The world in various historical and cultural contexts

I'm fluent in two exclusive languages: Chinese and English. To me, the world still appears to be a difficult place to explore and maneuver, in historical and cultural contexts. Latin America, Oceania, Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, Northern Europe, and Eastern Europe. Any of their histories I don't know. And their historical figures and their names look so strange and foreign to me.

For example, Bhai Baghel Singh "is celebrated in Sikh history as the vanquisher of Mughal Delhi." And the architectural wonder Taj Mahal in India "was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal." So these two historical items are closely related, cue the keyword "Mughal". But look, how many foreign words there are simply in those names!

I guess that if what one wants is a steady income, then he may vaguely or clearly regret over unimproved opportunities in the latter half or the end of his life.

I for one like the look and flair of Scotland Yard.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_Yard.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New-Scotland-Yard-Victorian-building-Big-Ben-1890.jpg / GNU Free Documentation License)

The American mettle has somewhat influenced the Canadian one, I guess.

Obstreperous factions, blocs, influences, and forces are everywhere.

A food court is within the building, and a court/courtyard is outside and adjacent to the building.

Raising a baby is super busy and gnarly, but having no baby probably will be eventually tragic.

RRSP is one's covenant with his old-age financial security.

If one's more than 50 years old and he doesn't have RRSP, that is precarious.

I don't think I had ever eaten squash in China before coming to Canada.

The notorious traffic jams and air pollution in Beijing make such a massive groan that it's no longer a livable city, unless one has huge profit to pursue in it.

Yet many people choose not to hear it.

The fracking manna in the U.S. is so unexpected.

Labor, and job

It seems that in essence, workers in capitalist societies are detached from their jobs, so to speak. After they've spent years on a certain job or in a certain organization, naturally they would somewhat feel it's their own backyard. However, it happens in reality that the employer can just lock them out and tell them the jobs don't need them any more, without any advance notice, not even on the day before.

A worker doesn't own the job, he only owns his labor.

A worker sells his labor, and an employer buys it. And no one is selling a job, and no one is buying one. So, perhaps "job market" is a false name. And "labor market" is a much more suitable one.

厨艺

如果你想变得做菜好吃，生个孩子。

如果你想变得做菜好吃又快速，生两个。

如果你想变得象餐厅大厨一样专业，做菜好吃快速又成本低，生三个孩子吧。

:-)

MS Windows has increasingly become a nifty OS for power users.

However, its market share is doomed to decline largely.

In the marketplace over the past several years, the Windows operating system is not vanquished by Mac OS and iOS from Apple, it is done by Linux and its mobile derivative, which means Android.

It happens against the backdrop in the mobile computing sphere that many past and current Apple fans have switched to or been contemplating Android.

And, in the desktop computing sphere, I for one need Linux more than Windows.

Everything said, Windows is not without its own merits and advantages. For instance, I quite like the Windows Aero desktop environment present in Windows 7 and so on.

People and location names in the English language have their share of funniness or awkwardness.

"Dick" is obvious vulgarism.
There are so many "Waterloo"s in the world. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo. The question is, which loo in the world doesn't have water? Right? :-)
"Chester" should make ladies shy away. The guy "chest"s. Gee.
The name "Fortinbras" looks O.K. But, there's a but, how does it sound? What? "Fourteen bras"? Faint.

Just some joking words by me.

With the continuous emergence of facilitators, for one's biz adventures, where there's a will there's a way.

Note: I'm not sure if the above "facilitator" is the right word for it, but you get what I mean.

Less and less young people have the false expectation of climbing the corporate ladder.

Where's the ladder? Does it really exist?

The word "inheritance" has an obsolete meaning - "possession", "property".

Without any research over that, my sheer guess is it reflects a subtle shift in people's attitudes across centuries regarding properties. Hundreds of years ago, people's main stance towards possessions had been that they can be passed to their descendants. In modern times, that is they can be consumed by the properties' owners themselves.

Just a wild conjecture by me.

George W. Bush, the scion of President George H. W. Bush, also became a U.S. president himself.

Then, the Great Recession began under his helming. Look at what he'd done for the economy of the U.S. and the world. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush#Public_image_and_perception.

I used to squash and mince garlic for cooking. Now I just slice it.

A winter carnival simply means a winter festival.

I moan and groan about information overload.

"Yard", "yarn", and "gage" are all simple words which are used often in old English.

Last week, a water main broke in downtown Montreal, and it caused a deluge and then ice all over.

Montreal's infrastructure will need to be upgraded.

Courtyard provides a good additional function to a building.

For toddlers, Souri Mini makes nifty snow suits, but it seems they don't sell really warm mittens.

For parents with a toddler, household chores can often eat up almost a moiety of their waking hours.

By way of learning by doing, one can be seized of all the necessary skills and assets to make a successful biz, as long as he works hard and is courageous but doesn't get over-confident.

Everyone has moments of "monkey see, monkey do".

Some people squash their cardboard boxes before recycling. Then you know they care.

The ratification of Americans' gun ownership is by no means clear enough in the United States Constitution, it's been reputed.

"The wind moaned in the trees" is such a widely adopted expression in the English language.

You see that many people have used it: http://goo.gl/IJu6A .

Deposit is there to be forfeited in case of breaching a promise.

One shall not kill another. It's ratified by law and morality.

But then, caveats come in. What if in a war? What if the law is corrupt and does not carry justice? And so on.

Samsung has become so nifty and nimble.

Apparently, South Korean industries have soared beyond the other 3 Asian Dragons. Taiwan has got some serious troubles with its almost out-of-mode PC component industries, and with its HTC's market share being taken by Samsung.

Amazon has gone gangbusters in recent years.

And Jeff Bezos has been touted as a genius.

The additive process of increasing my English vocabulary has been taking me at least three years.

All in all, it has to be done by learning new words one by one.

It's said that the old-fashioned brand names Pierre Cardin and Montgut are out of mode.

It's inevitable that people in Montreal must squash through the mud of melted snow for multiple times every year.

That's life.

It appears that in China, more and more civilians publicly moan the loss of their only child in accidents, where couples are not allowed by the government to have more than one offspring.

There appears to be not much chivalry in the running of the Chivalry whiskey.

See the section "Not so Chivalrous" at http://www.whisky-pages.com/stories/news-06-2011.htm.

A "hit man" doesn't just want to hit, but he aims to murder.

Many people preclude opportunities for themselves by not behaving.

I don't have time to check out the whole story about the Idle No More movement's causes, intentions, and goals.

But one thing is clear, the whole Canada has got a ratified treaty with the Aboriginal People of Canada, and the treaty must be understood and respected by Canadians, including aboriginals.

Marketing is surely within the purview of an organization's head.

Movies are a useful invention which fills people's downtime.

I'm apt to confuse the word "pare" with "pair", but not to do "hare" with "hair".

Compact, contract, covenant, and agreement.

All the above words can apply to one thing - international treaty.

I was slayed by this article by Mr. Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2012/11/06/steve-forbes-romney-will-win-decisively/ .

At the current seemingly prevalent price point, it appears nearly impossible for Z. O. to scale up his little side business.

I'm not sure if the fillers such as "you know" and "I'm like" are bad English.

Failing to address one's competence issues other than academic ones, such as EQ and etiquette, simply taking on more formal academic courses doesn't bring much additive value, I'm afraid.

The world esteems President Obama not because he's black, but because of his actual achievements as a U.S. president.

If a war between China and Japan really breaks out, I for one doubt how many Chinese soldiers and military technical personnel will act valiantly in pivotal combats, particularly given the well-known fact of the ever exacerbating situation of pervasive corruption and money-worship in China's society.

Besides, is it really necessary for China or Japan to start a war and send troops to fight and die and let their parents groan and cry? And what about Russia?

"Later on" just means "later". Just that.

Now with more and more domestic artists and civilians daring China's government to move to a more democratic sovereignty, I for one am not sure what will happen to China in 10 years and in 30 years.

Scientists say that foods larded with sugar, salt, and fat are somewhat intrinsically addictive for humans.

Now picture those people gobbling down large hamburgers along with soda drinks day in and day out. They are addicted to quite unhealthy diets.

Sometimes parents groan with near exhaustion after taking care of their babies, when the latter give the former a hard time, which happens from time to time.

Women in China's large cities are apt to be emulous of others' carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag or something.

It's reported that many Canadians, both teenagers and adults, don't have time or the will to exercise their bodies.

The consequences will come home to roost for themselves, and for the medical care system of Canada.

"Claude" is a unisex name in French.

By the way, Claude Monet left so much heritage. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet.

In terms of learning about English vocabulary, I'm not sure if the word "fag" (cigarette) is really not etymologically related to "faggot" (no offense to homosexual guys).

Now I suspect with the ascendance of the education level of average Joes and Janes, which in itself is a very good thing, more and more people have got reading addiction to some degree, as a side effect.

I see it in Canada. And I see it on Douban.com .

During the journey to re-define the future, sometimes one has to sacrifice significant short-term monetary gains in order to seek higher long-term profits.

I did that.

Ignorant sanguinity is not what I want.

Cash in, and cost out. That's one's life of consumption.

More and more whispers about getting rich in Africa have been circulating among Chinese.

To work in Africa is not my cup of tea, though.

Patience is a necessary additive for most sorts of work towards achievements.

I've noticed in Montreal that many Chinese people go easy on news from outside the Chinese media. But it's always not my case.

Pneumatic seat height adjustment is a helpful technology on swivel chairs, in my layman's eyes.

But I'm just lazy and don't want to really check out how it works.

"No problem. Please feel free to ask my wife and me any questions about caring for a baby. Take care," J said.

Some people say that ambition is capital for an individual. I agree. On the other hand, I would say that ambition is a sore.

What it is mostly depends on how one feels at a particular moment or at a given life stage.

The Huawei mobile WiFi routers are interesting.

See http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFamily.do?method=index&directoryId=5009&treeId=3619.

However, with the omnipresence of free WiFi spots and 3G/4G network coverage, I wonder how many people in Canada constantly use it.

Mostly, trust is what divides Mainland Chinese suppliers from Western ones on a consumer's mind, I'm afraid. Or it will be so before long.

W. M. is busy with getting his little house into shape in his off-work hours.

Having seen so many boys and young men who appear to be addicted to video games, I can't help but think that virtual reality has already descended upon us long time ago.

During full-scale wars, impressment is often inevitable for civilians.

Diplomas have become increasingly pro forma, in this era of lifelong learning and the democratization of university education.

Actually many typical Chinese dishes are made by frying julienned vegetables. And they are delicious.

There's a fine line between being well informed and being an information addict.

The family names "Carpenter" and "Wright" have very similar meanings. Interesting.

I saw three small well-made see-through glass boxes hanging on a light pole in Montreal Botanic Gardens the other week.

At first I thought they were roosts for those sparrows who hung around. Then I realized they were feeders instead, after careful observation.

"Gee. Early birth, wasn't it? I'll pay a visit to your place later on," J said.

It seems that sangria drinks are for women more than for men.

Elegant look the implements of Japanese cuisine, I think.

Then, their eating utensils, i.e. chopsticks and spoons, are just as commonplace as the Chinese ones.

Within the activities of "buy low, sell high", there must be additive values.

Otherwise they would be sheer speculation.

To mart is to serve, if you will.

This probably is the fifth or sixth time that I look up the difference between the meanings of the words "glove" and "mitten/mitt". Duh!

I for one am observant of news. It's trainspotting or "trendspotting" if you will. :-)

Unfortunately for U. Q., the chickens will come home to roost.

Vintage music videos - Scorpions - Wind of Change

The lyrics are here:
http://www.lyrics007.com/Scorpions%20Lyrics/Wind%20of%20Change%20Lyrics.html

There appears to be so many food produces in China with improper additives in them that I for one become more and more reluctant to consume foods imported from China.

We have two swivel chairs - one is so-called manager chair, and the other task chair.

And the current condition of the flooring under the task chair is much worse than that under the manager chair.

I don't understand why.

Good now, French foodstuff really tastes superior.

Many a time, one's extreme sanguinity exposes his ignorance.

Sometimes I would want to smite the English language, if such a thing existed physically.

There are so many new words whose meanings have to be learned, and worse than that, there are so many new words I encounter every month!

Anyways, eventually I'm gonna kick ass. Release the kraken.

Is the notion just a visceral myth that China will become the No. 1 or 2 power in the world in several decades, which various people often claim?

We must keep in mind that things, as well as history, always don't develop linearly.

Music video - 春天里 - 汪峰

词：汪峰  曲：汪峰

The Labatt Bleue Dry beer isn't bad.