I used to say “Awww…That’s so sad” all the time Ponggo asked me to change my expression since, according to him, it sounds annoying and a bit indifferent and shallow. I changed it to “Oh wow” and after saying it so many times, he said I sounded as if I’m not really amazed and that I’m just saying “Oh wow” to fill in the conversation. There was also a time when I was stuck with “Tunay?”
(Tagalog of “Really?”) where he complained that I sounded as if I didn’t know anything or that I didn’t believe anything that anyone said. My oldest expression would probably be “Ay! Patay!” (i.e. somewhere between “I’m dead meat” or “You’re dead” depending on the context) which wasn’t really funny nor appropriate especially when we’re at the cemetery to pay our respects to our relatives who passed away.
Finally, I found myself saying, “I know right?” I found it convenient. Usually, Ponggo & I just end up restating each other’s sentences. Then he starts complaining that I use “I know right?” too much. In the end, I guess, (a) He just doesn’t really love using expressions & catch phrases (although he does have a slew of baby-sounding words for particular objects) (b) I have to come up with a better list of expressions and I have to consciously alternate its use or (c) He just has to live with whatever expression it is that I’m trying to use & abuse. 😉
XOXO,
Tipsy
P.S. More (mis)communications here:
A Dummy’s Guide to Emoticons
Fact of the Day #21: Don’t overuse a word
Misunderstandings Caused by Texting
Emoticons are so overrated!
