The Banana
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We can all hear your gears starting to rev up liao!Originally posted by the Bear:.. curiouser and curiouser
sounds like baby's from one of the schools set up by the Catholic missionaries
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Originally posted by LazerLordz:it's always been a worldwide network of likeminded people with the same life experiences and outlook.
SCRUM anyone? 
What's that?? -
this.Originally posted by Rhonda:
What's that??
http://www.acsoba.net
SCRUM is a network that lets AC alumni hang together and meet up.Quite an informal set-up too.
Didn't know you're with the blue and gold too..anyway it's quite true that speaking up is one trait well cherished. [/url] -
Are you in UK now? Which city is that?Originally posted by sacredspirits:hmm..... i must confess.... i came from a very 'cheena' family..... parents do not have formal education.... so, very mandarin n hokkien speaking family..... i couldnt speak any english at all when i started primary school.... had a tough time in school.... still remembered that i went back home crying and telling my mum that i dont want to go to school anymore cos i dont know what the teachers are talking about! hmm.... a real struggle for me in school... the english educational system.... i m just lucky in the sense that i m always able to pass my exams quite above average.... dunno why, went into a very ang moh JC.... piang... worst time of my life.... thought i wanted to 'improve' my english and also get to know 'another culture'.... but... ddin enjoy it at all.... GP lessons were hell for me... GP tutor seemed to pick on me.... especially on my pronounciation..... argh.... i started to somehow dislike 'bananas'.... started to 'anti-westernisation'..... refused to go backpacking to ang moh countries... dun want to put myself in a position to be discriminated.... and proud to speak, write and know chinese... history, culture etc.... cant really understand why a chinese cannot even speak mandarin!
but well... ha.... guess i grew up and became less extreme.... got to know friends who came from english speaking family... and i started to understand their difficulties in learning mandarin/chinese in such an environment.... and also, the kind of 'discrimination' they got from their chinese teachers..... chinese is not an easy language..... i realise that at the end of it, 'respect' is the word.... whether u 'channel 5' or 'channel 8', as long as u respect who i m, i respect who u r..... so, as long as one does not 'despise' his/her own roots, i think it is all right..... there are so many ABCs and BBCs.... they cant speak mandarin at all.... but they do not deny or hate the fact that they are ethnically 'chinese'...... in fact, they are still very 'traditional' in their values.... chinese kids just seem to b better behaved here....
i m still very surprised that i m now living n working in an ang moh country!!! piang.... destiny or ??
Do you follow any of the football teams? -
what gears?
what's going on?
i'm always maligned
i'm going to sleep... gotta go for Mass at 7am tomorrowOriginally posted by Rhonda:We can all hear your gears starting to rev up liao! -
TMIOriginally posted by the Bear:.. curiouser and curiouser
sounds like baby's from one of the schools set up by the Catholic missionaries
Birds of a feather flockded together....Originally posted by LazerLordz:it's always been a worldwide network of likeminded people with the same life experiences and outlook.
SCRUM anyone? -
Originally posted by BabyRS:Birds of a feather flockded together....
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Hmm... let's see... in order to be maligned, one would have to be innocent in the first place!Originally posted by the Bear:what gears?
what's going on?
i'm always maligned
i'm going to sleep... gotta go for Mass at 7am tomorrow
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Wow... interesting! Visited the website but not sure if I wanna sign up now.Originally posted by LazerLordz:this.
http://www.acsoba.net
SCRUM is a network that lets AC alumni hang together and meet up.Quite an informal set-up too.
Didn't know you're with the blue and gold too..anyway it's quite true that speaking up is one trait well cherished. [/url] -
It's just there, most of us don't need it. The buddy-ship is strong enough.Originally posted by Rhonda:Wow... interesting! Visited the website but not sure if I wanna sign up now. -
Ultimately the stereotype runs both ways. I have met some people who are very westernised thinking that Chinese Singaporeans who speak mostly Mandarin tend to be less intelligent, less creative, less having a mind of their own. In fact, many tend to be impatient and disdainful of those who speak Mandarin more, or cannot speak English as well.
Nowadays, my Indian friends can speak Mandarin, my Malay friends can speak Hokkien and I know a couple of 'ang mos' who can speak Bahasa and mandarin much better than I am. My asian american cousin is learning mandarin despite having all the reasons in the world not to be proficient in it.
There is no point being liberal - An open mind is a narrow one if one cannot keep an open heart - and the desire for learning needs to go beyond racial boundaries, criticism AND society expectations.
It really doesn't matter what race you are, and how that determines the language you speak. It really doesn't matter what people say or judge as long as we don't limit our own abilities to learn. -
It's always good to learn more, but we should not kick ourselves if we cannot acheive everything.Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:Ultimately the stereotype runs both ways. I have met some people who are very westernised thinking that Chinese Singaporeans who speak mostly Mandarin tend to be less intelligent, less creative, less having a mind of their own. In fact, many tend to be impatient and disdainful of those who speak Mandarin more, or cannot speak English as well.
Nowadays, my Indian friends can speak Mandarin, my Malay friends can speak Hokkien and I know a couple of 'ang mos' who can speak Bahasa and mandarin much better than I am. My asian american cousin is learning mandarin despite having all the reasons in the world not to be proficient in it.
There is no point being liberal - An open mind is a narrow one if one cannot keep an open heart - and the desire for learning needs to go beyond racial boundaries, criticism AND society expectations.
It really doesn't matter what race you are, and how that determines the language you speak. It really doesn't matter what people say or judge as long as we don't limit our own abilities to learn.
I'm sure contentment is just as good as tolerance. -
Agreed, but it is sad if learning is stunted not by lack of ability but by the self righteousness that it is not necessary to learnOriginally posted by LazerLordz:It's always good to learn more, but we should not kick ourselves if we cannot acheive everything.
I'm sure contentment is just as good as tolerance.
Having said that, every individual have a choice to prioritise their time of course. It is not possible to learn everything. -
That's very true - in fact, stereotyping is such an everyday occurence all over the world that most people don't even realise that they have fallen subject to it.Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:Ultimately the stereotype runs both ways. I have met some people who are very westernised thinking that Chinese Singaporeans who speak mostly Mandarin tend to be less intelligent, less creative, less having a mind of their own. In fact, many tend to be impatient and disdainful of those who speak Mandarin more, or cannot speak English as well.
Nowadays, my Indian friends can speak Mandarin, my Malay friends can speak Hokkien and I know a couple of 'ang mos' who can speak Bahasa and mandarin much better than I am. My asian american cousin is learning mandarin despite having all the reasons in the world not to be proficient in it.
There is no point being liberal - An open mind is a narrow one if one cannot keep an open heart - and the desire for learning needs to go beyond racial boundaries, criticism AND society expectations.
It really doesn't matter what race you are, and how that determines the language you speak. It really doesn't matter what people say or judge as long as we don't limit our own abilities to learn.
What can be quite tough to handle is our personal reactions to being cast into a certain net. We may not be answerable to anyone else, but as long as we live in a community, we have to observe and respect the norm and acceptance level of the people around us to a certain degree. The only upside to this - in my opinion - is that sometimes this 'expectation' is the catalyst to encourage a person to better himself, be it through learning, adapting and exposure.
Whilst it's true that utlimately it's our life, and our choices... it wouldn't hurt anyone, least of all ourselves - to add to one's knowledge. -
Yeap.Well, self-righteousness is indeed one of the barriers to moving on in life, because we are hampered by our own arrogance and pride, and a fear that surrendering yourself = giving up on your own identity.Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:Agreed, but it is sad if learning is stunted not by lack of ability but by the self righteousness that it is not necessary to learn
Having said that, every individual have a choice to prioritise their time of course. It is not possible to learn everything. -
Something which I seem to have in abundance.Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:Agreed, but it is sad if learning is stunted not by lack of ability but by the self righteousness that it is not necessary to learn
Having said that, every individual have a choice to prioritise their time of course. It is not possible to learn everything. -
I've been called the 'Banana' before but I don't think the term longer suits me
My parents were 'English Educated' and they learnt Mandarin along with my brother and I when we were in Primary school. I guess on hindsight they were right in dumping us in a school that teaches both English and Mandarin as a first language, and I had the luck of getting a good Mandarin teacher in Primary 3 & 4.
The languages I speak at home are English and Teochew...but we stopped speaking Teochew when my grandfather died. My great-grandmother was Peranakan but my family is interesting in the way that, cooking wise, it is a medley of Teochew and Peranakan dishes Only thing is that we are different from KB's family in the sense that we speak Teochew and English more than Malay so only the older folks know Malay and not my generation.
Those were the days when I was forced to go to school half an hour earlier and forced to memorise pages and pages of 'Tang Shi' I hated those days but now I think it did me good (If I have a kid, that's how I'm going to teach him/her Mandarin ) Oh, and my teacher then, had this really sick method of removing words from the poems and making me go through the dictionary to see which is the correct word to fit into the sentance 
Getting it wrong means more homework.
Then in Secondary School, people think that I'm from some 'Banana' producing all-girls school as I had the same accent as them due to speech lessons when I was much younger (wahaha I don't have it now. I can switch around if I wanted) In terms of upbringing, I admit that I cannot identify with the grassroots and with the heartlanders initially. I used to live, looking through rose-tinted glasses.
Anyway, as I was telling Rhonda the other day, the problem I have now is that my command of English is eroding I think if I were to retake my 'O' level English right now I might get a B grade 
Reason? Due to my nature of work, I speak a smattering of Mandarin and Hokkien/Teochew to my customers that I hardly have to speak English My Mandarin's improving though 
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Primary Schoo in Convent School (complete with nuns and angmos) so didn't realise I spoke with an accent until I went to govt sec sch made some mandarin speaking friends and they told me initially they thought I was a big snob. Peer pressure prevailed and I even picked up the Walaos and various ahem.. terms... - which I use with great ease even now - until another friend (from convent era) told me she is a little upset that I keep speaking Hokkien too. Rest of sch from JC onwards, I was mostly English speaking. But u know how it happens, we collect friends - some English speaking/some not - but all equally amusing wonderful beings.
Currently MOST of my friends speak mandarin but they laugh at me cos I get my chinese terms all mixed up all the time. My more 'westernised' friends also laugh at me cos I keep getting my English mixed up too, my grammar sucks and my pronunciation is kooky. My completely bilingual friends laugh at me all the time (cos they can laugh both when I speak Mandarin ANd when i speak English)
And my grandma laughs at me, cos my Hokkien singing is a major joke.
Now in my class, there is a kid who came to school speaking only Malay. It was initially really difficult cos he threw major tantrums (and chairs occasionally) but I could not communicate with him. Finally learnt a few choice Malay words 'EH! JANGAN JAHAT!!!' but when I say something to him in broken Malay, he will giggle and give me smirky face. Currently he loves showing off to me that his English is progressing far better than my Malay. Oh well! -
in london....Originally posted by iveco:Are you in UK now? Which city is that?
Do you follow any of the football teams?
hmm... i like arsenal but have yet experienced live football..... think i m not that crazy over football .... yet.... ha.... but i will definitely want to experience the atmosphere while i m here!!! -
Go down to Highbury before they tear it down.Originally posted by sacredspirits:in london....
hmm... i like arsenal but have yet experienced live football..... think i m not that crazy over football .... yet.... ha.... but i will definitely want to experience the atmosphere while i m here!!!
Wish I could step onto that hallowed turf ..oh well, looks like it's Ashburton Grove for me..unless I get a windfall and hop over in time for the last game of the season. -
For the past 5 years, I've worked in a company whereby most of the workers (in fact, all, except me) speak predominantly in Chinese. It's not too bad in the office itself where I'm usually at - the rest of the graphic designers converse in English, especially as a form of respect(?) whenever I'm in the vicinity.Originally posted by elindra:Due to my nature of work, I speak a smattering of Mandarin and Hokkien/Teochew to my customers that I hardly have to speak English My Mandarin's improving though
However, at the production side - from the colour seperators to the cutters to the packers - they communicate almost 100% in Hokkien. It was tough during the first few months... when I used to get bewildered looks and blank stares everytime I had to pass on some work that have certain specific requirements. My colleagues will help me without having needed to be asked whenever these situations arise - but there have been times when it's a madhouse and I suppose I don't want to impose on them more than I needed to.
Funnily enough, we work around it. When I think about the 'special' language we use - it always makes me smile. It's not Singlish, it's not Hokglish, Chinglish or anything that can even be categorised into a fixed group. It's a hodge-podge mish mash of every Chinese / English language variation... with a fair amount of Malay thrown in. Whatever works, and however we convey it - as long as it's understood by both parties. Diagrams, hand signals, the total desecration of the language(s) that we choose to use... somehow contribute to this peculiar 'special' bond that the workers and I share. They're always glad to see me; perhaps I offer them an entertaining brief respite from their usual rut.
I suppose we humans are more adaptable and resilient that we would deem to believe. Faced with a difficult situation, we would somehow work our way around it, and eventually manage to find the most feasible way to make things work for our best interests.
Regardless of how 'derogatory' one may view the grouping of individuals according to his / her habits - the bananas, the oreos and the potatoes will find their own niche. -
At least u understand that Chinese is important.
My definition of Bananas are speak only English n Chinese can be ignored. The worst ones can luagh at u by listening to Chinese news ...
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gd4u, what are you trying to say?
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Talk about it man.. I was from a convent sch also. The moment I entered poly and when my friends found out where I graduated from, immediately they said..Oh you must be jiat kan tang. Worst they deemed me to be a snob whom only will hang out with the "speak English only" kind of people. They thought that the reason why I am always with the Muslim people is because they spoke English most of the time and that I look down on people from Chinese speaking schools. Little do they know that reason why I was always with the Muslim people was because I spoke Malay too and also because my spoken Chinese is not that fantastic, I would feel like an outcast when they said something I do not understand in Chinese. Somehow , I got closer to these friends of mine in my final year and they finally found out that, Hey! she is not what we thought she would be. Till now after graduation, we remained in close contact. Frankly speaking even till today, when any new friend of mine hears that I studied in a convent sch before and speaks poor Chinese will deem me as proud and snobbish.Originally posted by BabyRS:And the rest of the Convent Schools too...
We can even group together and become a small state by ourselves - kinda like the Vatican City... 
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There can be very cruel people, regardless of what their language preference may be. As much as we stereotype and think that a group of people are 'such and such' or have particular traits - not every person that you encounter which can be categorised to that group is that way.Originally posted by gd4u:At least u understand that Chinese is important.
My definition of Bananas are speak only English n Chinese can be ignored. The worst ones can luagh at u by listening to Chinese news ...
Perhaps it could be 'over-sensitivity' in some cases... I do know that when people start speaking in chinese the moment I walk away, I used to think that they were speaking ill of me. Like wise, probably - for those whose grasp of another language is not as profound as another's. What I neglected to think duting my younger years is that they may be more comfortable speaking amongst themselves in Chinese, and they were giving me due respect when I was involved in the conversation.
I don't deny that there are some people who refuse to speak in Chinese / Malay / Tamil because they feel that they are more "worldy" and to do so would compromise their 'glamour factor'. However, these are very few and far in between. If we already have a fixed set of views of how a person is like just based on superficial observation... chances are, regardless of how the person may be, they will always appear as such to you.
"The worst ones can laugh at you by listening to the chinese news" - I'm sorry, but I don't get what you mean here... have you encountered people who laugh at you because you tune in to the news in chinese? If that's what you mean - I don't blame you for being angry. I would be too, if I were expected to only watch the news in chinese because I am one. It is unfortunate that you encounter such people. Personally, I'm a chinese drama addict. As long as they have subtitles - you can be sure I'll know the storyline off the top of my head. I'm a mobile Ch55 movie guide.
Not every banana is rotten... and if there was one among the bunch, the fruit seller could have sold you that by mistake.