The Maple Leaf Rag
Canada
October 12, 2010
Many of my friends use these four words incorrectly sometimes. Here's how to remember which is which.
1. Bored is what you are if you have nothing to do.
2. Boring is what you are if you make other people bored.
3. Fun is what you have when you do something that you enjoy. You can also be fun if you are nice, happy and easy to get along with. "I really like Tom because he is fun to be with." Fun is something you can have. "We had fun at the Expo in Shangahi."
4. Funny is anything that makes you laugh. Clowns sometimes are funny. TV shows are often funny. Jokes are funny. Sometimes, people are funny. Funny is hahaha, laughter, jokes and smiles.
However, funny can also mean weird. "I have a funny feeling about tonight. I think something bad is going to happen." "Isn't it kind of funny that you thought of that at the same time that I did?" (From a song) Isn't it funny how time slips away...
When we say something is funny, we often have to explain which one we mean. If I say something is funny, someone else will say, "Funny haha or funny weird?" Seriously, we say that more often than you think.
You can be any of these four words. You can be bored, boring, fun or funny. You don't want to be boring. You don't want to be bored. But you do want to be fun and/or funny.
A test. Fill in the blanks:
I'm _______________. There is no one online to chat with.
God, this class is so _____________! The teacher makes me so _________.
We had ______ with our friends at the KTV. Si Hui sang but she had a cold and sounded ____________.
You know, it's _________ that called just as I was about to call you.
I tell you, that last Cheng Long movie was a lot of _________ to watch. Him and Chris Tucker are pretty ___________ together. I wasn't _________ at all during the film even though I expected it to be ______________.
Two people told me today that they hate English. I think one actually hates me too but the other person was very nice and agreed with me that English is a ticket to the rest of the world. I hope I can help you learn a bit, here and there.
Thanks for reading.
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08:01 AM Oct 13 2010 |
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Mapleleaf Man
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08:15 PM Oct 12 2010 |
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mounty--
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October 11, 2010
Thanksgiving comes to Canada much earlier than it does in the United States. We have to get it over with before the huge snowfalls come and lock us in our igloos. By the time the United States gets around to having Thanksgiving, Canadians have started the yearly snowshoe trek from our summer homes in the plains to our winter homes in the forests, where the trees will protect us from the marauding polar bears and wolves.
Even though the border with the United States is less than 50 km away, the weather and the level of sophistication in Canada is much lower. We still eat seal meat and dress in skins of animals. hunting for seals through the thick ice is a national pastime. We have learned to love fish and blubber instead of steaks and vegetables.
My family is a bit better off. We live in a three story igloo but, as with all of my neighbours, we are forced to live in one room in order to share the warmth of the tiny whale oil lamp, the only source of heat in the long dark winter. We've only been attacked by a polar bear once. I was able to fend off the bear with a sharpened whale bone. Unfortunately the bear died but we were happy to share the meat with our neighbours on Thanksgiving. The Americans have turkey, we have polar bear meat, sometimes walrus meat, too.
Well, that's my blog for today. if you are thinking of coming to Canada, remember to bring your snowshoes and skis. Our one week of summer is very short, third week in July usually. For visits at any other time, remember to dress for warmth not for style.
Thanks for reading! Oh, and remember not to believe everything you read on the Internet. :)
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12:50 AM Oct 14 2010 |
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Zambuka
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12:48 AM Oct 14 2010 |
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Zambuka
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08:45 PM Oct 13 2010 |
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Mapleleaf Man
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08:32 AM Oct 13 2010 |
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Zambuka
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07:58 AM Oct 13 2010 |
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Mapleleaf Man
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09:26 PM Oct 12 2010 |
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Zambuka
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09:29 AM Oct 12 2010 |
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Zambuka
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October 8, 2010
The Nobel Prizes in case you didn't know, are a series of awards given each year in several key categories. These include Literature, Physics, Medicine and others, including the Peace Prize. Last year, Barrack Obama won the Peace Prize. Canadians have won many Nobel Prizes. The United States and many European citizens have won many more. China has won two this year, one for Chemistry and, as mentioned, the Peace Prize. I'm sure you will hear about the man who won the award for chemistry but you probably won't hear about the man who won the Peace Prize. Why is that? Because he is in prison, considered an enemy of the state. Liu Xiaobo, president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, was arrested in 2009 after being detained by the Chinese government for six months. He has been sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges that he was 'inciting subversion of state power'. Liu won the prize for "his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." Mr Liu simply wanted a multi-party government in China. His imprisonment has to do with the Charter 08 manifesto. Have you heard of this? Probably not, since it has been completely hidden by the Chinese government. This charter is described this way : The Charter calls for 19 changes to improve human rights in China, including an independent legal system, freedom of association and the elimination of one-party rule. Seen as a threat to the Chinese government, Mr. Liu wastes his life away in prison, while the world wonders why China, “ the world’s second largest economy, the largest holder of foreign reserves and the world’s largest exporter...doesn’t currently have a single Nobel prize winner in its universities, its institutions or its government." (from the Toronto Star). Thanks for reading. |
