Also, his take on "sporadic instances of really terribly english".
For our International (read: Ang Mo) readers, from Talkingcock's Coxford Singlish Dictionary:
AH LIAN
A pet-name which literally means, "lotus flower". The female equivalent of an Ah Beng - an unsophisticated Chinese girl. Stereotypically dresses in neon colours, wears a huge ribbon perched on the top of her head, and carries a tiny basket.
Excerpt:
I was at NP's Lifestyle Library, where people go there to lounge around, chit chat with friends, observe the opposite (or sometimes, same) sex, or flip through glossy magazines. I, on the other hand, was there reading serious stuff, like Wired Magazine. Trying to read, that is, amidst all the distraction.
Then it struck me. Just about every other girl around me was an Ah Lian.
You know something is not right when a library is infested with Ah Lians. Maybe they don't have a better place to hang out in Ngee Ann, since we don't have discos or pubs or KTV lounges.
Anyway, if you have been scrutinising my blogroll, you would have noticed that I've actually linked to an Ah Lian's blog. A real Ah Lian - she even declares it publicly: "I am actually a simple Chao Ah Lian".
