Wisdom In Idioms?

I know this wonderful old lady who is 78 years old. She is witty, gracious and humble and I love chatting with her. She is wise too but because of her wit, grace and humility, its so easy to listen to what she has to say. And more importantly, I think I'll remember a lot of it. She uses a lot of idioms when she speaks. My lesson yesterday was "Laugh, and the whole world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone."

Today, my mother used an idiom on me. It is a Chinese one that I have often heard in the past. The literal translation is "Waiting until its urgent before looking for the bathroom." Obviously, this is applied to situations where you've left things to the last minute. 

My brother and I used to jokingly (but probably still rudely) refer to all the idioms that my mother and grandmother used as crap. Many of the Chinese ones are quite funny. For example, dragging the moon to the bottom of the ocean (i.e. an impossible task) and something about water rising up to your eyebrows. I can't remember the specifics I  know that somehow, the meanings from all the idioms are in me. I have a book somewhere that I'll have to dig up one of these days - a Dictionary of Chinese Idioms.

Actually, that day may come very soon because my arsenal of idioms to fire at my own kids is practically empty. I have a total of one at the moment but its not a Chinese one : "Whats worth doing is worth doing well." Oh, and those Chinese ones only work if you say them in Cantonese. This is so strange, how did I get to the point of wanting to become my mother and rattle of Cantonese idioms at Aaron and Adrian?

Slang By Decade

The inevitable has happened. Aaron is starting to speak like his peers. "Like, y'know, like, one of the other doods (?)." I wasn't sure if I should put a question mark at the end of the sentence because he would definitely have spoken it with an upward inflection, but it doesn't necessarily mean he was asking a question. Alright, 'dood' (which by the way is the superior way of spelling 'dude' according to www.urbandictionary.com)  is not the latest slang term but the peers we're referring to here are 6-9 year olds. However, it did get me thinking of the time that he will probably start using words that I don't know about. Or perhaps words that I know, but have different meanings by then.


I was curious about the words I would need to pepper my conversations with if I wanted to appear a little more hmmmm....sweet. My search led me to HowStuffWorks and so for today, I am sharing with you the slang terms from the 1920s to now.

1920s 

1. 23 skiddoo -- to get going; move along; leave; or scram
2. The cat's pajamas -- the best; the height of excellence
3. Gams -- legs
4. The real McCoy -- sincere; genuine; the real thing
5. Hotsy-totsy -- perfect
6. Moll -- a female companion of a gangster
7. Speakeasy -- a place where alcohol was illegally sold and drunk during Prohibition
8. The bee's knees -- excellent; outstanding

1930s 

1. I'll be a monkey's uncle -- sign of disbelief; I don't believe it!
2. Gig -- a job
3. Girl Friday -- a secretary or female assistant
4. Juke joint -- a casual and inexpensive establishment with drinking, dancing, and blues music, typically in the southeastern United States
5. Skivvies -- men's underwear

1940s 

1. Blockbuster -- a huge success
2. Keeping up with the Joneses -- competing to have a lifestyle or socioeconomic status comparable to one's neighbors
3. Cool -- excellent; clever; sophisticated; fashionable; or enjoyable
4. Sitting in the hot seat -- in a highly uncomfortable or embarrassing situation
5. Smooch -- kiss

1950s 

1. Big brother is watching you -- someone of authority is monitoring your actions
2. Boo-boo -- a mistake; a wound
3. Hi-fi -- high fidelity; a record player or turntable
4. Hipster -- an innovative and trendy person

1960s 

1. Daddy-o -- a man; used to address a hipster or beatnik
2. Groovy -- cool; hip; excellent
3. Hippie -- derived from hipster; a young adult who rebelled against established institutions, criticized middle-class values, opposed the Vietnam War, and promoted sexual freedom
4. The Man -- a person of authority; a group in power

1970s 

1. Catch you on the flip side -- see you later
2. Dig it -- to like or understand something
3. Get down/Boogie -- dance
4. Mind-blowing -- unbelievable; originally an expression for the effects of hallucinogenic drugs
5. Pump iron -- lift weights
6. Workaholic -- a person who works too much or is addicted to his or her job

1980s 

1. Bodacious -- beautiful
2. Chillin' -- relaxing
3. Dweeb -- a nerd; someone who is not cool
4. Fly -- cool; very hip
5. Gag me with a spoon -- disgusting
6. Gnarly -- exceptional; very cool
7. Preppy -- one who dresses in designer clothing and has a neat, clean-cut appearance
8. Wicked -- excellent; great
9. Yuppie -- Young Urban Professional; a college-educated person with a well-paying job who lives near a big city; often associated with a materialistic and superficial personality

1990s Slang Terms

1. Diss -- show disrespect
2. Get jiggy -- dance; flirt
3. Homey/Homeboy -- a friend or buddy
4. My bad -- my mistake
5. Phat -- cool or hip; highly attractive; hot
6. Wassup? -- What's up?; How are you?
7. Word -- yes; I agree

2000s 

1. Barney Bag -- a gigantic purse
2. Newbie -- a newcomer; someone who is inexperienced
3. Peeps -- friends; people
4. Rents -- parents
5. Sweet -- beyond cool

After looking through the list, I think my favourites are from the 1920 - the cat's pyjamas and the bee's knees. Hey! I hear vintage is cool too. 

We Will Speak Mandarin

For the second time this week, a total stranger has triggered the feeling of failure in me. The first was the dentist and the second, the audiologist we met with today. I had to take Aaron for a follow up hearing test and the lady casually asked if he spoke a second language.

"No...I tried. I had the best intentions. He probably understands quite a bit but he doesn't speak any Mandarin."

Up until now, I have placed the responsibility of teaching Aaron, and now Adrian, a second language, squarely on Richard's shoulders. After all, he is the one that grew up with Mandarin as his first language. This is the only language his father speaks which made it quite awkward when we visited in December. Richard also went to a Mandarin speaking high school. So, its his language! He THINKS in Mandarin.

On the other hand, my parents speak to me in English. Apart from the smattering of Cantonese that I speak with my grandmother and kindergarten level Mandarin and Malay that I picked up from living in Malaysia, English is my only language.  How am I expected to surround my children with Mandarin?

It is with envy that I observe other mothers conversing solely in their non-English mother tongues with their children. I want to do that too but I'm going to need to learn the language first. I can't wait for Richard because he doesn't seem to be around enough to be effective. I have to stop my half hearted attempts to raise bi-lingual children and get serious about things.

So, I started last week. Unfortunately, Pimsleurs Mandarin lessons are very much for the traveler and are not giving much vocabulary for disciplining children or answer their hundreds of questions each day about the world around them.

We also have a set of childrens story books that build mini stories from some of the simpler characters. The boys and I read through these each day but I'm worried that they will get bored of that soon. I'll be stuck for material then and maybe have to make some of my own. EEK! I have also convinced Aaron to write a page of Chinese characters each day and he has been good so far.

I feel quite self conscious when we are out and about and I speak to them in Mandarin. If the people around me are not Chinese, I'm a little more comfortable but if they are, I try to whisper. Whispering doesn't work with these two boys so I inevitably fall back to English. Its terrible to look Chinese, have Chinese looking children and not be able to speak Chinese. Especially these days when there is so much emphasis on this second language business.

Anyway, I've set is as one of my major goals as a parent. Its going to be a miracle if I actually end up making them Mandarin speakers but at least I'm trying.

Aussie Slang

I picked up this hilarious book today - The Little Book of Great Aussie Slang. We were at the organic markets at Northey Street and this book was lying on a table with the sign 'Free Books', so, I picked it up, looked it through and took it home with me.

There are plenty in this book that I have never heard before and I thought I'd share a few here today.


1. Bend the elbow - to drink excessively.

2. Brick short of a wall - simple person.

3. Full as a fat woman's underwear - drunk.

4. Going to see a man about a dog - to urinate; to go somewhere without revealing exactly where.

5. If it was raining custard I'd only have a fork - to be very unlucky.

6. Lickety spit - a quick wash.

And look at these....

7. Call Ralph - to vomit.

8. Pavement Pizza - vomit

9. Chunder - vomit.

10. Yodel - vomit.


I wonder if there are people out there that really say these things.

I'll Be Safe With My Mini Flash Alarm

Living in an English speaking country has really cut down on the number of funny typos or strangely phrased signs about the place. I miss those!

But look what I found today. No, I did not buy it, just for the packaging. A thoughtful older friend gave it to me some time ago and I kept it safely somewhere, without reading the fine (and not-so-fine) print. I dug it out today it really does sound like a super all-in-one, save-me-from anything-and-everything device. The device itself looks very similar to a yo-yo.

It didn't just have a single funny word or sentence. It has typos, funny phrases and funny ideas. Everything on the front and back of the packaging was chuckle worthy. Click on the images to make them big.





The pictures at the bottom of the second image caught my attention before the words and I did spend a serious moment or two trying to decipher them. Then, I realized that the words provided plenty of clues. The praying hands one still has me stumped though...

Learning To Write Chinese Characters

Richard went to a Chinese primary and secondary school where he learnt to read, write and speak Mandarin. I am extremely envious of this because my reading, writing and speaking is probably at the Grade 1 standard. Even my parents regret it a little that they didn't send us to Chinese schools.

So, we're trying to have Richard speak only in Mandarin at home. It will help me as well as allow Aaron to grow up hearing the language whenever Richard is around. Recently, we've seen a slight surge in Aaron's speaking with Richard. At least he no longer answers in English whenever Richard says something in Mandarin.

Richard spends around 3 to 4 hours with Aaron each day and a lot of that time is spent playing or out on walks. This has left very little time for any sort of writing or even introduction to writing Chinese characters.

I think Aaron is pretty good with the pencil now and can do all his English alphabets and numbers decently. I've started trying to teach him how to write some simple Chinese characters but this is so hard!

The problem isn't so much recognizing the characters. At his age, I think everything still looks like a picture. But, learning to write them is a whole different story.

Each character has a number of strokes, the strokes have to be written in a certain order, and each stroke needs to start at a particular point. Take the character for hand for example.



It looks simple enough. Yet, you have to remember to do the three "horizontal" strokes first before the "vertical" one. And, the top most "horizontal" one needs to go from right to left, whereas, the other two go from left to right. Oh, you also can't life your pencil when moving from the "vertical" stroke to that slight up tick.

Thankfully, there are quite a few simple characters I can go through with him before I reach something like "dog" which is not terribly complicated but still hard for a 3 year old:



I know that in the Chinese schools, children are made to write a page or more of each character. I have one of those exercise books here and there are 195 squares to a page! Its not the most imaginative way to interest a child in Chinese but I guess those that went to Chinese schools had no choice and knew no better.

Bilbo has a post today on the dying art of handwriting. Yesterday, I read an article on how the number of internet users in China is more than the entire population of the US. I wonder if writing of Chinese characters will one day also become a dying art. Its not unthinkable since keyboards can be used to type out characters. All you would need to do is remember what the radicals look like and where they are on the keyboard (and maybe make a selection from proposed characters). So, you'd still need to be able to read and recognize characters but maybe one day, people won't remember which strokes come first or which direction they go in. I think there is an even simpler way too where they do it by typing the pinyin which is basically Romanized Chinese. So, I think its unlikely, but not completely unthinkable that people may eventually forget how to write the characters. Or at least forget how to write them correctly.

I get really frustrated trying to teach Aaron how to write but I think its something thats worth persevering with. I'm not giving up yet but I've told Richard that he's the Primary Chinese Tutor in the house!

Varieties of Stupid

I have a bit of a language lesson today. We have been watching a Mandarin drama series these past few nights and there is a character in there called "Da Sha". A direct translation is "Big Stupid".

That name, "Big Stupid", reminded me of a term that was one of my favorites when I was trying to pick up Mandarin from my colleagues at work - "Sha Qua" meaning "Stupid Melon". No, I don't think they called me that (or maybe they did behind my back), but it was a term that one particular girl would throw out every hour or so. I don't know why, I just liked the sound of it.

So now, we have Big Stupid and Stupid Melon. Another very common one that I hear in Mandarin TV shows is "Ben Dan" meaning "Stupid Egg". Or sometimes, "Da Ben Dan". You guessed it, "Big Stupid Egg". Obviously, with the references to melons and eggs, these aren't really used for malicious name calling purposes. I wouldn't know how to give a lesson on that. Supposedly, the swearing that goes on in Mandarin or Cantonese can be extremely colorful but unfortunately, I don't understand one bit of it.

Off on a tangent but still on the topic of eggs: Richard, who is only allowed to speak Mandarin to Aaron, often says "Pu Yao Huai Dan", meaning "Don't be a rotten egg!"

I wonder what the history is behind using melons and eggs. I'll update this list if I come across more varieties of stupid.

Funny Signs

Whenever we're out and about, stopped at traffic lights or in a traffic jam, I'm always scanning the signboards. There are some seriously funny signs about this place.

Sometimes, when there is a dry spell (as in, no funny signs) I tend to just stare at something absentmindedly. Like this particular one, until I found myself reading and re-reading the third line. I couldn't stop laughing afterwards. Little things like this make me laugh loud and long. These little errors sure make sitting in never ending traffic a whole lot more fun!



I'm still wondering what 'Grease Up' is.

Amanda's Indonesian

My Indonesian has been improving quite a bit lately and I think I'm even starting to develop a bit of an accent. Vocabulary is on the rise but my grammar is still pretty awful. Something new that I've has picked up recently is speaking in the third person. I'm not sure if this is even refered to as 'third person' speak. Its just the substitution of names instead of 'I' and 'You'. I have some examples further down.

For some reason, people make that substitution a lot over here. Its a safe habit to adopt because I am never sure of which 'you' word to use. There are a few words that mean 'you' and are used for different people depending on the relationship with the other person (I think).

At the gym today, I was chatting with one of the staff there. Here name is Nia and she was asking me if she could come visit me at home some time. The conversation ended with her saying something like "OK. Nia will come over to Amanda's house on her day off". We were both right there and there was only the two of us in the room. I ended up texting her my number with the message "Here is Amanda's number for Nia."

Anyway, I find it a little strange to say things like "Amanda will be going for a walk with Aaron now." But, I'm starting to get the hang of it.

On a side note, it may feel strange speaking this way now but I wonder if this is how we all start out talking. Aaron often speaks in the third person. Aaron walk. Aaron play now. Aaron change pants. Etc etc etc.....

Aaron's Tongue

Aaron has started talking a lot. Plenty of words and these days, short sentences as well. We have been fairly successful at sticking to the plan of Richard speaking Mandarin to Aaron while I speak English. Since I spend most time with him, English comes more naturally than Mandarin. Thats not surprising.

What is surprising is that we've noticed that it is the Indonesian sounds that he most likes to make. He doesn't spend that much time interacting with people who speak Indonesian but the language is floating about him all day long. And these days, he seems to actively look for opportunities to speak Indonesian.

Even though his Indonesian vocabulary isn't as broad (yet), I think he even asks more questions in Indonesian than in English. Who is that? What is that? Where is it? What is this? Have you eaten? With the local accent that he's acquiring, he's going to be better than me in no time.

Yesterday, when Aaron was talking to himself in Indonesian, my mother said to me "Its so strange. Thats not even his mother tongue".

He says, "No. Aaron's tongue." And sticks his tongue out.

This little guy always has his ears pricked up and listening to the conversations around him. Its no wonder he's absorbing so much language. I wish there was some way that I could surround him with more languages. It seems so effortless to him at the moment but I'm sure this sub conscious absorption will fade with age.

Kemarau Island

Yesterday, we decided to go to Kemarau Island. This is a small island where people flock to during the last two days of Chinese New Year to pray. That was last Wednesday and Thursday but I didn't want to join the crowds. Supposedly, people from as far as Singapore would make the pilgrimage to this place. There is a temple there dedicated to Toa Pek Kong. He is a minor Taoist deity in charge of looking after households, villages and rural lands.

We hopped on a little 'speedboat' to get to the island. The trip lasted about 2 mins and it cost us IDR50,000 (USD 5.45).

I sat in the middle of the boat. Here's the view looking in front:


And here's the boatman behind me:


The alters were all locked up so we couldn't get a closer look and other than the temple, there was only the new pagoda that is still under construction. The island itself was full of shady trees so it would have been pleasant to walk around if it wasn't for the rain that started when we were there.


My favorite part of the excursion was this sign at the base of the pagoda that was under construction.

Translation:
1. It is prohibited to go up. (Probably just while still under construction.)
2. It is prohibited to take photos on top of the dragon. (Two large dragons lined the stairs leading up to the pagoda)
3. It is prohibited to 'go on a date' in the pagoda.
4. It is prohibited to deface the pagoda.
5. Beware of 'Garong' cats. I can't find 'Garong' in the dictionary but it definitely doesn't refer to any type of feline. From what I have gathered, it refers to either perverts or people who supposedly try to seduce strangers. I'm not sure if they are flashers or not. I wish my Indonesian was better so I could have a better understanding of this type of words that no dictionary is going to define.

What were they thinking?!

Earlier this week I had a post about language. Today, I would like to share this photo of a road sign in Brunei. A friend of mine is working over there at the moment and sent it over.

Translation : King Silly Road

They also speak Malay in Brunei so the name of this road had me laughing immediately. Dungu is actually quite a common word. I say it all the time (even though it didn't make my top eight list). The effect is probably lost on most of my blog's readers but I wanted to share it anyway. Perhaps some of my family and friends will find it amusing.

Who is the teacher?

For the zillionth time today, I heard the words 'Its such a waste that she's staying home to look after the kids'. Bah!

Anyway, I am a stay at home person and with each passing day, I am learning about Aaron and more about myself than any other time in my life (except my own babyhood I guess).

Its all about communication now. Aaron tries so hard to communicate what he wants, what he's being playful about and how he feels. He uses plenty of words and sounds but we just don't understand them all yet. Nevertheless, we are communicating. I find that with 100% attention on him and a genuine interest in what he is saying, I eventually work out what he means. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, other times a few days. Patience definitely plays a big role here because until I get it, the sounds escalate to high pitched annoyances. Its easy to get frustrated and dismiss him but that doesn't solve anything. Sometimes I am guilty of it but, thats life - I get tired.

We have also been teaching him to sign and its starting to pay off. He has been using several signs that I taught him. His favourite is pointing his index finger to the palm of his other hand indicating 'more'. The real payoff is that he is starting to make up signs of his own and teaching them to me. Today, I learned the sign for glasses. He pats both his ears! I deserve an 'A' for picking that one up.

Aboriginal Words

I've mentioned suburb names in recent posts and have never really wondered what they meant until I thought of how strange some of the words may seem to readers in different parts of the world. I looked up the Origin of Brisbane Suburb Names for the meanings.

Indooroopilly: This is corruption of either the Aboriginal word Yindurupilly meaning gully of running water or Nyindurpilli meaning gully of leeches.

Toowong: This is another Aboriganl word meaning place of doves.

15 August

This is the Lunar Calendar date for the Chinese Mooncake festival. Sometimes, it is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is believed that on this day, the moon is the biggest, roundest and brightest!

I came across a much funnier meaning today though. We were at Ming Court (famous breakfast venue in Ipoh) for Dim Sum when one of the waitresses said to me "You'd better sit further back in case somebody accidentally kicks your chair. It will give your 15 August a good bump" HUH?? What was she talking about???

My BEHIND! Bum. Butt. Backside. Derriere. Rear-End. Now you can add '15 August' to it. If you want to say it in Cantonese, "Bat Yuet Sap Mm"

By the way, here is the Latin way to say '15 August': 'Nates'.

Pusing!

"Pusing" in Indonesian means headache. In Malay it means to turn around.

Anyway, I have a headache from all my excitement. We're going back to Ipoh for a few days today and all the adrenalin about the trip must be pooling in my head! Perhaps I might go for a drive to Pusing. That word is ALSO the name of a small town near Ipoh.

Politically Correct

Was wondering about this as I was putting Aaron to sleep....

There are several references to the 'Chinaman Company' on this blog. Its a common enough word amongst chinese Malaysian and Singaporeans but it occured to me that it could come across as racist to other people in this world. I'm chinese so obviously I'm not using it in the racist way but I can't think of what the term is for this type of company.

Does anybody know the politically correct term? I've turned the comments back on so let me know.