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My TestDaF Experience

On Wednesday, 18.05.2022 I took the TestDaF at the Goethe-Institut Malaysia. In Malaysia there are only two places you can take TestDaF, eit...

Monday, December 21, 2009

Road Trips To Date

Done:
01. Kluang, Mersing, Tioman
02. Penang Island, Nibong Tebal
03. Ipoh
04. Cameron Highlands
05. Tanjung Sepat
06. Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor
07. Old Gombak Road
08. Bentong

Coming Soon:
01. Port Dickson

Potential:
01. Taiping (Wild Boar Temple)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (Historic City, Umbai Seafood)
05. Sungai Lembing (Sunrise)
06. Kampar (Food, Waterfall)
07. Seremban (Siew Pau)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Satisfactory Salsa Weekend

The recent Sultan of Selangor's Birthday weekend fell on a Friday and so the whole Kuala Lumpur road traffic got jammed like crazy. Which is why I stayed home the whole day, since I work in Selangor and had no need to go down to KL for any reason.

Anyway that's not the main point. I just want to note that I had a good time at salsa on Friday night and Saturday night after a series of disappointing mid-week outings. Let's just say that there was a good variety of dancers during the nights I felt were satisfactory enough to merit mention.

If there's something missing, it's that I didn't manage to dance with all the people that I wanted to dance with due to time constraints - I had to leave early on Friday night for a "tahnee" session with a group of non-salsa people at a non-salsa venue within walking distance. But given a choice between a salsa and a non-salsa event that clash, I'd pick the salsa event unless there are compelling reasons to go for the non-salsa one. 'Nuff said.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Meaning of Nibong Tebal

Until today I've never figured out why Nibong Tebal is 高渊 [Cantonese pronunciation: Koh Yuen] in Chinese characters. High/Tall Surge? In Malay language, Nibong is a type of palm tree (Oncosperma tigillarium), Tebal is thick, so the area must have had lots of nibong trees in old times. Perhaps the Chinese paid more attention to the Kerian River tides instead.

Tamil Comedy & Astro Coincidence

By the power of Muruga, it can't be mere coincidence! I sent Ramesh a link on Facebook to a Sathyaraj & Vadivelu comedy about cricket player selection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsHldlHmDQw

Immediately I got an SMS greeting from Ramesh. I replied and told him about the link. Io and behold, he replied saying he was watching Siri Siri Tamil Comedy on ASTRO and that exact comedy clip was playing! What a coincidence!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Dim Gaai Ngo Oi Se Gwong Jau Wa Ge Tong Yan Ji?

点解我爱写广州话嘅唐人字?

好多人写唐话系用华语文法,华语词汇,华语方式。我就冇喺华语书馆读过。我净系识讲好基本嘅广州话。词汇又系好简单嘅。识得嘅字都唔系几多啫。所以呢,叫我写正式中文嘅信函我就唔识。

我净系识写我讲出嘅说话。 I can only transcribe my speech as it is. It's analogous to writing down the colloquial spoken version of Tamil (koduntamil) instead of the formal written version (centamil).

Never The Twain Shall Meet

Rudyard Kipling wrote in his Barrack-room ballads (1892): "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." It means "two things which are so different as to have no opportunity to unite".

It happens all the time in real life. There are certain things that I can never explain to some people. They don't get it. It's like they just don't perceive that thing the way I do. No matter how I break down the explanation into simple modules, it just doesn't work on them. From university days to today's social life, these things happen.

That's why I am very reluctant to say some things to some people. The reason being they just don't get it no matter how I explain it. Which is why I don't like it when some people ask me for an explanation. What's the point of me explaining to somebody who just can't/won't/doesn't understand?

Oh well. Why should I care? Because the way we see things are so different, there is no way our perceptions can unite. Rudyard Kipling said it so well over a hundred years ago and his phrase still rings a bell today.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

December 2009: To Date

I've not been writing much due to being kept busy with work and other activities. So much to do, that's good, can't complain. As long as I'm productively occupied.

Some people write an end-of-year e-mail or posting to talk about things that happened throughout the year. Guess I should, there's so much to write about, but I'll only cover some aspects considered write-able. I'll write event by event, not necessarily in chronological order as it takes less time to write.

Went on more road trips and a few local travel destinations, such as Tioman Island, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Bentong, and Tanjung Sepat. Haven't been to Penang this year, although I made trips there in 2007 and 2008. Genting was in 2008 if I recall correctly. I enjoyed all these trips, saw new places and made new acquaintances.

Started an exercise routine after Raya to stay healthy and do something positive for myself. Age is catching up and I have to do something to keep cholesterol levels low. At the same time, exercise and workout provide a healthy way to deal with accumulated stress.

Re-established contact with a few old friends that I knew from many years ago but lost touch for a long time. So glad to know that they're doing well in life, at least we can share the joy and happiness.

Lost a friend. It's sad when this happens, especially when the relations of friendship have been established for a long time, but friendship can't be forced. 咁样嘅事发生真系好可惜。尤其是嗰个嘢唔识做人。唔识珍惜自己嘅朋友,虽然佢孤寒我冇咁介意但系佢当我唔喺呢度喎。Summary is, a clear-cut case of 重色轻友。我以後唔会帮佢联络因为呢啲咁样嘅人只系有问题先会嚟搵我,冇问题就唔睬我。

Maintained a sense of optimism even in the not-so-good of times. It's not an easy task, but still doable. Not easy to break the cycle of sadness but it must be done for your own sake. I've seen a lot of people getting so depressed, sad, angry, worked over issues that are petty if viewed from a wider angle. How I wish they wouldn't let such things trouble them, but then again, who am I to say anything about others?

Restarted dance classes after an absence of three and a half years. Enrolled in Havana Estudio ongoing Bachata class, it's very interesting and different material covered every week. I find it pretty interesting and in-depth, although at most I can only absorb about half of what's being taught. Oh well, at least I get some benefit out of classes.

Took more photos of cute doggies and kitties. Yeah this sounds trivial or nonsense to some, but I think kitties and doggies are cute too, even stray ones. If only I could talk to them and find out their opinions. Some friends of mine can communicate with them, I don't know how but they just do it. Interesting.

That's about it for now.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Driving Directions: Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Sepat

DRIVING DIRECTIONS
==================

01. From Taman Tun go on to the Sprint Highway heading towards KL.

02. From Sprint Highway go on to the Kerinchi Link heading south towards Mid Valley.

03. Pay RM1.50 toll.

04. Keep left and take the exit to KL.

05. You are now on the Federal Highway. Mid Valley City will be on your left and Angkasapuri on your right.

06. Keep left and follow the signboard to Cheras. You will go through an underpass and emerge on to the East West Link heading towards Cheras. Taman Desa will be on your right.

07. Keep left but stay a little in the middle. Follow the signboard to Seremban. (This part is a little tricky)

08. You will go up a flyover that bends towards the right. You will see factories and an elevated highway on your left. Now you are on the KL-Seremban Highway for a short stretch. Keep left immediately and go up the ramp that goes on to the elevated highway you just saw. (This part is also tricky). It should have a signboard that says Putrajaya.

09. You are now on the Maju Expressway a.k.a. KL-Putrajaya Dedicated Highway heading south towards Putrajaya. Enjoy your journey, it should take less than half an hour to reach the end of the highway.

10. Pay RM2.50 toll at the Putrajaya toll plaza.

11. After the toll plaza, keep left and go on to Lingkaran Putrajaya (E20) heading towards Putrajaya. (If not sure, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).

12. You will reach a cloverleaf interchange. Take the "three o clock" (I don't know if there's a better way of saying this) to go on to Pintasan Dengkil Bypass (B15) heading south. (In other words, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).

13. You are now on B15 heading south. From now on, follow the sign that says Salak Tinggi. If you're on the correct route you'll go up an elevated section that passes by a lake and a Chinese temple in the distance. Go all the way to the end of B15 which should terminate in a half-finished flyover. Turn right onto B20. Go straight towards KLIA Masjid, then turn left onto Jalan KLIA 1. At the roundabout take a 9 o'clock to Jalan Pekeliling.

14. Continue along Jalan Pekeliling until reaching a traffic light. Keep left and turn left towards Sepang F1 Circuit.

15. Sepang F1 Circuit will be on your right. Continue straight until you reach a crossroads with a big @Enstek sign.

16. Turn right onto B48 that goes south towards Sepang town. Enjoy your journey. You'll pass by a Chinese cemetery and Hindu cemetery along the way.

17. In Sepang town you'll see a Shell Station on your right just before the traffic lights.

18. At the traffic lights, turning left takes you to Lukut and Port Dickson. So turn right to go to Sungai Pelek.

19. Now you are on on Route 5. Go straight all the way to Sungai Pelek town. Continue straight all the way through the town and out of town.

20. After leaving Sungai Pelek town for some distance, there's an exit to some housing developments on your left. Keep right to continue along Route 5. The new developments on the left side lead to Gold Coast and Bagan Lalang beach.

21. Just continue straight on along Route 5. The road will be very straight and flat. Beware of cows crossing the road. After you pass by a stretch where the sea almost touches the road, you'll reach Tanjung Sepat town. YAY!

Landmarks:
:: Hai Yew Hin / Hai Yew Heng pau shop is near the corner of Lorong 4 and Jalan Pasar.
:: Ocen Seafood Restaurant and Lovers' Bridge are near the RHB Bank row of shophouses.
:: Yek Loong Enterprise fishball factory is in the row of shophouses behind the Pasar Baru Tanjung Sepat building.

Notes:

:: The seaside in Tanjung Sepat is not suitable for swimming. For a beach that seems okay for swimming, there's one at Sepang Gold Coast in Bagan Lalang, after Sungai Pelek.
:: It's recommended to make reservations for the Hai Yew Heng pau to avoid disappointment, especially on weekends and public holidays when tour groups have made mass bookings. Call 012.272.9009 (Mandarin-speaking) for pau reservations.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Remember To Say "I Love You"

Life is fragile. We never know when we might lose it. Please remember to tell your loved ones that you love them. Remember to say "I love you" to those you love. Let them know that you feel for them. Treat them well when you are still alive.

When calamity strikes, many do not have a chance to say goodbye. It needn't be an earth-shattering cataclysm as in the movie "2012". It could be tsunami, accident, illness, or whatever that strikes with no warning.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Selangor 2009: Four Long Weekends In A Row

If you work in Selangor, you will have 4 (four) long weekends in a row. Four? Yes, I'm not kidding. Sultan of Selangor's Birthday, Awal Muharram (Ma'al Hijrah), Christmas, and New Year's Day all fall on consecutive Fridays from 11 December 2009 to 1 January 2010!

By the way, Hari Raya Haji falls on Friday, 27 November 2009. If you take Friday, 4 December 2009 off, you get a grand total of 6 (six) long weekends in a row. How's that?

Ask yourself, how many chances in a lifetime do you get so many four-day workweeks or three-day weekends in a row?

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tamil Numbers

Tamil numbers in colloquial spoken Tamil.

0 (zero)
பூச்சியம்
puucciyam

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ஒண்ணு ரெண்டு மூணு நாலு அஞ்சு ஆறு ஏழு எட்டு ஒம்பது பத்து
oNNu reNdu muuNu naalu anJu aaRu eeḻu ettu ombadu pattu

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
பதிநொண்ணு பனிரெண்டு பதிமூனு பதிநாலு பதினஞ்சு பதினாறு பதினேழு பதினெட்டு பத்தொம்பது
padinoNNu panireNdu padimuunu padinaalu padinanJu padinaaRu padineeḻu padinettu pattombadu

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
இருவது முப்பது நாப்பது அம்பது அறுவது எழுவது எம்பது தொண்ணூறு
iruvadu muppadu naappadu ambadu aRuvadu eḻuvadu embadu toNNuuRu

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
நூறு எரனூறு முன்னூறு நானூறு ஐனூறு அறுனூறு எழுனூறு எண்ணூறு தொள்ளாயிரம்
nuuRu eranuuRu munnuuRu naanuuRu ainuuRu aRunuuRu eḻunuuRu eNNuuRu toLLaayiram

1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
ஆயிரம் ரெண்டாயிரம் மூணாயிரம் நாலாயிரம் அஞ்சாயிரம் ஆறாயிரம் ஏழாயிரம் எட்டாயிரம் ஒம்பதாயிரம்
aayiram reNdaayiram muuNaayiram naalaayiram anJaayiram aaRaayiram eeḻaayiram ettaayiram ombadaayiram

100,000 (lakh = one hundred thousand)
லட்சம்
latcham

10,000,000 (crore = ten million)
கோடி
koodi

தொள் toL is a prefix for the nine stuff
reNdu is two, iruvadu is twenty, eranuuRu is two hundred, reNdaayiram is two thousand

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Another Case Of Unappreciative Rubbish

For now I shall give you the benefit of the doubt. For now.

I don't know what made you behave in such a way towards me. As far as I know, I have not done anything wrong to you, or treated you in an arrogant manner. 我冇做过对你唔住嘅嘢。我都冇(门+能)屎(门+能)样咁样对你。 I might be nonchalant about people's idiosyncrasies, but I do not and will not accept bad treatment towards me.

Perhaps I have no "lei yung ga jik 利用价值" for you. Perhaps someone close to you has poisoned your mind against me, controlled your life movements, or taken action on your behalf with or without your knowledge to put distance between me and you. Perhaps you just have no wish to associate yourself with me in any way for whatever or no reason. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Anyway, who am I to tell you what to do and what not to do? If you let others make this choice for you, I feel sorry for you for letting yourself be influenced by those with dubious intentions and your failure to protect those whom you should cherish. If you made this choice, it's your loss, but you won't feel it because your sense of appreciation is flawed.

I doubt you'd be bothered to know what I think, most probably you don't care anyway. But if you become like this:

"When
all's well and hunky-dory on your side, I'm invisible. When things don't work out and you need someone, you search high and low for me."

you can forget about finding me because I will have no time for you and your problems. Why? Because of the way you treated me, that's why. I've got better things to do than serve as a solution provider for unappreciative rubbish.

At the moment I'm writing this, you still have a chance to redeem yourself, but the window of opportunity won't be open for long. Hence my opening sentence: "For now I shall give you the benefit of the doubt. For now."

Friday, September 4, 2009

If Khalil Fong 方大同 Had Four Brothers

1. If Khalil Fong (方大同) had four brothers, they'd be Khalid, Khairul, Khairy, and Khamis Fong.

2. His Chinese name being fong daai tung 方大同, they'd be dai yat 第一, bou teun 宝顿, hong lok 康乐, and lin sing 连成 (daai tung fa yun 花园 = Taman Taynton, dai yat fa yun 第一花园 = Taman Pertama, bou teun fa yun 宝顿花园= Bolton Garden (Taman Midah), hong lok fa yun 康乐花园 = Taman Connaught, lin sing fa yun 连成花园 = Taman Lensen).

3. Malaysians would understand Point No. 1 subconsciously.

4. Those who know the Chinese names of established residential areas in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡蕉赖) would understand Point No. 2.

Ghost Month Nightmare

Yesterday night was the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar. The day before yesterday was Chat Yuet Sap Sei 七月十四, the major event during the Hungry Ghosts Month. So was it a coincidence that I had a weird dream?

I didn't sleep much, so I went to bed with less energy reserves than usual. Laying down on the bed, I fell asleep, my eyes closed. Not long after dozing off, I felt the presence of someone in my room. It's the feeling you get when your eyes are closed yet you know there's someone moving about within a few feet of you.

The presence spoke in a manner very much like someone I know in real life. But nobody could have entered my room because I had locked both doors. Impossible! I felt one side of the bed sink slightly like a weight's been put on it. I ignored it. The presence started pressing on me. I felt aching. I opened my eyes but couldn't discern anything. Perhaps a shadow figure sitting on my bed.

"Get lost!" I said, and it dissolved. No way of knowing whether it's just a nightmare or spirit presence, but my eyes saw faint pulses of light moving about in my room. Something's there. I imagined myself holding a Spear of Muruga (vel வேல் ) and hurled it at the light, thus dispelling it.

Having woken up, I felt re-energized and alert. Didn't feel cold or hot. Just recharged. Not fearful, although some people I know if they were in my situation they'd panic, scream or go hysterical. I just felt normal.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Lowest Temperature Recorded In My Bedroom

On Friday, 28 August 2009, the thermometer indicated a temperature of 25.5 C in my bedroom at 7 am. That's the lowest it ever dropped without resorting to air-conditioning.

I went to my car and checked the thermometer inside, it showed... 20.5 C! Oh my goodness that's a record low temperature for Kuala Lumpur. No aircond. Very cloudy weather, no sun.

Kuala Lumpur temperatures generally range from a high of 34 C to a low of 24 C outdoors. Indoor temperatures could be 5 degrees Celsius higher or lower than the outside depending on orientation, solar absorption or wind direction.

2 1/2 weeks ago in Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, it was 19 C in my bedroom and 14 C in my car at 7 am. No air-conditioning either. But that's normal for Cameron Highlands. My room would be 28 C at the coolest, based on the majority of days. If it drops to 27 C that's a bonus.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Black Cat & Black Dog

Saw a black cat with a crooked tail cross my path today at Centrepoint Bandar Utama. Seems scared of people. Looked at me with one eye half-closed as if winking. Tail looks like a lightning bolt.

On the way back home, saw a long coat dog. A black Labrador in the middle of a roundabout. Oh no! How did he get there with all the heavy traffic around? Hope he knows how to go home, and that he's not abandoned.

Is it mere coincidence that I come across a black cat and a black dog within an hour of each other approximately 15 miles away?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Facebook Quiz: What's Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type

I did not take the quiz, but several years ago I did a self-analysis and got the result as follows.

"What's Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type?"
The result: INFJ (Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Judgement)!

You seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. You want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. You are conscientious and committed to your firm values. You develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. You are organized and decisive in implementing your vision. Famous people with your same INFJ personality include: Adam Sandler, Mel Gibson, Billy Crystal, and Oprah Winfrey.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cantonese Tones: Explanation

Having searched the Internet for an easy-to-understand explanation, I've taken the following table and excerpts from Wikipedia.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Cantonese

[Excerpt begins here]

Syllable type Open syllables Stopped syllables
Tone name Upper Level
(陰平)
Upper Rising
(陰上)
Upper Departing
(陰去)
Lower Level
(陽平)
Lower Rising
(陽上)
Lower Departing
(陽去)
Upper Entering #1
(上陰入)
Upper Entering #2
(下陰入)
Lower Entering
(陽入)
Pinyin tone number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (or 1) 8 (or 3) 9 (or 6)
Examples
Tone letters si˥, si˥˧ si˧˥ si˧ si˨˩, si˩ si˩˧ si˨ sik˥ sik˧ sik˨
Tone diacritics , si̖, sı̏ si̗ sík sīk sìk
Description high level,
high falling
medium rising medium level low falling,
very low level
low rising low level high level medium level low level
Yale Romanization sī, sì si sīh, sìh síh sih sīk sik sihk

Joe's note: For some reason the table is not being displayed completely in this blog. It only shows the first six tones on screen. To see the complete table please visit the source page at the URL above.

The first tone can be either high level or high falling without affecting the meaning of the words being spoken. Most speakers are in general not consciously aware of when they use and when to use high level and high falling. In Hong Kong, the high level is more usual. In Guangzhou, the high falling tone is more usual.

The numbers "394052786" when pronounced in Standard Cantonese, will give the nine tones in order (Romanisation (Yale) saam1, gau2, sei3, ling4, ng5, yi6, chat7, baat8, luk9), thus giving a good mnemonic for remembering the nine tones.

[Excerpt ends here]

Joe says:

Personally I can only distinguish four tones: 1, 2, 3 or 5, 4 or 6. When I hear a Cantonese word, I can tell for sure whether it's Tone 1 or Tone 2, but Tone 3 & Tone 5 sound the same to me, and same goes for Tone 4 & Tone 6. In other words I can't tell the difference between Tone 3 & Tone 5, and between Tone 4 & Tone 6.

Cantonese Tones: Magic Formula

To cut a long story short, there are six tones in Cantonese. By chance, there's a magic formula to memorize all of them correctly. Say the following numbers one by one:

3 9 4 0 5 2 7 8 6
saam gau sei ling ng yi chat baat luk
三九四零五二七八六

or

3 9 4 0 5 2 1 8 6
saam gau sei ling ng yi yat baat luk
三九四零五二一八六

The first six numbers of either series give you the six tones in proper order. Some people say there are nine tones, but the extra three are essentially the same with three of the six tones. The only difference is that these "extra" three tones are only for words ending with p, t, or k. Don't worry, both magic formulae take care of this extra aspect in proper order too. Strange, isn't it? Fate works in mysterious ways.

So, remember the following:

394 052 786
394 052 186

I say to everybody: If you can say out all the numbers from 0 to 9 in Cantonese, congratulations! You already know the basics of mastering the six tones of Cantonese.

The Yale Romanization System for Cantonese

Source: Pronunciation Guide from the Ving Tsun Museum website
http://home.vtmuseum.org/terminology/pronounciation_guide.php

Consonants

Yale Description of sound

b resembles the (unaspirated) 'p' in 'span', 'spill'; to an unaccustomed ear, an initial unaspirated p can often sound like 'b' in 'bill'.
d resembles the (unaspirated) 't' in 'stand', 'still'.
g resembles the 'qu' in 'squad', 'square'. There is some evidence that this sound is becoming simplified over time, and words transcribed with gw may actually be heard, in the speech of some native-speakers, as beginning with g.
j an unaspirated sound something between 'ts' in 'cats' and 'tch' in 'catch'.
p in initial positions the (aspirated) 'p' in 'pat', 'pin'; in final position, that is, at the end of the syllable, 'p' in unreleased.
t in initial positions the (aspirated) 't' in 'top', 'tin'; in the final position, the 't' is unreleased.
k in initial position resembles the 'k' in 'kick', 'kill'; in the finial position, 'k' is unreleased.
kw A strongly aspirated plosive, resembles 'qu' in 'quick', 'quill'.
ch resembles the (aspitated) 'ch' in 'cheese', 'chill'.
f resembles the 'f' in 'fan', 'scarf'.
s resembles the 's' in 'sing', 'sit'.
h (only in initial positions in the syllable) resembles the 'h' in 'how', 'hand'. (after a vowel, 'h' is used to denote one of the low tones.)
l resembles the 'l' in 'like', 'love'.
m resembles the 'm' in 'man', 'stem'.
n resembles the 'n' in 'now', 'nice'. There is a widespread tendency, particularly amongst the younger generation of Cantonese speakers, to replace an initial n by l, and there is consequently some variation in pronunciation: many words, which are transcribed with an initial letter n in this book may be heard beginning with l. For instance, néi 'you', may be heard as léi.
ng resembles the southern English pronunciation of 'ng' as in 'sing' (that is, without pronouncing the 'g' separately). This sound occurs only after vowels in English, but in Cantonese it can also occur at the beginning of syllables. However, many native speakers do not pronounce this sound initially. And, just as in English, a final -ng, particularly after the long vowel aa, is often replaced by -n, although this variation does not have the social connotation it has in English (i.e. runnin' and jumpin').
y resembles the 'y' in 'yes', 'yellow'.
w resembles the 'w' in 'wish', 'will'.

Vowels

Yale Description of sound

a resembles the 'u' in the southern English pronunciation of 'but'.
aa resembles the southern English 'a' in 'father'. When this sound is not followed by a consonant in the same syllable, the second a of the aa is omitted in writing: fa is pronounced as if it were 'faa'.
e resembles the 'e' of 'ten'.
eu resembles the French 'eu' as is 'feu', or the German 'o' as in 'schon'. It is pronounced like the 'e' of 'ten', but with rounded lips.
i resembles the 'ee' of 'deep'.
o resembles the 'aw' in 'saw'.
u resemebles the 'u' in the southern English 'put'.
yu resembles the French 'u' as in 'tu', or the German 'u' as in 'Tur'. It is pronounced like the 'ee' of 'deep', but with the lips rounded instead of spread.

Diphthongs

Yale Description of sound

ai a + i, a combination of 'a' plus 'I', a very short diphthong, much shorter than the sound of 'y' in 'my'.
aai a + i, resembling the 'ie' in 'lie'.
au a + u, resembling the 'ou' in 'out'.
aau aa + u, resembling a long 'ou' in 'ouch!'
eui eu + i, a combination of 'eu' plus 'i', something like the hesitation form 'er' in English (without the 'r' sound) followed by 'ee': 'e(r)-ee'.
iu i + u, a combination of 'i' plus 'u', something like 'yew' in English.
oi o + i, resembling the 'oy' in 'boy'.
ou o + u, resembling the 'oe' in 'foe'.
ui u + i, resembling the 'ooey' in 'phooey'.

Brief Introduction to Cantonese Pronunciation

In pronouncing a syllable in Cantonese, three elements must be taken into account, namely, an initial, a final, and a tone. The initial includes whatever is before the main vowel, the final includes the main vowel and whatever follows it and the tone is the voice pitch of the syllable. For the syllable ngáak, the initial is ng, the finial is áak and the tone is high-rising.

Initials - An initial is the starting-off sound of a word.

Of the nineteen initials in Cantonese, ch, p, t, ck, and kw are aspirated while b, d, g, gw, and j are unaspirated. The aspirated ch is articulated between the English ch and ts. Two terms may need explanation: aspirated and unaspirated. Aspirated consonants are pronounced with a puff of air, as in the English p in pan and lip. In some cases, such as, in English, after s (span, spill), the same consonants lose the puff of air and are unaspirated. At the end of a word they may not even be completed: the lips close to form the sound but do not open again to make the sound explode. Such sounds are termed unaspirated.

Aspirated stops: Non-aspirated stops:
P T
CH
B
G
GW K
KW
D
J
Nasals: Fricative and Continuants:
M N
F
H NG
L
S
Semi-Vowels
Y W

Finals

A finial is the concluding sound of a word and there are fifty-one of these. The main vowel is the key part of the Cantonese final. The vowels may be either long or short and this affects the pronunciation. The vowels in the _underlined_ finals are shorter. The endings are P T K are pronounced without any burst of air (unreleased).

Finals starting with "A"
A AAI AAU AAM AAN AANG AAP AAT AAK
_AI_ _AU_ _AM_ _AN_ _ANG_ _AP_ _AT_ _AK_

Finals starting with "E"
E ENG EK EU EUNG EUK
_EI_ _EUI_ _EUN_ _EUT_

Finals starting with "I"
I IK IM IN IP IT IU
_ING_

Finals starting with "O"
O OI OK ON OT ONG
_OU_

Finals starting with "U"
U UN UT UI
_UK_ _UNG_

Finals starting with "Y"
YU YUN

How I Write Chinese On The Computer

I use CantoInput, developed by John Burket for this purpose. You can input using Yale or Jyutping romanization for Cantonese, or Hanyu Pinyin for Mandarin. Its "vocabulary" includes commonly used Cantonese characters in addition to the usual Mandarin character set.

Personally I find this system the most suitable for myself as it allows input in Cantonese. Only thing is that you've gotta familiarize yourself with the Yale romanization system. Fortunately the Yale system was designed for English speakers so the learning curve isn't steep at all.

You can find out more about CantoInput at http://cantoinput.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lyrics, Romanization & Translation: Sei Sing Bat Goi 死性不改 by Boy'z & Twins

Been searching for this song for five years without success. Until today. Glad to have found the lyrics and music video. The duet version is bachatable after 1:40.

Music Videos:
Duet Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBA5i5s_vqI
No lyrics but if you understand Cantonese, should be no problem la

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvFPYvSuZ8o
Same video as above but with lyrics for karaoke-ing

Boy'z Rock Version with lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=607OqD-XL1k

Lyrics Source for the duet version:
http://www.ailrc.com/html/153/DWDGSPH.htm

Yale romanization by me
[Updated on Tuesday, 11 August 2009 at 11:05pm with English translation based on my limited knowledge of Chinese characters and some help from Uncle Google's language tools]

#
歌曲:死性不改(合唱版)
song: sei sing bat goi (duet version)

歌手:boy'z&twins
artistes: boy'z & twins

爱词酷.歌词网.谢谢您支持
ngoi chi huk . go chi mong . jeje nei jichi

Chinese character lyrics, Yale romanization, rough translation (words in brackets for clarity of translation):

sa:再见了我的宠爱
joigin liu ngodik chung ngoi
byebye already my pet love

谁愿接受这种意外
seui yun jipsau jejung yingoi
who's willing to accept this kind of accident

gill:你赞我天生可爱
nei jaan ngo tinsaang hongoi
you praise me natural born cute

不愿看著我离开
batyun honjeuk ngo leihoi
not satisfied (to) see me leave

sa:同伴也话我傻喜欢受挫
tungpun ya wa ngo so heifun sau cho
(my) companions also say I'm stupid happy to receive obstructions

宁愿情敌在伤我
ningyun ching dik joi seung ngo
(I'd) rather (my) love rival injure me again

人天生根本都不可以爱死身边的一个
yan tinsaang ganbun dou bathoyi ngoi sei sanbin dik yatgo
human's inborn nature in fact also can't love to death the one at one's side

无奈你最够刺激我凡事也治倒我
mounoi nei jeui gau chigik ngo faan si ya ji dou ngo
(I'm) helpless (because) you always excite me all the time (you) also govern me

几多黑心的教唆我亦捱得过
geido haksam dik gaauso ngo yik ngaai dak gwo
(no matter) how many black-hearted instigations I also can endure

来煽风来点火就击倒我麼
loi sin fung loi dim fo jau gik dou ngo mo
come stir up wind come put fire just hit me whatever

gill:谁恋爱就多障碍死性我不想改
seui lyunngoi jau do jeungngoi sei sing ngo bat seung goi
who's (everyone's) love will have many obstacles bad habits I don't wanna change

如我没有你的爱我没法活得来
yu ngo mutyau nei dik ngoi ngo mutfaat wut dak loi
if I don't have your love no way I can live

情人的存在是我从来都志在
chingyan dik chyunjoi si ngo chungloi dou jijoi
existence of (a) lover has all the while been my aim

t:难在我拱手让爱
nan joi ngo gung sau yeung ngoi
(it's) hard (for) me (to) give up love

sa:点解要咁姐/者
dimgaai yiu gam je
why must (be) like this je

gill:点解唔可以咁呀
dimgaai mhoyi gam a
why cannot (be) like this ah

sa:你唔觉得好辛苦咩
nei mgokdak hou sanfu me
you don't think (it's) very suffering meh

gill:辛苦但系我钟意呀
sanfu daanhai ngo jungyi a
suffering but I like it ah

sa:算吧啦
suen ba la
whatever lah

kenny:我怕可一不可再难道你被爱都有害
ngo pa ho yat batho joi nandou nei bei ngoi dou yau hoi
I'm afraid to do it again is (because) you get harmed from being loved

steven:我确信天真不会错威力会移山填海
ngo kok seun tinjan batwui cho wailik wui yi saan tin hoi
I firmly believe (being) naive isn't wrong power will move mountains fill in the seas

boyz:同伴也话我傻喜欢受挫
tungpun ya wa ngo so heifun sau cho
(my) companions also say I'm stupid happy to receive obstructions

宁愿情敌再伤我
ningyun chingdik joi seung ngo
(I'd) rather (my) love rival injure me again

boyz:人天生根本都不可以爱死身边的一个
yan tinsaang ganbun dou bathoyi ngoi sei sanbin dik yatgo
human's inborn nature in fact also can't love to death the one at one's side

无奈你最够刺激我凡事也治到我
mounoi nei jeui gau chigik ngo faan si ya ji dou ngo
(I'm) helpless (because) you always excite me all the time (you) also govern me

几多黑心的教唆我亦捱得过
geido haksam dik gaauso ngo yik ngaai dak gwo
(no matter) how many black-hearted instigations I also can endure

来煽风来点火就击倒我麼
loi sin fung loi dim fo jau gikdou ngo mo
come stir up wind come put fire just hit me whatever

谁恋爱就多障碍死性我不想改
seui lyunngoi jau do jeungngoi sei sing ngo bat seung goi
who's (everyone's) love will have many obstacles bad habits I don't wanna change

如我没有你的爱我没法活得来
yu ngo mutyau nei dik ngoi ngo mutfaat wut dak loi
if I don't have your love no way I can live

情人的存在是我从来都志在
chingyan dik chyunjoi si ngo chungloi dou jijoi
existence of (a) lover has all the while been my aim

难在我拱手让爱
nan joi ngo gung sau yeung ngoi
(it's) hard (for) me (to) give up love

boyz+twins:人天生根本都不可以爱死身边的一个
yan tinsaang ganbun dou bathoyi ngoi sei sanbin dik yatgo
human's inborn nature in fact also can't love to death the one at one's side

无奈你最够刺激我凡事也治到我
mounoi nei jeui gau chigik ngo faan si ya ji dou ngo
(I'm) helpless (because) you always excite me all the time (you) also govern me

几多黑心的教唆我亦捱得过
geido haksam dik gaauso ngo yik ngaai dak gwo
(no matter) how many black-hearted instigations I also can endure

来煽风来点火就击倒我麼
loi sin fung loi dim fo jau gikdou ngo mo
come stir up wind come put fire just hit me whatever

谁恋爱就多障碍死性我不想改
seui lyunngoi jau do jeungngoi sei sing ngo bat seung goi
who's (everyone's) love will have many obstacles bad habits I don't wanna change

如我没有你的爱我没法活得来
yu ngo mutyau nei dik ngoi ngo mutfaat wut dak loi
if I don't have your love no way I can live

情人的存在是我从来都志在
chingyan dik chyunjoi si ngo chungloi dou jijoi
existence of (a) lover has all the while been my aim

难在我拱手让爱
nan joi ngo gung sau yeung ngoi
(it's) hard (for) me (to) give up love

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Learn Chinese and English: Why Arguments Happen

Ng Jim Carl's original in Mandarin, written in Traditional Characters:
爭吵其實是希望對方更謙讓自己,但是如果雙方只站在自己的立場上不妥協,矛盾就加大

Joe's rendition in colloquial Cantonese, written in Simplified Characters and Yale romanization:
争吵其实系希望对方更谦让自己,但系如果双方只站在自己嘅立场上唔妥协,矛盾就加大

jaangchaau keisat hai heimong deuifong gang himyeung jigei, daanhai yugwo seungfong ji jaamjoi jigei ge laapcheungseung m tohip, maauteun jau ga daai

Translation by Ng Jim Carl:
Argument happens because we want the other party to be more lenient and receptive to ourselves, but if both parties stand firm on own grounds, then the conflict will only magnify.

Facebook Quiz: What Body Part Are You

Funny answers, funny explanations. Interesting stuff from one of those Facebook quizzes. Two examples, one for the male body part and the other for the female body part.

Nicole completed the quiz "What body part are you?" with the result You're a Dick!.
Otherwise known as a penis,schlong,dong,member,phallus,etc. You usually lay around doing nothing but it doesn't take much to get a rise out of you.That is,unless,of course, you have had too much to drink, you're really,really old, or someone has kicked you really hard.When you get over excited you tend to stiffen up and eventually throw up all over the place.Excelente' .

Katherine completed the quiz "What body part are you?" with the result Meow!.
Thats right.You're a pussy.Otherwise known as the vagina,snatch,gash,poon,love socket,fleshy taco. You may not be the prettiest of body parts,especially when you let your beard grow uncontrollably,but you make men feel warm and safe.Most of the time.There are a few days a month when,well,lets face it,you make us see red and you walk around surrounded by a bitch all the time..

Tioman After 15 Years

So I went to Tioman for the second time in my life after 15 long years. 4D3N. Many thanks to Kannan for organising everything. It's never easy to organise group trips, but he did it well, he got everything coordinated and ensured everyone had a whole lot of fun :)

Our stay at Sun Beach Resort never felt lonely, at least for the first two days. We had two corporate groups for company. One from Prabhu Bank, the other from Premium Group. The orange T-shirt guys from Prabhu Bank had their do on Friday night while the white-capped Premium groupies had a major blast on Saturday night.

Since the 100+ Premium groupies were mostly Indians, they had games where they made their managers dance in pairs to Tamil songs from the 1960s and 1970s on stage! I felt lucky to see something like a Tamil cultural festival with plenty of song and dance.

Nevertheless, our group of 19 souls (18 from Sunday onwards) still managed to party every night with a healthy mix of dance music and drinks thrown in. Bartenders Kannan and Michael Yap kept us happy with exotic concoctions of alcoholic beverages, duty-free to boot. DJ Xavier kept the music going, spinning salsa, bachata, club music and great stuff to keep us dancing on the sand. Literally.

No idea if other people have salsa-ed on Tioman before, if not, then we're the first. Our salsa and bachata sure caught some attention from some of the other guests - a few Malay guys on a fishing expedition, some Indian guys from the corporate group, and a Mat Salleh couple who looked somewhat Spanish to me.

We had outings for snorkeling and beaching at one island I forgot the name off the northwest point of Tioman, duty-free shopping at Kampung Tekek, and waterfall splashing at Asah on the remote southern point of Tioman. Snorkeling was nothing to shout about, beaching was great fun, and the waterfall was well worth the effort taken to get there.

Elaborating on the waterfall, please note that there are ZERO facilities there. No electricity and no piped water to the public toilets along the trail (quite an irony since there's so much water in the nearby river). Bring your own candles, torchlights (flashlights in American English), toilet roll or tissue paper, and be prepared to carry water from the nearby river. There should be an empty pail or two inside the toilet building.

The plunge pool is six feet deep, but the boulders have ledges where you can stand. There's a "children's section" with two to three feet deep water next to some long boulders. If you're adventurous, you can climb up the hillside trail to access more shallow pools uphill. At your own risk. No safety features whatsoever.

Getting to the sand beach on the island I forgot the name requires a boat ride. There are also no facilities there. Perhaps you could camp overnight if you have your own transport and enough water, I didn't see any obvious freshwater source on the island. If you wanna shit or pee there's the bushes. Sunbathe naked if you dare, which isn't a good idea since chances are you're not the only one around. But the sand and water there are so clear, it reminds me of one island off Phi Phi I visited in 2006.

Tekek has changed so much since 1994. I couldn't recognise the place. There's a giant waterfront construction thing like a promenade leading towards the Marine Park, which has an enclosed area with fish that come to you if you give them their daily bread. The fish will even eat your puke if you throw up due to seasickness.

An airstrip behind the main village has flights by Berjaya Air turboprops, and the one main street still has houses, shops, a clinic, two schools and whatnot. The moment you cross the bridge from the jetty to the main street you'll see plenty of black fruits hanging from trees. Wait a moment. They ain't fruits, they're fruit bats. Vauvaal in Tamil, pin fuk in Cantonese.

One thing Tioman has in common with Langkawi is duty-free shopping. In simple English that means alcoholic drinks come cheap. Three dollars (ringgits in local English parlance) for a can of beer. Tax-free mar, that's why lor. The duty-free shop in Tekek accepts credit cards for purchases above RM50/=. The Chinese uncle's shop in Kampung Genting also sells duty-free liquor but Tekek offers more variety.

I don't remember seeing any cars on Tioman way back then but there are a few MPV vans and a Kembara or two now. The old Mercedes minibus belonging to Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort still runs strong, covering the two-kilometre journey from the resort to the jetty as it did years ago.

There weren't any Chinese restaurants on Tioman during my first trip, but now there's a Chinese restaurant behind three Malay eateries near the Tekek jetty. It so happened that the lady from the Chinese restaurant was feeding the fish at the Marine Park enclosure, she saw me doing the same and chatted me up in Mandarin and English. That's how I found out about the place's existence.

I must say that the composition of our group made a lot of difference in the trip. Our diversity's our strength. Great companionship and great rapport made for a whole lot of enjoyment. I look forward to the next vacation trip, sometime, somewhere.

Word of warning: The ferry journey from Mersing and the intra-island boat trips can make you seasick. For the first time in my life I got seasick and felt like throwing up with numbness in my hands mixed with nausea. Didn't vomit 'cos I didn't eat, but it ain't pretty. Must take seasickness pills, and many thanks to Michael Soon for helping us out on this aspect.

Traveller's notes: Bring your own personal use items and electrical extension plug as the chalets may not have an extra electrical outlet available. Get an air-conditioned room if possible. You'll be thankful for the comfort it gives after a long tiring day. Bring enough cash as I didn't see any ATMs around.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Korean & Tamil Corresponding Letters

Korean & Tamil Corresponding Letters

Unaspirated Consonants
k/g ㄱ க்
n ㄴ ந்
d/t ㄷ த்
r/l ㄹ ர்/ல்
m ㅁ ம்
b/p ㅂ ப்
s ㅅ ச்/ஸ்
no sound (front), ng (end) ㅇ ங் (end only)
j ㅈ ஜ் (approximate)

Aspirated Consonants
ch ㅊ ச்/ச்ச்
k ㅋ க்
t ㅌ த்
p ㅍ ப்
h ㅎ ஹ்

Doubled Consonants
kk ㄲ க்க்
tt ㄸ ட்ட்
pp ㅃ ப்ப்
ss ㅆ ஸ்ஸ்
jj ㅉ ஜ்ஜ்

Vowels
a ㅏ அ
i ㅣ இ
u ㅜ உ
e ㅔ எ
o ㅗ ஒ

Diphthongs

ya ㅑ ய
yu ㅠ யு
ye ㅖ யெ
yo ㅛ யொ
ui ㅢ உய்

The following Korean sounds have no Tamil equivalent

ae ㅐ
yae ㅒ
eo ㅓ
yeo ㅕ
oe ㅚ
wae ㅙ
wa ㅘ
wi ㅟ
eu ㅡ
wo ㅝ
we ㅞ

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Dou Hip Dou Mou Yung La 道歉都冇用啦

你头先走嚟搵我道歉。道乜嘢歉?你喺呢度咁多日都唔同我讲声。临走嗰阵时後都唔同我讲。而家先讲。乜嘢意思?你话你有事所以见唔到我。哎吔,你当我天真咩?想搵我笨?重色轻友就重色轻友啦!使乜讲。。

你仲有胆话我"你爱懊恼就懊恼囖,我只要你了解我嘅事情。" 咁都俾你讲得出。你唔值得我嘅了解。你冇资格做我嘅朋友。我冇时间理你。好彩你仲未遇到问题,我系等着你跌到 so that 你会知道太迟啦。

Friday, July 24, 2009

25 样嘢 (Cantonese version of 25 Things)

既然咁多朋友都已经写底佢哋嘅 《25 样嘢》, 咁我就跟着写囖。

01) 我系本地制造嘅鬼佬。思想完全都系用英文嘅。
02) 我中意食印度餐。
03) 我唔识写华语嘅。唔好叫我写任何中文信件。
04) 我都系唔识讲华语嘅。虽然识睇多少唐人字, 但都用广东话嚟读出嚟嘅。
05) 我觉得我国嘅政治越嚟越黐线。
06) 为咗想了解 [印度教权利行动队](HINDRAF)嘅目标,我开始学 [他咪尔] (Tamil)话。
07) 我认为宗教系攞嚟控制人民嘅思想同埋行动。
08) 我觉得猫猫同埋狗狗好可爱嘅。
09) 喺我屋企有八只猫。
10) 我最中意 Kitty 小姐因为佢最黐我。
11) 以前我唔信命运; 过咗一段好辛苦嘅时间,我先信有咁嘅嘢。
12) 有时我好唔想讲话因为觉得讲乜嘢都冇用。
13) 我十五岁先开始想要学睇唐人字。因为想知道人哋嘅唐人名点样翻译去罗马字。
14) 我踹脚车最远系蕉赖保敦到咁邦班丹。
15) 我住喺 [南费城] (South Philly) 嗰阵时,就成日同一位越南华侨阿婶倾偈。佢讲嘅广东话好得意嘅。例如:"有去做?= 有冇返工", "冇嘢做 = 冇工做", "影相 = 照 X 光", "你去呀? = 你走呀?","邮店 = 邮政局", "去做 = 上班", "嗰个嘢 = 嗰个人"。
16) 我有被两个黑人打劫过一次。 好彩冇受伤。
17) 读紧大学嘅时候,我哋学生们中意提起嗰个[巫师俱乐部] (Club Wizzards)。嗰间俱乐部系脱舞吧嚟嘅, 就喺 [亚美丽咖辣椒] (American Chilli's) 餐厅楼下。 好多大学生去嗰度睇靓女跳脱舞同埋杆位舞。一定要戴多啲散纸嚟俾 tips 呀。
18) 对我讲,生活俾我好多美好嘅回忆同埋好多伤心嘅悲事。我只想记得嗰啲好事,7完全忘记嗮嗰啲悲事。
19) 我觉得讲话加难过写字。 写咗嘅字仲有机会改, 但系讲咗嘅话唔可以收返。
20) 我自己俾嘅沙沙舞蹈俱乐部嘅名系: 小哈哇哪 (Little Havana),沙沙哈哇哪 (Salsa Havana),嘺吧/猪扒 (Qba), 巴沙努哇 (Bossa Nova), 六九俱乐部 (Club 69),啊哩亚 (Aliyaa),边疆 (Frontera)
21) 有个人问我究竟乜嘢系[拉丁] (Latin)。 我同佢讲,"拉丁系一个古代语文喺好耐以前嘅罗马帝国时候嗰啲人讲嘅。" 讲咗之後我先知佢问嗰个拉丁其实系个种舞蹈。 哎吔!
22) 我有经历过台北,台中同埋广州嘅沙沙舞蹈现场。嗰度嘅女人多过男人两三倍。
23) 我有去过: 文来,香港,美国,澳洲嘅圣诞岛,新加坡,菲律宾嘅马尼拉, 泰国嘅曼谷同埋普吉,柬埔寨嘅吴哥窟,印尼嘅边丹岛, 台湾嘅台北同埋台中, 中国嘅广州市同埋肇庆市。
24) 我未上过吉隆坡高塔或者吉隆坡双子塔。但系 台北101,世界贸易中心, 帝国大厦, 自由女神像 我就上过囖。
25) 我喺卡啦屋企唱嗰啲歌完全都系背嗮咗嘅。因为我冇可能睇得嗮嗰啲中文歌词。 太快啦。

Nenek Tua's Cantonese and Indon Guy's Cantonese

Once upon a time in the USA I had the opportunity to stay in the same house with a Vietnam-born Chinese grandma (Nenek Tua) and a Chinese guy from Indonesia (Indonesian Cantonese) plus a few others.

It was interesting because all three of us are Cantonese by descent but born outside China, grew up in non-Chinese countries and speak different languages as our main language (me: English, Nenek Tua: Vietnamese, Indonesian Cantonese: Bahasa Indonesia). The only way we could chat with each other was through Cantonese, our only common language, also our ancestral language but spoken only as a second language.

It took me some time to get used to Nenek Tua's Cantonese. Her sentence structure shows heavy Vietnamese influence. e.g. "Yau hui jo? 有去做?" (got go do?) means "yau mo hui jo gung 有冇去做工" (got go work or not?). Bcos in Vietnamese it's "có đi làm"... "làm" means "do" or "work" in Vietnamese. Overlapping meanings... just like "hacer" means "to do" or "to make" in Spanish. Comparing all the languages that I know and am learning, each one has different ways of saying things and little interesting differences in structure and use of words plus overlapping meanings.

When I wanna go out, she'd ask "Nei yau mo hui... 你有冇去..." (you got go or not)... but go where? What she means is "you are going out or not?" which would be "nei yau mo hui kai a 你有冇去街呀?" Nenek Tua's sentences are often hanging... haha... Back to the "yau hui jo 有去做" thingy, the Vietnam Chinese usually say "hui jo 去做" instead of "jo gung 做工" for work, working or to work.

Some words same with Malaysian Cantonese are: lui 铝 (money), jung goo 仲估 (thought/guessed), bai yat 拜一, bai yee 拜二... laai bai 礼拜 (days of the week), hui liu 去辽 (holidaying/traveling), tong yan 唐人 (ethnic Chinese). In Hong Kong, those words would be chin 钱, yee wai 以为, sing kei yat 星期一, sing kei yee 星期二... sing kei yat 星期日, hui fong ga 去放假 / hui lui yau 去旅游, wah yan 华人 /jung gwok yan 中国人. I'm not sure whether Vietnam Cantonese uses "yat bai 一摆, leong bai 两摆" or "yat chi 一次, leong chi 两次". (one time, two times).

Nenek Tua's Cantonese (and what she means):
hui jo 去做 = go work
hui 去 = go out
ji 纸 = paper (any kind of paper... newspaper, toilet paper, normal paper also is referred to by the same word)

At first, when she asked me bout things, I thought.. do what? go where? what paper? Once, I said "sak che 塞车" (traffic jam), she asked whether my car was blocked... hahahaha... Onn Nam Yan 安南人 means ethnic Vietnamese as opposed to Tong Yan 唐人 (ethnic Chinese). gor gor ye 嗰个嘢 (that thing/person) is how she refers to both things and people. I remember saying gor tiu yau 嗰条友 back in Malaysia, but a better way to refer to people is gor gor yan 嗰个人 while gor gor ye 嗰个嘢 is more used for things.

Nenek Tua's English vocabulary:
microwave, computer, heat (this is how she calls both the heater and the kitchen ventilation fan... hehe), car, work, eat, sick, thank you, husband, nephew, my, no, speak, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, hi, bye... Unlike most Chinese who don't speak English, she pronounces R as R and not L because southern Vietnamese has the R sound.

As for Indonesian Cantonese guy, his pronunciation is more like those heong ha wa 乡下话 spoken in some of the Cantonese villages that differ significantly from Standard Cantonese. I can understand him though, it's not as different as my late grandma's (from father's side: marmar 嫲嫲) Sun Wooi Wa 新会话. Indon Cantonese guy uses "wooi 会" instead of "sik 识" or "hiu 晓" if he's referring to knowing how to do something. He also says "hook 哭" instead of "haam 喊" for crying.

How to Say "Please Give Me His Book" in Chinese

There are at least three ways to say "Please give me his book" in Chinese. Depends whether you're talking Mandarin, Cantonese or Classical Chinese.

Mandarin: 请给我他的书 qǐng gěi wǒ tā de shū
It's the same in both spoken and written Mandarin. The Cantonese pronunciation of these words would be "chíng kāp ngó tā dīk syū".

Cantonese: 唔该畀佢本书我 m ̀ gōi béi kéui bún syū ngó
That's how it's said in spoken Cantonese. The formal written version of Cantonese follows exactly the Mandarin grammar and Mandarin vocabulary, but pronounced in Cantonese. However, nobody says "chíng kāp ngó tā dīk syū" in real life. Everyone says "m ̀ gōi béi kéui bún syū ngó in real-life situations.

Classical Chinese: 求尔予我其书
Mandarin pronunciation: qiú ěr yǔ wǒ qí shū
Cantonese pronunciation: kàu yí yú ngó kèi syū
Nobody talks to each other in Classical Chinese anymore. It's only used in ancient literature and quotations from the classics. Since nobody remembers exactly how people pronounced those words 2000 years ago, everyone today uses their own dialect pronunciation when reading Classical Chinese. Ever thought of ordering a pizza in Classical Chinese?

Tamil Revision: Grantha Letters ஜ ஸ்ரீ ஸ ஹ ஷ க்ஷ

In addition to the vowels, consonants and aytam of the Tamil alphabet, there are several additional letters used mainly in writing loanwords from Sanskrit and other languages. These letters are called Grantha letters and aren't considered part of the original Tamil alphabet. Some writers try to avoid using them whenever possible. Even my Tamil dictionary published by Fajar Bakti doesn't have a listing of these letters.

To recap, these letters are ja, Srii, Sa, ha, sha and ksha. ஜ ஸ்ரீ ஸ ஹ ஷ க்ஷ. If a Tamil word has any one of these letters it's most likely a loanword, mainly from Sanskrit but some are from English and Arabic.

Quite a number of common words use Grantha letters, such as janangal ஜனங்கள் (people), juram ஜுரம் (fever), juulai ஜூலை (July), kashtam கஷ்டம் (trouble), varusham வருஷம் (year), rishi ரிஷி (no exact English translation, an approximation would be divine scribe or poet-sage through which the Vedas flowed), kshatriya க்ஷத்ரிய (warrior), nimisham நிமிஷம் (minute as a measure of time), puujai பூஜை (prayer), roojaa ரோஜா (rose), raajaa ராஜா (king), hatiiS ஹதீஸ் (hadith), hindi ஹிந்தி (Hindi), hoottal ஹோட்டல் (hotel), puStakam புஸ்தகம் (book), Staanam ஸ்தான (place, position), jananaayagam ஜனநாயகம் (democracy).

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

How Centamil Differs From Koduntamil

Page 172 of Colloquial Tamil by R. E. Asher and E. Annamalai has a dialogue that shows how a speech is in Tamil with English translation. I have compiled the information here in the following order: English, Tamil writing, centamil and koduntamil.

English translation:

A doctor's profession is one of serving people. It's now becoming commercialised. I don't say doctors shouldn't make money. One shouldn't say, I'll give the treatment only if I've been paid.

Now all sorts of new diseases are coming. So much research is being done on them. If we study them, we can get a full understanding of the new diseases; we can make use of the new methods of treatment. For that a doctor must set aside time, must make an effort.

Whatever new treatment there is in any medical system to cure diseases, one must take it up.

Tamil writing in formal centamil:

டாக்டர் தொழில் மக்களுக்கு சேவை செய்கிற தொழில். அது இப்போது வியாபாரமாக ஆகிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது. டாக்டர் பணம் பண்ண(க்) கூடாது என்று சொல்லவில்லை. பணத்தை எடுத்துவைத்தால்தான் வைத்தியம் பார்ப்பேன் என்று சோல்ல(க்) கூடாது.

இப்போது புது(ப்) புது வியாதி எல்லாம் வருகிறது. அதை(ப்) பற்றி எவ்வளவோ ஆராய்ச்சி நடக்கிறது. அதை(ப்) படித்து தெரிந்துகொண்டால் புது வியாதிகளை முழுதாக புரிந்துகொள்ள முடியும்; புது சிகிச்சை முறைகளை(ப்) பயன்படுத்த முடியும் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். அதற்கு டாக்டர் நேரம் ஒதுக்க வேண்டும்; முயற்சி எடுக்க வேண்டும்.

வியாதியை(க்) குணப்படுத்த எந்த மருத்துவ முறையில் நல்ல வழி இருந்தாலும் அதை எடுத்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டும்...

Centamil pronunciation:

daaktar toḻil makkaLukku seevai seykiRa toḻil. adu ippoodu viyaabaaramaaka aagikkoNdirukkiRadu. daaktar paNam paNNa(k) kuudaadu enRu sollavillai. paNattai eduttuvaittaaldaan vaittiyam paarppeen enRu soolla(k) kuudaadu.

ippoodu pudu(p) pudu viyaadi ellaam varukiRadu. adai(p) paRRi evvaLavoo aaraaycci nadakkiRadu. adai(p) padittu terintukoNdaal pudu viyaadigaLai muḻutaaga purindukoLLa mudiyum; pudu sigiccai muRaigaLai(p) payanpadutta mudiyum enRu ninaikkiReen. adaRku daaktar neeram otukka veeNdum; muyaRci edukka veeNdum.

viyaadiyai(k) kuNappadutta enda maruttuva muRaiyil nalla vaḻi irundaalum adai eduttukkoLLa veeNdum...

Koduntamil pronunciation:

daaktar toḻil makkaLukku seeve seyra toḻil. adu ippa viyaabaaramaa aagikitturukku. daaktar paNam paNNa kuudaadu-nnu sollale. paNatte eduttuvaccaadaan vayttiyam paappeen-nu solla kuudaadu.

ippa pudu pudu viyaadi ellaam varudu. ade patti evLavoo aaraaycci nadakkudu. ade padiccu terinjikittaa pudu viyaadigaLe muḻusaa purinjikida mudiyum; pudu sigicce moregaLe payanapadutta mudiyum-nu nenekkireen. adukku daaktar neeram odukkaNum; muyarci edukkaNum.

viyaadiye koNapadutta enda maruttuva morele nalla vaḻi irundaalum ade eduttukidaNum...

Monday, July 13, 2009

Lyrics & Romanization: Hung Yat (Hacken Lee) 紅日 (李克勤)

Translation from
http://hacken-lyrics.blogspot.com/2007/02/red-day.html

Music video with Chinese lyrics at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtVIbcPTy_M

Romanization by me

紅日 - hung yat - red day

曲:立川俊之
kuk: laap chyun jeun ji
music: tachikawa toshiyuki

詞:李克勤
chi: lei hak kan
lyrics: hacken lee

編:方樹樑
pin: fong syu leung
arranged: kenneth fong

碟: 紅日
dip: hung yat
album: red day

命運就算顛沛流離
mingwan jausyun din pui lau lei
even if life is crazy

命運就算曲折離奇
mingwan jausyun kuk jit leikei
and the road is twisted and winding

命運就算恐嚇著你做人沒趣味
mingwan jausyun hunghaak jeuk nei jouyan mut cheuimei
if life terrifies you and you no longer feel like living

別流淚 心酸 更不應捨棄
bit lau leui sam syun gang batying sehei
please don't cry, or feel disheartened, don't give up

我願能 一生永遠陪伴你
ngo yun nang yatsaang wingyun puipun nei
I will be by your side forever


一生之中兜兜轉轉 那會看清楚
yatsaang jijung daudau jyunjyun na wui hon chingcho
with the twists and turns of life, how can one see clearly?

徬徨時我也試過獨坐一角像是沒協助
pongwong si ngo ya si gwo duk jo yat gok jeung si mut hipjo
I have tried to make it on my own without help

在某年 那幼小的我
joi mau nin na yau siu dik ngo
in those years, when I was young

跌倒過幾多幾多落淚在雨夜滂沱
ditdou gwo geido geido lok leui joi yu ye pong to
I fell so many times, with the tears keeping me company through the rainy nights

一生之中彎彎曲曲我也要走過
yatsaang jijung waanwaan kukkuk ngo ya yiu jau gwo
the path of life so twisted and winding, I have walked it

從何時有你有你伴我給我熱烈地拍和
chung hosi yau nei yau nei pun ngo kap ngo yitlit dei paak wo
when did you start to accompany me on this path, giving me encouragement?

像紅日之火 燃點真的我
jeung hung yat ji fo yin dim jan dik ngo
like the red sun, this fire lights up the real me

結伴行 千山也定能踏過
git pun hang chin saan ya ding nang daap gwo
walking together, we can climb a thousand mountains

讓晚風 輕輕吹過
yeung maan fung hinghing cheui gwo
watching the night wind lightly blowing past

伴送著清幽花香像是在祝福你我
pun sung lok ching yau fa heung jeung si joi jukfuk nei ngo
bringing with it the fragrant scent of flowers, as if bestowing its wishes on us

讓晚星 輕輕閃過
yeung maan sing hinghing sim gwo
watching the night stars shooting by

閃出你每個希冀如浪花 快要沾濕我
sim cheut nei mui go heikei yu longfa faai yiu jim sap ngo
revealing your every wish like waves about to fall on me

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sarakku In Malaysian Tamil சரக்கு

One of the first Tamil words I picked up was "sarakku சரக்கு". It means goods, commodity, or merchandise. It could refer to items in a shop, products being imported, or things being traded.

But only in Malaysia (and Singapore) the meaning has changed. In colloquial speech "sarakku" also means "girl" or "girls" as in "kaaleej sarakku" (college girls) or "anda kilaable romba sarakku irukku" (lots of girls in that club). You could say "Are you trying to hit on some random 'sarakku'?"

Strangely, guys aren't referred to as "sarakku". It's only one way. "sarakku" is strictly for referring to "pomblei" (colloquial pronunciation of "peNpiLLai", the Tamil word for girl). Guys are "amblei" (colloquial pronunciation of "aaNpiLLai").

Tamils from India, Sri Lanka, and outside Malaysia soon learn from the locals this other meaning of "sarakku". But formal writing and speaking still maintain the original meaning of "sarakku", which is goods. So you won't hear a news broadcast or public speech using "sarakku" to refer to girls, and neither will a sentence in a Tamil book, magazine, or newspaper.

Thoughts On Learning To Read Tamil

A little more than a year ago, I decided to learn how to read Tamil. I have now memorised the Tamil alphabet in Tamil alphabetical order. They're the letters ka nga cha/sa nya, da Na ta na, pa ma ya ra la va, ḻa La Ra na, and the Grantha letters ja, Srii, sha, Sa, ha, ksha.

Grantha letters are not considered part of the original Tamil alphabet and some writers try to avoid using them. But they're essential for spelling loanwords from other languages, people's names and place names. If a word contains a Grantha letter, it's a sure indicator that it's not a native Tamil word.

Learning Tamil helps build the understanding of how Indic scripts work. Every consonant letter carries an inherent vowel sound, which is "a". Vowels can appear after, before, or around the consonant letter. Vowels have their own independent symbols when written as standalone letters. To silence the inherent consonant, a "puLLi" (dot) is written above the consonant letter.

After comparing the Tamil writing system to other Indic scripts such as Devanagari, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Thai, Tibetan, Burmese and Cambodian, I can say that Tamil is the most simple of them all. There are far fewer complex conjunct consonant glyphs. Tamil has the least number of letters. Tamil doesn't have different letters to indicate aspirated and unaspirated consonants. Instead, Tamil relies on grammar rules to differentiate them.

Knowing how to read Tamil doesn't mean that I can speak Tamil. It's just like someone with zero knowledge of English who studied the Roman alphabet from A to Z and can now read English but doesn't know the meaning of the words. Vocabulary acquisition is a totally different story, and it's often a long, long journey.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Jung Sik Hing Yau 重色轻友

佢唔爱我嚟,佢冇时间见我,我都做唔到乜嘢囖。呢啲咁样嘅朋友值得爱咩?先先佢成日同我联络,而家一啲声气都冇。佢俾一个人迷住咗啦。佢唔系我以前识得嘅朋友。佢会做错一件事。我觉得好可惜。

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Shall We Talk by 陳奕迅 Eason Chan: Lyrics & Translation

A beautiful song that reminds me of a turning point in life.

Music Video (with Chinese lyrics):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9D8tjAW9Q

Romanised Cantonese for those who can't read Chinese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wugAk90sYHo

Lyrics & Translation Source:
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=202370
(the second post, by "Ancillary Character")

Shall We Talk

明月光 為何又照地堂
ming yutgwong waiho yau jiu deitong
明月光 为何又照地堂
Radiant moonlight, why do you shine on the earthly paradise again?
寧願在公園躲藏 不想喝湯
ningyun joi gungyun dochong batseung hottong
宁愿在公园躲藏 不想喝汤
I’d rather hide in the park since I don't want to drink soup.
任由目光 留在漫畫一角
yamyau mukgwong laujoi maanwa yatgok
任由目光 留在漫画一角
Allowing my gaze to remain on the corner of a comic
為何望母親一眼就如罰留堂
waiho mong mochan yatngaan jau yu fat lautong
为何望母亲一眼就如罚留堂
Why does looking at my mother seem like a punishment?

孩童只盼望歡樂 大人只知道寄望
haaitung ji paanmong funlok daaiyan jek jidou keimong
孩童只盼望欢乐 大人只知道期望
Children only hope for fun, adults only know of the future.
為何都不大懂得努力體恤對方
waiho dou batdaai dungdak noulik taiseut deuifong
为何都不大懂得努力体恤对方
Why don't we comprehend the need to work harder to sympathize with one another?
大門外有蟋蟀 迴響卻如同幻覺
daaimun ngoi yau sikseut wuiheung keuk yu tung waangok
大门外有蟋蟀 回乡却如同幻觉
There is a cricket outside the door; the echoes are like an illusion.
Shall we talk Shall we talk
就當重新手拖手去上學堂
jau dong chungsan sautosau heui seung hoktong
就当重新手拖手去上学堂
Let's start over and walk hand-in-hand to school.

陪我講 陪我講出我們最後何以生疏
pui ngo gong pui ngo gongcheut ngomun jeuihau hoyi saangso
陪我讲 陪我讲出我们最後何以生疏
Say with me, say aloud with me that in the end we can become estranged.
誰怕講 誰會可悲得過孤獨探戈
seui pa gong seui wui ho beidak gwo guduk taamgwo
谁怕讲 谁会可悲得过孤独探戈
Who's afraid of speaking? Who will be saddened by the lonely Tango?
難得 可以同座 何以 要忌諱赤裸
naandak hoyi tungjo hoyi yiu gei wai cheklo
难得 可以同座 何以 要忌讳赤裸
It's hard enough for us to get together, must we avoid baring ourselves?
如果心聲真有療效 誰怕暴露更多
yugwo samsing janyau liuhaau seui pa boulou gangdo
如果心声真有疗效 谁怕暴露更多
If the sounds of the heart really have a healing effect, who fears to reveal even more?
你別怕我
nei bit pa ngo
你别怕我
You mustn't fear me.

螢幕發光 無論什麼都看
yingmok faatgwong mouleun sammo dou hon
营幕发光 无论什麽都看
The TV screen radiates light. Regardless of what’s on, I’ll watch anyway.
情人在分手邊緣只敢喝湯
chingyan joi fansau binyun ji gam hottong
情人在分手边缘只敢喝汤
Lovers on the brink of heartbreak only dare to drink soup.
若沉默似金 還談什麼戀愛
yeuk chammak chi gam waan taam sammo lyunngoi
若沉默似金 还谈什麽恋爱
If silence is golden, yet we talk about love.
寧願在發聲機器面前笑著忙
ningyun joi faatsing geihei minchin siu jeuk mong
宁愿在发声机器面前笑着忙
I’d rather stand before the speakers busy smiling

成人只寄望收穫 情人只聽見承諾
singyan ji geimong sauwok chingyan ji tinggin singnok
成人只寄望收获 情人只听见承诺
Adults only hope for success, lovers only hear promises.
為何都不大懂得努力珍惜對方
waiho dou batdaai dungdak noulik jansik deuifong
为何都不大懂得努力珍惜对方
Why don't we comprehend the need to work harder to cherish one another?
螳螂面對蟋蟀 迴響也如同幻覺
tonglong mindeui sikseut wuiheung ya yu tung waangok
螳螂面对蟋蟀 回乡也如同幻觉
The praying mantis confronts the cricket; the echoes are also like an illusion.
Shall we talk Shall we talk
就算牙關開始打震 別說謊
jausyun nga gwaan hoichi dajan bit syutfong
就算牙关开始打震 别说谎
Even if your jaw begins to tremble, don't tell a lie.

陪我講 陪我講出我們最後何以生疏
pui ngo gong pui ngo gongcheut ngomun jeuihau hoyi saangso
陪我讲 陪我讲出我们最後何以生疏
Say with me, say aloud with me that in the end we can become estranged.
誰怕講 誰會可悲得過孤獨探戈
seui pa gong seui wui ho beidak gwo guduk taamgwo
谁怕讲 谁会可悲得过孤独探戈
Who's afraid of speaking? Who will be saddened by the lonely Tango?
難得 可以同座 何以 要忌諱赤裸
naandak hoyi tungjo hoyi yiu gei wai cheklo
难得 可以同座 何以 要忌讳赤裸
It's hard enough for us to get together, must we avoid baring ourselves?
如果心聲真有療效 誰怕暴露更多
yugwo samsing janyau liuhaau seui pa boulou gangdo
如果心声真有疗效 谁怕暴露更多
If the sounds of the heart really have a healing effect, who fears to reveal even more?

陪我講 陪我親身正視眼淚誰跌得多
pui ngo gong pui ngo chansan jingsi ngaanleui seui ditdak do
陪我讲 陪我亲身正视眼泪谁跌得多
Speak with me; accompany me to face more tears that have fallen than from anyone else.
無法講 除非彼此已失去了能力觸摸
moufaat gong cheuifei beichi yi satheuiliu nanglik jukmo
无法讲 除非彼此已失去了能力触摸
Only if the two of us have already lost the ability to touch would we be incapable of speaking.
鈴聲 可以寧靜 難過 卻避不過
lingsing hoyi ningjing naangwo keuk bei batgwo
铃声 可以宁静 难过 却避不过
The sound of a bell can be serene, yet you can't avoid feeling bad.
如果沉默太沉重 別要輕輕帶過
yugwo chammak taai chamchung bityiu hinghing daaigwo
如果沉默太沉重 别要轻轻带过
If the silence weighs on you too heavily, don’t take it too lightly.

明月光 為何未照地堂
ming yutgwong waiho mei jiu deitong
明月光 为何未照地堂
Radiant moonlight, why haven't you shone on the earthly paradise?
孩兒在公司很忙 不需喝湯
haaiyi joi gungsi han mong batseui hottong
孩儿在公司很忙 不需喝汤
I’m very busy at work and don't need to drink soup.
And shall we talk 斜陽白趕一趟
and shall we talk cheyeung baak gon yat tong
And shall we talk 斜阳白赶一趟
And shall we talk, the setting sun rushed in vain.
沉默令我聽得見葉兒聲聲降
chammak ling ngo tingdak gin yipyi singsing gong
沉默令我听得见叶儿声声降
The silence allows me to hear Yip's falling voice.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Gam Ching Sin Seung 感情线上 by Sammi Cheng 郑秀文: Lyrics 歌词

This is the theme song from the TV series "gu naam gwa neui 孤男寡女" (English title: Needing You) that appeared in the year 2000. For your karaoke pleasure.

Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j_hcCCRl-0

Lyrics Source:
http://www.yue365.com/getgeci/691/177567.shtml

Artiste: Sammi Cheng 郑秀文
Music: Wong Ka Sin 黄嘉倩
Lyrics: Lam Chik 林夕

一个独自在发烧 yatgo dukji joi faatsiu
另外那位唇上结冰 lingngoi nawai seunseung gitbing
负负得正 fufu dak jing
各取需要 kok cheui seuiyiu
多玄妙 do yun miu
也许 yaheui
上天不给我的 seungtin batkap ngodik
无论我两臂怎紧扣 moleun ngo leung bei jam gan kau
仍然走漏给我的 yingyin jau lau kap ngodik
无论过去我怎失手都会拥有 moleun gwoheui ngo jam satsau douwui yungyau

一个恨浪漫太少 yatgo han longmaan taaisiu
另外那边期望太多 lingngoi nabin keimong taaido
实现不了 satyin batliu
结果将会 gitgwo jeungwui
多微妙 do mei miu
也许 yaheui
上天的一对手 seungtindik yatdeuisau
移动你与我的分寸 yidung nei yu ngodik fanchyun
行前或留后这对手 hangchin wak lauhau jedeuisau
其实正要送我给你不要斗 keisat jing yiu sung ngo kap nei batyiu dau

分叉的感情线 fanchadik gamching sin
正等我为你蔓延 jing dang ngo wai nei maan yin
彼此的感情线 beichidik gamching sin
交错发展 gaaucho faatjin
怎么舍得去剪 jammo sedak heui jin
心在你身边 sam joi nei sanbin
就算隐形亦有一天遇见 jausyun yanying chek yau yattin yugin
那些感应 nase gam ying
多灵验 do ling yim
也许 yaheui
被喜欢的女人 bei heifundik neuiyan
从自信散发的光线 chung jiseun saanfaatdik gwongsin
朦胧或明艳 munglung waak mingyim
不太难望见 bat taai naan mong gin
早布满对方双手 jou bou mun deuifong seungsau
你的感情线 neidik gamching sin
看出我下个十年 hon cheut ngo hago sap nin

分叉的感情线 fanchadik gamching sin
总会有某天一起发展 jungwui yau mautin yathei faatjin
等适合时候孤男寡女会连线 dang sikhap sihau gunaam gwaneui wui lyun sin
深呼吸等适合时候一场交战 sam fukap dang sikhap sihau yat cheung gaaujin
等适合时候孤男寡女去连线 dang sikhap sihau gunaam gwaneui wui heui lyun sin
深呼吸等适合时候一场交战 sam fukap dang sikhap sihau yat cheung gaaujin

Computer Hardware Failures

Before they die, computer hardware usually gives out subtle warning signs.

The DVD-RW drive starts to become unable to finalise every one out of few CDs.
The hard drive starts to fail to boot up every now and then.
The DSL modem keeps getting disconnected and unable to reconnect automatically.
The mouse becomes unresponsive.
The thumb drive can't be accessed on more and more computers.

I've experienced all these in the past few years and fortunately managed to get them replaced before disaster struck. Can't forget to emphasise the importance of backing up data periodically. Every now and then, everyone should burn their important info onto DVDs or a series of high-capacity storage.

It's always better to duplicate copy rather than to forget making a copy of your important stuff.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Rendu Naal Iippoouuru

I'm glad to have visited iippoouuru last weekend. Managed to take photos of places which I didn't photograph on my previous visit in September 2008. Stayed overnight at Fair Park Hotel near the Ipoh Stadium, cost RM88/= for the whole night after tax and service charge. Also photographed various parts of town and ate breakfast at Kong Heng, Leech Street.

If you plan to buy something from Ipoh, get some boxes of salt baked chicken at Aun Kheng Lim, No 24 Theatre Street. It's at the intersection of Theatre Street and Anderson Road. There's lots of good food to eat in Ipoh, places you should check out are Kam Wan, Woolley Food City, Leech Street, Little India, and Greentown Business Centre just to name a few.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

God is on My Side. No! Mine Too! So How?

I was following a particular issue of interest online and looking at both sides of the story from two opposing parties.

Both parties claim they are doing the right thing.
Both parties proclaim their innocence.
Both parties believe God is on their side.
Both parties say that their version of the story is the truth.

So someone's telling lies here. Romba poyi, but who is the poyi paiyeh? I'm not acquainted with anyone involved from both parties and there's no straightforward way for me to know the plain truth.

If God is watching, what would He think? (Assuming God is male, otherwise the pronoun would be She or It.) Would He take sides or play off one party against the other just like in those ancient myths and legends?

So how? I am really confused here. Aiyoo KadavuLee!

It's sad when both parties started out with good intentions but in the course of events, many things went bad. As an outsider I better stay far away from this kind of controversies. Better stay out of these matters that bring no good to me if I get closer.

Sigh, if only it was so straightforward to do the right thing and separate truth from lies/propaganda.

The End -> A New Beginning

So last night was Little Havana's last salsa night before they close for renovations under a new owner. Two hundred and twelve people attended, from regular salsa people to those who have been away from the scene for some time. I wanted the night to end on a happy note and I'm glad it did.

Thank you everyone for your support. You all know who you are :)

There's a saying that goes something along the lines of "the end of something leads to a new beginning". An optimistic view of events, perhaps. One step at a time.

Life goes on.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Little Havana Salsa Finale?

Latest news: Berita terkini: 最新消息 : சமீபத்திய செய்தி : Little Havana has had a change of ownership. There will be one more Salsa Night this Friday, 5 June 2009 before they close for renovation. Hopefully we can continue salsa-ing there after the renovation's complete.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Nam Pang Yau (Boyfriend) 男朋友 by Louis Koo 古天乐: Lyrics & Translation

This song brings back memories of a time long past. It's all water under the bridge now. Most of it has faded, washed away by the river of oblivion. I've compiled the lyrics, translation and music video for your karaoke practice.

Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL9pNedn5hc

Lyrics Source:
http://www.lemonforumhk.com/forum/redirect.php?fid=163&tid=3297&goto=nextnewset

English Translation based on the following source:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/4828/boyfriend.html
(Note: I've made some additions and alterations to the English translation in this posting of mine)

《 男朋友 》男朋友
作詞:林夕 作曲:伍樂成

<<>> Boyfriend
Lyrics: Lam Chik
Music: Ng Lok Sing

為著舊愛 正在結疤
再也不敢多講錯話
令任何人 遺留任何牽掛

wai jeuk gau ngoi jingjoi git ba
joi ya batgam do gong cho wa
ling yamho yan wai lau yamho hin gwa

The wounds are still trying to heal from my last relationship
I don't want to say more wrong words
that will upset anyone

寂寞令我 滿臉雪花
連情感都很想放下
尤其是你 這樣愛他

jikmok ling ngo mun min syut fa
lin ching gam dou han seung fong ha
yaukeisi nei jeyeung ngoi ta

Loneliness fills my face with snowflakes
Tempting me to to let go of any love I feel
Especially you, who loves him such

回答我可不可以暫時讓我 講出感覺後
才直說你有男朋友 現在就要走

wuidaap ngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo gongcheut gamgok hau
choi jik syut nei yau nampangyau yinjoi jau yiu jau

Answer me, can you temporarily let me say out how I feel?
And then you can tell me that you have a boyfriend, that you have to leave now

回答我可不可以暫時讓我 牽牽手
我妄想的不會有
牽一牽你手 我便甜蜜夠

wuidaapngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo hinhin sau
ngo mong seung dik bat wui yau
hin yat hin nei sau ngo bin tim mat gau

Answer me, can you let me hold your hand for a little while
My wishful thinking won't happen
To hold your hand, it will be sweet enough for me

實在是我 太沒眼光
再也不敢諸多寄望
為任何人 遺留任何感覺

satjoi si ngo taai mut ngan gong
joi ya batgam jyu duo kei mong
wai yamho yan wai lau yamho gamgok

Actually it's my gross lack of foresight
I don't want to have too many expectations anymore
I don't want to leave anyone with any kind of feelings

實在沒法 努力說謊
愛我可一生都快樂
然而為你 我願意講

satjoi mutfaat nolik syut fong
ngoi ngo ho yatsaang dou faailok
yinyi wai nei ngo yunyi gong

Actually there's no way, to strive to lie
Loving me will bring a lifetime of happiness
For you, I'm willing to say it

回答我可不可以暫時讓我 講出感覺後
才直說你有男朋友 現在就要走

wuidaap ngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo gongcheut gamgok hau
choi jik syut nei yau nampangyau yinjoi jau yiu jau

Answer me, can you temporarily let me say out how I feel?
And then you can tell me that you have a boyfriend, that you have to leave now

回答我可不可以暫時讓我 牽牽手
我妄想的不會有
牽一牽你手 我便甜蜜夠

wuidaapngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo hinhin sau
ngo mong seung dik bat wui yau
hin yat hin nei sau ngo bin tim mat gau

Answer me, can you let me hold your hand for a little while
My wishful thinking won't happen
To hold your hand, it will be sweet enough for me

回答我可不可以暫時讓我講出 感覺後
才直說你有男朋友 現在就要走

wuidaap ngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo gongcheut gamgok hau
choi jik syut nei yau nampangyau yinjoi jau yiu jau

Answer me, can you temporarily let me say out how I feel?
And then you can tell me that you have a boyfriend, that you have to leave now

回答我可不可以暫時讓我 牽牽手
我妄想的不會有
握不到永久 我便甜蜜夠

wuidaapngo hobathoyi jaamsi yeung ngo hinhin sau
ngo mong seung dik bat wui yau
ak batdou winggau ngo bin tim mat gau

Answer me, can you let me hold your hand for a little while
My wishful thinking won't happen
Although I can't grasp it forever, it will be sweet enough for me

Monday, May 25, 2009

Beef Noodles on a Saturday Night

Past midnight on Saturday I felt hungry and thought of eating something yummy. The friendly neighbourhood pasar malam closes after eleven-thirty, so lok-lok's out of the question. So I jumped into the car and drove down towards Bukit Bintang in search of the famous Ngau Kee beef noodles.

Thought it'd be a smooth journey. Wrong. Straight after hitting the main highway, terus kena operasi polis. The police blocked both directions to check on motorbikes, causing a massive traffic jam. They weren't checking on cars so I got past without hassle.

Downtown, the Edinburgh Interchange and Pudu Jail crossroads had barriers all over and traffic diversions caused Pudu Road to be full of cars at one in the morning. Drove along Imbi Road to the back of Sungai Wang and Low Yat plazas, crossed over to Bukit Bintang Road, passing by Federal Hotel to Tong Shin Heights.

Ngau Kee was still open at a quarter past one. But no parking. No choice but to make one round around to Hicks Street and Alor Road, in the process making the crowd big. As usual the Alor Road hawkers did brisk business, some stalls had closed for the night but those still open did roaring business.

By chance I got a nice parking spot at a block of flats around the corner from Ngau Kee. Parked there, walked to the main stall and tapaued five packs of ngau jaap gon lou min 牛什干捞面. RM5/= per pack. Clear soup style. You get a couple of beef balls, a couple chunks of beef meat and several slices of stomach to go with your soup. Oh yeah they put minced pork with spring onions in black sauce as topping for your gon lou min.

Finished tapauing, drove back almost the same way but decided to take a detour around a hill and two cemeteries. Again, another police roadblock. Looks like they're not giving the bikers anywhere to run. No problem, passed through without hassle.

When driving past the cemetery, a civet cat (in Malay: musang) ran across the road. Wanted to take a snapshot but it ran too fast and clambered over a five foot-high wall into another cemetery. Felt excited since it's rare to find civet cats running around KL.

Never imagined that a straightforward trip to get supper in KL would be so exciting. Well, at least I got home safely.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Six Words For Stupid: 蠢笨傻戆愚钝

In Cantonese there are six words for stupid. Each has a slightly different shade of meaning.

蠢 [cheun]
Stupid. Can also refer to worms wriggling.
Example: 蠢才 [cheunchoy], literally "stupid talent / talent for stupidity / stupid one".

笨 [ban]
Stupid. Can also mean foolish, dull, or awkward.
Example: 笨蛋 [bandaan (Cantonese); bendan (Mandarin)], literally "stupid egg". More often used in Mandarin than Cantonese.

傻 [so]
Silly. Also carries the meaning of stupid, foolish, or imbecile.
Example: 傻婆 [sopo], literally "silly old woman".

戆 [ngong] stupid, simple-minded
Stupid. Can also mean simple-minded in the negative sense.
Example: 戆居, 戆戆居居 [ngonggeui, ngongngong geuigeui], which means "stupid". Also used in Hokkien where 戆 is pronounced [gong].

愚 [yu]
Foolish, stupid, or doltish.
Example: 愚公移山 [yugong yisaan], a four-character idiom directly translated as "foolish old man moves mountain", but the actual meaning is "persistence overcomes mountainous obstacles". As with all these Chinese idioms you have to know the story behind to get the actual meaning, because these idioms make no sense when directly translated.

钝 [deun]
By itself, it means blunt, or dull as in a worn blade of a knife. It can also mean dimwit, dim-witted or retarded.
Example: 迟钝 [chideun], which means "retarded". Can be used for mentally retarded or developmentally retarded.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Salsa Congress Beach Party 沙沙大会海滩舞会 Parti Pantai Kongres Salsa ஸல்ஸ காங்கிரஸ் பீச்சு விழா

Now this has nothing to do with the Congress Party of India (INC), the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), or the United States Congress ("Congress"). It's about the Malaysia World Salsa Congress Beach Party event at Sunway Lagoon on the evening of Saturday, 2 May 2009.

Ticket says 7pm so I arrived around 7:15pm and found out that I was too early. Apparently the sound system and stage setup could only begin after the last daytime customer of Sunway Lagoon has left the place. Water park closes at 6pm, people need to shower and change clothes so it's usually around 6:45pm when the last customer leaves. That being the case, methinks that 8:30pm would be a more accurate time to print on the ticket, allowing an hour and a half for setup.

Anyway we were allowed in at 7:45pm, and there was still a little twilight before the sky darkened completely. Sunway Lagoon's normally closed at night save for special events like this one, so I took the opportunity to experience the nighttime atmosphere in a man-made resort setting.

Lepaked around, chatted with friends and acquaintances, got a primer on the locker system from a friendly Sunway staff and walked the length of the Surf Beach. Checked out the pergolas, giant trampoline and waterfront pavilions.

Thought of taking a dip in the water, cos the air felt so hot and humid, but swimming wasn't allowed cos there's no lifeguard at night and no one wants to get tangled up with liability issues. Nevermind lah, can still wet our feet in the shallow section where sand meets tile and water.

Sand and salsa dance aren't the best of friends. Your dance shoes' suede soles will die faster from the abrasive effects of sand. Sand will scratch the wooden floorboards and spoil them in no time, plus make the floor dangerous for high-powered stunts. That's why the organisers had dedicated sweepers to clear the stage after every performance. Thumbs up to the cleaning crew for ensuring safety!

For the party people, there was a makeshift wooden platform raised several inches above the sand. Of course sand kept getting on it. It sloped a little but having a platform's better than nothing. At least the performance stage was level despite the sloping ground below.

After what seemed like an eternity, the show started. The emcee Jamie Jesus did an excellent job of getting everyone into the party mood, you can learn a lot from watching how he speaks. Some warm-ups, bringing on the cheer and giving encouragement to the performers who worked very hard and practised wholeheartedly for showtime.

Time passed so fast when the performances came up one by one. Impressive, power-packed, great performances! I can't recall the exact sequence of performances now, but rest assured that I truly enjoyed each and every one of them.

After all the performances concluded, 'twas supposed to be party time with live band, live music. But, the party pooper just had to happen. Potong stim when the music went dead like a blackout struck the system dumb. There were police and enforcement officers from the local authorities in the midst of talking to the organisers.

What happened? 究竟乜嘢事发生呀? Apa dah jadi ni? என்ன ஆச்சு?

Apparently there were some unresolved issues with the local authorities. No idea what those issues were. As time passed by it became apparent that the party's over. No more. 收档啦。 Dah tutup kedai dah. எல்லாம் இல்லை. There ain't gonna be any dancing tonight. Not that there was any announcement or pengumuman along the lines of "Para hadirin sekalian, harap maklum, majlis ini telah dibatalkan, semua boleh bersurai sekarang, terima kasih," we sorta kinda figured that out ourselves.

For an hour or so after the music died, everybody just lepaked around in groups of friends, chatting and lingering before dispersing. Haiya, buat apa tunggu lagi, tak boleh buat apa-apa, balik rumah saja lah. Oh well. At least we got to see the performances and enjoy lepaking at the beach at night. But kesian those who came late or bought tickets at the door.

Fortunately, those who bought tickets specifically for the beach party were compensated by free entry to the Sunday night party. At least I was fortunate enough to be notified, but seems that not everyone got the message.

Verdict: Was wokay but could have been better. Communication, communication, communication!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Salsa In The City 市内沙沙 Salsa Di Bandaraya ஊரில் ஸல்ஸ

One fine evening I went to this event, which was touted to be some kinda grand salsa event in a club environment. Or so it seems. So I went to Quattro for their so-called "Salsa" event yesterday. Free flow of beer before 10pm sure drew quite a lot of people.

The main events happened at the Autumn Room which was super crowded with a number of dance people and an overwhelming majority of non-dancers. Wasn't as "dance-friendly" as many of the dance people expected. Limited floor space and the type of music played didn't make things better, although there were some salsas and bachatas interspersed with samba and chachaton before 11pm. After that the music became neither salsa nor latin. (Hint to dancers: Time to chow.)

Granted, they had a live Latino band performing but they were at the Spring Room, a different section not directly connected to the Autumn Room. As for special stuff, there were a few performances - Jaxen & Mavis (salsa), Norman & Evelyn (bachata), Jaxen & Cecilia (zouk) and also some Tequila Pop drinking competitions.

In my opinion, dance kaki wouldn't feel drawn to go there again based on yesterday's experience. In fact some left early to go to Club 9 and the Six Lounge where they could dance salsa on a Tuesday night.

How To Use The Different Types of "A" (Ah!) in Cantonese

I typed "a" into CantoInput and it gave me the following results. As I often get confused which "a" to use at the end of a sentence (especially 呀, 吖, and 啊), I compiled the following for my study notes.

呀 Yale a1, a3, a6
1. particle used to express surprise or mild emphasis
2. slurred form of the number ten (Cantonese)

吖 Yale a1
1. used in translation

啊 Yale a1, a2, a3
1. exclamatory particle

阿 Yale a3, o1 (pronounced as "a3" as in 阿祖 a3 jou2, pronounced as "o1" as in 阿弥陀佛 o1 mei4 to4 fat6)
1. prefix for people’s names
2. used in transliteration for /a/

亚 Yale a3, nga3
1. Asia
2. second

鸦 Yale a1 (also pronounced nga1 as in 乌鸦 wu1 nga1)
1. crow

哑 Yale a1, a2 (also pronounced nga2)
1. dumb, mute
2. become hoarse

丫 Yale a1 (also pronounced nga1 as in 丫叉 nga1 cha1)
1. forked
2. bifurcation

扼 Yale a1, ak1
1. grasp, clutch
2. choke, strangle

嗄 Yale a2, sa3
1. hoarse of voice

氩 Yale a3
1. argon

娅 Yale a3
1. mutual term of address used by sons-in-law
2. a brother-in-law

锕 Yale a1
1. actinium

錏 Yale a3
1. soft steel
2. ammonium

掗 Yale a3
1. take
2. hold
3. give forcefully

厂 Yale a1, hon3, chong2 (pronounced chong2 when referring to factory, plant, workshop, mill)
1. radical 27
2. factory, plant, workshop, mill

厊 Yale a2
(can't find the meaning yet)

Saturday, May 16, 2009

avaNNa kooyil romba kuuttam அவண்ண கோயில் ரொம்ப கூட்டம்

neeTRu raatiri aruLmigu Srii avaNNa kooyil romba kuuttam. romba baktiyar! nuuRu iruvadu reNdu peesu irundum. aattam paattu peNpiLLai aaNpiLLai elloorum irukkum.

நேற்று ராதிரி அருள்மிகு ஸ்ரீ அவண்ண கோயில் ரொம்ப கூட்டம். ரொம்ப பக்தியர்! நூறு இருவடு ரெண்டு பேசு இருந்தும். ஆட்டம் பாட்டு பெண்பிள்ளை ஆண்பிள்ளை எல்லோரும் இருக்கும்.

Friday, May 15, 2009

How To Write A Cheque The Right Way

(Information sourced from a Maybank information sheet pasted on top of a cheque deposit machine)

To ensure cheques deposited by you are processed speedily without encountering any problems, please be guided by the following do's and don'ts.

Do's

: Write clearly and legibly on the cheque deposit slip
: Write the full set of account numbers on the cheque deposit slip:
- Bank Account Number should be 12 digits
- Amex Credit Card Account should be 15 digits
- Visa/Master Credit Card Account should be 16 digits
: Write the full name of the account holder on the cheque deposit slip
: Add up the total amount of the cheques if you deposit more than one cheque
: Write the credit card numbers and the respective amounts to be settled separately, when one cheque is deposited to settle payment for more than one credit card
: Deposit a cheque issued to joint Payees into the joint banking account of the same names
: Write complete details of the transaction description and reference number, if any

Don'ts

: Do not write the ATM Card Number or Savings Passbook Number or IC Number as the account number on the cheque deposit slip
: Do not deposit post-dated cheques
: Do not deposit a cheque where the Payee's name is written as "CASH" when the cheque is crossed "Account Payee"
: Do not deposit third-party cheques where Payee's name on the cheque differ from registered name of banking account
: Do not deposit a cheque payable to a company into a banking account registered in a personal name
: Do not deposit a cheque with incomplete Payee name
For example : Payee's name on the cheque was written as Kee Tat.
This cheque should not be deposited into the banking account called Kee Tat Enterprise
: Do not deposit a cheque when date or amount in words/figures or signature is missing
: Do not deposit a cheque where there is alteration

Sample of a correctly filled in Cheque Deposit Slip


1. Contact Number
2. Customer Name
3. Full Set of Customer's Account Number
4. Cheque Deposited & Amount
5. Total Amount
6. Complete details of Transaction Description, if any
7. Complete details of Reference Number, if any


Sample of Deposit Cheque with Complete Details


1. Payee's Name Matches Registered Name of Banking Account
2. Should Not Be Post-Dated
3. Amount In Words Tally with Amount in Figures
4. Cheque Should Be Signed
5. Cheque Number