Accent Accident

Amusement or laughter could be such a great relief from all the stress and pressure, we deal on a daily basis, be with your boss, clients and colleagues. Here are some stories that made me remember why our English teachers are so nitty -gritty in getting our word enunciation right...



Real Estate Company
As I answered the phone after a couple of rings :


Me : Good Morning! (my department)
Caller : Good Morning Ma'am, may I speak with (my colleague)?
Me : I'm sorry, she's not around. Would you like to leave a message for her?
Caller : Ma'am, could you please take down these ten numbers.
Me : (Surprised) Ten numbers of what? Jokingly I teased...Hey! are you betting for lotto?
Sorry girl...you dialed the wrong number.
Caller : (in Tagalog) Ma'am...these are the ten numbers given by our client for the completion
of Mr. X's requirements...so that we could get our commission.
Me : (Suddenly understanding what she said, and tried my best not to laugh) Ok..I'll get Mr. X's TIN (taxable income number) # to be given to Miss (my colleague)

That gave me a short laugh...to keep me sane for the rest of the day!



Singapore MRT Station
I was with my three colleagues (2 Singaporean and 1 Filipino), waiting for the train to arrive; while one of my Singaporean Chinese colleague, raved this "yummy spicy chicken wings" that she ate yesterday at the nearby mall. Unfortunately, she forgot the name of the restaurant ...

Me : Really?! At what floor?
Colleague 1 : Floor ? What do you mean floor?
Colleague 2 : I think she's asking what kind of flour, they used.
(I am about to open my mouth and say... Floor? I mean what level, when Colleague 1 quickly answers)
Colleague 1 : Yeah, flour? I don't know what kind of flour they used, but it's sure really good!

As I am about to explain my question, my Filipino colleague gave me the look. A kind of look that says "Don't sweat on it...let it slide". So I reluctantly relented..and said "I see".