The monotony and tedium of everyday living in Singapore was momentarily broken on March 31, 2022, after a video of two old Ah Bengs shouting and cursing at each other in Hokkien -- with one of them in his HDB flat while the other along the corridor -- was posted on Facebook.
A sure sign the video is a hit with the people was that it was shared more than 7,000 in just 12 hours.
For the benefit of non-Hokkien speakers, the exchange between the two men has been translated into English sans the vulgarities.
As the video contains copious amounts of foul language, viewer discretion is advised.
What video was about
Start of video
The 3-minute video, even though it was filled with a lot of words exchanged between two sides, surprisingly shed very little light on the source of the discontentment.
However, at the start of the video, the Ah Beng in the corridor said in Hokkien: "What did you put in my house? Don't think I don't know. Huh? Did you?"
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied in a condescending tone: "What did I put in your house? Say it."
The Ah Beng in the corridor replied: "You sign it, you sign it on paper. And you come out. I challenge you to a one-to-one."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house shouted: "Are you sure?"
The Ah Beng in the corridor said: "It's great. I'm going to let you have a taste of my fists. Come on out."
30-second mark
After the 30-second mark, the Ah Beng in the corridor continued to taunt the Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house.
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house said: "You really like to fight?"
The Ah Beng in the corridor replied: "About right. And too much for you to handle."
Another man in the flat then said off-camera: "You are just a small fry. A small fry that plays second fiddle."
The Ah Beng in the corridor retorted: "I'm a small fry? You can call the police now."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house said off-camera: "You shout like you are breathless."
The Ah Beng in the corridor retorted: "You are just scared."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "Oh I am so scared."
The Ah Beng in the corridor continued shouting: "You can come out."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "You can knock down my door. I will make you pay for it."
The Ah Beng in the corridor then changed direction and said: "You cursed my father and mother."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "Didn't you curse my father and mother first?"
Brain fart moment: 1-minute 5-second mark
The Ah Beng in the corridor then shouted more aggressively: "You cursed my father and mother first. You come out."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house shouted back: "You come out."
The Ah Beng in the corridor then stood confused for about 2 seconds, before realising that didn't make any sense.
After he regained his composure, he delivered his winning line: "How do I even come out? I am already outside."
When you bamboozled in a shouting match
You can watch that brain fart moment forever immortalised on TikTok:
@windsorarmstrong Another day in Singapore
♬ original sound - Armstrong
Change direction: 1-minute 9-second mark
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house realised he had conceded an own goal, and tried to salvage the situation by throwing another bone at the Ah Beng in the corridor.
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house said in a bid at recovery: "You shout a bit louder."
The Ah Beng in the corridor, knowing that he had the upper hand but did not capitalise on it because it will be such an easy win, retorted: "Call the police."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "Keep up with the loud shouting. When the police comes, you'll be meek as a mouse without even making a squeak."
The Ah Beng in the corridor said: "You will run away first."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house then shouted at the mother of the Ah Beng in corridor: "You need to take care of your kid, his brain is spoilt. You need take care of him."
The Ah Beng in the corridor said: "You don't talk about my mother."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house then said: "Why did I close my door? I was trying not let your hot head get to me."
Mommy's got her son's back
1-minute 40-second mark
The Ah Beng in the corridor continued to taunt the people in the flat: "Don't be scared, don't be scared. You want to be the whipping boy? You come out. You still don't know who I am."
The other man in the flat then said off-camera: "You are wrong and you don't know why."
The Ah Beng in the corridor shouted aggressively: "I will give it to your parents. They deserve it."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house retorted: "Shut up. Which gang do you come from?"
The Ah Beng in the corridor replied: "How do you not know where I am from?"
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "How would I know which gang you are from?"
The Ah Beng in the corridor replied: "If you don't know you can try me."
He said this while swaying his hips from side to side, as if he was getting warmed up to throw hands.
The Ah Beng in the corridor continued: "Call the police, call the police."
How you know he is ready to throw hands? Hips don't lie.
2-minute 20-second mark
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house replied: "Who let a crazy dog out barking every night?"
The Ah Beng in the corridor got triggered and put his right arm through the gate's opening and shouted: "Don't you insult my mother this way."
He could have had his arm yanked off in this position.
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house shouted back: "You don't come at my father."
The Ah Beng in the corridor said: "You told my mother off first."
At this point, a woman off-camera in the flat could be heard getting into the conversation.
The Ah Beng in the corridor responded to her by saying: "You can bring a knife out."
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house addressed the mother of the Ah Beng in the corridor: "Did I scold you?"
The mother of the Ah Beng in the corridor said: "Yes, you did."
The Ah Beng in the corridor followed up by saying: "My mother said so."
The other man in the flat then said off-camera: "You can come and scold us now? Is your manhood bigger?"
The Ah Beng with more tattoos in the house then told the other man with him to pull back and the video got cut off.
Responses
Commenters online reacted to the video with an equal mix of confusion and hilarity.
They could not grasp what the argument was about in the first place, but laughed at the brain fart moment, which derailed the show of aggression that both sides had tried to maintain up until that point.
The argument between the men carried out with a gate between them also reminded them of the following video of two dogs barking and snarling at each other whenever a gate separated them: