daronloo

Seriously, my trip to Chiang Mai really felt like a weekend trip on the bus.  I left on Thursday with a choir made almost entirely of Indonesians.  There were, of course, the occasional "aliens" to the group such as I.  We were going to visit the International Children's Care orphanage as well as the Chiangmai Adventist Academy.  We arrived early Friday morning and I headed straight to bed.  Woke up about an hour later and decided to go scout around the orphanage grounds.  Children's voices were ringing loudly, and in a distance I spotted two little figures hiding behind some shrubs.  I walked towards those figures and there were two little gangly girls, who, upon seeing up, giggled and made a dash back to the main building.  That pretty much sums up what I did with the kids the weekend.  They'd see me, giggle, and run.  They'd make a good audience in my class here in Muak Lek, Saraburi since nobody laughs when I open my mouth (to t...

Umlaut is a linguistic phenomenon that affects the vowel quality of a syllable, think of diphthongs.  It is also used to refer to a group of Old English nouns.  Which group?  It's the group which changes the vowel when pluralized.  I find this fascinating.  You may think otherwise.  But Honey Badger don't care. I have always wondered how it is like to teach a student-centered classroom.  I think the most student-centered situation I've allowed myself to be in is during class discussion, or when students talk about their research topics.  Other than that, it's pretty much me navigating the classroom.  Little did I know that I actually have student-centered classes.  Not in my day job.  But in my night job - when I moonlight as a piano teacher! It's strange that it took me so long to realize this. I spent about 15 years of my life learning the piano.  Through the process, I've had five piano teachers.  I spent about ...

After a chat with a dear friend about blogging, I was reminded that I have and own a blog.  It's sad that I haven't written much at all this year.  I'm sure all you teachers out there have your teaching woes.  Today's classes, unfortunately, turned me into a honey badger.  If you don't know what "honey badger" refers to in pop culture, please by all means youtube it.  I had only one class today, a two-hour class, which was ENGL4434 History of the English Language.  There are 37 Thai + 1 Lao in this class, and none of them is interested in this course.  At the beginning of the semester, I've thought of practical ways to make this class seem appealing to them.  Instead of just talking about complicated aspects of Old and Middle English, as well as tantalizing dramas, e.g. King Ethelred who left England for Normandy, and leaving his wife Emma behind; King John who fell violently in love with another man's wife-to-be, I decided to incorporate esse...

There are about 6 more weeks before the end of the semester at AIU.  I'm teaching two history classes this semester.  One class with the word 'history' in it, while the other has an indirect historical reference in the course title.  Nevertheless, two history classes.  Fun much?  You tell me.  My class just finished talking about the Renaissance.  Really, we have the Renaissance because of the rise of the middle class.  The bubonic plague literally wiped out all the laborers, and those who survived ascended the social ladder.  Yay?  Then, we have the explosion of knowledge, thanks to Caxton who introduced the printing press.  Before long, everyone had a copy of something.  Everyone was translating something into English.  Everyone then realized that everyone was borrowing words from everywhere else.  Everyone, and I mean the English people, began to complain.  "Why do we have to borrow from Latin/French? Ain't ...

As I approached Muak Lek, the van driver turned back and asked to confirm with us two passengers that we REALLY are going to AIU.  I said yes, but the other passenger whose name or gender or nationality I will not reveal said, "No."  The driver then said, "But you said at Victory Monument that you were going to Mi-Chan (Thai pronunciation of Mission).  The passenger clearly did not understand Thai because the driver's statement was followed by silence.  I translated for the driver and the passenger said, "Yes, I told them Mi-Chan but I need to get off at Australia Village."  I told the driver, who had driven past the entrance to the residential area.  He said that the passenger had to pay an extra 20 baht to drive into Australia Village.  The passenger said, "asshole" very quietly, but loud enough that my ears perked up and the driver turning to us wondering what was said.  The problem is, curses are gradually losing its 'umph' because it...

Saturday with Kids and a Hike Spent the afternoon donkeying around with my neighbor's kids.  Truly a bundle of joy.  The highlight of the day: Caleb (in the toilet): Excuse me, I have to poop. [Silence] Caleb (still in the toilet): I counted two! We went on a hike, I told them stories about Fred and Frank the frogs, they told me stories about poop and underwear.  They bit my hands and arms, and crawled all over my thighs/legs without the remotest knowledge that that is inflicting pain on a fully grown man.  Honey I lost the kids! We don't need so much space. Caleb :)

A music history book I read two years ago talked about how simplified music composition has become.  Trust me, it only sounds complex because of the myriad of instruments thrown in together. Don't talk to me after teaching piano because I am still burning with annoyance. I have two more piano students left, whom I meet once a week.  They just did their first piano exam from an external examination school based in London.  They did fairly well. But I'm starting to think that what I am teaching, and what they are assessed on does not quite fit in with today's music scene.  Yes, this external music examination school which I have faithfully kept up with has tried to incorporate more contemporary music by revamping the third section of the performance pieces to reflect more modern composition, but that substitution alone, I think, is not sufficient. The piano student who came for lesson today LOVES One Direction.  A Boy Band.  They must look like Justin...

Please do not let the title mislead you.  My level of shopping is not that extravagant.  I go loco at the malls only on special occasions, like Christmas and the sorts.  However, the costly damages compels my mother to label me as one.  This, and a Starbucks addict.  But I only have a cup every fortnight! Regardless, some of you may know how "unfriendly" I can be with other people.  Some of you have called me a __________ - which I have no objection to.  Having been in Bangkok for a number o years, I have had many encounters with Chinese tourists.  Two of which I distinctly remember are: 1.  I was getting out the Sky Train at National Stadium and walked past a Chinese couple.  The lady was wearing skinny jeans and her fly was wide open.  2.  I was sitting at McDonald's in Paragon and a group of Chinese were trying to order in CHINESE.  I felt sorry for the Chinese tourists, and for that McDonald's employee.  T...

I think this incident should be a good launch pad for a reality show.  I'm pretty sure the global community in the now is aware of how the NST portrayed an Australian Senator as an "anti-Islam"-ist.  The innocent ombudsman who was in KL to observe the Bersih 3.0 demonstration found himself instead in the midst of Malaysia's all-too-common sting of malpractices.  I wonder what was going on in the mind of the reporter/editor of that particular article.  I'm not a news pundit but I know that misquoting someone is a no-no in both research and teaching, and I'm pretty sure in the news.  What do you get for doing this, ask NST, they will soon be expecting some lawsuits to fight against, and probably draining of some cash.    Seriously, I'd like to invite this writer to give a motivational speech on "the importance of ethical writing."

The first week of the holidays is always fun.  People are excited to see you, you have a million things you want to do, food you want to taste.  The second week, everything starts going downhill.  I'm not sure what the third holds for me. My holiday was basically over once I left Singapore.  Bangkok and Phuket were great as well.  I must say that the awesomeness of one's holidays depends on travel companions (if you're traveling with someone else). Otherwise, my days spent in Tamparuli has been basically idling.  Aside from the workouts that I have been able to maintain.  I've also been reading and working on PPTs for my classes next semester.  I'm on Chapter Five of the History of the English Language.  Something that I was initially very enthusiastic to teach, but then the explosion of information was just too much for me.  How am I to remember who did what to who when why where how?  Then there is the dilemma, do I want to ma...

For the past two weeks, I have developed a very intimate relationship with airports and planes.  I love the experience of going through the motions: checking in, clearing immigration, getting frisked? oopps! All is fun and well, but not so when you travel with certain groups of people.  This first group of people are from the south of Asia.  I came into contact with them on my flight back to Bangkok from Phuket.  They were all queued up nicely, albeit speaking to each other in a loud voice.  That was what I thought-that they were speaking loudly to each other, but apparently they were talking back to the lady at the counter.  They were causing such a ruckus that the personnel had to move them aside. This group of people were tolerable (since they were not in my way), but the next group I bumped into the next day was just crazy with a capital C.  snap snap snap* It was Friday at Suvarnabhumi Airport and I was checking in for my flight to Singapo...

Since living in Thailand, I haven't had the most pleasant experiences with hair dressers, barbers, stylists--whatever you want to call them.  Initially, I had friends here who had hair-trimming skills--better than Edward Scissorhands.  But all of these friends have left (I know what am I doing here?!) There are times when I trim my own mane when my hair ain't too long, but there are times when I NEED a 'professional' to keep it under control.  Here are two of the experiences.  1.  At "Together" Salon.  This hairdresser (guy) boasts a lot because a lot of us foreigners come to his shop for a hair cut.  I stopped going to this establishment because I didn't feel quite "together" with the owner.  One day, I came in wearing a Fedora.  It was summer, I was protecting my precious face from being exposed to the heat.  After finalizing a customer's hair, he welcomed me to the chair.  I took out my hat as I walked over and ruffled my swe...

I don't need to wander all the way to BKK for some fun fun fun.  Muak Lek has its own entertainment to offer. We don't get road rage Bangkokians are subjected to!  We get moo-moo-cows putting up a show! The black one in front totally the BULL leader. Two of them actually bumped into the car and folded-in my side mirrors.  Now, this is my own version of Engrish . For some reason they forgot to mix in the salt with whatever makes the chips sour.  Hmm.  Claypot made out of crab? This is the best!  After using this fabric softener, you will want to make love to your own clothes! I totally need this if I'm gonna party-rock-anthem Muak Lek! Blinged to the max shufflin'

So many! Going Bananas Don't worry I ain't eating them bananas on my own.  I share the smaller ones with the birds.  There's a dead smallish tree in the backyard and we decorate it like a Christmas tree--Christmas Banana Tree?  And the birds will drop by and consume this tropical delicacy. 

Fridays are bad days for my semantics students.  The reason being the amount of time spent with me--four hours! The discussion this morning and afternoon was about Felicity Conditions, in relation to our discussion on Direct Speech Acts.  In brief FC looks at conditions which must transpire for the the DSA to be appropriately executed. It is somewhat similar to Truth Conditions, but FC only looks at what conditions have Truth Values. In the middle of my lecture, I candidly mentioned, "Our parents should all attend this lecture." Why? Because some of the things they say are infelicitous. For something to have FC, e.g., the speaker must know that the hearer has already performed the action.  But this is not the case for some older parents.  They repeatedly ask for confirmation for tasks which have long been completed.  Such as, "Have you made your bed?"  "Have you (you may fill in the blanks with whatever is appropriate).  In other words, the...

I was hurrying along the winding pathway past the Thai Sala.  Fallen leaves are strewn about, and the grass has browned, except for the bougainvillea. "Pat, pat, patter patter patter." Little black discs began spinning out of the ground, accompanied by the hiss of water.  "The sprinklers are out! I'm only halfway to the parking lot." I was at a safe distance where the beads of water could not reach.  I examined the direction of each sprinkler.  There were three right at the end of the pathway, the first two sprinkling counter-clockwise while the last one clockwise.  "I can manage this," I thought.  Careful calculation brought me right behind the first sprinkler.  I obediently trailed the horizontal jet of water.  I was beaming when I maneuvered past the first two, a smile plastered on my face.  Just then, I noticed the third sprinkler's stream of water coming to me.  The pace faster than the second hand of an analog clock....

Many perceive living in a multilingual society as exotic, while some view it as a privilege or even a luxury.  An article published by the New York Times mentions how bilinguals are perhaps better at analytic tasks.  Would this imply that those who are trilingual or polyglots are smarter?   How do bilinguals/multilingual/polyglots cope?  If the notion of universal grammar were true, there would be a lot of principles and parameters to be set to accommodate the different languages spoken.  What more the ability and the spontaneity to code-switch in different linguistic domains!  Could these be the bases for the assumption that bilinguals are better at analyzing?  Like a chameleon sensitive to the color of the environment--perhaps this is what bilinguals are good at.   Setting those aside, growing up multilingual is not all happy and gay.  It is rather strenuous to be constantly conscious of how one should be, pragmatically speakin...

But I thought?!  Everything is relative, or is there such thing as universalism?  Beats me.  Also, something that you've had, and still have, bugs you to write you a post on your blog.  Something that you have been with.  Something that you have worked with, for example.  You expect to know what is expected when dealing with that something.  You know how that something reacts but still you do counter-intuitively.  Silly, but true?  It's like someone asking you in an angrily contorted face with voice close to a snake's hisses.  You respond in bewilderment and a tint of angry confusion.  Then the other person asks you why you are angry?  Do you get that?  If you do, how do you react? Bleh. 

I never had to bring one.  But I might on Thursday. We know the gym attracts different types of people.  Trust me, not all of them are there for fitness' sake.  I've been frequenting the campus gym for over a year now, and I've had my fair share of encounters with other gym enthusiasts.  Take note that I'm not referring them as "health" or "fitness" junkies.  Why do I go to the gym?  I'm scrawny and skinny, but I have managed to add some muscly padding to my rubbery dark and tanned skin.  So far, I have two categories of dudes who go to the gym. 1.  The ones who perspire after 10 minutes of intense workout, then takes off their shirt and leaves the sweat-drenched shirt hanging on one of the machines--the machine selected is normally one that is most used by everyone else.  Mind you, their upper body is not the only part that is secreting wetness, the lower half works just the same.  So if it's a press down machine they were on, y...

Prima facie, post facto are some fancy Latin terms I have come across in my readings. Bitchener, Boring, Csikszentmihalyi are some fancy? names I have come across in my readings. Stuff to Read. I have never read so much academic papers within a short span of time.  Every week there are close to ten papers I need to read through, and whose information I need to remember.  Who wrote what?  Who said what?  What instrument was used?  What was problematic about this paper?  I write them down, but of course in an unsystematic way.  I write notes on the margin of the paper.  But they are so concise that I forget what they actually are. I'm still lost.  I don't know what my research topic would be.  It's about ASEAN, definitely.  Why?  I am interested in SEA, and I'm interested in prospective employment.  Hey, you've got to do something practical and worthwhile. It's funny.  I was preparing for my semantics class to...

Even photocopying machines have bad days :(

We're Sexy and We're making lunch.

I got to march this Graduation!  I've never marched down the aisle with the rest of the faculty because I'd normally be providing the march music for them.  Then our new music teacher came along and I get to skip down and smile and wave with the rest :P It was a memorable yet tiring event.  Memorable because I messed up a hymn badly (I did play the piano for Saturday's graduation).  Everyone was looking at each other.  I looked at the violinist, the violinist looked at me, the chorister looked at me, and the congregation was split-they didn't know who to look at. It's nice to have my friends graduating.  At least now I don't have to worry about having friends who were my classmates back when I was a student eons ago. Daniel Kopp! My Mom, Dr. Surapee and Aunty Chrisana We got tired of smiling so we thought a serious face would be nice :) Suai Mak Mak! You've got to rock the grad with fun socks Dawood rocked his exist as he di...

Song in a loop in my head, Pink Martini's But Now I'm Back . I really do appreciate Program Music because they are more meaningful. Not sure if songs which convey a story should be called Program Music, but I think they are on the same line. This week has been quite hectic. Graduation here at AIU normally gets into the way of a lot of the things I'm supposed to do. Like my course outline and whatnot. A new course I'm teaching this summer, Semantics. Looking forward to it - Probably the first sentence I'll talk about is: colorless green ideas sleep furiously . Was at the music room early this morning. Practiced for a full hour while the sun rose, its reflection on the mahogany yamaha, interrupted by the consistent squeak of the sustain pedal which needs much oiling. Pleasantly bumped into Ivonne! I want to play piano like this every morning!

You know (No, you don't) that time when you arranged to meet someone and that someone doesn't show up. Your mind starts racing and you come up with all sorts of excuses to compensate for the non-arrival of that someone. Then when that person finally shows up you have a 180 degrees transformation and you forget all the ridiculous thoughts you had earlier. Back in Bangkok, city that never sleeps. Well parts of Bangkok actually don't sleep. I'm thankful that I'm in the part where people actually sleep! What's playing in my head? The Real Group's "There Goes My Heart Again." Nice sad song, go look it up on youtube :P

I'm not sure if you've heard Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of Just one of Those Things, or Jamie Cullum's cover of the same song. A fun song I must say. It was just one of those things Just one of those crazy flings One of those bells that now and then rings Just one of those things I'm not sure if I want to call it a crazy fling, because nothing beyond crazy has happened. Most of the time it's just enjoying each other's company. Talk, movie, peanuts, Korean ice-crea, mango plus sticky rice, you know. The usual. So good-bye, dear, and amen Here's hoping we meet now and then It was great fun But it was just one of those things But no, part of me doesn't want it to be just one of those things I actually want it to work! But it takes two to tango. You need a prey to be a hunter, you need partner to be a couple. It WAS great fun. Bun all fun comes to an end. Bleh.

Waiting for students to finish their final exam. The inevitable looms like a dark cloud blocking the last rays of sunlight (I'm talking about marking their papers)

If any of my ENGL421 students read this, know that I marked your finals in bed. What? A teacher deserves some slack time too! Pink Martini is the only musical group I can listen to while working on office stuff. Other than them, I'll end up shuffling around the room or rolling in the bed. Literally. It's so hard to keep up with this blog. Perhaps some sporadic posts would do. Perhaps a tribute to bloghopper, my anonymous blog visitor whose identity I'm still curious to know. What did I do today? Prepared final grades, gave out two final exams, and I just finished marking them. Read my article for my TLL class discussion next Wednesday. Looked at tickets for travel plans. I'm excited for April and May!! :D Been having strange dreams these past few nights. First was about me giving a week of prayer, and when I got up, I had nothing Biblical to say. Hmmm, my mind processing my subconscious fear of knowing so little about the Word? I'm still torn, whether or ...