Hi ciliapi,

I feel it would be great to publish such a book to give people an insight how peranakan people lived in the past.  In two languages is preferred as many new generations are not conversed in Baba Malay.

Rgds

Jyun

Hi ciliapi,
Congratulations to you for your interest in producing books to illustrate the original Peranakan way of life. We have all been waiting for some new work from budding authors who have deep knowledge of the way of life many years ago among the Malaysian and Singaporean Peranakan people, the things they did everyday and on special occassions like weddings (think they were all matched marraiges at that time), arrival of babies in the family, birthdays of the older generation especially the 60th, 70th and maybe 80th and things done for Chinese New Year, Cheng Beng, mooncake festival, bak chang festival, and so on. Hope you will be able to give more detailed descriptions on some of these auspicious festivities and also include some original photos taken at that time to give a better picture of what was happenning then. Please let us know when your book is published and we will all be lining up for a copy. My suggestion is for you to do this at 3 levels, one for the mature readers, the second for the teenage/young adult  section and the last for the kiddies section. If you can come up with this spread, you will certainly make a killing. Cheers.

I'll post a short excerpt of one of the stories. The stories are for easy reading as they are safer topics and would not offend anyone. The stories revolve around a peranakan family, where three generations live together in a large wooden Malay house somewhere in Malacca. The stories describe games that children play, community gossips, gambling (grandma and her kaki playing Cherki) and some others. Do give me your honest appraisal. I welcome bouquets and bricks.


[b][font=Verdana][color=blue]Main sorok-sorok[/color][/font][/b]

Jam dinding tunjukkan masa pukul lapan malam. Budak-budak tengah duduk-duduk dekat tiah lepas makan malam. Tiba-tiba, Mei tanya abangnya Ah Lai. “Eh, Koh! Apa lu tengah buat?” 
“Terperanjat gua, tiba-tiba lu sergah gua macam tu. Tak bolehkah tanya baik-baik sikit?”, jawab Ah Lai.
“Gua tengok lu tengah duduk terkangkang macam OKB saja. Sudah tentulah gua mo tau lu tengah buat apa. Tak boleh kah?” Mei balas abangnya.
“Lu sibuk-sibuk jaga tepi kain orang, buat apa? Lu punya kerja sekolah sudah habis kah? Kalu tak ada kerja, pergilah pukul nyamuk!?” Ah Lai jawab dengan marah.
“Amboi, bengis betul. Orang tanya sikit, dia sudah naik angin!” Mei merungut.
“Apasal lu tanya?” jawab Ah Lai.
“Tak ada apa, koh. Bosan betul-lah duduk-duduk macam ini saja.”
“Lepas tu, lu mo buat apa?” tanya Ah Lai.
“Ya-lah, ta-chi mo buat apa?” tanya Ah Kim, adik Mei.
“Kita main dam, mo tak?” Mei cadangkan.
“Tak mo lah. Ta-chi selalu menang. Tak kasi kita chan menang,” kata Ah Kim.
“Ya lah tu. Sudahlah selalu dia menang, dia ejek-ejek kita pulak! Sengaja mo sakitkan hati kita,” setuju Heng Toon
“Kita main masak-masak, mo tak?” cadangkan Soo Lin.
“Oi lu ni tak ada kepala otak eh? Orang jantan mana ada main masak-masak? Lu ingat kita ini pondan? Duduk rumah, main anak patung?” tanya Ah Lai dengan marah.
“Gua ada idea. Apa kata kalu kita main sembunyi-sembunyi, mo tak?” kata Ah Kim.

**** akan bersambung ***

(OKB - Orang Kaya Baru)


Translation

[color=blue][b]Hide and Seek[/b]

It is eight o’clock in the evening. The children are sitting idly in the family hall, just after their dinner. Suddenly, Mei asked her brother Ah Lai. “Eh, Elder brother! What are you doing?” 
“You gave me such a shock, scaring me like that. Can’t you ask me in a gentler manner?”, Ah Lai answered.
“I see you sitting idly open-legged just like a rich man. Of course I would want to know what you were doing. Can’t I?” Mei answered her brother.
“Why are you such a busy body? Have you finished your school homework? If you do not have anything to do, I suggest you go and swat the mosquitoes.” Ah Lai answered angrily.
“Wow, you’re so fierce! You blew your top at me just for asking!” Mei grumbled.
“Why did you ask?” answered Ah Lai.
“Nothing, elder brother. I am bored just sitting here and doing nothing.”
“In that case, what do you want to do?” asked Ah Lai.
“Yes Elder sister, what do you want to do?” asked Ah Kim, her younger brother.
“Shall we play chequers?” Mei suggested.
“Don’t want to. You always win, Elder sister. You don’t give us any chance to win,” said Ah Kim.
“That’s right. Not only does she frequently win, but she always pokes fun at us! She purposely wants to annoy us,” agreed Heng Toon, her cousin
“Why don’t we play ‘house’?” suggested Soo Lin.
“You are stupid or what? Boys do not play house! Do you think we are sissies? Stay at home and play with dolls?” Ah Lai snapped.
“I have an idea. What if we play hide and seek, shall we?” Ah Kim suggested.[/color] 

*** the story continues ***

Interesting ciliapi, and thanks so much for sharing with us.  Reminds me of the old Peranakan stories -- "Chrita chrita dulu kala: sam kok" -- that were printed in the 1920's and 1930's :)

Anyway, I noticed certain words and phrases you used that I presume have a very Bahasa Melayu influence. Which I recalled reading somewhere is typical of the Melaka version of Baba Malay.

Whereas the Penang version is heavily influenced by [Teochew-sounding] Hokkien. Singapore version -- champalang/rojak :D Seriously, this is natural for languages to evolve separately over the years/centuries/blah.

For example, and this could be used in my family only:
"apa lu tengah buat?"  --> Apa lu stengah buat?
"kerja" --> kreja
"bosan" --> I do not recall my late great-grandmother and her siblings using it
"koh" --> hiah, which is very Hokkien. Or rather Hokkien from another district/county/blah.

Since we are on this topic, I am curious. Do Melaka Babas pronounce certain words like:
1. pasar [market] as pas-air?
2. dua belas [twelve] as dua ber-lair?
3. lapa [hungry] as la-pair?

I found that such pronunciations are hardly common nowadays. Regardless, I look very much forward to the sambungan.

I am a Peranakan, originally from Malacca. My paternal grandparents were typical Baba and Nyonya Melaka. We speak only Baba Malay at home, eat with our fingers (nasi gaul sama sambal belachan), grandma wears a batik sarong, weas her hair in a bun with cucuk sanggul (when she still had hair), kerongsang etc. Our family customs were more malay than chinese although they pray to Ti-kong, have a datuk dapor etc.

From what I know, I think peranakans in Penang converse mainly in Hokkien, peranakans in Singapore converse in English whereas peranakans from Malacca converse mainly in Baba Malay. Yes, ular is pronounced as u-lair, dua belas as dua be-lair, pasar as pa-sair etc. I'm not sure about the other peranakans but what I do remember is that the Babas and Nyonyas in Malacca have a rather acerbic tongue and extensive vocabulary for putting someone down. Some of the words they use can make the genteel amongst us cringe in embarassment. For example, I once heard my aunt said loudly,[color=blue]"Siapu tu tengah korek pantat gua, ah?"[/color]
It means "Who is gossiping about me?" (But a direct translation reads as: "Who is digging my ass?"). I thought of putting these colourful expressions in my "stories" but I wonder whether it will be culturally acceptable as such words border on profanity and crass vulgarism.

Hello again ciliapi -- Interesting. I am not sure if it is very much in my genes.  But I am very much convinced it is. Read on.

1. Before early this year, I could not even eat rice with my fingers. As I had been trained to eat with fork and spoon since kechik [or kechil in proper Malay]. The most amazing part is one fine day, I decided to eat rice with my fingers after my brother's explanation.

And hey presto! For your information, I am not that young anymore.

2. I cannot vouch for young Singaporean Baba and Nyonya these days. But I DO HAVE AN ACERBIC TONGUE. And I am very much well-known on online networking platforms for putting people down.

At the risk of sounding boastful, I had feedback from one or two persons that them angmohs/orang putih are scared of engaging with me. But then, I would only do so if I found them offensive. Or talked through their backside.

What else about typical Peranakan characteristics? The Babas are natural comedians. Or rather, sharp, witty and a laugh-a-minute. Every time I engage in a conversation with the Taxi Pakciks, not only I inevitably speak Malay with them. But they would inevitably say, Babas are jokers.

And then they would tell me about stories of the olden days. When Singaporeans used to live in kampungs, the Peranakans and Malays would naturally congregate together.

What I am driving at is, yes I do have a warped sense of humour too. But then, I am a Nyonya. Nyonyas are not known to be comedians/laugh-a-minute. Or are they?  Nyonyas or the Bibik-bibiks were more known for their acerbic tongues. For example:

[color=red]Si *chilaka* punya Cina babi. Dia betul betul tipu gua tao

Translation: That *** of a pork-seller. He really scammed/tricked me, you know.[/color]

Btw, I am not even a full-blooded Peranakan. Probably 1/4, as I did not have the opportunity to clarify with my dad before he meningal. If his mother is really Indonesian Hakka-Peranakan. Who spoke "funny" Hakka.

Or a Chinawoman who emigrated to Indonesia at a very young age and then adopted the sarong kebaya and sanggul.

Rgds
Betul-baba?

Hi ciliapi,
I think you meant siapa tu not siapu tu? Ha ha ha.

Thanks hocky, that's right... "siapa tu" typo error.

Can anyody still remember the blistering, colourful phrases that the bibiks used to use? They have such a rich variety of adjectives to describe practically everything under the sun.
Examples,
"Muka penyapu" (broom face) –describing someone that we hate looking at, that might bring us bad luck just by looking at him/her
"Muka cheng-tong nasi" (rice ladle face) – describing someone’s long, glum face
“Muka bak-pau” – puffy face
“gigi jongang/tompel” – buck-toothed
“hitam macam pantat kuali” – a person who is as dark as the wok’s bottom
“Mulut pantat ayam” (chicken backside mouth)

I think the Bibiks have made the Baba language so much alive, don’t you think?

A story for you ...

[b]Kenapa kulit Kerbo ketat tapi kulit lembu longgair? [/b] 

Bila gua kechik-kechik dulu, Ma’ gua (Tan Kim Neo) suka buat chrita. Sekarang Ma’ gua sudah tak ada, sudah lama dia pergi tanam keledek. Chrita ni betul kah atau chrita karut, tuan allah saja yang tau. Ma’ kata ini cherita orang dulu-dulu kala.

Dulu-dulu kala, semua binatang boleh chakap. Si-Kerbo dan Si-Lembu betul-betul kawan baik. Mana-mana pun jorang pegi dua-dua. Macam isi sama kuku. Pada satu hari yang banyak panas, dua kawan ni setuju mo pegi mandi di sungei untuk sejukkan badan. Jangan lu semua ketawa, tapi mereka boleh bukak kulit macam kita manusia boleh bukak baju. Lepas bukak kulit, dua kawan ni masuklah sungei dan main-main. Semua orang boleh dengar jorang ketawa-ketawa suka hati. Sudah puas mandi, Si-Kerbo dan Si-Lembu pun keluar dari sungei.

Si Lembu tak tengok baik-baik tapi terus chapei kulit yang paling dekat dan terus pakei. Ehh, sedap nya di pakei krana kulit tu longgair betul. Si-Kerbo pulak pakei kulit yang tertinggair. Betul-betul tak sedap pakei. Kulit tu punyalah ketat macam kulit buah nangka. Si-Kerbo barulah sedair yang kulit Si Lembu pakei tu adalah kulit Si-Kerbo krana badan Si-Kerbo lagi besair. Si-Kerbo mintaklah Si-Lembu tu pulangkan balik kulitnya. Tapi Si-Lembu betul-betul lah lembu, keras kepala - tak mo tukair kulit krana skarang kulit yang dia pakei tu cukup bagus dan longgair. Berkali-kali Si-Kerbo mintak tapi Si-Lembu tak mo jugak pulangkan. Si-Kerbo gertak Si-Lembu, “Oi, kalu lu tak mo pulangkan balik kulit gua, sampei bila-bila pun gua tak mo kawan sama lu lagi!” Si-Lembu tu bukan baik keping. Dia buat tak dengair dan matikan diri. Dia tinggalkan Si-Kerbo sorang diri di tepi sungei dan balik kandang.

Punyalah marah Si-Kerbo sampei dia berteriak kuat-kuat, “Lembuuuu!  Lembuuuuu!” Ramei orang datang tengok siapa yang bising-bising di sungei. Mo tak mo, akhirnya Si-Kerbo kena jugak pakei kulit yang ketat tu. Kalu tak pakei kulit tu, kena telanjang bulat pulak. Manalah mo letak muka?

Sebab tu-lah kulit kerbo ketat krana asalnya kulit itu kulit Si-Lembu, tapi kulit lembu longger krana kulit itu dulunya kulit Si-Kerbo! Sampei skarang dua ekor binatang ni tak mo bertegur satu sama lain!


[font=Verdana][color=blue][b]Why the buffalo’s hide is tight but the cow’s hide is loose?[/b]

When I was young, my grandmother (Tan Kim Neo) loves to tell us stories. My grandmother has since passed away. Whether this story is true or not, only God knows. Grandma said this was a story told to her many years ago.

A long, long time ago, animals could speak. Buffalo and Cow were very good friends. Where ever they go, they are always together. On a very hot day, the two friends agreed to bathe in the river to cool themselves. Now don’t you laugh but the animals then could take off their hides just like us humans can remove our clothes. After they have taken off their hides, the two friends played in the river. Everyone around could hear them laughing with glee. After they have finished bathing, Buffalo and Cow climbed out of the river. 

Cow did not look carefully but grabbed the nearest hide and put it on. It was very comfortable to wear because the hide was really loose. Buffalo put on the remaining hide and found it very tight and uncomfortable, like the jackfruit skin. Buffalo then realised that the hide that Cow is wearing is Buffalo’s hide because Buffalo is larger in size.  Buffalo asked Cow to return him his hide. But Cow is really stubborn and refused to exchange the hide that he is wearing because it is really loose and comfortable. Buffalo pleaded with Cow many times to return him his hide but Cow refused. Buffalo threatened Cow, “If you do not return me my hide, I will sever our friendship!” Cow is not a goody-two-shoes and pretended not to hear Buffalo’s threats. He kept mum and left Buffalo alone by himself at the river and sauntered back to his pen.     

Buffalo was so enraged that he yelled, “Cowwww!!! Cowwww!!!”. Many people came to see what the commotion at the river was about. Reluctantly, Buffalo put on the hide even though it was tight. If he did not put on the hide, he would have to go around stark naked. Where on earth can he hide himself in shame? 

That my friends, is the reason why the buffalo’s hide is tight because it originally belonged to the cow. The cow has a loose hide as the hide originally belonged to the buffalo. To this day, the two animals are not on speaking terms with each other!  [/font] [/color]

Hi ciliapi:

".. sudah lama dia pergi tanam keledek .."

Oh gosh, I laughed until my perut percah and tears rolling down my cheek :D  A typical Baba creative use of words :)

Thanks so much for sharing with us all.

Kind regards
Betul-baba?

Hi, may I know has the book been published? I'm interested to buy.