Sometimes when words get hard, all we can do is 🙏 and 🤷♀️. Far from ruining the language, emojis provide some colour to how we communicate. Texting the cute little photos can make communication across languages much easier. Think of it this way – emojis are the texting equivalent of face-to-face body language... just be mindful of who you're sending the 🍆 emoji to. Since it's been reported that there won't be any new emojis in 2021, we took it upon ourselves to create some. Plus the emoji dictionary could use some local flavour – here are our suggestions. 🙌
You can use our emojis here.
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Chope refers to the overzealous way Singaporeans reserve a seat or a spot (or even things) and the tissue paper pack is a symbol. Of course, you can use many things to chope something with – like an umbrella, your name card, a Cotton On membership card – but tissue paper is the OG.
"Go chope seats first, I'll get the food"
The ultimate Singapore obsession? Hands down, bubble tea. Many were distraught when bubble tea shops around the island had to be closed to follow 'circuit breaker' measures. It doesn't matter whether you hate it or love it, the bubble tea er, bubble is not going to burst. Plus, did you know about the alternative ways to get bubble tea delivered to your house in these times?
Like Singaporeans, mynahs are urban creatures. You see them everywhere – on a tree branch, loitering around your table at a hawker centre, stealing food from other birds and more. And if you're one of the lucky ones, a mynah has at some point of time in your life pooped on you.
"Oh man, a mynah pooped on my head."
Milky, sweet and silky, teh tarik is a comforting beverage which gets its name from the process of making it. There's a little bit of showmanship when it comes to preparing it. Milk tea is poured back and forth between two vessels to create the frothiness.
Never ask a Singaporean why they are willing to queue for something, no matter how trivial it is. We think of it as character-building. If we can't wait a bit for something good, then what does it say about our attitude to life?
There are many things that can make a Singaporean jittery – and one of it is the saman auntie. The proper title is parking warden and they prowl our carpark and streets at the most odd times, searching for rulebreakers and handing out fines. Beware the saman auntie!
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