"Tan Ku Ku" (TKK)

This phrase is something close to the hearts of most Singaporeans. We love to use the phrase "Tan Ku Ku" to typify almost every situation whereby a person expresses a hope or an aspiration. The phrase "Tan Ku Ku" means "wait long long" or in other words, you can literally wait indefinitely. 

It is the hope or aspiration that never will come, and in a sense, the phrase is telling the person to give up hoping for something that might or never happen or come to past. 

Some typical examples of a situation where the phrase might be used would be in the case of two employees chatting amongst themselves. 

Employee A: "Hey John, year end bonus coming soon, you think our boss will give us 3 months bonus?!"

Employee B: "3 months bonus?! Tan Ku Ku ah!"

"Ho Say Bo" (HSB)

I am sure by now you would have heard the phrase "Ho Say Bo", and more so made popular by the little boy on YouTube Dr Jia Jia and Big Brother. The phrase "Ho Say Bo" basically is another Hokkien phrase that is a greeting that is commonly used amongst the elder citizens in Singapore.

It's the most colloquial of greetings that is liken to the formal British's greeting of "How do you do?" A common excitable greeting most commonly used amongst friends.

These days the phrase "Ho Say Bo" is still being used, but may be somewhat watered down as the influx of foreigners into Singapore may have brought about other forms of localised greetings. Perhaps in another 20 years, we might eventually see a different derivative phrase to take over this age old saying.

Perhaps till then, that saying might be tested and proven and it will eventually be added into one of Singapore's most commonly used local greetings.

"Cannot Make It" (CMI)

I remember when I was younger I would say "sorry, I cannot make it." This was an apology said in relation to an appointment or some meeting with a friend that I was unable to attend to.

These days if someone were to refer to someone else as a person that "cannot make it", they are saying something pertaining to their lack of perseverance or character. It is now meant as a derogatory term. It's totally colloquial and almost like a localised version of a slur.

"Afternoon Sleepy Syndrome" (ASS)

Recently I heard on the radio that some folks suffer from this common syndrome that affects them typically in the afternoons especially after a very heavy lunch. These lunches are either full of rice as part of the staple of the meal, or as most nutrition-conscious folks would say in its more commonly known name, "carbohydrates".

It seems that where there is a presence of a lot of carbohydrates, the blood in the body literally gushes and gravitates towards the stomach where supposedly all these carbohydrates are presently stored, and it attempts in some wonderful way to digest and break these carbohydrates down into energy for the general functioning of the body.

The problem comes almost immediately because as a result of all the blood that has gushed down to the stomach, there is very little blood (supposedly) elsewhere for the normal functioning of the other vital organs, in this case the brain, and thus in some strange convoluted manner, everyone tends to start to become sleepy. Some experience a mild droopy-eyelid syndrome, while others, enter straight into screen-saver mode.

Some folks have coined the phenomenon, "Afternoon Sleepy Syndrome" or ASS for short. Nobody really knows how it happens really as these are just some theories conjured perhaps by those who suffer severely from ASS. There are no specific remedies for this as far as I know, although some have said that strong coffee might help to mitigate the effects, but as usual results are inconclusive.

"Sleepy Driver Syndrome" (SDS)

I am not sure if this is a phenomenon that only occurs in Singapore, maybe it is a worldwide phenomenon, who knows! But each time I take a public transport either taxi or a public bus, I would tend to see drivers on the road exhibiting signs of SDS or Sleepy Driver Syndrome.

It seems to afflict all classes of drivers, especially after lunch in the afternoons. And I typically see this along the expressways where the roads are long and straight, there seem to be a few cars/or larger vehicles that tend to suffer from SDS.

What happens to a driver experiencing Sleepy Driver Syndrome is that the driver of the vehicle tends to step on the brakes a lot, and this jerking back and forth motion actually helps them wake up and stay alert. However, that same jerking back and forth motion is also the cause for many to suffer from Motion Sickness as a result of that. This is further compounded by the fact that it is Singapore and the afternoon sun is always constantly blazing.

In other countries, Sleepy Driver Syndrome is probably also known as Fatigue Driving, which is extremely dangerous. I hope that none of us practice SDS while on our roads. Let's keep Singapore safe. So please drive safely.

And if you were to come across someone suffering from Sleepy Driver Syndrome, please do your part and wake them up. It could save lives. It could save your life.

"Been Chow Chow" (BCC)

"Been Chow Chow" or "BCC" (not your email's blind carbon copy where you can literally hide the recipient list) in Singapore is usually used in reference to someone who is most probably displeased with something that someone else said to him or her.

The abbreviation "BCC" is often used on a person who exhibits these undesirable moody traits on their faces. For example, we say someone is "been chow chow" when they pull a long face. "Been" here to refers to "face" and is in Hokkien language which is quite commonly used in Singapore. "Chow" here means "Smelly". So in this instance, it means "Smelly Smelly".

The person that shows their outright unhappiness or displeasure, is usually the one that is referred to as "Been Chow Chow". 

So typically when someone is unhappy with words spoken about them, usually in a gossipy manner or  if they weren't invited to a common occasion where everyone else is invited, they will exude the facial expression that leads others to conclude that they are showing their unhappiness. Compare this to "Been Orh Orh" (BOO) which refers to a person with an extremely unhappy face.

A typical scenario to describe this would be as follows:

Person A: "Hey Person B, we are going for lunch, wanna join us?"

Person B: "Yeah, sure!"

Person C: "Can I join in too?"

Person A: "Oh, it's a private gathering, I'm sure you understand that. Maybe next time."

In this scenario, Person C would suddenly exhibit the exact signs and symptoms of being BCC or "Been Chow Chow" (lit: Face Smelly Smelly).