Feb 10 2006
Ah Pek Sah
Last year I bought 2 button cotton shirts for Ian to wear in CNY. On the third day of CNY, I brought them out and told Ian:
Suz: OK, today mama will let you wear Ah Pek Sah (阿伯衣)
(Ah Pek as in the way we call old man. I like to call these button cotton shirts as Ah Pek Sah, actually a way of making fun with the young guys who wear them – makes them too formal and I actually prefer T-shirt)
Suz: … and you’ll wear these Ah Pek Fu (阿伯裤)
——–
The next day, we pulled out the 2nd Ah Pek Sah to let Ian wear. This time, DH was the one who helped Ian.
Ian saw the clothes, happily shouted: Bak Bak, Bak Bak (as in, the way he calls his uncle, DH’s elder brother)!
——-
Well, Ian was not wrong at all! Because, when we call 伯伯 (uncle), in Cantonese we say Bak Bak. In Hokkien we say Ah Pek. And Ian was exposed to both versions.
So, I was the culprit who confused him! He must have thought I told him the shirt belonged to his uncle! :p
that’s why I always keep in mind to use different term for different things… else they confuse easily…
Ya.. my chloe gets easily confused too. Her daddy would say.. “get mummy’s purse” .. i would say.. “get mummy’s handbag or bag.” so she is right confused at what we want at times.. heheh!