“Revert” & “Teleconversation”
November 9, 2009 at 22:05 | In Infotainment | Leave a CommentTags: Business English, dictionary.com, Macmillan, revert, teleconversation
I refer to our teleconversation on (a certain topic). Please allow us five working days, and we will revert to you then.
Looks familiar? Well, revert and teleconversation are two of the most common words used in business e-mail and letters. We’ve been using them ever so often that we’ve somehow accepted them as standard Business English. Are they, really?
Well, let’s look at “revert” first. We use it in place of “respond”, “reply”, and “come back (to you)”. But what is the true definition of it?
A check with the popular online dictionary, www.dictionary.com, reveals that revert means to return to a former habit, belief, condition etc. It also means to go back in thought or discussion. Macmillan Dictionary defines it as to return to a previous state or way of behaving, often one that is not good. It can also mean to start talking about something that you were talking about earlier.
As you can see, there is no indication or definition that relates “revert” to what we intentionally want to express; to respond or reply.
The word teleconversation does not exists in neither dictionary.com nor the Macmillan Dictionary Online. Indeed, there is no such word, not even tele-conversation (hyphenated).
In conclusion, it is always good to use standard English rather than words that may be wrongly used, or worse, non-existent. In the example above, perhaps it could be paraphrased as “I refer to our earlier discussion on (the topic). Please allow us five working days, and we will respond to you then”.
Bowling @E!hub
November 8, 2009 at 03:51 | In Bowling | Leave a CommentOur weekly bowling session on Saturday was at Orchid Bowl E!hub with Fukuan, Zhihao and Christopher. I bowled a total of 5 games, and registered a score-diving series of 201-190-189-179-154, totaling 913 and averaging 182.6.
Other than the low last game, I’m pretty happy with the session. Oh, and it was nice catching up with Royston in the proshop! Hehehe… =)
Yodeling
November 7, 2009 at 15:48 | In Infotainment | Leave a CommentTags: America's Got Talent 2006, Bianca Ryan, Taylor Ware, Yodel, Yodeling
I was aimlessly viewing through YouTube, and somehow stumbled upon this video featuring a contestant from the America’s Got Talent reality show. It was the first season in 2006, and Taylor Marie Ware sang and yodeled to a stunned and impressed panel of judges. Eventually, she came in third in the finals, behind Bianca Ryan and Celtic Spring.
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register (or “chest voice”) to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound. This vocal technique is used in many cultures throughout the world.
In Alpine folk music, it was probably developed in the Swiss Alps and Austrian Alps as a method of communication between mountain peaks, later becoming part of the region’s traditional music.
To me, yodeling is really intriguing, and reminded me very much of country music. Impressive indeed. Love it!
The Life of a Delinquent
November 1, 2009 at 13:42 | In Misc. | Leave a CommentTags: Credit card debts, Delinquent, Gaming freak, Youtube
Without any sign of worry or despair, he would joyously game away as the days pass on with a speed of a zooming bullet. Occasionally, when the absence of his gaming peers kicks in, he would turn to movies, animes, or simply the popular YouTube.com. That’s how a typical day of his life is like, and much to everyone’s expectation, for the past thirteen months and counting.
Fearlessly, the thirty-odd-year-old adult chose to waste his life away by making uncalculated and thoughtless purchases with his credit cards several months back. Perhaps he was confident that his worthless diploma will land him a reputable job after his last one was lost in September 2008. Or maybe he just wanted to vent his frustrations. In any case, as with the misguided purchase of an old car some years back, he showed no sign of repentance or remorse.
His current debts to banks stand at more than twenty thousand Singapore dollars, of which at least eight thousand owed to one of his siblings. He is now ready to enter himself into the infamous list of bankrupts.
Unemployed, and with no money, he would wake up everyday in the afternoon to face the computer screen till he retires for the night in the wee hours – absolutely with no consideration to the poor soul staying in the same room who needs to wake up early to work. His parents you asked? Well, they decided that they will provide him with meals, cigarettes, and his Internet subscription; enough reasons for him to continue with this kind of life. What more can one asks for?
His life in 2010 is pretty much foreseeable, with the same activities day in, day out. Come to think of it, I don’t think he even remembers the last time he stepped out of the house beyond a kilometre.
Bowling @OBTC
October 31, 2009 at 01:50 | In Bowling | Leave a CommentWent down to Chevrons to bowl with Zhihao and Jackson, and it happened to be Jackson’s last second day working at the proshop. After Saturday, we will no longer see him there, and there won’t be a place for us to freely clean our balls… So sad sia… =(
Anywayz, we bowled five games each, and my scores were 162-200-152-168-196. Total series was 878, averaging 175.6. Not too bad I must say… Hehehe… =)
Bowling @OBSY
October 25, 2009 at 11:21 | In Bowling | Leave a CommentIt’s another short entry for this blog.
Went bowling with Fukuan and Zhihao at SAFRA Yishun last night, and posted games of 160-190-167-190-165 for a 872 series, averaging 174.4. The lanes were very dry, and friction marks clearly visible on my ball track. What a day!
Singlish & English
October 20, 2009 at 20:38 | In Infotainment | Leave a CommentTags: Creole, English, Gen-Y, Singaporeans, Singlish, Speak Good English Movement
SINGLISH, the infamous creole (pronounced as cree-old, without the ‘d-pronunciation’ at the back) used primarily in Singapore, and the language that sorta got the whole government so worried that they decided to set up a committee to advocate the proper usage of the English Language.
It is without a doubt that the Gen-Y Singaporeans are getting more and more well-educated these days, and with the level of emphasis on proper English escalating, we are hopeful that soon, Singaporeans will be able to speak as good the English Language as the native speakers. Or am I dreaming? =P
In my own personal opinion, the usage of Singlish in everyday lives of the Gen-Y is largely due to peer influence, as well as their upbringing. We witnessed a lot of parents who are speaking in Singlish themselves, so how do you expect their children not to learn the same thing? Worse still, this influence is being carried from one generation to the next. It is not a surprise, then, that this creole is showing no sign of an extinction.
In fact, let’s face it. Singlish is what makes a Singaporean unique. If you ask me, I would probably argue that while this is true, Singaporeans should still make every effort to learn the English Language the right way, and be able to code-switch between Singlish and standard English whenever they want.
While I fully support the initiative of the Speak Good English Movement here in Singapore, let’s have a good laugh at this audio/video that had me tearing when I first watch & listened to it. Enjoy, but don’t learn… Hahaha!
Bowling @OBST
October 11, 2009 at 04:23 | In Bowling | Leave a CommentTags: Jalan Kayu, Orchid Bowl, SAFRA Tampines
Fukuan, Zhihao and I went down to Orchid Bowl, SAFRA Tampines on Saturday night to have our weekly bowling session. Bowled a total of six games, and registered lines of 159-245-155-178-180-182 for a 1,099 series (average 183.1), courtesy of the 245 game which helped pull up my overall average. Hehehe…
After the games, we drove to Jalan Kayu to have our supper before heading home. It’s time to retire for the night… *Yawnz* Sweet dreams… =)
My 245 game at SAFRA Tampines. Yeah! =)
Busy Week
October 8, 2009 at 23:26 | In My Life Story | 2 CommentsMonday night, as usual, I attended class on Quantitative Skills at PSB Academy from 7pm till 10pm. The topic that was discussed was on mean, median, mode and standard deviation. Compared to the previous topic on annuity, this was so much easier to understand! Hahaha…!
Wednesday night, I went for dinner with Alex at Tiong Bahru Plaza before he sent me home to pick up my car. After that, we went over to Chevrons to bowl a few games.
We pooled $2 per game after the first warm-up game (where he bowled better than me). When the actual games started, I lost the first one to him, and surrendered $2. By then, my morale was a little low, considering that he bowls for fun, and was wearing house shoes. As for me, a seasoned league bowler, I wished there was a hole for me to plunge in and bury myself.
Although I won and managed to recoup my loss for the next two “pooled” games, the margin wasn’t huge. The highest I bowled for all my six games was a mere 170. Alex bowled four games. What a night it was!
Thursday night, which was just earlier, I met up with my team members for our project discussion at PSB Academy as the English Skills class was cancelled. We started at about 7.15pm, and ended the session at 9.45pm. Although it was a pretty fruitful session, there are still work to be done at home. Hopefully, all go well, and we should be able to hand in our project on time.
It’s Friday soon! Yeah!!! Time to relax a bit over the weekend, and of course, some of my time will be dedicated to my project and homework. =P
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