They say the pen is mightier than the sword.
[UPDATE 31/8/2007] Orders submitted. Shipping for 11 tees costs USD22.14, so it’s USD2.01 per tee. Let’s hope the exchange rate is favourable to us.
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Good news folks, Threadless tees going at US$10 again! Iwill be holding a spree, so either order here or my LJ. Details are below.
It was on the 6.30pm Channel 8 news today, the Damai Secondary School fiasco. About how a “non-Chinese” teacher (was it the HOD?) printed leaflets about the school’s old newspaper collection drive that was distributed to the neighbourhood. And how said teacher “translated” the Chinese version of the leaflet by using some online translator tool. So out came words like “老报纸”(a literal translation of OLD newspaper, in the the sense of “old age” and not simply ”used”) and awkward phrasing. And according to trusted sources, said teacher had initially sought the help of a Chinese teacher in the school, but somehow, on her own accord, dismissed the Chinese teacher’s version. So the residents received the outrageous leaflet and promptly notified the press. What a joke, I must say. I am terribly curious at what’s going to happen to that teacher.
Anyway, remember I did a 2-month translation stint in China? So I did Chinese/English and English/Chinese translations. And I’ve seen a lot more of these bad translations, especially the Chinese to English ones. Bad Chinglish, I must say. Sometimes I couldn’t decide if I want to laugh or cry. So let me cite a few examples of Chinglish that I saw:
“Before conveyed into automatic providing machines revolved.” (apa ini? )
“According to water equality of the water resources and parameter of planned to accommodate unit and optimized design and calculation, the treated reservoir water treatment system. ” (Such non-grammtical clauses reminds me too much of what was in Miss Teen South Carolina’s answer.)
“…the fault being in progress once to the data is checked, the data checking the queen is true reliable, and can be the basis of design.” (The Queen?)
So yeah. A literal translation of old newspaper is no biggie, just that I’m pretty amazed how anyone can be so naive as to think an online translator can produce decent translations. Language is far more complex than some algorithm! And I’m pretty amazed at how people can afford to diss and dismiss a piece of work that they can’t even understand. Pfft.
That’s why I can’t locate the brain on you, Miss Teen Carolina.
If that’s not an attempt by her publicist/tutor/mother to teach her the “perfect” answer to questions pertaining to education, I don’t know what that is. It’s not a matter of not being able to think on her feet, it’s more an inability to think. I don’t know which I am more disgusted with; this contestant or interview board that let her in.
P/S: She won 3rd runner up. Oh well.
(I couldn’t find any promo pics on the Net, so I took this myself).
Collagen is ”a fibrous scleroprotein in bone and cartilage and tendon and other connective tissue”, and apparently Vitagen Collagen contains 500mg of collagen. So this product, aside from its lactobacillus culture that is good for our digestive system, is good in supplementing collagen to help build cartilage and maintain skin elasticity. Although I heard that 500mg of collagen is merely only 10% of the DRV (according to Meiji Amino Collagen), I think this is a useful supplement for me because:
1. I like Vitagen; I drink it everyday.
2. I don’t have a very good intake of collagen, since I don’t eat fish skin. I’ve only taken to eating beef tendons recently beacause I know it’s potentially good for my body.
3. It’s relatively cheap, compared to pill supplements, or as mentioned, Meiji Amino Collagen.
The family pack of 5 costs $3.60, and contains 2 flavours, Rose and Lavender. I love the rose-flavoured one. It tastes like a hybrid between Rose syrup and normal Vitagen. However, I really really abhor the lavender-flavoured one. I never liked the smell of lavender, so this tastes horrible to me. So my verdict is, I will not buy Vitagen Collagen in place of the normal Vitagen.
My current mantra is, “The world is not a perfect place, so please just go by THEIR standards.” I know a mantra like this probably puts me across as a pompous complacent person who thinks she is at the top of the world. The fact is, I do think that I am quite a brilliant person in every way. Those of you who know me well ought to know that I’m quite a perfectionist. And a stubborn one at that. I’m the sort who not only wants to control my own life, but everyone else’s. So when things don’t go the way they should, or the way I want them to, I tend to mull over the problem and identify the root of the problem, and more often than not, the more I look at a problem, the more I see human flaw. When I was younger, I see human flaw and I get angry and frustrated because I couldn’t understand why these flaws have to manifest in such a manner. For example, human is lazy by nature, but to have such a flaw manifest as not completing homeworks, or attending lectures just irke me. Yet I’ve come to realize as I grow older I’ve mellowed. I not longer get angry at those people because I’ve learnt to accept flawed mortals the way they are. I now know I cannot judge people by my own measure of standards, and while it’s a pity for them to be flawed, they seem to be happier that way.
Going by the way I don’t see things like normal people out there, I guess I’ll never fit in without having to give up part of myself.
by mortal standards I guess.
See, I registered for 6 modules this semester, 1 more than the usual workload of 5. The “extra” module is Introduction to Continental Philosophy, where we will be learning about Husserl and phenomenology and existentialism. I don’t have any background in Philosophy, so really, I’m taking this module out of sheer interest.
But. After attending the introductory lecture last week, and therein knowing that there is a project to be submitted (which involves working with totally strange strangers in class), I’ve been having some doubts. I don’t think I can handle working with Philosophy majors, you see. So anyway, just 5 minutes again, I made the exceedingly dumb decision (of course, exceedingly dumb by mortal standards). I dropped the module offcially, yet I’m still going to attend the lectures like as though I’m one of the registered students. Some people might consider this the epitome of learning for knowledge’s sake, and others might consider this a total waste of time and energy. For me, it brings me this indescribable sense of happiness; I can still learn without the stress of assessment. And that is, for me, the greatest joy of life.
I did not watch the live telecast of the speech by our PM on TV, rather, I just read the highlights from the CNA website. The two major issues that caught my interest were (1) urge to produce more bilingual and bi-cultural Singaporeans, primarily Chinese/English knowing, and (2) urging Singaporeans to learn Malay as a 3rd language.
And it just so happened that I was reading a chapter on language planning and policy in Southeast Asia, so let me just say a few things.
One, I think those were pragmatic moves. Sure, they are encouraging more people to use Chinese due to the Chinese market boom, but at the same time, they are raising the value of a minority language (Behasa Melayu). In doing this, they are obviously trying to avoid a situation whereby Mandarin is seen as being favoured as a de jure language in Singapore. Also, by urging more students to take up Behasa Melayu as a 3rd language (by giving them 2 bonus points in JC entrance; how nice), they are trying to get more younger Singaporeans to actually KNOW our national language, beyond Majulah Singapura and burong kakak tuah.
However, I think these plans are lofty, really. Not only do we have the Speak Good English campaign, and Speak Mandarin campaign, now we’re going to have some Learn Malay campaign? What’s a student to do in a situation like this? As far as I know, students are only allowed to take up a 3rd language in secondary school provided they have good PSLE results (score of 250/300 and above). Which really translates to good English and mother-tongue command. So these smart students are drafted into taking a 3rd language, and since Malay has suddenly gained favour, these students will then be the favoured ones who get admitted into elite JCs. So aren’t they really still trying sift through the entire cohort, and adding to the challenge of being a scholar? Where do the average student stand in this race? And seriously, will a student who is barely average in EL, yet fully competent in Chinese and Malay be valued? Ultimately EL is still of utmost importance. (You know, this really echoes the policy to encourage couples to have more children of 1987; the operative clause being something along the lines of “provided the parents are educated and can comfortably provide for the children”. )
And drawing in what I read about language policy and planning, I want to quote this particular definition of language policy that I like:
“Language policy: an attempt by someone to manipulate the linguistic behaviour of some community for some reason” (Baldauf Jr.)
Manipulate. Gosh I love that word. So yes. I’m calling the above two language policies by our central government.
Synopsis: Fat Charlie Nancy’s normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn’t know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother. Now brother Spider’s one his doorstep - about to make Fat Charlie’s life more interesting … and a lot more dangerous.
I am so disappointed. I am not really a Gaiman fan, but having read Stardust, I had a higher expectation out of this book. Yet Anansi Boys read like a chicklit, even though it’s a male-centric story. I don’t see anything brilliant about it, except for a few witty lines here and there that earned a chuckle out of me, but nothing more. And I had hoped for more fantasy elements (other than old women hocus pocus). It’s not impressive by my standards; I thought Neil Gaiman can do better. My friend recommends American Gods. But I’m not sure I want to attempt another Gaiman after this.
I think ever since Night Watch and Day Watch, for me, no other contemporary fantasy can live up to the standards.
So today was the 3rd day of the new term of this new school year. This academic year, I’m a year 3 student. And some of you might know, I harbour this intense dislike for most some FASS students, and I’ve recently, in the past 3 days, come to realize that I really really dislike year 2 students. They are not as green as freshies, and having studied for a year, somehow they become these proud pompous students who think they know everything. And looking back, I was there too. Like what one of my lecturer said, “as freshmen, you all were wide-eyed and innocent, and believed everything I say. When you go to 2nd year, you start to form doubt and start to think I’m silly. By 3rd year, you are more suspicious and really start to think I’m silly. By 4th year, you are sure.” (or something along those lines.) So 2nd year students have the desired sketicism without the desired knowledge. I remembered the time I was being skeptical about everything I learnt just for the sake of being so. I spent more time knotting my brows and doubting my lecturers than really learning anything. So I was there. I was one of those proud pompous year 2s. Now I’m probably still as proud and pompous, but at least I’m starting to behave like a jaded 3rd year student. 
That aside, I’ve realised something else. Now I know how it feels to give up your favourite teacher to your juniors, so that they can learn from him, and have as much fun you had. It’s this sense of Zen-like detachment; no jealousy whatsoever. So it has all been fun.
And oh yes, I had a lecture in the Faculty of Science, and the lecturer mentioned something I felt was cute. He had these words on the powerpoint slides:
Scintillate scintillate asteroid minific.
And I had absolutely no idea what that meant. And he said that the module (Living with Chemistry) is quite like the above phrase; looks complicated, but is actually quite simple. And that phrase really just means “twinkle twinkle little star”. Cute, no?
As you might know, the 7th Lunar month, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival for the Chinese started yesternight. Each year during this month-long event, the believers will carry out all kinds of activities to pay homage to the dead, some of these activites including burning paper “money” and incense for the dead, and having getai (outdoor concerts by skimpily dressed girls who love yelling into the microphone at 10pm). So as one can imagine, the sort of air pollution and noise pollution that goes on for a month.
Each year, I get really bothered by these. When the smoke and air pollution from all the burning cause widespread respiratory tract discomfort, when getai doesn’t promptly end at 10.30pm (I think that’s the time limit for such noisy outdoor activites), all of us can only sit around and bemoan our sufferance because should we attempt to complain to the authorities, or call in the police, we are being accused of being intolerant of their practice of faith . I just don’t get it. Although the constituition promises citizens the right to practise their faith, I’m sure somewhere in that same constituition there is a clause that wrenches this freemdom back by saying that religious practice is subject to not causing disturbance to civilian lives. So why is it that nothing is done all these years to control these activities?
And seriously, these methods of offerings and prayer are Man-ordained. Either that, or the Chinese deities don’t give two hoots about global warming and air pollution. And just think about it, it’s the same group of people who hits our knuckles with chopsticks when we waste food that are burning precious paper that can be put to better use, say writing material for the impoverished children of Africa and rural Asian countries.
Such double standards, isn’t it.
