Learning the Chinese Language

[LaoZhang]

It is said that the Chinese characters recognize all the descendents of the Yellow Emperor. So it’s only good cultivation that descendents of the Yellow Emperor take time to get to know these Chinese characters.

Get to know each Chinese character like you get to know a new friend. Approach it with an open heart, enjoy the process and find joy in learning every new Chinese character or phrase. It is such an exhilarating feeling as you get to befriend each Chinese character; knowing its name, origin and uses! You can befriend as many as Chinese characters as you like in a day! It all depends on how diligent you are in knowing their names, pronouncing them and remembering them. You will derive much fun and satisfaction as you cultivate more and more Chinese characters.

The real fun begins when you have befriended sufficient number of Chinese characters to be able to string a sentence or two together and read in Chinese. Then, you get to enjoy playing games with them; reading the newspapers, reading the classics, reciting poetries, singing songs, spinning tales, solving puzzles etc. These Chinese characters will also enable you to learn about the rich history of the 5,000-year old Chinese civilization. You will really appreciate knowing these Chinese characters when you travel in China. More importantly, these Chinese characters that you befriend can be used to build bridges to the hearts of the other 1.333 billion descendents of the Yellow Emperor!

Learning the Chinese language like learning other languages will also help you maintain a youthful spirit of exploration and keep a keen and alert mind, an antidote to the much feared Alzheimer disease. Thus, it will help you age gracefully.

I came across an interesting article which advocates learning the Chinese language. It states the following advantages of Chinese language (pictorial form) as compared to other Romanized language forms:

1) Numbers in Chinese are monosyllable – thus learning Maths in Chinese is much easier. Once you learn how to count from one to 11 you are on the way to counting to 99. It is also much easier and quicker to recite the multiplication table in Chinese. It is quite a mouthful to recite in English and a goner if you try reciting it in Malay (your tongue followed by your mind get twisted in knots).

2) Using the abacus – it is easier to synchronize the verbal/mental counting in Chinese and manipulation of the beads with the fingers

3) A group of German researchers recently did a research on the role of language in the recovery of stroke patients. The German scientists carried out the study in a Hong Kong hospital. The patients under study were divided in two groups, the English educated and Chinese educated group. Each group has 5 patients. The patients selected have suffered about the same severity of stroke. The patients in the English educated group were asked to read 3 English words; FIVE, I, LOVE, etc and the Chinese educated group were also shown similar meaning words in Chinese (五, 我, 爱). All the English educated patients were able to read the word alphabet by alphabet e.g. F, I, V, E for FIVE but they do not know the meaning of the word. They were only able to read and know the meaning of I which is a one letter word. This means, the English educated stroke patients have become illiterate! Whereas, the Chinese educated group were all able to read and understand the meaning of all the five Chinese characters. Furthermore, the Chinese educated stroke patients were still able to read the Chinese newspaper, albeit quite slowly. The moral of the story is, better learn the Chinese language before stroke strikes you, otherwise you become illiterate! The alternative is to walk the 8-fold noble paths to stay healthy!

4) Chinese language is very precise and economical in use. Among the 5 official languages of the UN, minutes and reports in Chinese language use the least paper.

5) New Chinese words or phrases are often derived from combination of existing characters. Thus it is quite easy to guess the meaning of the words from the root characters, as long as you understand the meaning of the root characters.

So there you are… 5 additional reasons why everyone especially Chinese (whether China Chinese or overseas Chinese) should learn the Chinese language.

It is a lot easier these days to learn Chinese with the help of Pin-Yin. No, Pin-Yin is not the name of an almond-face pretty Chinese teacher. It is the Romanized form of Chinese pronunciation.

An effective way of learning Chinese is to engage a private tutor and signup with ChinesePod.com, an excellent internet learning Chinese language portal. My niece’s husband who did not speak a word of Mandarin before could now speak fairly fluent Mandarin after 9 months of study with a Chinese tutor, intensive use of the ChinesePod.com lessons and dodged use of the Chinese language whenever the occasion arise.

I also recommend teaching/learning aids (text books, CDs etc) produced by the Beijing Foreign Language Institute ( 北 京 语 言 学 院) which are specially designed for Englishmen/foreigners to learn the Chinese Language. These teaching aids are also suitable for WOG like us too !

Last but not least, happy learning !

[Odysseus]

LaoZhang, come and conduct chinese lessons for us at NKS la...

[datokuan]

wah lau... you try to re-educate the banana people... chinese who speak english onli arh??:squeeze:

[LaoZhang]

LaoZhang, come and conduct chinese lessons for us at NKS la...


I'm still an elementary student lah...:D

wah lau... you try to re-educate the banana people... chinese who speak english onli arh??:squeeze:


I'm in no position to re-educate people ... since I myself still undergoing education.. trying to add some colours to the white inside..:p:laugh:

[hl ling]

orang cina bukan cina

[SS2006]

My American counterparts were so surprised when I tell them I'm a Chinese, 3rd generation Chinese from mainland China. They said I don't behave like chinese (meaning the stereotype China chinese) at all.

[datokuan]

My American counterparts were so surprised when I tell them I'm a Chinese, 3rd generation Chinese from mainland China. They said I don't behave like chinese (meaning the stereotype China chinese) at all.

aiyoyo..... wat impression they have from a China Chinese???:huh:

[datokuan]

orang cina bukan cina

salah!!!... orang cina original but celup....hanya sesat sahaja.....:squeeze:

[Dino]

I've never gotten along well with chinese educated people.
Dunno.....i just think that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude and lastly......
they have got to have rice or noodles for every freaking meal. They will die after 1 week without it.:p

[datokuan]

I've never gotten along well with chinese educated people.
Dunno.....i just think that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude and lastly......
they have got to have rice or noodles for every freaking meal. They will die after 1 week without it.:p

but LZ advocate us to learn Hua Yee language......... that one must agree....but you can still keep ur skin color and all the acceptable habits. ;)

[athena]

I've never gotten along well with chinese educated people.
Dunno.....i just think that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude and lastly......
they have got to have rice or noodles for every freaking meal. They will die after 1 week without it.:p
ditto!!! *high five*

[LaoZhang]

I've never gotten along well with chinese educated people.
Dunno.....i just think that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude and lastly......
they have got to have rice or noodles for every freaking meal. They will die after 1 week without it.:p

ditto!!! *high five*

Friends, your prejudice showing lah...

I have good friends on both sides of the divide and I really could not discern that much of a difference between those English educated and Chinese educated friends. At least not along the lines that you delineated. I find the Chinese ed friends’ world view are as broad as any of us, their entrepreneur skills are quite amazing as they venture forth all over the world and many of them are a lot more polite and well mannered as compared to me !!

In my company, 80% of my Chinese staff are Chinese ed and my partners are Chinese ed too. On the home front.. my siblings are Chinese ed and children are Chinese ed…

As for eating rice and noodles …. you’re referring to Chinese during our parents and grandparents generation, nothing to do with being Chinese ed … just like old gen Brits cannot survive without fish and chips ... before the time of globalisation !!

Last but not least.... I can assure you that learning the Chinese language will only enhance your world view ... and make you less prejudice.... so why not ??!!:D

[Dino]

Sometimes, when you cannot get along with a certain group, you don't get along with a certain group. I've tried but got labeled a banana......:squeeze:
I like listening to chinese music and watch good chinese movies.....heck...i listen to Fei Yu Qing ok....My opinion is that chinese ed people more judgmental of someone like me because i cannot speak the language well. Sorry, my cina dem koyak!!! :laugh:

[datokuan]

Sometimes, when you cannot get along with a certain group, you don't get along with a certain group. I've tried but got labeled a banana......:squeeze:
I like listening to chinese music and watch good chinese movies.....heck...i listen to Fei Yu Qing ok....My opinion is that chinese ed people more judgmental of someone like me because i cannot speak the language well. Sorry, my cina dem koyak!!! :laugh:

and u r still a cina ah pek like me.....so let learn Hua Yee together like LZ said....as long as I have u as my fren, jadi lah......:).

[Dino]

and u r still a cina ah pek like me.....so let learn Hua Yee together like LZ said....as long as I have u as my fren, jadi lah......:).

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/vghc/Smilies/funky1.gif

[SS2006]

aiyoyo..... wat impression they have from a China Chinese???:huh:

I've never gotten along well with chinese educated people.
Dunno.....i just think that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude and lastly......


Same as my personal impression of China Chinese, at least those that I had to work with. You have to take everything they say with a pinch of salt, and just cannot trust their feedback...they don't do what they say and don't say what they do. So we waste a lot of time verifying something, and sometimes have to travel to the China customer sites just to find out the info my China counterparts transfer back to us are all crap!
And the worse part is they can easily get away with it, by putting the blame to everyone and everything else. This is also shown in the 'melamine contamination' case!
And yes, I agree with Dino that that they are narrow minded, unwilling to try new things,some are very rude.
But to be fair, not all China people are like that. I have met some nice people too.

[Odysseus]

Are we mixing up Malaysian Chinese banana learning Hua Yee (aka Putonghua) with characteristics of Chinese people from China?

[datokuan]

Are we mixing up Malaysian Chinese banana learning Hua Yee (aka Putonghua) with characteristics of Chinese people from China?

no lar... we r very clear who we r... but we kenot helped others who branded us a mixed pple.........hopefully, we r not kena branded confused people just because Confucious was a great guy in cina culture....:):)

[Dino]

no lar... we r very clear who we r... but we kenot helped others who branded us a mixed pple.........hopefully, we r not kena branded confused people just because Confucious was a great guy in cina culture....:):)

Dun care leeer.....i've formed my opinion about them and them about me.
Life goes on......dun like it, dun talk to me, and i dun talk to you.
Why give oneself unnecessary stress.

[SS2006]

Dun care leeer.....i've formed my opinion about them and them about me.
Life goes on......dun like it, dun talk to me, and i dun talk to you.
Why give oneself unnecessary stress.

*High-5* Dino:D

I like the way you think.

[alfred98]

I used to think like this....what the hack....cannot speak mandarin and those bugger refused to speak england.....don't wanna frend them lah.....but most of chinese speak mandarin and worst one is the cantonese bugger refused to speak even mandarin.......don't frend then also....we speak england and hok chui.....the world change....mandarin is a veri important....especially in bussiness world......I think cantonese in china can speak mandarin veri well except those from Hong Kong and malaysian cantonese!!!!:mad:

[SS2006]

I used to think like this....what the hack....cannot speak mandarin and those bugger refused to speak england.....don't wanna frend them lah.....but most of chinese speak mandarin and worst one is the cantonese bugger refused to speak even mandarin.......don't frend then also....we speak england and hok chui.....the world change....mandarin is a veri important....especially in bussiness world......I think cantonese in china can speak mandarin veri well except those from Hong Kong and malaysian cantonese!!!!:mad:

Well, I do speak passable Mandarin...sufficient to communicate with business people in China. Google language tools does a good job in translating the occasional written chinese .
But that still does not prevent the frequent miscomm. I suspect those Chinese deliberately miscomm, or they selectively understand and remember what they want to hear only.:mad:

So it's not plainly learning the Chinese language alone. It's learning the culture, especially work culture if want to do biz with them.
I feel Chinese educated M'sian has less problem accepting the China culture, because they have been exposed to that in the Chinese textbooks.

[datokuan]

SS, if u worry about misscomm with China Cina....this is wat I usually do.... just act onli with english comm via fax or e-mail....verbal jus blame...hard to understand and blame gua tak tau...and my closing sentence is tat I graduated from my Hua Yee class last saturday onli.....:)

[Dino]

Another thing is that if you don't have people around you speaking the language, its going to be very difficult to learn. Not trying to make excuses but i've tried a few years ago...but kenot laa....keep forgetting certain words and characters. :squeeze:

[SS2006]

SS, if u worry about misscomm with China Cina....this is wat I usually do.... just act onli with english comm via fax or e-mail....verbal jus blame...hard to understand and blame gua tak tau...and my closing sentence is tat I graduated from my Hua Yee class last saturday onli.....:)

Dato, my worry is not miscomm using Mandarin, my verbal is passable. I can confirm that because when I talk directly to my China customers, they can understand, and we can comm perfectly (of course la with a mixture of English technical terms).
It's with my own company China counterparts, using simple English in e-mail or telcon, at that point they said they understand. But they just never relay the correct message to the customer, and vice versa. Things either get lost in translation, or these guys purposely twist our words and then blame misscom.:sus:
It's their culture...

[LaoZhang]

Another thing is that if you don't have people around you speaking the language, its going to be very difficult to learn. Not trying to make excuses but i've tried a few years ago...but kenot laa....keep forgetting certain words and characters. :squeeze:


Yes, you really need to have live sparring partners to learn a new language.. the other alternative is by total immersion ...just pack up and go work in China for a year or so... as they say necessity is the mother of invention


The Chinese word for the day is 危机 (wei1 ji1) - meaning crisis. It comprises of 2 Chinese characters - 危 (danger) & 机 (opportunity)

So there always opportunity in a crisis...in the current economic turmoil, there are opportunities to be exploited !
If properly positioned now, I'm sure your net worth will increase very substantially 3 to 5 years down the road.

[datokuan]

Yes, you really need to have live sparring partners to learn a new language.. the other alternative is by total immersion ...just pack up and go work in China for a year or so... as they say necessity is the mother of invention


The Chinese word for the day is 危机 (wei2 ji1) - meaning crisis. It comprises of 2 Chinese characters - 危 (danger) & 机 (opportunity)

So there always opportunity in a crisis...in the current economic turmoil, there are opportunities to be exploited !
If properly positioned now, I'm sure your net worth will increase very substantially 3 to 5 years down the road.

agree with u 101%.... Dino ur new GF must be a black or white....or zebra colour.... go that one up and change one with yellow one (must b from China) and u will learn the Hua Yee very easily... but make sure u keep 4 her for at least 1 year as LZ's prescription....:p:p

[LaoZhang]

agree with u 101%.... Dino ur new GF must be a black or white....or zebra colour.... go that one up and change one with yellow one (must b from China) and u will learn the Hua Yee very easily... but make sure u keep 4 her for at least 1 year as LZ's prescription....:p:p

Well, that's also a sure way of learning the Chinese language... but be sure you learn the art of protecting your pockets before engaging one of these little dragon girls ...:laugh::p

The Chinese word for the day is 好奇 (hao4 qi2) - meaning: to be curious; to be full of curiosity; to be inquisitive about.

It's make up of 1) 好 (hao3) - meaning: good, normally pronounced in the 3rd tone but in this word is pronounced in the 4th tone &
2) 奇 (qi2) - unusual/strange, or surprise/wonder.

The ancients says curiosity kills a cat... while present day people think that lack of curiosity is the death knell of meaningful life..

[LaoZhang]

Chinese phrase for the day : 金鸡独立 (jin1 ji1 du2 li4) - golden chicken standing on one leg .. 金 (golden) 鸡 (Chicken. cockerel) 独 (independent, single) 立 (standup)..

This qigong posture is done with eyes slightly closed and standing up right on one leg...

Initially you may only be able to stand for a few seconds .. that's because your head feels heavy and you leg feels light ... but with practise your leg will become heavier while your head becomes lighter... and the golden chicken can keep still for some time ...

If you practise this posture for 1 minute every day, your blood sugar level and blood pressure will go down ... your neck and spinal problems will be solved and Alzheimer disease will not come near you ...
:D

[LaoZhang]

Dec 7, 2000 from http://www.malaysia.com.my

Chinese education advantage in Malaysia
James Wong Wing On

The many outbursts of the Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and "news analyses" and "commentaries" in the Utusan Malaysia on Chinese education and language in Malaysia have given a very wrong picture to Malaysians and the world.

According to the stereotype constructed for political psychological warfare (psy-war) operations, Chinese education produces Chinese "bigots" who are only good in Mandarin and mathematics, and nostalgic about the Great Motherland, namely China, just as the Zionists all over the world dream of Mount Zion.

It is not a very new psy-war image. It has been here with us for years since those days when our land was still titled British Malaya. At that time, especially during the Cold War and the Emergency (1948-60), Chinese education was even further (mis)associated with communism and underground activities allegedly masterminded in Beijing.

True enough, many communist or pro-communist literature found at that time were published in Mandarin, and inspired by communism in China, but the question was, and still is, whether we can "therefore" equate Chinese-language or Chinese education per se with communism. The answer is "no". The reasons are simple.

Malay communists

First, according to the historical research conducted by an academic with the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang, Cheah Boon Keng, the idea of setting up an organised
Communist Party of Malaya in the late 1920s was introduced by first and foremost, a
Malay-speaking Sumatran (under Dutch rule) Tan Melaka, and then other Dutch or
Malay-speaking native Marxist-Leninist of the then Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) like Mas Alimin who came first to Muar.

And according to another research monograph sponsored by the Flinders University in South Australia, and conducted by a Singaporean historian CF Yong, in the late 20s and before 1935, there were a significant number of Malay communists in Negeri Sembilan, with communist literature printed in Jawi.

Second, even during the height of the struggle for Independence and during the emergency, there were English-educated and English-speaking Malayan Communists like journalist-turned-guerilla William Kuek who was shot by British army together with his boyhood friend-cum-comrade "Jacko".

Chin Peng, the last Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Malaya, received a significant portion of his education at the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) in his hometown Sitiawan in Perak. He still speaks excellent English as evidenced in his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1998.

Third, in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the Communist Party of Malaya leadership included Malays like Abdullah CD, Rashid Maidin and Shamsiah Fakiah who received their education in the Malay vernacular system then.

Third largest party

However, because of the need for strategic containment against communism in China, Chinese education in Malaya/Malaysia per se was equated with communism - "Beijing conspiracy", "Fifth Column"- despite many facts to the contrary.

Another historical fact long neglected or suppressed is that during the height of Sukarno's power, authority in Indonesia, the Malay-speaking Parti Komunis Indonesia (PKI) was the third largest communist party in the world outside Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

The Malay-speaking PKI was definitely larger and stronger than the mainly Mandarin-speaking Communist Party of Malaya.

Of course, the history of world communism shows that communists spoke not only Malay, Chinese and English, but also Russian, Hungarian, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Portugese,
et cetera.

On the other hand, there were many Chinese-educated or Mandarin-speaking Chinese Malayans/Malaysians who supported the anti-communist Kuomintang (or the National Party of China) and British colonialism.

Some of their leaders formed the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) in 1949.

Approved syllabus

Until early 1990s, most of the Chinese-educated Malaysians went only to the anti-communist Taiwan to further their education. The majority of them were Chinese,
although there were a few Malays.

It was only in the mid-90s that some Chinese Malaysians began to go to universities in the People's Republic of China.

What about Chinese primary and secondary education in Malaysia now? What do they teach and what do students learn? Only Chinese culture, language and civilization?

Wrong. Plain wrong.

Chinese primary and secondary education teach subjects normal to all races and all countries - science, mathematics, geography, history and sports, et cetera. The syllabus is approved by the Ministry of Education.

Although the standard of English-language in Chinese primary and secondary schools is yet to be improved, many students in these schools excel in Bahasa Malaysia. Upon growing up and preparing for public examinations, they read Dewan Masyarakat, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.

I would personally also suggest to some of them to read Harakah once a while to get the picture balanced, and to have a stronger sense of justice and compassion.

They are also taught world history and the history of Malaya/ Malaysia. Chinese education in Malaysia also enables them to understand and appreciate some basic
features of Islam and Western civilization.

They definitely know what is the French Revolution and the Storming of the Bastille, American Independence and British Parliament. When they write about the name Prophet Mohammad (May Peace be Upon Him) in Mandarin, they know to address him as a sage, as respectable as Confucius and Lord Jesus Christ.

Global issues

When Chinese-educated Malaysians read Chinese-language newspapers, they know more about Malays/Muslims politics than the readers of Utusan Malaysia or Berita Harian because all sides are presented or covered fairly.

They know that Muslims can join different parties like Umno, Keadilan, PAS, PRM and even DAP (like Ahmad Nor), just as Chinese can support or not support MCA, DAP, Gerakan, Keadilan and even PAS.

The Chinese-educated Malaysians also read in Chinese-language newspapers like the Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pau or China Press detailed analyses of the American presidential election results from both the Democrat's and Republican's point of view.

They read about China bombarding Taiwan verbally as well as Taiwan's counterattack. Chinese-language newspapers also cover news on Middle Eastern and Western politics.

They have columns for Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Taoists, as well as news about Michael Jackson, Jackie Chan and Madonna.

Sin Chew Jit Poh, for example, has been sending its senior journalists, editors and writers to Indonesia, Iran and the Sultanate of Oman to report on Islamic ways of life, their political and economic conditions, and culture.

It also invites Malay and Indian academics from Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to comment on regional, American and China affairs, giving Chinese-educated Malaysians wider perspectives and balanced views.

Universal values

Using language to identify non-existent "communists" or define a defunct ideology, or using the communist label to stereotype a particular linguistic group or its civil organisation, is sterile and futile.

In the post-Cold War 21st century, it is also rather comical or farcical to use a language as an ideological foundation of "nationalism" and "ethnic unity".

The Chinese language, like Bahasa Indonesia/ Melayu is a liberal and nonpartisan language not only for Confucianism or Buddhism, but also for Islam, Christianity, Socialism, Liberalism and feminism. It is, in short, a language for all human ideas and values.

Chinese education does not produce "bigots" or "extremists". It teaches Malaysians who are willing and ready to learn secular and modern knowledge in all fields.

It also imparts universal human values such as honesty, tolerance, compassion and stoic valour in the face of oppression and injustice, values which are all found in Hinduism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.


JAMES WONG WING ON, a former MP for Kampar, was educated in the Chinese Catholic schools of SRJK (Cina) and SMK Sam Tet, Ipoh, Perak. He read economics and political science at the Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and now writes a weekly column in a Chinese-language daily. All views in this article are his own.

[datokuan]

LZ, but tis article was written nearly 8 years ago. I think the social political landscape has changed significantly. There some points that I do not agree with James.... but in the nutshell the importance of Hua Yee will grow by the day..:)

[LaoZhang]

LZ, but tis article was written nearly 8 years ago. I think the social political landscape has changed significantly. There some points that I do not agree with James.... but in the nutshell the importance of Hua Yee will grow by the day..:)

Yes the article is a bit "old" and the social political landscape may have changed over the years..but really the thinking amongst UMNO's leaders have not changed that much... Recently, Mahathir junior who is one of the contestants for Ketua Pemuda UMNO again brought out the issue of closing down vernacular schools to fish for votes amongst the racists...

Attached is a letter to M'siakini concerning the issue :


Vernacular schools unfairly targetted

SK Wong | Dec 9, 08 4:53pm

"Here we go again", I thought to myself as yet another aspiring Umno Youth leader used the non-Malays as the bogeymen to portray himself as the champion of Malay rights.
MCPX

I am of course referring to Murkriz Mahathir's recent statement that all vernacular schools should be shut down in favour of national schools. The rationale? It's the old beaten-to-death line of reasoning: vernacular schools cause disunity.

Because non-Malay school children tend to attend vernacular schools, while the Malays attend national schools, the segregation limits interaction between different races which in turn leads to disunity. It is simple, linear and logical reasoning. But does it reflect reality?

First of all, as the saying goes, it takes two hands to clap. Why must the vernacular schools shoulder the sole responsibility of sowing the seed of disunity while national schools are let off the hook?

Take Mara for example, an institution created exclusively for the Malays. A recent suggestion by the Selangor chief minister to open its door to non-Malays was met with howls of protests. Why is it not accused of creating disunity?

Why are no fingers pointed at religious schools? Exactly what kind of unity are we talking about? Is "unity" being bandied about as a euphemism for subtle forced assimilation? Can the people take politicians seriously when they talk about unity while being oblivious to such a blatant violator of the cause? Why the double-standard?

By comparison, none of the vernacular schools are created exclusively for a single race. Although they conduct classes in Mandarin and Tamil (except for the subjects of Malay, English, and yes, Science and Mathematics), anyone is welcomed to learn them.

No one is barred from enrolling based on race. So is it a case of pot calling the kettle black? Or rather the pot calling the silver-ware black? If vernacular schools are guilty of creating disunity, then all types of schools are not above the fray. There is plenty of blame to go around. But are schools really the source of our disunity?

Our schools, be they national or vernacular, did not intentionally set out to polarise their student intake (except for Mara). The racial polarisation in our schools is a natural consequence of the collective decisions made by the children's parents which is a reaction to the various hare-brain educational policies hatched up by some people sitting in an air-conditioned office and the overly-zealous local educational administrators/principals.

It is an open secret that our national schools are becoming increasingly religious in overtones. The falling standards, lackadaisical attitude of some teachers and the not so well-disguised contempt for non-Malay students are putting off many non-Malay parents.

On the other hand, many Malay parents still put their trust in the government. In short, polarisation in schools is a manifestation, rather than the cause of disunity. In fact, forcing students into the same school system without addressing the root cause of the problem may even aggravate resentment and result in greater disunity.

The different types of schools is actually minimising the explosive friction created by the disunity rather than a cause of it. Forcing all students to attend the same school system is like forcing all commuters to drive Proton cars.

To be fair to Murkriz, as a concession, he did say that all students must learn their own mother tongue in national schools. But the lack of opportunity to learn one’s mother tongue is not the only reason why so many non-Malay parents abandon national schools, it is not even the main reason.

Unless the falling education standard along with rising religiosity is arrested and reversed, non-Malays will continue to flock to vernacular schools.
The choice of school like buying a car, is a practical matter not a patriotic one. Whoever produces a better product gets the parents' endorsement. The most recent statistics I can dig up came from a report written by Chok Suat Ling in New Straits Times on Feb 17 2002. According to the report, 90 percent of non-Malays go to vernacular schools and 90 percent of Malays go to national schools.

That means that about 10 percent of Malays go to vernacular schools, while roughly 10 percent of non-Malays go to national schools. Since Malays account for more that 65 percent of the country's population, 10 percent of the Malay population is necessarily greater than 10 percent of the non-Malay population.

Therefore, there are more Malay students in vernacular schools than non-Malay students in national schools. In this sense, national schools and religious schools are more culpable of creating disunity.

It appears, vernacular schools are not quite the devils they are made out to be. Perhaps, we should close down national schools instead? If closing down national schools sounds sacrilegious, why then is closing down vernacular schools any less so?

Before casting their stones, Murkriz and his supporters should make sure they are not living in a glass house. The non-Malays do not like to be bullied any more than the Malays.

The non-Malays helped to build this country to what it is today. The tin mines did not mine themselves. The rubber trees did not tap themselves, Kuala Lumpur was not founded by itself. Non-Malays pay taxes and have won more than their fair share of medals in international sporting events.

The non-Malays fought alongside the Malays against the Japanese aggressor in World War II. After the war, they worked together to gain independence from the British. The non-Malays are an asset to the country, not the enemy. It is disheartening after shedding so much sweat, tears and blood for this country, that their allegiance is still being questioned.

[datokuan]

Mahathir Jr is a duck....have seen capable and talented Malays and Indian parents who just wan to have best education for the children and with eyes on the future....they jus ignore all these noise and sent their kids to chinese school......:)

[LaoZhang]

From THE INDEPENDENT

Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad
Science journal mistakenly uses flyer for Macau brothel to illustrate report on China

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Tuesday, 9 December 2008


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee86/zhangxinfu/Advert.jpg


The Chinese script on the journal cover, which was actually a brothel advert

A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.

Chinese characters look dramatic and beautiful, and have a powerful visual impact, but make sure you get the meaning of the characters straight before jumping right in.

There were red faces on the editorial board of one of Germany's top scientific institutions, the Max Planck Institute, after it ran the text of a handbill for a Macau strip club on the front page of its latest journal. Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the MaxPlanckForschung journal, but instead of poetry they ran a text effectively proclaiming "Hot Housewives in action!" on the front of the third-quarter edition. Their "enchanting and coquettish performance" was highly recommended.

The use of traditional Chinese characters and references to "the northern mainland" seem to indicate the text comes from Hong Kong or Macau, and it promises burlesque acts by pretty-as-jade housewives with hot bodies for the daytime visitor.

The Max Planck Institute was quick to acknowledge its error explaining that it had consulted a German sinologist prior to publication of the text. "To our sincere regret ... it has now emerged that the text contains deeper levels of meaning, which are not immediately accessible to a non-native speaker," the institute said in an apology. "By publishing this text we did in no way intend to cause any offence or embarrassment to our Chinese readers."

But publication of the journal caused some anger among touchier internet users in China who felt the institute had done it on purpose to insult China, or that it was disrespectful to use Chinese as a decoration. But generally, the faux-pas sparked much amusement among Chinese readers.

On anti-cnn.com, a foreigner-baiting website set up after a commentator on the US broadcaster made anti-Chinese comments following the crackdown in Tibet in March, the reaction was mostly "evil fun". One wrote, "Next time, please find a smart Chinese graduate to check your translation", and another said they should try writing "I am illiterate".

The journal has since been updated online and its cover now carries the title of a book by the Swiss Jesuit, Johannes Schreck (1576–1630). The Jesuit text in question was "Illustrated Explanations of Strange Devices".

Chinese is a tonal language, which means words sounding the same can often have very different meanings depending on how they are spoken.

There are tales of drunken teenagers walking out of tattoo parlours with characters reading, "This is one ugly foreigner" or "A fool and his money are easily parted".

Another web-user wrote: "I recently met a German girl with a Chinese tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so loud, I could hardly breathe."

[LaoZhang]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee86/zhangxinfu/GoldenChickonsingleleg.jpg

[LaoZhang]

冬至DONG ZHI

冬至 "Dong Zhi" literally means "arrival of winter"　(冬- winter, 至 – arrive). “ Dong Zhi” is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar. Coinciding with the winter solstice, it is an occasion for the family to get together to celebrate the good year they have had. 汤圆 “Tang Yuan” is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. Dong Zhi occurs about 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and would normally fall on 21st Dec to 23rd Dec. This year it falls on 21st Dec because it’s a leap year. It’s one Chinese festival that follows the solar calendar. To the traditional Chinese, this festival rank 2nd in importance after the Chinese New Year festival (which is called 春节 "chun jie" -Spring festival in China).

ORIGIN
Winter solstice signifies the beginning of winter. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest.

CELEBRATION
Dong Zhi is a time for family reunion. Tang Yuan, sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls, is indispensible during this festival. 圆 "Yuan" (literally meaning "round") signifies圆满 “"yuan man" (complete) and Tang Yuan means 团圆 "tuan yuan" (family reunion). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity.

For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.

[athena]

hehehe..Happy Dong Zhi Everyone...


"To the traditional Chinese, this festival rank 2nd in importance after the Chinese New Year festival" --> I always tot for the traditional chinese this was more important that CNY coz everyone survived Winter..that's why everyone's bday is on this day?? no ??

[Dino]

Blardy cold here this winter. Happy? Don't think so....:squeeze:

[LaoZhang]

Blardy cold here this winter. Happy? Don't think so....:squeeze:

It's going to get colder before it gets warmer...

But on the positive side, you'll have more daylight to brighten the day from now on ...So, cheer up young man !! :laugh::laugh:

[LaoZhang]

The word Hokkien means Fujian (福建) in Mandarin. The Hokkien Province or 福建省(Fujian Sheng) has a population of about 35 Million.

The capital of Fujian Province is Fuzhou City (福州市), while Xiamen is its commercial center.

The main river that flows throu' Fujian Province is the Min River - (闽江) MinJiang.

The people who live to the South of the Min River are called Minnan people (闽南人) Minnan Ren (Or South of the Min River People).

Whereas, people who live on the Western side of the province are called West of Min River people or MinXi Ren (闽西人).

Fuzhou City is located to the North and near to the mouth of the Min River. The dialects spoken by the people around Fuzhou City are call Fuzhou Hua or what we normally call "Hok Chiu Wah" . Fuzhou Hua has 10 sub-dialect groups.


Just South of Fuzhou city is the Putian City (莆田市, where the Heng Huas lives and where Doc Alfred's ancestors came from .. )

Further South of Putian City are QuanZhou (泉州), Xiamen (下门) & Zhangzhou (漳州); the people in this region speak different variant of Min Nan Hua (or South of the Min River dialects). Only the people around Zhangzhou speaks a variant of dialect called called Hokkien dialect (spoken by the Malaysia Hokkiens). Xiamen is also call Emui (Amoy) in the Hokkien dialect.

A major town to the West of Xiamen (下门) ( is Longyan City 龙岩市which is about 1.5 hr by highway. Only a minority in LongYan speaks MinNan Hua. The Majority of the people speak variants of Hakka dialect. Further West of LongYan (ie Western Fujian Province), is all Hakka territory..

Thus, the dialects spoken by the people in Fujian province are variants of Fuzhou, Putian, MinNan, Hakka and some other minor sub-dialects...

[alfred98]

Just South of Fuzhou city is the Putian City (莆田市, where the Heng Huas lives and where Doc Alfred's ancestors came from .. )

Wah.....thanks LZ....finally someone talk to me in english......before that....all they told me is in mandarin!!!!:laugh:
Putian.....here I come!!

[datokuan]

wah...din no there r so many sub-dialet group in Fujian province alone...no wonder chinese are confusing pple...

[SS2006]

wah...din no there r so many sub-dialet group in Fujian province alone...no wonder chinese are confusing pple...

I feel that we are lucky because we have a chance to learn so many dialects.
Chinese in mainland China can only speak Mandarin plus their own dialect only, and those at the big city like Shanghai and Beijing can only speak Mandarin.

[LaoZhang]

wah...din no there r so many sub-dialet group in Fujian province alone...no wonder chinese are confusing pple...

In the Western part of the Fujian Province (referred to as Minxi by the Chinese), the locals told me that there is a different Hakka sub-dialect for every 3 streets... so you can imagine the no of dialects spoken in Fujian alone, not to mention the whole of China !!

[LaoZhang]

I feel that we are lucky because we have a chance to learn so many dialects.
Chinese in mainland China can only speak Mandarin plus their own dialect only, and those at the big city like Shanghai and Beijing can only speak Mandarin.



It depends on circumstances and how you look at it !!

One day, many moons ago, I heard an animated conversation in Malay between my wife and another lady.. When I peeked out of window, I was expecting to see a Malay lady.. but to my surprise she was a Chinese lady from a few doors away ! My wife could speak only English, Hokkien, Malay and a smattering Chinese Mandarin (her command of Cantonese dialect is just like most Northern Hokkiens .. near to zilch ..) and the other lady spoke only Cantonese and Malay..

So, the common language between them was Malay ...

Mandarin or Putong Hua is really useful in giving the Chinese a unified spoken language.

All the various dialects have the same written characters with some additional characters for various dialects.

The romanised form of the Chinese language helps in standardising pronounciation and input of the Chinese characters via keyboards.

The Vietnamese language used to be based on the Chinese character system with Vietnamese pronounciation.. Unfortunately they discarded the Chinese characters and adopted romanisation wholesale (about 100 years ago ?). The new generations lost all the old Vietnamese literature written in Chinese characters.

[Candy]

I always tot for the traditional chinese this was more important that CNY coz everyone survived Winter..that's why everyone's bday is on this day?? no ??

Everybody's birthday falls on the seventh day of the chinese new year...:)

[Anson F-Clef]

I feel that we are lucky because we have a chance to learn so many dialects.
Chinese in mainland China can only speak Mandarin plus their own dialect only, and those at the big city like Shanghai and Beijing can only speak Mandarin.

Sorry but I don't quite agree regarding Shanghai - because that city has its own kind of language (Shanghainese) under the Wu language classification. Same goes to Hangzhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, and the language in Jiangsu Province is also quite closely related to the Wu language classification :D

[PreciousPearl]

Sorry but I don't quite agree regarding Shanghai - because that city has its own kind of language (Shanghainese) under the Wu language classification. Same goes to Hangzhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, and the language in Jiangsu Province is also quite closely related to the Wu language classification :D

U R rite! when i was there, the Chinese ppl spoke Shanghainese to each other, French to the factory owners and English to the consultants. One of the Chinese girls told me her French was wayyyy better than her Mandarin. I think I was the only person there to attempt any Mandarin at all. Of course nobody understood me. Heck, I think even I didn't understoodendanded me :h:

[LaoZhang]

恭 祝 大 家 (Gongzhu Dajia) - Wish Every Forummer

新 年 快 乐 (Xinnian Kuaile) – Happy New Year

身 心 健 康 (Shengxin Jiankan)- Healthy body and mind

生 意 兴 隆 (Shengyi Xinglong) - Prosperous Business

步 步 高 升 - (Bubu Gaosheng) - Steady upwards progress

万 事 如 意 - (Wanshi Ruyi) - Ten thousand wishes come true

From : Lao Zhang

[LaoZhang]

Below are some celebratory phrases you'll find useful next week, the start of the Lunar year of the Ox.

How to wish your friends a Happy Chinese New Year

恭喜发财!
gōng xǐ fā cái!
"Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!"
Do as the Chinese do and wish a year of good luck and tidy profits upon your colleagues, your friends, your parents, the lady at the supermarket - everyone! And for added authenticity, clasp your hands together in front of you as you say it.

祝你新年快乐!
zhù nǐ xīn nián kuài lè! "I wish you a Happy New Year!"
No special hand movement for this one, but the phrase is used freely amongst friends.

Celebratory Chat

你怎么过年?
nǐ zénme guò nián?
"How will you spend Chinese New Year?"
Touch the hearts of your excited Chinese friends and colleagues by asking them their plans using Mandarin!

你属什么?
nǐ shǔ shénme?
"Which Zodiac sign are you?"
Not quite the equivalent of, "hey baby, what's your sign?", but good enough to establish whether you or your friends are from the year of the Ox!

[LaoZhang]

According to the Chinese Papers, in this year of the Ox, the most popular CNY sms greeting is :

"Happy 牛 year"



牛 being the Chinese character for Bull, Ox or Cow is pronouced as niu - which is near enough to new !

[LaoZhang]

智 (zhi)
wisdom






# 1 If time doesn't wait for you, don't worry. Just remove the damn battery from the clock and enjoy life!

# 2 Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting the lion not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. Think about it ....!!

# 3 Beauty isn't measured by outer appearance and what clothes we wear, but what we are inside. So, try going out without clothes tomorrow and see the admiration!

# 4 Don't walk as if you rule the world. Walk as if you don't care who rules the world ! That's called attitude! Keep on rocking!

# 5 Only one percent of boys have brains; the rest have girlfriends! Are you the brainy one?

# 6 All desirable things in life are either illegal, banned, expensive or married to someone else!

[athena]

lol...thanks LZ for making tihs an educational post! Can't wait for the next character... :D

[LaoZhang]

你不能决定生命的长度, 但是你可以控制它的宽度
你不左右天气, 但是你可以改变心情
你不能改变容貌, 但是你可以展现笑容
你不能控制他人, 但是你可以掌握自己
你不能预制知明天, 但是你可以利用今天
你不能样样胜利, 但是你可事事尽力
愿大家都能以愉快的心情来面对每天

You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its broadness
You can't change the weather, but you can change your mood.
You can't change your appearance, but you can show of your smile.
You can't control others, but you can control yourself.
You can't foresee tomorrow, but you can utilize today wisely.
You can't win in everything, but you can try your best in everything
Wish everyone can face everyday with a positive and happy heart...

[LaoZhang]

人 啊！
Man, O Man!


沒錢的時候，養豬；
有錢的時候，養狗。
When no money, keep pigs;
When got money, keep dogs.

沒錢的時候，在家裡吃野菜；
有錢的時候，在酒店吃野菜。
When no money, eat at home with wife;
When got money, dine in fine restaurant.


沒錢的時候，在馬路上騎自行車；
有錢的時候，在客廳裡騎自行車。
When no money, ride bicycle;
When got money, ride exercise machine.

沒錢的時候,想結婚；
有錢的時候,想離婚。
When no money, think of marriage;
When got money, think of divorce.

沒錢的時候,老婆兼秘書；
有錢的時候,秘書兼老婆。
When no money, wife becomes secretary;
When got money, secretary becomes wife.

沒錢的時候,假裝有錢；
有錢的時候,假裝沒錢。
When no money, pretend to be rich;
When got money, pretend to be poor.

人 啊，都不講實話：
Man, O Man, never tells the truth:

說股票是毒品，都在玩；
說金錢是罪惡，都在撈；
Says sharemarket is bad but keeps speculating;
Says money is evil but keeps accumulating.

說美女是禍水，都想要；
說高處不勝寒，都在爬；
Says women are trouble-makers but keeps desiring them;
Says high positions are lonely but keeps wanting them.

說煙酒傷身體，就不戒；
說天堂最美好，都不去!!!
Says smoking & drinking is bad but keeps partaking;
Says heaven is good but refused to go.

過去把第一次留給丈夫；
現在把第一胎留給丈夫。
In the past, leave the 1st time to the hubby;
Now, leave the 1st born to the hubby.

鄉下早晨雞叫人，
城裡晚上人叫雞；
In the country, chicken calls man in the morning;
In the cities, man calls for chickens in the nite.

舊社會戲子賣藝不賣身，
新社會演員賣身不賣藝。
Old society, famous actresses sell arts not bodies;
New society, actresses sell bodies not arts.

[lychee]

老师, 真好啊! :)

[alfred98]

Hahaha.....good one LZ!!!:D

[Cyberkahuna]

Thumbs Up! Now I have a mouthful for my chinese friends.

[Cyberkahuna]

Can anyone translate it in English?

http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu232/Bachatakahuna/49793da08bc18.jpg

I think this is what it says:

Love is like S**T!
When it comes, you cant STOP it!
Love is like S**T!
When you flush it, it will never come back again!
Love is like S**T, Everytime it seems like the same, but not very much!
Love is like S**T, You make great effort for a long time but the end result was just a FART!

Cheers!

[LaoZhang]

Carried on 14-October-2010 at this web site
http://health.sohu.com/20101014/n275535705.shtml





万承奎是中国卫生部首席健康专家、第四军医大学著名教授，
多年潜心研究健康教育，融医学、心理学、营养学、社会学为一炉，
集哲学、教育学、家政学为一体，创建了“生命自我管理科学”，
被誉为“青年人的良师益友”、“中老年人的健康卫士”，
曾荣获世界和平基金会“自然医学功勋奖”。

中国首席健康专家，74岁的万承奎教授做客央视《人物周刊》，向大家讲述了他的养生秘方。

Chinese health specialist, Professor Wan Chenggui, explains the “secret” to good health..


1．在健康问题上，你自己比老天爷管用。(On the matter of health, rely on thyself rather than God..)

万承奎教授说，世界卫生组织认为，个人的健康和寿命15%决定于遗传，10%决定于社会因素，8%决定于医 疗条件，7%决定于气候影响，60%决定于自己。在这个问题上，你自己比老天爷管用。
Professor Wan Chenggui says, according to WHO, personal health and lifespan is determined by the following : 15% heredity, 10% Social factors, 8% health care, 7% climate and 60% yourself..

2．全世界最不好的习惯是抽烟。 (The World’s worst habit- smoking)
毕生吸烟的人，要少活20年到25年，吸一次烟，少活11分钟。我为什么比较年轻，比较健康，我一辈子没抽 过烟。谁在我面前抽烟，对不起，请你到外头抽，你可以自残，你不能杀人。大清早一起床就抽烟， 尤其危害大。

Smokers' lifespan is shorten by 20 to 25 years. A stick of cigarette reduce 11 minutes of your life. I have never smoke a cigarette in my life, that the reason I appear younger and healthier. If any one were to smoke in front for me, I’ll ask him to go outside to smoke. You can self destruct but you should not kill others. It is most dangerous to smoke on waking in the morning.


3．营养过剩了，一样会中毒。 ( Too much nutrition will cause poisoning)

一天吃东西是有规定的：一、二、三、四、五、六。
每天一盘蔬菜，必须要八两到一斤（400-500克）；每天两个水果；每天三勺清油，不要超过 25克；每天四两（200克）米饭或四个馒头；每天五种优质高蛋白，肉、蛋、奶、鱼、豆，但有量的规定，一 两（50克）肉，一个鸡蛋，牛奶半斤（250克），豆腐一块或者一碗豆浆、豆腐脑，鱼 30克（不要超过一两）；每天6克盐。另外，每天一定要喝8杯水。
There is rule to our daily intake of food : 1,2,3,4,5,6. Everyday should take :
1 plate of vegetable or at least 400 to 500g
2 fruits
3 table spoon of edible vegetable oil
4 buns (man tou) or 200g of rice
5 type of high quality protein; meat, egg, milk, fish or beans
6 gm of salt

And 8 glass of water


4．人不是老死的，不是病死的，是气死的。 (People do not die of old age or sickness but die of frustration!)

人哪能不生气？人是感情动物，喜怒忧思悲恐惊。很多人, 说老实话，不是老死的，不是病死的，是气死的。所以，不能不生气，但一定要会生气；一定不要当情绪的俘虏， 一定要做情绪的主人；一定要去驾驭情绪，不要让情绪驾驭你。记住情绪是人们生气的指挥棒，至关 重要。
How not to get angry or emotional since human are considered emotional animals.. To be frank, people don’t die of old age or sickness but die of frustration/anger! Thus, its not that you cannot be angry, but you must know the art of getting angry ! Don’t be a prisoner of emotion, rather be the controller of emotions. You must control emotion not let emotion control you.. Remember that emotion is human being’s anger control baton.



5．走路是非常好的锻炼方式。(Walking is a very good form of exercise)

什么东西都是个度，吃饭是个度，睡觉是个度，锻炼也是个度。不锻炼不好，过度锻炼也会降低免疫功能。每天锻 炼半个小时到一个小时，锻炼内容可以采取最简单的办法，走半个小时，光走路就行了，这是最简单、最经济、最 有效的办法。


Everything has a limit..over exercise is no good, no exercise is also no good for your health !

Walk half an hour a day is simple, economical and the most effective way of maintaining your health.

6．喝醉一次白酒，等于得一次急性肝炎。(One drunken episode is equivalent to one serious virus attack on the lever)
少量喝酒有好处，比如每天喝白酒50克，喝葡萄酒尤其红葡萄酒100克，啤酒250克到500克。过多了以 后伤害身体，伤肝、伤脑、伤心，伤各个脏器。喝醉一次白酒，等于得一次急性肝炎。
A small quantity of alcohol is good for you. For example : daily intake of 50 gm of rice wine or 100gm of wine or 250-500gm of beer is good for you. An overdose of alcohol is damaging to your health; damage your lever, brain, heart and various organs.


7．家庭不和睦，人就会生病。(Dishormony in the family will cause illness)

有专家认为，人的疾病70%来自家庭，人们的癌症50%来自家庭，这说明家庭的重要性。

但怎样才能把家庭搞和睦了，这是一门学问。必须解决四个问题：第一，要尊敬老人；第二要教育好子女；第三要 处理好婆媳关系；第四，这条尤其重要，夫妻要恩爱，这是核心。夫妻怎么恩爱？要做到“八互”原则：互敬、互 爱、互信、互帮、互慰、互勉、互让、互谅。

Some specialists reckon that 70% of illness is related to the state of harmony in
the family; 50% of cancer is due to family. This tells the importance of family to healthy wellbeing. How to have a harmonious family, this is a big subject matter. We need to pay attention to four important matters:
No 1: respect the elderly,
No 2: Must teach/educate children
No 3: handle relation with parent in laws well
NO 4: This is a very important condition, husband and wife must love each other (this is the core matter), How to love each other ? Need to carry out 8 mutuals : respect, love, trust, help, console, encourage, tolerance


8．每天健康，毕生就健康。(Healthy everyday, healthy for life)

每天健康生活，要做到七个方面：第一，一定要吃好3顿饭；第二，一定要睡好8个小时觉；第三，每天坚持运动 半个小时；第四，每天要笑30分钟；第五，很特殊，每天一定要会大便；第六，一定要跟爱人搞好关系；第七， 不吸烟，不酗酒。健康要从每一天开始，每天健康，就毕生健康。

To live healthly everyday, you need to cultivate the following 7 daily habits 1) Eat 3 proper meals 2) Sleep well for 8 hours 3) Exercise for ½ hours 4) laugh for ½ hour 5) go to toilet for big business 6) maintain good relation with spouse 7) No smoke, no alcohol
Long term good health comes from everyday’s healthy habit pattern.


9．红薯是世界上最好的食物。(Sweet potatoes is the world best food)
红薯（地瓜）是世界上最好的食物，日本曾经是得癌症最多的国家，为了把癌症减少，日本人想了很多办法，没有 效果，最后慢慢找到了，他们把所有蔬菜做了筛选，选出20种抗癌蔬菜，熟红薯、生红薯是第一号、第二号抗癌 蔬菜，抗癌的、保护心脏的、软化血管的、通便的，都离不开这两样。

Japan use to be the most cancer prone country. Japanese thought of various ways to reduce the occurrence of cancers. They selected and examine 20 anti-cancer vegetable and found that the humble sweet potatoes; cooked and raw are the No1 and No 2 anti-cancer vegetable. Sweet potatoes also protect the heart and soften the blood vessels and improve bowel movement !!


珍惜生命！从现在开始养成良好的习惯吧！

Treasure life.. Start from now, cultivate good habits..

[datokuan]

LZ, I like the last line...cultiavte good habits....becose it will lead to builidng a Good Character....:)

[LaoZhang]

LZ, I like the last line...cultiavte good habits....becose it will lead to builidng a Good Character....:)


You're right.. as the saying goes : watch your habits it become your character !

[LaoZhang]

Dear friends,


Another year coming to an end and a new beginning with the dawn of a new Spring!



As the Chinese saying goes 一年之计在于春 which means “ The whole year’s plan depends on a good start in spring !”



Yes, spring is the time to make a good start to the year..



Time to redouble your effort : strive to achieve whatever resolutions you have not fulfilled this past year



Time to sow the seeds : plan and put into actions your new resolutions and commitments to improve yourself;

to be a more loving to your family, more caring to your friends and more helpful to your community.

好好把握新春的气氛；化解纠纷，培养爱心，树造和谐。

Seize the opportunity!
Use the joyous festive occasion to heal old wounds and thaw strained ties.

If you don’t prepare and sow the field in spring you’ll have nothing to harvest in autumn !


家和万事兴！

A harmonious family, a flourishing prosperity !!


As with previous years, my family and I will be heading back to our hometown, Taiping to celebrate Chinese New Year.


However, this year we will be going back to early. We plan to be back in Taiping by dinner time on Monday 31 Jan and return to KL on Sunday 6 Feb.
Will be in CTA1 on 1 Feb..


As with previous years there will be reunion dinners, gatherings, visiting relatives and friends and hiking the Maxwell hill and maybe picnic at the waterfalls.


If you are travelling north during this period, you’re most welcome to drop by Taiping for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea break or maybe hike the hill with us if you are game! We plan to hike up Maxwell hill on the 2nd day of CNY.


Here is wishing all forummers :


新年快乐，万事如意！


A VERY HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR !