Excuse me, are you a Singaporean?

Today I hopped on a cab and the taxi-driver asked me where I am from. These questions "Are you a Singaporean" and "What is your race" are not new to me and always asked by taxi-drivers, polytechnic mates and australia church friends. This list can go on. Including a cleaner who interrupted me while I was eating mee pok.

They said that I dun look like a pure Chinese person. I look quite a bit different from others. Puzzled and amused, it never occur to me that way.

Curious about the expected profile of Chinese face, I did research on internet but in vain. I dun know what subject to google in query box. I looked at the faces of Chinese girls outside while travelling in bus. Had a talk with my colleague over this topic abt the differences about Chinese and Malay faces.

Cited from her perspective of faces of both races, Chinese features are more delicate and very soft, and the latter features, more sharp and prominent. In which I agree with her perspective.

Based on my observation, I can only guess that the typical Chinese face has quite a slim and flat structure. Like the cheeks are not full-blown as this pictured girl's. Features-wise, they are more soft-looking than Caucasian's.








I discovered that Naga in Nagaland ( one of the states in India) have high cheeks. Could it be that my genes could be mixed of Naga and Chinese? It would be wonderful if my blood carries 1% of Naga. It is so boring to be pure Chinese and you can trumpet to people "hey, I am not pure Chinese. I am half-Chinese and half-Indian." I know one guy who will state "Indian" on "What is your race" question when filling up the form. Despite he is Chinese technically??? Do not get mistaken that I am jeering at these people who proudly annouce abt their mixed race. I understand that it is natural to be proud of mixed race so they are happy that they got some "exotic" blood.

Sadly, I am not. I am a pure Chinese and clean Singaporean, free from foreign blood cells.

posted by Sleek Black @ 6/08/2006 08:38:00 PM