peaskambak!

during our family lunch in the house for all saints' day this year

*one of julian's favorite "toys" is this mini plastic armchair we've always had on reserve for occasions when we run out of regular-sized chairs for guests. since our house has never been equipped to hold parties and gatherings, that mini armchair has always been put into use whenever we have more than 4 people staying for lunch and dinner. my family adheres to the unspoken rule that the younger generation should "yield" (NOT always for me) to the older generation, and since i'm the youngest among the adults, it went without saying that i should be seated on the smallest chair.

JULIAN: (grunting) uuuggggh (pinches me as he tries to push me off the chair)

PAPA: he wants you to stand up because he wants to play with it.



ME: no, julian. a-i (one of the hokkien terms for aunt) is still eating. i'll give this chair to you once i've finished.

JULIAN: uuuuggggh...bad! (referring to me)

ME: (relenting) ok, you can have the chair but you have to ask for it nicely. repeat after me: a-i...

JULIAN: a-i!

ME: please...

JULIAN: peas!

ME: stand...

JULIAN: stan!

ME: up

JULIAN: ap!

ME: again, a-i...

JULIAN: a-i!

ME: ...please stand up.

JULIAN: peaskambak!

ME: (laughing so hard) stand up not come back!

JULIAN: (with a puzzled look on his face even as he pinches and pushes me) kambak! kambak!

MAMA: (to me) well, stand up now. you already know what he wants. you're just making his life difficult.

ME: i can't help it. he should know that "come back" is different from "stand up."



but i still ended up yielding my chair to king julian.



(note: until now, when julian is asked to say "please stand up" in one utterance, he ends up saying it as "peaskambak.")