Since the first episode until this week’s 154th show, I only have one goal in mind. That’s having fun while we use our beloved Penang Hokkien dialect. When I started this website, there were no other media at all that utilize Penang Hokkien dialect as the main communication language/dialect. The closest are the southern Malaysian style Hokkien or Taiwanese. I have always dreamt of doing radio or TV shows in my very own dialect that I use every single day. Not a “proper” Hokkien used elsewhere. It is “proper” to me if it is what I use since childhood.

The author Tan Choon Hoe (also a listener) recently released a new book that touched on this very topic. I agree with him that if we don’t do something now, we may actually lose our own dialect. We tend to not appreciate the goodness that is right in front of our eyes. Gems that glitter day in and day out next to us are treated as road side rocks.
My role as a web savvy thirty something year old, plus a bit of a joker since I was a child, is to take the dialect and put it to use in a very unique and high tech way so that I’m attracting not only those who appreciate the dialect, but those who are rediscovering the dialect through the marvel of technology and internet. In addition, I find humor to be a good way of encouraging the usage of Penang Hokkien without any extra effort. I guarantee you, after listening to several of the shows here and especially if you have been on Penang Hokkien Podcast as a special guest, we call it “tet pet keh pin”, you will surely have a different appreciation of our witty and rich dialect of Penang Hokkien. Not just any other Hokkien, but one that is uniquely formed here in Penang and the northern region of Malaysia.

Below is the article that the Star published today, and I chimed in my two cents when the Star reporter, Christina Chin asked me about my opinion regarding Penang Hokkien dialect and its possibly dwindling popularity.

Read the article from the Stare here.
(Thanks to Bekembak for the link)

Thanks to listener Loo K.C. for the scan.

As we are gearing up for our 3rd anniversary on August 18, actually, the whole month of August is Penang Hokkien month, I’d like to invite you to suggest some show titles for me.

I ask that you suggest 2 shows of your likings in the forum. I will compile a list of those shows and put it on a special Penang Hokkien Top 10 Shows page. I think it would be great to use those 10 shows to promote Penang Hokkien Podcast.

And as we welcome Hua Hee Dai’s audience to our site, that might be a good guide for those who are interested in checking out the older shows.

Click here to nominate for 2 of your favorite shows.

If you have not registered at the forum, or choose not to do so, you can leave your nominations here in the comments area. Thanks.