Here's an entry that would give those, who are clueless, what my job really is...After replying to a comment that adrian made on the previous post, I reflected a teeny bit on how my life has been the past few weeks. Doing some mental calculation, I realise that I've spent more time working than anything else.
I haven't talked to my parents for more than half an hour. I haven't had a proper meal at a respectable restaurant with them for ages, till last Saturday. I don't even know what my parents like to eat anymore. I used to have an idea but now.... I'm clueless.
I think... this is probably how some parents these days feel. They don't know their kids because they spend so much time working that... they are like strangers. The only difference, probably, is that my parents are more understanding towards my plight.
I wake up early every day at 5.45am in order to be in time for work. Then I get home in the evenings and usually continue working at home. I do have long holidays but they are usually spent working or getting sleep. It has come to point where my mother helps me with some mundane tasks from time to time. She does all the cutting and pasting, packing and sealing while watching her korean dramas.
.... So I think I have to be more conscious of the time I spend on work and try to have some work-life balance to keep my sanity intact.
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Another thing....
Recently, I read some comments I made previously in a forum and was SHOCKED. I was shocked at the lack of punctuation, proper grammatical structures and the level of colloquialism. It was horrifying. Today, my boss asked,"So... how many of you can actually write a formal letter and know the format really well?"
*silence*
In my heart, I was feverishly praying. I seriously think I need to pray more these days. *not me not me not me* I guess breaking out in cold sweat would be a serious understatement. *move on to the next topic, move on move on move on* I was making a REAL effort in averting her gaze.
Sadly, I recently (yet again) learnt that a sizeable number of 12 yr olds could write better than I do. FAR better. I mean... WAYyyYYYY better. I reckon I am miles behind. I simply do not remember the last time I used words like gargantuan, garrulous, azure, agog, and phrases like a bolt in the blue, a stitch in time saves nine, red herring.... I do know these words... I just rarely use them. It was amazing to see how easily a child could use those words so naturally.
Thus, I shall revive my quest to improve.
I have to,
My neck is on the line.
Yes, and it's a lovely neck too.
ReplyDeleteYou mean you've only just realized that we spend more time working than on anything else? Welcome to the club.
As for formal letters, I have ended up writing business letters for friends, and for most of the companies I end up in. Business English is a almost a different language, unless you are in the corporate world, who would want to read something like that? That's almost like reading your sales and purchase agreement, and trying to make sense of that lawyer-speak.
Hi. I think many have the same problem too. Personally, I wonder.... how did my English deteriorate so much over the years? Complacency and laziness I guess. Complacency = thinking English is like learning to ride a bicycle, once you know how to ride, u think u never forget. Laziness = in a time crunching environment, we simply have no time to type every email replies properly. But it is plain laziness.
ReplyDeleteMy lecturers in Australia insisted we write our report parsimoniously.
ReplyDeleteThey say if you have to explain yourself in less than simple terms, you obviously think you can't convince them, so you are just trying to confuse them.
Hi adrian... Sadly I'm in an industry where I need to have an idea of how most things are written. Aside of industry-specific journals of course. I need to know how a poem, a narrative, a letter, an email, an information report are written. It's quite horrible really. I need to read up on all that....
ReplyDeleteHey Mickey... BOYYYyYy do I know what you mean. I let myself slack in that department too and I think I've completely lost that flair and interest I used to have. Sadly, I can't afford to lose it. So... I have to buck up. :)
Hi WJ! *looking up the dictionary for parsimoniously* They do make sense though. I guess I do find it tempting to plonk a huge bunch of unnecessary bombastic words just to make it look like I know what I'm saying... when I really don't. haha ;) Interesting.
Wow! Unnecessary and Bombastic, nice and long words. You got me beat there.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing thing happened today. I met a 9 year old who can create a website from scratch this afternoon. At 9 years old, I couldn't even remember to tie my shoe-laces.
Hi adrian! wow! He's good! But then, children these days do pick up such things really fast. It's a completely different era. I know 6 yr old bloggers who can take photos and upload them on their own, embed videos and music on their own sites... Whatever happened to good ol' five stones and Zero-point?
ReplyDeleteMaybe back then the adults were amazed at us as well? "Wow! Five stones & zero-point at 6!"
ReplyDeleteLeon... but... but... but... they were the ones who taught us those!
ReplyDelete