The 'tongue' that binds

We hardly ever meet groups of Singaporeans here. Such gatherings, if any, are few and far between. In fact, I'd say all the times we've met more than 3 Singaporeans 'under one roof', are when we go to Reuben's.

So last Saturday when we attended his 'Piñata' Mexican-styled get-together, there they were - our fellow countrymen. There were 7 of of us, I think?

Reuben, the chef du jour whipped up a smorgasbord of Mexican (or perhaps, pseudo-Mexican? Heehee) delights. Menú del día included:

Mains
Beef Quesadillas - v v yummy!
Seafood Paella (ok so this is Spanish?)
Portobello mushrooms with cheese (this is Italian? American?)

Sides
Tacos with Guacamole (prepared by Ori)

Vino
Sangría (prepared by Ori)

It was our first time sampling Reuben's cooking and I'm happy to affirm that yes, 'da man can cook!'. It's always a treat having someone else cook, and an exotic cuisine at that! Dee absolutely relished Ori's Sangria which was a refreshing blend of red wine (no surprises why he enjoyed it so much! Hic!), soda, and diced citrusy fruits (strawberries, oranges, peaches etc). We're now thinking of doing the same concoction for our Christmas party when my ILs are over. Hola!

Anyway, back to meeting Singaporeans.

As I mentioned, it's 'an anomaly' for us to mingle with so many Singaporeans in London. We haven't exactly jumped on the bandwagon to 'get connected' with the local Singapore network. So it felt familiar and kinda nice to be among 'fellow comrades'. You know- talk the tok, slang the shh-lang?

Ok, so I exaggerate.

This group of Singaporeans speak Acrolectal English, i.e sans 'discourse particles' like 'lor', 'lah', 'siah' and the like. Many of them are from really good schools in Singapore so...that figures, I guess? But regardless of where you've been educated (as long as it's within Singapore), we Singaporeans, are still easily identified by the way we speak.

End of day, it's our 'Uniquely Singapore(an)' intonation that binds us together. Hosei liao! :)
Wikipedia has an excellent write up on Singlish intonation. Go read it some time. V enlightening, and not to mention, entertaining! Heehee!

And what happens when you have not one, not two, but THREE ACS alumni (Dee, Reuben and Ronald) in the same room? You have a raucous time laughing at their school anecdotes, especially the 'malicious' names bestowed on certain teachers - Miss Lulu (or L-cube), 老 ying, 白鬼, and... Metal Bra? What the...? *roll eyes*

Boys will be boys.

But my fav part of the evening was playing Taboo. It's a lot of FUN and a great party game. It's kinda a cross between 'The Pyramid Game' and Charades, with 'word-blocks' . I'm now considering purchasing a set online if I can get it for cheap. :)

Perhaps a game at my place sometime? Anyone? :)

* Most photos courtesy of Getty Images since our darn camera... well, you know the story.