How I Got Involved in “@MarcoPolo_Pinocchio a Gedda” Project
In October this year, I was privileged to be invited by Maristella Tagliaferro to participate in the @MarcoPolo_Pinocchio a Gedda Project. I'm elated to be able to use my knowledge of Italian to translate one of my favorite childhood stories: Pinocchio! The whole experience has been gratifying and I love interacting with the group members, and getting to know more new Italian friends. I dedicate this post to you—my dearest Maristella. More about the project below.
Sandokan
My copy of SANDOKAN from the Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM) has arrived—I’ve read the book and enjoyed it. I’m usually not fond of pirates but this time I'm seeing things from another point of view and that is from the pirates’.
In this story, the fearful Sandokan, known as Harimau Malaysia (Tiger of Malaysia) is a famous and powerful pirate. He is the leader of the Mompracem pack. Together with his good friend, a Portuguese man named Yanez de Gomera, they set out to rescue the ill-fated Tremal-Naik.
Pablo Neruda: Nobel Prize-Winning Poet
This wonderful book, Pablo Neruda: Nobel Prize-Winning Poet by David Goodnough, is one of the 13 books I bought from Better World Books as part of my “2014 Annual Book Binge.”
I hadn't plan to read it so soon and certainly not in one sitting, but I did just that today. My cat, Trio, had decided to take a super long evening nap on my lap and eventually my laptop died on me (the battery ran out of juice), so I was immobilized with a black screen and a fur-ball on my lap. I took a look around me, locked my eyes on the pile of Pablo Neruda books just by my side and picked this one out.
Coursera: The Bilingual Brain (Notes)
This post is about my thoughts in relation to the Coursera course, THE BILINGUAL BRAIN by Arturo E. Hernandez (University of Houston). Language development—according to Professor Arturo—continues to happen until the 40’s. The left temporal lobe of our brain, which is involved in language, seems to show maturation up to that age. One more interesting finding is that when we are babies, our brains produce […]
Sandokan
My heartfelt thanks to a very dear friend, Maristella Tagliaferro, for bringing SANDOKAN to my attention. The legendary author Emilio Salgari never set foot in Malaysia, but he’s written an awesome series about the fictional character Sandokan through sheer research that became very famous in Italy.
MBA
I’m going back to school! I’m embarking on an MBA journey starting soon in two weeks.
Now that my Italian self-study has stabilized, I’m looking for new projects to occupy myself and decided on pursuing a postgraduate degree. I will, of course, continue to reinforce my mastery of Italian and an idea struck me in this respect to read materials related to my studies in Italian.
Divergent
It has been a while I last read a novel within two days and DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth was hard to put down. I like the vulnerable yet strong Beatrice (Tris) and the intriguing Four of Dauntless. The plot is exciting and in the face of circumstances surrounding the protagonists, the choices one has to make is […]
Mind-mapping to Improve Vocabulary
I found a very useful article on Italki.com about using mind-mapping to improve one’s vocabulary and I immediately plan to put it to work for my Italian language self-learning.
Mind maps are not new to me, but the concept of using it to improve my vocabulary is new and interesting.
Young Adult Fiction
I was reading the June issue of Cosmopolitan and came across this article by John Green: There's No Age Limit to Loving Teen Drama.
Green's words touched me: […]
How I Learn a Language by Reading Foreign Magazines
I find leisure reading a fun way to learn a foreign language and for those I’ve already mastered, it’s a great way to reinforce. An example of leisure reading is reading magazines IN the target language, and this is what this post is about.
I don’t indulge in fashion but I like reading about fashion. I transfer that interest to reading the subject in Italian (my target language) and have gone on to include Spanish and French.
Fluent in 3 Months
I think I hit the jackpot there (the quote above) with Italian. The said quote was taken from Benny Lewis’ newly released book, FLUENT IN 3 MONTHS. Italian, which is such a beautiful language completely consumed my life for a year and then more. Everything I did and do revolve around it.
My love and passion for Italian was triggered by my first ever Italian friend from Milan, […]
The Rosie Project
I bought THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion after three weeks of waiting and pondering. My instinct kept prodding me to buy the book. When I started reading, I think I have a crush on Don Tillman. Right from the beginning.
Don's awkwardness and quirks are really rather charming. For example, he counts everything to its most precise timing. He has a fixed schedule down to eating lobsters every Tuesday […]
The Tao of Pooh
THE TAO OF POOH by Benjamin Hoff is a wonderful gem of a book. I finished reading it while traveling home today—caught in a flight delay and then commuting in the bus from the airport to home—to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family. Lots of contemplation while I was at it.
Winnie-the-Pooh is one of my favorite bears (Paddington Bear is another one). Pooh is calm and reflective, and has a great personality.