On Computer Mediated Communication

I'm not terribly enthusiastic about the whole concept of internet/tech lingo. I'd prefer to keep things fuss free and stick to uncontracted lexical forms when I'm chatting online. Actually come to think about it, i get rather peeved with friends who use netlingo that I don't quite comprehend. Maybe its cos I'm not happening enough. Haha I took the longest time ever trying to figure out simple conversational terms like lmao, rofl, atm and whatever else. Plus i think it's really true that guys and girls abide by different CMC patterns. My guy friends tend to be more straightforward in initiating/opening a topic, while my girl friends tend to be more emotionally expressive/supportive especially amongst each other. I've created a link to this youtube video on breaking up via sms, HERE. Youtube won't let me embed it, so you have to go directly to the website. Go watch! It's hilarious:) See you all in class later!

On Politeness and Face

Out of all the Politeness Maxims, I've narrowed down to three that I most commonly encounter and/or use.

Tact Maxim - I use this when I'm delegating shitty tasks and when I'm running late. For instance, I knew I was going to be behind time for an appointment with my friend because I missed two consecutive buses to town. Our meeting place was supposed to be at the bus stop in front of Tangs. So I texted her, telling her that it was it was "not my day" because I was unlucky enough to miss both buses and told her, since the weather was so sweltering hot, to shop around inside of Tangs first instead of waiting outside. In that sense I was minimising her 'cost' of action by providing her with the 'benefit' of having time to shop around more, before I reached. Oh man. It sounds really sneaky when I phrase it that way.

Approbation Maxim - On most occasions I subscribe to the belief that, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all". So if my friends ask me whether or not they look good in a new haircut or outfit, I try to be encouraging even if I don't particularly fancy it. I find it's useful to be vague with my answers and say something like "It's not my taste/style, but..". Indirect comments might also be, "It's okay only la" or "Not bad lor". I guess then it qualifies as half-truths?

Agreement Maxim - When I disagree with an opinion, I'll attempt to work out a middle-ground though I'm careful not to go overboard to the extent of sounding hypocritical. There was once I dragged my friends to see a random arthouse film, they ended up getting frustrated about not understanding the film's concept/storyline and hence not making their money's worth. And I, being grateful that they were already accompanying me, tried to appease them by picking out sections of the film that I thought were less engaging, even though I did eventually get to the point that "on the whole I found it was rather watchable".

On Communication Systems 1

First off I thought the video was an enlightening, if not a little backdated, look at the cultural variability that exists in transnational societies today. In my humble opinion, Singapore is perpetually caught in between keeping up with 'Western' advancements (in terms of economic competitiveness, social well-being & political liberalism) and hanging on to our traditional Asian roots. There's a constant rhetoric of "shared values" which reflect Confucian notions of collectivism. Singaporean are taught obedience to authority, and to generally be accepting of unequal power relationships - which probably accounts for our bemoaned state of political apathy.

During class we also found that Singapore is a low uncertainty avoidance country, but I'd beg to differ. I believe that Singaporeans (at least those around me) are a meticulous bunch who make only carefully calculated risks. Sad to say but we're generally uptight and neurotic, as compared to being flexible or going with the flow. Yeah no doubt we do face rapid lifestyle changes but more often than not, we grudgingly accept it as the inevitable as opposed to embracing change with wide open arms. We're not too tolerant of deviant characters too, but frown upon people who refuse to conform. Life on our little red dot is structured and stressful. Just ask the primary school kid who's lugging a schoolbag too heavy for his weight, who sits through endless tuition and enrichment classes in the weekends. Okay I'm rambling on a bit, but you get my point.

Here's where Singlish comes in as a familiar colloquial language that unites most of cosmopolitan Singapore. This mad rojak of English, Hokkien and Malay phrases, is a localized version of the 'proper' English left behind since colonial times. There has been a lot of controversy (embarrassment and scorn, to be exact) about Singlish being a cultural marker of what's uniquely Singaporean. But honestly, learning how to speak 'proper' Singlish is a formidable skill altogether. It is this common linguistic experience that Singaporeans find comfort in, it's what feels like home - the effectiveness of which lasts beyond any compulsory National Education program.