The world is what makes my wheels go round
They all got more friends than they can use
Except me ‘cause I’m a fool
I’m simple as a bee
As a melody in C
But it don’t matter
There are more wishes than starsPaul Simon's son and Ben Okri (http://www.hoxtonsquarebar.com/music-events/2010/May/harper-simon)
when should i use "whom"?
18:55n when should i use"who"?
18:55confusing...
18:55
18:55
19:00
19:04what time u there now?
19:04
Facebook chat via Empathy (open-source client)
...Hi to all of the Virtualia!These bees me blog - this one and those two back up there.
I'm just trying out a range of popular (and obscure - Tabulas.com) free blogging host sites. In this one (of my blogs) I hope you'll find interesting views of the books I'm reading, linguistic observations or accounts of language teaching experiences.
* * *For a start,
I am reading at the moment a novel by Tash Aw, 'The Harmony Silk Factory,' set in rural Malaysia, and which I have borrowed from the library. (Let me see if it's overdue already... Nope, not for days - relief!)
It is his first published novel that I am aware of, and I was deeply enchanted by his second, 'Map of the Invisible World,' which briefly takes a setting around Kuala Lumpur, but tells the story of a Dutch bachelor and his adopted Indonesian son as their adventure takes them between remote islands of Indonesia and the capital, Jakarta. I will most likely read that one again, even though I bought it new (and left it) in Malaysia; it would seem strange to borrow the copy from a British library, but I have since recommended it to my dad, as I am sure he would enjoy it.
By all means, I would gladly indulge in a long list of books I have read in past months (if only I could remember all the details - I did luckily remember Tash Aw's name, not the title of his books, when I approached the library for a good read) but I'd better talk about the one I'm reading now. I'm not even sure if it would make sense to write while I'm still reading a title, or as soon after finishing as possible - probably both, and more importantly when I have read the whole thing!
Well, don't get the impression that I'm bored by this one (THSF) - the flavour is distinct from Aw's later novel, and I'm yet to decide whether I like it as much. His superb style is displayed from the beginning, and I could guess that one difference is that his story seems very personal... Of course it is, with first-person viewpoints - the first from his son - of the enigmatic Johnny, the central character, throughout (or at least two thirds through).
If my memory serves me right, I suggest that this is the technical opposite of MIW, which I think was a more conventional narration of various characters central to the development of the plot (bla bla bla). That makes it seem lighter and much easier to follow, but without taking away from its other qualities - the deepest impression that it left with me was the strength of his character development from the beginning, and I can still remember Karl's name!
My perception of Indonesia is limited to a visit to the somewhat culturally isolated island of Bali, accounts given to me by natives - the names of their various tempat I always confuse! - and the media, including MIW, really a vivid depiction of Jakarta in the 60's (especially if you weren't born!).
There is a beautiful Indonesian film, set in a small island community, which supposedly won international awards, and I'll give my mate a call and find out the name...
...'Laskar Pelangi' is the name, and it is set on the Indonesian island of (Pulau) Belitung (and not Pulau Bintan, according to my reliable telephone source).
There is an Indonesian Wikipedia article concerning it here, http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laskar_Pelangi_(film) and one in English... well, not on Wikipedia.org! Here it is on IMDB, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1301264/. There is an interesting critique there anyway.
After all, I would certainly recommend both 'Map of the Invisible World' by Tash Aw to everyone (youths and adults) and the above-mentioned film to anyone who appreciates 'foreign' cinema.
LingoLog - Linguistic Observation 1.0
And now I'm feeling rather observant, having noticed that the Indonesian translation of "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" is "Wikipedia, Ensiklopedia bebas". Bebas is 'free' as in freedom or liberty, where (at least in Malaysia) percuma would mean 'free of charge'.
If you have heard of 'open-source' software, you might know that this is also the meaning of the word 'free' in 'free software' (Free Software Foundation). I'll go into that further another day but, before considering the ambiguity of the English word, which meaning would you presume 'free' to take first?
Why?
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