Dialogues Best Remembered

1980s in Kota Baru

When we moved to KB , that was the first time my children were exposed to kecek Kelate.

One day my eldest son came back from school, he was excited about kecek Kelate, so he asked me,

Mak tau tak apa makna nasik dage sepingge

Samah - I answered him spontaniously

He was quite shocked because I knew how to kecek Kelate and he didn't understand what I just said

He didn't learn that part yet, I suppose, so I explained to him samah is se amas and it means 50cent.

Baru dia tau mak dia lagi terer dari dia!



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My eldest daughter quarrelled with her brother , suddenly it slipped from her tounge the new words she just learnt from her friends

Baso nate!

She was so shocked the words slipped from her mouth, she was scared and quickly she covered her mouth ( takut mak marah, masa tu mak tengah garang! )

The brother had a field day, running to me, shouting....

Mak.....adik mencarut ( it was memaki not mencarut )

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In the 90s, when we were in Alor Setar

My second son came back from school, telling me

Mak, orang India kat sini dia pandai cakap Kedah. Dia nak minum air dia kata nak minum ayaq!

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I took my youngest daughter to the market

Hari ni kita kena cakap Kedah, kalau tak misti diaorang jual mahal kat mak

Beli nyor 50 kupang

Mak orang pasar tu senyum kat mak

Hah senyum? ookaayy...... kelapa = nyor , 50 kupang = 50sen.....so? salah tang mana pulak?

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In KL 2002

Pakcik, jangan clamp kereta mak saya.........mak saya tengah periksa...

I simply parked my car ( dah lambat weh! ) at the Law Faculty in UIA, the security guard was on the clamping spree that particular Saturday , luckily my daugher saw him. She had just came out from her class and passed by the parking lot.

We both took some cert courses in UIA at that time.