since young, my mum taught me to quietly call out:"siam siam" (hokkien for `excuse me, excuse me') before i pee in the bushes. this was to forewarn any wondering spirits that might be lurking in the bushes to move away so that they don't end up getting pissed on (cos if i did, i would end up being cursed by them or something along this line). this, apparently, was a common practice cos i see it often practiced even by my peers in the field. and this has become kinda standard for most of us and it comes instinctively whenever we need to ease ourselves.during my recent holiday trip to australia, there was a couple of times where we had to drive long distances and between stops, there was absolutely no toilets. and so, when nature calls, i had to pee in the bushes... and very instinctively, i would call out "siam siam!"... and at one particular instant, i wondered - how could the lurking spirits - likely to be ang mo (`red hair' aka caucasian) by race, if any - understand hokkien words... with this realization, i adapted my calls to "excuse me excuse me!"
ha ha...
:-)
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