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

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."

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.

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.

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?

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.

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	詩	史	試	時	市	是	識	錫	食
Tone letters	si˥, si˥˧	si˧˥	si˧	si˨˩, si˩	si˩˧	si˨	sik˥	sik˧	sik˨
Tone diacritics	sí, sî	sǐ	sī	si̖, sı̏	si̗	sì	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	sí	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