What Goes Under the SunWhat Goes Under the SunA blog about personal experiences, languages, culture, tips on English and other matters of interest. 
Articles
When my Windows crashed again
2008-03-08 17:08:00 My Windows crashed today. This is the sixth time it has happened.When reinstalling Windows failed, I resorted to formatting my Drive C. Unfortunately, I had to move some important files to my thumb drives with the help of Bart PE disk which I had the foresight to prepare prior to the crash. I knew that I would need it one of these days and it came in handy today. I also backed up my drivers immediately after I had reinstalled Windows when it crashed for the fifth day some time last year.Still I had to reinstall certain drivers such as those for my scanner and ethernet card.This time I installed only Firefox, AVG Anti-virus, Word, Nero 8, FineReader, Alzip, Winamp, Adobe Photoshop and Soundedit Pro. This will suffice for the time being.I found that with fewer prorammes in my computer, it runs faster. More About: Crashed
The use of function key F4
2008-03-07 17:10:00 I use Microsoft Word almost every day. There are a few shortcut keys we can make use of to speed up our work. One of them is the function key F4.This shortcut key is used to repeat the immediate action we have executed. For instance, if we want to underline certain words in a paragraph, we can highlight the first word and underline it by clicking the underline icon or press Ctrl U. After that we can use function key F4 to repeat our earlier action. We just need to highlight the next word to be underlined then press F4 key and the underlining will be done. Highlight another word and press F4 key again to underline it. Repeat this for the words you want underlined. More About: Function
The difference between ‘A number of’ and ‘The number of’
2008-03-06 17:02:00 ‘A number of’ plus other words will form a plural subject. The following examples will illustrate this fact.Example 1A number of plants in this garden were imported from other countries.Example 2A number of beggars are usually seen in front of the temple asking for alms.As a subject, ‘The number of’ with other words is singular. This can be shown by the sentences below.Sentence 1 : The number of pupils in this class is 30.Sentence 2: The number of tickets left for sale is 51.Mistakes occur if other words are added after the number 30 or 51. For example, ‘The number of pupils in this class is 30 people.’ is wrong because you are required to give a number only. Likewise, it will be incorrect to write ‘The number of tickets left for sale is 51 tickets.’ for the same reason. More About: Difference , Number
Illegible and eligible
2008-03-05 17:06:00 Two words which pose problems to students of English are ‘illegible’ and ‘eligible’.The word ‘illegible’ means ‘difficult to decipher or read’. The sentence below will make it clear to readers. His handwriting is illegible as I can’t read what he is trying to say.On the other hand, the word ‘eligible’ means ‘qualified’. Let us look at the following sentence. Those who are eligible can apply for the job advertised.It means those people who have the required qualifications and experience can apply for the job.
How to avoid spraining your ankle
2008-03-04 17:02:00 This morning, I went to the Chinese bone-setter to massage my sprained ankle. I consulted him on how to avoid spraining my ankle again. In this post I would like to share the tips I got from him.According to him, to prevent yourself from spraining your ankle, you must position your feet correctly when you walk, squat or get out of your car.a) When you walk, the sides of your legs should be parallel to each other.b) When you squat, you must open you leg to the width of your body, position your feet so that the sides are parallel to each other. Then squat down and move your feet to form a ‘V’ shape. You must not form the ‘V’ shape and squat for you will sprain your ankle in so doing.c) When you get out of your car, position your right foot (for Malaysia) and left foot (for USA) so that the side is parallel to the side of your car before shifting your body weight to it when you are out. If your foot is 45 degrees to the side of... More About: Avoid
Gerunds
2008-03-03 17:08:00 Gerunds are ‘ing’ verbs. They take singular verbs in sentences. The following are examples of the previous statements.Example 1Jogging is my hobby.Example 2Running 10 kilometres has been his daily routine since he was 15 years old.Example 3Quarrelling among students is very common in schools.Example 4Giving gifts to friends on their birthdays costs him quite a lot of money per year.Example 5Shopping with friends is what she does at weekends.Note that all bold words are subjects with gerunds rendering them singular in nature.
Meditation and me
2008-03-02 17:04:00 Everyone can practise meditation provided he follows one particular method to avoid unforeseen mishap.There are two ways of doing this and the easiest one is to concentrate on your breathing while closing your eyes to achieve peace of mind. Being aware of the rising and falling movement of your stomach while your are breathing with your eyes closed is another method.For me, besides the above two methods, I listen to Heart Sutra being played as my way of concentration while meditating. Sometimes I also meditate on the beach with my mind focused on the sound of the waves.Happy meditating. More About: Meditation
Massaging meridian points for health
2008-03-01 17:02:00 In my last two posts, I described two of the 3-1-2 Acupuncture Meridian Exercise, that is squatting & standing alternately and abdominal breathing exercise.In this post, I will talk about the three meridian points to be massaged for good health.The first meridian point is called 'Hegu'. It is situated between the forefinger and the thumb (see pix). Messaging this point will help totreat headache, fever, sore throat, laryngitis and nasal sinusitis.Next point to be pressed or massaged is 'Neiguan'. This acupuncture point is found below the wrist (see pix). By messaging Neiguan, we will enjoy good health for it helps to treat cardiac and pulmonary diseasesZusanli is the third meridian point which needs to be massaged. It can be found in the middle of the calf of our leg (see pix). Good health can be produced when we massage this point as it can cure digestive disorders, fever, headache, toothache, mental disorders, asthma, hypertension, cardiac vascular diseases, arthritis, jau... More About: Health , Points
Abdominal Breathing
2008-02-29 17:10:00 In my last post, I talked about squatting and standing alternately as a form of exercise.Today, I like to discuss the second type of exercise in the 3-1-2 Acupuncture Meridian Exercise designed by Professor Zhu Zongxiang of Beijing Yanghuang Meridian Research Centre. This exercise is also known as abdominal breathing. It involves breathing in and out with emphasis on the stomach movement. In this exercise, when we breathe in, the stomach should bulge or inflate. Hold for about 5 seconds before exhaling with the stomach drawing in slowly. Repeat it 10 to 20 times daily. I usually do this when I am lying on my bed before sleeping.This exercise is effective in curing or reducing the effect of diseases such as hypertension, insomnia, and diabetes.
Squatting and standing as a good form of exercise
2008-02-28 17:09:00 In my post about qigong, I mentioned wall-squatting which is usually practised by zhineng qigong enthusiasts daily. It is actually very good for maintaining health.In this post, I would like to discuss squatting and standing alternately as a form of exercise. It is in fact part 3 of the 3-1-2 Acupuncture Meridian Exercise widely promoted in China. The second exercise consists of breathing in and out with concentration on Dantian (meridian point three fingers below the navel) and it is known as abdominal breathing. The first is a bit tricky as it involves pressing or massaging three meridian or acupuncture points. One of these is between the forefinger and the thumb called ‘Hegu’ and another is in the middle of the calf called ‘Zusanli’. The third one is below the wrist called ‘Neiguan’.To do squatting, start from standing position and slowly squat down while stretching both arms parallel to the ground, palms facing downwards. Then rise slowly to the standing position, st... More About: Good , Form , Standing
Past Future Perfect Tense
2008-02-27 17:01:00 Past future perfect tense is in the form of :would (not) have + past participle.It usually pairs with past perfect tense.This tense is used to describe some action that has happened earlier which results in something not to the satisfaction of the doer.Example 1:If I had asked come earlier, I would have bought the last copy of the book.Explanation: I did not come earlier. If I did, the last book would still be there and I had the chance to buy it.Example 2:If man had shown concern towards the Earth, it would not have been polluted to the present extent.Explanation: Man did not show concern towards the Earth. Man polluted the Earth every now and then. It reached a serious state when this sentence is written. More About: Future , Past , Perfect , Future Perfect
How I get ideas to blog
2008-02-26 17:06:00 I write my blog daily right from first day I started it. Sometimes I wonder how I can get idea for each day’s post. Somehow ideas seem to come when I wake up at six in the morning.I will switch on my Pocket PC the first in the morning. It is my tool to pen my idea.During the morning, my mind is still fresh and I can usually think of something to blog.I normally give priority to cultural events in my country as these are timely and will be of interest to the international readers. English tips will be my fillers whenever no important event crops up.Ideas will come when I simply key in something and somehow or other, I will know what to write the day. This is what is known as inspiration.I hope to be able to continue having something to write about for the day in my blog. More About: Blog
Present and Past Particples
2008-02-25 17:28:00 The present participle is used after a finite verb in a sentence. So is the past participle. I shall explain what is meant by these through the following examples.Example 1 : I stood there, staring at the cat.In this sentence, the finite verb or the main verb is ‘stood’. There must not be any more finite verbs unless the sentence is joined to another sentence by a conjunction such as ‘and’. Hence we use ‘staring’, the present participle after the finite verb ‘stood’ has been used.It will be wrong to write ‘I stood there, stared at the cat.’ but it is correct if we write ‘I stood there and stared at the cat.’Example 2 : They went forward, driven by sheer determination.The past participle in the above sentence is ‘driven’ and it is used after the finite verb ‘went’. The past participle can also be used somewhere in front of the finite verb. For example, it is correct if we write ‘Haunted by the unsolved problem, the man was restless the whole day.... More About: Past , Present
How to overcome delusion
2008-02-24 17:04:00 In Buddhism, delusion refers to the state of not being able to understand the true nature of things. It is one of the three evils that cause us to suffer.If we understand that all things are impermanent and start to practise detachment, then we will be able to overcome delusion.A man will grow old as days go by. He cannot stay young and handsome forever. So is a girl. This is one of the true nature of things. We may be with our beloved this moment and he or she may be gone the next moment. If we attach too much love to him or her, we will suffer, i.e. feel very sad for parting with him or her. Only detachment that we practise will overcome delusion such as this, thinking that we will be with our beloved from day 1 to eternity More About: Overcome
How to lessen hatred towards others
2008-02-23 17:05:00 In my earlier post, I mentioned that according to Buddhism, there are three evils that hinder one to achieve enlightenment. These include greed, hatred and delusion. In my last post, I suggest that we practise doing dana to lessen or get rid of greed.In this post, I will discuss how to lessen hatred towards others. We hate others when they have done something to hurt us physically or mentally.Let us think again in terms of reincarnation. The person who hurt you may be the one whom you hurt in your last life. Hence, we should not retaliate or the cycle will repeat. Instead, we try to forgive the one who hurt you bodily or mentally. In this way, you will not harbour hatred towards him anymore.When you really cannot stop hating others, try to meditate or chant the name of the Buddha. By doing any of these, you will find that you will have peace of mind, including clearing your mind of the very thought of hating others.Any way of getting rid of hatred is to practise loving all beings, i... More About: Hatred
Dana and Buddhists
2008-02-22 17:06:00 Buddhists like to do dana - the act of giving food or robes to the monks. Dana can also mean giving help to others who need it and it can be in the form of money, things, advice or kind words to cheer someone up.Those who give money to help the needy will get back money much more than what they have donated according to the law of karma (cause and effect).Buddhists will become wiser by giving kind words to someone to cheer him up or guide him to the right path.You can even wish that a certain function to be held will be successful. This can constitute dana too.Hence you need not be rich to practise doing dana. More About: Buddhists
How to practise Buddhism
2008-02-21 17:02:00 Buddhism is considered a way of life. As such, practising Buddhism is just leading our lives according to the teaching of the Buddha.Basically, we are to get rid of the three evils, namely avarice or greed, hatred and delusion.We can stay away from greed by being generous, giving things and rendering services to others more than receiving them. In this way we will be less egoistic and think more of others' needs than our own.Avoiding hatred towards others is a bit more difficult to practise but if we think in terms of reincarnation and treat others as our mothers, fathers, siblings and relatives in our past lives, then we have every reason to endear them to us and not otherwise.Getting rid of delusion is to practise detachment. We should not attach too much of our feeling towards our dear ones as according to Buddhism, all things are not constant. Withering of flowers is a very good example of this. If we attach too much feeling towards our dear ones we may feel very sad should the... More About: Buddhism
Chap Goh Mei
2008-02-20 17:03:00 Today is Chap Goh Mei - the 15th day of Chinese New Year. In Hokkien, "chap goh' and 'mei' mean 'fifteen' and 'mei' respectively. It is literally 'the fifteenth night'. It is called Yuan Xiao Jie (End of 1st moon Festival) in Mandarin and marks the end of Lunar New Year.In ancient China, girls were not usually allowed to go out of their houses. However, on Yuan Xiao Jie they were allowed out to witness the merry atmosphere of the night. They would be seen by eligible bachelors who would then send match-makers to ask for their hands in marriage. In this way, young lads and lasses had a chance to find their life-partners. That explains why Chap Goh Mei or Yuan Xiao Jie is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day.It has been the practise that ladies on this night will throw mandarin oranges in the hope of getting good husbands while the bachelors will throw drums to get good wives.In Gurney Drive, Penang, competition of throwing mandarin oranges used to be held and it attra...
How to improve your English
2008-02-19 17:02:00 English is an international language and the key to acquiring knowledge. As such, one should try to improve on the language.There are several ways to do this.First, take a great interest in the language. Only with interest will your effort of learning the language be sustained. Read anything English. It can be a label on a can, a newspaper page, a book or a magazine.Second, buy a good English dictionary, preferably one that has English explanation only so that inhibition of one's mother tongue will not occur.Third, speak with a friend who is proficient in English. When we listen to one who speaks good English, we will be influenced by him or her to do the same too.Fourth, listen to news on radio and television, paying to the pronunciation. BBC provides good English audio files for you to listen to in your effort to master the language.Fifth, keep a journal. A journal enables you to put your thoughts on paper or electronically like what I do with my Pocket PC.As conclusion, in order... More About: English , Improve
Subject-Verb Agreement
2008-02-18 17:18:00 Students of English often make mistakes in subject-verb agreement. The following are some examples and their corrections:Example 1One of the boys come here every day. [wrong]One of the boys comes here every day. [correct]Explanation: The subject is ‘one’, singular.Example 2Either of the girls do not know my name. [wrong]Either of the girls does not know my name. [correct]Explanation: ‘Either of the girls’ means ‘anyone of the girls’. So the subject is singular.Example 3Neither of us have the key to the room. [wrong]Neither of us has the key to the room. [correct]Explanation: ‘Neither of the us’ means ‘not one of us’. Hence the subject is singular.Example 4John, together with his brother were at the bus stop just now. [wrong]John, together with his brother was at the bus stop just now. [correct]Explanation: The subject here is John, singular.Example 5My friend and owner of this shop always play badminton with me. [wrong]My friend and owner of this shop always play... More About: Agreement , Subject
Chanting the Buddha's Name
2008-02-17 17:05:00 When we talk about Buddhism, meditation always comes to our mind as a way of practising Buddhism.Meditation is good but you need guidance or you may be in trouble as you may be possessed by evil spirits.In this post, I will talk about another way of achieving the same effect as meditation in terms of acquiring peace of mind and nothingness. It is chanting Buddha's name. We can chant the name of any Buddha, preferably Amita Buddha many times a day. It can be 108 times or more. When we chant, we say 'Namo Amita Buddha' clearly, concentrating on each word we utter. With full concentration, we will clear our mind of all mundane things and achieve calmness. It is said that if we chant sincerely and whole-heartedly, golden light will fill the place where we sit chanting. It is the light manifested by the Buddha.People who practise this method enjoy good health because peace of mind allows the organs in the body to function well.
What I Learnt from Buddhism
2008-02-16 17:23:00 In my quest for a religion to follow, I have studied Christianity and Buddhism .In this post, I would like to talk about what I have learnt from Buddhism.Buddhism is more a way of life than religion as practised by followers of other faiths. I learn from Buddhism that we are responsible for our every act. In other words, no one else will be able to help you achieve nirvana (eternal bliss) but yourself. According to Buddhism, we cannot free ourselves from suffering because of greed, hatred and delusion. We want more of everything and it leads to disappointment when we fail to get what we want. We get angry easily over minor things and start hating the one who aggravates us. Delusion refers to failure to understand the cause and effect phenomenon. One way of getting rid of these three ills is through meditation. It makes us less greedy, not so easily angered and realise that there is such a thing as karma. Some monks have done experiments to prove the truth in cause and effect phenomen...
How to use 'bring' and 'fetch' correctly
2008-02-15 17:07:00 In my earlier post, I discussed how to use 'borrow' and 'lend' correctly. In this post, I will guide readers on the correct usage of 'bring' and 'fetch'. Remember these points when you use 'bring' and 'fetch': 1 'bring' means 'to take something from our place (near) to somewhere far away (far).' 2 'fetch' means 'to take something from far to our place (near).' Based on the above, we can make sentences such as the following: 1 I bring my English dictionary to school every day. 2 Father usually asks me to fetch brother from his school which is 10 kilometres away from my house. 3 'Go and fetch me a pail of water from the tap there,' said Lisa to me. 4 'Bring your own drawing paper tomorrow,' said the Art teacher to her pupils before they went home. The following sentences are considered wrong based by my earlier explanation. 1 "Fetch me a cup of tea," said John to his wife who is in the kitchen. Explanation: ...
Praying to Jade Emperor
2008-02-14 17:08:00 Today is the 9th day of Chinese New Year. The Hokkien especially will pray to Jade Emperor ( or Tnee Kong in Hokkien).Things laid on the table for praying include sugarcane stems with leaves tied to the front left and right legs of the table, pagodas made of sugar, pomelo, pineapple, watermelon and other cakes such as nian gao and huat kuih (get-rich cake)..Some Chinese will even burn gigantic jossticks called long xing or dragon jossticks which will continue to glow until the next day.The inclusion of sugarcane stems needs explanation. They are offered for prayer to commemorate the narrow escape of the Hokkien people in the past when they were pursued by their enemies and had no where to hide but to go into the sugar plantation. The sugarcane plants had saved their lives because the enemies failed to spot them hiding there.As for the offering of pineapple, it is for good luck and prosperity because the fruit is called 'ong lai' meaning 'here comes good luck or here comes prosper...
I have blogged for three months
2008-02-13 17:05:00 Since I started this blog, I have blogged for three months. I have learnt quite a lot of things about blogging. If you ask me to stop blogging now, I don't think I will quit. From no visitor to an average of 15 visitors per day now and my technocrati rank has reached the top 10k category, I have all the reasons to go on penning my posts. Being a language teacher as I am still teaching English and Malay, I feel that I should share my knowledge and experience with fellow bloggers and blog readers in English. Hence most of the posts are about English. I also like to talk about Chinese culture and current events or celebrations. If your read through all my earlier posts, you will have read my unique experiences in astray travelling, spiritual healing, qigong, karma and my experience while paying homage to Sai Baba when I had the chance to see him materialise a bracelet out of nothing for a boy who went on stage to receive a certain award for his good deed. I hope to be able to... More About: Months
Tossing Yu Sheng
2008-02-12 18:17:00 Tossing the ingredients as high as you canToday is the 7th day of Chinese New Year. On this day, the Chinese, especially businessmen will be tossing yu sheng at restaurants. “Yu” as I mentioned in my earlier post, means “fish” originally but the Chinese takes its sound and opt for another word of the same pronunciation but it has the meaning of “surplus”. “Sheng” which carries the meaning of “raw” is also forgone and another homonym is chosen. The substituted word means “going up and up” Combination of the two words will mean “having surplus of earnings in business and getting promoted in position for staff of any company one works for”. The ingredients consist of raw fish, rice crackers, lime, peanut crumbles, sesame oil and plum sauce. Each of these has its significance or meaning. Raw fish symbolizes increasing abundance. The entire floor full of gold is represented by rice crackers while lime is for a productive year. Ladies will like the incl...
How to use past perfect tense.
2008-02-12 17:41:00 In my earlier post, I discussed how to use present perfect tense. Today, I will talk about how past perfect tense is used. The past perfect tense usually pairs with simple past tense. These are the things you need to bear in mind when using past perfect tense: a) Use past perfect tense for the action done / happened earlier. b) Use simple past tense for the action done / happened later. Example 1 I had taken my breakfast when I went out. [Taking breakfast is the action done earlier than going out.] Example 2 No sooner had I reached home than it rained. [Reaching home happened earlier than raining.] Example 3 My brother had done his homework before he watched television. [Doing homework took place earlier than watching television.] More About: Past , Perfect
The Significance of Hong Bao
2008-02-11 17:11:00 Sample Hong Bao 1Sample Hong Bao 2On the 1st day of Chinese New Year, children will be most happy because they will receive hong bao in Mandarin or ang pau in Hokkein. A hong bao is actually a red packet containing money. Why do parents give hong bao to their children? Well, hang bao was known as ya sui qian or money to suppress evil. According to legend, the Chinese in China was once attacked by a fierce animal known as nian. It usually came on the first moon of the lunar calendar. One year, the animal which was scared of the colour red and din came again. The villagers quickly painted their houses red and made a lot of noise by beating drums and other things. Nian ran away on seeing red houses and hearing the loud sound. It never frequented them again after that. Since then, the Chinese celebrated Xin Nian (New Year) on Day 1 of the first moon according to the lunar calendar. Hence the red packet given to children is to scare away evil like the nian which is afraid of... More About: Significance
No Sweeping of Floor on CNY
2008-02-10 17:07:00 Today is the 5th day of Lunar New Year. In this post I would like to talk about some taboos on Chinese New Year. On the 1st day of Chinese New Year (CNY), the broom is kept away lest we use it. It is believed by the Chinese and I am one, that sweeping the floor on CNY is driving away cai or money. So most Chinese parents have to tolerate some rubbish on the floor on this day as it is a welcome sign of cai because rubbish equates wealth. Another thing the Chinese won’t do on CNY is to speak unkind or unlucky words as they will bring bad luck for the current lunar year. The Chinese will also shun food that will bring suffering because of the name attached to certain kinds of food such as bitter gourds, fried squids (as chow yau yu is its equivalent in Cantonese and it means get sacked from a job) More About: Floor
Receiving Deities back from Heavenly Realm
More articles from this author:2008-02-09 17:06:00 Today is Day 4 of Lunar New Year. Most Chinese believe that the deities including Kitchen Dewa who has reported to the Jade Emperor in Dewa Realm about the merits and demerits of the house he dwelt in will be back. So offering of fruits and cakes to them will be done to welcome those deities back to earth.Nian gao will also be one of the items put on the altar as an offering. Penang Hokkiens still practise this custom of welcoming back deities on the 4th day of Chinese New Year.So much for the custom practised by the Chinese including my family. More About: Back 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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