In relation to 'the power of words' post

2 lines from a MSN conversation:

[]Shoblast- Homosexuality prevents Abortions says:
did you know the germans have a word called "Schadenfreude"?

[]Shoblast- Homosexuality prevents Abortions says:
means "to gain enjoyment from other people's suffering"

Such saddists........ but a perfect example nevertheless...

Thanks for the information Shoblast!

consumerism can be fatal

I needed a toothbrush.
I walked into the store.
I looked for the toothbrush.
I saw the entire isle of toothbrushes.
Which one did I choose?

It's like another one of those 'why did the chicken cross the road' type of riddles... there is no right answer. I mean they're toothbrushes, for goodness sakes!

So the salesgirl came, and she was a promoter for that one particular brand of toothbrush (which, by the way, had about ten different ranges even within that brand) and she started showing me the different types, and then recommended to me a few that she thought would 'suit' my mouth (and no, I did not show her the insides of my mouth), and went on, and on, and on about how good it was. After about 20 minutes deciding on the so-called 'best' toothbrush, I paid and left. Now I'm still in doubt if it really was the one I would have chosen, or whether I took it only to politely shut her off. Well, at least I didn't take the most expsensive one - and I now have a tongue scrubber attached to my toothbrush. Hooray.

And I thought buying a toothbrush was a brainless chore.

'Book Tagged' by Jessie

1) Grab the closest book to you.
2)Open to page 123, go down to the 4th sentence.
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog.

"Inmediatamente después, se retiró bruscamente. Pedro no se merecía el que lo quisiera tanto. Había mostrado debilidad al irse lejos de ella y eso no se lo perdonaba."

4) Name of the book and author: Como Agua para Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel.

Instead of writing my own synopsis, I searched for it on Wikipedia, and sure enough, it summarized this book very well, so here u go...

"The novel follows the story of a young girl named Tita who longs her entire life for her lover, Pedro, but can never have him because of her domineering mother's traditional belief that the youngest daughter must not marry but instead care for her parents. Tita is only able to express her passions and feelings through her cooking, which causes the people who taste it to experience what she feels." (Wikipedia online)

I watched the movie for this story a few years back, and it's idea of magical realism really enticed me to finally pick the book up while I was in Spain. I strongly recommend this book, and if you're not Spanish literate, do not fret as this book has been translated into 30 different languages. So if you manage to get hold of it, do open it as it's definitely a great read.

5) Tagging time!
- Cecilia
- Julie
- Siew Lian
- Reuben
- My new housemates! :)

The power of words

Lately I've been pondering on the differences within the homo sapien species... not in terms of physical differences, but more of the inner self. Personality, to be precise, and how much of it is actually affected by language.

The majority of people communicate vocally, with language being their tool. The first thing we hear when we are born, other than the chaos in the delivery room, are voices. And voices are what we hear from then onwards.

It's a challenge for parents to teach their children to speak - it's as if the quicker the child's ability to speak, the smarter their child is, thus the better their parents are at being parents.
But do we ever question the accuracy of language itself? Constitutions are constantly being skimmed through over and over again in search for loopholes, what about the language?
I have been asked in numerous occasions to literally translate a phrase from one language to another, and when I let its impossibility be known, the general assumption is either that I'm oblivious to the word (which of course, is sometimes true) or that I simply am not sincere in helping them out.

That aside, I'm really more interested in how people's personalities are affected by language. Brought up with a Malaysian chinese background, and being exposed to the 'international community,' for almost a decade now, I often find myself trapped with words when wanting to describe one's personality. I may consider myself globally educated, yet why is it that even though I can communicate without a problem in English to friends from all over the world, I sometimesl have trouble understaning the message they are trying to get across to me?

I am no linguist, but it is of no doubt to me that our characters and personalities are heavily influenced by the language we speak. Since language is the main tool for communication, if a word does not exist to describe a particular behaviour, then that behaviour cannot exist. And because of that, we find other cultures "interesting." We think certain things people do are abnormal, simply because in our language, there is no word to match their exact behaviour. As a result, they will never be 'normal' to us, nomatter how much we try to deny it.

Arapaima the great

The arapaima.
Known as the largest springwater fish in the world, this fish is able to grow up to 4.5-5metres, and weigh up to a maximum of 200kg. Talk about a BIG FISH!
This mouthbrooder also breathes air, so it is bound to survive without constantly being submerged in water, enabling it to withstand drought conditions.
But despite its size and its scary ability to jump up to 2 feet high, it is still considered an aquarium fish (you'd have to get a pretty big aquarium and a strong one too!).
The south americans, however, dry its tongue and mix it with guarana to be used for medicinal purposes. -.-

Seeing it with my own two eyes for the first time in my life today, i was shocked and nearly jumped out of my skin! And even then, the one i saw was only about 1.2metres long.

The wonders of nature....

Popular signboard

I was waiting for a friend in front of the Botanic Gardens today, and within that 30 minute wait, I observed about at least 10 people who took single photographs of themselves with the sign that said 'Singapore Botanic Gardens'. The most interesting pose was a guy who faced the sign directly, stuck his butt out and said to his girlfriend, "ok I'm ready, take it now! quick!"
Perhaps it was a way of saying "ok I'll do it because you told me to, BUT I don't actually want to" Anyhow, despite being annoyed, his girlfriend took the photograph, and then made him take one of her, enthusiastically doing a funny Sailormoon pose.
It's amazing how much popularity these signs can gain... for better or for worse.

nevermind the dog, beware the owner!

When those yellow fake road signs were first invented, they were the coolest souvenirs to get for friends when you made a trip to Australia. Lightweight and thin, they were easy to carry, and so much better than those little koala's you can get in bulk with 'Australia' jackets.
These yellow road signs used to comprise of messages such as "Koala 200m" or "no dunnys", stuff typical to Australia. But today, you see things like "nevermind the dog, beware the owner!" And you're supposed to put that up on your car window. Now, what is that supposed to mean? Is that to say "don't mess with me" or is it a mere insult on yourself, since now you equate yourself to your dog?
Not only is it left to the interpretation of those who read it, but how does that verify as a souvenir from Australia?
Perhaps you may find these exact same signs for sale along the streets in China for all you know.

Happy Birthday!

yay! my first post to a newborn blog. :)

I've finally decided to create a new blog where I can ramble on about whatever I feel like, since I was never really a serious blogger before, never feeling the need to have one. My only other blog created 2 years ago was really only created for the sole purpose of keeping my family and friends updated on my whereabouts and what I'm up to (just incase I get abducted by an alien, at least that blog would serve as proof of my existence).

So I guess in creating this new blog, I am in a way stepping into a new phase, and hopefully I'll stay motivated long enough to keep this blog away from cobweb infestation.

alritie! let the blogging begin!