I "copas", so it must be right

If you are Indonesian, you will probably know what "copas" means. It is not at all an Indonesian word. In fact, it is more likely to be labelled as Bahasa Jakarta or "Jakarta language". Jakarta language is not a proper language. There are many words that are acronyms of a phrase that takes too long to sound out. Hence, the truncation.

"Copas" is one such truncation. "CO(py) (and) PAS(te) = Copas" Get it? Quite clever, I must say.

Actually, the point of this blog post is not about truncation or Jakarta language. It is about "copy and paste" of texts that we want to quote in our writing. Since someone else has already typed it out, why should I waste my time and type it out again? Just copy and paste. It will be accurate that way. No typo errors.

You sure about that?

My friend posted a video on one of the SNS sites, quoting on the side the lyrics of the song being sung. Since I do enjoy that group's music and was curious about the rendition of the song, I clicked on the video to watch it, while keeping an eye on the lyrics at the side. Beautiful rendition of the song. I love acapella singing. It is a real test of pitch and hearing.

Since the song was only one stanza, I thought my friend had transcribed the lyrics after listening to the song. I spotted something strange in one of the lines:

He it is who binds us together
And He it is who sends us apart
To be God's people, be God's people

If God binds us together, why would He "send us apart"? Should it not read "And He it is who 'sets' us apart"?

So, me being this nitpicky proofreader of anything and everything written or printed (besides being somewhat too much of a busybody most times), I decided to make the comment in the paragraph above. I did add that since this was the choral group's final performance, "sends us apart" would also be appropriate.

The return jab was (paraphrased to be grammatically correct): "All I did was copy and paste the lyrics from a song lyric site!"

I decided not to fire another salvo. Friendship should never be sacrificed over a sentence.

Depending on the context of a typo, we can either choose to press our point or let it go. Before you decide what to do, take a step back and look at the big picture. Good relations should always take precedence over accuracy.

Here's to lasting friendship and accuracy in writing!

Men vs Women and Toddlers

A male friend of mine was introduced to his friend's son, a toddler, probably no older than three years old. The little boy was being carried in his father's arms, but he seemed to want to run around because he kept fidgeting non-stop.

Trying to be friendly, my friend said to the little boy, "High five. High five." He said this while using his hand to try and get the little boy to return the gesture. It did not work. The boy was more interested in trying to get his father to put him down and let him run around. The father finally did. The two men then carried on their conversation.

I have seen men of every age, shape, size and nationality do the same thing when they meet a child, whether boy or girl, of any age. Some do it gently, others (more likely my big American friends) go, "Hey, buddy, give me a five!" Often, the little boy or girl will respond enthusiastically with a high five and a giggle or two.

As I watched my friend trying so hard to engage the little boy, I started thinking about how women react to toddlers. We do not go "high five". Instead, we may come up with a phrase like the following, or a combination of two or more phrases:

"Oh, you're so cute!"
"What's your name, Honey/Sweetheart?"
"How old are you, Sweetie?" "You are just the cutest little boy/girl!"

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus? Yes, indeed. Our reactions to the same situation are vastly different, as though we are from two different planets. But then, who would want men and women to react in exactly the same way? The world would be so boring!

Let's celebrate our differences as men and women! The world is a happier place because of our differences!

"Pecking" Duck or "Peeking" Duck?

I was at a wedding dinner last week. Before we were allowed into the ballroom for dinner, we were served cocktails, which are usually just a variety of cold drinks and light alcohol. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when a waiter bearing a heavy tray of little rolls came up to me and asked if I would like something to eat. Normally, I would decline, but he said, "It's Peking Duck." Since this is not your usual hors d'oeuvre, I decided to try a piece. Delicious! I stopped at one piece or that would have been my dinner instead of the eight-course meal to follow. That little snack got me thinking. I have always heard this dish pronounced as "Peeking" Duck. The waiter pronounced it as such. However, I have heard westerners say "Pecking" Duck. Hmmm ... so which one is correct? According to this site, "Peeking" is the correct pronunciation. I thought so. Of course, when referring to the capital of China, "Peking" is no longer used. We call it Beijing (北京). I suppose the old name smacks of western colonialism. I much prefer the new name. Let's call a city the way the locals do. But as for the duck dish, it will probably remain as Peking Duck for a long time to come. Bon Apetit! Note: If you are in Beijing and want to savour authentic Peking Duck, you will have to order it by its Chinese name: Beijing ya (北京鸭).

This bank speaks my language

This bank wants to tell you that it has presence in many different Asean (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries. How would you best portray that visually? Using the different languages, of course!

When you speak my language, you touch my heart. If you touch my heart, I am more likely to trust you. If you're a bank, you definitely want me to trust you with my money.

The poster says more than that. It tells me that you speak my language. The bank may be international, but the customers are not expected to speak English. The bank staff communicate in the language of that country's heart.

Great marketing.

We talk food, not politics

UNESCO has recently declared Japanese food as a cultural heritage. Hooray!

I do love Japanese food, cooked and uncooked. I know a few friends who cringe at the thought of eating raw fish. I love it! Being able to eat the fish raw tells me that it is fresh. No need for cooking.

What makes me even more proud is that Chef Li Kwok Wing recently won a contest to crown the best Japanese chef in the world! Chef Li is a China-born Singaporean, better known as Santoro. So who says Chinese and Japanese hate each other? This win proves otherwise. Chef Li is proud to be a chef of Japanese cuisine.

What am I trying to say? Food surpasses all cultural differences. No amount of national pride or poor political relations can interfere with one's love for food. With love for a certain kind of cuisine comes a love for that culture and tradition. Food is a universal language. We all love to eat!

What kind of food do you like?

Bon apetit!

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Learn Chinese, not French or German

Finally, David Cameron seems to have woken up to the fact that more of the world speaks Chinese than French or German. OK, maybe I'm biased. I speak Mandarin. I don't speak French or German. But, how likely is it for you to bump into a French- or German-speaking person outside Europe? I think there is a higher probability of chancing upon a Chinese-speaking person outside of Asia!

Since China is one of the two most populous nations of the world (the other being India where most people speak English anyway), I think we should be sitting up and paying attention to them. You agree?

Since China has decided that English is not that important in their country, I think it will be worth our while to learn Chinese. I am quite sure my Chinese friends will agree.

Have fun learning any new language!

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Write simply, be simply understood

The language of bureaucracy. Happens everywhere. Somehow, a letter from a government department must always sound "official". But, does the reader understand what the letter is saying? Not always. It depends on how "powerful" your English is, or "powder-ful", as Singaporeans put it.

Communication is not complete until the recipient understands what is being said. If the writing sounds pompous, the image I receive is "official", but if I fail to understand the content, then the writer has failed in his communication. What good will that be to anyone, especially if the message is important (like a change in electricity rates or a notice to appear in court).

To battle this bureaucrat-speak, the British government started a drive to make all UK civil servants write simply. The Singapore government is following suit. Not everyone is good at English. We just know how to use it in daily life. As long as I am understood, I don't have to spout fancy words to make myself seem important. I am happy with who I am now. As we all should be.

So, here's to writing simply to be simply understood! Hooray!

Have fun writing simple English!

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