My favourite Story song:

Although many have viewed this song as a political anthem, the artist Michael Angelakos says that it's actually really about family. I understand why people perceived it in the wrong way, as the song's lyrics mentions disappearing pension funds, overdrawn accounts and "socialists and all their damn taxes" However each of the verses actually tell the story of a different family member of Michael's, more focused on the males within the family tree, and how they dealt with their finances and how they supported the family. Although Michael may have not meant to tell a story of how his family were a prey of capitalism and immigrants themselves, the story clearly focuses on those aspects of their lives.

“Everything on the record’s true, everything happened to me, I’m the one that made the mess and everyone else had to clean up around me. And the guilt and the pain that I felt throughout the record is definitely evident.

All these kinds of places

Make it seem like it's been ages

Tomorrow some new building will scrape the sky

I love this country dearly

I can feel the ladder clearly

But I never thought I'd be alone to try

Once I was outside Penn station

Selling red and white carnations

We were still alone,

My wife and I

Before we marry, save my money

Brought my dear wife over

Now I want to bring my family state side

But off the boat they stayed awhile

Then scattered across the coast

Once a year I'll see them for a week or so at most

I took a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)

I take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Practice isn't perfect

But the market cuts the loss

I remind myself that times could be much worse

My wife won't ask me questions

There's not so much to ask

And she'll never flaunt around an empty purse

Once my mother-in-law came

Just to stay a couple nights

Then decided she would stay the rest of her life

I watch my little children, play some board game in the kitchen

And I sit and pray they never feel my strife.

But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone

He made some bad investments, now the accounts are overdrawn

I took a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)

I take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Honey it's your son I think I borrowed just too much

We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle of fun

And tonight I swear I'll come home and we'll make love like we're young

Then tomorrow you'll cook dinner for the neighbours and their kids

We can rip apart those socialists and all their damn taxes

But see I am no criminal

I'm down on both bad knees

I'm just too much a coward to admit when I'm in need

I took a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)

I take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)

I take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)

I take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk

Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Enrique Chuidian - Black Swan Green Review

Entertaining: 4.5
Readability: 7.5
Thought-Provoking: 6.5
Total: 18.5/30

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell is a bildungsroman, telling the story of a year in the life of Jason Taylor, a thirteen year old boy living in a quaint Worcestershire village called Black Swan Green, and his adventures with gypsies, divorces, cousins and bullies.

The book is composed of a series of thirteen disparate episodes, each episode being the major occurrences and events in a month. The book has a rich story, full of interesting and interwoven themes that, when combined, had the potential to create a full, complete story. Yet the disparity of the episodes, and the awkward and clumsy transitions leave quite a few details out, taking away from the development of the themes and the characters. While constant themes, such as the divorce and the stammer, are well developed, other themes, like Jason's sudden drop in popularity and Dawn Madden's sudden transformation, remain quite ambiguous, leaving readers confused as how these conflicts and transformations came to be. Because of the lack of development, the story did not live up to what it could have been, taking away from the overall entertainment, and adding to the detriment of the story.

Favorite Poem

Half Caste

By John Agard

Excuse me
standing on one leg
I'm half-caste

Explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when picasso
mix red an green
is a half-caste canvas/
explain yuself
wha u mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when light an shadow
mix in de sky
is a half-caste weather/
well in dat case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some o dem cloud
half-caste till dem overcast
so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass
ah rass/
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean tchaikovsky
sit down at dah piano
an mix a black key
wid a white key
is a half-caste symphony/

Explain yuself
wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
half of mih ear
Ah looking at u wid de keen
half of mih eye
and when I'm introduced to yu
I'm sure you'll understand
why I offer yu half-a-hand
an when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
an when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow
but yu come back tomorrow
wid de whole of yu eye
an de whole of yu ear
and de whole of yu mind

an I will tell yu
de other half
of my story

"Halfe–Caste by John Agard, 11/06/05, The Lucas Journal." Halfe–Caste by John Agard, 11/06/05, The Lucas Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.

I like this poem because the author John Agard was able to express his anger very successfully through the use of his breaking of conventionalities, which helps draw parallels between him breaking the chain of social conventions towards the racism and discrimination he experiences and his unconventional use of language. This poem calls for admiration for the author as he had the courage to speak up and criticize social discrimination and racism whereas most others would simply accept the inequality and prejudice. 

Chinglish

Here is one funny example of Chinglish found on a sign:

小心碰頭 (techically should mean be careful of the fact that you are going to hit your head onto something)

Translation on sign: Carefully hits to the forehead



Might as well start laughing??

The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar - Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Readability: 5
Entertainment: 6
Thought Provoking: 8

The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe is a convoluted and confusing short story of the death and resurrection of a man. Firstly, Edgar Allan Poe overuses an obscure and complex vocabulary that does not add to the story and the way the story is told, but does the exact opposite, and confuses readers, especially those who do not fully understand the words used. This may be also a result of the evolution of the English language and commonly used vocabulary, but for readers, this is not very easy to read, and the vocabulary can leave readers confused. Furthermore, this story is not particularly exciting, and is not the most enjoyable story to read. While the plot does indeed have some interesting factors, overall, the story is not the most entertaining. However, it must be noted that the themes that arise out of this story are undoubtably thought provoking. These ideas of cheating death and resurrection really do pose some very interesting discussions and questions that are interesting to ponder on a rainy day.

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash

This song talks about how a young man wants to revenge on his father who abandoned him when he was 3 years old. His father only contributed to his life by naming him Sue (a female name) and resulted in harassments and bullying by everyone he meets. Sue grows up touch and mean and because of his name, he wants to find and revenge on his father. Later in the song, Sue locates his father in Tennessee during summer. They beat each other up and his father said that the name was given as an act of love because his father could not be there for him as this name would make him tough. They made peace and the song ends with Sue making a promise to name his son anything but Sue.
I like this song because it tells an interesting story.


Lyrics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_Named_Sue

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHPuY88Ry4

3 Favourite words

The english language is full of quirky and unusual words, both in definition and sound. For this list, I have chosen some that fall into both categories. Without further ado- here are my top three words.

1.Boondoggle- A task or project which is ultimately a waste of time and money. This word was actually coined a 1935 New York Times article, where it was describing how the government had spent more than $3 million on recreational activities for the unemployed. Among these recreational activities were arts and crafts classes, where "boon doggles", which is basically a utilitarian "gadget"(no further explanation).

2. Phosphenes- The little glowing white patches you see sometimes when you close your eyes and rub them. Also, these are the trippy patches of color one expects to see after taking hallucinogenic drugs.

3. Schadenfreude- basically sadism. Your satisfaction of the misfortune of others. Derived from the german word (literally) harm-joy. Similar to the word "gloat".

Chinglish - Enrique

One of my favorite pieces of Chinglish is the dish "exploded beef". This is a corruption of the dish “爆牛排”. The word "爆" in Chinese has a double meaning. It is more commonly used to mean "to explode", however it is also used as a cooking term, to quickly fry or boil something. I saw this term at a restaurant in Shanghai. Despite the bad translation, it tasted quite good.

E.E. Cummings

Love is thicker than forget
Love is more thicker than forgetmore thinner than recallmore seldom than a wave is wetmore frequent than to fail

It's most mad and moonlyand less it shall unbethan all the sea which onlyis deeper than the sea

Love is more always than to winless never than aliveless bigger than the least beginless litter than forgive

It's most sane and sunlyand more it cannot diethan all the sky which onlyis higher than the sky

I like the way that he wrote this poem. He used verbs instead a noun and I think that the verb gives a deeper meaning to it and thus, it is a like an adjective but adding an action to it. When you are doing that action, you get a feeling and thus, I think that that is what e.e. cummings is trying to show. Therefore, I really like the writing style of this poem. 

E. E. Cummings' "In Just" Review

[in Just-]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee

(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176657)

I really enjoyed reading this poem because it brings about the sense of spring and the coming of new life, as well as imagery of children ("eddieandbill") running outside to play in the sun instead of staying indoors playing a game of marbles. The repeated phrases talking about the balloonman whistling "far and wee" also provides an upbeat, nursery-rhyme feel to the poem. I do wonder about what the balloonman is supposed to represent (some online articles interpret him as Pan, or the greek god of fertility, and by drawing the children out with his pipe, he gives them sexuality), and what message in "In Just-", the title, is Cummings trying to convey. 

My three favourite words

If I had to choose my three absolute favourite words would have to be 

Squash 

meaning veggie a sport or an action 

I really like how the word starts with an sq which is a very pleasurable thing to say and anything that ends with an sh is a fun to say

croquet

meaning a game and sometimes confused with croques and fried potato ball  

I really like this word because it's a fun word to say! The croq sound in both the words may be onomatopoeia. When you hit a croquet ball it makes a croq! sound. Likewise when you bite into a crispy piece of croque it make a croq! sound.

brouhaha 

meaning a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something

this is a great word because it sounds like you're turing to your friend and going "bro, HAHA" which is something I frequently do

My three favourite words:

The first of my three favourite words is Zucchini I like the amount of high tones in the vowels u i and the second i. It sounds much more like a italian word than an english one, because of it's exotic sound, and use of double consonants, but then it refers to such a mundane and bland vegetable

My second favourite word is bombardment, I like how with different accents the word sounds very different. In an american accent the first a in bar is elongated, yet in the second phrase, ment, the e is changed into an a and is quick and concise. I like the way the word starts off long and ends with a quick finish.

My third favourite word is brood, I like this word because it sounds like brew. With the meaning of the word, it's kind of like you're thinking alone and letting your thoughts brew, which I thought was pretty cute.

Enrique - My Three Favorite Words

Choosing three favorite words is definitely not an easy task for me. But if I were to choose, the first three that come to my head are:

1. Aloof

2. Saccharine

3. Psychedelic

1. Aloof

Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

I personally like this word because of the way it sounds. Starting from a brighter "a" sound, before dropping to a lower, but more pronounced "loof" sound, just evokes the image of something flopping down in a tired manner. The only thing about the funny pronunciation of the word is that it contrasts with the usually serious nature of the people associated with this word. Describing an aloof person as aloof just makes the person seem less serious.

2. Saccharine

Excessively sweet or sentimental.

Saccharine is another word that I like to use. I can be excessively sentimental, especially about people or past experiences, and I feel that this word is the best word to use in those situations. I also feel that saccharine is a nice word to use when someone is being fake, especially when writing about fictional characters, as it evokes this sense of uneasiness due to the excessive nature of their sentiment or sweetness.

3. Psychedelic

Relating to or denoting drugs (especially LSD) that produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness.

Originally, I was not aware that this word was related to hallucinatory substances, and upon finding out this morning, I was quite surprised. Now, I cringe at all of those Year 5 essays and poems I used this word in. Ignoring the drug connotation, I feel this word is a very nice word to describe something very colorful, as something about the word just evokes this feeling of bright colors that daze you and overwhelm you. I feel this is a nice word for sunsets, bright lights in the city, and other colorful lights.

3 Favorite Words- Jennifer Chan

My 3 favorite English words are:

1) Mirror
This was one of the first words that intrigued me in the way that when I was little, I saw the word mirror, and I said to myself there are only 6 letters and half of them are 'r'.

2) Cooperation
This word is divided up with syllables, where the first one is co, and then it follows along operation. It is a word that I like and also it also has a good meaning behind it.

3) Youniverse
This word is to indicate that the world only revolves around yourself. It is a play on universe and yourself that when combined, it gives another definition.

Movie Review

The Lion King has always been on the top of my list and will always be. Throughout the 15 years of my lifetime, I have repeatedly watched the movie no less than 30 times (excluding the countless times that I've watched the musical live on broadway). The plot basically tells the story of how the young lion Simba fights Scar (his uncle and brother of King Mufasa) years later when he returns to the kingdom as an adult, to reclaim his throne after scar usurped it by killing his father, Mufasa. Simba encounters two very odd characters while being away from the kingdom. He spent most of his adolescent life with his two odd sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa in the jungle and they are the ones to help and advise him when he returns to claim his throne as he is the rightful heir.

The directors of the movie are Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers. The main characters are Simba (the heir to the throne), Mufasa (the king), Scar (the usurper) and Timon and Pumbaa (the two sidekicks). The movie has been my favorite ever since the first time I watched it and it still is, the most interesting about this movie is that the antagonist isn't Scar but its really Timon and Pumbaa, the characters in the story are very well developed as well as complex which is so much more thought provocative and makes it a lot more profound. It also has one of the darkest, most twisted plots compared to the rest of the Disney movies which allows not only children, even adults to feel entertained while watching the movie because it is a lot more than just a princess fairy tale.

Favorite piece of Chinglish

a) when and where you saw this sign (the reasons we enjoy and remember something as being particularly funny are often down to the circumstances of what we were doing - and who we were with - at the time).

I found sign in JiuZaiGou, a nature reserve in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of China, that says "Ditch stop sign, virgin forest, thus go." I was on a family vacation and when I came across it I was rather confused about the location and the directions of the places mentioned on the sign. 

b) why you find the sign particularly funny.

I found the sign interesting because I had no idea what it meant (or I wouldn't have known what it meant if I couldn't read chinese) and it makes no sense at all. The purpose of the sign was to provide the tourists with directions regarding the sight they want to visit, however the sign only shows the supposed 'names' of the tourist attractions yet it does not tell us where it is located due to the mistranslation. 

3 Favorite Words

My three favorite words are:  (All three of them are from foreign languages, however they have all been adapted in English and frequently used)

1.Hiraeth (originates from Welsh)

It means to long for a place that you have never been to or isn't a place you officially call 'home'. It can be translated as homesickness except the Welsh word is much more evocative. 

I like this word because it is very relatable and it applies in my case with Kuala Lumpur. Only having lived there for 3 years, I have become very attached to the city and often yearn for it even though I don't consider KL my real 'home'.

2. Embargo

Embargo is an injunction filed to prohibit a shipment or of commerce. 

I like this word because even though I always knew the word originated from the Spanish verb to seize, Embargar, I never understood why the cohesive device 'sin embargo' (however) was used until recently because it literally translates into 'without seize'. 

3. Fainéant 

Fainéant is an ineffective person or idle. 

I like this word because it's basically who I am. The word derives from the french words 'fait'(does) and 'néant' (nothing) which adds up to be fainéant, who is a person that doesn't do anything. 

3 Favorite Words

Epiphany
a moment of sudden realization
I really like saying this word, because the emphasis is placed on the "pi" in the middle of the word. It's a perfect representation of its meaning, as it displays how sudden, "light-bringing" moments in our lives happen when we least expect it--in the midst of everything.

Ineffable
too great to be expressed in words
The fact that there is a word to describe this feeling of speechlessness when facing something impressive, and that it is such a round, "bubble-like" word that rolls off your tongue, makes it such a satisfying word to pronounce.

Hullabaloo
a commotion; a fuss
I believe that the first time I saw this word was in a Dr Seuss story, and it really stuck with me because it, in itself, sounds like a mumble jumble of letters, which accurately represents the meaning behind this word. It is also a fun term to say as well, especially because of all the flow-y "l's".

Three favorite English words

The English language contains so many interesting words, with each word a little story behind. In my short 12 years of being immersed in the English language, I have some words that I particularly like. 

Kakorrhaphiophobia
This word means the fear of failure. I have come across this word in a funny children's book which talks about a boy entering a spelling bee, meeting new friends and encountering eccentric words. I find this funny because when someone with Kakorrhaphiophobia fails to spell 'Kakorrhaphiophobia' successfully, he will break down due to failing to spell his own phobia. Also, I have always wondered how this word was formed, since it can't even be separated into parts of a word that I know.

Bubble
The word bubble is another word that interests me. Bubble was formed probably due to the sound bubbles make when they pop, with the 'bub, bub' sound. The word is just really fun to say, and you sound like a baby when he first learns to speak. 

Winklepicker
This word refers to a type or style of shoe with a long and sharp pointed toe in the 1950s. This word is probably the most mis-leading word I have ever come across, and I had to double check in the dictionary to make sure that it is a real word. At first glance, I thought that winklepicker meant someone whose job is to pick up something called a winkle, which I have no idea what it is either. As the 2 words above, this word is also very eccentric and peculiar, and very fun to say.

3 Favourite Words

1. Olive
The reason as to why I like this word is the simple pronunciation of it. A nice "O" is formed at the start, only to end sweetly with a flick of the tongue of "- live".  It's quite fun to say.

2. Snarl
This word is what it is. When the word is being said, the action is being done at the same time due to the pronunciation of the word - to say it, one must do it.

3. Dire
Again, this is a fun word to pronounce. The sound of the "Di" makes the word seem regal and eloquent, yet it finishes quite quickly with a "-re". Short and sweet.

3 Favorite Words

My favorite 3 english words are harbinger, snicker and frolicsome. When the word harbinger is used, it sounds like a strong and fearful word. I really like the power that the word shows and expresses. Whereas the word snicker seems more playful and not serious. It seems like it is a word used on children who are being naughty. I like the pronunciation of frolicsome. It is different and weird. It also sounds really strange.

Furious 7 - Movie Review

Furious 7 is the newest Fast and Furious movie. The brother of the enemy in Fast and Furious 6 Deckard Shaw is back for revenge, and Dominic Toretto and his gang is in danger. Their main goal is to save a hacker who was kidnapped by Shaw, because the hacker made a program that can hack into any digital device in the world. This will help them find Shaw and take him down. However, things weren't as easy as they expected. After they rescued the hacker, they realised that she sent it to somewhere in Saudi Arabia. After they found the hacking device called "God's Eye", Shaw's crew took it back and so on. This movie is directed by James Wan and features Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. I really liked this movie, because it was full of action and has an interesting storyline. Even though I haven't watched any of the other Fast and Furious movies, I picked up the storyline really quickly. It is overall an amazing movie, and I loved it. An interesting thing to note is that one of the actors, Paul Walker, died a while ago. Furious 7 was released 1 year and 5 months after his death.

Almost Famous - Movie Review

Movie Poster

 Almost Famous is a comedy-drama film that came out quite a while ago. I came across this movie the night before the Oscars, which was on alongside other Oscars winning movies. The story is set in 1973, and follows a few months in the life of William Miller, a 15 year old Rock journalist working for the Rolling Stone magazine. William was given a chance to interview the band Stillwater, and followed them on their tour around around the States, during which he met Penny, the ex-girlfriend/ groupie of one of the band members Russell. The two of them were really into each other.

 At the end of the tour William parted with the band and Penny. In his article for the Rolling Stone, William wrote about the true story that was going on in the band: the conflicts going on within the band, to a point where the band almost back up. However the stories were denied by Russell and did not manage to go on the magazine. William's dream of becoming famous was crushed, and so did his friendship with Russell. However there is a rather sweet twist to the ending. 

Penny and William

 I particularly enjoyed this movie as unlike what audiences might have expected, the movie has a sad and gloomy ending to it, which I thought would be much more interesting compared to a pure happy ending. Throughout the movie it seems as if there is a sort of atmosphere being built up, until everything was crushed and fell at one point, which I thought was really dramatic twist. To me the movie pretty much sums up life itself, the crazy moments, the emotional struggles, friends, desires, passion and disappointment that comes when reality steps in. From the time that he fell in first love, became friends with rock stars to the time that he lost his virginity, audience can easily notice the changes that William had gone through. He will never be the same person when he walked out of the experience, realising that there is no turning back. As a 15 year old myself, I would really want to have a similar experience. On top of that, I particularly enjoyed the rock music involved in the song. 

 In terms of scenes where film-making is strongest, I think it would be the scene where William parts with Penny at the airport. Penny was on the plane, which was at first slowly moving forward, while William was chasing the plane and waving back at Penny, until the moment where the plane takes off. That was the moment where their short relationship ends. The scene really stood out to me, and together with the music it appeared really sad and powerful. 

One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich Review

 The book One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich Review depicts the story of the prisoners in the Soviet prison camp during 1960s, where Ivan Denisovich was held as a POW, accused of being a spy. The book is centred around gang 104, the gang where Shukhov is in, where harsh conditions in the camp are revealed to the readers through the immense amount of work and the little food that the prisoners receive for all the work. Other topics such as camp hierarchy and methods of survival are also discussed in the book. Survival skills, in particular, is a crucial to the prisoners. For example, Ivan Denisovich would hide some of his bread ration in his mattress to save it for later, however he did not hide it in his boots as it would be more likely to get stolen. Thus how such cruel conditions change people's behaviours can be seen throughout the book, and I found it quite impressive to see how prisoners would still have a plan for the things that come later despite not being able to meet their present needs.

 This book is quite different from the other stories that I have read about prison camps or Nazis concentration camps, where it focuses more on the cruel treatment that the prisoners received on one hand and their struggle and survival on the other. As a result relatively less cases of deaths are involved in the book. It allows me to gain more insight of one of the darkest period in the history of the Soviet Union that I did not have much knowledge of, where humanity was at its lowest. I liked how the story ends with saying that the one particular day described in the story is just another one of the 3653 days of Shukkhov's sentence in the camp, yet the day itself was mostly happy, showing a strong sense of desperation and helplessness of life in the prison camp. I found it surprising how he would still find optimism under such harsh treatment. Overall I think this is a pretty interesting book.

One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich - Review

Curiously, this book, One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich, written by Alexksandr Solzhenitsyn, took me quite a while to finish. The story follows Ivan Denisovich and his day in his camp. It isn't hard to picture the scenes throughout the book, as they are described through a first-person point of view and quite descriptive language. The story captures the hardships and frigidness of Denisovich's life at the camp, yet at the same time highlights his relationship with his bunk mates. As the story occurs within a day, the writer successfully captures the important parts of the day with detail yet at the same time allowing the story to flow without too much elaboration on insignificant parts. Even though the story is only a day, the book is still able to create good characterisation. For me, the more interesting parts of the story were when they had to work, as to see Denisovich's attitude in the work was quite encouraging - even after eight years, he was still able to keep a determined attitude in work. According to Denisovich, a day as gruelling as this was considered a good day, making it hard to imagine what a normal day would be like.