I had an interesting talk with my friend, Indian Lotus, from school yesterday. It started with our indignation with our exam results (more on that later) and move on to the subject of our country. She said that though Singlish do give us our cultural identity, it is detrimental to the standard of English in Singapore. i was unconvinced at first, until i remember the various times i couldn't find a way to express myself in English because i had been using Singlish, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese to substitute it. Although it is easier for Singaporean communicating this way but what happens when we travel overseas or when we need to present an important meeting in front of foreign businessmen? They would not be able to understand us. In fact, as much as i will like to think i can switch off Singlish when the time comes for me to speak proper English, Singlish is far too deeply entrenched in me. I will unknowingly drop the " 'll " and the " 're " and say embarrassing things like"the colour is blue." and "pronounciation". I think to speak good English is vital for Singaporeans. We might not need to cut off all Singlish but we have to ensure that our spoken and written English are grammatically correct. There is one interesting article on it at this link. Read at your own risk. http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/musings/index.html on Friday, June 16, 2006 (i had to read it twice before i can grasp what it says.
Actually, my idea to start a blog actually started when i realised that my school essays usually suck because i always couldn't express myself very well. I always write long and draggy paragraphs that frustrates my teachers to the point that they tear their hair off and give me results that reflect that. So i decided i need practice. >_<
It seems weird. I used to like writing. I even got complimented on my writing when i when i was in primary and secndary school. What happen?
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