“Out for lunch. Don’t Call – Wait I Choke Then jialat.”

“On MC. Huat Sio. Need rest. Don’t Call Me hor.”

These are just a couple of the hilarious Singlish phrases printed in the newly released Tee-Saurus Singlish Office Buddy, which is a 50-page sketchpad comprising of ten common Singlish phrases, to be used as status updates in the office.

The first 10 pages are reserved for ten different Singlish phrases – which are printed on glossy, high quality paper. The other 40 pages behind, are on ordinary quality blank note paper for you to take down notes during important meetings – or office gossip, whichever you prefer.

Designed for Singaporeans, by Singaporeans

Designed and made for Singaporeans by Singaporeans, the Tee-Saurus Singlish Office Buddy aims to inject laughter and joy into a typical office worker’s day.

How did the company come up with this creative idea in the first place? Said Lawrens Tan, 37, Creative Director at Tee-Saurus Pte Ltd, the makers of the sketchpad, “Working long hours in the office is seriously boring. I too, spend countless hours in my office. And especially in places with a lot of people, it’s seriously hard to keep track of where your colleagues are.”

He continued, “More often than not, people will start to assume where you are and start gossiping or talk behind your back. For me, ‘assuming makes an ASS out of U and ME’. It then dawned on us that it would be fun, if we could have a status update of where you are and people can relate to the status easily.”

A Sketchpad is portable

Why a sketch pad, anyway? Said Tan, “We made it contemporary and also the portable size because it allows you to create your own message like, ‘I need to go back. Dog’s unwell’ or ‘Gone for prayers’ on Friday. There is no limit to creating your own messages, thus the blank pages behind.”

He added, “Plus, the size of the sketchpad (220mm by 110mm) makes it easy to bring around to jot down notes, scribbling, doodling, brainstorming and anything else you can imagine.”

The sketchpad is hilarious

Tee-Saurus snail-mailed me a couple of sketchpads for me to take a look at. My first impression of the Singlish phrases in this sketchpad was that they were hilarious and that I could not stop laughing. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind Singaporean product that most locals would understand.

I think that this sketchpad is very innovative and something that I will probably use on my desk – so that I can have a giggle whenever the going gets tough or when I find myself swamped with work and deadlines. As they always say, laughter is the best medicine.

Ten Singlish Phrases

There are ten Singlish phrases altogether in the sketchpad. These are as follows:

• Page 1 – VERY BEESY. Bo Eng Lah! Ask the person beside me!
• Page 2 – ON LEAVE. Go Jiak Honk Liao. Later then Leply You.
• Page 3 – ON MC. Huat Sio. Need Rest. Don’t Call Me Hor.
• Page 4 – ON SITE. Helloooo? Tia Bo Lah. No Leception.
• Page 5 – ON COURSE. Tak-Chey. Garman Say Must Upgrade.
• Page 6 – OUT FOR LUNCH. Don’t Call. Wait I Choke then Jialat.
• Page 7 – MEETING. Tekan Session. Who Going To Kena?
• Page 8 – SMOKE BREAK. Sama Sama Place Sama Sama Korner.
• Page 9 – LESERVIST. Paiseh. Need You To Jiam-See-Dong.
• Page 10 – !@#&%*^$. Warning. You Better Siam Far Far.

How did they choose these phrases? Said Tan, “We felt these ten are the most relatable to the modern working environment. We have more wacky and badass ones but we thought we could tone it down by tweaking it to be more catchy and funny. There will be new versions coming and it would be so much more intense that it’s going to throw you off!”

After spending some time entertaining myself with this sketchpad to inject some fun into my own stressful day, I can certainly see how this little creation will lighten up a typical office environment – but in order for this to take effect, the employees and bosses at the company must have a healthy sense of humour, though – otherwise you may just find yourself swamped with additional projects from your boss!

Using the Sketchpad

Explained Tan, “You can use the sketchpad in many ways. One would be to throw the arrow to the colleague next to you by placing the status to VERY BEESY – Bo Eng Lah, Ask the person beside me. It will make the colleagues burst out laughing. So the once-stressful environment starts to transform. They can use the Ten Messages to create that fun element in the workplace.”

He continued, “There is always a popular question to one of the statuses – ON MC. How do we actually use it? There are, in fact, two creative ways to do it. The first is to ask your college to flip for you by either texting them or calling. The second idea is what I like to call ‘Predictive’ MC. It’s your choice – but don’t say I told you this!”

Tan adds that the best reason for using Office Buddy is to let people know where you are. He said, “And when they see the status, they will know whether it is a good time to go near you.”

The product, according to Tan, would be relevant to most working Singaporean professionals. He explained, “Working professionals would understand the frustration of constantly updating others about where they are and what they are doing. In short though, it can happen anywhere where there is ‘office politics’ – this is also suitable for college students as well.”

Singaporean office workers indeed find the Singlish Office Buddy sketchpad to be hilarious and funny. Said Human Resources Manager Rey Lee, 30, “I actually just saw this product too, at a shop at the i12 Katong Mall – I found it very funny and was tempted to buy it. It’s very interesting with all of the Singlish. I really like the local touch of it, as it’s unique and you can’t find it in other cultures.”

However, she added that due to her work in Human Resources, she feels that it may not be appropriate to put the sketchpad on her desk. Continued Lee, “But I would buy one for myself if I’m not in HR or if I work from home. It’s so funny that I’d be looking at it and can laugh about ridiculous work situations. It would also make a very good gift for friends and close colleagues.”

How to purchase the Singlish Office Buddy

The Singlish Office Buddy is available at the Tee-Saurus website, https://www.tee-saurus.com. It is retailing for $18.90.

But PrisChew.com readers who purchase the Office Buddy will receive 10 per cent off their purchase. To get this discount, simply key in the following promo code when you make your purchase online.

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Besides the Singlish Office Buddy, Tee Saurus also has other versions – in Cantonese, Taiwanese and Full English.

There is also an Office Buddy Gold Edition in the works. Said Tan, “It’s in the prep work now and we will make it so hilarious, it’s a winner from the very first one.”