Corrections in life

“You slept early again, didn’t you?”

“Not really…”

“Then why are you taking afternoon naps?”

“I’m tired, so I just lie down on the bed only.”

The above conversation with my dad doesn’t really make any sense right?

He had been advising me to sleep late and not to retire to bed early these days.

At first, I couldn’t understand what he meant until my mum told me to go to bed early during dinner. He corrected my mum by saying that I should sleep late, because sleeping early means going to bed after 12am.

*******

In my family, we usually converse in Hokkien. Then there was a time when my dad asked if I want fried egg as an add-on for my dinner.

I said “mai, bei hiau kin.”

When we were having our dinner, he corrected me by saying that “mai, bei hiau kin” is wrong and it should be “mai, kam sia.”

I was baffled, like how this guy's expression is.

I couldn’t get what he was trying to tell me until he told me to translate it to English. When I tried to translate it to English, it turned out that he is right.

“mai, bei hiau kin.” = “no, never mind.” While,

“mai, kam sia.” = “no, thank you.”

Then he asked me if I ever said ‘no, never mind’ When someone offered me anything. Of course I said no, it would be very weird if someone offered something to you and you decline by saying ‘no, never mind.’

Even so, I find it hard to change it. I was corrected over and over because before I could hold back my tongue, the words ‘no, never mind’ came out instantly whenever my parents or my bro asked me if I want this or that.

Luckily I never said ‘mai, bei hiau kin’ in English.

=/ …