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"It feels good to be able to speak Hainanese again." A lady had told us when she paused in her tracks to make conversation. I was with my grandma – whose only means of communicating with others is via the Hainanese dialect – and parents. We were over at my cousin's new place and explaining to my grandma some of the features of the compound. When the lady heard us, she broke out in Hainanese to say hello. "It's very rare to find people who can speak Hainanese these days so when I overheard you all talking, I couldn't help myself," she said, her face I remember was one of genuine joy. At that moment, I felt a connection that I've never had. It strangely felt as though I got reunited with a distant relative. And our three-generation family continued talking to the friendly neighbour whom we had just met, for another good five minutes. Hainanese is one of five major Chinese dialect sub-groups in Singapore; the rest being Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, and Hakka. I grew up in a family where my maternal and paternal relatives are all Hainanese. I'm lucky that way because rather than having to pick up two dialects, I only had one to work with. I assimilated to the dialect fairly naturally as a result, instead of having to learn it. But this isn't about claiming bragging rights. If anything, it's more an observation of the decline in the literacy of Chinese dialects that I wished could be reversed. I lament the loss of a piece of our unique culture and that extra thread that connects us with people. What do the figures say? Our Census of Population 2020 reported a mere 8.7% of our resident population who use Chinese dialects as their most frequently spoken language at home. This is down from 14.3% in 2010. These figures, I feel, are an accurate reflection of reality. Even as I look around me, many of my peers can comprehend but aren't able to speak their family dialects. This isn't all that surprising since we barely have to use dialects to get on with our daily lives. It's a natural outcome yet a pity. The relevance of dialects will continue to dwindle as generations pass, especially in light of higher literacy levels and as English increasingly dominates as the main mode of communication in Singaporean homes. And this brings us back to the heart of the matter. Dialects, just like any language, are a means for us to get through to other people. For instance, for me, Hainanese is how I connect with my grandma. She is my reason for why I still hold on dearly to the dialect. But the lady with whom we had crossed paths was a timely reminder for me. There are still communities of people who, though may not communicate mainly via a Chinese dialect, have fond memories associated with speaking it. These could be from the carefree days in their childhood, or from a time when they connected with a fellow dialect-speaker. I know for one that I will continue to embrace my Hainanese-ness for as long as there's someone out there who speaks the dialect. This Easter holiday, as we take time to rest and celebrate, let's also not forget to find reasons, and to resuscitate the connections that tie us to people. – Denise Photos from: Singstat, Klook

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/man-110-boxes-arrested-not-stopping-tuas-checkpoint Despite being directed to another area for further checks, he continued driving his luxury car past Tuas Checkpoint, sparking a manhunt by the police. They found the man and his 7-series BMW sedan almost two hours later at Pioneer North Road and arrested him.The police officers found more 100 boxes and plastic bags packed in the boot and on the passenger seats. But instead of contraband such as cigarettes or drugs, they contained foodstuff like curry puff and kueh (local pastries).An Immigration & Checkpoints Authority spokesman said yesterday that a 47-year-old Singaporean had arrived at the Tuas Checkpoint from Malaysia at 12.15pm on Tuesday. "The driver was accorded immigration clearance and proceeded to Customs Red Channel to declare the food products he had brought in from Malaysia. Checks were conducted on his vehicle and there were some discrepancies in the quantities declared," the spokesman added. "He was directed to a designated inspection bay for further checks. However, the driver drove off instead." Under the law, those who wish to bring in processed food such as traditional kueh from Malaysia need to apply for a permit with the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore. The New Paper understands that the suspect had produced a valid import permit, but the quantity of food found in his car did not tally with that stated in the permit. He is suspected to have driven off because he misunderstood the instructions for further checks, TNP has learnt. It is believed he was directed to another area for the checks because the inspection bay was full, but he apparently misread the signal and drove off. Not long after the police tracked down the BMW to Pioneer Road North just after 2pm, a 28-year-old man saw the car surrounded by three police vehicles near Nanyang Technological University. He told Chinese evening daily Shin Min Daily News that the officers were seen carrying boxes of food from the car. A police dog was seen sniffing at about 110 boxes of various shapes and sizes and about 20 bags containing food stacked by the side of the road. Curry puff, packets of nasi lemak and kueh lapis were seen among the stash of food. It was only until three hours later that the boxes of food were loaded back into the car, Shin Min reported. Investigations are ongoing. Kueh distributors here told TNP that it is common to bring in the food items from Malaysia to sell because of the price difference. "In Singapore, most places sell 50 pieces of kueh for $20. In Malaysia, they may sell the same quantity for RM15 (S$5.30) to RM18," said a local distributor who declined to be named. He was surprised that a BMW was used to transport the food items as he had never heard of people using saloon cars for this purpose. "Usually, people use vans because cars are too small to contain all the goods," he said.

Hi guys, I just realized from people around me... I tend to talk in a condescending tone, making people feel like they are looked down upon, even though I don't have such an intention and never wanted to look down, it's just the natural me, to talk like that.. Any of you face the same problem? Care to share how to improve our daily communication skills?

Isn't it clear enough still have say it over & over again? We want ACTION done, not emphasing the same old same old motherhood statements again & again PLEASE??!! As for his own GRC's 40% of voters going against him, if he is still puzzled about the reasons, I feel very sorry to SDP's A-Team that lost to him. From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1127734/1/.html Govt needs to improve communication with citizens: Dr Balakrishnan By Satish Cheney | Posted: 09 May 2011 1938 hrs