I've been learning Chinese for over seven weeks now. I'm happy to say that I've improved heaps since I've first started. More than anything, the weekly classes serve as a motivational tool and guilt-tripping tool - "CRAP, I'M SO FAR BEHIND!" I'm not as discipline as I should be when it comes to practicing Chinese. The thing about languages is that you need to be very consistent with practicing the language. I have a couple of friends that I try to speak Chinese to. I speak to them on one condition - that they will attempt to the best of their abilities, to not laugh at my horrendous Chinese.
Aside from that, I've been trying to write weekly letters in Chinese to WC. The content of the letters are usually something simple - such as, "How are you? Today I played tennis..." But, I'm getting there! My last letter was two pages long. That's a real achievement for me. Of course, I couldnt do it without the help of the dictionary.
In addition, I've been trying to write Chinese e-mails. I wrote a couple of e-mails to Ann. haha. The Mac comes with an inbuilt chinese dictionary. Another reason to buy a Mac!
Any volunteer recipients for my Chinese letters/emails? I'll allow you to laugh at my Chinese in secret.
Showing posts with label Goals: knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals: knowledge. Show all posts
Friday, March 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Goal #19: Valuable lessons from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Part II)
On the viscous cycles in life and dying among the living
“I’m drinking,” said the drinker, with a mournful air.
“Why are you drinking?” said the little prince.
“To forget,” replied the drinker.
“To forget what?” enquired the little prince, who was already starting to feel sorry for him.
“To forget that I’m ashamed,” confessed the drinker, hanging his head.
“Ashamed of what?” persisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
“Ashamed of drinking!” concluded the drinker, retreating into permanent silence.
And the little prince went away, perplexed.
On life's purpose and storing riches
“And of what use is it to you to own the stars?”
“Its use is to make me rich.”
“And of what use is it to you to be rich?”
“To buy more stars, if there are any more to be discovered.”
…
“If I own a scarf,” [the little prince] said, “I can put it around my neck and take it with me. If I own a flower, I can gather my flower and take it with me. But you cannot gather the stars!”
“No, but I can deposit them in the bank.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I write down the number of stars I own on a piece of paper. Then I lock this paper up in a drawer.”
“And is that all?”
“That is enough!”
“It is amusing,” thought the little prince. “It is even rather poetic. But it’s not terribly serious.”
…
“I myself own a flower,” he persisted, “which I water everyday. I own three volcanoes, which I sweep out every week. It is of use to my volcanoes, and it is of use to my flower, that I own them. But you are of no use to the stars.”
The businessman opened his mouth, but found nothing to say in answer, and the little prince went away.
“Grown-ups are decidedly altogether extraordinary,” he merely said to himself, as he continued on his voyage.
On selflessness and the perplexity of selfishness
‘This fellow,’ said the little prince to himself, as he continued on his travels, “would be laughed at by all others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the drinker, by the businessman. However, he is the only one who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is preoccupied with something rather than himself.”
On seeking pleasure in the smallest things
You see the fields of corn? Well, I don’t eat bread. Corn is of no use to me. Corn fields remind me of nothing. Which is sad. On the other hand, your hair is the colour of gold. So think how wonderful it will be when you have tamed me. The corn, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I shall come to love the sound of the wind in the field of corn…
On loving because she/he is yours to love
The little prince went of to look at the [5000] roses again.
“You are nothing like my rose,” he told them. “As yet you are nothing at all. Nobody has tamed you, and you have tamed nobody. You are as my fox used to be. He was just a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I made him my friend, and now he is unique in the world.”
And the roses felt uncomfortable.
“You are beautiful, but you are empty,” he went on.
“One could not die for you. Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But in herself she matters more than all of you together, since it is she that I watered; since it is she that I placed under the glass dome; since it is she that I sheltered with the screen; since it is she whose caterpillars I killed. Since it is she that I listened to, when she complained, or boasted, or when she was simply being silent. Since it is she who is my rose.”
On internal beauty
“What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that somewhere it is hiding a well.”
To my surprise, I suddenly understood for the first time this mysterious radiation of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in a very old house where, according to hearsay, a treasure was buried. Of course, nobody ever discovered it, nor perhaps did they even look for it. But it cast a spell over that whole house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart.
“Yes,” I said to the little prince. “Whether it is a house, or stars, or the desert, what makes their beauty is invisible!”
On the most important lesson: Of heart matters
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Now here is my secret, very simply: you can only see things clearly with your heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“It is the time you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“People have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget. You become responsible, for ever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.”
“I’m drinking,” said the drinker, with a mournful air.
“Why are you drinking?” said the little prince.
“To forget,” replied the drinker.
“To forget what?” enquired the little prince, who was already starting to feel sorry for him.
“To forget that I’m ashamed,” confessed the drinker, hanging his head.
“Ashamed of what?” persisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
“Ashamed of drinking!” concluded the drinker, retreating into permanent silence.
And the little prince went away, perplexed.
On life's purpose and storing riches
“And of what use is it to you to own the stars?”
“Its use is to make me rich.”
“And of what use is it to you to be rich?”
“To buy more stars, if there are any more to be discovered.”
…
“If I own a scarf,” [the little prince] said, “I can put it around my neck and take it with me. If I own a flower, I can gather my flower and take it with me. But you cannot gather the stars!”
“No, but I can deposit them in the bank.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I write down the number of stars I own on a piece of paper. Then I lock this paper up in a drawer.”
“And is that all?”
“That is enough!”
“It is amusing,” thought the little prince. “It is even rather poetic. But it’s not terribly serious.”
…
“I myself own a flower,” he persisted, “which I water everyday. I own three volcanoes, which I sweep out every week. It is of use to my volcanoes, and it is of use to my flower, that I own them. But you are of no use to the stars.”
The businessman opened his mouth, but found nothing to say in answer, and the little prince went away.
“Grown-ups are decidedly altogether extraordinary,” he merely said to himself, as he continued on his voyage.
On selflessness and the perplexity of selfishness
‘This fellow,’ said the little prince to himself, as he continued on his travels, “would be laughed at by all others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the drinker, by the businessman. However, he is the only one who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is preoccupied with something rather than himself.”
On seeking pleasure in the smallest things
You see the fields of corn? Well, I don’t eat bread. Corn is of no use to me. Corn fields remind me of nothing. Which is sad. On the other hand, your hair is the colour of gold. So think how wonderful it will be when you have tamed me. The corn, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I shall come to love the sound of the wind in the field of corn…
On loving because she/he is yours to love
The little prince went of to look at the [5000] roses again.
“You are nothing like my rose,” he told them. “As yet you are nothing at all. Nobody has tamed you, and you have tamed nobody. You are as my fox used to be. He was just a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I made him my friend, and now he is unique in the world.”
And the roses felt uncomfortable.
“You are beautiful, but you are empty,” he went on.
“One could not die for you. Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But in herself she matters more than all of you together, since it is she that I watered; since it is she that I placed under the glass dome; since it is she that I sheltered with the screen; since it is she whose caterpillars I killed. Since it is she that I listened to, when she complained, or boasted, or when she was simply being silent. Since it is she who is my rose.”
On internal beauty
“What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that somewhere it is hiding a well.”
To my surprise, I suddenly understood for the first time this mysterious radiation of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in a very old house where, according to hearsay, a treasure was buried. Of course, nobody ever discovered it, nor perhaps did they even look for it. But it cast a spell over that whole house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart.
“Yes,” I said to the little prince. “Whether it is a house, or stars, or the desert, what makes their beauty is invisible!”
On the most important lesson: Of heart matters
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Now here is my secret, very simply: you can only see things clearly with your heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“It is the time you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“People have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget. You become responsible, for ever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.”
Monday, February 16, 2009
Goal #20: Learning chinese through podcasts
As mentioned, I've been taking up Chinese lessons. So far so good, save the blunder I made calling a taxi meter "da bian" which means doing number #2 in the toilet instead of "da biao" which is the correct one.
Anyway, I've recently been introduced to this awesome website that publishes daily podcast on learning Chinese. It is an extremely (cannot emphasize enough) useful tool if you want to pick up the language. It comes with a price though. I'm not too sure how much is the subscription fee as I'm still using the trial version. They repeat short sentences in Chinese so many times that you'll remember them in your sleep. In addition, the dialogue can be pretty funny too. A lot of the dialogues are reflections of the Asian culture - cute, sulking girls who go, "hmph!" and storms off while the boyfriend chases after her with flowers in hand.
Or maybe I'm generalising. Maybe I'm the only sulking Asian girl (might not be cute though). heh. But only sometimes do I sulk. Make that rarely (don't want to scare off anybody here, would we? :P).
I digressed.
Here's the link: www.chinesepod.com
Anyway, I've recently been introduced to this awesome website that publishes daily podcast on learning Chinese. It is an extremely (cannot emphasize enough) useful tool if you want to pick up the language. It comes with a price though. I'm not too sure how much is the subscription fee as I'm still using the trial version. They repeat short sentences in Chinese so many times that you'll remember them in your sleep. In addition, the dialogue can be pretty funny too. A lot of the dialogues are reflections of the Asian culture - cute, sulking girls who go, "hmph!" and storms off while the boyfriend chases after her with flowers in hand.
Or maybe I'm generalising. Maybe I'm the only sulking Asian girl (might not be cute though). heh. But only sometimes do I sulk. Make that rarely (don't want to scare off anybody here, would we? :P).
I digressed.
Here's the link: www.chinesepod.com
Goal #19: Valuable lessons from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
On pure love
If someone loves a flower of which there is only one example among all the millions and millions of stars, that is enough to make him happy when he looks up at the night sky. He says to himself: “Somewhere out there is my flower.” But if a sheep eats the flower, it’s as though all the stars have suddenly gone out!
On wisdom
“In that case, you shall judge yourself,” replied the king. “That is the most difficult thing of all. It is far more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself correctly, then you are truly a man of wisdom.”
On grown-ups necessity for validation
“But you are all alone on this planet!”
“Do me the kindness: admire me all the same!”
“I admire you,” said the prince, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, “but can that be of any interest to you?”
And the little prince went away.
“Grown-ups are decidedly very odd,” he merely observed to himself, as he continued on his voyage.
If someone loves a flower of which there is only one example among all the millions and millions of stars, that is enough to make him happy when he looks up at the night sky. He says to himself: “Somewhere out there is my flower.” But if a sheep eats the flower, it’s as though all the stars have suddenly gone out!
On wisdom
“In that case, you shall judge yourself,” replied the king. “That is the most difficult thing of all. It is far more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself correctly, then you are truly a man of wisdom.”
On grown-ups necessity for validation
“But you are all alone on this planet!”
“Do me the kindness: admire me all the same!”
“I admire you,” said the prince, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, “but can that be of any interest to you?”
And the little prince went away.
“Grown-ups are decidedly very odd,” he merely observed to himself, as he continued on his voyage.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Goal: #20: Ni hao!
After much deliberation and hesitation over the past two years, I've finally put my foot down and out the door. I'm learning Chinese! I made one quick call today and 2 hours later, I found myself in a Chinese learning center. Trust me, it brought back lots of unwanted, dreadful memories of chinese tuition days. Urgh. I kept asking myself why am I doing this. This answer was simple. I am Chinese.
So, there's no turning back. I'm locked in for the next 10 weeks, 2 hours each session. And, IF, I'm still keen, there's another 10 levels to go. Right now, I'm doing level 4 - that means, I'm learning about 1000 chinese characters. My goal would be to be able to read the chinese newspaper - that's about 3000 characters. It will be a long process but I need to start somewhere.
So, there's no turning back. I'm locked in for the next 10 weeks, 2 hours each session. And, IF, I'm still keen, there's another 10 levels to go. Right now, I'm doing level 4 - that means, I'm learning about 1000 chinese characters. My goal would be to be able to read the chinese newspaper - that's about 3000 characters. It will be a long process but I need to start somewhere.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Goal #19: The Cairo trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz
So beautifully written.
The Cairo Trilogy consisting of three books (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street) trace three generations of an Egyptian family. This family is headed by a tyrannical patriarch who rules his household with a strict hand while living a secret life of self-indulgence.
She dearly loved this street, which stayed awake all night keeping her heart company. It was a friend but ignorant of the heart that loved it through the shutters of the enclosed balcony. Its features filled her mind, and its evening inhabitants were live voices inhabiting her ears - like this waiter who never stopped talking, the person with the hoarse voice who commented on the events of the day without getting tired or annoyed, the man with the nervous voice trying his luck at cards with the seven of diamonds and the jack, and the father of Haniya - the little girl with whooping cough - who night after night would reply when asked about her, "Our Lord will be able to cure her." - Palace of Desire
The italicized paragraph above reflects Amina's (his wife) thoughts. Amina has never stepped out of her husband's home ever since she got married. She lived behind shuttered windows and can only imagine the outside world through the noises she hears and the stories her children relay to her. She lives in a world that is so foreign to the one we live in. Though her husband's treatment towards her may seem evidently harsh to us, she does not seem to feel oppressed. Perhaps because her mother and the women around her have always been treated the same way. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. That is the way of life, she says. In fact, she takes pride and seems somewhat arrogant in her ability to be blindly obedient.
Such a different world.
And that's just one part of it. The novel also depicts her rebellious children struggling to move beyond their father's domination.
It's a good read. But be prepared, its 1313 pages long =)
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