Genotype Stereo.

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A fellow teacher-invigilator from another school came up to me and started to make small talk :

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"So, you're teaching in [insert name of school here] ah? Good school, good school, you know".

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"Er, ya".

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"So, you're teaching Malay issit?"

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(somewhat surprised) "Er.......no".

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"Oh, PE teacher is it?"

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(what the?) "Er, no".

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"Relief teaching, issit?"

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(Taking a deep breath) "Actually, I'm teaching - the crucial component of our Life Science Industry advocated by the Government of Singapore to produce a significant pillar of economic strength in our nation's annual GDP quotient, which is - Biology".

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".."

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Ok fine I didn't actually said that rubbish but felt that I should. I don't understand why he had to conveniently stereotype me as any other subject teacher, which in my opinion, is perceived as less-challenging tasks by him as compared to the harrowing syllabus of Biology. This guy needs his brain checked - I mean, why is he still subscribing to the ancient belief that all malay teachers must seemingly be teaching malay?

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I hate to admit that my command of the malay language is, unabashedly, as excellent as holding a wet-market conservation with the average fishmonger over the price of ikan merah ( red snapper ), and no more academically stellar than a mediocre A level grade, although I'm quite sure I'll fit in as the average mat who indulges in contemporary-lingo banter peppered with 'geng, dol and jack' as second-person references very well.

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However, if there's one thing I don't get it till now, it is the decadent attitude of stereotyping and generic labelling of people to any form of references and innuendos, and not giving them their credit even when credit is due. Not to say that I deserve any by the way, but it'd be a good thing to start with, especially after being identified as a malay language teacher by every other member of the teaching fraternity for the nth time all the time.

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Gila punya orang.