Department of Missing Socks~!

=) Everyone must have this department in their house. Another good idea is buy the same color socks so u will never have a missing one! 

Our mother language - Bahasa Rojak

These week is the 1st test of the year for Aple. I am especially concern and strict with her Bahasa Malayu and Jawi. I seldom speak English with my kids because in my opinion my kids should learn how to speak a proper Mandarin because we are Chinese.Thus, for English and Malay they can always learn it in school or with other people.

I remember that last year Aple was having a medical check up at the Rimba clinic ( a government clinic ) and at the same time I want to bring Bryan to see doctor too. Since we are not allow to see the same doctor because Aple had an appointment already and are seeing doctor at the women and babies center I left her and my Mother in law alone and bring Bryan to the other counter to take number. After a few minutes later  I saw a nurse scolding my mother in law with Bahasa Malayu: " Ini  Aple kah? Kenapa aku panggil kau punya nama kamu tidak mau masuk?" ( Are you Aple? Why you did not enter the room while I called your name?" My Mother in law look at her blankly and nodded her head saying in her broken Malay: " Minta maaf, tidak dengar." ( Sorry, I don't hear) Then I quickly approach to the nurse and apologised with her saying that old people don't understand. The nurse just don't want to stop and turn to my five years old girl and scold again in a very hush ton: " Lain kali kalau saya panggil kau punya nama kau masuk saja, Nenek tidak faham, tau kau?" ( Next time when I call your name you just go in. ) Angrily I reply to the nurse: Why you said like that to her? She is only five years old and she only start to learn her ABC. She reply: " Ahhhh... sudah la!" ( what ever.)

I was so mad and thought that I have heard a lot of rude nurses and this is the first time I met one!!!! After that I want to make sure that Aple learn her Bahasa Malayu very well so that she will not get bully again.

A friend ask me : " Why you don't speak English to your kids? My nephew speak English very well, he even know how to sing like the Musical high school." I was like @____@" !!! We are not a Caucasian, we don have blonde hair and blue eyes. Of course English is good to use for communication but if a Chinese speak English very well no one will be impress, but if a Chinese don't speak Mandarin very well a lot of people will look down on us. Hence, if a Caucasian or other races speak Mandarin  very well many will be impress.

When they post in youtube that a Eurasian child speak mandarin alot of people praise and say :that is a clever child. In my mind I thought our Asian children are more smarter because we speak Bahasa Rojak - Malay English, Chinese and some even speak tamil and tagalog or even other dialect.

When I am giving a Chinese tour for the China people a lot of people already laugh at our funny slang but envy that we know a lot of language. And I always tell them that there's is no need to envy because we are only " half bucket of water" - only know every little bits of this and that language.

Human's behaviour is sometime like a dog

1st March, my 5th local tour is to guide the visitors from Germany. They came here with a big cruise ship call Aida.

When I saw the cruise ship in the 1st time I was like ' Wow '. It seems like a big giant shark approaching me. Gulp!!! 

I was glad to meet some of the local tour guides who I am very familiar with and of course by which are the 'beginners'. But it is fun to mix with some of the expertise tour guides who have millions of experience with tour guiding and they are very generous to share all their experiences. One of them even tell the stories about how our local Custom Officer treated the tourists in the airport in some countries. Firstly he told us what he seen in Brunei International Airport. A foreigner was having a transit in the airport and she asked the immigration officer if she can go to the money changer  just behind the officer's counter to exchange some money and the officer said yes. When she finish changing her money and just want to go back to where she belong another officer came and scold her saying that she is not suppose to go out without a Brunei stamp in her passport. She did explain that another immigration officer  give her an approval to go out and that officer just don't accept any of  her explanation. There is some argument and it turn out to be a very embarrassing situation for both parties. ( I think) In the end the most embarrassing of all is the Bruneians.The second stories he told us is  what he saw that had happen in Singapore where an immigration officer use a very rude and insulting words to an Indian and this Indian man said to him loud and clear: " Do not humiliate me because I am an Indian, I invest a lot of money to your country every year!" After that the officer keep apologised to him. 

Before we start giving tour, our Boss will give a briefing and he too share a stories that happen few days ago there is another cruise ship came and the health officers arguing with the officers inside the cruise ship. One want to check the body temperature of the tourists another won't allow them to check. In the end both parties had a very bad day. And worst of all is wasting the time of  the tourists inside the ship and the tour guides outside the ship.

In my opinion. I don't see anyone is wrong. Let see this situation in this way: You are going to visit your friend's house. Your friend's dog is barking at you and sometime it might bite you. Your friend is the tourist, the dog is the officer and you are the owner of the country. So who is wrong? No one. It is not that I am insulting the officer is a dog. What I mean is they are just doing their job by trying to protect their countries and hence sometime they are only over do it. We human are all the same. In our own countries, or own home we will speak and talk loudly and hence when we go outside of our home ( or countries) we will speak softly. Just like a dog when it is at it's owner's house it will bark at you fiercely but when it is at other people's house it will not dare to bark so loudly or will even hide itself like an ostrich.

My 1st US Dollars tips. 

Anyway, I had a great day on that day because my guests of eight people are all happy :) 

p/s: There are words better left unsaid and so are feelings better left unexpressed....  

A Rainy Leap Year.

29th February come every 4 year.

Feel like this year time flies especially fast...

 Oh Gosh... Why?