In case you don't know me personally, I have a tendency of saying "I'm the best" in various permutations (i.e.; "Am I the best or what?"/ "Oh god I'm like the best."/"Hot damn, I'm seriously the best"). I usually say it after using some pompous or highly obscure word in Malay or French when speaking to friends coz somehow it seems impossibly funny when I use big words. (Apparently it's not that amazing when I use big words in English)

Par example:

"Ini cadangan aku yang muktamad." (This is my final decision.")

muktamad = final. Nobody uses the word muktamad in an informal setting coz it's just so damn textbook! And when I use it, you get like a wooaaaahh-I'm-a-brilliant-academic kinda vibe.

And obviously, none of my friends take me seriously when I say this kinda thing. More often than not, they'll just respond with a "Yes, Nash. You are so the best" and we'll laugh about it. We do it all the time.

I'm not bragging. It's just an expression to acknowledge the fact that our linguistic repertoires are bloody brilliant when we least expect it to be. When you've been conversing about school stuff all day, a bombastic word/cultural maxim/grand idiom slotted in can easily perk things up and life doesn't seem too gloomy. It's like the free cosmetics bag you receive when you purchase more than 100 bucks worth of L'Oreal, you know? It instantly redeems the fact that you just spent good money on mascara you don't need. (It sucks that the L'Oreal range here isn't extensive but that's another story.)

The other day, one of my cousemates was listening to my friend and me talking, and she heard me say "Damn, I'm the best."

She stopped whatever she was doing and asked, "Did you just praise yourself??"

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"You praised YOURSELF?!"

"Why, don't you ever do that?"

"No, I never praise myself."

Good, coz there's nothing praiseworthy about you, I nearly said. (Sorry, I'm not exactly her best friend after she fucked up one of my assignments.) I wasn't in the mood to talk to the lowlife. I can't imagine going through life without occasionally being a smartass to myself.


Okay, I know I said that this whole I'm-the-best thing wasn't serious, but honestly, doesn't everyone deserve a little bravo here and there, now and then? I don't believe in waiting around for someone to say "Wow you're good" at whatever I do, especially when I know I've done a great job. So what if the acknowledgement comes from myself? At least I don't go around fishing for compliments.


Maybe it's just me and my male-ish ego, but I really do think some self-approval is not a bad thing. You might disagree, but that's just how I feel. I'm always telling my French buddy "Je suis la meilleure" or "Tu es le meilleur" (I am the best/you are the best) and he gets a kick out of it every time.

No, I'm definitely not walking around campus telling everyone I'm awesome, but when I do accomplish something well, I don't see the harm in giving myself a verbal pat on the back. If you can't deal with that, then you're probably taking life too seriously. And what's the point in that? The course of life is best enjoyed with a pinch of the cheek. Y/N?