My friend who travels a lot to far flung places like Tonga and Vanuatu meets a lot of far flung people who don’t meet Singaporeans very often.
As you’d imagine, the conversation would go something like:
Where you from? Japan?
No, no. Singapore.
Ah, you speak English too.
Yes, some form of.
I met some Singaporeans before, they also speak English.
Is that right?
Yes, they said they were ‘Bishaners’.
What?
Bishaners. They live in this place called Bishan, and call themselves Bishaners, and Bishaners speak English, they said.
Oh… oh… haha… oh.. hah. I am a ‘Katongite’.
Come on, who you trying to blarf? Everybardy spiks English! Not just Bishaners and Katongites. What about the Bedoki and the Marine Paraders? The Toa Payohans and the Ang Mo Kioreans? The Eunosians and the Telok Blangans? The Bukit Batoksiders? The Yishuners? The Hougangsters?
‘Bishaner’ your backside lah!
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