 5 member band consisting of (from left to right) Barry Gibb-cum-Lionel Ritchie; Simon & Garfunkel-cum-Kenny Rogers-cum-Robin Gibb; Tony Orlando; Karen Carpenter-cum-Lionel Ritchie-cum-Anni-Frid Lyngstad-cum-Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA); and Barry Gibb.
This band was an awesome bunch. Be sure to request for Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". I first heard them sing this song 3 years ago and so mesmerised was I by it that my travel to Hatyai would not be complete had I not included this place in my itinerary. So if you're looking for a nice relaxing place where oldies music take the centrestage, The West Side Saloon is definitely THE PLACE!
Given all these reasons, would I return to Hatyai again? The answer is indubitably Y-E-S!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
At Last!
Yup! At last I have decided to get my behind in gear and start something which I have longed to do, but have been procrastinating... A blog!
As an amateur blogger, this will be the place I will gather my thoughts and put any events that intrigue, perplex and irk me even, into writing. But one thing this blog will never be about is politics - for the obvious reasons. So yes, that aside, this blog is going to be about almost anything and everything under the sun.
Being new to this whole blogging thing, this site will inevitably go through constant changes and improvements through the additions of new gadgets from time to time. However, having to juggle between family, work and leisure (yeah, that's exactly how I see my life - in that particular order) isn't easy and more often than not I wish there were more than merely 24 hours in a day. Now I could comprehend why they say life is short - we just do not have enough time to do everything! I would consider myself a tad lucky if I could even manage a breather atop all these madness of life!
Nonetheless, I shall endeavour to kill two (or more) birds with one stone and posts any scribbles I could manage. After all, all work and no play is gonna make me a dull girl!
As an amateur blogger, this will be the place I will gather my thoughts and put any events that intrigue, perplex and irk me even, into writing. But one thing this blog will never be about is politics - for the obvious reasons. So yes, that aside, this blog is going to be about almost anything and everything under the sun.
Being new to this whole blogging thing, this site will inevitably go through constant changes and improvements through the additions of new gadgets from time to time. However, having to juggle between family, work and leisure (yeah, that's exactly how I see my life - in that particular order) isn't easy and more often than not I wish there were more than merely 24 hours in a day. Now I could comprehend why they say life is short - we just do not have enough time to do everything! I would consider myself a tad lucky if I could even manage a breather atop all these madness of life!
Nonetheless, I shall endeavour to kill two (or more) birds with one stone and posts any scribbles I could manage. After all, all work and no play is gonna make me a dull girl!
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