New category of ‘the Bahá’í Faith’ - Apr 15, 2008
I will learn the Book One of the lessons of the Bahai Faith with David under the introduction by Teck Cheng and Ming Hwee tomorrow evening. And this is the right time to begin a new category especially for ‘the Bahá’í Faith’, following are the posts in my website since I knew this religion:
狮城日志：大年初二 - Feb 08, 2008
it was the first timeMelic - Feb 23, 2008
How I know Melic狮城日志：混沌 - Feb 24, 2008
the bahai faith friends狮城日志：parties - Mar 04, 2008
Melic and Lalitha, partiesOrigin of the Human Race - Mar 12, 2008
the new page for the Bahai FaithFirst Youth For Peace Interfaith Symposium - Mar 16, 2008
one unity, one dream, one world, one human beingNaw Rúz - Mar 20, 2008
the Bahai Faith new year狮城日志：这些天 - Mar 23, 2008
Melic, parties
Naw Rúz - Mar 20, 2008
Naw Rúz，新年的意思，根据巴哈伊历法，每年的3月21日是新年的第一天，也就是从冬天转到春天的第一天，这一天也是The Bahá’í Fast（March 2 to 20）的最后一天。今年新加坡的Bahai New Year dinner是在Meritus Mandarin Hotel举行，偷偷的说一句，根据环境判断，这个dinner是俺有生以来参加过的“最高级别”的一个dinner。我是作为Melic和Lalitha的客人坐在第10号餐桌，这个位置几乎是最好的了，就在舞台前侧边，总共有48桌。据说有许多人要票都没有，估计明年会扩大规模，每张票大概65新币左右吧，我的是Melic请客。印象比较深刻的是其中由Roger Jenkins说的三个故事，第一个是在森林中几个动物的故事，引申出巴哈伊教的一个关于one humanity的教义；第二个是从一张纸两面涂有不同颜色引发出要尝试着从他人的角度看问题，而不是一开始就争吵；第三个故事是从“渔夫与金鱼”框架中换成现代的场景，一个人的开心与否是内心决定而不是身外物。 Read the rest of this entry »
English language - Mar 10, 2008
昨天跟Melic说我在这里对方向感一点都没有是因为在客家话里面一般去市区都是“上”的方向词在前面，而现在我住的地方去乌节路其实在地图上是往下走，因此就弄混了，另外一个这里道路方向在左跟国内相反也是一个因素。刚才收到他的一封邮件，就在下面。另外前天还有一封主题是storytime的邮件，我还没有开始看呢：http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/bubeng.html。之所以这么快将这个内容贴出来是因为可以在my dame room上网了，不过不知道是不是临时的，刚才只是check了一下，竟然有一个可以连上（update: 事实证明，只高兴了一会，正奸商）。OK，废话不说先，请enjoy：
An interesting piece on the English language!
(1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
(2) The farm was used to produce produce.
(3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
(4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
(5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
(6) The soldier decided to desert his desert in the desert.
(7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
(8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
(9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
(10) I did not object to the object.
(11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
(12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
(13) They were too close to the door to close it.
(14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
(15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
(16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
(17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
(18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
(19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
(20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let’s face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
Read the rest of this entry »
狮城日志：parties - Mar 04, 2008
Last Thursday and Friday I joined two parties at the local friend’s house. That were all large house. On Thursday, there was a birthday party, the husband is from India and the wife is from Malaysia, and the house is near Sambarwang. There was a ‘giving day for the children’ on Friday. The couple, Mehrdad and Mojgan, is from Australia, they were very nice, the house is near C.K.Tang building, Orchard Road. At the end of the party, their youngest daughter had sang two songs with playing her guitar (Hey Jude and Imagine), and then a guest played the Hotel California with guitar too.
Melic and Lalitha brought me to those parties and I have a very good time with them. Thanks a lot. Although I still need time to improve my speaking English, Melic help me a lot by taking me to his friend’s parties. I can meet a lot of people from different countries and they’re all very nice.
Hey Jude - The Beatles Read the rest of this entry »
Melic - Feb 23, 2008
British Council有资格颁发面向成人的英语教师资格证书，为了评定申请人的能力，就开设了一些免费的课程，为期三个月（分为Elementary和Foundation水平，每个星期两节课，每节课两个小时），让一定程度水平的学生自主报名，但是要先交S$150的押金，大概参与率在80%以上就可以拿回那押金。Melic就是我在Foundation班级的教师之一，一共有四个老师，是唯一的男老师，也是年纪最大的。他现在转到Elementary班，大概是一半课程是Foundation另一半是Elementary的。
Melic有一半的印度血统，之前我还以为他是纯正的中国血统，不过稍微注意一下外表还是有点差别。他跟他妻子育有两个女儿一个儿子，年纪都在20到30之间吧，大女儿在新加坡的一家外资银行工作，儿子应该是在巴黎学习导演专业，小女儿在美国读大学，好像是管理类专业。Melic曾做了26年的警察，之后去以色列巴哈伊总部做了5年的义工，职务是警卫工作。现在他申请成人英语教师资格以便在今年夏天的时候去厦门定居时找份英语教师的工作，选择厦门我想一部分原因是因为他妻子会说闽南话。
上个星期我们在BC旁边的Food Court谈了一个晚上，没有主题，只是锻炼一下口语而已，以至于离开的时候我开玩笑说这个星期的口语训练任务已经完成。期间他给我看了一本类似与月历一样的中文剪辑版巴哈伊历史简介，是他女儿的，Melic自己看不懂中文字。上面的内容在网站上也曾看到。我说了一些我为什么不相信上帝的一些理由，但是他没有怎么去强加巴哈伊信仰，只是说可以带我去他朋友的家里看看，借这机会你可以去了解真正的新加坡人，也可以锻炼一下英语。
Melic的家离BC不远，所以他的交通工具是自行车，他说那单车是从一个商城外面弄来的，当然经过保安的同意，自己回去充满气然后加点润滑油，就是一辆蛮好的二手车了。在没有过来新加坡之前，俺就想着在这里弄辆自行车去逛逛，这里的自行车店的二手车都要一百多新币，只好作罢。知道Melic的方式后不免又燃起小宇宙，起来保护世界的念头。他说Tangling Mall（上面说的Food Court就在里面的负一层，有BC的学生卡可以打点折）外面就有几辆长时间无人认领的单车，他也已经问了保安，说可以拿走，因为本来他想再“进购”一辆的，既然我有兴趣就看看能不能够将锁弄开。两天后，他就带着需要的工具将其中一辆还可以的自行车转移到了Tommy的名下，因此在Melic的大力帮助下，我也有了自己的自行车了。当然到现在为止我只骑了一次，一方面是车链的放置时间太久了会跟着后轮的齿轮发生粘滞现象，另一方面是一直都起晚了，天气太热。不管怎么样，梦想有多远我就能走多远还是很令人兴奋的。
这段时间除了担心这个星期的考试外（现在发现那个考试有点儿戏，我也顺利通过），还有就在考虑我是否在“利用”Melic去让他带我到处转转以便对新加坡有更多的了解，毕竟我不能说服自己去相信有个更强大的存在会抽风似的关注我们这个世界。
Thanks a lot, Melic.
“我首要的训言是这样的：你要有纯洁仁慈而光明的心，这样，才能成为亘古不变的，不灭的，永恒的。” - - 隐言经 Read the rest of this entry »