I don't friend you

I don't know how young children say it now but I know that when I was a kid in primary school and if we ever fell out with anyone (trust me, this happened on a daily basis), we'd say to that person, "I don't friend you anymore". We'd say it for events like when your friend borrowed your pencil or eraser and forgot to return it to you. Or if you heard from a friend of a friend's that a friend had said something about you.

In Singlish, that's like a child's interpretation of "I'm not your friend anymore" or an adult's interpretation of "Go fly a kite". If we were to make up later (and trust me again, that too happened on a daily basis!), we'd show our pinkies and twine them round each other to show that the bond of friendship was glued back again. How simple life was back then.

I was at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital recently and overheard this conversation a lady (looked to be in her 30s) was having on the phone with her friend (in diction which made my hair stand).

Lady on pink Lollipop phone, "You trell him.....If you donch trell me who give you my number, then we not going to make friend" (wow, I've not heard that in a looooong time!). Her friend must have said she wouldn't do that because this lady dench (oops, I mean then) said, "You geeeve me heese number now, I crall him for you!!! Yah! Geeve me now, quick!!!"

This lady's husband then comes out of the clinic and stands by listening to his wife. He shakes his head and tells (I mean trells) her that she must be so free she wants to mind other people's business. He walks off and she follows.

Sorry, I had nothing bretter to do thanch to listen to this lady. There were hardly any patients at the Rehabilitation centre where I was waiting to see the physiotherapist (for my knee), the number on the board refused to jump forth.

By the way, the new Khoo Teck Puat hospital in Yishun looks more like a resort than a hospital. You might want to pop by to check it out (I know, 'choy! choy!). Aiyah, donch say I wished it upon chew (I meant you), just telling you how nice and serene it is!