via youtube.com
Quite a good version of a classic
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
mrbrown revives bygone Singapore slang
It all started with “Tebaboom."
Someone in my twitter feed used this word and immediately, nostalgia kicked in and brought me back to my childhood where we used this word to describe an explosion.
As in: “Pewpewpewpew! Tebaboom!”
It can also be used like this:
“I ate so many chicken nuggets, I was going to tebaboom.”You won't be able to grasp Singlish in a day so make sure you jot it down.In some circles it is also pronounced “Chibaboom.”
Singapore Colloquial English or Singlish is full of these words and phrases, and the slang comes and goes.
After the buzz of hearing “Tebaboom” being used, I decided that we needed a revival. A revival to bring some well-loved Singlish phrases and words back into our daily conversations.
- More on CNNGo: 'Winglish', or White Boy Singlish and how to speak it
So in the dead of night, I sent out the word "Tebaboom" under the hashtag #wordstorevive into my Twitterverse, and my Twitter friends joined in with contributions. Here are some of the words we want revived:
1. 'Talk cock sing song, play ping pong'
“Talk cock” means to speak rubbish. It has no relation to any body parts, I assure you. The “sing song” is for rhyme and emphasis.
Over time, people added to the phrase and it became “Talk cock sing song, play ping pong” or “Talk cock sing song, play mahjong.” It can also mean engaging in small talk or banter.
2. 'Kukubird'
This is used by parents with very young kids to refer to the penis. Needless to say, when we were kids, calling each other a little penis was our introduction to bad words and we used it with delight, out of our parents’ earshot, of course.
It also has the added meaning of “clueless person.”
As in “Don’t be such a kukubird! Her birthday is next week!”
3. 'Steady bom pee pee'
This is used to refer to someone who is able to flourish under pressure, or is very good at something.
Alternative spellings are “Steady pom pipi.”
4. 'Cheemalogy'
Something that is profound, deep, or overly difficult. “Cheem” is a hokkien word that means deep and intellectual. We Singaporeans added the English suffix “-alogy” to complete the word.
For a long time in school, the subject of mathematics was “cheemalogy” to me.
5. 'Stylo Milo'
Even my mother used this term in her time, I think. Milo is a popular chocolate malted drink powder, and when paired with Stylo, refers to someone or something stylish.
One of our Members of Parliament is known for wearing white leather shoes with his ruling party white shirt and pants, and would qualify as someone stylo milo.
6. 'Outside settle' or in Hokkien dialect, 'Ow Buey Gong!'
Used by gangsters and wayward youths in the past to mean settle this with a fight outside.
The literal translation of the Hokkien phrase is “let’s talk at the back (usually alley).”
These days, milder folk use this to mean "let’s settle the bill outside the restaurant."
7. 'Steam, man!'
While it can mean “get an erection” it usually means something that excites you and makes you happy. As in, “The Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios was steam, man!”
To some gamers like me, "Steam" may also refer to the online game platform on the PC. But in the old days, before computers, "erection" was probably what came to mind when someone said “steam.”
It IS possible to draw out "lah."8. 'Don’t action action!' or 'Don't action, okay?'
Action is to show off. Used when telling someone not be too pleased with himself.
9. 'Goblok'
This is slang for a stupid person. It seems Malaysians and Indonesians also use this word in the same way. I wish ASEAN would use it more often when talking to the generals running member state, Myanmar (or Burma, if you like).
10. 'Chop Chop Curry Pok'
This means to do something quickly or hurry up.
“Chop-chop” had its origins as far back as early 19th century in Canton. We Singaporeans added “curry pok” for some rhyming goodness (it is another name for curry puff, a spicy pastry).
We like our food a lot, and food seems to find its way into our phrases often.
11. 'Confirm, guarantee, plus chop' or 'Confirm, stamp, chop.'
This means you are very sure of something. In Singapore, we use the word “chop” for stamp, like when a customs officer stamps our passport. Getting a “chop” is like getting a stamp of approval or authority.
In the army, where getting written approval is a way of life, this phrase gets used a lot when a soldier wants to know if something is indeed approved by the higher-ups.
On the upcoming general elections, this is something you can say is “confirm, guarantee, plus chop.”
12. 'Copycat, chase a rat, go home let your marder slap'
A little rhyme we used to chant as kids, when we wanted to taunt someone who copied either homework or a trend (like wearing friendship bands).
“Marder” is our favorite way of saying “mother,” in case you’re wondering.
13. 'Stead'
A steady girlfriend or boyfriend. Pronounced like "steady" without the "y."
If you wanted to take the relationship to the next level, the thing to ask your lady friend would have been “Hey, want to be my stead?”
14. 'Sorry no cure'
I love this oldie but goodie.
It means an apology does not suffice. So succinct, so direct. Should be used when celebrities or politicians apologize for their transgressions and mistakes. The public should collectively shout “Sorry no cure!”
Sure, it’s childish but it’s the truth, man.
15. 'Yaya papaya'
This means to be proud and arrogant. I have no idea why the humble papaya is considered a proud fruit. Perhaps its only crime was rhyming with "yaya."
That’s my list so far. There are many more words but I didn’t want to overload you, gentle international reader, with our crazy brand of English.
Or else your brains might “tebaboom.”
Tags:
via cnngo.com
I use the "Chi-ba-boom" version. Hahahaha
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Friday, March 04, 2011
Real Sandstorm
Screenshot of a video I saw on NatGeo. This happens EVERY year apparently. -_- 
Sent from my iPhone
