Social Workers Will Take Away My Blog
It's the new year and I've already neglected my blog. To be honest, I haven't had anything good to write or say. I've been home and only went out once to drive my brother home. It's true. You're reading about a true recluse/hermit/cavewoman/whatever you want to call me. It's quite frightful. Anyway, here's a list of random things since I have nothing else to say.
... I am the worst jobseeker ever. I've been searching casually for a job since I've come home and have applied to a couple of places. As every few days pass, my anxiety grows that I'll never find a job. I tend to pass off job postings because I always think that "I don't have those qualifications," "it's too far," "they won't like me," "they'll fire me for incompetence," or "I'll never be good enough." I never thought my search for a little pocket money and a place that is not my home would bring about my fear of failure.
... I have returned to my precious piano. Though I suck significantly since I've last played "professionally," but at least I'm sort of practicing, not in a technical sense. I am trying to learn some well-known classics, and hopefully, I can get my hands to their former glory. I do want to earn my teaching diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. But that means, I have to overcome Grades 9 and 10, as well as the teacher's exam. Grade 8 took over a year or so for me to barely pass. I imagine the remaining 3 exams would take me a few years. Unless I don't work or go to school. We all know that'll never happen. I'm not made of money and I don't wish to let my mind go to waste. However, slowly but surely I am returning to my piano.
... I have begun to practice my Chinese, in Mandarin and Cantonese. I had bought books for my nephew from Hong Kong since he had started Chinese school, but learned it won't be of use to him for a long time. He was taught using the English spelling of phonetics rather than the Pinyin phonetics (symbols which represent sounds to help one read and pronounce each character, similar to the ways of dictionaries and their phonetical spellings after the word). The book, of course, uses Pinyin phonetics, which I was taught ... many years ago. My interest in Chinese came back when I was in Hong Kong and frustrated that I could barely read a menu. And now, I'm self-teaching Chinese from the book using English-Chinese dictionaries online. What geniuses. They help me lots and save me the time and money to buying dictionaries that wouldn't help me as much. Currently, I'm working through a book of selected works from the 300 Tang Dynasty Poems, a very important part of Chinese literature.
... I just finished reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, which was leftover from my readings in HK. The ending of Edmund and Fanny surprised me.—I really shouldn't be surprised. At the time, marrying cousins was a regular affair. Also, at the time, they used—a lot of—em dashes.—Before that, I read Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall. (Isn't it strange to name a son Evelyn?) It's a rather amusing novel and have peaked my interest for more Waugh. I have tons of books to get through though before I move out to New Brunswick, but I do regret that I didn't buy more books while I was in HK because they are so inexpensive, as are most things there.
... Today, I have discovered Quite Interesting, or QI for short. Yes, yes, 'tis another BBC panel show. Despite the fact that I love all things British, I find this show to be smart, entertaining, and funny. Hosted by Stephen Fry, the show determines to dispel of obviously wrong information that have been barbariously put into our heads, and encourage interesting and odd facts. For example:
- Alexander Graham Bell didn't actually invent the telephone. It was invented by an American-Italian inventor, Antonio Meucci. Meucci didn't have enough money to buy the patent and the idea, miraculously and suspiciously, fell into the hands of Bell. Meucci did take Bell to trial, but died before the court reached a verdict.
- There are no green mammals in existence, although there are many green amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish.
- Ancient Greeks made dildos out of bread ...
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