Itarian Lesign

.

A few weeks ago, while on leave back home, I was in Wisma Central, looking at (the Malay word is belek-belek) mobile phones to buy one for Lina. She needed (and deserved) a new one. Both Nazzim and Sofia has been pestering her to get a new one, ooohhhh, over the last two or three years.

While I was belek-beleking one potential purchase, talking with the salesman about the phone and of course, the price, a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, came in along with what must be her father.

In true Malaysian fashion, without turning left or right and see if the salesman is busy or otherwise, she just said out loud,

"Itu earphone untuk Nokia model something-something ada ka?"

"Adaaa.....", said the salesman and peeled off from attending to me to take one out of a nearby cabinet and handed it over to her.

"Calmera ada? Calmera?", she said.

"Calmera, waaaahhh......", I thought, "now even earphones also got Italian designed one ah? This must be good, the Finns must be targetting a niche market, young girls in this case, with earphones done by an Italian design house. What will they think of next?"

Visions of Sofia pestering me to get her designer phones, designer earphones, designer satchets, designer bags, designer cases, designer everything with "Calmera" stamped on it started playing on my mind.

"Calmera, Calmera...... Calmera titak ate la.", said the salesman.

"COLOUR MERAH LAH!!!!", said the father, literally shouting.

"Ooohh..., colour merah. Colour merah titak ate....."

Oh s_it, colour merah, red corour. Yes, red corour, as in pink corour. That girl wanted to eksyen with her England slang one until "colour merah" became "calmera'!!! And the father had to stoop down low too, he had to shout at the poor salesman who knows no Itarian.... hahahahaha.

Wei, mamat oi, that poor guy only sells mobile phones, he donch know Itarian one, he he...

I thought that whole episode was very funny. Calmera, god, that was a gem...

I need a new drug. Calmera is the name.....

.