Apa macam in Seattle...

How interesting! Like finding a needle in a hay stack, we found it by chance. Now that is an interesting finding. We were on our way to the Space Needle in Seattle. While walking along the pathway toward it, our daughter Lin saw what look like some words written in Malay engraved on a blue tile laid along side the pathway. It is part of the many engraving with all sort of character that line the sidewalk. And this one caught her eyes. She told her mom and then told me of this finding. I walk back and indeed I was sort of surprise to see something written in Malay on a tile in this part of the world, the site of the 1962 World's Fair. I took a closer look and thought that it is authentically Malaysian.

So what does this 'Apa Macam' mean in English. Well this is how some Chinese Malaysian says How are you. The Malay would not do it this way. The Malay would say 'Apa khabar' for How are you. But in Malaysia where the cross cultural influences are great, greeting like ‘Apa Macam’ is often heard when a Chinese Malaysian greets a Malay for example. It sometime sound awkward because the official way is 'Apa khabar' but then for those who have been to Malaysia know that the communicative language that Malaysian use are a bit of a mixed up and often use as a Malaysian vocabulary. Like Ngam a Chinese word for exact is often use by all Malaysian to mean exact when measuring or to mean in agreement. They would say ngam ngamlah, which mean it is perfect in aliment or exact. So it is rather interesting to see such word have travel outside its boarder and this time engraved on a tile, in a faraway land, Seattle!.

It do made me smile and wonder of what else are to be found that Malaysian contributes to the world unofficially. So Rita and Louis of Seattle 'Apa Macam?' or as some folks here would say 'Lu Apa Macam?’.

Have a nice day.