So Sumiko Tan is getting married! I think I owe her one since I always talk about her in class. In case you are wondering why she is a subject in my classes, it’s because teachers tell me that they use excerpts from her columns as comprehension texts for their students. And I always tell them that a 40 something woman in angst over her love life and her marital status has nothing to say to twelve year olds. My point simply is that students must share the writer’s background knowledge in order to understand the message well and Sumiko’s questions about love and life would be lost on pre-teens who don’t share her concerns.
But I am happy that she’s getting married. I have been following her life story in the newspapers since I don’t know when. But then again, so have other Singaporeans, so her life story is well-known. When my husband came into the bedroom and announced that the news of the day was Sumiko’s imminent marriage, I said to him straightaway, “I know that guy!” I don’t of course, but I had an idea who the lucky man could be from reading Sumiko’s columns. I sincerely wish her a life time’s happiness because everyone deserves a chance to be happy and to be married. In fact, I look forward to her column when it resumes in September; I bet it will be about the trials and tribulations of married life. And speaking of marriages, I was also wondering why ST journalists have a monopoly on romantic encounters. Wasn’t it not too long ago when Cheung Suk Wai (a marvellous writer) met the love of her life (a Nepalese man) while on a course overseas and married him?
So Friday 25 June started off well enough with me although the sky was over cast. I was however, home reading about Sumiko and Hurricane over breakfast. Almost an hour later, I was catching the last bit of the letters in the Forum page when I heard the distinct sound of water cascading behind me. I got up, puzzled, only to see water gently flowing down the stairs into the living room. Yup, it was a gentle but steady stream of water and already a pool was forming at the foot of the stairs. Some of you dear readers may know that I live on the 19th floor; so water coming down our stairs is not an everyday occurrence.
I ran up the stairs immediately, shouting for my husband. Water was already ankle-high in my office upstairs and before long, I found the source of the problem. One of my patios was flooded because the drains were blocked by leaves and other debris and the water had formed a pond there and then seeped into my apartment. To cut a long story short, my husband immediately cleared the debris while I ran around trying to stop the water from entering the bedrooms. No, there was no great damage done but there was some major cleaning to be done after that.
Later, we found out about the havoc the rain brought to other parts of the island. Well, ours seem a small matter in the end. I told my husband that I did not clear the debris over at my neighbour’s end last week when I was sweeping the place. Part of the problem was also created by a pile of cardboard left there by persons unknown and this contributed to blocking the drains. Whereupon my husband immediately said that we should clear the drains more frequently. And that is what I love most about my husband. He did not blame me or my neighbour for the problem. Instead he just focused on doing what needed to be done even if it meant doing our neighbour’s share of work as well. His reaction is not extraordinary; that’s the way he is. But his reaction helped put the situation in proper perspective and allowed me see beyond the pettiness and the stress of getting cross with others. Yes, I still had to spend time putting my house back in order, but I did it all with calmness and equanimity. We cleaned the house together, side by side, my husband and I. A mundane activity, undoubtedly, but it was a satisfying, even happy experience.
And isn’t that the stuff of marriage? After the initial passion, marriage is full of mundane moments and ho-hum chores. But so many of of these humdrum moments are made special by the way we experience them. People talk a lot about working at a marriage, and I guess a lot of work has to be done when the couple hits these humdrum times. And I think that’s the reason why we appreciate a man who can make us laugh and a man who knows how to appreciate the stuff women do at home which nobody even notices after it’s done.
A good marriage brings out the best in all of us; life’s load is shared and life’s joy, doubled. Sumiko had many fears about marriage. Who wouldn’t? But after a while, she may find that some of these fears are unfounded and some may grow out of proportion. Whatever her experiences, I look forward to reading about them.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Inspiring speeches
I’m still on my mini vacation, so why not surf the web and catch up on all the stuff I’ve always wanted to read or watch? I avoid surfing the web on busy days because it is a time consuming activity and often, before you know it, you’ve spent an hour clicking here and there and have strayed pages away from your original site.
But I’ve been a bit indulgent in the last week. I’ve spent time reading and watching commencement speeches on the Internet. Many of the better known speeches are familiar to me, but it’s always fun to watch speakers working their speeches. And why is it I, who have been to several universities, have not been to a real commencement speech? After searching my ageing mind, I remember attending one at Stanford University in 1987. Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about the occasion was my friend getting told off for chatting too loudly during the speech. Perhaps it wasn’t such an inspiring speech, but I bet none of my friends would remember the speaker too. It’s not our fault because back then, they didn’t have celebrities giving commencement speeches.
So it was with some glee that I spent an evening watching some of the more memorable commencement speeches. I found them in a site that described these as “The Top Celebrity Commencement Speeches of All time” and you can get to the site here.
Among the celebrities are Conan O’Brien (in his usual maniacal style), Jodie Foster, Ellen DeGeneres (very funny), Oprah Winfrey and my favourite, JK Rowling. If you don’t care for the others, do watch Rowling. She spoke about the importance of failure and the power of imagination. Another inspiring speech that’s not in the list must be Steve Job’s speech (so he’s not a celebrity?) and you can find that here.
But I’ve been a bit indulgent in the last week. I’ve spent time reading and watching commencement speeches on the Internet. Many of the better known speeches are familiar to me, but it’s always fun to watch speakers working their speeches. And why is it I, who have been to several universities, have not been to a real commencement speech? After searching my ageing mind, I remember attending one at Stanford University in 1987. Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about the occasion was my friend getting told off for chatting too loudly during the speech. Perhaps it wasn’t such an inspiring speech, but I bet none of my friends would remember the speaker too. It’s not our fault because back then, they didn’t have celebrities giving commencement speeches.
So it was with some glee that I spent an evening watching some of the more memorable commencement speeches. I found them in a site that described these as “The Top Celebrity Commencement Speeches of All time” and you can get to the site here.
Among the celebrities are Conan O’Brien (in his usual maniacal style), Jodie Foster, Ellen DeGeneres (very funny), Oprah Winfrey and my favourite, JK Rowling. If you don’t care for the others, do watch Rowling. She spoke about the importance of failure and the power of imagination. Another inspiring speech that’s not in the list must be Steve Job’s speech (so he’s not a celebrity?) and you can find that here.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Holiday Happenings
It’s the middle of June again and I finally have a whole, uninterrupted week off from work. What a luxury! But even as I write this, it’s already Thursday and my week is almost up, sob!
I had no intention of travelling at all this week; like it or not, travelling can sometimes be stressful and June is too hot for any strenuous wandering round. Instead, I chose to stay home and do some house cleaning, gardening, reading, and thought about catching a movie or two. Well, it’s Thursday today and all I can say about my holiday is that I’ve done the following:
Cleaned up 2 store rooms
Cleaned up the linen cupboards
Cleaned up kitchen cupboards
Swept garden every day
Read several books
Watched Makansutra Raw four days in a row.
Made konyaku jelly and durian bread pudding (apart from dinner)
Had lunch with a friend at Raffles City
Began another on-line course
Wow, rereading the list makes me sound positively old and boring. That could be the real me but hey, one can’t be hip and happening all the time. But seriously, you can’t imagine how pleased I am with my two neat store rooms.
For entertainment, I always find reading satisfying but in the last few days, I have taken to watching Makansutra Raw each day after dinner. True, the series feature repeat programmes now, but Seetoh always makes me laugh. I like his unbridled enthusiasm for food and while his eating (or chomping on many occasions) can be a little unrefined, at least he doesn’t talk that much when his mouth is full, unlike many other food show hosts. He also speaks well in an authentic Singapore style and makes many interesting comments about the food and the food culture here without being pretentious. The other food show hosts I like are Nigella Lawson (she makes food and cooking seductive and has the best vocabulary; check out her adjectives!) and Anthony Bourdain (brash, loud but has many original observations about food and places).
I don’t really care about food that much although I enjoy cooking for friends and family. I am always a sucker for a good recipe and over the years, I have collected a ton of recipes. Just this week, I contemplated throwing out my recipe magazines but finally found a place for them in my store room so they get another reprieve until the next time. I know the Internet makes these recipes unnecessary but there is always that one recipe that looks interesting and that I hope to try one day and so into the file it goes. If you are interested in cooking, let me share my favourite sites with you. For any Western food, I always go to allrecipes.com. For local food, I like bakingmum.blogspot.com, and she has a list of other websites that are interesting too.
And did I mention my on-line course? Yes, doing a course in June sounds like self-inflicted punishment. I clearly need to review my options for fun. But since the evenings are now devoted to the World Cup (translation: husband is hogging the television every night), I too need to spend my evenings doing something challenging. But while I am not a football fan, I am always full of admiration for the game and the fans. Truly, the World Cup is one event that unites people all over the world, so I too feel the excitement of the game.
Tomorrow is Friday and I have the weekend too to really have some serious fun. I am thinking hard now about what I want to do. Hmmm… well, let me finish my book first. And in case you’re wondering what literary tome I am reading, it’s actually nothing cerebral. It’s J.R. Ward’s series on the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It’s hardcore vampires here and none of that simpering stuff that is in Twilight but the truth is such books are like fast food. One can only have that many meals before they begin to taste the same…. But in an emergency or if one is in serious need for fun, they will do. Enjoy your holidays!
I had no intention of travelling at all this week; like it or not, travelling can sometimes be stressful and June is too hot for any strenuous wandering round. Instead, I chose to stay home and do some house cleaning, gardening, reading, and thought about catching a movie or two. Well, it’s Thursday today and all I can say about my holiday is that I’ve done the following:
Cleaned up 2 store rooms
Cleaned up the linen cupboards
Cleaned up kitchen cupboards
Swept garden every day
Read several books
Watched Makansutra Raw four days in a row.
Made konyaku jelly and durian bread pudding (apart from dinner)
Had lunch with a friend at Raffles City
Began another on-line course
Wow, rereading the list makes me sound positively old and boring. That could be the real me but hey, one can’t be hip and happening all the time. But seriously, you can’t imagine how pleased I am with my two neat store rooms.
For entertainment, I always find reading satisfying but in the last few days, I have taken to watching Makansutra Raw each day after dinner. True, the series feature repeat programmes now, but Seetoh always makes me laugh. I like his unbridled enthusiasm for food and while his eating (or chomping on many occasions) can be a little unrefined, at least he doesn’t talk that much when his mouth is full, unlike many other food show hosts. He also speaks well in an authentic Singapore style and makes many interesting comments about the food and the food culture here without being pretentious. The other food show hosts I like are Nigella Lawson (she makes food and cooking seductive and has the best vocabulary; check out her adjectives!) and Anthony Bourdain (brash, loud but has many original observations about food and places).
I don’t really care about food that much although I enjoy cooking for friends and family. I am always a sucker for a good recipe and over the years, I have collected a ton of recipes. Just this week, I contemplated throwing out my recipe magazines but finally found a place for them in my store room so they get another reprieve until the next time. I know the Internet makes these recipes unnecessary but there is always that one recipe that looks interesting and that I hope to try one day and so into the file it goes. If you are interested in cooking, let me share my favourite sites with you. For any Western food, I always go to allrecipes.com. For local food, I like bakingmum.blogspot.com, and she has a list of other websites that are interesting too.
And did I mention my on-line course? Yes, doing a course in June sounds like self-inflicted punishment. I clearly need to review my options for fun. But since the evenings are now devoted to the World Cup (translation: husband is hogging the television every night), I too need to spend my evenings doing something challenging. But while I am not a football fan, I am always full of admiration for the game and the fans. Truly, the World Cup is one event that unites people all over the world, so I too feel the excitement of the game.
Tomorrow is Friday and I have the weekend too to really have some serious fun. I am thinking hard now about what I want to do. Hmmm… well, let me finish my book first. And in case you’re wondering what literary tome I am reading, it’s actually nothing cerebral. It’s J.R. Ward’s series on the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It’s hardcore vampires here and none of that simpering stuff that is in Twilight but the truth is such books are like fast food. One can only have that many meals before they begin to taste the same…. But in an emergency or if one is in serious need for fun, they will do. Enjoy your holidays!
Grrrrr...Grammar 2
Grammar reference books are everywhere and I must admit that it’s hard just to buy one. I have more than a dozen books about grammar on my shelf, and each one is different. I am also quite fond of grammar books written by Americans because the contents can be humorous and the explanations are clear and unambiguous.
Here is an assorted list of English and American grammar books (including books on punctuation) that I enjoy using and reading. NLB is a good source for such books and you can always order what you can’t find at NLB from Amazon.com
1. Grammar for smart people by Barry Tarshis.
2. Nitty Gritty Grammar & More Nitty Gritty Grammar by Edith H. Fine & Judith P. Josephson.
3. The deluxe transitive vampire: A handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager and the doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. (lots of ghoulish fun!)
4. The new well tempered sentence: A punctuation handbook for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.
5. Grammatically correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation, spelling, style, usage and grammar by Anne Stilman.
6. Grammar power by Jane Schwartz.
7. Polish up your punctuation and grammar: master the basics of the English language and writer with greater confidence by Marion Field.
8. English grammar for dummies by Geraldine Woods ( surprisingly helpful!)
9. English as it is broken. (Book 2 is particularly helpful especially the section entitled School Daze).
10. Oxford A-Z of grammar and punctuation.
11. English grammar FAQs: 100 questions teachers and students frequently ask by Leong Ping Alvin & Ludwig Tan (NIE) ( very useful reference book for all teachers).
12. A visual grammar of English by Lubna Alsagoff.
13. The elements of style by William Strunk and E.B. White. (The classic reference that should be in every teacher’s collection).
14. Longman dictionary of grammar & usage by Kam Chuan Aik & Kam Kai Hui (comes with an accompanying workbook too).
15. A reference grammar for students of English by RA Close.
16. Techniques and resources in teaching grammar (Teaching techniques in English as a Second Language) by Marianne Celce-Murcia & Sharon Hilles. ( A good reference book on teaching grammar).
Some books for younger children. These are useful and full of fun.
L is for Lollygag: Quirky words for a clever tongue from Chronicle Books.
Woe is I Jr.: The younger grammarphobe's guide to English in plain English
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
The girl's like spaghetti: Why, you can't manage without apostrophes!
Eats, shoots and leaves: Why commas really do make a difference
Author: Lynne Truss (a useful picture book about punctuation)
Well, there you are. The holidays are a good time to stock up on useful books especially when the Great Singapore Sale is on. Have fun!
Here is an assorted list of English and American grammar books (including books on punctuation) that I enjoy using and reading. NLB is a good source for such books and you can always order what you can’t find at NLB from Amazon.com
1. Grammar for smart people by Barry Tarshis.
2. Nitty Gritty Grammar & More Nitty Gritty Grammar by Edith H. Fine & Judith P. Josephson.
3. The deluxe transitive vampire: A handbook of grammar for the innocent, the eager and the doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. (lots of ghoulish fun!)
4. The new well tempered sentence: A punctuation handbook for the innocent, the eager, and the doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.
5. Grammatically correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation, spelling, style, usage and grammar by Anne Stilman.
6. Grammar power by Jane Schwartz.
7. Polish up your punctuation and grammar: master the basics of the English language and writer with greater confidence by Marion Field.
8. English grammar for dummies by Geraldine Woods ( surprisingly helpful!)
9. English as it is broken. (Book 2 is particularly helpful especially the section entitled School Daze).
10. Oxford A-Z of grammar and punctuation.
11. English grammar FAQs: 100 questions teachers and students frequently ask by Leong Ping Alvin & Ludwig Tan (NIE) ( very useful reference book for all teachers).
12. A visual grammar of English by Lubna Alsagoff.
13. The elements of style by William Strunk and E.B. White. (The classic reference that should be in every teacher’s collection).
14. Longman dictionary of grammar & usage by Kam Chuan Aik & Kam Kai Hui (comes with an accompanying workbook too).
15. A reference grammar for students of English by RA Close.
16. Techniques and resources in teaching grammar (Teaching techniques in English as a Second Language) by Marianne Celce-Murcia & Sharon Hilles. ( A good reference book on teaching grammar).
Some books for younger children. These are useful and full of fun.
L is for Lollygag: Quirky words for a clever tongue from Chronicle Books.
Woe is I Jr.: The younger grammarphobe's guide to English in plain English
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
The girl's like spaghetti: Why, you can't manage without apostrophes!
Eats, shoots and leaves: Why commas really do make a difference
Author: Lynne Truss (a useful picture book about punctuation)
Well, there you are. The holidays are a good time to stock up on useful books especially when the Great Singapore Sale is on. Have fun!
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