Thursday, January 18, 2007

Malay kah?

I have the habit of looking at the patient's name and age in the clinic prior to seeing them. That day, as usual, I take a peep at the name & age in the patient's identification data column and browse through the referral letter for the brief history and the diagnosis... My patient was a teenage girl with ESRF (End Stage Renal Failure) on hemodialysis. The nurse called the girl in. The girl has very dark skin complexion and naturally I started talking to her in Malay language. She was quite quiet and only gave simple answer to my questions.

Towards the end, after I completed my clerking and examination, I looked at the name column again... Fulamak !!! I saw a Chinese name there. I mistakened her as Malay pulak. Might be that's why she is so quiet? :P She indeed doesn't look like Chinese. Well well.. She is dark because of her medical problem. Patients with chronic renal (kidney) failure commonly have hyperpigmentation and sallow skin complexion (dirty brown appearance coz of anaemia and retention of urochrome, the urinary pigment).

Well well.. I was mistaken as Malay too for several occasions.. in KL, in Kuching and even in Penang; Countless episodes. Inside and outside the hospitals. I had encountered several Chinese patients asking me questions in Malay language. Or Chinese salesgirl talking to me in Malay. Grrrrrrr........ Apa lah. Although I'm not fair, with tanned skin but my skin complexion is not that "dark" lah. Definitely not to the level of "hitam manis".. cos I'm not sweet :P

Mmmmm... do I really look like a Malay more than a Chinese? *Faint*

52 comments:

c a r c a r said...

why today no kai?

malay ah?

kenapa hari ini takda ayam?

Pink Cotton said...

WAH!

so kek sim until have to blog at mid day ah???

Pink Cotton said...

hmm ya i agree u look like chinese leh...nvm,those ppl bak ciu ko tiok sai 'x'

hahaaha that is embarassing!to speak malay to a chinese...i've done that several times oredi when ordering drinks at kopitiam

tats y i owes wait for them to initiate the conversation first if cannot tell whether he/she is chinese or not ..LOL

AhTak said...

no worry ~~~ That always happenes on me ...

Normally I'll just reply in pure malay and continue the conversation. If they find out I am a Chinese, I will laugh my ass out listening to thier excuses "Wah, you so dark and Malay so chun ~~~ Really like Malai Zai ler ~" ~ HAHAHAHAH

Anonymous said...

you look like Chen. that's who you look like.

rainbow angeles said...

errrmmm...

*looks at the King Crab pic*

errrrmmm...

*look summore*

errrmmm....

*blink blink*

errrmmm... tells u laters :P

rainbow angeles said...

Yeah, why no kai
I want pak cham kai... like keretakereta wan...

har??? who keik sim??? who make you keik sim??? faster tells!!!

*rolls sleeve*

rainbow angeles said...

Actually... I also always kena dicakap BM... because seems that I hv Malay gurl mya feature...

And last time, when I used to work in a bank, some people thought I gadis Siam pulak... alamak...

rainbow angeles said...

I feel so sleepy...zzzz... zzzz...

* *T H U R S D A Y L I A O * *

Anonymous said...

... blur blur
Just woke up, late...
How come you didn't mistake me for a Malay?
I thought angel was Siamese too..
In Europe, everyone thought I was Japanese..

mistipurple said...

cab drivers think i am malaysian.

mistipurple said...

mostly from the way i talk. donno why myself. haha

mistipurple said...

they say my mandarin sounds like dat lor.
and yes i am spamming. :P

mistipurple said...

maybe also my hokien.
*spam kaw kaw* *syiok* :P

Anonymous said...

When a friend found out that I'm from Sarawak, she asked me, "so what are you? Iban?" Hehe. There are chinese in Sarawak leh.

Pink Cotton said...

hahaaha angel is siamese and LB is japanese

i think i m too chinese that even the native selling pau likes to speak chinese to me *faint*

Chen said...

carcar,
LOLOL
really great mind thinks alike hoh?
Err... must keep low profile :D

Cos i posted so many kai posts liao for the past couple of days...
Else will really Fatt Kai Wan liao :P

Your kari kai very sedap leh..
I like :)

pink cotton,
Kkaka, I wrote the draft few days ago liao lah, just that i didn't post it :P Carcar told me she posted "kai" post, so I post "Malay" post loh.. Can become "Malai Kai" mah :P

So, next time if I see u waiting for the other person to open his/her mouth to initiate the conversation, then I know why liao loh.. cos u unsure dia tu bangsa apa !!! LOL
Clever lah u :)

ah tak,
If I dunno u r Chinese earlier on, I might think u r not Chinese either leh.. hahahhaa...

Chen said...

may,
Hehhehe.. what a brilliant way to answer this Q :D

angel,
Wah... look so long summore ah?
do I look like Iban?
lololol

I told Pink Cotton liao..
Carcar posted Kai
I posted Malay
so our post is Malai Kai post
keng or not? :P

No keik sim lah..
Sudah biasa liao actually..
cos Countless time liao leh..
so ko lian hoh?

looking at the King Crabs Pict too
wah.. which Malay feature are u refering to ah?
screening up & down the pict :P

looking back at the King Crabs pict again..
Angel looks like Siamese meh?
Adjust spect & squint eyes
Mmmmmmm.....

*Wake up, wake up*
tomorrow F.R.I.D.A.Y liao...
yipppeeeeee

LB san,
cos I thought u are Japanese mah..
so definitely won't mistaken u as Malay liao..
Ah Boy is not Indian, okie? :P
LOL

Chen said...

Misti,
Misti talks like Malaysia ah?
Aiseh..
How do Singaporeans talk ah?
I lupa liao :P

Ai si loh..
u also kena the spamming illness liao?
This is indeed a highly contagious disease... :P

Lynnx,
Luckily your friend didn't ask whether u stay on the tree or not.. :P There are still people who thinks Sarawakians live on the trees..

So keik sim :D

pink cotton,
Kkakaka... should be happy mah, cos u r a Chinese that looks like Chinese.. LOL

I have come across several natives, Malay & Indians who can converse very well in Chinese or Hokkien/Cantonese too leh.. :)

Cynthia said...

at least you dont to asked: are you Indon? Filip?
I kena before!!!
SUAY!!!

Winn said...

who said u not manis? WHO SAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Got many thought I'm a Japanese somemore... u say lah, pengsan or not?

Chen said...

cynthia,
wah...
which part of u looks like Indon or Filipino woh?
The one who asked tat question must be suku liao :D

winn,
Errrr...
*answering in a very soft & timid voice*
I say punya woh....
I bite myself yesterday mah..
tarak manis pun? :P

kenny,
kekekee.. u indeed have features of Jepun kia leh :P

*cabut before u throw slippers at me*

Anonymous said...

apa mau? :P

the other day my mum also made the same mistake while we were doing some shopping... talk to a chinese gal in malay, because that girl didn't respond to my mum's first question in mandarin... LOL

Anonymous said...

I have been mistaken as a filipino. Luckily not as the maid! :P

I tell you whether you look like malay or not after this weekend..

Anonymous said...

I been mistaken for orang ulu many times oledi:) it doesnt matter..a great conversation starter :)

Chen said...

will,
I did the other way round before too..
talk Chinese to the Malay patient, cos he looks like Chinese & he is so fair....... hahaha

kat,
Mistaken as Filipino? Wah...
hehehe, did they speak Tagalog with u? :P

Okie Okie, hope u won't say I look like Malay then! LOL

bengbeng,
Orang Ulu? o.O

Anonymous said...

I was mistaken for a mangkali....when this prata seller in HK called out to me...."eh! Chi khey yan! chi khey yan!"

Chen said...

cocka,
OMG... mangkali? LOL

anyone ever mistaken u as the veteran HK actor 刘丹 (liu dang) or not?
keekeke..
u both looks alike :D

Anonymous said...

Ya-wor.. one lady spoke to me in tagalog.. Strangely enough, in Msia you can tell who is a filipino. But when in AD, Msians and Filipinos look alike!

Anonymous said...

I thot I saw your title as "Malay kai"....

Anonymous said...

chiak kay khar pui!!

Anonymous said...

So you stopping for satay at the Sg Buloh overhead bridge restaurant?

Anonymous said...

SATAY!!

Anonymous said...

gila redy...this kat....
*wild cackling laughter*

Chen said...

kat,
Msia & Filipino looks alike in AD?
Must drag a Filipino to stand next to u liao & compare...
LOL

No 马来鸡 here..
No 马来糕 either :)

*faint*
u kena the 发鸡瘟 disease liao ah?
LOLOLOL

Kapal terbang tarak stop in Sg Buloh overhead Bridge Restaurant for Satay lah.. How I wish!! :P

Anonymous said...

Haha. I also mistook Chinese for Malays too. :D

But I never recognize you as Malay before, even during the brief time we met. :P

ah nel said...

i oso being mitaken...they tot im malay or mix when i speak malay in kch...

coz im dark my uncle called me lakia last time...

Anonymous said...

i wonder if the teenage girl will feel sad or not, after all the dark complexion not at her wish at all since it's caused by treatments and therapies?

anyway, this is very common. usually, if there is others with me, i will let them start talking/asking to the person. so, if wrong, i will laugh hard hard at him/her. :p

Anonymous said...

KAI is the IN thing now!

Unknown said...

Dunno lah... never seen you before lah.

Chinese people speak Malays to me before too. In KL, mostly. In Penang, people are quite used to the type of complexion that I have already i think.

In Sarawak, they thought i'm a bumi. Here in Prai and Kedah, the patients will ask the nurse after I finish seeing them ... "yang tadi tu Cina ke Melayu?"

sengkor said...

doc, u look more chinese than chinese ok..

Anonymous said...

*point at Lokter Chen

Lu Cina full stop =)

Chen said...

SA,
You are mostly welcomed to analyse my picture.
Waiting to hear your feedback :P

Sad to see so many youngster & little ones suffering from chronic illness :(
That's life...

Wah... I dowan to look like Sotong leh..
Definitely not like the Pirates of the Carribean Octopus.
Too scary liao :P

I get spammed several times liao..
But not from you :)
Remember the SPAM post few weeks back?
LOL

DD,
Talking about that brief meet..
Thinking back, that was quite some time ago liao..
issit in 2005?
Time really flies :D

Chen said...

ah nel,
u r not "that" dark lah :P
lakia? wow..
lakia is more for Iban or the natives, right? :D

orange,
The dark complexion is not due to the treatment & the therapies she received,
It is due to the underlying chronic medical illness (kidney failure) that she has.
She would be more concerned about her well being than her appearance.
Have to undergo hemodialysis three times a week....

kereta kereta,
Yeah.. Hou Kai ah…
Let’s continue to Kai
Keep up the Kai faith :P
Another Kai post coming up soon :)
Stay tuned....

Chen said...

bernard,
Next time if u see me, then u tell me loh ;)

so, are we considered in the same "ship"? lol
But your patients are more keng,
asking your nurse what race are u pulak after u see them :)

SK,
TQ, SK is indeed SK :)
Errr...
New profile pict leh..
No more wearing mask liao? ;)

JL,
point back at JL
terima kasih manyak-manyak :D

Anonymous said...

happens to me all the time cos i speak malay better than a malay...hehehe

nyonyapenang said...

errr...you don't look like a nyonya lor. LOL

Anonymous said...

*follows angel*

*look at King Crab pic*

hmmmm... mix mix lo.. :P

Chen said...

monkticon,
but u dun look like Malay leh.. :P

nyonya,
talking about nyonya reminds me of something !!!
Hahhaa, i have a coursemate in university who likes to call me as nyonya in the past...
kakkaka... no particular reason, but just that she likes to call me by tat name..

butt,
u ini lagi teruk...
say i mix-mix
must piak !! :P

Anonymous said...

nvr seen ur big-head photo b4, say cudnt comment... :P

got a few times i was confused with salesgirl's race when in supermarkets. wanna ask her some q but need to think whether to ask in malay or chinese. haha. so solution is to peep at her nametag b4 proceeding with any enquiries. once my mum asked a salesgirl in malay, but to find out later she's a chinese! haha...

Chen said...

kyh,
no problem :D
I don't put personal photo up here :D

If really in doubt, can speak to the salesgirl in English & see what's her reply :P