okay cool hey everybody
us really happy to be here my name is
Vivek Madhubani I am a stand-up comedian
and I want to clarify something my being
a comedian is not because I have a
funnier life not because I talk with a
funny voice and I definitely do not have
a funny face alright I know what I look
like
I have mirror too okay I look suspicious
I get it but I must tell you something
don’t think also sad you know you don’t
know you must understand this face is a
benefit I never ever have to line up at
the mini bus line I just cut and queue
get on the bus tree but you know what
I’ll take the next one I don’t want to
get this one I like my life is good do
you understand how good it is but I must
say one thing I learned though doing
comedies that it’s not really about you
know trying to be funny but it’s more
like looking at your life and trying to
ask why why is this happening why am i
doing this why do I think that way
because a very famous comedian once said
Cal Burnett once said comedy is equal to
tragedy plus time which is interesting
because for me growing up in Hong Kong I
went to look which tiny school and that
meant that I was the only non Chinese
kid in my class all the time so what
would happen is that I would get picked
on all the kind of stuff but at the same
time I also had this unique power that I
could make stuff up I could lie to my
friends and they would believe me so for
example I am Indian but at home we spoke
in English and what what that means is
that my own dialect or Hindi and Cindy
is very poor however my classmates would
never know that right and when they
would ask me hey babe I’m going to India
next month can you teach me some handy
and Cindy I’m like of course I can I’m
Indian right by default I must know this
so he’s like also so if I see an Indian
person how do I say hello so just to
clarify something guys if you go to
India and see an Indian person and say
hello we understand okay but I don’t
have to tell my friend that I was like
oh the word for hello in an Indian word
is Gilly Gullu alright see the o’kiku
okay I could do that and also how do I
say bye again anywhere in this world
probably if you said bye to anybody
highly likely they would know what that
meant right but that’s how my friend
like oh the word for bye
Gullu kidding so can you imagine my
friend took the Gili Gullu goes to India
gets off that plane he’s like oh my god
this is it this is it
giddy guru Gilligan right
dear is how bizarre was he came back to
Hong Kong he still did not know that I
was tricking him came back he’s I havea
bum how come when I said giddy guru no
buddy understood me I was like just just
say it once to me like he’s a giddy glue
I’m like remember when you talked to an
Indian person you must shake your head
Gillie velu get it guru he’s like oh
that’s what I’m missing I’m like you’re
an idiot right but what I’m trying to
say is that these were stories in my
past and for me a lot of times I find
that when I think about this a key is a
tragedy that there were so many
assumptions that oh because you’re this
truth that because you’re this you that
just like I say nowadays I know what I
look like I know a lot of times when I
take the bus the seat next to me is
always the last one gets filled up I
don’t blame anybody I like it space is
the premium here right don’t sit next to
me awesome I love it but the point is
this is that comedy equals the tragedy
plus time so we think about today’s
topic of learning from the past
inspiring the future what I really do as
a comedian is not living fun your life
than you guys I simply go to my path and
constantly ask why why does that happen
what was going on why would they think
of that every day of my life today I ask
myself why this why that why that and
it’s fun because all of a sudden things
change no longer am I just saying I want
to have a good life I’m looking for the
tragedy I’m looking for the bad stuff
think about it for all the adults sure
when you have your reunions with the old
classmates you don’t come back and hang
out hey remember that time where you all
got straight A’s yeah we don’t talk
about that we talk about the time you
got in trouble we talked about the
punishment right we talked about how we
got out of school and got illegally
sedessa think about it when you wake up
one day for work or for school and you
find out you’re late for school
right the fun is when you have to think
about do I decide to call in and pretend
I’m sick or do I take the risk of
running late to school and getting in
trouble now when you think about it a
good person would say I’d wake up early
on time go to school good life no but
the fun is when you’re trying to think
about what should I do and let’s say you
decide I’m gonna call in sick then you
got to think about the whole plan right
you’re like what type of sickness to
have a fever to have a sore throat how
sore is my throat
is it the sore throat or is it sore
throat which one right you look in the
mirror you like right when you call in
you have to be authentic they’re like ah
that sounds like stars there we go right
hey so the tragedy actually over time
becomes comedy in the same way your past
is not what disc what the past is it’s
how you frame it just like I could talk
about all these stories and say you know
it was really tough for me my school is
really strict if you relate you get in
trouble but no I find it’s funny I was
like oh cuz school is so strict how can
i play with this how can I use it to my
advantage
just like I say a lot of times am i
doing comedy people have assumptions oh
you must be this you must be that you
must be a happy person you must watch
comedy all day let me explain something
you guys as a comedian I love what I do
because I’m constantly asking why we do
certain things people talk to me about
heavy topics like you know do you
believe in equality well when you were
young will you discriminated yes I was
but you know do you feel this a bad
thing like well depends how you see now
discrimination is something I faced when
I was growing up and I don’t I think
this is exist everywhere in the world
I’m not gonna say we shall respect each
other’s stuff for that think what you
want everyone has an opinion however
what I find is how you frame it how I
frame it as a comedian I’m constantly
trying to frame the situation like why
is it so why is it so why do people
always call me a terrorist I’m Indian
we’re not into the whole bombing thing
right like you mixed up your regions now
think about it the only time you would
ever get a bomb from an Indian person is
after a night of heavy curry all right
all right the next morning you wake up
you’re feeling inside you we are such
spiritual people that even the bombs we
gave you come from within
all right so but think about what I just
said is like it’s actually still the
tragedy that we still have these
perceptions on life but the things I
always take my path and I say why is it
so why do people think this and how can
i play with it to my advantage so the
values this is more about reframing what
your what your life is in reframing your
past to inspire your future many times
you will say but your past will define
your future I always say no it’s your
choice you can choose to let it define
your future hasn’t I had a bad life you
know I did this I regret it so you know
what that’s how it’s gonna be or you can
say okay how can I take what I’ve
how can I take all the struggles how can
I take all the good things I’ve had and
inspire the future I want but the
question you must ask yourself is that
what is the future you want now for me I
love comedy I grew up watching a lot of
comedians and I would love the idea that
some guy could just hold a mic and tell
a story and I would laugh what a
fantastic experience right however you
can’t just be like ok my turn huh it
doesn’t work that way right you have to
put in some effort but the truth is
you’re digging deep into your past when
you first start calm do you I should go
to your path and look at all the
experiences you had usually always
tragedies now for me I was always had
this one story that I loved telling and
it’s strange because this is one of my
original comedy bits however what’s
happened is that people seem to like it
a lot to the point they come to a comedy
show that I’m on and I’m one of the
performers and I hey are you can do that
bit about the ID card I’m like first of
all this is not karaoke you don’t get to
pick a joke huh I’ll take number one at
number three please all right I’m next
right but I do enjoy telling a joke
because it is a true story what happens
for me is that even nowadays it’s much
less but when I was young I would always
get stopped by the police to get my ID
card checked now this is actually a
problem for a lot of young Indian sorry
young South Asian kids in Hong Kong
because for some reason we’re just
profile without our choice right however
it happened to me all the time I’d be
walking home minding my own business a
policeman will see me you always like
you ID God right I could be sat next to
me but you I do comic dude I’m not deaf
alright so I’m always scared I’m I hope
you see my crap now the guy takes my
card it is so obvious he cannot
pronounce my name he takes my car he’s
like oh yeah right and he starts to do
like the distance makes a difference
right oh I could not pronounce her name
oh I’m short-sighted now I can right so
he’s holding my cart trying to guess my
surname now my surname is ma boo Bonnie
it’s a typical Indian Cyndi surname now
maybe this guy was nervous he was
standing like shaking one leg I’ve never
seen anyone stand and shake their leg
you know me sit knew that but this guy
okay whatever and maybe he’s pumping
knowledge I have no idea whatever right
I’m not gonna ask him so he’s looking at
my cart trying to guess my name now am i
starting me Babu Bonnie he’s probably
thinking the typical thought okay
surname sass letter
looks very suspicious like terrorist his
best guess was Mohammed but that is not
even hi pronounce that he pronounced it
as Mohammed did like what past tense
since when did Mohammed become a verb
you cannot use it in a sentence gambling
hey man um yeah I Muhammad did you like
what I Jesus you back I don’t know how
this work I’m confused I I don’t I don’t
get it but of course I’m scared so I’m
gonna stand there like holding my
laughter my he’s and this is when he was
like he’s like all prized all right he’s
got my name is that okay Mohammad dead
where are you going
sorry sir I’m just going home what’s the
problem he’s like Mohammad did from
where you all come I’m like what from
where you are
would you go down from Star Wars what is
this all right now I don’t blame him you
know I had well his English wasn’t very
good now I grew up in a Chinese school
and I understand it was just hard of the
second language and I luckily can’t
speak Cantonese fully which is a
superpower for me and I thought hey it’s
time to save the day I speaking
Cantonese he doesn’t speak in English
we’re all happy happy joy joy lets me go
home no problem all right
so I decided hey let me be the good guy
help him out you know saw problem so I
in Cathy’s are like awesome the game was
it go on till then yeah he’s like
Mohammad you think I don’t speak English
and arrested me so therefore you think
about this way that was actually a
tragedy growing up but when years later
people pay me to hear me tell that
stories and thank you much it was a
pleasure so remember it’s more about how
you want to inspire your future then
define your future by a pass and I
encourage you guys the next time you
have a tragedy happening yourself
remember give us some time you will find
it funny so for example let’s say for
some reason at the corner and the alley
of there someone looking like me Rob’s
you it’s the tragedy give it 10 years
you’ll be laughing – all right thank you
much guys enjoy the rest night pleasure
take it easy
[Applause]
us really happy to be here my name is
Vivek Madhubani I am a stand-up comedian
and I want to clarify something my being
a comedian is not because I have a
funnier life not because I talk with a
funny voice and I definitely do not have
a funny face alright I know what I look
like
I have mirror too okay I look suspicious
I get it but I must tell you something
don’t think also sad you know you don’t
know you must understand this face is a
benefit I never ever have to line up at
the mini bus line I just cut and queue
get on the bus tree but you know what
I’ll take the next one I don’t want to
get this one I like my life is good do
you understand how good it is but I must
say one thing I learned though doing
comedies that it’s not really about you
know trying to be funny but it’s more
like looking at your life and trying to
ask why why is this happening why am i
doing this why do I think that way
because a very famous comedian once said
Cal Burnett once said comedy is equal to
tragedy plus time which is interesting
because for me growing up in Hong Kong I
went to look which tiny school and that
meant that I was the only non Chinese
kid in my class all the time so what
would happen is that I would get picked
on all the kind of stuff but at the same
time I also had this unique power that I
could make stuff up I could lie to my
friends and they would believe me so for
example I am Indian but at home we spoke
in English and what what that means is
that my own dialect or Hindi and Cindy
is very poor however my classmates would
never know that right and when they
would ask me hey babe I’m going to India
next month can you teach me some handy
and Cindy I’m like of course I can I’m
Indian right by default I must know this
so he’s like also so if I see an Indian
person how do I say hello so just to
clarify something guys if you go to
India and see an Indian person and say
hello we understand okay but I don’t
have to tell my friend that I was like
oh the word for hello in an Indian word
is Gilly Gullu alright see the o’kiku
okay I could do that and also how do I
say bye again anywhere in this world
probably if you said bye to anybody
highly likely they would know what that
meant right but that’s how my friend
like oh the word for bye
Gullu kidding so can you imagine my
friend took the Gili Gullu goes to India
gets off that plane he’s like oh my god
this is it this is it
giddy guru Gilligan right
dear is how bizarre was he came back to
Hong Kong he still did not know that I
was tricking him came back he’s I havea
bum how come when I said giddy guru no
buddy understood me I was like just just
say it once to me like he’s a giddy glue
I’m like remember when you talked to an
Indian person you must shake your head
Gillie velu get it guru he’s like oh
that’s what I’m missing I’m like you’re
an idiot right but what I’m trying to
say is that these were stories in my
past and for me a lot of times I find
that when I think about this a key is a
tragedy that there were so many
assumptions that oh because you’re this
truth that because you’re this you that
just like I say nowadays I know what I
look like I know a lot of times when I
take the bus the seat next to me is
always the last one gets filled up I
don’t blame anybody I like it space is
the premium here right don’t sit next to
me awesome I love it but the point is
this is that comedy equals the tragedy
plus time so we think about today’s
topic of learning from the past
inspiring the future what I really do as
a comedian is not living fun your life
than you guys I simply go to my path and
constantly ask why why does that happen
what was going on why would they think
of that every day of my life today I ask
myself why this why that why that and
it’s fun because all of a sudden things
change no longer am I just saying I want
to have a good life I’m looking for the
tragedy I’m looking for the bad stuff
think about it for all the adults sure
when you have your reunions with the old
classmates you don’t come back and hang
out hey remember that time where you all
got straight A’s yeah we don’t talk
about that we talk about the time you
got in trouble we talked about the
punishment right we talked about how we
got out of school and got illegally
sedessa think about it when you wake up
one day for work or for school and you
find out you’re late for school
right the fun is when you have to think
about do I decide to call in and pretend
I’m sick or do I take the risk of
running late to school and getting in
trouble now when you think about it a
good person would say I’d wake up early
on time go to school good life no but
the fun is when you’re trying to think
about what should I do and let’s say you
decide I’m gonna call in sick then you
got to think about the whole plan right
you’re like what type of sickness to
have a fever to have a sore throat how
sore is my throat
is it the sore throat or is it sore
throat which one right you look in the
mirror you like right when you call in
you have to be authentic they’re like ah
that sounds like stars there we go right
hey so the tragedy actually over time
becomes comedy in the same way your past
is not what disc what the past is it’s
how you frame it just like I could talk
about all these stories and say you know
it was really tough for me my school is
really strict if you relate you get in
trouble but no I find it’s funny I was
like oh cuz school is so strict how can
i play with this how can I use it to my
advantage
just like I say a lot of times am i
doing comedy people have assumptions oh
you must be this you must be that you
must be a happy person you must watch
comedy all day let me explain something
you guys as a comedian I love what I do
because I’m constantly asking why we do
certain things people talk to me about
heavy topics like you know do you
believe in equality well when you were
young will you discriminated yes I was
but you know do you feel this a bad
thing like well depends how you see now
discrimination is something I faced when
I was growing up and I don’t I think
this is exist everywhere in the world
I’m not gonna say we shall respect each
other’s stuff for that think what you
want everyone has an opinion however
what I find is how you frame it how I
frame it as a comedian I’m constantly
trying to frame the situation like why
is it so why is it so why do people
always call me a terrorist I’m Indian
we’re not into the whole bombing thing
right like you mixed up your regions now
think about it the only time you would
ever get a bomb from an Indian person is
after a night of heavy curry all right
all right the next morning you wake up
you’re feeling inside you we are such
spiritual people that even the bombs we
gave you come from within
all right so but think about what I just
said is like it’s actually still the
tragedy that we still have these
perceptions on life but the things I
always take my path and I say why is it
so why do people think this and how can
i play with it to my advantage so the
values this is more about reframing what
your what your life is in reframing your
past to inspire your future many times
you will say but your past will define
your future I always say no it’s your
choice you can choose to let it define
your future hasn’t I had a bad life you
know I did this I regret it so you know
what that’s how it’s gonna be or you can
say okay how can I take what I’ve
how can I take all the struggles how can
I take all the good things I’ve had and
inspire the future I want but the
question you must ask yourself is that
what is the future you want now for me I
love comedy I grew up watching a lot of
comedians and I would love the idea that
some guy could just hold a mic and tell
a story and I would laugh what a
fantastic experience right however you
can’t just be like ok my turn huh it
doesn’t work that way right you have to
put in some effort but the truth is
you’re digging deep into your past when
you first start calm do you I should go
to your path and look at all the
experiences you had usually always
tragedies now for me I was always had
this one story that I loved telling and
it’s strange because this is one of my
original comedy bits however what’s
happened is that people seem to like it
a lot to the point they come to a comedy
show that I’m on and I’m one of the
performers and I hey are you can do that
bit about the ID card I’m like first of
all this is not karaoke you don’t get to
pick a joke huh I’ll take number one at
number three please all right I’m next
right but I do enjoy telling a joke
because it is a true story what happens
for me is that even nowadays it’s much
less but when I was young I would always
get stopped by the police to get my ID
card checked now this is actually a
problem for a lot of young Indian sorry
young South Asian kids in Hong Kong
because for some reason we’re just
profile without our choice right however
it happened to me all the time I’d be
walking home minding my own business a
policeman will see me you always like
you ID God right I could be sat next to
me but you I do comic dude I’m not deaf
alright so I’m always scared I’m I hope
you see my crap now the guy takes my
card it is so obvious he cannot
pronounce my name he takes my car he’s
like oh yeah right and he starts to do
like the distance makes a difference
right oh I could not pronounce her name
oh I’m short-sighted now I can right so
he’s holding my cart trying to guess my
surname now my surname is ma boo Bonnie
it’s a typical Indian Cyndi surname now
maybe this guy was nervous he was
standing like shaking one leg I’ve never
seen anyone stand and shake their leg
you know me sit knew that but this guy
okay whatever and maybe he’s pumping
knowledge I have no idea whatever right
I’m not gonna ask him so he’s looking at
my cart trying to guess my name now am i
starting me Babu Bonnie he’s probably
thinking the typical thought okay
surname sass letter
looks very suspicious like terrorist his
best guess was Mohammed but that is not
even hi pronounce that he pronounced it
as Mohammed did like what past tense
since when did Mohammed become a verb
you cannot use it in a sentence gambling
hey man um yeah I Muhammad did you like
what I Jesus you back I don’t know how
this work I’m confused I I don’t I don’t
get it but of course I’m scared so I’m
gonna stand there like holding my
laughter my he’s and this is when he was
like he’s like all prized all right he’s
got my name is that okay Mohammad dead
where are you going
sorry sir I’m just going home what’s the
problem he’s like Mohammad did from
where you all come I’m like what from
where you are
would you go down from Star Wars what is
this all right now I don’t blame him you
know I had well his English wasn’t very
good now I grew up in a Chinese school
and I understand it was just hard of the
second language and I luckily can’t
speak Cantonese fully which is a
superpower for me and I thought hey it’s
time to save the day I speaking
Cantonese he doesn’t speak in English
we’re all happy happy joy joy lets me go
home no problem all right
so I decided hey let me be the good guy
help him out you know saw problem so I
in Cathy’s are like awesome the game was
it go on till then yeah he’s like
Mohammad you think I don’t speak English
and arrested me so therefore you think
about this way that was actually a
tragedy growing up but when years later
people pay me to hear me tell that
stories and thank you much it was a
pleasure so remember it’s more about how
you want to inspire your future then
define your future by a pass and I
encourage you guys the next time you
have a tragedy happening yourself
remember give us some time you will find
it funny so for example let’s say for
some reason at the corner and the alley
of there someone looking like me Rob’s
you it’s the tragedy give it 10 years
you’ll be laughing – all right thank you
much guys enjoy the rest night pleasure
take it easy
[Applause]
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