28 Feb 08 – new words and phrases

Recently I have overhauled my routine on my way to work to pick up a copy of “My paper, 我报“, it’s free-of-charge.

I liked it more than the established Singapore English papers – The Straits Times, firstly because it’s bilingual, english and chinese, each territorizing half the papers; I seldom want to learn new words in chinese though, having a conversational vocab on the language will do. Secondly, it has a small box called the helpdesk, 我的字典 on most of the articles, be it the english or chinese sections. This has simplified my process of learning new vocabularies as these boxes have highlighted and placed the difficult words on potshot in the small boxes, giving a concise explanation of the meaning at the same time, saving me some time in checking up the dictionary for a few of the words. Ok let’s share a few new words.

neophyte – this word is used for a new plant found which has not been recorded previously; alternatively, it has the similar meaning to a newbie or amateur. I can say: “You are a neophyte in gaming.”

sheepishly - in embarassment or shame. I like this word too. Imagining a sheep always shying herself away from people and bending her head down to graze. I reply sheepishly.

Oh I came across another meaning of the word radical today. Radical usually we use it to mean something revolutionary, with a new direction for example the radical move to eradicate poverty. It can be used to mean thoroughly. For example, future proposal on this topic have to be radically different to stand a chance to be accepted.

Aesthetically – in a tasteful way.

A good phrase to learn is pale into insignificance in comparison with.

Lastly, a very flirty word – coquettish. A coquette is a seductive woman who used her sex appeal to exploit men. So coquettish simply means flirtatious.

That’s all folks. Hope you will like these words as much as I do.

The silent exit of a headstrong woman

Death took her away peacefully even though she was a headstrong woman, opinionated, smoked one of her lungs away, and cursed at heavens for her plight of losing her husband for more than a decade when she was alive.

A summary of my maternal grandmother. She had passed away on 27 Feb, a wednesday, peacefully during her sleep in the afternoon. Finally, she has found respite from her turbulent life. When death came, it took her away, no signs of her struggling against him, only a silent exit.