Phobia on CHINESE new year.

What does the word Phobia mean in the English dictionary?

Phobia - Abnormal fear or great dislike. 

I believe majority of us have phobias be it a fear of heights, spiders, tight spaces or even clowns and pickles. 

What does phobia got to do with CHINESE new year you ask? 

Im fearful of having to speak chinese, knowing my chinese is lower than the backside. 

My chinese background isn't rock hard, and neither have i ever passed any major chinese exams - PSLE, N levels, O levels- maybe once or twice during school papers, thats all! 

Thus, i have developed chinese-tro-phobia (my own creation), it only occurs in 1 000 000 000 000 people and that someone is ME.. 

(Is there that many people on Earth even?)LOL..

Some more, majority of my cousins speak chinese. Those among their 20s, they speak English to me, because they know Chinese and I do not mix well. HAHAHA

Then there was this China dude, one of my cousins' husband, came over to speak to me.. 

(this where the fun begins.. :P).

During the whole conversation with him, i was literally struggling with my chinese pronunciation and my answers. So part of the conversation, you may hear like English words inserted in my sentences.. Thank god he understand A bit of English, because he also a businessman.. 

Then there was this particular question he asked, and i found hilarious. 

Him : So, what type sports you like?

Me : Oh, i like to play Basketball 

( i said this because it is the commonly used and easiest to say. " Lan Qiu".. )

Him : Orh, Ah, "Lan Qiu". I like tennis ( he said tennis in chinese and i didnt understand)

Me : What?

Him : Tennis ( this time in English )

Me : Orrh.. Yes yes.. 

~~~ ( he paused for a while.. )

Him : So, what other sports you also like to play? 

Me : ( I wanted to say Badminton in Chinese, but epic failure, and a total different meaning) So i mumbled "mei mao qiu", cos i didnt know the exact name. 

Him : "shen Ma?"  ( what in English ) 

Me : Saying a bit louder this time, "mei mao qiu" ... 

( "mei mao qiu" means like "no hair ball"... )

~~~ ( some more conversation inserted here, which i cant recall )

So after a while he left to eat.. And i was left alone, relieved. 

~~~

The same day, went home, and asked myself what Badminton was in Chinese, and i finally figured it out!! 

Badminton = "yu mao qiu!" ..

Hahahaha! YES YES YES!!!! 

So thats my Chinese-tro-phobia moment, where i thought i would be slammed for not knowing how to speak chinese. Phew. 

Yay!! 

( But i can tell you that i can read better than i speak or write.. :P )