He turned the ignition key. The engine spluttered. After a few more coughs, the engine reliably revved into a familiar drone. He looked at his watch and gave two quick hoots to hurry up his passenger in the house. The reminder broke the silence of the seven o'clock morning in the single storey terrace housing area.
A teenage girl rushed out from the house in a blue and white school uniform. "Morning, Mrs Lim," she gestured to the lady next door as she got into the car.
"Aren't you a bit late this morning?" the father asked as he reversed the car out of the house.
"Sorry, Ba. Lots of homework last night, " the girl replied while munching on her bread.
He had always enjoyed the drive taking his daughter to school. It took roughly half an hour to weave out from their residential area, through the small town and to her school not far outside the town. He didn't mind the traffic going through the town. It gave him extra times to chat with his daughter.
"What happened to your bag?" he noticed a tear at the side of her bag.
"Oh, this? Got caught against the rail of the stair at school yesterday," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant about the damage.
"Oh..."
He remembered the bag. It was her birthday present two years ago. She was never one who would be rough with her belongings. She had been brought up knowing the value of cents and the time and effort that make it go round.
"How's your preparation for the coming exam?" he changed the subject.
As they chatted, the car stopped in front of the school.
"Sweetie," he beckoned as she got out of the car, "we'll go shopping tonight for a new bag."
The girl hesitated for a while. "It's Okay, Ba. It's still usable."
"We'll go. I got extra from work this past two months. Anyway, it's been two years with the bag," he insisted.
With that, the face of the girl blossomed into a smile and beamed with joy. "Okay then," she waved goodbye and closed the door.
He smiled as he watched his daughter walked towards the school gate. The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from raising this girl for twelve years overwhelmed his heart. All other successes in his business or career paled miserably in comparison. He knew, as he had always known, he made the right choice.
He was still wearing the smile, and savouring the overwhelming sense of satisfaction when he stopped his car in front of a gated factory.
The guard gave him a salute before raising the bar and let his car in. He drove past a myriad of shinny BMW and Merc before shoving his old timer into a vacant slot amongst them.
As he got out from the car, he found himself whistling.
"Morning, Mr Lu," the lady walking ahead of him looked back as she heard the happy tune.
"Morning, Mrs Lee," he gave the lady a playful salute.
She waited for him before continuing their walk towards the office.
"I've booked the hotel at the beach resort as requested. It'll be a five hours drive before you'd reach the resort. But ...," she hesitated.
"But what, Mrs Lee," he inquired, in the happy tone of his, blending his words into the tune he's whistling.
"You sure you don't want a trip to the Disney in Japan, or even Hong Kong for this holiday?"
He paused for a little while, pondering on the question. "Not yet, Mrs Lee. Not yet," he replied. "But soon," he added with a knowing smile.
As they walked towards the office, the lady couldn't hide her admiration for her boss. An admiration reserved for a father who owned a multi-million dollars business, with more than one hundred workers, branch offices in six countries over three continents, and yet, would live a lifestyle of moderation befitting not one, but many notches below his income level. A sacrifice he and his wife would willingly make for ten odd years without any complaints, for nothing but the sake of their daughter and her upbringing. In her opinion, they were probably the greatest, most unselfish parents ever walked on the surface of this earth. Ever.
~
If you are a parent, would you?
As a parent, would you?
.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Envious
It was a welcomed rain. After a scorching day, the air needed a change. The downpour managed to flush out what was left of the day's oppressive heat within minutes and coolness set in. But to some, the refreshing rain was a curse.
The weather had grooved into the familiar pattern of tropical June - torrential rain closing the curtain on a day of excessive heat and humidity. However, the expected rain didn't stop the crowd from buzzing along the road on a Saturday's night earlier. But much to the despairs of the owners of the makeshift stalls lining the road, as expected, it poured. The night market heeded the cue from the weather and took an unwilling break.
Sitting in a coffee shop facing the once crowded place, it would be fun watching people scurrying for cover when the rain started, but my attention was caught by a little girl behind a stall located in front of the coffee shop.
She seemed the same age as my nine years old daughter. I didn't notice her until the rain started and she rushed out from inside the van behind the stall. Needing no instruction from her parents, she swiftly moved around the stall. She helped to shift and cover the tables used to display shoes of various shapes and sizes from raindrops that escaped the big umbrella. Just when they were about to finish, the parents shooed the little girl back into the van. Under the generator-powered yellow light, the little girl took a few moments to regain her concentration and continued her homework.
While the rain continued to pour, her work was interrupted when her father handed her a plate of food. Together they sat at the back of the van, chatting while nibbling on the food. I couldn't hear their conversation over the distance and through the noises of the rain and the generator. But I could certainly feel the warmth between them - giggles interlaced with hearty laughs, gentle nudges on the shoulder exchanged with cheeky facial expressions, playful teases replied with puffing faces in pretence - it all seemed so familiar.
The string of my heart resonated warmly to the picture portrayed by the pair of father and daughter under the fluctuating yellow light. My daughter and I share a similar kind of relationship, interactive and fun loving. But I doubt ours will ever plumb the depth of theirs.
I am lucky that I earn enough to provide my children an environment where they can spend their times mostly between studies and recreation activities. At this stage, they know we have to work to get the food, the clothes, the shoes, the books, the Gameboys, and etc. But it's nothing to concern them directly. In facts, we shield them from the hardship of life and ask them to concentrate on enjoying their childhood. Reality has never forced us into a partnership of any kind through any hardship, unlike the shoe peddling family. For that, I am thankful.
Hardship of any nature is never our choice of destination. But, guess what? We never have a choice but to face them when they are at the doorstep knocking on the door. Having gone through forty plus years in life in a not-too-hard environment, compared to our parents, I am still fairly confident that I'll be able to withstand any austerity that dare comes my way. Stay away! But my children? Are they growing up in an environment that is "too comfortable" to face any possible adversity in the future? Have we prepared them adequately?
Of course, we will never push our children into formally earning any sort of money at this stage. We will continue to try and create a safe and comfortable environment for them to grow. At best, we will create simulated environments where they are required to work hard to earn rewards of monetary nature or otherwise. But it is simulated. Without the monster of life breathing down the necks, they will never comprehend the magnitude and the weight of the "hardship".
I guess my daughter will not grow up to be as good a fighter in life as the shoe peddling little girl. To compensate what is lacking in the "early training", as parents, we'll try to instill in her characteristics that'll prepare her for the anticipated challenges in her future. While I'm not exactly yearning for the situation of the shoe peddling little girl for my children, I am envious of the shoe-peddling father.
As a father, I'm sure this is never what the man intended for his child. But having to go through life's obstacles hand in hand, bearing the burdens of livelihood on their shoulders standing side by side, the bond growing between the father and daughter will be strong. Their understanding of each other fabricated by comradeship, the successes they enjoy in overcoming difficult times together, the sharing of fruits from their hard work are all special ingredients for a unique father-daughter relationship that will carry them far in the challenges of their lives.
Of that, as a father, I am envious.
.
The weather had grooved into the familiar pattern of tropical June - torrential rain closing the curtain on a day of excessive heat and humidity. However, the expected rain didn't stop the crowd from buzzing along the road on a Saturday's night earlier. But much to the despairs of the owners of the makeshift stalls lining the road, as expected, it poured. The night market heeded the cue from the weather and took an unwilling break.
Sitting in a coffee shop facing the once crowded place, it would be fun watching people scurrying for cover when the rain started, but my attention was caught by a little girl behind a stall located in front of the coffee shop.
She seemed the same age as my nine years old daughter. I didn't notice her until the rain started and she rushed out from inside the van behind the stall. Needing no instruction from her parents, she swiftly moved around the stall. She helped to shift and cover the tables used to display shoes of various shapes and sizes from raindrops that escaped the big umbrella. Just when they were about to finish, the parents shooed the little girl back into the van. Under the generator-powered yellow light, the little girl took a few moments to regain her concentration and continued her homework.
While the rain continued to pour, her work was interrupted when her father handed her a plate of food. Together they sat at the back of the van, chatting while nibbling on the food. I couldn't hear their conversation over the distance and through the noises of the rain and the generator. But I could certainly feel the warmth between them - giggles interlaced with hearty laughs, gentle nudges on the shoulder exchanged with cheeky facial expressions, playful teases replied with puffing faces in pretence - it all seemed so familiar.
The string of my heart resonated warmly to the picture portrayed by the pair of father and daughter under the fluctuating yellow light. My daughter and I share a similar kind of relationship, interactive and fun loving. But I doubt ours will ever plumb the depth of theirs.
I am lucky that I earn enough to provide my children an environment where they can spend their times mostly between studies and recreation activities. At this stage, they know we have to work to get the food, the clothes, the shoes, the books, the Gameboys, and etc. But it's nothing to concern them directly. In facts, we shield them from the hardship of life and ask them to concentrate on enjoying their childhood. Reality has never forced us into a partnership of any kind through any hardship, unlike the shoe peddling family. For that, I am thankful.
Hardship of any nature is never our choice of destination. But, guess what? We never have a choice but to face them when they are at the doorstep knocking on the door. Having gone through forty plus years in life in a not-too-hard environment, compared to our parents, I am still fairly confident that I'll be able to withstand any austerity that dare comes my way. Stay away! But my children? Are they growing up in an environment that is "too comfortable" to face any possible adversity in the future? Have we prepared them adequately?
Of course, we will never push our children into formally earning any sort of money at this stage. We will continue to try and create a safe and comfortable environment for them to grow. At best, we will create simulated environments where they are required to work hard to earn rewards of monetary nature or otherwise. But it is simulated. Without the monster of life breathing down the necks, they will never comprehend the magnitude and the weight of the "hardship".
I guess my daughter will not grow up to be as good a fighter in life as the shoe peddling little girl. To compensate what is lacking in the "early training", as parents, we'll try to instill in her characteristics that'll prepare her for the anticipated challenges in her future. While I'm not exactly yearning for the situation of the shoe peddling little girl for my children, I am envious of the shoe-peddling father.
As a father, I'm sure this is never what the man intended for his child. But having to go through life's obstacles hand in hand, bearing the burdens of livelihood on their shoulders standing side by side, the bond growing between the father and daughter will be strong. Their understanding of each other fabricated by comradeship, the successes they enjoy in overcoming difficult times together, the sharing of fruits from their hard work are all special ingredients for a unique father-daughter relationship that will carry them far in the challenges of their lives.
Of that, as a father, I am envious.
.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Of Scrabble And Life
A game of Scrabble, in many ways, is similar to life and its challenges.
We get our seven tiles. The board laced with squares of green, blues and reds lies in front. The rules prop up the board, and our chest of vocabulary stands ready. The objective? To be the player with the highest score at the end of the game. As in challenges in life, everything stands in front of us. How do we confront them?
We don't get to choose our tiles. But getting seven tiles with one point does not mean we can get a maximum of mere seven points. Using the same set of tiles, we can get up to the seventies, or eighties with knowledge of the rules, the depth of our vocabulary and the clever use of the tiles lying on the board. Our achievement is not limited to what's thrown at us, or within our reach. With knowledge, acute observation and an agile mind, one plus one can always be greater than two.
However, if we keep hitting a brick wall matching our tiles to our arsenal of vocabularies, we can always opt for a tiles exchange. It is akin to changing jobs, moving house, migrating to a foreign country, or starting another relationship. We won't know what we will get - we might jump with joy, or we might pinch ourselves and ask "Why bother?", or we might even pull our hair and yell in regrets and frustration. But one thing is certain: we will miss a turn, and the opponents will be given a chance to increase their lead on us, or cut short our leads. The transition is always a risk, and it needs to be managed with the appropriate mentality and attitude.
But is it a risk worth taking? We can never be sure.
The option to exchange is always a comfort to have. At times when we do find ourselves facing dead ends, it's a breather. And the path of life should never lead to a dead end. Take a step away from the dead ends, and a myriad of options are always available.
While tiles of single point might not go far in Scrabble, we shouldn't be smug when we get the ten-pointers either. For they are only valuable when they are placed on the board. If they remain in our rack when one of the opponents has emptied their rack, it's a double blow to us. So knowing when to play the high value tiles is important. We must seize the moment. If we decide to let go of the opportunity that presents itself, the next one might never arrive. It's not always easy and at times, for the sake of avoiding an eventual heart break, we might have to settle for second best, for the best might not exist - if that is the case, while we think we are settling for second best, we are actually choosing the best. As in life, we'll never know.
Luck - in my opinion is the most advantageous aspect to have playing Scrabble. We can have the widest vocabulary in the world, but if we don't have the right tiles, and there is no place to put our tiles on the board, it is worthless. We always need a little bit of luck. But Scrabble is not just a game about vocabulary.
We approach a game of Scrabble like we approach the challenges of life - with a right strategy and plenty of patience. Want to play an open game? Put every word perpendicular to the words on the board. Want to play it tight? Stack the tiles on top of another word on the board. Stronger opponent? Play it safe. Weaker opponent? Be adventurous, but be cautious still. Lagging behind? Try to keep pace, the right tiles could appear at the right time in our rack and on the board. Leading? It's never too cautious to keep a watchful eye. The right strategy needs to be coupled with patience. During execution of the strategy, patience will keep the unwanted emotions in check and maintain a cool head under any situation in a challenge.
And as in life, we don't always play to win in Scrabble ... err ... Actually, in that sense, Scrabble is nothing like life. And we only tell ourselves we play for the sake of learning and winning is not important when the other guy is leading by 100+ points and there are only less than 6 tiles left.
.
We get our seven tiles. The board laced with squares of green, blues and reds lies in front. The rules prop up the board, and our chest of vocabulary stands ready. The objective? To be the player with the highest score at the end of the game. As in challenges in life, everything stands in front of us. How do we confront them?
We don't get to choose our tiles. But getting seven tiles with one point does not mean we can get a maximum of mere seven points. Using the same set of tiles, we can get up to the seventies, or eighties with knowledge of the rules, the depth of our vocabulary and the clever use of the tiles lying on the board. Our achievement is not limited to what's thrown at us, or within our reach. With knowledge, acute observation and an agile mind, one plus one can always be greater than two.
Image by Vanessa Pike-Russell via Flickr
However, if we keep hitting a brick wall matching our tiles to our arsenal of vocabularies, we can always opt for a tiles exchange. It is akin to changing jobs, moving house, migrating to a foreign country, or starting another relationship. We won't know what we will get - we might jump with joy, or we might pinch ourselves and ask "Why bother?", or we might even pull our hair and yell in regrets and frustration. But one thing is certain: we will miss a turn, and the opponents will be given a chance to increase their lead on us, or cut short our leads. The transition is always a risk, and it needs to be managed with the appropriate mentality and attitude.
But is it a risk worth taking? We can never be sure.
The option to exchange is always a comfort to have. At times when we do find ourselves facing dead ends, it's a breather. And the path of life should never lead to a dead end. Take a step away from the dead ends, and a myriad of options are always available.
While tiles of single point might not go far in Scrabble, we shouldn't be smug when we get the ten-pointers either. For they are only valuable when they are placed on the board. If they remain in our rack when one of the opponents has emptied their rack, it's a double blow to us. So knowing when to play the high value tiles is important. We must seize the moment. If we decide to let go of the opportunity that presents itself, the next one might never arrive. It's not always easy and at times, for the sake of avoiding an eventual heart break, we might have to settle for second best, for the best might not exist - if that is the case, while we think we are settling for second best, we are actually choosing the best. As in life, we'll never know.
Luck - in my opinion is the most advantageous aspect to have playing Scrabble. We can have the widest vocabulary in the world, but if we don't have the right tiles, and there is no place to put our tiles on the board, it is worthless. We always need a little bit of luck. But Scrabble is not just a game about vocabulary.
We approach a game of Scrabble like we approach the challenges of life - with a right strategy and plenty of patience. Want to play an open game? Put every word perpendicular to the words on the board. Want to play it tight? Stack the tiles on top of another word on the board. Stronger opponent? Play it safe. Weaker opponent? Be adventurous, but be cautious still. Lagging behind? Try to keep pace, the right tiles could appear at the right time in our rack and on the board. Leading? It's never too cautious to keep a watchful eye. The right strategy needs to be coupled with patience. During execution of the strategy, patience will keep the unwanted emotions in check and maintain a cool head under any situation in a challenge.
And as in life, we don't always play to win in Scrabble ... err ... Actually, in that sense, Scrabble is nothing like life. And we only tell ourselves we play for the sake of learning and winning is not important when the other guy is leading by 100+ points and there are only less than 6 tiles left.
.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I Threw Away My Dictionary
Dressed in a smart gi, I took a deep breath, harden my set of ab, letting the qi rise within me, and my id slowly concentrating into a focal point. Slowly I let out a breath from my os. Armed with a da in my right hand, an ax in my left and the moves de ki planted firmly in my mind, I closed my eyes. My ka was strong. I try to sense the approaching od with the sharpest of my senses.
(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. I've appended another version with definition of the strange (to me) two letters words in this post.)
And then it happened.
Bo!
Like swimming in an ea of hot aa, my armours melted. Like an ignorant fool facing the wrong direction in the way of a stampede from herds consisting of ky, ai, and zo, my tactics was crushed. It came as ae huge surprise. I never expected what was coming my way. Not ay.
I was amazed, and amused to na end. My ees were wide open in incredulity. I was going like "Oh My Di!" and an aw of exclamaition, "ah..., eh..., er..., ha..., hm..., la..., ow..., st..., uh..., um..., ur..." follow suit, when I saw "IT".
"IT" is the list of acceptable two letters words in Scrabble from Facebook (for some reason, it's not available in US and Canada) displayed in the Dictionary tab. I have no idea which dictionary it's based on. And it's not just the two letters words. Other words that I didn't think exist appeared on the board and were given points. It's almost like I'm bringing a bagful of xu to China to trade, or reading a book with plenty of of pe, pi, nu, mu, or xi.
But I didn't ug it because of my ignorance. Not at all. I enjoy the game. I am trying to ch my vocabulary to banish the wo I suffered in my first game, when I was so not ready. With these new found words, it opens a whole new dimension of Scrabble fun for me. I no longer fear having the tiles of "Z", "J", "X" or "Q" in my rack. Although, I'm not sure how many words that I'll learn can be used in my writing. So, I probably still have to keep my dictionary for verification.
And with this, I announce my entrance into the world of Facebook, albeit with my alternate identity in the blogging world. Yo, the name is Jay Buzz (they don't accept my preferred name of BJ or just J, and there are more than one Jay Buzz in Facebook), I'm a blogging Facebooker, or a Facebooking Blogger now.
Apart from playing Scrabble, I'm not sure what I can achieve through the network, but I'll give it a go. I'll be "friending", "following", and etc. And maybe I'll see ye and ya in there? Perhaps we can have a game of Scrabble too. Oh, do bring a piece of za too, so we can et while we play, ja?
Oh, the ed in my Words program were going hay-wired with this piece. And I swear, for a mo, I could almost hear a siren going off inside my computer when I was typing this out.
See you in Facebook!
( Note: the two letters words in colors are all acceptable in the game of Scrabble in Facebook)
The What-They-Mean Version
Dressed in a smart gi (- loose-fitting white suit worn in judo, karate, and other martial arts), I took a deep breath, harden my abs (- abdominal muscle), letting the qi (- chi) rise within me, and my id (- mind's instinctive unconscious energies) slowly concentrating into a focal point. Slowly I let out a breath from my os (- mouth or mouthlike part or opening). Armed with a da (- Burmese knife) in my right hand, an ax (- axe) in my left and the moves de (- of or from) ki (- Japanese martial art) planted firmly in my mind, I closed my eyes. My ka (- in ancient Egypt - attendant spirit supposedly dwelling as a vital force in a man or statue) was strong. I try to sense the approaching od (- hypothetical force formerly thought to be responsible for many natural phenomena) with the sharpest of my senses.
And then it happened.
Bo (- exclamation uttered to startle or surprise someone, esp a child in a game)!
Like swimming in an ea (- river) of hot aa (- volcanic rock consisting of angular blocks of lava with a very rough surface), my armour melted. Like an ignorant fool facing the wrong direction in the way of a stampede from herds consisting of ky (- Scots word for cows), ai (- shaggy-coated slow-moving animal of South America), and zo (- Tibetan breed of cattle, developed by crossing the yak with common cattle), my tactics was crushed. It came as ae (- one) huge surprise. I never expected what was coming my way. Not ay (- ever).
I was amazed, and amused to na (- nae - no) end. My ees (- eye) were wide open in incredulity. I was going like "Oh My Di (- deus - god)!" and an aw (- variant of) of exclamaition, "ah..., eh... (- exclamation of surprise or inquiry, or to seek confirmation of a statement or question), er..., ha..., hm..., la..., ow... (- exclamation of pain), st (- exclamation to attract attention), uh..., um..., ur..." follow suit, when I saw IT.
"IT" is the list of acceptable two letters words in Scrabble from Facebook (for some reason, it's not available in US and Canada) displayed in the Dictionary tab. I have no idea which dictionary it's based on. And it's not just the two letters words. Other words that I didn't think exist appeared on the board and were given points. It's almost like I'm bringing a bagful of xu (- Vietnamese currency unit) to China to trade, or reading a book with plenty of of pe (- 17th letter in the Hebrew alphabet), pi (- sixteenth letter in the Greek alphabet), nu (- 13th letter in the Greek alphabet), mu (- 12th letter in the Greek alphabet, a consonant, transliterated as 'm'), or xi (- 14th letter in the Greek alphabet).
But I didn't ug (- hate) it because of my ignorance. Not at all. I enjoy the game. I am trying to ch (- ich - eke - increase, enlarge, or lengthen) my vocabulary to banish the wo (- woe) I suffered in my first game, when I was so not ready. With these new found words, it opens a whole new dimension of Scrabble fun for me. I no longer fear having the tiles of "Z", "J", "X" or "Q" in my rack. Although, I'm not sure how many words that I'll learn can be used in my writing. So, I probably still have to keep my dictionary for verification.
And with this, I announce my entrance into the world of Facebook, albeit with my alternate identity in the blogging world. Yo (- expression used as a greeting or to attract someone's attention), the name is Jay Buzz (they don't accept my preferred name of BJ or just J, and there are more than one Jay Buzz in Facebook), I'm a blogging Facebooker, or a Facebooking Blogger now.
Apart from playing Scrabble, I'm not sure what I can achieve through the network, but I'll give it a go. I'll be "friending", "following", and etc. And maybe I'll see ye (- you) and ya (- you) in there? Perhaps we can have a game of Scrabble too. Oh, do bring a piece of za (- pizza) too, so we can et (- eat) while we play, ja (- yes)?
Oh, the ed (- editor) in my Words program were going hey-wired with this piece. And I swear, for a mo (- moment), I could almost hear a siren going off inside my computer when I was typing this out.
See you in Facebook!
.
(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. I've appended another version with definition of the strange (to me) two letters words in this post.)
And then it happened.
Bo!
Like swimming in an ea of hot aa, my armours melted. Like an ignorant fool facing the wrong direction in the way of a stampede from herds consisting of ky, ai, and zo, my tactics was crushed. It came as ae huge surprise. I never expected what was coming my way. Not ay.
I was amazed, and amused to na end. My ees were wide open in incredulity. I was going like "Oh My Di!" and an aw of exclamaition, "ah..., eh..., er..., ha..., hm..., la..., ow..., st..., uh..., um..., ur..." follow suit, when I saw "IT".
"IT" is the list of acceptable two letters words in Scrabble from Facebook (for some reason, it's not available in US and Canada) displayed in the Dictionary tab. I have no idea which dictionary it's based on. And it's not just the two letters words. Other words that I didn't think exist appeared on the board and were given points. It's almost like I'm bringing a bagful of xu to China to trade, or reading a book with plenty of of pe, pi, nu, mu, or xi.
But I didn't ug it because of my ignorance. Not at all. I enjoy the game. I am trying to ch my vocabulary to banish the wo I suffered in my first game, when I was so not ready. With these new found words, it opens a whole new dimension of Scrabble fun for me. I no longer fear having the tiles of "Z", "J", "X" or "Q" in my rack. Although, I'm not sure how many words that I'll learn can be used in my writing. So, I probably still have to keep my dictionary for verification.
And with this, I announce my entrance into the world of Facebook, albeit with my alternate identity in the blogging world. Yo, the name is Jay Buzz (they don't accept my preferred name of BJ or just J, and there are more than one Jay Buzz in Facebook), I'm a blogging Facebooker, or a Facebooking Blogger now.
Apart from playing Scrabble, I'm not sure what I can achieve through the network, but I'll give it a go. I'll be "friending", "following", and etc. And maybe I'll see ye and ya in there? Perhaps we can have a game of Scrabble too. Oh, do bring a piece of za too, so we can et while we play, ja?
Oh, the ed in my Words program were going hay-wired with this piece. And I swear, for a mo, I could almost hear a siren going off inside my computer when I was typing this out.
See you in Facebook!
( Note: the two letters words in colors are all acceptable in the game of Scrabble in Facebook)
The What-They-Mean Version
Dressed in a smart gi (- loose-fitting white suit worn in judo, karate, and other martial arts), I took a deep breath, harden my abs (- abdominal muscle), letting the qi (- chi) rise within me, and my id (- mind's instinctive unconscious energies) slowly concentrating into a focal point. Slowly I let out a breath from my os (- mouth or mouthlike part or opening). Armed with a da (- Burmese knife) in my right hand, an ax (- axe) in my left and the moves de (- of or from) ki (- Japanese martial art) planted firmly in my mind, I closed my eyes. My ka (- in ancient Egypt - attendant spirit supposedly dwelling as a vital force in a man or statue) was strong. I try to sense the approaching od (- hypothetical force formerly thought to be responsible for many natural phenomena) with the sharpest of my senses.
And then it happened.
Bo (- exclamation uttered to startle or surprise someone, esp a child in a game)!
Like swimming in an ea (- river) of hot aa (- volcanic rock consisting of angular blocks of lava with a very rough surface), my armour melted. Like an ignorant fool facing the wrong direction in the way of a stampede from herds consisting of ky (- Scots word for cows), ai (- shaggy-coated slow-moving animal of South America), and zo (- Tibetan breed of cattle, developed by crossing the yak with common cattle), my tactics was crushed. It came as ae (- one) huge surprise. I never expected what was coming my way. Not ay (- ever).
I was amazed, and amused to na (- nae - no) end. My ees (- eye) were wide open in incredulity. I was going like "Oh My Di (- deus - god)!" and an aw (- variant of) of exclamaition, "ah..., eh... (- exclamation of surprise or inquiry, or to seek confirmation of a statement or question), er..., ha..., hm..., la..., ow... (- exclamation of pain), st (- exclamation to attract attention), uh..., um..., ur..." follow suit, when I saw IT.
"IT" is the list of acceptable two letters words in Scrabble from Facebook (for some reason, it's not available in US and Canada) displayed in the Dictionary tab. I have no idea which dictionary it's based on. And it's not just the two letters words. Other words that I didn't think exist appeared on the board and were given points. It's almost like I'm bringing a bagful of xu (- Vietnamese currency unit) to China to trade, or reading a book with plenty of of pe (- 17th letter in the Hebrew alphabet), pi (- sixteenth letter in the Greek alphabet), nu (- 13th letter in the Greek alphabet), mu (- 12th letter in the Greek alphabet, a consonant, transliterated as 'm'), or xi (- 14th letter in the Greek alphabet).
But I didn't ug (- hate) it because of my ignorance. Not at all. I enjoy the game. I am trying to ch (- ich - eke - increase, enlarge, or lengthen) my vocabulary to banish the wo (- woe) I suffered in my first game, when I was so not ready. With these new found words, it opens a whole new dimension of Scrabble fun for me. I no longer fear having the tiles of "Z", "J", "X" or "Q" in my rack. Although, I'm not sure how many words that I'll learn can be used in my writing. So, I probably still have to keep my dictionary for verification.
And with this, I announce my entrance into the world of Facebook, albeit with my alternate identity in the blogging world. Yo (- expression used as a greeting or to attract someone's attention), the name is Jay Buzz (they don't accept my preferred name of BJ or just J, and there are more than one Jay Buzz in Facebook), I'm a blogging Facebooker, or a Facebooking Blogger now.
Apart from playing Scrabble, I'm not sure what I can achieve through the network, but I'll give it a go. I'll be "friending", "following", and etc. And maybe I'll see ye (- you) and ya (- you) in there? Perhaps we can have a game of Scrabble too. Oh, do bring a piece of za (- pizza) too, so we can et (- eat) while we play, ja (- yes)?
Oh, the ed (- editor) in my Words program were going hey-wired with this piece. And I swear, for a mo (- moment), I could almost hear a siren going off inside my computer when I was typing this out.
See you in Facebook!
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