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raytalks

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Everything posted by raytalks

  1. I can think of two Laughter is the best medicine - something you say to make someone happier a bitter pill to swallow - something difficult, that has to be accepted
  2. Right before an exam I feel absolutely amazing. I study as much as I can the previous day, sometimes even burn the midnight oil, but at the exam I am as cool as a cat. I don't know why, maybe its because I feel that there is no point worrying now. Also I feel that if I stress out, I may forget stuff, so I just stay cool and write stuff. Yep, sometimes, even when I don;t know the answer, I just write stuff, it reduces stress for the rest of the exam.
  3. I used to like doing comprehension questions, it always amazed me because I always felt like the answer is right in front of me. True there can be some real tricky questions, and I think I may have skipped a few when I have done them. But in general I like them.
  4. I wasn't really into books when I was young, but once at the library I took an Isaac Asimov book, it was one of his 'Foundation' series. After that, I just kept reading every other Asimov book, even 'I Robot', which was one of my favorites (not the movie though). Can't really remember the name of the first book, because I had to start the series from the beginning, but that was what got me into reading and books, and sci-fi.
  5. Well there are some subtitles where the errors are so obvious, that you may find it humorous. You can tell by the simplicity or odd dialogue that there were no proper way to translate the language. I just hate it when that happens. But sometimes, unless you know both languages, you may not be able to tell if you are missing something even if the translation seems to be correct. But I actually prefer dubs, if they are available, as I like look at the characters talk and not miss any action in the process.
  6. I am familiar with book study guides, but I am new to novel study guides. A novel itself is entertaining, and I am sure how a guide to it might be beneficial. It might great for people who want to study the novel in depth for academic purposes, or write an article about. Otherwise it would take the fun out of the reading experience, unless you just don't get the novel , and want to find out what it was all about.
  7. That is the beauty of different languages, there are always words that are unique to that particular language, which maybe undefinable or require more than one word to describe it. There have been a couple of times, when my friends have said that they don't have an the exact translation for a tagalog word in english.
  8. I have never used a website to review books, I always chose a book because it was at the book store or a friend recommended it. But I like this site, particularly the 'Best of...' list. I am sure there will be a couple of gems that I haven't read. Thanks for that.
  9. I believe grammar is perfect when the intended message is conveyed. When you use the proper syntax and follow the basic rules of sentence construction, an intended message is formed. We all tend to skip a few, but as long as the message is clear, it is all good. You must have got a review from someone who is well versed with all the proper grammar usages, and believes in using them. But I don't see no reason why yours should be classified as 'poor'.
  10. This happened when I went out with my friends who spoke malay, in KL. It wasn't embarrassing, but I felt unable to participate while they conversed with the locals, people in shops or restaurants. The best I could do was exchange smiles and ask my friends to translate for me.
  11. I am going to remember this site, its quite handy, thank you. There will always be days when I have a doubt about something, and I spend maybe and hour or so searching and verifying, and sometimes go off topic. I hope this helps.
  12. It was empty. Ice pieces were strewn all over the floor, and I could see the stain caused by the dragging of his feet. It is not safe here anymore. They know I am here. I will be ready for them.
  13. New words always amaze me, while there are some that are irritating, there are some really good ones. 'Selfie' seems to be the most used word now, every corner I turn I can hear someone say it. I am not so sure about being called a 'tweep', it rhymes with creep, but i guess it is better than being called a twit. LOL.
  14. It all depends on the type of person they are, and sometimes on their mood. It would be tricky to judge their mood and explain their mistake at the same time, and some people just don't like being corrected. This may also happen if the mistake was unintentional, in which case they will not appreciate being corrected. So while correction is a good thing, which I really appreciate, strangers may be avoided. A friend who will appreciate it and take it light would be a better choice. I myself ignore some errors, as long as the message and its meaning is understood.
  15. One of the main reasons that Sign Language is not universal is the fact that it is based on the words of a native language. Having Sign language directly associate with the native language makes it much easier for communication in the native land, and hence has deprived it from being universal. Though there will be some common universal signs, it won't be highly effective for it to be universal.
  16. I never really thought about the strangeness of some of the idioms. I guess we have taken them for granted over the years, that we haven't really questioned its literal significance. But its safe to say, they all have a relation to what they mean. For instance when you say 'kick the bucket', we all know that no bucket was kicked in the process. But it must have been derived from a particular situation, where a man was hung while he was standing on a bucket.
  17. Translating poetry in to another language can be tricky. The exact beauty provided by few words in one language may not have an exact meaning in another, or may need to be expressed using a lot more words. Hence, in most cases, the beauty of poetry may not translate exactly. There are words in a language that don't have the exact 'twin' in another language, and therefore the effect will be lost.
  18. That was really exciting, thanks for this. If anyone is trying this for the first time, 'Snow' seems to be short and will give you an idea about how it works. If you like it, then try out the other longer ones, and create your own story. Enjoy!
  19. Well they say 'Don't judge a book by its cover', but I too am influenced by it. The appeal to the cover art must be because we believe it tells us about what is inside. The people who have selected the cover for the book, mostly a writer, must have done so by trying to give what best suits the content. And hence to a certain extent, the cover is a summary of that book. But, there are times that I do ignore a cover art, when the book is a major bestseller and there is a lot of hype about it.
  20. I used to do that, but eventually gave more importance to my first language, whenever I am back home. You feel more part of the group when you speak your native tongue. I have this habit of mixing English with my native tongue, like most of us, which I try to avoid when I am back home. This is especially great when you go out, and are trying to buy something, and get a good deal. It is always better to speak the first language. Or they will think you are from out of town and don't know the rates and don't know the ways, and therefore not get a good bargain.
  21. I have tried audio books a year ago, but I am not a fan. You can get easily bored, and drift away. There needs to be some visuals that you can connect with, when you are trying to learn a new language and new words. We can replay an audio, but video with audio is less boring, captures our attention and saves time.
  22. Well, I do imagine a about what I read and about what people tell me. Especially when we read a book, we imagine the people, their faces, the places and even add music to it in our heads. Even when someone explains something that just happened in the real world, we reconstruct the situation with our imagination. We can imagine even a storm in our head, that we just read in the newspaper. Because our mind is our own television. But it all depends o how interested in we are in it, or we could sit through it, without imagining a thing, and only pronouncing the words.
  23. Great News for us, if it works! Microsoft claims that Skype will soon be able to translate languages semantically and grammatically in real time. It will be able to translate voice messages and will then pop out translated text and voice-over audio. If you speak French and you are talking to a person who speaks English, then that person will hear your audio in French, as well as a translated audio in English. This could break the language barrier. At the moment this feature is undergoing testing, and is already working for English to German. Other languages will be added shortly. Though it is available on Skype, this feature may not be free. We can expect to see it in action by the end of the year, with translations working for a few languages, with more added later. How cool is that?
  24. I have been more familiar with the term 'Cheque', even in all formal transactions that I have done in my life. I first noticed a difference when I used a word processor to spell check, and later realized that 'Check' is how it is spelled in American English. Actually I am more comfortable with it being spelled 'Cheque' rather than 'Check', because it easily connects with the financial term rather than the other similar meaning that check provides.
  25. I really enjoyed this. I have some in English: “Clean clams crammed in clean cans” – simple and easy “The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.” – a little more difficult “Shut up the shutters and sit in the shop” – the most fun
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