Monkey photobombs video & goes viral
Image adapted from: @theera_29
Malaysia is surrounded by tropical rainforests. And monkey sightings are pretty common, even in an urban landscape like Kuala Lumpur. But when three students sat down to record a video for their Chemistry projects, the last thing they expected was for a macaque to photobomb them and worse – steal their keropok.
The video posted by one of three students went viral because Malaysian netizens found the situation super amusing. But there were a few who couldn’t relate — which just made everything even funnier.
It was all about saving the keropok
Video credit: @theera_29
The viral Twitter video was posted by @theera_29 with the caption: “Hi we were recording for our chem video and this happened”. Since it hit the Internet on 11th October, the video has racked up over 11.3 million views, 220,000 retweets and 660,000 likes, with Malaysians and non-Malaysians coming together in the post’s comment thread to share a laugh at the 24-second video.
Malaysians were amused as the girls ran out of the frame in fear after one of them shouted in horror and all of them stood out hurried away from the table. Even as they ran out of the shot, their voices could be heard in the distance yelling “Ambik keropok!” (save the snacks).
Video credit: @theera_29
Some Twitter users were confused as to why the girls weren’t screaming to save their phone instead. But @alissarode helpfully translated a tweet that the original girl posted on why they reacted this way. She wrote, “My friend’s chips were precious because she brought them all the way from Terengganu on a bus”.
For those who still don’t get it, Terengganu’s a 7-hour bus ride from KL, and it’s known for their fish crackers (keropok lekor), which Malaysians love.
The video gets funnier if you pause it at just the right second – the monkey flips off the camera as he stuffs his face with the snacks that he’s victoriously taken.
Video credit: @theera_29
Lost in Translation
While you may be clutching your sides just watching the video, the comments thread to the viral post will have you in stitches. Half of the responses were just funny reactions to the video; the other half were replies by people who got lost in translation, making the situation even more hilarious.
Twitter user @meowmeowzie tweeted in all-caps, saying that she thought she heard wrongly about the student shouting to retrieve the crackers, but it turned out that her ear hadn’t failed her after all. The end part of her tweet said, “… THOUGHT I HEARD CRACKER WRONG[LY] ON MY PHONE BUT IT TURNS OUT TO BE REALLY CRACKER [laughing so hard]… SIS.”
Image credit: @meowmeowzie
Some non-Malay-speaking users had a hard time reading these responses, though. Twitter user @celindaburb, for one, tried to find out what was the fuss and used Google Translate to try reading @meowmeowzie’s tweet – but she was severely let down by the tool.
The translation became, “AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE”.
We’re not sure how retrieving a bag of crackers translates into American literature, but it sure provided a good laugh for many.
Image credit: @celindaburb
Other users were visibly upset about being lost in translation, but those who understood the video like Twitter user @yoonjin2423 were quick to jump in and translate and explain, “Basically everyone was amused because the girl in the vid keep on saying (sic) “save the snack” rather than saying to save her phone”.
Image credit: @DulcieDoll
#datMalaysianlife hits too close to home – even for celebs
Fellow famous Malaysians also took to Twitter to respond to the viral video.
Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna tweeted, “Dat Malaysian life” in response to the video along with the hashtag #trulyasia.
Image credit: @yunamusic
Henry Golding, an English-Malaysian actor who was the lead in “Crazy Rich Asians” and currently resides in Los Angeles, also chimed in, saying the video made him miss Malaysia.
Image credit: @henrygolding
Some Malaysians related hard to the video, drawing back not-so-fond memories of shared personal experiences with monkeys online. Twitter user @nurinnnnnnn said she still harbours a grudge with monkeys for stealing her Ramadan meal.
Image credit: @nurinnnnnnn
Malaysia truly Boleh
The viral Twitter video brought endless laughs and jokes at home and abroad. And the original poster of the video has since tweeted her new Chemistry project video – without the special guest-star monkey, of course.
Malaysians related to the resilience of fellow countrymen in the face of a common obstacle – wildlife, and all that comes with it, even in the city.
Malaysia boleh – or, anything goes – after all.
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