Thanks, Manlin.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Little Health Secrets
All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run - simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by many of us.
Crossing our Legs
Do you cross your legs at your knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don't want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs and compromise your health, uncross your legs every time you realize you have one knee on top of the other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit, and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs crossed at your knees.
Not changing our Toothbrush
How often do you change your toothbrush? Most of us wait until most of the bristles have either fallen off, or are in such bad shape that we'd be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However, since not many of us need to pull out our brush in public, we carry on with our frayed one until we lose it. Replace your toothbrush often. Damaged bristles can harm the enamel, and don't massage your gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do, but know you must do it, you might as well be doing it right. Imagine going through the annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a day only to find out that you're damaging your enamel every time you clean your teeth. Also, use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised otherwise.
Skipping Breakfast
Never, ever skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it's been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day, and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a light dinner. Here are some more common health mistakes we make. Being informed and making a few changes can help make us feel a whole lot better.
Sleeping on a Soft Bed
You don't have to sleep on the floor be kind to your back, but do make sure you have a firm mattress. Although a mattress on springs is soft and lovely to sink into, it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs, you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs, and place the mattress on the plank. Similarly, if your mattress is old and lumpy, throw it out and get a new one. Your neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If you will be spending hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you completely sink into are not the best idea.
Pillows
No matter how comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist. Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick. If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep on your back, to give your neck adequate support.
High Heels
High heels sure look great, but they're murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear them when going out for lunch or dinner - when the only walking you will be doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels, take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you love, that you will enjoy wearing. If possible, get a matching bag. You will then enjoy your flats as much as you do your heels.
Not Exercising
So all of us know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out.. A number of people only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal. Don't wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't exercised for a week, you're making a mistake.
So,know what you should do and life will become so much sweeter!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
When You Are Rich
This is an interesting conversation (in jest) between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, June 25, 2010
The New English: Globish?
This is a good article I found on the Internet.
Read on...
"The English language was not around when Julius Caesar landed in Britain 2,000 years ago. Some 500 years later, Englisc, hardly comprehensible to modern ears, was spoken by a handful of people.
A thousand years after that, during the era of William Shakespeare, English was spoken by perhaps six or seven million Englishmen, and to quote a linguist at the time, "still of small reach, it stretched no further than this island of ours".
How times have changed. Around the 17th century, English started to be exported to all corners of the globe. By the end of the 20th century, it had become the most widely spoken and written language in the world. Today, English in one form or another is understood by at least four billion people on planet Earth, hardly 400 million of them native speakers. English is truly the first global language.
English is not perfect. In fact, its imperfections are a boon to the language. It is not guarded by any institution, such as our Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) or Academie Francaise. These are the custodians of Bahasa Melayu and French respectively. True, as early as 1660, John Dryden argued for an academy "to regulate" English usage. It did not happen.
Some 100 years later, Joseph Priestley, a grammarian, famously said an academy was "unsuitable to the genius of a free nation". According to the wisdom at the time, the best forms of speech "will, in time, establish themselves by their superior excellence" and in all controversies "it is better to wait the decision of time, which is slow and sure".
English evolved into a global language partly because of its "free spirit". English is the most fluid and democratic language because no one owns it. The users are the lords of the language. The users are reinventing the language all the time. A language needs to be dynamic to survive and English is one. After all, there are no pressures of common usage, dictates of an academy or demands of committees.
Compiling a corpus is tedious, laborious and at times, unnecessary. After all, new terms are coined at breakneck speed. No English dictionary or compendium of terminologies could keep up with new words and phrases. There is tremendous pressure on lexicographers to come out with dictionaries of new terms and phrases.
The Internet and mobile phones have given new meaning to the concept of language development. A new linguistic centaur is taking shape in cyberspace. The written language is undergoing "major shifts in form and function".
Some would argue that "SMS" is an aberrant world of abbreviations, numerals and pictorial icons. "Brevity" is the rule of the game on the Internet. Formal structures as we know them are being threatened. We are witnessing "anti-formal communication structures" being used widely.
The Internet and mobile phones have created totally different language structures. Some would even argue that formal language is on the brink of collapse.
And then there is Globish. It is a concept made famous by Jean-Paul Nerriere, a French-speaking retired IBM executive. He was observing non-native English speakers "communicating" with each other in formal meetings and conferences.
He described English "and its international deployment" as "the worldwide dialect of the third millennium". He noticed the kind of English being used by non-native speakers, especially in the Third World as no more than "decaffeinated English" with its own format and structures, most of which are informal yet understood.
Globish is as much "a subset of the English language" as it is perhaps the nuanced English being used by non-native speakers with limited vocabulary. Of course, Manglish or Singlish falls in a different category. Globish, on the other hand, is a linguistic tool for "easy English".
As Robert McCrum argued in Newsweek magazine recently, Globish is "a newly globalised lingua franca, essentially English merged with the terminology of the digital age and the international news media".
Some would hail Globish as a truly "natural language" as opposed to "constructed English". It is "a codification of a reduced set of English patterns as used by non-native speakers" of English. McCrum claimed "good Globish is correct English".
The issue is not so much what constitutes Globish, but the fact that Globish is gaining respectability as English. While formal English claims to have more than 500,000 words, Globish is comfortable with 1,500 words.
There is also a compelling argument that Globish is merely another form of language imperialism. But that simply does not hold water. English is a language that necessitates global communication in various forms and platforms.
True, there were attempts by English colonialists to change the natives through the learning of English. One Thomas Macaulay proposed in 1835 to create a generation of "new Indians" in India: "A class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste and opinion, in morals, and in intellect."
It was a perverted view in social engineering. And it is also true that English was a tool effectively used to colonialise the minds of the natives in imperial times.
Globish, the way I look at it, is one of the many varieties of English that is redefining the language in today's world. Perhaps it is a sign of the times. And perhaps it is true Globish is another manifestation of "a downward spiral in English standards".
But English survived and flourished because of its readiness to adapt and accommodate. It became a global language largely powered by its users. In the case of Globish, the Internet and global media had been instrumental in its creation.
It is certainly not perfect, nor kosher to the purists, but it is contagious and astutely adaptable. Globish is here to stay for a simple reason: the English language is forever evolving. Its formal, standardised and authorised version can coexist with a localised, non-standard and indigenous one. Just like creole and pidgin, despite vehement protests from language guardians, have flourished in many parts of the world.
That is English."
Any other point of views?
Read on...
"The English language was not around when Julius Caesar landed in Britain 2,000 years ago. Some 500 years later, Englisc, hardly comprehensible to modern ears, was spoken by a handful of people.
A thousand years after that, during the era of William Shakespeare, English was spoken by perhaps six or seven million Englishmen, and to quote a linguist at the time, "still of small reach, it stretched no further than this island of ours".
How times have changed. Around the 17th century, English started to be exported to all corners of the globe. By the end of the 20th century, it had become the most widely spoken and written language in the world. Today, English in one form or another is understood by at least four billion people on planet Earth, hardly 400 million of them native speakers. English is truly the first global language.
English is not perfect. In fact, its imperfections are a boon to the language. It is not guarded by any institution, such as our Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) or Academie Francaise. These are the custodians of Bahasa Melayu and French respectively. True, as early as 1660, John Dryden argued for an academy "to regulate" English usage. It did not happen.
Some 100 years later, Joseph Priestley, a grammarian, famously said an academy was "unsuitable to the genius of a free nation". According to the wisdom at the time, the best forms of speech "will, in time, establish themselves by their superior excellence" and in all controversies "it is better to wait the decision of time, which is slow and sure".
English evolved into a global language partly because of its "free spirit". English is the most fluid and democratic language because no one owns it. The users are the lords of the language. The users are reinventing the language all the time. A language needs to be dynamic to survive and English is one. After all, there are no pressures of common usage, dictates of an academy or demands of committees.
Compiling a corpus is tedious, laborious and at times, unnecessary. After all, new terms are coined at breakneck speed. No English dictionary or compendium of terminologies could keep up with new words and phrases. There is tremendous pressure on lexicographers to come out with dictionaries of new terms and phrases.
The Internet and mobile phones have given new meaning to the concept of language development. A new linguistic centaur is taking shape in cyberspace. The written language is undergoing "major shifts in form and function".
Some would argue that "SMS" is an aberrant world of abbreviations, numerals and pictorial icons. "Brevity" is the rule of the game on the Internet. Formal structures as we know them are being threatened. We are witnessing "anti-formal communication structures" being used widely.
The Internet and mobile phones have created totally different language structures. Some would even argue that formal language is on the brink of collapse.
And then there is Globish. It is a concept made famous by Jean-Paul Nerriere, a French-speaking retired IBM executive. He was observing non-native English speakers "communicating" with each other in formal meetings and conferences.
He described English "and its international deployment" as "the worldwide dialect of the third millennium". He noticed the kind of English being used by non-native speakers, especially in the Third World as no more than "decaffeinated English" with its own format and structures, most of which are informal yet understood.
Globish is as much "a subset of the English language" as it is perhaps the nuanced English being used by non-native speakers with limited vocabulary. Of course, Manglish or Singlish falls in a different category. Globish, on the other hand, is a linguistic tool for "easy English".
As Robert McCrum argued in Newsweek magazine recently, Globish is "a newly globalised lingua franca, essentially English merged with the terminology of the digital age and the international news media".
Some would hail Globish as a truly "natural language" as opposed to "constructed English". It is "a codification of a reduced set of English patterns as used by non-native speakers" of English. McCrum claimed "good Globish is correct English".
The issue is not so much what constitutes Globish, but the fact that Globish is gaining respectability as English. While formal English claims to have more than 500,000 words, Globish is comfortable with 1,500 words.
There is also a compelling argument that Globish is merely another form of language imperialism. But that simply does not hold water. English is a language that necessitates global communication in various forms and platforms.
True, there were attempts by English colonialists to change the natives through the learning of English. One Thomas Macaulay proposed in 1835 to create a generation of "new Indians" in India: "A class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste and opinion, in morals, and in intellect."
It was a perverted view in social engineering. And it is also true that English was a tool effectively used to colonialise the minds of the natives in imperial times.
Globish, the way I look at it, is one of the many varieties of English that is redefining the language in today's world. Perhaps it is a sign of the times. And perhaps it is true Globish is another manifestation of "a downward spiral in English standards".
But English survived and flourished because of its readiness to adapt and accommodate. It became a global language largely powered by its users. In the case of Globish, the Internet and global media had been instrumental in its creation.
It is certainly not perfect, nor kosher to the purists, but it is contagious and astutely adaptable. Globish is here to stay for a simple reason: the English language is forever evolving. Its formal, standardised and authorised version can coexist with a localised, non-standard and indigenous one. Just like creole and pidgin, despite vehement protests from language guardians, have flourished in many parts of the world.
That is English."
Any other point of views?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Helping My Brother
This is a good one. Many thanks to Manlin.
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?"
"Eight," the boy replied.
The man continued, "Do you know what these are used for?"
The boy replied, "Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four......and we saw on TV that if you use these you would be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either."
Friday, June 18, 2010
Life's Maxims
This is the reality of living life!
But is that so?
Let us think deeply and meditate on these 2 maxims.
But is that so?
Let us think deeply and meditate on these 2 maxims.
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