Cantonese Cuisine in Chiangmai: Dim Sum

Bought some dim sum from a roadside restaurant for dinner yesterday. The establishment was run by a Thai Chinese family and while the selection available was decent, it could be better. This was because there were many staple dim sum dishes that they did not serve – such as congee, turnip cake, carrot cake, steamed buns, lor mai gai (Chinese glutinous rice), fried spring rolls, and fried dumplings.

This being Thailand (and in Chiangmai to boot), I did not have too high hopes of finding quality dim sum. But even so, it was a disappointment. Minced pork was the primary ingredient in most of the dishes and most of them also tasted the same. What’s more, a basket of dim sum cost 40 baht (SGD 1.60). This is fairly expensive by Thai standards as you can get a plate of basil pork with rice and a fried egg for this amount.

Larb Moo - Thai Minced Pork Salad

Larb (also known as Laab or Laap) is a very popular dish from the Issan (northeastern) region of Thailand. Quick and easy to prepare, it is made from a combination of minced pork, lime juice, chilli flakes, fish sauce, and mint leaves. A well-made larb moo will have an expertly balanced blend of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty flavours.

Larb moo is usually eaten with a side of raw vegetables, e.g. string beans, cabbage, Thai basil, and Chinese coriander, and sticky rice. Thais will take the sticky rice, press it into a small ball with their fingers, and then dip it into the gravy before eating it.

Variations of the dish include larb gai (chicken) and larb neua (beef).

These People are Running Singapore into the Ground

I read this piece news recently, that Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), had been sold to French container shipping firm CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping company, and will be delisted from the Singapore stock exchange. NOL was once ranked among the five largest carriers in the world.

The current CEO of NOL is Ng Yat Chung, who was a career soldier and former army general. As you can see, he has no practical knowledge of finance or shipping prior to his leadership appointments in Temasek Holdings and NOL.

Among the reasons that Mr Ng had given for NOL’s sale, one of them was especially interesting, he said that NOL was "a bit slow and reluctant to change". So since he knew that NOL needed some changes, and quickly, in order to survive, why didn’t he make them happen instead of just going with the flow? As the CEO, he would certainly have had the power and authority to do so.

Despite his failure, it is noteworthy that he had received millions in remuneration in his few short years at NOL.

Actually, his failure comes as of no surprise at all. Singapore has a practice of putting its scholars (who had received scholarships from the Singapore Armed Forces or the Civil Service) and other individuals it wants to groom into leadership positions in government ministries, government linked companies, and organisations in the civil service, even though they often do not have the relevant knowledge or experience needed for their jobs.

For example, here is a list of former leaders in the Singapore Armed Forces and where they ended up after their retirement:

Chiefs of the Singapore Air Force

Chiefs of the Singapore Navy

Chiefs of the Singapore Army

Chiefs of Defence Force - Singapore

There are many more of such examples in the Civil Service as well as in Parliament. In these days where a person is required to have relevant experience before they will be accepted for an entry level position or even a part-time job, it is scary to think that there are individuals such as these, who do not have the relevant knowledge and experience needed for a job, but are yet parachuted into management positions and are in charge of making policies that affect the lives of countless people and their families. As such, it is of no surprise that many fail, screw up the organisations they were asked to helm, and screw up millions of the lives in the process.

And, judging by the take up rate, these people are obviously not shy or embarrassed about getting on the gravy train (often at taxpayers expense) and get paid so much for doing so little (or for screwing up). 

Thai Ingenuity: Multi-Purpose Weight

This home-made weight is commonly seen in Chiangmai. It is made by pouring cement into a section of PVC pipe and then sticking a metal stud into the middle. 

This can be used for various purposes, for example, as a:

• Door stop. This is especially effective when there are strong winds. 
• Weight to hold items and sheets of plastic or cloth down. 
• Base for attaching thin poles to. Hawkers use the poles to display their products or to hang their banners from. 
• Anchor. The bottom ends of PVC banners are usually tied to the weight to keep the banner in place and to prevent it from flapping around. 
• Any other use that you can think of. 

Clean Drinking Water From the Tap

A minor inconvenience about living in Thailand is that tap water is not safe to drink. However, this can be easily gotten around by having an indoor water filtration system in the house. 

I have been using the Mazuma unit above for a couple of years already. It can be hung up as a standalone unit or made to fit into your existing sink. It cost more than 3000 baht for the entire set when I first bought it and you just need to replace the filter on top and the three canisters below it every year. 

The filter

The canisters of carbon, resin, and ceramic

As it was time to do the replacements, I bought the parts at HomePro yesterday and had the handyman come by to to do the job today. Total bill came to 1778 baht (parts) + 350 (labour & transport) = 2128 baht (about SGD 85). I was happy as just the transportation cost alone for a handyman in Singapore can easily be SGD 50. 

This is a small price to pay for the convenience of having clean drinking water from the tap.

Words of Wisdom from the Management of Singapore Inc.

Infamous Quotes From Singapore Political Leaders

I just came across the post above today. It is so good that I simply had to share it. It is a choice pick of some of the most famous (or infamous) sayings from the current batch of Singapore's political leaders.

Singapore's political leaders are all highly educated and I have no doubt that they are smart. But then again, book-smarts is different from street-smarts (as well as common sense) and these comments show it clearly.

With these people in charge, does Singapore have a future? What do you think?

Thai Solar Calendar vs Gregorian Calendar

Thailand has used the Thai Solar Calendar, also known as the Buddhist calendar, ever since it was adopted for use by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in AD 1888. It is the legal calendar in Thailand,

For other countries, the Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar or Christian calendar, is more widely used. 

Difference Between the Two Calendars – Counting Years

The Thai calendar differs from the Western calendar when counting years. Years in the Thai calendar are 543 years greater than those in the Western calendar.

So when you are converting a year from the:

• Western to Thai calendar: add 543
• Thai to Western calendar: subtract 543

For example, the Thai year 2559 is equivalent to the Western year 2016.

Why Should You Know This

This is important as Thais may use either the Thai or Western in various situations. For example, the Thai calendar is often in official documents and news reports while the Western calendar is used more in everyday situations.

However, there is no confusion over the calendars as Thais are well aware that of the use of both types. 

This knowledge is also essential to everyday encounters. For example, older Thais are more familiar with the Thai calendar and usually will refer to it when referring to dates.

Another example involves the manufacturing/expiry dates of the products that you buy. These can be indicated according to the Western or Thai calendar. So do not be startled if you see a year of expiry is in 59!

This expiry date is in the Western calendar format. 

This expiry date is in the Western calendar format. 

This expiry date is in the Thai calendar format. 

How to Save When Exchanging Money in Thailand

Where and when to change their money are questions that travellers always grapple with. To get the best rates, should you change your money before your flight, at the destination airport, or should you check into your hotel first and then sort it out later?

There are a number of ways you can get hold of Thai baht in Thailand. The cost savings vary among these methods but no matter which one you use, the exchange rate that you get is the factor that determines how much you save while changing money.

Things to Take Note When Changing Money

Make sure that:

• The notes that you have with you are in good condition i.e. clean, not crumpled, not torn, without any marks or writing on them. This is because if they are not in good condition, they can be refused.
• You have your passport with you. The moneychanger needs it for their records.
• Always check the receipt that is given to you for errors in the amount to be changed (in your home currency), exchange rate, and the final amount given (in Thai baht).
• Always check for counting errors by counting your money at the counter before walking away.

Transaction Fees & Commissions

The moneychanger usually does not charge any commission on the transaction. Some might even advertise this fact prominently at their establishments. However, make no mistake about this, changing money is not and never free. These people are in business for profit and while they do not list their fee separately, you can be sure that it has already been included in the exchange rate given to you.

So be wary of people who try to charge you an extra fee for changing money and always scrutinise the rate that you are given carefully. 

The Current Exchange Rate

You can get info on this before leaving for Thailand or if you have internet access, right in Thailand itself. To do this, just do a search on Google or Yahoo Finance (e.g. search for ‘USD THB exchange rate’).

While the exchange rate you get in Thailand will always be lower than what the rates provided by these sources (the difference is the profit taken by the moneychangers), you can use it as a gauge to see whether what you are getting is reasonable or not.

Where to Exchange Money

Here are some methods and places where you can change money, with their pros and cons.

In Your Home Country

While it is convenient, never change your money in your home country (including at the airport) - you will always get a low rate if you do so. Instead, bring your cash with you and change it in Thailand.

At the Airport

You can also change your money at the tiny moneychanging booths within the airports in Thailand. These booths are operated by Thai banks, are open 24 hours a day, and are often located both before and after immigration. 

Again, while convenient, changing money at the airport means that you may be getting a poor deal as the rates here are often lower than those elsewhere in Thailand, even when you are comparing rates across different branches within the same bank.

At the Hotel

Hotels and other places providing accommodation often provide moneychanging services. Again, while convenient, the rates that they give are usually low as compared to those at banks and moneychangers outside.

At the Banks

Banks can offer pretty good exchange rates, depending on which one you go to. As different banks offer different rates, the easiest way of comparing them is to go to a major shopping mall, where the various banks will often have branches located close together, and look for the electronic display board near the entrance of each bank. The current rates of the bank will be displayed on it.

Do note that the rates offered by a bank will be the same across all of its branches (with the exception of branches at the airport where the rates can be lower).

At the Moneychangers

These are easily found in shopping centres, tourist areas, as well on the streets. Many of them display their rates on electronic display boards as well and their rates can sometimes be even better than those offered by the banks.

Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)

Sometimes, a store or hotel may give you the option of paying for your purchases in your home currency instead of in Thai baht. This is offered for the convenience of those who wish to make a purchase on the spot but yet do not have local currency.

While these retailers do not offer moneychanging services per se, the fact that they have this option means that they are effectively changing money as well, but not for everybody, just for their customers. And like the hotels, the rates they give are often poor.

Therefore, always insist on paying in Thai baht in these situations, even when you are using your credit card.  

Conclusion

You will always lose some money when exchanging it; the more you change, the more you lose.

Differences in exchange rates are not a big deal if you are changing just a small amount for immediate use, e.g. taxis, food, initial expenses etc. But if you are changing a large amount, it is best that you go to the banks and moneychangers as they give the best rates among all of the available options. And even so, be sure to check the prevailing exchange rates often as they fluctuate from day to day. 

Ways to Minimise or Avoid the 200 Baht ATM Withdrawal Fee

When travelling around Thailand, it is good not to carry too much cash on you in case you lose it due to carelessness or theft. Fortunately, the wide network of ATMs in the country makes it easy for you to do so.

Which ATM Can You Use?

Most ATMs in Thailand accept foreign bank and credit cards issued by major international banking networks and you can withdraw Thai baht from them.

To know whether an ATM accepts your bank card or credit card:

• First, look at the logos on the front and back of your cards to see which networks your card is on. You should see logos from Cirrus, PLUS, Maestro, Visa, Mastercard etc. 
• Next, look at the ATM and see whether the machine supports the networks your card is on. This will usually be displayed prominently at the front of the machine

Using the ATM

ATMs in Thailand have instructions in English. For the password, you enter the same one that you use for the card in your home country.


Transaction Charges to Watch Out For

Every withdrawal transaction from Thai ATMs using a foreign bank or credit card incurs a few charges. These are charged on a per transaction basis and apply regardless of the amount withdrawn, be it 100 baht or 10000 baht. They include:

• A 200 baht fee charged by the bank that owns the ATM. 
• A fee charged by the bank or financial institution that issued your card. The fee can be a flat rate or a percentage of the withdrawn amount, depending on how they charge for this. 

Currency Conversion Rates

This is not a charge but as this costs you money as well, you need to watch out for it.

As the money that you withdraw is in Thai baht, the rate at which your withdrawn amount is converted from your local currency into Thai baht is determined by the issuing bank or financial institution of your card. This rate is usually less favourable than the one that you can get outside at the moneychangers.


Ways to Minimise the ATM Withdrawal Fee

Make Fewer Transactions

Most ATMs have a per transaction withdrawal limit of 20000 baht. Plan your spending carefully and try to withdraw the maximum amount each time so that you will need to make fewer transactions.

Take Note of the Different ATM Withdrawal Limits

Most ATMs have a per transaction withdrawal limit of 20000 baht but for some, the limit is higher, e.g. Bangkok Bank 25000 baht, Bank of Ayutthaya 30000 baht, Krungsri Bank 30000 baht.

AEON ATMs

These have a lower withdrawal fee of 150 baht per transaction but not all cards may be accepted.

Citibank ATMs

Although they are limited in number and can be hard to find, using European or UK bank cards to withdraw money from Citibank ATMs do not incur any transaction fees. However, there are apparently exceptions to this, so it is best to check beforehand on this.

United Overseas Bank (UOB) ATMs

Not sure whether this works for people with UOB accounts in other countries as well but if you have a UOB bank account in Singapore, you can withdraw Thai baht from any UOB ATM in Thailand with no transaction fee charged at all.

You can even check your account balance as well.

Singha Beer Concert: Carabao / Asanee Wasan / Pu Pongsit

These artistes had come by to Chiangmai for a Singha Corporation organised concert. A friend managed to get some free tickets to the concert and was kind enough take me and the missus along. Beer and a rock concert, I'm in!

The long queue in to the concert grounds

Snaking in....

Cars are starting to pack the grounds... 

Motorcycles too...

The entrance

Medical staff was nearby in case anyone needed help

Photo taking area - popular with social media enthusiasts

Here is a video of the concert grounds. 

Food and drinks were available. 
Singha beer was the beer of choice for the night.
 

Food stalls selling finger food and light snacks. 

Another photo taking opportunity - with the Singha beer lion.
 

A small sample of the food that was available. Not very appetising...
 

3 litres of Singha beer for 400 baht (SGD 16). A really good deal!

Opening band for the night: Blackstone.
They played a series of covers and favourite hits from various artistes.

After the crowd had warmed up, 
it was time to move to the main concert ground behind.

The main stage. 

Giant TV screens on each side of the stage 
made sure no one missed any of the action. 

Carabao was the first to take to the stage for the night.
Being veteran musicians, their performance was tight and polished.  

Asanee Wasan came on next. They rocked the place 
and had fun while doing so. 

Pu Pongsit was the last to come on.

Unfortunately, i did not manage to get any videos of Pu Pongsit as my back and feet were killing me from standing throughout the concert for more than two hours. But in all, it was a great evening out. 

Thai Ingenuity: Table & Chair Ideas

Places of Interest: Chiangmai Balloon Park

A new tourist attraction in Chiangmai, the park gives you the chance to take a ride up into the sky in a hot air balloon. A ticket costs about 1600 baht (btw it is cheaper for Thais) for a ride lasting about 15 minutes. However, this is a tethered flight (meaning the balloon is attached to a rope throughout) so the balloon only floats up and down at the same spot, up to a height of about 40 metres.

Apparently, untethered rides are also available but it is much pricier at about 5900 baht for half an hour’s ride.

Here is a video of the balloon in mid air:

https://youtu.be/8F0bACvX5rY

Here are the official Youtube/Facebook pages:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHvWoOvRp4g

https://www.facebook.com/cbp2015.con/

The State of Music These Days

This is a rant post and has nothing to do with Thailand. 

I remember that when I was a teenager, listening to new albums by my favourite bands was always exciting and an event, even more so when I get to do so with like-minded friends. 

So it happened that I had some new albums that I wanted to listen to for quite a while but never had the time to do so. These include:

Repentless – Slayer
The Book of Souls – Iron Maiden
Sounds of a Playground Fading – In Flames
Siren Charms – In Flames
Rock or Bust – AC/DC 
Super Collider - Megadeth

Sure, I could have listened to them in the car but I prefer to do so when I can drink all night while giving the music my undivided attention. So as you can imagine, I was really excited when I finally found time to listen to them. 

How did it go? Well, in a word, it was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, these are great albums on their own but I had expected more. For example, Repentless was full of fast riffs and solos and Tom Araya was screaming his lungs out all over the place but, unlike the early albums, it seemed as if I was listening to a blur of sound; there were no memorable riffs. Also, it seemed that I had heard all of these before, since the album Divine Intervention. The Book of Souls was undeniably Iron Maiden but gone were the galloping rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and inventive solos. Even though I had a taste of things to come in the later albums after Fear of the Dark, I had expected more especially since they have three guitarists on board now. Sounds of a Playground sounded like Linkin Park. Even AC/DC, the only one among them whose sound stayed the same, sounded like as it they were just going through the motions. 

I fully understand if artistes want to explore new sounds, try different things, or go in a new direction. But when the change is too drastic, it alienates the fans who like them because of their original sound. So I cannot understand why so many bands are making such big musical changes. And you can often pinpoint which album marked a turning point in a band’s sound. These include:

Metallica – Black Album
Megadeth – Youthanasia
Slayer – Divine Intervention (though there were some great tracks in the later albums)
In Flames – Colony (or some might even say the Jester Race)
Iron Maiden –Fear of the Dark

I do not know if the sound of these bands changed because they had sold out, run out of ideas, or that they have simply gotten too comfortable (it seems that success is a creativity killer). But it seems to me that the music of today is a poor copy of the past; it is sometimes hard to believe that the same bands wrote the music that they got famous or are remembered for. Like what someone said of Megadeth, “I cannot believe that these are the same guys that brought us Rust in Peace”.  

I will prefer it that a band sticks to its original sound; that is the sound I expect and want to hear when I play their tracks. If I want to listen to Bon Jovi, I will play a Bon Jovi song and not play a track from someone else that sounds like a copy of them.  

Getting Around Thai English

About Singapore English or Singlish

Foreigners in Singapore often have a hard time understanding Singaporeans when they use Singlish, or Singapore English, during informal settings, e.g. gatherings with friends and family. This is because, besides being grammatically incorrect, a Singlish sentence is often constructed with words from more than one language (English, Chinese, Hokkien, Malay etc). Here is an example of a Singlish sentence:

Yesterday I was so sian (meaning bored in Hokkien) at home so I went out. But it was so hot outside that I tak boleh tahan (meaning cannot take it or cannot endure in Hokkien). 

Adding to the confusion is the fact that colloquial words and terms are added to the mix as well. As such, it is impossible for a foreigner to understand Singlish without spending a bit of time and effort into studying it.

About Thai English

Thai English poses a similar problem to foreigners. Foreigners to Thailand would have usually have their first encounters with Thai English from Thais in the service industry such as taxi drivers, waiters, street vendors, sales assistants etc. Although many Thais can speak English to some degree, understanding what they say or getting yourself understood is often not easy (this is referring to Thais in general and excludes those who have really studied the language properly or in depth). This is because Thai English is not quite the same as English in the USA or the UK – grammar rules are often not observed and many English words are pronounced in a uniquely Thai way.

For any visitor to Thailand, it will soon become apparent to them that they have to speak English with a Thai accent in order to make everyday Thais understand what they say.

Tones

Thai is a very musical language and some foreigners have likened it to bird-song. Like Chinese, Thai is a tonal language, which means that a word will take on different meanings depending on the tone that is used to pronounce it.

The most famous example is perhaps the Thai phrase mai mai mai mai mai. To many of us, this looks like a meaningless string of five identical words. However, when these words are pronounced using the appropriate Thai tones, they suddenly take on meaning “new wood does not burn, does it?”

Thais speak largely in a monotone when speaking English (though there may be tonal changes in the final syllable of a word sometimes). Considering that tones are so important in Thai (and also the fact that Chinese has four tones while Thai has five), you would suppose that Thais would pronounce words in the same way as native English speakers but this is not so.

Grammar

Grammar rules are often not observed by Thais when speaking English. Examples of sentences they may construct include:

“I no like”.

“He very nice man”.

“She pay already”.

“This bag very nice”.

“You speak Thai very good”.

“You come here how many times?”.

This is primarily because grammar rules in the Thai language is different from those in English and also that English grammar can be hard to master.

Syllable Emphasis

Unlike native English speakers who emphasise certain syllables within a word (the syllable being emphasised is longer in time length than the others), Thais generally pronounce English words with equal emphasis on each syllable (equal time length for all). This is the reason why words like to-MOR-row, IN-for-ma-tion, SHOP-ping, TI-red etc, sound flat when a Thai is pronouncing them. To put it another way, it sounds like the person is speaking in a monotone.

However, Thais do stress syllables (pronouncing a syllable with a different tone) when pronouncing certain words. The stress is often on the final syllable of the word and it is achieved by pronouncing it with a:

• Rising tone (you start from a low tone of voice and then raise it. E.g. tone similar to that when you question someone with the word “Well?”)
• Falling tone (you start from a high tone of voice and then lower it. E.g. tone similar to that when you pronounce the word ‘height’)

However, it is not clear as to when to stress the final syllable a word or not and when to use a rising/falling tone. Out of the few word examples earlier, only tired would be pronounced with no stress on the final syllable. The final syllable of the other words would be stressed, i.e. pronounced with a falling tone. Listen closely to which words Thais stress the final syllable of and what tones they use when they do. You will get the hang of it after a while.

Thai Pronunciation in Use

As I am not an English teacher, I am not qualified nor knowledgeable enough to provide detailed information on Thai spoken English. The section below provides some basic guidelines on how Thais pronounce certain words. By no means exhaustive, this will give you an idea on how to pronounce a word, when you see it, so to make yourself understood in a Thai context.

Note: If the final syllable of a word is to be stressed, it will be indicated with (ris) for rising tone and (fal) for falling tone.

Starting Sounds & Letters

* ‘v’ is often pronounced as ‘w’

• very                 is pronounced as         wely (fal)
• voice                is pronounced as         woice (ris)
• VIP                  is pronounced as         wee-I-P

* ‘r’ is often pronounced as ‘l’

• right                 is pronounced as         light (ris)
• road                 is pronounced as         load (ris)

* For words with two consecutive consonants in the first syllable (e.g. fl, fr, sc, tw, sl, sm, sw, sp, sk, st), an ‘a’ is added to the first letter of the word to create a new syllable in front.  

• flock                is pronounced as         fa-lock (ris)
• friend              is pronounced as         fa-lend
• school              is pronounced as         sa-cool
• twin                 is pronounced as         ta-win
• slow                 is pronounced as         sa-low
• smoke              is pronounced as         sa-moke (ris)
• sweep              is pronounced as         sa-weep (ris)
• speak               is pronounced as         sa-peak (ris)
• skin                  is pronounced as         sa-kin
• straw                is pronounced as         sa-taw

Middle Sounds & Letters

* ‘v’ is often pronounced as ‘w’

• Sukhumvit      is pronounced as         Sukhumwit (ris)
• never             is pronounced as         nair-wer (ris)
• vanilla            is pronounced as         wanilla
• TV                 is pronounced as         tee-wee

* The sound of consonant clusters (i.e. a pair or group of consonants) in the middle of a word is often omitted.

• problem           is pronounced as         por-berm (fal)
• brother            is pronounced as         ba-ter (fal)
• frog                 is pronounced as         fog (ris)
• brake               is pronounced as         bake
• fried                is pronounced as         fide (ris)

  

Ending Sounds & Letters

There is only a limited number of ending sounds for words in the Thai language. English words with ending sounds that do not fall within these are often pronounced without the ending sound or have the ending sound converted to another one.

* The sound of the ending letter or syllable is omitted.

• mend              is pronounced as         man
• pump              is pronounced as         pum (ris)
• red                  is pronounced as         lay-ade (ris)
• with                 is pronounced as         wee-eed (ris)
• cake                 is pronounced as         k-ache (ris)
• cute                 is pronounced as         cue-ood (ris)
• change             is pronounced as         chay-ane (ris)

* ‘-ed’: usually not pronounced.

• cooked             is pronounced as         cook (ris)
• fried                 is pronounced as         fry    

* ‘-el’ and ‘le’: these are pronounced with a ‘earn’ sound.

• Michael            is pronounced as         Mi-kern (fal)
• Russell             is pronounced as         Russ-sern (fal)
• apple               is pronounced as         app-pern (fal)
• bubble             is pronounced as         bub-bern (fal)

* ‘-us’: this is pronounced with a ‘us’ sound.

• lotus                 is pronounced as         low-tuss (ris)
• virus                 is pronounced as         wi-russ (ris)
• chous               is pronounced as         core-russ (ris)

* ‘-tion’: this is pronounced with a ‘shun’ sound.

• station              is pronounced as         stay-shun (fal)
• information       is pronounced as         in-for-may-shun (fal)

* ‘-es’ / ‘-se’ / ‘ss’ / ‘-ce’ etc: the ‘s’ ending sound is replaced by a ‘d’ sound.

• yes                  is pronounced as         yed (ris)
• cheese             is pronounced as         chee-eed (ris)
• lease                is pronounced as         lee-eed (ris)
• lace                 is pronounced as         lay-ed (ris)

* ‘-lon’: this is pronounced with a ‘lawn’ sound.

•  melon              is pronounced as         mare-lawn (fal)
• gallon               is pronounced as         gal-lawn

* ‘-lar’: this is pronounced with a ‘la’ sound.

• similar              is pronounced as         see-mee-la (fal)
• singular            is pronounced as         sin-gew-la (fal)

* ‘-nal’: this is pronounced with a ‘nair-l’ sound.

• international     is pronounced as         in-ter-nair-shun-nair-l
• regional            is pronounced as         ree-ja-nair-l
• professional      is pronounced as         pro-fess-shun-nair-l

Words With Unusual Pronunciations

Here are some words that are not pronounced like they are written but are not numerous enough to form a guideline.

• shopping          is pronounced as         chop-ping (fal)
• album              is pronounced as         ah-la-bum (fal)
• central              is pronounced as         cen-tarn (ris)
• chocolate          is pronounced as         chock-ko-lard (ris)
• major               is pronounced as         may-yer (fal)
• channel            is pronounced as         chan-nair-l (fal)
• Liverpool         is pronounced as         liver-poon
• Arsenal             is pronounced as         are-sir-nern (fal)
• technology        is pronounced as         tech-nor-ler-yee
• Siam                is pronounced as         Sai-yum (ris)
• Paragon            is pronounced as         pah-rah-gone (fal)