Categories
Reflection

Alcohol And I – A Story Of Our 2 Years Of Separation, Thus Far

Last weekend, I have quietly celebrated the 2-year anniversary of not having a single drop of alcohol in my blood stream.  I even faked drinking that glass of champagne on stage, during my friend’s wedding when I was the emcee and my sister’s wedding in Hong Kong and in Singapore.  Of the many questions I have received over these two years, the best one came from a young lady I met in the True Blood HBO blogger event: How do you function without alcohol?!  Since then, I have heard various versions of the same question.  It never fails to bring laughter onto the table.

How do I function without alcohol?

Looking back, I often wonder how did I function with alcohol.  Of course, those who know me in person would ask: Why this decision?  You could say that I have waited two years to publish this story.  Every now and then I think of how this should be written.  Obviously, it is a very personal matter.  And since I have decided to share my experience in the light that may empower others to live an alcohol free life, I have to wait until my approach is proven to work – at least for me – in order for my story to be credible.  To set the expectation right, this is a story of constructive sharing, and not a public confession.

At least that is my intend.

*     *     *     *     *

I can’t say that I enjoy drinking alcohol even though I have consumed drinks with an alcohol content ranging from a single digit up to 40%.  I have tasted what goes beyond 40% too.  Like that stuff the Greek drinks.  I can tell which alcohol label tastes better than others of a similar category.  My first significant encounter with alcohol was when I was 18, in UK, intoxicated by that one tall can of Carlsberg Special Brew.  My first encounter with a religion that bans alcohol was also 18, in the same school.  Prior to that, I have never heard that alcohol is not acceptable, religiously speaking.

Is alcohol bad?

Combing through what I have observed in my adult life thus far, it appears to me that we conjure more reasons to consume alcohol than not to – with the exception of those whose their religion has forbidden them to consume alcohol.  Drinking wine with your meal is good for health.  Drinking Vodka keeps you warm in the winter.  To celebrate, we open champagnes.  You join a party in a pub wanting to socialize with your friends and what do you end up ordering?  Sure it has to be a beer or a glass of wine or some hard liquor.  Someone is going to pressurize you to do so.  Someone is going to challenge you to drink more.  It is as though not able to hold one’s alcohol is an undesirable attribute, one to be laughed at.  Com’on!  You can do it!  Just one more drink!

*     *     *     *     *

I do not detest alcohol, certainly not those who consume it.  To drink or not to drink, is a lifestyle choice.  Some battle with alcoholism for years only to see their lives slowly destroyed by the rounds of relapses.  Some able to drink alcohol as and when they wish to, stop as and when they wish to.  As for me, I am old enough to come to the conclusion that I am not so good at moderation.  When I observed that my list of reasons for consuming alcohol seemed to have expanded each passing day, that was one of the signs to quit, for good.

The list would look something like this.

  • When I was having a good meal, I was used to open a bottle of wine – be it at home or in a restaurant.  But what is a good meal?  How about an OK meal?  Surely an OK glass of wine wouldn’t kill an OK meal?  Or vice versa?
  • When I was having good companions, a beer or two seemed like a good thing to kick start the mood.  Later on, on the days when I was not having any companions, while waiting for someone, I enjoyed reading a book or a magazine with a mug of cold beer in a warm day like every other day in Singapore.  Did I drink to kill time?  Or was I finding time just to drink?
  • When I was having a bad day, alcohol seemed to help.  When I was having a happy day, alcohol also seemed to help.  Later on, when I am having an OK day, alcohol again seemed to help.  Help what?  Alcohol seemed to have become a painkiller, an endorphin potion, and an multi-vitamin pill – at the same time.

*     *     *     *     *

But you know what life is like.  Anything that makes you feel good, is bad for you.  May even kill you.  Looking back on alcohol consumption, what I miss most is how it facilitates the process of art creation – be it as writing or song crafting.  Being able to tap onto my pool of chaotic, unpredictable, and unrestrained creativity is, for lack of a better word, addictive.  So, what triggered the decision of staying away from alcohol and how did I do that?

The answers to the above questions could be a lot less dramatic and inspiring than you expect, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you ponder upon it.  Problems of this world often are solved by common, non-extraordinary solutions.  I dislike some of the side effects alcohol have in me.  We are still who we are, even in a state of intoxication.  We are still responsible to the things that we do, that we say, regardless how stupid these things may sound in the morning after.

But that was not the final trigger.  Wikipedia was.  One day I was researching on why I have alcohol flush when I drink.  The result is against everything I have come to know.  It could kill me faster than those whose faces don’t turn red when they drink.  So I woke up one day and have decided to quit drinking.  I must say quiting is not easy but it is a lot easier than I thought.  Strange as it may sound, replacing alcohol with hot green tea works for me.  Hot green tea seems to have given me a similar level of high.  Similar, not the same of course.  I suspect that it is less on the drink’s content and more at the symbolic level.  At one point, I have stocked up boxes and boxes of green tea bag at home.  And that wall of green tea was my last defense towards my bottles of wine and hard liquor that are still siting motionlessly at home tempting me to open and consume.  For months, I have been drinking cups and cups of hot green tea every evening.  Now, I am still drinking hot green tea every other evening, though not as often.  These days, I am into Ginseng tea and tea made with flowers.

I am happy that the days of drinking is behind me.  Day 208 of being a teetotaler, I drew a picture.  On day 730, I write this entry.

*     *     *     *     *

If you wish to abstain from alcohol, you too need to find a personal reason that does not change by any circumstances.  And you have to find a way to replace your habitual drinking routine.  I still remember half a year into this voluntary abstinence of alcohol, I joined my friend for a drink in an Irish pub and I ordered a huge mug of diet Coke.  Think of the amount of money you could saved by that one decision that you make.

Categories
Movie Reviews Romance

I Enjoy Watching New York I Love You

Despite the mixed review, if I am to examine why I find “New York, I Love You” a pleasurable film to watch, the list would look something like this.

  • I enjoy reading short stories.  Short stories often has a faster pace, a metaphor, and a twist as resolution.  When I was younger, I found short stories incomplete.  Now that I am older, I find short stories at times more charming to read.
  • I enjoy watching romance drama.  It touches on my soft spot – emotionally speaking.
  • I like “Paris Je T’aime (2007)”.  A large production team with a different mix of directors, actors and actresses.  And the same producer has created a New York version this year.
  • Picture house type of films talk to me.  Some stories in this film are pretty artistic in nature (read: slower pace).  And that set me thinking.

And because the production team is so huge, it is hard to maintain the consistency in terms of mood, pace, and quality.  So, watching “New York, I Love You” is like having a tapas sampler in a restaurant.  Not quite a full meal but probably satisfies those who enjoy a feast of variety better.  Some stories stand out better than others.  Like the old man and the old lady walking in the street chatting with one another.  It is so heart warming.  His wife’s constant reminder in him “lifting his feet” (the old man apparently has undergone a hip surgery recently), their struggle with the pace of New York, and the theme of companionship so vividly portrayed.  Some stories have witty dialogs and twists.  Some do not go anywhere – plot-wise – but help painting a slice of the city.  Such variety.  From the youngest character to the eldest, from one race to another, one language to another, even the director team appears to have come from different backgrounds.

Maybe because of the lack of a cohesive theme and storyline, some find that the stories do not add up.  Maybe some wish that this is better than “Paris Je T’aime (2007)”.  For me, I enjoy taking in the short stories as they are.  And besides, I like the soundtrack too.

Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Pinnacle Station of Mass Effect Worths S$9.99?

“Pinnacle Station” is the 2nd downloadable content of the game Mass Effect.  Unlike “Bring Down The Sky” – the 1st free content – “Pinnacle Station” costs S$9.99 to play.  I have paid, played, and have completed the mission in the same day.  Is it worth it?  Read on and find out.

I reckon there is a renewed interest within the gaming community to complete the game Mass Effect now that the second installment Mass Effect 2 is due to be released later this month.  Why?  For one, you can continue the character progression in the upcoming installment of a trilogy.  For those of you who are new to Mass Effect, it is a game with a high replay value.  You can have multiple play through’s on the same character with higher difficulty level if hitting the level cap is your cup of tea.  You can revisit all the side missions that you have missed during your initial play through.  You can also try out the 6 different classes if you wish to experience a different play style.  The beauty of the game is the achievement system.  Each play through may enable you to unlock unique achievements that benefit the next time you start from the beginning again.  Making your life a lot easier so as to speak.

The game play of “Pinnacle Station” is different from the rest of the game in terms of mission objectives as well as pace.  Pinnacle Station is a training center equipped with combat simulators and it is opened only for the Spectres (i.e. you have to complete the first chapter of the game before heading to Pinnacle Station).  There isn’t much story development inside the station.  So, I suppose this downloadable content may appeal more to the shooters than the role players.  There are 4 types of simulations: capture, hunt, time, and survival.  And there are two different maps initially for each trials.  Only upon topping the rank for all 8 trials will the third set of map be unlocked.  My thoughts on the different types of trials are as follows.

  1. In capture trial, your team has to defend a set of strategic locations against the virtual enemies.  I enjoy this the most.  You have to move fast, from one strategic location to another in order to beat the time.
  2. In hunt trial, you have to hunt down enemies, with a twist.  The clock is constantly on a countdown.  Each enemy you take down, additional time is added to the clock for you to stay longer in the game.  When the clock strikes zero, your game is over.  Like capture trial, you have to run fast.  On top of that, you have to kill fast too.  I too enjoy this one.
  3. Time trial, is hard.  There is a sequence in the spawning of the groups of enemies.  Your job is to secure the entire location by taking down all the enemies.  That part is easy.  The hard part is to beat the time.  I often fail in time trial.  Not only do I need to move fast and kill fast, I have to memorize where the enemies spawn.  Not quite my cup of tea, to be honest.  Also, time trial seems buggy.  If an enemy is thrown into a wall, he may be stuck inside the wall and cannot be attacked any more.  Fortunately there is a reset button in the simulation ground should this unfortunate event happens.
  4. Survival trial is interesting.  Maybe because it is my second play through and my team is near to the level cap (57 of 60) with superb gears and abilities, survival seems easy.  In fact, in my first try, my team survived for more than 15 minutes and the game crashed thereafter (time to beat is under 2 minutes I think).  In the second map, I found a location that I could literally stay there for a very long time.  Worried that the game might crash again, I let the virtual enemies took us down.  In the third map, survival seems more challenging due to the open space.  Hectic, yes.  I wish the game gives us extra achievement points for surviving way beyond expectation.

After completing the 12 trials, the last test is a scenario setup similar to the First Contact War when you are vastly outnumbered, with an objective to complete and a countdown before evacuation.  Now, that is excitingly fun.  Perhaps because I am already familiar with the game mechanic and working with my team, I made it in my first try (normal mode though).  The gear reward of “Pinnacle Station” is not something worth mentioning.  Certainly a disappointment in a sense.  But to be able to earn myself a retirement apartment in a planet owns by me?  That is priceless.  That is as close to player’s housing as Mass Effect can get.  I hope that my apartment stays in the next installment and beyond.

Given the fact that the full version costs US$50 (now US$20 and once US$5 on Steam’s specials), I personally think that this downloadable content is a bit too expensive.  Fun though, no doubt.

Categories
Diary

She Is Bethany

I have finally realized what the phrase “sleep like a baby” means after spending much time watching my niece who does nothing but sleeps during my frequent visits.  Or I think I have realized.  She does nothing but sleep!  And I want to be just like her.  In fact, when I look at her not looking at me, that look of oh-happy-sleep, I too want to fall asleep.  She could well be my lullaby.  Benny – my sister’s husband a.k.a. the happy dad – shook his head and said, “You should see her cry at night, bro.”  Such is the beauty of playing with other people’s babies.  You don’t have to deal with the daily chores and yet, you get to adore the babies in their supreme cuteness.

*     *     I     *     *

Cynthia’s yoga teacher said that if we keep doing the same thing for 21 days, that will become a habit.  I can’t say that visiting my niece often has become a habit, for she is less than 21 days old.  But that concept is growing in me.  Every time when my mother and I stepped into Benny and my sister Lora’s home, I would head straight to the living room, where my niece sleeps.  And I would give her a little hug showering her with the words of adoration for a few good minutes.

Oops.  I have forgotten to greet the other permanent residents of the house.  How rude of me!

*     *     II     *     *

From an outsider point of view – which I once was – it is certainly strange for a group of grownups to gather together and comment on a newborn baby who is barely a few days’ old.  What is there to talk about?

It turns out that there are a lot of things we can talk about.  Below is a random list of topics.

  • Which baby’s feature or characteristic comes from which parent?  And this could drag into a lengthy discussion.  More often, grandparents have the final say.
  • Physical comparison against other babies in the family.  So-and-so’s baby is born with more / less hair than yours (?!).  So-and-so’s baby is born “taller” / “shorter” / lighter / heavier than yours (?!).  I wonder if there is a strong correlation between the day you were born and how you would grow up to be – physically speaking.
  • My favorite observation is that my niece seems to have long fingers.  So I reckon she could be a great pianist.  I fancy this idea.  My dream could come true to have someone in the family to play piano!  A grand piano for her 18th birthday has crossed my mind.  Benny and Lora, if you are reading this, you may need a bigger apartment to put that piano in the middle of your living room.

And of course if I could hear how she cries instead of seeing her sleeping all the time, perhaps I can assess if she has a potential to be a great singer too.

*     *     III     *     *

Little Bethany, if you are reading this in the future, I think I get to see your mother a lot more often than before.  And that is a very good thing, of course.

Dad, if you are reading this, here is a picture of little Bethany in the cradle of her grandmother.

Categories
Reflection

Is Liking What We Get A Resignation To Life Or The Key To Contentment?

My favorite writer Doris Lessing once wrote: We learn to like what we get.  Seven simple words so accurately describe our current state of affair, in so many different dimensions.  But yet when I shared this revelation with a friend, her immediate response was: That’s called resignation to life.  Such is the beauty of literature.  It means different things to different people.

At times I ponder, if I am to hold firm to what I believe as a baseline to my quality of life and refuse to make compromises, is this a good virtue?  Or am I being inflexible?  After all, many people around me have been putting up with what they see as their accepted daily routines, what I may see as life could have been better and does not have to be this way.

Traditional wisdom tells us that there are things we cannot change, or cost too much to change.  To that extend, I often accept what comes my way, for the time being, and at the back of my mind dream of what better life could be like.  Who knows?  Doors of opportunity may open in the future if I have some ideas on what these doors may look like in the first place.

Once again, I have to relocate to a new office location.  And I think I have good reasons to dislike this recent change.  One may observe that this is a classic case of resistance to change.  For someone who has in the span of three years reported to seven different direct bosses, relocated three times – four if you count being stuffed inside a small meeting room for months as one location – I am not that resistance to change.

Yet, a part of me wishes things to stay as they are used to be.  Another part of me is aware that what I am now having is not ideal.  Maybe that is why change is hard.  Because we learn to like what we get.

*     *     *     *     *

Given a choice, I would want to work where Cynthia works.  It saves on traveling time for I prefer to drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the evening – regardless of where our workplaces are – by car.  Time is precious.  Any added minute to the daily traveling time is, in my opinion, a waste of time.

Last year, I was relocated to a different part of town, away from the central business district.  The distance was still manageable, though not desirable.  As I settled down in my new area, I began to enjoy the surrounding environment.  The national library is nearby, eating places are not as crowded, and there are shopping malls and cinemas close to my office building.

This year, there is another relocation, somewhere far away from the central business district.  Very far indeed.

If you were to ask me today: Would you choose a job that requires you to travel to a place near to the airport every working day?  The answer is a straight no.  But I learn to like – or I think I like – what I do daily.  Besides, bonus payout will be in March, my share options will be matured in September, I am not going anywhere in the near future, am I?

Am I?

*     *     *     *     *

One morning, I drove to my new office sorting out the car park application while familiarizing myself with the area, I could not help but to admire the smooth traffic to work, the blue sky and the green field and the sound of serenity – of the fountains and of the breeze.  There were hardly anybody walking on the streets, hardly any car drove by.  One man walked pass me with a cup of coffee and I had the urge to stop him and ask where he got it from in this remote area.  And suddenly it hit me: Why do people put up with the stress of working in the central business district?  The noise, the crowd, the pollution, and more.  Why do I put up with the traffic jam on the CTE highway every day?

One afternoon, as I drove out of my home, I looked at the office buildings nearby, I could not help but ask: How about working somewhere near where I live for a change?  Maybe I should visualize that as one of my doors of opportunity.

I mean, why not?

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

鐵凝《永遠有多遠》- “How Long Is Forever” by Tie Ning

A 2009 English publication by Tie Ning

While I have read this book in its original language – Chinese – I have found a English translation selling at Amazon.com.  It is refreshing to read the work of a China writer in Traditional Chinese because given my very limited exposure to Simplified Chinese, my reading appetite is often confined to either authors from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

During this brief period of my renewed interest in reading in my first language, I have realized and begun to internalize the subtle differences in the choice of words and phrases amongst these three different locations – China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.  In terms of language readability, of course reading works of a Hong Kong writer has always been a breeze to me.  Since I was born there.  Interestingly, I often have this impression that Taiwanese books are easier to read compares to books from China.  But it doesn’t appear so.  Perhaps it is because modern Chinese does not deviate too much from the not-so-modern Chinese that I have spent many years learning in school.

Tie Ning (鐵凝), the author of this book, has come with a long list of credential.  She is the current president of the Chinese Writers Association, the first woman taking on that post.  She has published close to 60 books, some of her works are translated into multiple languages, and some of her works have won awards.

The Chinese version of “How Long Is Forever (2007)” comprises of two novellas 《對面》,《永遠有多遠》 and four novelettes 《孕婦和牛》,《馬路動作》,《瑪克力手印》,《暈厥羊》 (Note: ‘novella’ and ‘novelette’ are borrowed terms to describe the relative length of the story and not the actual word count as defined given the fact that these terms are used to measure English literature, not Chinese).  The English version (2009) seems to have the two novellas – “How Long Is Forever” and “Woman Opposite” – and not the rest.

I would describe Tie Ning as a realism writer.  Her characters and stories come alive through the day-to-day routines at the minute detail – intriguing, not mundane.  To borrow one of the critics’ observations from the book’s appendix, in our recent time, it is rare to see someone writing about the good people.  Not perfect, but good.  Like the narrator’s cousin in the novella “How Long Is Forever” who has endured and taken advantage by her ailing grandma, her boyfriends who needed a place to stay, and her own brother.  In the eyes of others, she has always lost out.  But all she does is to always think of others before herself.  Or like the pregnant woman in the novelette “Pregnant Woman And Her Cow”.  The main character is worry free, often take her cow for a walk.  One day she passes by a collapsed pillar that is of heritage value to the village.  The stones are engraved with words but she is illiterate, so is her husband and her husband’s family.  What if her child in the future asks her the meaning of these words?  Quickly she borrowed a pen and a piece of paper from a group of students nearby and started – first time in her life – to write.  And she intends to consult the wise people of the village later.  Such determination!  Tie Ning’s work is almost like a celebration of the not-too-perfect lives of the common people without dwelling into death, depression, desperation, delusion, and evil deeds – themes that could be more popular in today’s world.

In the preface penned by Tie Ning, she wrote that to her, ‘novelettes’ are like scenery.  ‘Novella’, on the other hand, are like stories.  And ‘novels’ are destinies.  I am certainly looking forward to reading the next book of hers.  Perhaps a novel for a change.

PS. Why would Singapore library classifies this book under romance?  I have no clue.

Additional Info and Links: Singapore library tag is TENG, ISBN is 978-962-8958-31-3, publisher’s website is here, and you can buy the English version from Amazon.com by clicking here.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Right … So This Is Sherlock Holmes?

Pardon my lateness in writing this.  Given the recent turn of exciting events, I hope it is forgivable.  One may ask: Why write this type of entries for every movie you watch?  I am a Cancer and I am fond of collecting movie stubs.  Until one day I realize that the printing on the movie stubs faints over time.  Besides, I don’t get to collect every movie stub since not every ticket is purchased by me.  Now, I have a record of all the movies I have watched on big screens.  And if you read my so-called ‘reviews’, more often than not, I mix it with my diary making it more personal, more fun for me to read in the future.  Interestingly, some do find some of my views beneficial, which I am humbled.  Some find a common voice within, which I am even more humbled.

I have high hope on Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes”.  It is a classic, correct?  I must confess that I didn’t know who wrote “Sherlock Holmes” and I am amongst the group of readers who thought that Sherlock Holmes exists.  Between you and me, I even thought that “Sherlock Holmes” was written by Agatha Christie.  Now you know that I am not quite into the genre of detective stories.

Or more correctly, reading detective stories make me feel stupid.  Clues are supposed to be everywhere.  And you are supposed to solve the crime as you read the story.  Somehow, I am finding it hard to crack the cases.  As the detective takes the final stage explaining the case, like a magician who leads you to the third stage, the answer is right in your face.  And I always feel stupid, frustratingly inferior.  To whom?

Back to the movie.  Given any normal day release, “Sherlock Holmes” could well be an entertaining film to watch.  But you know during Christmas, there were tons of great movies to choose from (blue aliens anyone?).  We watched “Sherlock Holmes” on a large theater and the sound and image quality didn’t quite match the series of movies we have watched over the holiday season.

A couple of observations on “Sherlock Holmes”.  The filmmakers appear to have borrowed Doyle’s characters with the story written by someone else.  My questions are: Why not name these characters something else?  Why not adapt one of the original stories written by Doyle?  I suppose if the story is well known – though I have yet to read any of his books – many people would have known the ending.  And that is not a great detective story because … ?

Our friend TK seems to enjoy watching “Sherlock Holmes”.  Well, dude, if you want us to join you for “Sherlock Holmes 2”, you better join us for “Twilight 3”!

Categories
Linguistic

Learning Spanish In Singapore At Las Lilas, Recommended?

One reader wrote in and asked my opinion on learning Spanish as a language and learning Spanish at Las Lilas, the school where we learn Spanish.  Since I do come across questions like these from time to time (like from my friends via Facebook and Messenger), perhaps it is a good idea to share my thoughts here.  And if I write something nice about Las Lilas, they may pass my examination tomorrow, the next one, and the rest after?

I am kidding.

And I will also throw in a few tips that help me a great deal in learning Spanish.

*     *     I – Spanish as a Language     *     *

Spanish is a Romance language with 329 million native speakers (as of 2009), the second most spoken language in the world in terms of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese.  As for the most commonly used language on the Internet, Spanish comes after English and Chinese (as of 2007).  But hey, these are just statistics.  You may pick up a new language for your personal reasons.  In my case, the language picked me.  Or rather Cynthia got me into learning a language of her choice.  In return, we have an agreement that she will learn a language of my choice.  That did not happen.  18 months of learning Spanish has sucked all my linguistic juice away.

If you are reading this, I presume, you are an English speaker.  So here are a list of similarities and differences from my observation of the two languages, at a high level, based on what I have learned so far.

  • English and Spanish share a similar set of alphabets.  Spanish has an extended set of characters.
  • You can read a passage in Spanish by observing the alphabets.  And hence, theoretically you could spell out the words based on what you have listened to.  Those who are trained to convert phonetic sound into alphabets (like Cynthia whose mother tongue is Bahasa Indonesia) would have an unfair advantage to those who are not (like me who is brought up with Chinese).  Such is life.
  • Some argue that English grammar is harder.  I think Spanish grammar is not easy either.  Perhaps grammar in general is hard because of the exceptions.  I often ponder: Why these exceptions?  Maybe there is beauty lies within exceptions, or exceptions are what make a language beautiful.
  • In Spanish, you have to remember words in masculine and feminine forms.  That extends to the adjective and more.  For example, a rose is feminine in Spanish, and hence you have to use the red color in feminine form to describe it (roja versus rojo).  And since a sunflower is masculine, the yellow color in masculine form is used instead (amarillo versus amarilla).
  • Spanish verb conjugation, in my opinion, remains as the hardest thing I have seen.  In English, when we talk about exceptions, we probably refer to do-does-did-done versus jump-jumps-jumped-jumped.  In Spanish, each tense has six flavors to cater for I-you-he/she-we-you (plural)-they.  The good news is, there are probably only about 100 variations in total (of all the tenses in six flavors) and once you have learned it, it is yours to keep.  The bad news is: How do you know which verb belongs to which variation (common Spanish verb runs in the order of 10,000)?  And when you listen to a verb in a particular form, how do you reconcile that with its infinitive form?  Lots of practice I suppose.
  • Another good news is, there is quite a fair bit in common between Spanish and English in terms of vocabulary.  Recently, I have browsed a book called The Big Red Book of Spanish Vocabulary.  I can recognize quite a number of them.  All of a sudden, Spanish is not that foreign to me.

*     *     II – Las Lilas     *     *

If you are residing in Singapore, Las Lilas is a school worth considering.  We are told that parents send their children to Las Lilas to study Spanish.  Classes are formed once there are five on board, though for beginner courses, they tend to admit a lot more students to perhaps anticipate for the higher drop out rate.  We have met with three different teachers at least and they are all great teachers who speak Spanish as a native language, well qualified for the job.  How fun learning can be, I reckon, depends on you and your classmates.  We have a lively group and we have known each other for months.  Las Lilas has designed a series of lessons in different levels.  Examination happens in alternate levels.  Personally, I hope to see a clearer written curriculum.  But I guess they have a casual learning philosophy in mind and for working individuals like us, it is just what we need.  Having said that, they host official examination too that is recognized in Spain (and other countries I reckon).

Each level has 10 lessons.  It works out to be about S$40 per lesson before discount (the longer you stay with the school, the more discount you get I think).  Course-ware is largely based on a textbook and an exercise book.  Handouts are given during the class.  And one or two lessons may involve learning through visual materials.

I wish Las Lilas can do more in terms of bringing the student community together.  It is, I believe, the vibrancy of the learning community that keep the Spanish spirit alive in a country whereby hardly anyone speaks Spanish.

To access the school’s website, please click here.

*     *     III – Tips on Learning Spanish     *     *

As a small disclaimer, I am not sure if I at all am qualified to write a section on tips.  Nevertheless, the followings help me in this Spanish learning journey.

  • Bond well with your classmates and your teachers.  It makes the learning journey more rewarding, common sense as it may seem.
  • I use  Collins Concise Spanish Dictionary.  I have done some research before investing close to S$60.  And at Kinokuniya, I browsed dictionaries of different publishers and have finally decided on this.  It comes with an online edition too, free.  The downside of the online edition is its clumsiness that requires repeated log in.  Therefore I hardly use.
  • I also use the mobile edition of the Collins Dictionary (about S$15).  As and when I need to look up a word, all I need to do is to pick up my wireless phone.  I use the mobile edition so much more than the paper edition.
  • I find Langenscheidt’s Pocket Bescherelle Spanish Verbs very useful, as a reference tool.  The conjugation tables contain entries in red that denotes exceptions.  It helps for me to focus on those exceptions and memorize.
  • For online translation, I love SpanishDict.com.  For serious verb conjugation, it is Verbix.com hands down.
  • To read everyday Spanish and to watch Spanish video clips, our teacher has recommended Radio Televisión Española.
  • My favorite Spanish podcast?  That has to be Coffee Break Spanish.
  • If you listen to Internet Radio like I do, don’t miss Europa FM.
  • I have bought a few Spanish books too.  But I have yet to read them.  Some enjoy reading the Bible in both Spanish and English side-by-side with one another.  I intend to get Spanish-English Bilingual Catholic Bible.  Well, if I am going to read some literature again and again in Spanish, I may as well clock in some points to Heaven, no?

This list will grow, for sure.  But for now, that is all I have got to share.  Thanks for reading and feel free to drop in comments if you have more queries, or have something, anything to share.

Categories
Memorable Events

Here Comes My Niece!

And so the doctor turned to my sister and her husband and said, “Here’s your little princess”.  Oh happy day.  Time flies.  The whole process comes and goes.  I wonder when will I get to bring my little niece to the zoo and eat ice-cream.

Categories
Diary

A Little Prayer For My Little Sister

It was just yesterday, over our dining table, in the context of who has helped out during my sister’s pregnancy in what ways, we joked that Cynthia is now assigned to be our Chief Praying Officer.  Yesterday I have also spent some time, with the happy expecting couple – Benny and Lora – and our mom arrived from Hong Kong, doing some last minute shopping.  Perhaps, experiencing the miracle of life makes people radiate in the light of youth.  That excitement, that power vested by the Giver of Life, as we took a slow walk from the AMK wet market to my car, I could not help but to admire this aura radiating from Benny and Lora, from a distance that is never too far away, only a footsteps behind.

The next time I see my sister, I may not be seeing her adorably round tummy, for she is now inside the delivery ward.

*     *     I     *     *

I reckon, for some of us, the first decision we have ever made was: When shall I get out of this womb?  Unlike shipment and delivery of goods that we can call someone and ask and track and inquire when that something we have been expecting is due to arrive, babies come out as and when they have decided so.  I have been trying to calm myself down because thinking of the uncertainty drives me crazy.  Maybe today, maybe tomorrow.  Maybe this hour, maybe the next.  Mothers do not will the babies to come out; our biological mechanism only does so much in facilitating the child birth process; after exhausting all possibilities – given my limited brain capacity – I hence conclude that if indeed someone gets to decide when to come out of the womb and play, that has to be the little fellow inside the tummy.

The next time I celebrate my birthday, I will also make it a celebration of this very first decision I have made.

*     *     II     *     *

Tradition is perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of where we come from.  Generations after generations, wisdom of lesson learned is passed onto, practiced upon.  Like that tonic drink well known for the women to consume after the delivery of babies.  For the longest history in time, I could not pinpoint why whenever I smell the fragrance of that tonic drink, I think of nothing but happiness.  The missing key, it appears, is the duration of the preparation of this tonic drink.

Accordingly to my mom, which later on I realize that it is more of a Hong Kong tradition than a Singaporean one in terms of how this tonic drink is made, it takes days and months to prepare the soup base of that tonic drink.  Large amount of fried ginger is soaked inside black sweet Chinese vinegar and this soup base is cooked intermittently for a long period of time.  After the baby is delivered, this soup base is used to cook with pork trotters and boiled eggs in making that one tonic drink.  And hence, I deduced that even when I was four years of age, given the long duration of the preparation, that scent of vinegar must have immortalized the happy moment of my little sister’s birth.  That probably is why whenever I am in the proximity of such a tonic drink, inevitably, I feel happy.

Yesterday, mom has started the cooking process, of that tonic drink.  Oh my.  The strength of the scent of the vinegar, it hurts my eyes, it hurts my nose, and it hurts my brain.  And yesterday was only day one.

*     *     III     *     *

Recent events prompt me to ponder upon how many people were involved to bring me to this world.  As I was watching “Planet Earth”, the birth and the upbringing of the baby animals seem to be a lot more straightforward (OK, may not be the case of the penguins, come to think of it).  Perhaps I shall also dedicate my birthday to those who made it happen, from now on.

Meanwhile, a little prayer for my little sister for a smooth and safe delivery.  Healthy baby and healthy mom, I reckon, will make a lot of people very happy.  Thank you God.  I owe you one.

Edit: The baby has arrived safely.