I've always loved poems, especially poems that rhyme.
One of my favourites is Tir na Nog, by Robin Flower.
Tir na Nog, in Irish mythology, is the Land of the Young. In one of the tales, a human visits it, spends some time there, then wants to go back home. Only to find that, upon reaching home, a few hundred years had passed by, and upon setting on home soil, the human grows old immediately, then dies. Sounds familiar?
Interestingly, other cultures have similar tales, like Japanese's Urashima Taro. Makes one wonder how two such different cultures have such similar concepts huh...
Anyway! Robin Flower's poem nicely describes Tir na Nog and the lure it has on mortals. The last paragraph is especially poignant, for who hasn't, in his/her entire life, yearned for something that others couldn't understand, and can never understand?
I heard the summer calling across great breadths of sea
In the landwind and the seawind and the wind of gramerie;
For the seawind speaks in thunder and the landwind whispers low,
But the little wind of faery you scarce can hear it blow.
But listen, listen, listen and you shall hear afar
A low and lovely murmur like the singing of a star,
And listen, listen, listen till all things fade and fall
And the lone and luring music is master over all.
And you shall hear it chanting in one triumphant chime
Of the life that lives for ever and the fugitives of time
Beyond the green lands' border and the washing wastes of sea
In the world beyond the world's end, where nothing is but glee.
The magic waters gird it, and skies of laughing blue
Keep always faith with summer and summer still is true;
There is no end of dancing and sweet unceasing song
And eyes to eyes make answer and love with love grows strong.
But close your ears and silence the crying of your heart
Lest in the world of mortals you walk a man apart
For O! I heard the music and answered to the call
And the landwind mocks my longing and the seawind saddens all.
31 May 2017
24 May 2017
职业病
According to Baidu百科, "职业病是指企业、事业单位和个体经济组织等用人单位的劳动者在职业活动中，因接触粉尘、放射性物质和其他有毒、有害物质等因素而引起的疾病。"
Translated to English, it's "occupational diseases". According to Wiki, "An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity."
The "chronic ailment" refers to physical diseases like skin/lung diseases. But often when 职业病 appears in everyday conversations, I realise that the term actually refers to a person's action, an action related to the person's occupation.
The "chronic ailment" is now more like a mental state instead of a physical state, a mental state that causes the action, which in turn triggers the use of the term 职业病.
And interestingly, when the term is used thus, from what I can recall, I've only heard it used in its Chinese form - 职业病 - and rarely, if ever, in English - occupation disease.
Translated to English, it's "occupational diseases". According to Wiki, "An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity."
The "chronic ailment" refers to physical diseases like skin/lung diseases. But often when 职业病 appears in everyday conversations, I realise that the term actually refers to a person's action, an action related to the person's occupation.
- The person in finance insists to divide the cost right down to the last penny. We say it's the person's 职业病.
- The English teacher goes crazy when the friend forgets to put a comma and a full stop in the sentence - and has the friend edit the sentence. We say it's the teacher's 职业病.
- The XHTML programmer frowns when the colleague uses <br> instead of <br /> - and proceeds to add the / behind.
- The person working in postal goes admiring and taking pictures of mail boxes when travelling in foreign countries.
The "chronic ailment" is now more like a mental state instead of a physical state, a mental state that causes the action, which in turn triggers the use of the term 职业病.
And interestingly, when the term is used thus, from what I can recall, I've only heard it used in its Chinese form - 职业病 - and rarely, if ever, in English - occupation disease.
21 May 2017
The difference between 兵 and 卒
兵 and 卒 both mean "soldier". But what is their difference?
From what I can piece together, the origin of 兵 came from weaponry (兵器). So originally, 兵 does not mean "soldier". 卒 came from 步卒, like, foot soldiers.
Eventually, it seems, 兵 would refer to soldiers that go to war, and 卒 would refer to soldiers stationed at garrisons and the like.
Some said nowadays both 兵 and 卒 mean "soldier". But can they be used interchangeably? I'm not sure, to be honest. What I know is, now, 兵 can adequately be used for "soldier", and it's the term used in everyday life, in conversations, news, and the such, while I've rarely heard 卒 being used, with Chinese chess (and idioms and the such) being the exception.
From what I can piece together, the origin of 兵 came from weaponry (兵器). So originally, 兵 does not mean "soldier". 卒 came from 步卒, like, foot soldiers.
Eventually, it seems, 兵 would refer to soldiers that go to war, and 卒 would refer to soldiers stationed at garrisons and the like.
Some said nowadays both 兵 and 卒 mean "soldier". But can they be used interchangeably? I'm not sure, to be honest. What I know is, now, 兵 can adequately be used for "soldier", and it's the term used in everyday life, in conversations, news, and the such, while I've rarely heard 卒 being used, with Chinese chess (and idioms and the such) being the exception.
12 May 2017
What does "quiet" mean to you?
According to dictionary.com, "quiet" can be an adjective, or a verb, used with, or without object.
"Quiet", when used to describe different things, can mean different things, like:
1) quiet neighbours == the neighbours make no noise / disturbing sounds
2) quiet street == the street is relatively free from noise
3) quiet person == the person is restrained in speech
4) quiet life == the life is peaceful with little disturbance
5) quiet afternoon == there is little activity for the afternoon
Very straightforward.
Yet conversations are often not so straightforward.
I was checking into a hotel in Scotland the other day, before noon. The neighbourhood around the hotel is a residential area, and the streets around are rather quiet - relatively free from noise, with not much activity in terms of humans and cars - even though the hotel is less than 5 mins walk from the main street.
So I commented to the lady checking me in, "This area is rather quiet, isn't it?" She looked up, thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "Yes, there are not much cars going past, so a room facing the street wouldn't have much disturbances, but, if you'd prefer, I can try to arrange a room that does not face the street."
I was stumped for a moment, because that absolutely did not occur to me. My concern was that it was a quiet neighbourhood, and since it's already so quiet during the day, won't it be even more so during the night? Safety was my top concern, especially when I'm a woman travelling alone.
So I said, "Erm, I mean, during the night, is it also this quiet? Is it okay to come back late?"
The lady's face then brightened as she realised what I was driving at, "Oh, yes, yes, of course! It is safe, absolutely, it's just a short walk from the main street, it's fine! This is a residential area, so that's why it's a little quiet, you don't have to worry."
So, while a "quiet neighbourhood/street around a hotel" can have a person thinking of "a room that does not face the street", it can also mean "is the area actually safe?" Not so straightforward now, when factoring in the background of the hotel staff and the hotel guest.
I wonder is it a culture thing, that westerns are very confident that it's safe, since it's just a short walk from the main street, that lone women travellers are more concerned about safety? Or a work related thing, that hotel guests are more concerned with having a quiet environment to rest? Or maybe the staff is just so used to the area, that the topic of safety did not occur to her at all.
What other connotations of "quiet" can you think of and/or encountered?
"Quiet", when used to describe different things, can mean different things, like:
1) quiet neighbours == the neighbours make no noise / disturbing sounds
2) quiet street == the street is relatively free from noise
3) quiet person == the person is restrained in speech
4) quiet life == the life is peaceful with little disturbance
5) quiet afternoon == there is little activity for the afternoon
Very straightforward.
Yet conversations are often not so straightforward.
I was checking into a hotel in Scotland the other day, before noon. The neighbourhood around the hotel is a residential area, and the streets around are rather quiet - relatively free from noise, with not much activity in terms of humans and cars - even though the hotel is less than 5 mins walk from the main street.
So I commented to the lady checking me in, "This area is rather quiet, isn't it?" She looked up, thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "Yes, there are not much cars going past, so a room facing the street wouldn't have much disturbances, but, if you'd prefer, I can try to arrange a room that does not face the street."
I was stumped for a moment, because that absolutely did not occur to me. My concern was that it was a quiet neighbourhood, and since it's already so quiet during the day, won't it be even more so during the night? Safety was my top concern, especially when I'm a woman travelling alone.
So I said, "Erm, I mean, during the night, is it also this quiet? Is it okay to come back late?"
The lady's face then brightened as she realised what I was driving at, "Oh, yes, yes, of course! It is safe, absolutely, it's just a short walk from the main street, it's fine! This is a residential area, so that's why it's a little quiet, you don't have to worry."
So, while a "quiet neighbourhood/street around a hotel" can have a person thinking of "a room that does not face the street", it can also mean "is the area actually safe?" Not so straightforward now, when factoring in the background of the hotel staff and the hotel guest.
I wonder is it a culture thing, that westerns are very confident that it's safe, since it's just a short walk from the main street, that lone women travellers are more concerned about safety? Or a work related thing, that hotel guests are more concerned with having a quiet environment to rest? Or maybe the staff is just so used to the area, that the topic of safety did not occur to her at all.
What other connotations of "quiet" can you think of and/or encountered?
11 May 2017
The stuff one learns on a Scotland trip
Bonnie
You most likely know this already - "bonnie" means "handsome" for males, and "pretty" for females. I've always thought it means "little". Super wrong. So imagine my first thought when I heard of "Bonnie Prince Charlie" - he's little? XD
Broch
Pronounced /ˈbrɒx/ - an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found only in Scotland. The one we visited was Dun Beag. Look out for the lamb wool - and lamb poop - all over the area. It was a lovely place. Despite the lamb poop.
Dun
A name in Gaelic for "fort". Similar to brochs.
Eilean
Means "island". So, "Eilean Donan" means "Island of Donan". Fergus, our tour guide, told us one of the films that had soldiers coming off the bridge of Eilean Donan Castle is historically incorrect - for the bridge was a later add-on, during early 1900s.
Highland Cows
I've always known them as "highland cows", because that's what we were told on our previous trip. But no one, absolutely no one, used it during this trip. Everyone called them "heilan coos", or "coos", like, "OMG! Look at them coos! They're so cute!" And Fergus always mock takes a deep breath and asks for patience when this happens. Haha. But he always very kindly slows down or even stops the mini bus when opportunity permits to let us go gaga over them and take pics of them.
Jacobite
Means "supporter of James".
Loch
Means "lake". Scotland has lots of lochs! Famous ones are of course, Loch Lomond and Loch Ness.
Lochan
Means "little lake". Makes me think of the adding of "-chan" to names in Japanese to mean a person younger than you.
Marquetry
Never heard of this until that visit to Eilean Donan Castle. It is "the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns". No pictures, sorry - can't take pics inside Eilean Donan Castle. Google image this word and you'll see lots of examples.
Perth
The first thought that comes to mind might be - the city in Australia. But it is also a city in central Scotland, located on the banks of the River Tay. "Perth" is a Pictish word, meaning "wood" or "copse".
Scone
We all know scones - that bunch of bread that's so tasty with butter. It's pronounced /skoʊn, skɒn/
There's a Scone Palace in Scotland, and it's not pronounced the same - for the Palace, "Scone" is pronounced /ˈskuːn/
You most likely know this already - "bonnie" means "handsome" for males, and "pretty" for females. I've always thought it means "little". Super wrong. So imagine my first thought when I heard of "Bonnie Prince Charlie" - he's little? XD
Broch
Pronounced /ˈbrɒx/ - an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found only in Scotland. The one we visited was Dun Beag. Look out for the lamb wool - and lamb poop - all over the area. It was a lovely place. Despite the lamb poop.
Dun
A name in Gaelic for "fort". Similar to brochs.
Eilean
Means "island". So, "Eilean Donan" means "Island of Donan". Fergus, our tour guide, told us one of the films that had soldiers coming off the bridge of Eilean Donan Castle is historically incorrect - for the bridge was a later add-on, during early 1900s.
Highland Cows
I've always known them as "highland cows", because that's what we were told on our previous trip. But no one, absolutely no one, used it during this trip. Everyone called them "heilan coos", or "coos", like, "OMG! Look at them coos! They're so cute!" And Fergus always mock takes a deep breath and asks for patience when this happens. Haha. But he always very kindly slows down or even stops the mini bus when opportunity permits to let us go gaga over them and take pics of them.
Jacobite
Means "supporter of James".
Loch
Means "lake". Scotland has lots of lochs! Famous ones are of course, Loch Lomond and Loch Ness.
Lochan
Means "little lake". Makes me think of the adding of "-chan" to names in Japanese to mean a person younger than you.
Marquetry
Never heard of this until that visit to Eilean Donan Castle. It is "the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns". No pictures, sorry - can't take pics inside Eilean Donan Castle. Google image this word and you'll see lots of examples.
Perth
The first thought that comes to mind might be - the city in Australia. But it is also a city in central Scotland, located on the banks of the River Tay. "Perth" is a Pictish word, meaning "wood" or "copse".
Scone
We all know scones - that bunch of bread that's so tasty with butter. It's pronounced /skoʊn, skɒn/
There's a Scone Palace in Scotland, and it's not pronounced the same - for the Palace, "Scone" is pronounced /ˈskuːn/
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