Speak in...

When I talk to a person I know not, whether during phone calls or everyday interactions, I would start out by speaking in English. If the person too is an English speaker, he or she would reply in English and we could carry on with whatever crap we're talking comfortably and happily. On the other hand, if that person replies in other language/dialect like Cantonese, I would of course proceed no further than making a mental sigh and trying all sorts of ways to escape from sustaining this IMO pointless conversation. Because you know what, communicating in Cantonese is what I hate most. I'm not very confident when it comes to Mandarin likewise but at least I'm better at it than the former. As for English, I dare say I can speak fairly well; that is if you ignore the occasiona... no, frequent usage of nonsensical Malaysian-Chinaman phrases such as lah, mah, meh, and so forth.

Inability to speak decent Canton dialect is a blemish and it's troublesome to force myself, squeeze my brain just to utter, "Can I have a plate of noodle?", "How much is this plate of noodle?", "I'm your best customer. Please give me a discount on this plate of (already very cheap) noodle.", etc. in Cantonese. That's why no white elephant is better than having your mother together with you in town. Remember folks, never leave your poor mother alone at home. Filial piety, the moral excellence is to be cultivated.